“Strides and Mileage are king” Yep, pretty much.

Name

Brent Woodle (http://www.woodle.org)

Sex:

Male

Age (at the time of first BQ):

27

Height:

5’9″

Weight (at the time of first BQ):

155

At which marathon did you get your first BQ?

Chicago

Tell us a little about the race.

I knew from other race distances that I would be much faster than the 3:05 required to BQ, and I went out at 2:50 pace. My hamstring started hurting around mile 20 so I slowed at that point, finishing in 2:57.

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

1.5 years of marathon training, infrequent jogging prior

Did you run in college or high school?

No

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

2500

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

1800

Approximately how many races did you run in that year?

12

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, Pfitz/Douglas advanced marathoning 18/70

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

Yes

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, I ran lots of long tempo runs and short strides. I ran interval sessions too but they weren’t all that great.

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

Strides and mileage are king.