Qualify for Boston
From the moment I first decided to run a marathon, eight years ago, I wanted to qualify for Boston. It would take running a 3:10 marathon; that was my goal from the very beginning.
It didn’t happen in the first race (4:53!), and it didn’t happen for many more after that. But finally, in October 2009 (in my first marathon after becoming vegetarian), I did it. 3:09:59 at the Wineglass Marathon in Corning, New York, and a day I’ll never forget for as long as I live.
With such an inauspicious start and so many years of failed attempts, I’m now in a unique position to share what I learned about getting to Boston when it once seemed so far off (impossible, even). I hope this 11-part series of posts provides you with the information and inspiration you need to make it happen.
The hardest part—the work—is up to you.
1. How I Qualified for the Boston Marathon
2. My Plan to Qualify for the Boston Marathon
3. Boston-Qualifying Requirements, Races, and Information
4. The Training Program I Used to Qualify for Boston
6. Down to the Last Four Miles (Qualifying Race Recap)
7. Photos and Videos from the Qualifying Race
8. The Psychological Strategy I Used to Take 100 Minutes Off My Marathon Time
9. My recap of the Boston Marathon
10. On the Boston Marathon Qualifying Standards Debacle
For a long time, injury prevented me from ever getting into the training groove necessary to qualify for Boston. But eventually, I beat the pain. Here’s how: