Name: Phil R

Sex: Male

Age (at the time of first BQ): 44

Height (at the time of first BQ):  5’11”

Weight (at the time of first BQ): 152

At which marathon did you get your first BQ? Hartford

Tell us a little about the race. I starting running in 2011, but in late 2015 I shifted my focus to triathlons. This was my eight marathon and the fourth that I thought I had a shot to BQ, including missing by 62 seconds at New Jersey in 2015.

After spending a year between 2015 and 2016 training for Ironman Mont-Tremblant, I used all that built up fitness to slingshot my way into a BQ at Hartford and took full advantage of that extra 10 minutes I got going from 44 to 45 years old. I only had about six weeks between the Ironman and the marathon and most of that was spent recovering (the Ironman wrecked me). I think I had just enough gas left in my tank to hit that BQ. I ran a good, steady race and came in 3:22:39, for the BQ -2:21. I just hope that cushion is enough to get me into 2018.

I am still a little bummed that I was unable to break that 3:15 I was trying for before the AG bump and I wish I didn’t need that extra 10 minutes, but I’ve got more marathons in me and will keep trying for that. Up next is Space Coast later in 2017.

How long had you been running when you ran your first BQ? 6 years

Did you run in college or high school? No

What was your approximate lifetime mileage at the time of your first BQ? 11,000 miles

How many miles did you run in the year before your first BQ? 2,000

Approximately how many races did you run in that year? 15

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? Yes

Did cross training play a role in your training? If so, how? I was strictly a runner for five years, but running a marathon after focusing on an Ironman meant I did a ton of biking and swimming. I was only running about 30 mpw for the eight months leading into my BQ marathon, but they were mostly hard effort miles.

Did speed work play a role in your training? If so, how? More tempo runs than speedwork. 60-90 minute tempo runs once a week, and a good portion of my other runs at steady-state.

Any other thoughts you would like to share with those of working towards a BQ? Well, I am still trying to figure that out. I was just fortunate enough to get that 10 minute bump at a time when I was in decent shape.