My 1st BQ

It's hard to believe it's been 2 years since I first qualified for the Boston Marathon. I ran my first marathon in October 2007 at Columbus in 3:49. As soon as I crossed that finish line, I was already planning on running my next one. I ended up doing one just a few months later, the Rock & Roll Arizona Marathon in January 2008. I choose this race because my brother lived in Phoenix at the time so not only did I have a place to stay but he was also going to run the race. It was a perfect day, temps in the 50s, and I had a nice, flat course to run on. To qualify for Boston, I needed to run 3:40 or faster. I finished in 3:38:59.

Around mile 13

Up until I crossed the finish line at Boston last April, this day in Phoenix was the greatest day. Well, maybe a few things rank ahead but it was an amazing day to say the least. When I had a mile to go, I knew I was going to BQ as long as I didn't trip & fall or decide to walk the rest of the way. For those of you who aren't runners, you might not understand this, but that feeling as I crossed the finish line, exhausted, spent, and dehydrated after running my heart out for 26.2 miles was simply incredible. One of the best parts was knowing I had accomplished this on my own. I trained by myself and I did not have anyone pacing me during the marathon. In fact, I only had one person cheering for me on the course, my brother's girlfriend, who I saw at mile 13 and again around 25.5. My brother was there at the finish as he had already finished the marathon in 3:09.

Jeff & I afterwards

“It begins 30 minutes from the finish line. You find yourself chastising yourself for this foolishness, and promising yourself if you just finish you will never put yourself through such self-imposed torture again. Within 30 minutes after you complete the race, you have experienced the relief and recovery. Then you forget about all the pain and begin planning for your next marathon.”

93 days till Boston!