I love getting responses from fellow New Yorkers, especially those who qualified at the New York Marathon. Thanks for taking the time, Justin!
Name: Justin G, justinpbg.com, @justinpbg

Sex: M

Age (at the time of first BQ): 28

Height: 5’5

Weight (at the time of first BQ): 142
At which marathon did you get your first BQ? What was your finishing time? Tell us a little about the race.
TCS NYC 2014. A miserably windy and cold race where I was disappointed not to break three hours as I faded in the second half. Went out too fast, ran the first half 1:27 and the second 1:33. But finished up at 3:00:53.

How long had you been running when you ran your first BQ? Did you run in college or high school?
3 years-ish, and definitely not.

What was your approximate lifetime mileage at the time of your first BQ?
Um… I’d say 3,000.

How many miles did you run in the year before your first BQ?
About 2,000.

Approximately how many races did you run in that year?
13.

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 ran a lot, at odd times, to work, to errands. High volume + strength training, and I ate to fuel my running.

Did you run with a running club or utilize a coach?
I do now, but in 2014, no, I was with a charity team but I did most of my hard work alone.

Did cross training play a role in your training? If so, how?
I lifted weights 3 or 4 times a week, as I had since I was a teenager

Did speed work play a role or specific workouts play a role in your training? If so, how?
Should have done more, but did speed work once every other week. I did hills every week.

Any other thoughts you would like to share with those of working towards a BQ?
Be boring! Make long, long range plans and follow them. Run a lot, strength training, ignore upper body and butt muscles at your own peril! I just ran two more BQs in three weeks (Chi and NYC 2015), and broke 3 in both. You can do it if a kid who couldn’t run 4 miles in 2011 can do this now.