Boston marathon training

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In my pre-kids life I ran a lot. I loved triathlons and competed regularly, in part because each time I trained for a marathon, I got a stress fracture.

My doc said it was time to take up swimming or cycling. So I did both.

Four times I trained. Four times I’d done a long run around 22 miles. Four times I had bone scans that showed rapid bone repair suggestive of a fracture.

So I gave up on marathons.

And after kids, I gave up on racing entirely.

But ever since Monday’s horror, I want to earn that blue and yellow jacket I keep eyeing on Spouse’s side of the hall tree. I want to wear a BAA T-shirt until it has holes and embarrasses my kids. I want to wear the logo now so intensely I can’t stand it.

I’ll train to see if I can qualify, which would require a 3:45 marathon this year. If I can do that, run 26.2 miles at an 8:34 pace (which is a stretch, considering my fastest 10K was 48:00 and my half-marathon pace was a comfortable 9:00), then I’m running Boston next year.

I’ve tried being one of the tens of thousands who stand on the side and cheer their guts out for hours and hours. It’s awesome.

But it gets dizzying, watching all those runners go by. I was almost seasick, by the end of the two races I supported.

So I’m going to try it the other way this time.

Either way, I will be in that city next Patriot’s Day. I stand with Boston and I will do my best to run in Boston.

12 thoughts on “Boston marathon training”

    • I feel helpless not able to do something for friends in Boston, so what ill do is restore their faith that people want to celebrate with them on the third Monday of April.

  2. I don’t want you to hurt your bones, and I also know you can do this and I feel your heart in this. I totally get it. I have a burning desire to do it too…I can’t run that fast unless something untoward is happening and I can’t do it for 26.2 miles, but I will cheer you on with all I got. Just please don’t hurt yourself.

    • Seems as though I can’t control the hurting, so I’ll just train smart.
      I have no idea if the pace will come to me. I’m 10 years older than I was for the 48:00 10k, but that was also at the end of a tri, so maybe?

  3. I just had this conversation with my husband last night! I’ve run a bunch of half marathons, and I just ran my first full marathon last December. The pace I need to do to qualify for Boston is a serious stretch for me (though I have run a half at that pace, my full was NOTHING LIKE that fast). I’ve always figured I’m probably not fast enough, but now I want to do my best to get there!

  4. Are you allowed to walk a marathon? I know, it may take a few days to complete, but perhaps you could avoid cracking things.

    With that mini-mother lecture out of the way, have at it, Nappy. Get your chakras in line and run the hell out of that marathon!

    • You can walk a marathon, yes. But to be allowed to run Boston you have to run an official, timed marathon within 18 months of the race and be within a maximum finish time. At my age, 3 hours 45 minutes. And that’s a brisk marathon for me.

      We’ll see, jg. We’ll see.
      Thanks for the maternal concern, though. You’re a good cybermama, you are.

  5. Your Boston accent is wicked! I didn’t live there long enough to develop the verbal skills, but I recognize it everywhere I go.
    Good luck with the running. I love that you are giving it the college try.

    • Hey, unicorn.

      I wish it just took trying to get there. It’s going to be a tough goal, but nothing like some people are attacking every day, so I shan’t complain.

      I shall make the most of the training-with-jelly-beans plan, though.

    • Realizing now that 2015 is more likely. Need to qualify by September. Have run three times this year, all this week. I could run a 4:00 marathon by next year, but a 3:45? And their system opens to people who beat the minimum qual time by 20 minutes, then they open it to people who beat the minimum by 10 minutes, then 5.

      Trying to convince Spouse to do 2014 so I can take my time to qualify for 2015.

      Either way, I’ll see you next April.

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