Now this is cool, George ran Boston in 1970, the last time it was possible to do so without qualifying, and qualified the next year with a 3:30. Excited to share this little story from the golden era of running.

 

Name

George

Sex:

Male

Age (at the time of first BQ):

23

Height:

5’8″

Weight (at the time of first BQ):

125 lbs

At which marathon did you get your first BQ?

Boston

Tell us a little about the race.

My first marathon was Boston, 1970, the last year one could enter Boston without a qualifying time. The qualifying time for the following year was 3:30, no adjustment for age and women were still excluded. I ran conservatively based on advice from experienced marathon runners who had raced a Boston many times and finished strongly in 2:59:50 gun time (no chip timing back then).

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

4 years

Did you run in college or high school?

Yes

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

4000 miles

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

2000 miles

Approximately how many races did you run in that year?

35

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

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

No

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

Perhaps, I strength trained a couple times a week with weight machines

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

Yes, Definitely. The core of my training was intervals supplemented with medium to long runs of 12-15 miles. My primary focus was middle distance and short road races, not the marathon.

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

In my opinion the focus on 16 week programs is misplaced. The training over the year before the start of the program is what will make the difference.