Name

John Cox

Sex:

Male

Age (at the time of first BQ):

57

Height:

6′-0″

Weight (at the time of first BQ):

160lbs.

At which marathon did you get your first BQ?

Carlsbad, CA

Tell us a little about the race.

My progression at Carlsbad from 2013 has been 4:39, 3:57, 3:45, 3:31 (BQ 1/17/16). For the 2016 race I trained for 3:30 (3:29 actually) and ran a PR for the 1st half, but I let the 3:29 goal slip away around Mile 23 in crowded, kinda hilly, warmer conditions near the end. It was a minor disappointment, but I felt like I gave 100% and it was a safe BQ against the nominal 3:40 standard for my AG. I am registered for Carlsbad ’17 and training for another PR with higher and more consistent mileage.

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

4-1/2 years

Did you run in college or high school?

No

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

7000

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

2000

Approximately how many races did you run in that year?

1

Did you follow a canned program? If so, which one? If not, can you give us an idea of what your training philosophy was?

Yes, Hansons

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

No

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

Yes, I cycled quite a lot during the 6 months before the main marathon training buildup, partly due to an injury to an adductor muscle.

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

Yes, I trained for a 5k PR from January through July (off-season.) But then i was sick of it so i didn’t do much during my buildup. I did do tempo and threshold runs fairly heavily though.

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

I learned to sort of aim high, that is I did a fair amount of training for 3:15 to 3:25 when my rel goal was 3:29.

Also I learned a bit too late that consistent mileage is more important than I thought. It’s more of a priority for me now. I start a daily streak in the fall and keep it through the January race until i have some reason to break it. Running every day works for me.

I am also keeping up longer runs (12-20 miles) throughout the year, rather than just hitting a few during the marathon training.

A ton of other stuff which I log in my journal.