How long did it take you to BQ?

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How long did it take you to BQ?

Rickshaw
Runworks 2005 5M Racer
San Francisco, CA
Joined: 26 Nov 2004
Posts: 1157

How long did it take you to BQ? Posted: Sat Dec 11, 2004 11:17 am

After a marathon debut of 3:37 two years ago, I've been working steadily towards my Boston qualifying time of 3:10, but haven't made it yet. After five marathons, the closest I've come is 3:15:55 this past October. 2+ years unsuccessfully chasing a BQ feels like a long time. For those of you who've already qualified, had long did it take you? What put you over the edge?

Jim2

Pasadena, MD
Joined: 09 Dec 2004
Posts: 5

Six Years.... Posted: Sat Dec 11, 2004 8:39 pm

....and 12 marathons. However, it was more difficult to Q 15-20 years ago when the Boston standards were higher than those of today. I started running in mid-1982 at age 43 and racing in March 1983 at age 44. I ran my first marathon in 3:47:30 in November, 1983 at age 45. I progressed during the next few years, but also realized that I had no chance of making the BQ standard for 45-49, which was 3:10 at that time. So, I set a plan to reach the BQ standard of 3:20 for the 50-54 age group when I turned 50 in 1988. Well, I didn't make 3:20 that year....I only ran 2:22:37....but it was also a year in which Boston relaxed the Q times by 10 minutes, so the new standard for the 50-54 age group became 3:30 instead of 3:20 and I "qualified". I also Q'd the following year with a 10-second improvement to 3:22:27. However, I didn't accept either time as truly "qualifying" since my goal for several years had been a 3:20 Q time. I had satisfied the relaxed Boston requirement, but hadn't met my personal goal of breaking 3:20. So, I stubbornly and stupidly chose to not run Boston. The reason my choice was stubborn and stupid is that I never Q'd again! BTW, the Boston standards were relaxed yet again in recent years. The current standard for the 45-49 year age group is 3:30. Based on today's standards, I would have Q'd at age 47 in my 6th marathon two years after my 1st one, 1 1/2 years after my first road race (a 10k), and 2 1/2 years after I first started running. I also would have Q'd in my 7th, 8th, 9th, and 10th marathons over the subsequent three years, all of which were in the 3:24-3:29 range. Only my 11th marathon in 3:37 would not have been a Q and that was because I ran it two weeks after my 10th and on a very hilly course. I probably would have accepted those Q races as being legimitate and would have run Boston every year from 1986-90. Instead, because my stubborness, I have never run Boston. For more detail than you will ever want to know of my racing progression in my two running lives at ages 43-51 and 58-62, see my Race Log under the Personal Stuff section of my Running Page at http://users.erols.com/jimsue/running/jim2%27s_running_page.htm. Jim2

Rickshaw
Runworks 2005 5M Racer
San Francisco, CA
Joined: 26 Nov 2004
Posts: 1157

Re: Six Years.... Posted: Sun Dec 12, 2004 11:14 am

I'd forgotten that the Boston qualifying time standards used to be much tougher. I guess I shouldn't complain, then-- I already have it pretty easy compared to the original standards. I can appreciate you not wanting to run Boston even after qualifying when the standards changed. Once you've set your sights on a time goal, it can be very difficult to let go of, even if the original reason for it is no longer valid. For many, the goal is not so much to run Boston as it is to meet the Boston qualifying standards, and when you qualify due to a standards change it can feel a little bit like cheating. In my case, my original goal was to qualify with a 3:10, but I'm old enough now that 3:15 will be the relevant standard the next time I can hope to run Boston. In fact, since the seconds don't count, I already qualified for Boston 2006 with my 3:15:55, but that feels like a consolation prize at best.

Rickshaw
Runworks 2005 5M Racer
San Francisco, CA
Joined: 26 Nov 2004
Posts: 1157

broken URL Posted: Sun Dec 12, 2004 11:17 am

It looks like the forum ate Jim2's home page URL and turned the apostrophe into a %27. You can type the modified URL into your browser manually, or there's also a link to Jim's home page on the Runworks links page: http://www.runworks.com/links.php .

OldManRunner
Runworks 2005 5M Racer
Rochester, NY
Joined: 28 Nov 2004
Posts: 262

Re: How long did it take you to BQ? Posted: Mon Dec 13, 2004 8:02 am

How do you make the symbol for infinity on a keyboard?

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