I love hearing stories of runners BQing at my hometown race, the New York Marathon. Congratulations, Kristine, and thanks for taking part!

Name: Kristine   Kris and Not So Deep Thoughts

Sex: Female

Age (at the time of first BQ): 34

Height: 5ft.

Weigh (at the time of first BQ): 115lb

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

I qualified at the NYC Marathon in 2011. I ran a 3:31. NYC was a dream race for me, in terms of course, weather, spectator support and overall experience. It was my third marathon. I wanted a BQ but more than that I wanted to go out and enjoy the race and experience and trust my training would pay off. It did, in spades. At the time, my BQ was a personal best by about 18 minutes.

What was your approximate life time mileage at the time of your first BQ? Thousands of kms.

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

Hmmm, a couple of thousand kms if I had to guess.

Approximately how many races did you run in that year?

I only ran a couple of races that particular year.

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 loosely followed a running program (I ran between 4 – 5 times a week) – speedwork, hills, long run each week and a tempo and an easy run or two.   My long run topped out at 34km. If I did speedwork that week, I would skip the hills. I learned to take a day off when I needed.

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

I joined a marathon clinic offered by a local running store.

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

Not particularly. (Looking back, I would have incorporated more cross training).

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

Yes, track work, weekly tempo runs, and hill work. I didn’t necessarily include all three in a given week, but in 6 week blocks during training. As training progressed, some long runs would become progression runs (i.e. first third slow, second third quicker, and by the last 8km or more, we would be running marathon pace or faster).

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

Enjoy your training and have fun. Run consistently but don’t be afraid to take days off when you need to.   Support yourself with people who share similar goals and who have been where you want to be.   I trained with a group of people, many of whom wanted to BQ and we pushed each other. And once in awhile, run with people who are just a bit faster than you.   And be patient – distance running is a sport that rewards patience. I didn’t see my best results until after a year of two of consistent training.