“If you don’t have the time to put in at least 50 miles a week it is unlikely that you’ll have the endurance to stay strong all the way through the second half.”

I love the bluntness of this response from Renne. Thanks for taking the time to fill this out!

Name

Renee Harden (@Nayenebug)

Sex:

Female

Age (at the time of first BQ):

31

Height:

5’3″

Weight (at the time of first BQ):

95

At which marathon did you get your first BQ?

Erie Marathon at Presque Isle

Tell us a little about the race.

Log entry: First serious marathon since my 3:52 from Columbus 2005 hardly counts. Tried to go out conservative but found myself clicking of 6:50s early on. Felt pretty good through 22 miles and then started to fall apart. Had to puke a couple of times right before the finish line since the gus were not settling well. Passed one woman to go from 5th to 4th and my only regret is that my second half was not strong enough to pass into 3rd. Hopefully stronger second half next time. Beat my “A” goal time of 3:12 by quite a bit!

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

17 years

Did you run in college or high school?

Yes

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

So many thousands

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

Didn’t answer

Approximately how many races did you run in that year?

14

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, Track workout, tempo, long run, 50 miles a week

 

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, open water swimming up to 2 miles a week and daily strength training.

 

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

Yes, weekly track workout and tempo run and strides up to three times a week.

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

Even women who run a 4:30 or so for their first marathon can aim to BQ if their training was rudimentary and mileage was low. Mileage is everything. It matters more than the long runs! If you don’t have the time to put in at least 50 miles a week it is unlikely that you’ll have the endurance to stay strong all the way through the second half.