Forgo senior track season for OTQ?

Recent NCAA graduate who is close to OTQ fitness (finger crossed):

Don't skip your senior season. You have so many wonderful memories to be made and winning a conference title would be really special. Training for a marathon, especially alone, can be cold and lonely compared to the camaraderie of a college team.

Also, I have similar PRs and WAY WAY underestimated how hard it is to translate that into 5:15/mi for 26.2 freaking miles. Don't be arrogant and end up with no OTQ, no senior season.

Fifth year senior and no running scholarship. How does the funding for that work? Academic scholarships don't last 5 years. Unless your parents or the ROTC are paying for it, you're taking out loans to hang out with with your buddies. Graduate already.

And do what? Lose your remaining eligibility to come in 43rd in the marathon OT's?

Oh, and your coach sounds like a good guy

Seems dumb to skip senior season to try to qualify for a marathon when you only have 4 years of college eligibility, but have the rest of your life after that to train for the marathon. You also will have more time to do a proper build up if you wait. I'm not sure when the OT qualifying window ends, but you might be able to sneak a half marathon in to qualify sometime between seasons without giving up track or changing focus.

i actually pursued the trials in another sport. i worked with an elite coach and made a year and a half push. at the end i improved significantly in terms of quality -- and my standing in my state -- but was very average within the actual trials field. the risk to me is you give up competing for conference where you have laid down objective times and placements and can compare them to the other teams' runners, for hopefulness on short training vis a vis a much harder field, with no half marathon or full times where you even know if you are being realistic. you have then given up a 5th year of competition, a scholarship to finish up, and fairly known knowns for what could become more of a "bucket list" thing than your dream wishes. "i ran the trials." if it ends up being "i was there" then you can do that any cycle. to me the way to know it's more is have some objective basis with milestones. i am 6 months out and have run a half in x and a full in y. unless we're confusing being able to say you tried with making a real go at it.

along those lines, i agree with the "2:11" comment. "2:18" gets you to the show but not necessarily a serious shot at making it against runners who likely have more like 2:10 creds. it took 2:10 for tokyo.

last point, i know the olympics seem serious and dreamy but there is some version of these trials every 1-2 years, for olympics or worlds. to me when it's like let me rush a chance in even less time than i put towards what i did, that feels like a checkbox exercise rather than a long term campaign. if you really believed you could do something marathon you'd point towards something like tokyo 2025 or the 2027 worlds with 2028 as the capper. those are trials too. those make more eligibility/training sense and mesh instead of compete. those also would sound like you are on a focused mission as opposed to wanting to say you tried to do it.

Here's what ChatGPT says -

I am a college 5th year student-athlete. Should I run the Olympic Marathon Trials instead of running outdoor track season?

ChatGPT
Deciding whether to run in the Olympic Marathon Trials instead of participating in your college outdoor track season is a complex decision that depends on various factors. Here are some considerations to help you make an informed choice:

Eligibility and Commitment: First and foremost, ensure that you meet the eligibility criteria for the Olympic Marathon Trials, as these are highly competitive events. Consider the commitment required for both options. Running the Olympic Trials may involve more rigorous training and time away from college commitments.

Athletic Goals: Assess your long-term athletic goals and aspirations. If you have a strong desire to compete at the Olympic level and believe you have a realistic chance, participating in the Olympic Trials could be a valuable experience.

College Commitments: Consider your responsibilities as a student-athlete at your college. Running outdoor track may be essential for your team, and you should honor your commitments and responsibilities to your college program.

Academic Progress: Evaluate the impact on your academic progress and degree completion. Missing part or all of your outdoor track season for the Olympic Trials might affect your studies.

Coaching and Support: Discuss your decision with your college coach and seek their guidance. They can help you weigh the pros and cons and provide insight into how each choice might impact your development as an athlete.

Injury Risk: Marathon training and racing are demanding and can carry a higher risk of injury compared to track events. Consider your current fitness and injury history before deciding on the Olympic Trials.

Financial Considerations: Running in the Olympic Trials might require travel, accommodations, and other expenses. Ensure you have the necessary financial support in place.

Long-Term Planning: Think about your long-term athletic career and whether participating in the Olympic Trials aligns with your post-college plans and objectives.

Personal Values: Reflect on your personal values and motivations as an athlete. What drives you, and which choice aligns better with your values and priorities?

Time Management: Balancing college commitments with Olympic Trials preparation can be challenging. Assess whether you can effectively manage your time to excel in both areas.

Ultimately, this decision should be made after thorough consideration of all relevant factors, with input from your college coach, academic advisor, and possibly a mentor or sports psychologist. It's essential to weigh the potential rewards against the sacrifices and risks involved in pursuing Olympic Trials participation and to make an informed choice that aligns with your overall athletic and personal goals.

I would continue with your Senior year of track. However, if you plan to stop competitive running after graduation then maybe you should get the OTQ as an accomplishment you can add to your resume; Olympic qualification is a big deal among the general population and is also a nice feather in your cap if you enter the corporate world.

Try talking to your coach again about this.

Your coach runs the team, and you have to respect their decision, but your coach may be amenable to you trying to run a marathon.

In college my coach supported my marathon running. He even took me to 3 marathons with the school van (other team members ran shorter races those days) and entry fees and meals for those road races came out of the school budget. This was a smaller NAIA school, no scholarships, and he supported diverse educational running activities.

These marathons were either before or after track and xc seasons. I ran high mileage marathon workouts out of season, but otherwise cut back and trained for track and xc during the season (maybe getting in a few more miles on a long run every other week in season).

He knew that I would be one of our top 10/5k and xc runners anyway, even doing the marathons. I had run marathons in high school so he knew I could handle them, recover, and still do ok in track and xc. He realized that a no marathoning ultimatum would mean he would lose me contributing to the team and inhibit my overall running education.