Name: Tom C

Sex: Male

Age (at the time of first BQ): 31

Height (at the time of first BQ):  5’10”

Weight (at the time of first BQ): 153

At which marathon did you get your first BQ? Phoenix/ Mesa Marathon

Tell us a little about the race. This was my first marathon after dropping down from ultras. I originally ran 2:54 on a whim at the American Discovery Trail Marathon back in 2011, but didn’t come back to the thon for several years due to competing in ultras and in general just running trails all the time. I did a decent 12 week buildup with my mileage peaking around 60 including multiple 20+ mile long runs, threshold work, and 1k – 2 mi repeats. I loosely followed the HOKA Naz Elite training plan on Final Surge which I purchased.
The race was okay. I was out in under 1:20 for the half with a goal of breaking 2:45 which seemed reasonable. Right after the half the wheels came off. Breathing was fine since I live and train at ‘6300, but my legs weren’t ready to run 6:10s. I ended up finishing in 2:50, which I was lucky to get given how badly I blew up.

How long had you been running when you ran your first BQ? Since age 12. I ran competitively in high school and D1 in college

Did you run in college or high school? Yes

What was your approximate lifetime mileage at the time of your first BQ? A lot. But I took six years off of running after college.

How many miles did you run in the year before your first BQ? 2300

Approximately how many races did you run in that year? 10

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, I loosely followed Hoka NAZ elite’s advanced training program. Basically, if I can get my mileage up and do a tempo per week I’ll do okay. I mix these in with a lot of strides after easy runs.

Did you run with a running club or utilize a coach? No

Did cross training play a role in your training? If so, how? No

Did speed work play a role in your training? If so, how? A little. But I find that repeats less than 800 don’t really lend well to marathon training.

Any other thoughts you would like to share with those of working towards a BQ? If you BQ in the Vaporfly, you cheated.