Missed Boston by 33 Minutes

Last week was registration for the 2017 Boston Marathon. Only those who qualified could register. And for them, it was still staggered by how much you beat your minimal qualifying time. Even if you "qualify" for Boston, that does not guarantee a spot for registration and racing. This year, you needed to beat the qualifying time by 2 minutes and 9 seconds. If not, no room for you at next year's Boston Marathon!

As a male in the 50-54 age group, I need a 3:30 to qualify. This year, I would have needed a 3:27:51 to actually make it into the race. Back in late July, I ran a 4:00 on a certified trail course. Apparently, I need to knock off about 33 minutes before I can toe that famous starting line. Guess I have some work to do. Just a little.

I'd love to qualify for Boston...and run the race. But I have other goals too. Most involve ultramarathons. I'm pretty sure I can do well at both distances. Or more specifically, I can run a fast marathon and also a fast 50K, 50 miler, 100K, and 100 miler. Maybe not a "fast" 100 miler, but I can break 24 hours. I have no immediate plans beyond the Tunnel Hill 50M race in mid-November. Once I'm done with that trail ultra, I'll start planing out 2017 races. Somewhere next year will be a marathon where I try to knock off 30 minutes from my 2016 finish time...maybe even 33 minutes. Hope springs eternal. Right?