My initial goal for this running season was a 3:30 time; I figured I should give it a whirl and try harder at improving my time…just to try it. Then, around the time of the Elkhart Co. 4-H fair 5K, I decided that my pace was fast enough to try to qualify for Boston: 3:20. I changed training schedules, trained more often and more miles and Lake City was a strong race.
I missed the qualifying time, but ran a 3:25 (12th overall out of 57 registered runners, 9th Male finisher) and was happy with how prepared I felt. I was on track for the first 13.1 mile loop (we ran the course twice) with a time of 1:38, but my second time, I dropped 9 mins. behind. My previous PR was 3:47 and it’s fun to reflect back to my first marathon in 2002 with a finishing time of 4:27 (here’s the result page; I’m in 569th place).
I wrote about my progress up through the 2005 season in a previous post , and if I remember right, last season I was trying for a two marathon year, but ending up doing 3:
- 2006 Sunburst: 3:47* (PR; Previous PR was 3:56, Sunburst 2004)
- 2006 Lake City: 3:53 (leg cramped up at Mile 17)
- 2006 Columbus (I ran with Lois as her running buddy).
This season so far hasn’t been entirely groovy:
- 2007 April Louisville: 4:02 <=crashed hard at Mile 14
- 2007 June Sunburst: 4:01 <= relaxed and “enjoyed” the course
- 2007 Sept. Lake City: 3:25 <= a bit nippy, but legs felt great throughout the course.
The Hanson training schedule has been more demanding, but I would agree with the many others when I say that you don’t have to run over 16 miles in your training schedule to be prepared (at least in the beginner/intermediate level). Lois and I are running Lakefront the first weekend in October and my sister, Stephany, just got her tickets to fly out for her nephew’s birthday and run in Grand Rapids. (I might try another qualifying run there if the training holds up).
I wasn’t exactly planning on five marathons this year, but I’m 40 now, and why not. I still want one of those Segways, but until then, running marathons still amuses me.
4 years ago