The Second Life of Running--Part 4

Like 1973, 2003 was the year where running took over my life for awhile.
As a guitar teacher, finding running time wasn't a problem. So I ran.

I had made some wonderful friends through the Twin Cities ALARC marathon group, and running with them on Saturdays helped push and support me. Initially I felt outclassed by a group of male and female marathoners, all of whom (just about) had run faster marathons than me. But during our runs I felt strong and knew that as I raced more my placements would get higher.

How strange, at the age of 43, to feel yourself physically improving so quickly. Like a 2nd adolescence.

On 2-1-03 I ran a half marathon race in which my time (1:30:20) blew my previous marks out of the water. In Spring, I did a 19:04 5K on a rainy day, and a 39:31 10K. I was training hard and wanted to qualify for Boston in the marathon. Not that I really wanted to go there--I couldn't afford it--simply to do what many aspire to.

On May 28th I ran my 2nd marathon in Rochester, MN. Shooting for under 3:20, I missed big time, running 3:35:20. Still a big PR, but a disappointment. On that race I really bonked at 20 miles. From then on, I used gu.

I was training hard, based on a Runner's World program. But I needed more runners to train with, so I joint the Minnesota Distance Runners Association marathon class. I trained with the "Kenyans," the sub 3:20 group in preparing for the TC marathon Oct. 5th. We did a lot of long 7:20-8:00 paced runs, and I did speedwork and Tempo tuns once a week. All my training at 60 miles/week suggested I'd improve in all ranges.

That summer and fall I did improve. After a 19:06, 19:04, and 19:01 5K, I finally hit an 18:53 in August. My first sub-19 and my first Age Group victory. Later, on a warm day, I ran a half in 1:30:42, which was my first non-PR race for awhile. My best race of the summer was near the end of summer, when it was cooling outside. I ran the same 10K I'd done in 45:32 the year before. Hoping to break 39:00, I hit the 5K in 19:01 and finished in a shocking 38:02. I was ecstatic. It was two days after a 23-mile run and I started a few rows back. Watch time was 37:58.

After 5 20-milers at 7:20-40 pace, I knew I was ready for the TSM.

I went out easy and hit the half feeling great in 1:34:08. In a sense, the whole 2nd half, though tough, was a celebration of the inevitable Boston Qualifier mark. Going up the hill at mile 21, my left periformis pinched a little, so I took the pace down to nearly 8:00, but I still was way ahead of my goal. I finished in 3:13:57, and the party was on! A BQ by 7 minutes. Not bad for someone who couldn't run a 10K at that pace the year before. I was 403rd overall, out of 7,100 finishers.

Sub three was to be the next goal. Three weeks after the marathon, I did a 5K in 18:25. Then the next week I had my first running injury: ITBS. For 8 weeks I could run only 30 miles/week. But I'd surpassed every goal I had.

Now there was the question: how good is good enough?