Why Boston?

This weekend some of my closest friends will be leaving for Boston. They will be running the Boston Marathon on Monday (Patriots Day in the U.S.)
Most people are satisfied with just being able to complete any marathon as that alone is a daunting task. The training required to complete a marathon is intense, long and at anytime you could be hit with a roadblock that sets your training backwards. The one thing that you can guarantee with any marathon is that it will challenge you physically and mentally.

When I first started running I fell in love with running trails and I never gave the Boston Marathon much of a thought. I think partly for me it was because at that time I had no desire to even run a marathon. I was happy running trail races as this required more endurance than speed. I didn't think I was a fast runner so why attempt to do something that I knew I couldn't do? Why set myself up for a big disappointment right?

Well, as I began to run more and more I was encouraged by the fact the my speed was increasing. However, I still had no idea what I was doing with regards to a training program. I would go out for 10-15K runs with no idea about how I should run them. I would often run 6 days a week with no plan in sight.

In 2005 I did my first 1/2 Marathon, the Angus Glen in a time of 1:50. I had NO idea what I was doing but I'll never forget the feeling I had of trying to run as fast as I could. Even after that race, though, I went back to doing more trails and didn't do another road race for months after that. I got into running towards the end of the 2005 racing season but I was still able to do 2 Duathlons (run, bike, run), 2 Trail races (25K each with just two weeks rest in between) as well as a few 10K races and one 10 Mile race.

In 2006 I decided to enter the Ontario Ultra Trail Racing series which was a series of 10 trail races, 25 to 26K in length. Points were awarded based on the order of finish. At the end of the season, as long as I completed 7 of these racews, the points were added up and the top 3 were given prizes. I wanted to focus my attention on trying to get into the top 3 for my age category (35 to 39). This required more training on trails than on roads. The series was grueling and forced me to run sometimes two races a month. This barely gave me time to rest.

During this series I also decided, since many of my friends were running the Mississauga marathon, that I should try and run this one as well. My goal was just to finish ONE to say that I did it and could call myself a marathon runner. I didn't do any speed work or tempo runs throughout this process as I was still running trail races at the same time. I'll never forget running and winning a 30K trail race 7 days before before my first marathon. Usually the last 7 days before a marathon is a time to rest but I guess I forgot to read about that part (LOL).

The Mississauga Marathon wasn't a great experience for me other than the fact that I got to run it with some truly amazing friends. The weather was bad, I had no idea if I could even do the race and I didn't really have a plan ahead of time. I finished the race in 4:03 and vowed never to do another one.

In June there was a 50K trail race that I wanted to do as part of the my trail series and I convinced one of my friends to do it with me. To date, this was the one race where self-doubt came into play. After the 35K mark I had nothing left and told Theresa to go on without me. I completed the last 15K on my own and it was a huge struggle. I actually contemplated never running again after that race.

Thankfully I didn't let this setback bother me too much and I ended up finishing not only that race but several others and finished in 3rd place in my age category.

In November one of my closest friends was running the Toronto Marathon and she was hoping to qualify for Boston. I'll never forget the amount of time and effort she put into her training and I wanted to be there to cheer her on. I completed my last trail race on the Saturday in London and then headed back home to Toronto so I could watch her race.

Another friend of mine and I were watching together as she finished the race and the excitement of that day will never be forgotten. It was amazing to see her achieve something that she had worked so hard for. I was both inspired and motivated at the same time.

She encouraged me to try and run a "fast" race as I had never ran a road race with any kind of plan. I decided to run a marathon in Florida and my goal was just to try and beat my last marathon time.

As part of my training, I entered a 10 Mile race in Whitby. My goal was to run at least a 1:20. I was only training for about 6 weeks for the Marathon but again this person encouraged me to run and run fast. Even though I had run over 25+ races at this point, I was more nervous about this run than any of those.
I was so happy that she was one of the first people I saw on race day as she was volunteering there. I started out with a mindset of going as fast as I could for as long as I could and seeing where that got me. I ended up passing her along the route as she cheered others on. When I finished the race and looked at my time (1:13) I surprised myself but not this person. She kept saying that I was a fast runner and that I could do even better with more time and proper training.

I've never forgotten those words and that helped me when I ran the Jacksonville Marathon in 3:39 and then my last two races which both were about 6-7 mintues faster than my previous best times.

As she leaves for Boston this weekend I can only hope that she soaks up all of the atmosphere that Boston has to offer. This race is for those who have worked hard and trained properly and this is their reward.

Nancy, I hope you have an amazing experience because you truly deserve it!

So why Boston? Boston is a more than a marathon it's an event and a celebration of a huge achievement. You cannot just enter the Boston Marathon, you need to qualify for it. In order to qualify you must run a marathon in a certain time based on your age. For me, that translates into running a 3:20 marathon. Some people train for years trying to qualify. It may take me a few years myself to get there but get there I will!
Boston, to me, has become my quest for the Holy Grail of running. It is a target that at one time I thought was unattainable and now I at least can talk about. I have many friends who feel that I will get there someday and that to me is all the motivation I need.
http://www.bostonmarathon.org/