“The beauty of endurance sports is that we are always capable of more. We are always capable of improving. Whatever you think your potential is, it’s beyond that. Last month I ran the Boston Marathon after almost 8 yrs of work. When I first started this quest, I was hyper-focused on the outcome – to qualify for Boston. That initial approach wasn’t successful, and over the years, my focus shifted instead to effort over outcome. The beautiful thing is that the outcome eventually came as a result of consistent work repeated week after week after week.
First Attempts – Unprepared
In September 2015 I made my 1st attempt to qualify for Boston (my qualification time was 3:35). I ran the Utah Big Cottonwood Marathon extremely unprepared. I had self-trained by pulling a training plan off of the internet…but had only completed roughly 50% of it. Then, without much race strategy, I went out too fast & ended up walking the last 7 miles. My finish time was 4:05…not even close to that 3:35.
A month later, in October, I tried again at the Freakin Fast Marathon in Boise. But I dropped out at Mile 21. At the time I attributed my DNF (Did Not Finish) to the air quality categorized purple from surrounding fires. But deep down I knew it was because I was still underprepared. I had no business attempting another marathon that fast when I still hadn’t put in adequate training.
Next Attempts – Still Unprepared
After a yearlong break I made a 3rd attempt in December 2016 at the Tucson Marathon. I sort of had a coach. ‘Sort of’ because the workouts did help me improve, but they were not sufficient for a marathon. The upshot was that my half-marathon times improved, but my marathon did not. I went out too fast (again) & walked the last 6 miles to a 4:23 finish.
My 4th attempt was in February 2017 at the Fort Lauderdale A1A Marathon. I had the same coach & was still unprepared. Trying to qualify 2 months after a failed attempt when you’re not appropriately trained really does not work! You’d think I would have learned this after the 2 marathons I butchered in 2015! But alas, old habits die hard. My finish time was 4:20.
Are you starting to see the pattern? I was hyper-focused on the goal of Boston. But I wasn’t committed to the process as evidenced by the fact that I wasn’t consistently putting in the necessary training. I hadn’t yet made the switch to effort over outcome. I hope you’re still with me, because this is where it gets good & I get my act together!
Got a Coach & Got Consistent
In the Fall 2017, I started working with a new coach – a coach who was also a runner & triathlete. He held me accountable & gave me proper workouts. After a few weeks of getting my butt kicked I quickly realized what my training should look like. I was finally starting to focus on effort over outcome. In February 2018 I ran the Mesa Marathon in 3:38 – only 03 min off a Boston qualifying time! It was the 1st marathon I had raced after completing a full 16-week training program. It goes without saying that those results were not a coincidence.
In October 2019 I had a baby. Although I had to put a bit of a pause on my Boston goals, they were still very much there. While I couldn’t train the same way during my pregnancy, I committed to staying healthy & active throughout. Somewhere in here my age group qualification time went from 3:35 to 3:30! I definitely had some work to do in 2020.
As most of us experienced, 2020 was a dud of a year for races (thanks to COVID). I trained for 3 separate marathons…all of which were cancelled. In August 2020, I ran a marathon on the Boise River Greenbelt just for myself, to honor my training & my hard work. I finished in 3:30. Since it wasn’t an official race, it didn’t count towards my goal, but it meant everything towards my effort. At this point I knew I had it. I just needed a race.
After you master effort over outcome, the arbitrary timelines you set for yourself suddenly don’t matter. There was no urgency to qualify ‘ASAP’ because ‘my body had the fitness’. I knew I would be ready the next time. I knew I would qualify whenever the races opened back up. So, I decided to have another baby while I waited. Baby #2 came in September 2021.
7th Time’s a Charm!
In June 2022, in my 7th & final attempt, I qualified at the Light at the End of the Tunnel Marathon with a time of 3:24. Prior to this race I had completed another solid training block with the same coach AND I had dialed in my nutrition with a nutrition coach.
In April 2023, almost 8 yrs after I started out on this journey & two babies later, I ran the Boston Marathon! Getting to Boston was by far my greatest athletic accomplishment. Not because I ran Boston, but because of the work I put in to get there & how I learned to be a better athlete.
If you aren’t improving, take a close look at yourself. Ask yourself, ‘Are you putting in the work?’ Be honest in your answer. Noone else determines the trajectory of your racing, that’s all on you. Focus on the process, not the goal. Put in the work. The goal will come!”
If you’re interested in training for a marathon (or other endurance event), click here.
Overcome with emotion at the Boston finish line!