Thanks for filling this out Julie, I hope you and Jeff can get you to a new PR at Boston this year!

Name: Julie B

Sex: Female

Age (at the time of first BQ): 38

Height: 5’6”

Weight (at the time of first BQ): 115

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

Charlevoix Marathon (Michigan) on 6/28/2008. 3:42, and I needed a 3:45 to qualify  This was definitely one of the best races I have experienced.  For starters I met a local runner who I had heard a lot about but never met, he ran with me for a few miles and he and his wife were at the finish line cheering me on when I came in.  We now run many miles together and co-founded our local running group.  And the sense of accomplishment crossing that finish line with a BQ time was indescribable.  At that point I really had to work for it, now that I am in another age group and more experienced it comes easier so I don’t have the same sense of satisfaction. It’s still cool, just not the same.

How long had you been running when you ran your first BQ?

2 years, it was my 3^rd marathon

Did you run in college or high school?

No

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

Approx 2500

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

Approx 1000

Approximately how many races did you run in that year?

Just that one

Did you follow a canned program? 

I followed Hal Higdon’s 18 week program and threw in Yasso 800’s, which I believe really helped me meet my qualifying goal.

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

Not at that time, I did all of my training on my own.  I did my first two marathons with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s Team in Training so I followed their training schedule (which was basically just training to finish) and ran some of my long runs with that group.  I now run the majority of my miles with others in my running club.  I have just started to utilize a coach, who is going to help me PR at Boston 2013…right, Jeff???

Did cross training play a role in your training?

For my first BQ I did not do a lot of cross training, but I try to fit it into my schedule about once a week now.  Mainly circuit training with light weights.

Did speed work play a role or specific workouts play a role in your training? If so, how?

I think the Yasso 800’s were a big help for my first BQ.

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

When I first started running I never even dreamed that I would BQ. For my first couple of years running my only races were marathons and my time for my first marathon was 4:31, my second 4:08.  When I finished my second marathon on a hilly course in San Francisco with a time that was 23 minutes better I started thinking that if I could repeat that time difference I could BQ.  I then decided to find a training program to follow and add some speed work, which I think is a must, especially for those with tougher qualifying times.