My journey to Boston started around 15 years ago when, as a freshly minted marathoner after the Country Music Marathon in Nashville, the thought of running the oldest, most prestigious road marathon in the world first crossed my mind. I didn't really appreciate what getting to Boston might entail. I just thought it sounded cool, and I wanted to do it.
Here I am now, on Boston's doorstep, having put in years of patient preparation to get to this point. For some runners blessed with talent, achieving a Boston qualifying time is not a difficult proposition. For others, it's a dream that for whatever reason will remain unfulfilled. Then there are those who are right on the line, runners who can get there but have to work very hard to accomplish the dream (while balancing many other obligations), for the dream is just within reach.
I'm fortunate to have completed 12 marathons. Some were good days; most, in fact, were tough ones. But only one - my qualifying race in Minneapolis in 2013 - achieved a BQ standard. None - ZERO - of my other previous races had even come close. To get to that point, it took several months of solid coaching, stress, and hard work, not to mention several sleepless nights, all the while relearning everything I knew about diet, training, and racing. And finally, on a chilly day along the Mississippi River in Minnesota in October 2013, I finally arrived with a 3:10, beating my age group standard by 5 minutes.
Since that day my running priorities have changed considerably. I made the transition from roads to trails, and while I will still enjoy a road race from time to time, I have fully embraced the ethos of the trail. I've documented that change in my race reports, where I have recounted races that have taken me from gritty single track in the Texas hill country to the gnarly trails of Huntsville to the mountains of California.
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| The Citgo sign. (www.boston.com) |
And yet Boston has always been out there, seemingly an eternity away. Now the race is 2 weeks away. I haven't really "trained" for a marathon in the classical sense, which is fine. I'm sure I have the base to run well. But that isn't really the point any more. For me, this race has become less about PR's, speed, and seeking a qualifying time for a future race. For a number of reasons, I just don't see myself going back to Boston. At least not anytime soon. And so that brings me to this race. How does one develop a race plan for a one-time, bucket list event like the Boston Marathon?
Well for me, the answer doesn't lie in trying to get out there and try to hammer this run as hard as possible. It's going to be about really soaking in the experience, taking in as much of the atmosphere as I can and living in that moment. I'll find a comfortable pace and just roll with it. I'm looking forward to taking a LOT of pictures to be shared here, drinking some fine local brews, spending time with my wife about town, and soaking it all in. From what I hear, runners even get a chance to visit the field at Fenway Park!
I'm not sure whether "enjoy the ride" would be considered a race plan. But I don't care. It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that I plan to thoroughly enjoy from start to finish. Splits be damned!
The countdown has begun!
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Speaking of countdowns, I would be remiss if I didn't mention that I've booked another 100-miler this year! My original plan was to have a go at Run Rabbit Run 100 in Steamboat Springs, Colorado in September. But life plans and other obligations in the fall made the time frame for that race troublesome; the thing never really came together, and alas, before I could settle on a decent itinerary, the race sold out. I still hoped to attempt a qualifying race for the impossibly overbooked Hard Rock 100 this year (and here I thought Boston was difficult to get into...) so my gaze turned elsewhere.
Enter the miracle of social media. My pal Josh had entered a race in Virginia that would take place in October that has a number of things going for it - a more attractive time frame, low altitude (that does not mean "easier", it just eliminates one of many potential difficult variables for the race), it is a Hard Rock qualifier, and I would have the bonus of having a good friend out there with me. It seemed perfect! So with very little forethought (but with the blessing of my better half), I signed up.
The race is the Grindstone 100 in the mountains of western Virginia. It looks spectacular - and impossibly difficult for a flatlander from the Texas plains. Yet I am holding out hope that with training, coaching, and a good bit of luck, I can pull this thing off.
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| Gulp.... |
Between now and then, after my little party in Boston, I'll be taking some extended time off to rest and recover. I look forward to the break for both physical and mental reasons. I'll still be doing some light running and cross training to stay tuned up but it'll be a true vacation for a couple months before the Grindstone grind starts in earnest later in the summer. I can't wait - we have a SWEET summer planned, and I'm going to really enjoy it.
Cheers, y'all!
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