Challenges

Lauren tells me that i shouldn't buy something when I first walk into a shop, I should walk away and if I am still thinking about it later then it is a sign that I really want it. In a similar vein, I have been thinking about writing this post for a while. I didnt want to write it straight away as committing it to paper [read: blog] is like commiting to it in blood.

I have run three marathons and am in training for my fourth. This will be my fourth in four years, if i can get over the shins splints. I have never broken 4 hours, even in London when the elements were with me. I could list a whole variety of excuses, but in reality, I have never broken four hours because i have not trained well. In the beginning, for the first two, I didnt know any better. For the third I was cross training a lot as it came four weeks after a half-ironman, and my body was tired.

I started running when I was 29. Before that I could not run for the bus. I was overweight, I had a terrible diet and was lazy. I did not have a particularly active childhood. I played in the garden and mucked about with my brother, but i was not a big footballer, never really played rugby and i never made any 'teams' at school (except for badminton because i was quite good and it didnt involve running around!). So running, at 29, was new.

I have done a bunch of 5k, 10k and half marathons, I have also completed sprint and olympic triathlons, two half-ironmans and as stated, three full marathons. I am no contender, but i finish. I dont think that I have the build or abilities of a "natural" athlete, but i like to run and i love being in good shape.

So the question is, can I qualify for the most prestigious Marathon in the world?

If I wish to qualify for Boston before I am 40 (different age categories have different times) I need to run a qualifying marathon in 3 hours and 14 minutes. That is forty seven minutes (almost to the dollar) quicker than the last time that I ran that same distance. That is 1 minute and a bit less per kilometre, every kilometre.  If I wish to do it before I am 35, then I have to do it 5 minutes faster THAN THAT.

I have been doing a lot of research into this over the last four weeks or so and I am uncertain whether it is possible. I have read a lot of blogs and websites and runners magazines and they all have great stories about the people who have gone from couch-potato-to-boston-qualifier, but there is always something in those stories that makes me wonder if there was the hidden body of an athlete underneath the neglected flesh on the sofa. The key, according to, well, everyone, is discipline and intensity. Build up to running 60-70 miles a week every week. Build in some proper speed work. Run trails and hills, run parks, run roads, run beaches. Run LSD and run fartlek. Basically just run. Get your legs and body into such a shape that you can run and run and run. It is all about endurance and your ability to maintain a 4.5 minute kilometer for as long as you want.

One of the sites i read  http://www.asksasha.com/Running/How-do-I-train-to-qualify-for-the-Boston-Marathon.html says that it is entirely possible and that the key is to run every day 6 days a week and NEVER miss a run. No matter where you are in the world. No matter how difficult the terrain, there is likely to be a treadmill or a park or a strip of wasteland, but if you want it, if you REALLY want it, then you gotta give it your all.

I am exhausted just thinking about it, but i think it is worth a shot. For the next 24 months, this site is now dedicated to answering the question, "can anyone qualify for Boston?"