Name

Ryan McLaughlin (@rhinomclaughlin

Sex:

Male

Age (at the time of first BQ):

23

Height:

5′ 11″

Weight (at the time of first BQ):

155

At which marathon did you get your first BQ?

Mooses Tooth Marathon

Tell us a little about the race.

This was a fall marathon in Anchorage, Alaska. It starts downtown and consists of two out-and-back sections on popular multi-use trails around town. Good scenery and relatively flat for an Alaskan marathon.

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

8 years

Did you run in college or high school?

8 years

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

3000

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

1200

Approximately how many races did you run in that year?

4

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, Hal Higdon Advanced 2

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?

Yes. My program called for 800 meter repeats. Started with 4×800 working up to 8×800. I liked these workouts because they were really tough and made my race pace feel more reasonable in comparison.

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

Run more. I didn’t think I was capable until someone else told me I could. After that I followed a real program and started taking things more seriously. The increase in volume compared to past years really made a huge difference.