Are you ever running and get caught up in day dream, a fantasy? Is it ever a reoccurring one?
I do, and I always have the same fantasy when running, I have it even when I am not running. It is the Boston Marathon, always the Boston marathon. It may vary slightly from running the actual race, to qualify for the race to getting through the training.
I heard about the Boston Marathon way before I really started running. Even then I respected it as ‘the race’ for those who ran marathons. This mostly came from my mother and her friends that were already running marathons. It was mostly just in the way spoke of the race, it was never explained but something that was felt.
The more I ran the more I respected Boston Marathon. I learned how hard it was to run consistently, to run for hours at a time; the dedication it takes to train for marathon, to put your running before other things. The motivation was always there to become a good enough runner to run Boston, each run, each day, each race gets you closer to that goal. Over the years, the times to qualify for Boston have become faster and faster; yet they are becoming faster because more and more people are able to run those times, they are able to achieve that goal. It becomes more achievable and less achievable all at the same time.
Running is always me against me. I love to run with other people though their achievements and goals are motivation to be better, to see what is possible; not so I can be better than them but so I can be better than myself.
There is something special about the way runners talk about Boston. I do not know many or potentially any runners that will say nah I wouldn’t like to run Boston if I was able to do it. The easiest way to explain it well it is the BOSTON MARATHON; so probably not super helpful. I will attempt to break it down.
The Boston marathon was started in 1897 after the marathon re surfaced as event in the 1896 Olympics in Greece. The Boston marathon is now the oldest annual marathon. It has survived through world wars, bombings and continues to be ran every year. This is the 123rd year of Boston.
In 1967, only 52 years ago was the first year that a women, Katherine Switzer, completed the marathon. That event has had massive impact on women in the sport and continue to motivate and inspire runners. It is a testament to how strong, brave and determined female runners can be. I believe that this story though can stand on it own, so I will not go into great detail about this time; but I wanted to highlight as it is inspiring moment of the Boston marathon history.
Not all marathons you have to qualify for, and further Boston is the only one where you have to qualify to run the race. It brings together the most elite runners. It is also one of the toughest courses to run.
The Boston marathon is part of the major 6 marathons: Boston, Chicago, New York, Tokyo, London and Berlin. These in themselves hold a lot of prestige and excellence around them. Although, you can have guaranteed entry by qualify for each of these races you can also run them by getting through lottery system which is not the case for Boston.
Here is the link to the official Boston Marathon webpage qualify times: https://www.baa.org/races/boston-marathon/enter/qualify
I need to run a 3:30 marathon time to qualify, which means I need to improve my current time by half an hour. I need to be run at least a 5mim/km pace to achieve this. It is tricky because I can nail that pace for the half marathon but not for the full marathon. The 1st marathon I ran I was surprised to see how much regression occurred place in the second half. I think that is the biggest battle; running the distance at speed; okay maybe that is obvious but worth pointing out anyways, that is combination of both distance and the speed which makes it a challenge. Running 5min/km pace is completely doable and arguably not that difficult. It is crazy how the distance over time wears down the body making the pace is manageable for 10k or even half marathon seems completely unrealistic for the full marathon; again potentially quite obvious but worth saying.
Another fact about the Boston qualify times is just because you run exactly that time does not mean you are going to get into the race. With the increasing popularity of the run as well the increased ability of runners out there, to really garneted your entry into the race you must qualify approximate 5 mins faster than your posted qualifying time.
Running is an individual sport, an individual challenge yet the running community is so strong and connected. We all want everyone else to be successful to run their best races. I cannot count the number of time runners on the course or throughout training are helping other racers (most of those they do not know personally). I myself owe a few finishes to other runners on the course encouraging me to keep pushing when my body feels like giving it up. The ones that say just one more step, one more mile, just to the next aid station; they push you to fight that mental game. This is where records are broken and the sweet joy of exhaustion but triumph is present.
When you see, others run their best races, and the look of omg I just did that on their face you feel so incredibly happy for them because as runner you understand everything it takes for them to be in the moment. Not only all the training but also the patience involved in knowing that not every run is going to be a good one. I love it! It’s so empowering – probably why we always sign up of races right after finishing one, even though we spent the entire during the race saying we are never doing this again!
The feeling you have when you run; tired but strong, when you know you can succeed in your race; the sense of euphoria you get that is why we run.
It is the challenges that we overcome while running, all those days running in the cold, the wet, those days that we do not get out of bed run, the ones were prioritize running over social events, it is knowing that getting there being surrounded my like-minded, strong passionate individuals all seeking to be the best versions of themselves makes Boston special, making running marathons special.
You run for you, but you also run with everyone.
Boston you continue to my running fantasy, my long term motivation for getting out each day, it one fantasy I never get tired of living in.
