My Road to the Boston Marathon

Qualifying for the Boston Marathon was the most ambitious goal I have ever had. After I ran my first marathon, I realized that running the most famous marathon in America was a possibility. The goal of qualifying for Boston became my main focus as I continued training. Here is the story of my road to the Boston Marathon! 

My Why

When it comes to running, you need to know WHY you are doing it. This is especially true for marathon running. You will hit a wall where that reason will be the only thing keeping you going. My reason for wanting to qualify for the Boston Marathon was simple. I wanted to do something that proved to myself that I could do anything I set my mind too. 

My friends were all getting married and having babies, but I wasn’t at that stage in my life. I wanted to do something special that I had control over, which at that time was running. I had only been running a few years and it was something I loved to do and was decently good at. After learning more about the highly competitive qualification process of the Boston Marathon, I decided that getting into Boston would be the pinnacle of my running career. I would keep pushing until I got there!  

My How 

After running my first two marathons and improving significantly with each one, I knew I could reach Boston eventually. Honestly, I figured it would be a few more marathons down the road. I never expected to qualify on my third 26.2! 

When it came time to choose a race, I decided on a marathon that was largely downhill. The idea of coasting downhill to victory was exactly what I wanted! After pouring over numerous reviews and Boston qualifying statistics, I decided on the Mountains to Beach Marathon in California. The race started flat, had a large downhill portion in the middle, and ended pancake flat on the beach. Califonia is where my family lives, so the appeal of having them there to cheer me on also made this the perfect choice!

Training

I trained with my run group twice a week and ran on my own three days a week. I had (and still have) an intense heel pain that randomly flares-up. I’d been to physical therapy, doctors, and even got an MRI at one point. Though I never got a clear diagnosis as to why I have the pain, regular physical therapy was recommended to me. While training for my third marathon I went to PT regularly and religiously did the exercises they gave me. It was mainly foot and ankle strengthening work. I can’t say that it fixed the problem, but it definitely helped my strength and kept the pain at bay for my race. 

Since the race was downhill I incorporated more strength work for my legs, specifically my quads. I had read some horror stories about runners blowing out their quads on downhill races. If you are well trained and prepared for downhill races, they can be fantastic! But the unprepared runner will find that downhill can be brutal on those quads. I made sure to avoid that mistake.

Race Time!

When my trip to California for Mountains to Beach came, I stayed with my family at a perfect little cottage in Ventura. The day before the race we drove the course to give me an idea of what I would face the next day. I always like doing this if I can to help soothe my pre-race jitters. 

Unexpected Pain

I had some back pain crop up a few days before the race. Two days before I left for California, I threw my back out doing strength training. Word to the wise, lay off the strength training a week before your race! When it came time to run, I had lowered my expectations significantly. I decided to run the marathon and only do what felt good.  

Game On!

Perhaps this release of pressure to perform made it easier for me to run my own race. On race morning I felt fantastic and took off from the start with ease and confidence. I flew down the steep hills with crazy speed, so much so that I seriously surprised myself! The camaraderie on the course was great, there wasn’t a lot of crowd support, but the other runners were happy to encourage one another. One lady asked me if I was trying to qualify for Boston, I said I was, and she said I was doing great and to keep up the good work. You don’t always see that kind of friendly behavior in races, so it was a great boost of confidence! 

The only time during my race that I struggled was the last mile. I skipped the final water stop figuring I was almost done and didn’t need it. Big mistake! After passing the water stop I immediately got a horrible side cramp and clutched my side for the last mile or so. Though it wasn’t the prettiest finish, I still clocked a BQ (Boston Qualifier) with enough padding to ensure I would get into the race! I was shocked and elated about my performance and had an amazing weekend celebrating with my family and friends.  

Acceptance

Even though I knew I was most likely getting into Boston, it was still brutal waiting for my official acceptance. When it finally came in the mail I cried. Having finally achieved my pinnacle of running achievement, I was overwhelmed. The funny thing about qualifying for Boston is that it’s almost more special to just qualify. Getting to run Boston was an amazing experience, and I am proud to have run it. But getting that letter and achieving my amazing qualifying time meant SO much to me. I proved to myself that I could do anything I set my mind too, and that was my ultimate goal. I had done it =) 

Post-Boston

After qualifying for and then running Boston (which was the hardest race I have ever run), I slowed way down. My big goal had been to run Boston, I did that, and did not want to keep pushing myself to get faster and faster. Honestly, I don’t think I will ever be that fast again, and that’s ok! 

I’ve grown a lot as a runner after Boston. I am still SO proud of achieving my Boston dream. Though, I am also proud of the runner I am today. I can run a race, slow down, and enjoy the ride (check out my slowest and most enjoyable marathon recap here!). Sure, I still race and do speed work. I still love running fast! But, if I never run Boston again, that’s okay too. One day, when I’m older, perhaps I will get another crack at it. If that chance does come around, I will make sure to slow down and not push myself too hard. That way I can enjoy my experience!

Running is largely about enjoyment for me now and much less about competition. Who knows, maybe someday something will spur me back into competition mode, but for now I will run my own race and love every minute of it! 

For a list of my past races, click here!

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