Lets go into the way back machine for just a few minutes to explain why I am running this race in the first place. Old friends and followers probably know most of this but here is a chance to catch up with the story.
I have qualified for Boston 3 times and run there twice in 2006 and 2011. In each of those qualifiers I only got in by less than 1 minute ! After my last time qualifying in Sept of 2010 they made it harder for me to qualify by 5 minutes even though I moved up an age group. I had trained as hard as I could and ran well but it now seemed impossible thatI I would be able to improve as I got older so I put that behind me and planned to concentrate on my ultrarunning goals.
But then in summer of 2012 I began to train with Amy to try and get her in and it just so happened that she needed a 3:40, the same as I needed. It was during the training and workouts with her that I realized how well I was handling the workouts and my confidence was restored that I may yet have another Boston in me and possibly even a pr.
Well the target was Tobacco Road in March of 2013 and I gave it a good effort but came up short. I went back to ultra's for a few months and then my next attempt was in October at Wineglass. I had suffered a hamstring injury in August but gave it a shot anyway. After holding pace for 16 miles the leg gave out on me and I ran/walked/ limped it in.
I recovered quickly and training went well for my next target at Myrtle Beach in Feb 2014. I was well prepared and on pace through mile 19 when I turned into the 30+ mph headwinds and slowly felt my race once again going away from me. Another solid effort but much too short once again. I was already committed to ultra's again so after a great Spring with a 100 mile pr and a 6th place finish in my first multi day with 211 miles I was ready to focus on an early Fall last attempt to get into the 2015 Boston. By now it was really less about Boston since my major incentive for going again no longer was there for the 2015 race. Now it was all about the time and defying the aging process.
And so, in great shape and ready to begin the focused training for the Erie Marathon in early September I was hit once again with a hamstring injury while out on an easy 6 miler the first of August !!! Once again I had to start over. By the planned race day the leg was so messed up I couldn't even run to the mailbox so I had to cancel the race. And to make matters worse I had a trip of a lifetime planned to run a marathon in Verona Italy on Oct.
Enter John Stiner at Stiner Massage. He had been treating my friend Laura Frey and she had told him
about my injury. He contacted me and said he was pretty sure he knew why I kept hurting the hamstrings and said he was sure he could help. In desperation I went to see him and the next day I was able to run 3 miles with half the pain I had for the previous 2 months. and with another visit and religiously practicing the exercises he gave me I was able to run/walk the full marathon in Verona and 4 weeks later at OBX.
Which brings us to getting ready for Wrightsville Beach now and my goal of running a pr for the marathon 9 years after setting my pr and at age 59. Crazy thinking huh ? But that is for another blogpost. So stay tuned.
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