Eat Drink Run Woman

This week the Runner’s Lounge asks us to let you in on the secret of how to qualify for Boston.  Why on earth would I want to do THAT?  I can put up with you stopping by my blog, but that doesn’t mean I want to rub sweaty elbows with you in Hopkinton.

I kid!

Frankly, even though I’ve managed to qualify for Boston twice, I can’t say I have the secret.  So many factors come in to play — some you can control, others you can’t — there’s no guarantee what works for one person will work for another.  While I worked hard to get my BQ, I was also blessed with a bit of luck.  I may not have the secret, but I’m happy to share my road to a BQ.

The following factors are what I consider to be the most important in my BQ quest:

Age/gender
Obviously, this is one you can’t control.  There are many folks who argue BQ standards favor older women, especially those in the 40-49 age group, and I just so happen to fall into that category.  The standards account for bodies that get creakier and less responsive with age, yet perhaps I’m in that sweet spot where my body isn’t so decrepit I can’t pull off a 4-hour marathon.  Compare that with the 3:15 my darling needs as a 38-year-old man.  As many of you may know, he missed his time by a mere 18 seconds in the same race where I first BQ’d.  But was my age/gender the only reason?  Maybe, maybe not.  My training was more regimented than his, and I believe I got in a couple more long runs.

The race
Here’s something you can control.  There are hundreds of BQ course around the country from which to choose — some with a reputation for being a fast course (CIM, St. George, Tucson), others not.  I chose the North Olympic Discovery Marathon in Port Angeles for my first BQ attempt.  It’s a scenic, small race (about 600 marathoners) on a relatively fast course.  Even though I missed my BQ there (you can read about it here), I do think it’s a great course on which to BQ.

Not wanting to leave things to chance, I chose the Light at the End of the Tunnel for my second attempt as it’s an all-downhill course (you can see the elevation profile in part 1 of my race report).  Some running Nazis may claim it’s a cheater course, but if the USATF certifies it, then it’s good enough for the BAA.  Still, even though I was ecstatic after the Tunnel Marathon, I wanted to challenge myself on a more difficult course.  While I wasn’t sure if I had it in me going into the race, I BQ’d again at Royal Victoria with a 4:00:26.

Weather
You know what they say — you can’t control Mother Nature.  Chicago is known as a great course on which to BQ, but we all know about the debacle of 2007 (who would have though it would be in the 90s in October?)  While it was cooler in 2008, the temperature still wasn’t ideal.  Those hoping to BQ at St. George last year were met with steady rain and a strong head wind.

Here’s where luck came into play for me, as I was blessed with great weather for both of my BQ races.  Well, that’s not entirely true — it was hotter than I would have liked for the Tunnel Marathon — but at least it wasn’t in the mid-90s like it had been in the days leading up to the race.  Because of the heat I made sure to stay hydrated not only during the race, but also throughout the week.  In addition, the course is rather shaded, so I didn’t have to deal with the sun beating down on me.  I ran Royal Victoria under cool, cloudy skies (perfect running weather in my view), but in 2007 runners had to deal with rain and high wind.

Running history
I couldn’t control the fact I wasn’t athletic as a youth, but I certainly could control the time I would devote to running in my pursuit of a BQ.  While you can simply finish a marathon on relatively low mileage (heck — I ran only a maximum of 80 miles/month before my first), running a BQ requires you to step things up considerably.  My monthly mileage topped out at 200 while training for North Olympic (some people run a lot more), plus I incorporated a lot of speed work.  I also recommend having at least one marathon under your feet before attempting a BQ, although I know people who have done it on their first try.  Personally, I think that’s putting a lot of pressure on yourself, but I’m pretty conservative when it comes to that.

Your body
Again, there are things you can control and things you can’t.  Although I had already lost a lot of weight before running my first marathon, I knew I’d benefit by losing even just another five pounds before trying to BQ.  Trying to lose weight during marathon can be tricky; after all, you’re starving All. The. Time.  But I focused on eating healthier and reducing my alcohol consumption and eventually I was able to get down to 155 pounds by race day.

But then there’s the issue of flexibility, or lack thereof.  I’ve been plagued with typical runner’s issues — bad knees, weak hips — but I’ve been fairly diligent about incorporating exercises to help strengthen my weak spots.  I perform various core work at my gym 3-5 days per week, which includes such exercises as lunges, squats, planks and a slew of abdominal exercises.  I also try to get in 10-15 minutes of stretching, particularly for my hamstrings and calves.

Training plan
There are so many plans available, and I encourage you to research which one best fits your schedule and your style.  As I’ve written before, I tried the FIRST plan for a while, but determined it wasn’t for me.  When I was dealing with knee issues my physical therapist recommended Jeff Galloway’s run/walk program; while it prepared me for my first two marathons, I wasn’t confident it would get me to my BQ.  I then turned to Pete Pfitzinger’s “Advanced Marathoning” program and have been very pleased with the results.  Yes, it’s hard core, but you ain’t gonna get to Boston on an easy plan.  You can read about my experience by clicking on the “Pfitzinger 18/55” category, but to summarize, I believe the key to my increase in speed was the mid-week runs of 10-14 miles.  With the other plans my mid-week runs were limited to 6- to 8-milers.  I obviously needed more time on my feet.

Pre-race & race day fueling strategy
This obviously factors in to ANY marathon, but it’s particularly important when racing.  I was so concerned about losing even just a few seconds during water stops that I neglected to hydrate enough during North Olympic (I was also afraid I’d have to take a potty break).  So while I was running strong for the first 16-17 miles, things fell apart after that and I was forced to walk to shake off the dizziness.  In the week leading up to the race our dinners were a good mix of lean protein, vegetables and whole grain carbs.  I also gave up my beloved wine for two weeks.  I was less stringent in the days leading up to Royal Victoria, but I still ate healthier.  During both races I took in gels and ShotBlocks, and also downed a couple of salt tabs during the Tunnel Marathon (be sure to stick to the things you’ve trained with.  Nothing new on race day!)

Pacing strategy
You’ll find a lot of opinions on this, but most people agree you need to force yourself to go out slow or else you’ll blow up in the later miles.  With North Olympic, I tried to keep my pace about 10-15 seconds slower than MRP for the first few miles.  However, I now wonder if I should have kept my pace closer to MRP given the hills between miles 16-20.  (I’m sure it wouldn’t have mattered; I still would have been dehydrated).  Knowing I’d benefit from the downhill grade at the Tunnel Marathon, I started out several seconds faster than MRP.  In fact, I was able to run the entire race faster, resulting in a 3:54:34.  I was much more conservative with Royal Victoria and ended up running a slight negative split.

Goals
Sure, I know what you’re saying: your goal is to BQ dammit!  But I highly recommend having at least one secondary goal should your BQ not materialize.  Perhaps it’s a PR, or even a course PR.  Or you could pick a specific time and shoot for that.  BQing was my be-all and end-all at North Olympic, and I wish I had come up with some secondary goals.  I knew I’d PR (I ran my first two marathons in over 5 hours), but if I had come up with a couple of other times to shoot for perhaps I could have pushed myself a bit more when the going got tough.  By having several goals, you’re less likely to think of your race as a failure if you didn’t BQ.

I hope I’ve provided some tips and motivation for you in your quest to BQ.  Assuming we can swing it financially, I’ll be returning to Hopkinton in 2010.  I hope to see you there!