Younger runners are overly represented in the responses I have received to the BQ(Q), so it was with great excited that I received these answers from Larry who BQ’ed at sixty and has this sage advice:

Patience, diligence, run lots.  The fine details of your plan play a minor part in your race performance; the volume and persistence of your training play the major part.  If someone asks me for a marathon training plan, I respond, “Run 2000 miles in each of the two years leading up to your race.”

 Thanks for responding Larry!

Name: Larry (LedLincoln on RA)

Sex: M

Age (at the time of first BQ): 60

Height: 6’1″

Weight (at the time of first BQ): 155

At which marathon did you get your first BQ? What was your finishing time? Tell us a little about the race.
Lincoln Marathon, 3:43:41.  BQ standard for me was 3:55.  I went with the 3:40 pace group, based on race calculators.  I don’t have GPS.  I felt a lot stronger this time than in my previous three marathons, which I attribute to lots more base miles going into it.  Even after finishing, I didn’t feel as wasted, in spite of the faster time.
Full report is here:  http://www.runningahead.com/logs/a47d6758569a4a00b87f846bdf96b6c3/workouts/5229add531da48e4b7e6c21acbd63264

How long had you been running when you ran your first BQ? Did you run in college or high school?
Started running at age 55, ~six years prior to this race.  No HS or college running or athletics.  Played some tennis in JH and HS, not on a team.

What was your approximate lifetime mileage at the time of your first BQ?
6440 miles.

How many miles did you run in the year before your first BQ?
2085 miles.

Approximately how many races did you run in that year?
Ten.

Did you follow a canned program? If so, which one? If not, can you give us an idea of what your training philosophy was?
No, I made up my own.  Continue my average daily run of 6.5, long run on Saturdays, midweek either a double or speedwork.

Did you run with a running club or utilize a coach?
No coach, belong to (lead) running club at work, but no training related to running club.

Did cross training play a role in your training? If so, how?
Some easy bicycling (commuting to work) may have helped to stretch out the legs.

Did speed work play a role or specific workouts play a role in your training? If so, how?
Yes, did fairly informal speedwork (fartleks or tempo runs) every other week, plus monthly races.

Any other thoughts you would like to share with those of working towards a BQ?
Patience, diligence, run lots.  The fine details of your plan play a minor part in your race performance; the volume and persistence of your training play the major part.  If someone asks me for a marathon training plan, I respond, “Run 2000 miles in each of the two years leading up to your race.”