My journey of training for the Boston Marathon
When I ran my first marathon three years ago my goal was never to get to Boston, my goal was to finish injury free and tick the marathon distance off my bucket list. I thought I was going to be done with the marathon and long distance running after that, I even remember crossing the finish line and saying to my husband “I don’t think I’ll ever do that again”. However, three marathons and two ultramarathons later, I find myself on the road to Boston. I don’t know what changed my mind, but whatever it was I’m glad it did! Training and qualifying for the Boston Marathon has not only been one of the highlights of my running career, it has also taught me a lot professionally and personally as well.
- UPDATE: I did it!! Read my Post-Race Boston Marathon Recap here!
Getting to the blue and yellow start line
To enter the Boston Marathon, as many of you probably know, you first have to run a qualifying race based on the times set for your age group. When I decided I was going to try and qualify, my 
personal best was 15 minutes slower than my qualifying time. I knew I was going to have to work really hard to knock off those 15 minutes and that a really strict training plan and the right course were essential! I chose the California International Marathon in Sacramento for my race based on the fact that it was advertised as “the fastest course in the west”.
For my training plan, I made sure to not only focus on running but also include strengthening and stretching to prevent injury.
For those 14 weeks of training, I was the most focused I’d ever been on a goal in my life. I lived and breathed my marathon training and thankfully all the hard work paid off because on December 7, 2014 I BQ’d!! A runners high is an understatement for the feeling I had as I crossed the line that day!
Next up Boston
So now I find myself 10 weeks into my training cycle and less than 6 weeks away from the last chapter of my road to Boston…I can’t believe it’s almost here! After hours and hours of training the last three and a half (or less… we’ll see!) is in sight. I know my primary goal is to enjoy the experience, but I haven’t decided yet on a goal time or if I’m even going to attempt a personal best. I’ve been feeling stronger and faster than I did a year ago, my training has been going well (see my last post for some common training errors) and I’ve been keeping up with my physio exercises (they really do work I promise). So we shall see what happens on race day!
Wish me luck and check back in for my post-race recap!
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Sports Physiotherapy at Burnaby PhysioCare
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