Michael has come a long way in his running losing a lot of weight in the process. congrats on your BQ, Michael! 

Name Michael P

Sex: Male

Age (at time of first BQ): 41

Height: 5’7

Weight (at time of first BQ):145

At which marathon did you get your first BQ? What was your time? Tell us a little about the race.

Indianapolis Marathon 2011 (needed 3:20:59 and ran 3:11:10).  It is a smaller marathon in central Indiana that goes through residential areas and a park.  It does quite a few out and back loops which makes it great to see people you know either in the race or that are trying to watch for you.  It is a relatively flat race with a decent sized hill at the end.  It is a fantastic race.

How long had you been running when you ran your first BQ? Did you run in college or high school?

5 years and never ran in high school or college but did wrestle and play soccer at both levels.

What was your approximate lifetime mileage at the time of your first BQ?

That is a tough question maybe 8000 miles.  I had a lot of weight to lose (65 pounds).

How many miles did you run in the year before your first BQ?

Year before (2009)  about 2000 miles.

Year of (2010), which I think is more important 3500 miles.

Approximately how many races did you run in that year?

2009: 3 5K’s, 1 15K and 1 10K and 4 marathons.

2010: 4 5k’s, 1 10K, 1 15K, 2 half marathons and 2 marathons.

Did you follow a canned program? If so, which one? If not, can you give us an idea of what your training philosophy was?

I don’t follow any programs.  I believe we are all an experiment of one.  I’m a big believer in speed work when I am not training for a marathon and then high mileage (70-100) with races during the marathon training cycle.

Did you run with a running club or utilize a coach?

Off and on with the Bob Ronckers running group in Cincinnati. It is a great running group that is very organized.   I ran with some friends on the bike trail a lot.

Did cross training play a role in your training? If so, how?

Not much cross training but I do some swimming and cycling if I have any injuries I want to stay off of for a day or two.

Any other thoughts you would like to share with those of working towards a BQ?

I think if you want to do your best and to find out what you are capable of you have to find out what works best for YOU.  I’ve tried a lot of things to figure out what works for me.  I will also caution people to be realistic about what you can accomplish during the marathon and to be patient at the start.  Many people start off way too fast or think they are faster than they are.  A good friend of mine once said that you can lose seconds at the start if you start off to slow.  However, you lose minutes later if you start off too fast.   Use the McMillan calculator to help you figure out a range for what you might be capable.