So I Guess I'm Putting This Out There....

So I have mentioned in a few posts recently that I have this crazy ambitious running goal that I am poised to attack over the course of the next several months.  You see, there is this little race, that I really want to run.

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That would be The Boston Marathon!  For those who don't know, the Boston Marathon is the Granddaddy of all marathons.  Likely the best known road race in the world, it is the world's oldest marathon (although the Around the Bay 30K Road Race in Hamilton is in fact older, but is not a marathon).  Now I suppose that many of you are wondering why the heck this is such an ambitious goal.  Well that's the thing about the Boston Marathon.  You don't just enter your name, and age,  t-shirt size, and credit card number onto a registration page. take a breath, and hit submit.  You must qualify to earn the ability to register.  How do you qualify?  Well, you run your guts out, that's how.  Being the spring chick that I am, I still fall in the youngest age category, but being among the oldest of the youngest means that I have to run a sub-3:35 marathon in order to qualify.  So that my friends is why this is a hugescarycrazyoverwhelming goal.

 

My best marathon time is 3:48:17.  For you math lovers, that means I have to cut 13:18 off my time to satistfy the qualification standard.  In reality, it would be best to cut closer to 15 minutes, as squeaking in seconds under your qualifier still does not guarantee entry depending on how many people register in a given year.  In some ways 15 minutes seems like no time at all, just a bit over 30 seconds per mile faster then my best time...30 seconds faster seems like nothing, until you have to do it for 26.2 miles.  In some ways 15 minutes seems like a long time...Enough time to walk Lucas to school, or give 2 boys a bath, or make dinner on soccer night. 

 

So I've armed myself with a new training plan.  The Marathon:  Own It plan from Train Like a Mother.  It will be bible for 18 weeks.  I will eat well, and hydrate well, and remember to take my iron supplements.  I will hit the gym twice a week to cross train, and strengthen to prevent injury and become a more efficient runner, I will get up early enough to run that I have time for planks and other torture core strengthening before the boys are up and the "mommys" begin. I will run slow when I'm supposed to run slow, and fast when I'm supposed to run fast, and rest when I'm supposed to rest, and sleep enough to let my body soak in all the improvement instead of checking my email one more time. 

See that?  It says right there that it's a "plan that can get you a BQ."

 

Why?  Why all the effort, when I could clearly just choose another race?  A race where I could just enter my name, and age, and shirt size, and credit card number on the registration page.  Well, I don't know if I'm quite sure why, I suppose there's a few reasons.  In 1967 Kathrine Switzer (registered as K.V. Switzer) was the first woman to run the Boston Marathon as a registered participant.  The race director attempted to physically remove her from the course.  She then went on to lobby for women's athletics.  Her drive, determination, and tenacity are the reason that girls like me got to grow up playing sports.  Women like her made it possible to us to experience the joy, and satisfaction, and empowerment of sports.  Growing up playing sports made me the person I am today.

The Boston Marathon is kind of a big deal in the running world.  The ability to check that off, to know that I did that, is a big deal to me.  To have a requirement in front of me, something that seems just a touch out of reach, but knowing that if I work hard enough, if I strive enough that I just might be able to touch it drives me.  So I'll  borrow a mantra from my man Yoda.

 

 

I will not try, I will do.  It may take some time to get there, I may jump an age group and gain 5 minutes before it happens, but I am going to show myself what I can do.