Boston Qualify in 2015?

Schmitty75

After spending much of the year with my sights on Ironman Arizona in November, I'm ready to give up long course triathlon for a season. I turn 40 in January, so I will be at the bottom of a new age group. I don't have the genes or the inclination to shoot for Kona, but a might have enough in me to get to Boston.

My current vDot is a 47 which predicts my open marathon at about 3:21. The minimum qualifying time for me is 3:15, but I think I'll need at least a 3:12 to get a solid lock. So I would need to bump my vDot up by about 3 points in the coming season to do this. I'm willing to stay off my bike and stay out of the pool and pound the treadmill to get this done. My question is, am I being realistic? I'd hate to lose my swim and bike fitness to chase a fruitless goal. Conversely, If I just transition into an outseason plan in January, will that help to build my run fitness and at least keep my bike fitness solid so that I can hit some sprints and Olympics after a spring marathon or two?

 All thought welcome and appreciated. Thanks!

[Deleted User]

As you are already aware Boston 2015 is not a option as the registration is now closed. But as far as chasing your dream.... Go for it. I weighted 250 lbs up until 6/08. I lost the weight by diet and excerise. Since then I have raced 5 straight Boston marathon 's and qualified for and been accepted for next year. I've run 19 marathons and IMCHOO will be my third ironman. So I say got for it you might just realize anything is possible and your boundaries are not where you think they are. Good luck.

Mike Roberts

Joe, short story: it'll be a challenge, you'll have to work, you'll need good race day conditions, and you may need a little luck.

Long story: Is your 47 vDot based on 5k or 13.1 or longer speed? If you're like me and are faster short course than long (my 5k vDot is 51, but I'm more of a 48-49 vDot at the marathon). How long have you been running and how many miles/week on average? What would 45-55+ miles/week do to you? Propensity to get injured? Are you carrying extra weight that can be shed?

Are you OK with focusing on the run for a year, even if the end result is you become a much better runner, but don't get to Boston? I only ask because I know runners who have tried to BQ for a decade and have come up short. I've done 15 mary's, qualified 2x, the last time by 18 seconds. The folks in Boston set those qualifying times right at the point where it weeds out the vast, vast majority of us, many of us by just a few seconds/minutes.

What's your time frame - June-August marathon? You need to find a good race. If it's 90 degrees, you're hosed. Grandma's in Duluth may work - it's fast, slightly rolling/flat, cool and not too crowded (I think I missed BQ there by 11 seconds - that one hurt).

I'm all for putting all eggs in one basket. You can re-gain cycling and swimming strength in a few months. Boston is a special event, worth all the hype. If you're confident you can do it and are willing to put in the effort, I vote go for it. We only get so much time on this spinning orb - might as well swing big and do cool sheet.

MattAaronson

Joe. With the dedication you seem to be willing to make to the goal, I suspect you can do it. Your VDOT indicates you are in the ballpark so with completely focused run training you will build up your running to a new level. And the great news is that when you go back to triathlon there is a good chance that running improvement will stick with you for the long term and pay off in the form of breakthrough run splits. In the Marathon forum I wrote a post about training for my first marathon last year...it was the same approach with no biking or swimming for an 18-week training block. Just running and lots of other things to support running. There is also a copy of the training plan I followed and my logic for selecting that plan. Check it out and feel free to ask me any questions. Cheers, Matt.

MattAaronson

Btw I should mention that despite no biking for 18 weeks June-Oct 2013 I resumed biking and managed to turn in my best bike performances ever in 2014. My lesson: the bike can be rebuilt.

Gordon Cherwoniak

I'm no where in your zip code but I can second what Matt say's about bike fitness.  I seem to take too much time off each year and getting the bike fitness back, and even a little more happens.  Don't get me wrong it still takes hard work in the OS.  Given you are still working the engine it should be easier that I make it. I'm 42 so in the same age group.

 

 

Shaughn Simmons

What Matt said, you are close enough with the current vDOT that with some work and dropping the Bike and Swim load, you are there!  Follow that dream!