Name

Kim Gasper

Sex:

Female

Age (at the time of first BQ):

34

Height:

5’7″

Weight (at the time of first BQ):

130

At which marathon did you get your first BQ?

Marine Corp Marathon

 

Tell us a little about the race.

I had run Marine Corps before so felt I had some familiarity with the course. Three years earlier I had back surgery and was told my running days were over but I watched my husband run the Boston Marathon in 1992 and was absolutely caught up in the whole Boston weekend and vowed I was going to get there for the 100th. I ran Marine Corp with the intent of pacing just to meet the Boston quaifying standards and was able to do it although the last 10K was rough except for the last 1 mile that included an up hill climb. Knowing that I was going to qualify for Boston gave me the adrenaline rush needed to “comfortably” finish this one with a huge smile on my face when I crossed the finish line. It is also awesome to be greeted by a Marine draping your finishers medal around your neck exclaiming “Congratulations Ma’am!”

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

14 years

Did you run in college or high school?

Yes

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

21840

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

1560

Approximately how many races did you run in that year?

8

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 did less junk mileage more short to mid distance quality runs, 1 long run on the weekends built up to 2 hours

 

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

No

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

No

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

I ran more tempo like runs of 3-6 miles, 1 day of 800’s & above
for speed work

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

Consistency in training and listen to your body. YOU need to learn what training works best for you! I learned the hard way when I would try to tack on extra mileage (led to injury) just to fit the marathon training mold.