Training, Taco Soup, and the Race Against the Clock

Dinner!

So what does qualifying for the Boston Marathon entail?

To be honest, I’m not exactly sure.  I do know that the odds are not in my favor.  So I’m definitely worse off than Katniss Everdeen.

In terms of time, you basically have to run a “Boston qualifier” marathon in 3 hours or less.  These courses have been certified to be the correct length.  The Boston Marathon, unlike many other marathons, imposes a time qualification by age group.  They accept the fastest runners first.  And they’re expecting great interest in the race next year, so I may need to be a bit quicker to safely make the cut.

So, how hard is a 3 hour marathon?  Well again, I’m not exactly sure.  But I did hear that Lance Armstrong ran his first marathon in barely under three hours.  I figure, since he’s only a world-class athlete, he clearly has less going for him than I do for me.  Being 32 and an IT consultant clearly gives me advantages in knowing how to operate my iPod Shuffle and measure the distance of my runs very accurately with GPS.

If you google around, 3 hour marathons aren’t easy.  But for some people they can be attainable with consistent training.  My problem is that I have to qualify for Boston by about September 15, and most of these 3-hour marathon training plans are for 8-12 months.  I’ll have about 5 months total to prepare.  And like I said in my first post, I hate running, and I’ve never done a marathon before.  So there’s no guarantee I’ll make it.

I’ve looked at ways to gain as much advantage as I can.  I’m altering my diet to include more protein, fruits, vegetables, and all the “healthy” stuff.  Tonight we had the taco soup above, full of black beans, chicken, green beans, onions, corn, tomatoes, and some taco seasoning.  I’ll freeze a bunch of it and then heat it up after exercising so I’ve got a quick, protein-rich meal ready.  And I’m eating less sugar and fat.  I’ve changed my eating schedule so that I’m eating soon after exercise, because it’s my understanding that that’s the best way to get your body to store the food as energy rather than fat.  I’m trying to get 8 hours of rest a night, and I’m timing my workouts to give me more recovery time after running on pavement.  I’m going to try and find a qualifier that is slightly downhill, which can improve my times as well.

Coach Eric talked about the training this way: I’ve got to strengthen two areas—my legs, and my lungs/heart.  The legs are the chassis, and my heart/lungs are the engine for running.  He said my legs will give out first to injury during intense training, so we’re doing quite a bit of cross training like biking, elliptical, or swimming.  These allow me to exercise my heart and lungs without wearing out my legs too much.  We’ll build the running mileage up until the marathon in September.

So, can I do it?  Maybe.  Can I do it by September?  I don’t know.

Several years ago, somebody told me that there’s power in just making a statement, throwing your hat over the wall, and doing everything in your power to make that statement come true.  A month ago, after talking about it for a few days, my wife challenged me to throw my hat over the wall.  And I did.

So I’ll say it again, I’m gonna qualify for Boston.  Talk to you soon.