Ran my first marathon at a 4:30 (cramps like a mofo,very slow)…you think a BQ is possible? Know anyone who has done a slow mary and eventually BQ’ed. I’m going to work my ass off to get there, but just wondering what you guys think…thanks
You’ll get there eventually. How long till your 70th birthday?
What kind of pace were you doing your 20 mile runs at?
Did cramps force you talk walk, but when you were running you could hold a 7:00 pace?
How old are you?
I’m gonna say, if you’re mid 30’s and when you were running you could run only 8:20’s and your training runs were around 9/mile, Boston might be out of your reach until quite a few years down the road unless you SERIOUSLY dedicate yourself to it.
Get a coach. They will help you either reach your goals or set realistic ones.
More info needed. Age/sex/weight. Athletic background, body type. Training performed to run 4:30? Are you REALLY serious? Are you patient enough to start a 1-3 year plan?
That said, most any person who does not have a limiting physical problem should be able to BQ. It takes work and time to build the aerobic motor and fatigue resistance to pop off a BQ time.
Diet
body composition
consistant training
injury prevention
mileage
time
My first marathon was an IM run in 4:26. My second was Chicago last year in 4:18, although I didn’t really train for it. I did 1 run over 10 miles (13) and zero speed work. Only ran 2-3 times a week. This year I’m actually serious about trying to BQ in July. I’ve dropped 10 pounds and am running 5 times per week. It’s going to be close for sure but I think I can pull it off based on my run times right now and the fact that I plan to lose another 10 pounds before the race.
My first marathon was an IM run in 4:26. My second was Chicago last year in 4:18, although I didn’t really train for it. I did 1 run over 10 miles (13) and zero speed work. Only ran 2-3 times a week. This year I’m actually serious about trying to BQ in July. I’ve dropped 10 pounds and am running 5 times per week. It’s going to be close for sure but I think I can pull it off based on my run times right now and the fact that I plan to lose another 10 pounds before the race.
Nope.
At this rate, you’ll be exhausted and injured anyway.
I went from 4:2x:xx to 2:52, sure, just run more and run faster.
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Went from 4:30 to 3:09 to 3:02. Sure, just increase your mileage. 
My first marathon was an IM run in 4:26. My second was Chicago last year in 4:18, although I didn’t really train for it. I did 1 run over 10 miles (13) and zero speed work. Only ran 2-3 times a week. This year I’m actually serious about trying to BQ in July. I’ve dropped 10 pounds and am running 5 times per week. It’s going to be close for sure but I think I can pull it off based on my run times right now and the fact that I plan to lose another 10 pounds before the race.
Nope.
At this rate, you’ll be exhausted and injured anyway.
Well I didn’t just go from 2-3 runs to 5 runs per week and from 15-40 miles. I took it slow. I’ve been at 5 runs per week for a few months now and no injury yet. Thanks for the concern though.
sorry for lack of info…27/male/175…athletic background…i play everything,.basketball, vball, tennis, football, really anthing.but basketball is definitely where I started and still playing…body type…i’m 5’11 and athletic build. That particular marathon that I ran a 4:30, because it was a first, i just wanted to finish, but I was holding a probably 750-830 until mile 20 before all hell broke loose with the cramps. I could run 4 miles in 28 minutes, a half mary in about 1:40. A lot of work, definitely understand it will take years, but I’m willing to do it…I just picked up advanced marathoning by Pfitzinger. Only tough thing is i coach ball and play with my guys, feel like all that basketball switches the muscles to fast twitch and vice versa, so it’s harder to run fast for a longer period of time. thanks for the help playas…
My first marathon was an IM run in 4:26. My second was Chicago last year in 4:18, although I didn’t really train for it. I did 1 run over 10 miles (13) and zero speed work. Only ran 2-3 times a week. This year I’m actually serious about trying to BQ in July. I’ve dropped 10 pounds and am running 5 times per week. It’s going to be close for sure but I think I can pull it off based on my run times right now and the fact that I plan to lose another 10 pounds before the race.
Nope.
At this rate, you’ll be exhausted and injured anyway.
Well I didn’t just go from 2-3 runs to 5 runs per week and from 15-40 miles. I took it slow. I’ve been at 5 runs per week for a few months now and no injury yet. Thanks for the concern though.
Wasn’t meant as a slam…you’ve eeked information out and left other posters to guess at your current condition and training. July is two months away - how much more can you do in six weeks?
Sure its possible. I went from a 3:53 first to a 2:47, but it took four years.
how old are you Boudreaux****
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how long did it you guys to get the B’Q
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how old are you Boudreaux****
Sadly, I’m Dave Scott’s age - 57.
I say sadly because I’m not about to rip a 51 min IM swim anytime soon.
Oh yeah…and Joe B. just aged up…
Nothing comes easy and this would require alot of work and dedication. If you’re asking if it’s possible “someday”? The answer is absolutely YES if you’re willing to put forth the commitment. If you’re asking if it’s possible “soon”? No. This would take years for you to get down to 3:10. But at only 27 years old, you have plenty of time. The key would be consistent dedication and staying injury free.
Sorry, took it the wrong way. The marathon is July 30 so that gives me most of July to train also but still I’m not expecting much fitness gains in the next 8 weeks. I do expect to speed up a little bit with losing 10 more pounds and like I said it’ll be close so that might be the difference. If I don’t BQ, I’ll just keep running and try it again some other time. No biggie, I’m patient. I’ve been running for 5 years and this is my first real attempt.
If you have run a 1/2 Mary in 1:40, then the McMillan Run Calculator predicts that you should have run ~3:31 for a marathon. Needless to say, that didn’t happen ;). What was your weekly mileage? Given your athletic background, and your ability to hold ~7 minute miles, you should be able to work your way down to a BQ with enough time and good training. Your 4:30 is a good learning experience, but not a good predictor of your potential.
sorry for lack of info…27/male/175…athletic background…i play everything,.basketball, vball, tennis, football, really anthing.but basketball is definitely where I started and still playing…body type…i’m 5’11 and athletic build. That particular marathon that I ran a 4:30, because it was a first, i just wanted to finish, but I was holding a probably 750-830 until mile 20 before all hell broke loose with the cramps. I could run 4 miles in 28 minutes, a half mary in about 1:40. A lot of work, definitely understand it will take years, but I’m willing to do it…I just picked up advanced marathoning by Pfitzinger. Only tough thing is i coach ball and play with my guys, feel like all that basketball switches the muscles to fast twitch and vice versa, so it’s harder to run fast for a longer period of time. thanks for the help playas…
You are golden. Blowing up at mile 20 is the most common mistake marathoners make but it is also the easiest to fix. You need miles and consistancy. You need to take some time and build your mileage and run frequency up. Long runs will be your bread and butter. Long and slow for a while. When you get strong enough you can do long runs with tempo work sets or fast finishes. Good thing is that run training doesn’t require a lot of time. 5-8 hours a week is all you need… for MANY MANY weeks in a row.
5’11 @ 175 doesn’t leave much fat on you, but any weight you can loose helps. If you are too sore or tired to run I would suggest you do a WALK workout in place of resting.
Your goal is 3:10 which is a 7:15 pace. Not slow, but certinaly in the scheme of things not “fast” running.
sorry for lack of info…27/male/175…athletic background…i play everything,.basketball, vball, tennis, football, really anthing.but basketball is definitely where I started and still playing…body type…i’m 5’11 and athletic build. That particular marathon that I ran a 4:30, because it was a first, i just wanted to finish, but I was holding a probably 750-830 until mile 20 before all hell broke loose with the cramps. I could run 4 miles in 28 minutes, a half mary in about 1:40. A lot of work, definitely understand it will take years, but I’m willing to do it…I just picked up advanced marathoning by Pfitzinger. Only tough thing is i coach ball and play with my guys, feel like all that basketball switches the muscles to fast twitch and vice versa, so it’s harder to run fast for a longer period of time. thanks for the help playas…
Based on the above information you completely fell apart at 20.
What is your 5k PR? If you cannot comfortably run a 19:30, IMHO, you do not have a shot. Concentrate on developing speed, and then see where that takes you. Alas, not enough time. You could be a HUGE dent in that time though