Around the World in 6 Marathons
At the end of last week's blog, I mentioned that this week I would discuss my REALLY long-term running goal. As the title suggests, it involves a lot of running and just as much travel!
Most of my running goals are relatively short-term, and pretty much all of them are based on goal times. I've always been a competitive person, and I find that having goals like that helps keep me focused and on point with my training. I really admire people who run simply for the fun of it and keep getting out on a regular basis; I have not gotten to that place yet!
Last summer, I was scrolling through Facebook when I saw a medal that I had never seen before. As runners, we all tend to love the bling that we get at the end of a race. This was something completely different though, and as soon as I saw it the wheels in my head started to spin thinking about how I would begin my journey towards getting one.
For those who aren't familiar with it, that is the Abbott World Major Marathon Six Star Finisher Medal. In order to get one, you need to complete each of the 6 qualifying marathons (Boston, Chicago, New York, Berlin, London, and Tokyo). The problem is, it is not easy to register for these races.
All 6 have options to enter via a qualifying time. But you need to be fast; like, really fast. I ran the Tely 10 in under 69 minutes last year, and I crashed and burned trying to qualify for Boston in the fall. And New York has qualifying times over 10 minutes quicker than Boston!
If you can't run a qualifying time, the next option is to enter a lottery for an entry. Boston is the only one of the 6 not to offer this option. The odds in the lottery are fairly low though. I don't know the exact numbers, but I believe less than 10% of those who apply for the lottery generally get chosen.
The third option is to register via an affiliated charity. These charities are given a set number of entries, and if you raise a minimum amount of money (normally at least $5000), you can run the race under their banner.
There are some other options available, and they vary from race to race.
With all of that said, I realize this goal is going to take a while. For now, my plan is to register for all 5 lotteries this year, and if I get selected in one of them I'll plan a trip and start my training! In the meantime, I'll continue to train and improve, and hopefully at some point I'll be fast enough to run a qualifying time or two. And if all else fails, you'll likely see me fundraising large sums of money at some time in the future. :)
Ultimately, the best thing about this goal is it gives me something to focus on other than just times. I know that at some point my running will plateau and I won't be able to keep churning out new PBs. When that day comes, having something like this to look forward to will help keep me motivated on the days when I'd rather do anything but run!
Weekly Summary (January 8-14)
Mon. (Lunch): 6 km [treadmill] @ 7.2-8.0 mph, 29:17, 4:52/km pace
(Evening): 15 minute Yoga - Full body flow
Tue. (Lunch): Strength workout - Chest/Back/Arms
Wed. (Lunch): 8 km [treadmill] @ 7.2-8.0 mph, 38:51, 4:51/km pace
(Evening): 10 minute Yoga - Neck and Shoulder
Thu. (Lunch): Strength workout - Shoulders/Core
Fri. (Evening): 15 minute Yoga - Stress Relief and Flexibility
Sat. (Morning): 10 km, 51:55, 5:11/km pace [Finished w/ 1.5 km Tempo @ 4:00/km pace]
Sun. (Morning): 13 km, 1:03:28, 4:53/km pace
(Evening): 20 minute Yoga - Hamstrings Deep Stretch
Total: 37 km
Well, this week I did a bit less Yoga and a bit more running, which was a nice change-up. I actually commented to a few of my running buddies this weekend that my two runs on Saturday and Sunday were my first outdoor runs in the month of January, ever! For those who didn't know before, I am not a cold weather runner. Although to be honest it is the snow and ice that bothers me even more than the cold. So it was very nice to get out and enjoy the beautiful weather we had this weekend.
Both runs were excellent. On Saturday, I ran at a more relaxed pace with one of my clubmates, and also got to run with one of our newer members for a few kms. We had a good chat, and then I tacked on an extra 1.5 km tempo at the end. I hadn't opened up my legs and run at pace since my last race in November, so it felt good to run fast again.
Then on Sunday, I ran in a group of 5 from Coffee Matters in Paradise to Tim Hortons on Water West via the trail. This ended up being an impromptu progression run, as I spent each third running with different people. The first 4.1 km was at a 5:15/km pace, the second 4.1 km was at a 4:54/km pace, and the final 4.8 km was at a 4:33/km pace. I haven't done a progression run like that in a while either, and it was nice both for the change of pace and the ability to chat with all members of our little group. :)
The rest of the week was pretty standard. I gave up on the 21 day Yoga challenge I started Monday, as the videos were paced much too quickly for a beginner like me. So I've switched back to the videos I was doing previously, and I'm going to continue to try to get at least 4 or 5 days of Yoga in each week.
That's it for this entry. I don't have a topic in mind as of yet for next week, so if anyone has an idea that they think would make for a good post, please feel free to send it along. Cheers!
Most of my running goals are relatively short-term, and pretty much all of them are based on goal times. I've always been a competitive person, and I find that having goals like that helps keep me focused and on point with my training. I really admire people who run simply for the fun of it and keep getting out on a regular basis; I have not gotten to that place yet!
Last summer, I was scrolling through Facebook when I saw a medal that I had never seen before. As runners, we all tend to love the bling that we get at the end of a race. This was something completely different though, and as soon as I saw it the wheels in my head started to spin thinking about how I would begin my journey towards getting one.
For those who aren't familiar with it, that is the Abbott World Major Marathon Six Star Finisher Medal. In order to get one, you need to complete each of the 6 qualifying marathons (Boston, Chicago, New York, Berlin, London, and Tokyo). The problem is, it is not easy to register for these races.
All 6 have options to enter via a qualifying time. But you need to be fast; like, really fast. I ran the Tely 10 in under 69 minutes last year, and I crashed and burned trying to qualify for Boston in the fall. And New York has qualifying times over 10 minutes quicker than Boston!
If you can't run a qualifying time, the next option is to enter a lottery for an entry. Boston is the only one of the 6 not to offer this option. The odds in the lottery are fairly low though. I don't know the exact numbers, but I believe less than 10% of those who apply for the lottery generally get chosen.
The third option is to register via an affiliated charity. These charities are given a set number of entries, and if you raise a minimum amount of money (normally at least $5000), you can run the race under their banner.
There are some other options available, and they vary from race to race.
With all of that said, I realize this goal is going to take a while. For now, my plan is to register for all 5 lotteries this year, and if I get selected in one of them I'll plan a trip and start my training! In the meantime, I'll continue to train and improve, and hopefully at some point I'll be fast enough to run a qualifying time or two. And if all else fails, you'll likely see me fundraising large sums of money at some time in the future. :)
Ultimately, the best thing about this goal is it gives me something to focus on other than just times. I know that at some point my running will plateau and I won't be able to keep churning out new PBs. When that day comes, having something like this to look forward to will help keep me motivated on the days when I'd rather do anything but run!
Weekly Summary (January 8-14)
Mon. (Lunch): 6 km [treadmill] @ 7.2-8.0 mph, 29:17, 4:52/km pace
(Evening): 15 minute Yoga - Full body flow
Tue. (Lunch): Strength workout - Chest/Back/Arms
Wed. (Lunch): 8 km [treadmill] @ 7.2-8.0 mph, 38:51, 4:51/km pace
(Evening): 10 minute Yoga - Neck and Shoulder
Thu. (Lunch): Strength workout - Shoulders/Core
Fri. (Evening): 15 minute Yoga - Stress Relief and Flexibility
Sat. (Morning): 10 km, 51:55, 5:11/km pace [Finished w/ 1.5 km Tempo @ 4:00/km pace]
Sun. (Morning): 13 km, 1:03:28, 4:53/km pace
(Evening): 20 minute Yoga - Hamstrings Deep Stretch
Total: 37 km
Well, this week I did a bit less Yoga and a bit more running, which was a nice change-up. I actually commented to a few of my running buddies this weekend that my two runs on Saturday and Sunday were my first outdoor runs in the month of January, ever! For those who didn't know before, I am not a cold weather runner. Although to be honest it is the snow and ice that bothers me even more than the cold. So it was very nice to get out and enjoy the beautiful weather we had this weekend.
Both runs were excellent. On Saturday, I ran at a more relaxed pace with one of my clubmates, and also got to run with one of our newer members for a few kms. We had a good chat, and then I tacked on an extra 1.5 km tempo at the end. I hadn't opened up my legs and run at pace since my last race in November, so it felt good to run fast again.
Then on Sunday, I ran in a group of 5 from Coffee Matters in Paradise to Tim Hortons on Water West via the trail. This ended up being an impromptu progression run, as I spent each third running with different people. The first 4.1 km was at a 5:15/km pace, the second 4.1 km was at a 4:54/km pace, and the final 4.8 km was at a 4:33/km pace. I haven't done a progression run like that in a while either, and it was nice both for the change of pace and the ability to chat with all members of our little group. :)
The rest of the week was pretty standard. I gave up on the 21 day Yoga challenge I started Monday, as the videos were paced much too quickly for a beginner like me. So I've switched back to the videos I was doing previously, and I'm going to continue to try to get at least 4 or 5 days of Yoga in each week.
That's it for this entry. I don't have a topic in mind as of yet for next week, so if anyone has an idea that they think would make for a good post, please feel free to send it along. Cheers!
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