Name: Meredith

Sex: Female

Age (at the time of first BQ): 29

Height (at the time of first BQ):  5’1″

Weight (at the time of first BQ): 110

At which marathon did you get your first BQ? Chicago

Tell us a little about the race. Flat, fast, tons of support and mental distraction. was great weather the year I went as well. Was first marathon so wasn’t sure what to expect but thought it was awesome and I went back again the following year.

How long had you been running when you ran your first BQ? I was a 3 sport athlete in high school, college basketball and soccer player but never long distance runner. Joined track shack program 5k/10k after moving to FL 6 years post college (still playing lots of indoor soccer). Went from 5k/10k to joining sat long runs for fun. From there I liked the long running.

Did you run in college or high school? No

What was your approximate lifetime mileage at the time of your first BQ? no idea

How many miles did you run in the year before your first BQ? no idea

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, Part of track shack program.

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

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

Did speed work play a role in your training? If so, how? Tempo one day and track one day or hills one day with track the other. And long runs on weekends.

My more successful marathoning and much faster marathoning has come 11 years later. Longer tempos, pick ups during long runs (barely any track work) and increased mileage.

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

For me the mileage build during base has been really helpful in getting stronger. I don’t do a ton of all our hard speed, but a lot more sustained longer efforts, longer runs during base, and pick ups during long runs to not let pace get stagnant.

My first marathon was a 3:38 in 2005 (29 years old). Down to 3:20 in 2011 (36), and 3:07 in 2013 (38) – after living in Boone for almost 2 years – I swear elevation and always having hills involved was huge help in addition to hiring a coach in 2011 and increasing mileage.