So last night a good friend and fellow runner informed me that the Boston Marathon had closed registration for the upcoming 2010 event. This was two months before the record closing from last year. I had been convinced that I had until mid to late January to run another marathon in an attempt to qualify for this year’s race. Disney or Miami – those were the two marathons I was looking at. Based on my performance during the first half of the Manchester Marathon I thought I just had to run smarter and I would be fine. Despite my awful crash and burn in the second half, I felt like I had learned a thing or two that I could take into the next marathon.
But then my friend emailed me and told me the news. My first reaction was, “Okay, I can’t qualify for this year’s Boston. How else can I get in?” There are many charities that are awarded bib numbers that I could work with. My friend who emailed me is running for the American Liver Foundation (if you have a moment, please check him out at http://liverrunner.blogspot.com ) and he suggested that there may be a few spots left on his team. He also suggested running for Dana Farber. Another running friend mentioned the Doug Flutie Foundation. I went online and began checking out the various charities, wondering which would offer the easiest path to an official number. They are all good and well deserving charities.
I never got past the splash pages for any of the charities, some of which are somewhat close to my heart.
The truth is I started this journey, this quest if you will, with one thing in mind. I wanted to run a marathon and qualify for Boston. I wanted to be able to say, “I am a Boston Qualifier!” A few months back I saw a movie called “Spirit of a Marathon”. The movie followed the paths of several different people, of various running skills, as they prepared for the Chicago Marathon. One runner in particular put a lump in my throat. He had run several marathons, always with the hope of qualifying for Boston. He had had a good training cycle and thought that this year might be the year.
At one point he looks at the camera and says, “there are different levels of runners. There are runners. There are marathon runners. And then there are Boston Qualifiers.” I got chills hearing that. My eyes even got a little leaky. I was completely crushed when later in the documentary he injured himself and was unable to run.
I want to be on that level of Boston Qualifier. I may never reach it. I know there are ways to get in that are just as honorable. There is nothing wrong with running to change and save lives. It is just not the path that I want to take.
So now I know that I will not be running Boston in 2010. I will still run part of it. I plan on pacing my friend through parts of the race. But I hope to still run Disney in January and run a qualifying time to apply to the 2011 race. Just like a marathon itself – you get hit with bumps and challenges. The key is to power through them and achieve the goal.
That is my quest.
Run Luau Run 
Run on Luau, run on.
The Quest is real – and worth it. I lived through both of my parents doing it in the 80’s, many a weekend were spent scheduling everything around my parent’s “long runs” . My Dad had to run a sub-2:50 (those were the days) and he did, and despite winning the women’s division of Dartmouth Med School Marathon my mom (yes, that’s why I picked Dartmouth) didn’t qualify until running (with a 3:17) in Maine two years later.
It took me 3 tries over 10 months, but I did get my qualifier – in the race I didn’t plan to run 😉 It was supposed to be a training run, 3 weeks before the Nike Women’s that I was sure I would qualify at. Two days before Maine (Portland – Maine Sportshoe – such a small race it barely registers on New Englanders radar as a good race) I switched, I was signed up for the halfI switched to the full – only my Mom and my husband (and 18 month old son) knew I switched – no pressure. 40 degrees and little mist, flat course, no pressure – I could drop and no one would know. My Dad was more than a bit surprised when he called me the afternoon of the race to ask how I did…expecting to hear, I had a good run, instead I was able to say “3:38” – he quickly realized my change (I had to run a sub-3:45) and his “Oh, Fuzz…” said it all. I was still his little girl and he knew what it meant.
Run on Luau – run on…
As one of your biggest fans, I’m rooting for you no matter where or when.
Love,
Mom
You’ll get your BQ this year. And I think you’re making the right decision – you’ve invested a lot into it, so even though you’ll feel a little antsy in April, it will feel even that much better in 2011 when you line up in Hopkinton.
Looks like in the spring, the best choices are in Pittsburgh (early May), Burlington VT (late May), or the Poconos (early May). Austin TX in Feb might work too? Check this page out:
http://www.marathonguide.com/races/BostonMarathonQualifyingRaces.cfm?Year=2009
See you tomorrow morning!
you’ll do it babe.
qualifying is a marathon, not a sprint.
oh dear.
i um.
(i’ll be going now)
I think you’re doing the right thing. You don’t wanna feel like you “bought” your way in, especially with you having a realistic chance of running a qualifying time. I know you give a lot to charity, so no worries about your karma…
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