Have you run Boston? Did you qualify? When you tell others that you are a marathoner you typically get questions like these. Boston is at the pinnacle of the marathon scene. It is one of the very few races that imposes stringent qualifying standards. For my age group (18-34 years old) the time needed is a 3:05. That averages out to 7:03 a mile for 26.2 miles. I have been focused in training on getting under this mark. Do you have dreams? Ambitions? Desires? This has been mine for a while now and I finally got there. It happened just a week ago and the reality is starting to set in as registration for the Boston Marathon is about to open up for me.
BQ or Bust: How do you handle the pressures of a big race and perform your best? This is he question I was faced with before and during the Lehigh Valley Marathon. The race was on September 9, the day before the deadline to run a BQ. I went into this race knowing that, if I did not run faster than a 3:05 marathon, I would be watching it on television. I did have some confidence, coming off of a fine 1:26 half marathon but as the saying goes, "Anyone can run twenty miles. It's the next six that count." The marathon is unpredictable. You can have a great training cycle but are still at risk of blowing up at any point in the race. The marathon humbles you. It can help you realize what you are striving to achieve in life. It can bring you many joys and it can defeat you, be your worst enemy. I like the solitude I find in running. It brings clarity to my everyday life and helps to give me different perspectives on the world around me. You learn a lot about yourself in long distance running. I like the challenge of running tired because the feeling you get in triumph is one like no other. I am happy to say this is what happened at Lehigh.
I went down to the Lehigh Valley on the Friday before the race and hung out with my best friend at his college. This was extremely helpful in relaxing me prior to the race. I went to the start line on Sunday feeling fresh and ready to do my best. I have been working with a new running coach at Rhode Runner over the past few months. He suggested I go out in 1:30 and try to run sub-7:00 miles for as long as I could. I liked this strategy. The marathon course is a net downhill, primarily from the first few miles, and the majority of the race is run on trails. I went out right on pace! I ran with the "unofficial" 6:50 pace group as one runner nicknamed the pack I ran with during most of the race. I hit thirteen miles in 1:29:14. I was right on target at this point. My legs were feeling some fatigue at this point and I urged them, pleaded with them to produce a solid second half to get that BQ. After the halfway point, the group started to click off some faster miles, closer to 6:40. While I know I can handle the pace, I let the group go and stuck to hitting 6:50-7:00 miles. I knew I needed to conserve some energy for that final 10k and that it was not worth the risk of blowing up by staying with their pace. I stuck to my plan and was running strong through 20 miles. I was right on 3 hour pace and the thoughts of breaking this barrier began to float into my head. Then, came those last six miles. I did not completely hit the wall but my pace wavered and I averaged just over 7:15 pace across the final 10k. I crossed the finish line in 3:03:14 (6:59 pace)! I was overcome with emotion down the final stretch. Once I glimpsed the finish line in the distance, and gave my watch a quick read and saw 3:01-something, I knew I was going to do it. The last .2 miles was incredible. The one thing I had been obsessed with for the better parts of this year was finally going to be achieved. I clenched my fist in the air as I approached the finish line. A spectator encouraged me and told me I was doing great. My response was, "BQ!" I sort of yelled it back at him and he laughed. Right before the finish line, the announcer said my name and told the onlookers that runners coming in were still running very fast times. I threw my put my arms out as I crossed the finish line and then I felt nothing. Everything was still. I was trapped in my one small moment of success. I have put a lot of pressure on myself in training all summer to get into sub-3:05 shape and the weight this fell of right as I came through the finish line. I may have had a tear in my eye. I'm not ashamed to say that. I'm also not ashamed to say that I am an official Boston Marathon Qualifier! I got my BQ and am quite proud of it. From looking at me in high school or in the beginning of college, you would never have expected that kid to qualify for the Boston Marathon. I have made some changes and different choices in my life to get to where I am today but I would not have done anything differently. During the race, I realized that time is not the most important aspect of running. I run for joy. I want to get the most out of myself each day and find I am most satisfied in this regard from running. Now I have to find out what it is that I want next.
What's next: I am here to stay in the marathon. I will be running another fall marathon to try and break the three hour mark, but I do have bigger ambitions. I want to run FAST in the spring. If my training cycle seemed tough last spring seemed tough, it will be nothing compared to what is coming. I am going to find out where my limits are and then push them further. I have been told what I can and cannot do through much of my life. Running is different. This spring will be different. Boston will be different.
Cheers,
David
marathon splits: 6:52, 6:49, 6:50, 7:04, 7:00, 13:50 (2 miles), 6:44, 6:53, 6:46, 6:54, 6:47, 6:40, 6:51, 6:48, 6:54, 6:54, 6:59. 7:01, 7:10, 7:10. 7:14, 7:13, 7:21, 7:26, 7:26, 1:27 (.2)
13 miles- 1:29:14
20 miles- 2:17:54
last 10k- 45:17 (7:17 pace)
* 3:03:14 26.2 miles BQ
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