Nov 26, 2013

My Plans for that BQ!


 
Over the past month or so it is so motivating and exciting to read all of the blog posts from those who has been accepted into the 2014 Boston Marathon. Just seeing all of these posts really gets me motivated and thinking about my dream to someday run the Boston Marathon. I don't talk about this subject enough because to be honest, it scares me to death! The whole purpose of this blog is to document my journey to qualify for the Boston Marathon so I should probably talk about this topic more often than I do.
I did mention that my goal race for my attempt at a BQ will be the Mountains 2 Beach Marathon on May 25, 2014. I chose this race because I really like the course and race day weather was perfect when I ran it earlier this year. I also like that it is a smaller race with about 1500 other runners. Big races are a little overwhelming for me. I prefer a smaller crowd since the whole experience seems to be a little less chaotic. I like that the crowds are thinner at the expo, getting to and from the start is much easier, and securing a hotel room is also easier even if you do it at the last minute.

I started training for the LA marathon a couple of weeks ago so training for my goal race will kind of overlap. I want to allow myself 20 weeks to train for this race just in case life happens and I have to skips some long runs. I will use the LA Marathon as a training run to keep myself familiar with the distance and to gauge where I am at. The fear of the distance also seems to settle in when I don't run 26.2 miles a while. I never feel like it gets easier so I feel like I have to stay with it yet be careful not to push myself into an injury.

I am not sure what training plan I will follow but I know that I want to get back to doing speedwork. I am currently about 4 minutes away from my qualifying time of 3:45 but I know that my qualifying time will not be enough to get me there.  I pretty much need to run about 15 seconds faster per mile based on my current PR. Running 26.2 miles at an 8:30 pace is easier said than done but I am going to give it my best shot.

I don’t have a back up plan as of now should I fail to BQ in May. I guess I am trying to stay positive for now but I am sure that as the time gets closer I will start to formulate a back up plan which may include hiring a running coach. More than anything, I don't want to put too much pressure on myself. I love running and I want it to stay that way :) I just have to believe that one day it will happen for me!

Any suggestions on training plans?

Any suggestions on a good running coach in the Southern California area? 

What about an on-line coach?
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8 comments:

  1. Teamarcia11/26/2013

    All the best in your quest to BQ! I'm very excited for you and believe you can do it. I am a RLRF girl and BQ'd both times on that, but that plan played to my strengths, not necessarily yours. I do believe that a higher mileage plan will net you a faster time. I'll be interested to hear the coaching recommendations you get. I'm toying with hiring a coach for NYCM next year.

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    1. Boston Bound Brunette11/27/2013

      I like the RLRF plan too because I can only run a few days a week based on my schedule. I do agree that higher mileage tends to result in faster times. Hopefully I can start to increase my mileage but the fear of injury always holds me back.

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  2. Tina @GottaRunNow11/27/2013

    I hope you get that BQ and in fact, beat it, so you can make it to Boston one day. You're so close!

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    1. Boston Bound Brunette11/27/2013

      Thank you Tina! I am so close but yet so far away! You just never know with the marathon. It all depends on how you are feeling on that day and all you can do is put in the training and show up on race day. Good luck to you as well. You are consistent with those sub four marathons which are also tough to achieve.

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  3. Terzah11/27/2013

    I think it's in the bag, but I do know how hard it is to believe that before it's actually happened. I'm very excited for you. I obviously don't know any coaches in your area, but try to find one who has a group you can occasionally run with. Doing occasional long runs and speed workouts with a group really helped me during the run-up to Chicago. I can't run with a group all the time because of schedule issues, but I wish I could. McMillan has good online coaching (not sure how much it costs--I've only bought their static plans), and I of course love my coach, who I know has online clients too. If you want his info, let me know.

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    1. Boston Bound Brunette11/27/2013

      I have been doing occasional runs with a group but it is sometimes hard due to schedule conflicts. I have also been considering joining a running club to do my long runs since they have groups at different paces. I have looked at some stuff on McMillan that has been helpful. I will let you know about the coach info. Thank You :)

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  4. macnic11/28/2013

    YAY! I'm using a plan I adapted from Daniel's Running Formula. Max of 55 miles per week and 23 weeks long. I also don't have a back up. Good luck and have fun!

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  5. Lisa11/29/2013

    i've found that running with someone faster than me has helped quite a bit. I'm excited for you....you've got this in you, I'm sure of it :)

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