Training for Boston

Its been awhile since I have blogged. I've been too busy running. Ha! It can take up a lot of time to blog and run, and live the rest of your life. Maybe I need to write less, become more organized in my blogging, or something else. Maybe I'll figure it all out one day. 

So... 

I've got this big fat idea in my head that I am going to try to qualify for the Boston Marathon. I've always thought one day I would, like when I am 50 and my time matches what I already run, but never any time soon. I am NOT fast. Never have been. When I was in middle school I did cross country on a fluke one year and was always that runt rhino bringing up the rear at a 12 minute mile. I aspire one day to be a well known runner. To travel around the US and run in races that other people pay for and give me free swag.

SWAG- stuff we all get - Michael Scott

So I always read the profiles and back stories of the people that do what I want to do and they are always high school track stars and major college athletes. Ughhhh.... 

Outside of the stint I did in middle school, which I DESPISED, I didn't start running until I was around 20, and I always kept a slow and steady 10-10:30 pace. I don't know if you have looked at the Boston qualifying times, but that's not them. If I want to qualify at a 3:35, I have to run an ENTIRE marathon at an 8:12 pace. Yikes. 

I'm starting my training at the beginning of June. I'll be following the training plan in Run Less, Run Faster, they have training plans mapped out for each qualifying time. Right now I am in training for my  Broke Man's half marathon. A week and a half ago I pulled a 12.2, and this weekend for mothers day I told my husband I wanted to run a half, and then take a PEACEFUL bath. Let's hope that happens. 

So I have got the distance down. I have run 2 marathons previously, but at a whopping 5:26 (injured!) and a 4:52. So, if you do the math, I have to shave almost an hour and a half off of that time. I have no clue if that is even humanly possible, but why not try. 

My speed is slowly and surely getting better. I have been incorporating 1 speed/tempo/hill workout a week, among the much other working out I do. Yesterday I did an easy 5.2 at a 9:05 pace. That's not where I need to be by any means, but it's a VAST improvement from where I was a year ago when I ran my 2nd cleveland marathon.

So my plan now is to keep on running! And training, and dreaming and talking about it and reading about it. The .Erie Marathon is on September 15th. In order to qualify for the Boston 2014 marathon, you need to qualify for it by the time registration opens "sometime in September" I don't know why there isn't a cut off date, it doesn't make sense, but they will announce it on July 1st. IF the registration date is after that marathon, then I will run that one and try to qualify for the 2014 marathon. IF I make it then I will run race in April and then get pregnant after that! 

IF I don't qual for that one, then I will run the Columbus on Oct. 20th, try to qual for Boston 2015, then get pregnant in between the races! 

If all else fails, honestly, if I run  anything with a 3 in the front of that number I will be EXTREMELY impressed with myself.

Ok- time to go run.