Realistic goal OR Pipe Dream??

"Put all your excuses aside and remember this: You are capable." - Zig Ziglar

"Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, magic, and power in it. Begin it now." - Johann W. von Goethe

"Do not despise the bottom rungs in the ascent to greatness." - Publilius Syrus

"There are no great people in this world, only great challenges which ordinary people rise to meet." - William Frederick Halsey, Jr.

"The person who aims at nothing is sure to hit it." - Unknown

"Start by doing what's necessary, then do what's possible, and suddenly you are doing the impossible." - St. Francis of Assisi

"I have little patience with scientists who take a board of wood, look for its thinnest part, and drill a great number of holes where drilling is easy." - Albert Einstein

"You will always miss 100% of the shots you do not take." - Wayne Gretzky

"As long as you are going to think anyway, think big." - Donald Trump

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." - Mark Twain

5k PR: 18:20 set 1 week after racing a half-marathon.

10k PR 38:30 set during a 100M marathon training week.

Both of these were set a couple of months prior to the marathon and are probably a little "soft" due to the above reasons.

10M PR: 62:13 was set semi-rested at the start of the marathon taper.

female guest wrote:

5k PR: 18:20 set 1 week after racing a half-marathon.

10k PR 38:30 set during a 100M marathon training week.

Both of these were set a couple of months prior to the marathon and are probably a little "soft" due to the above reasons.

10M PR: 62:13 was set semi-rested at the start of the marathon taper.

The 18:20/5:54 off marathon training indicates you have the natural speed to run 6:24's economically!

The 62:13/6:13 pace demonstrates your strength/endurance.

I think you were in 2:53 shape.You have the potential to run faster than 2:48.

Good Luck!

It is not howgood you are but how good you want to be. Go run a fast course. White Rock is just not that quick. No matter how many times you run the 'Dolly Partons' they are not easy on race day.

You can do it!

After reviewing the White Rock results last night, I thought that you were the one that won the masters division. That is a great time for that course....the hills towards the end can be humbling. Must be all that Swedish food in Lindsburg. :) Are you from Kansas originally? Keep up the good work, and good to see a fellow Kansan doing so well.

Thanks for the encouragement everyone...didn't expect to get this much positive feedback...I wondered if I was too old to consider training for such a lofty goal. Yes, the hills at the end at Dallas are definitely humbling!

And, yes, I am originally from Kansas..grew up in Kansas City.

Someone else mentioned the need to get a coach...I do have one, a former 2:20 marathoner that lives in my town of 3500 people and he's knows his stuff well. I train with him regularly, but I just haven't had the guts to ask him if my original post of working towards an OT qualifier was realistic.

Thanks to everyone for the comments.

Be careful, with that information your going to get outed.

FG: You’ve got a remarkable gift. That’s an exceptional marathon debut, especially considering that you’ve only taken up the sport in the last 3+ years. Other posters have a lot more experience at this game than I do -- but I think the consensus is that you certainly have the tools to reach your dream.

Try not to concern yourself too much with age. You’re still a running pup and you have not come close to achieving your full potential. Marathon history is filled with tales of late-bloomers such as the late, great Jack Foster who didn’t start running until he was 33 and ran a 2:11 at age 41 while earning silver at the Commonwealth Games. In many ways, in fact, you’ve got a distinct advantage over all those who took up the sport early in life; your body hasn’t yet been beaten down by all the miles, your psyche hasn't been frayed by all the highs and lows associated with long-term training, and your enthusiasm, curiosity and spirit know no bounds.

Yes, it took a lot of courage for you to make the post. But no more courage than it took for you to first lace up your running shoes and go for a run, and no more than the first time you tackled a 10 miler. Open up your mind and body and embrace the journey ahead. It will be rewarding in more ways than you can possibly imagine.

For the record, I’ve been a Letsrun visitor for years, but 99% of the time I avoid the boards. Yours was actually the first post that I have ever responded to. Perhaps it’s because I, too, came to running late in life and I can both sense and relate to your still-developing passion for the sport. But what’s been truly inspiring about your post has been seeing all the sincere encouragement which it has elicited. I guess beneath all the many layers of jealousy, spite, frustration, ill-will, and anger on this message board, there really is a network of runners who are caring and supportive of their fellow athletes.

Best of luck to you and keep up the great running!

Male Guest wrote:

For the record, I’ve been a Letsrun visitor for years, but 99% of the time I avoid the boards. Yours was actually the first post that I have ever responded to. Perhaps it’s because I, too, came to running late in life and I can both sense and relate to your still-developing passion for the sport. But what’s been truly inspiring about your post has been seeing all the sincere encouragement which it has elicited. I guess beneath all the many layers of jealousy, spite, frustration, ill-will, and anger on this message board, there really is a network of runners who are caring and supportive of their fellow athletes.

Nicely said. Thanks for responding and you're right, the genuine encouragement has been great. There wasn't even one flaming or bashing response to the original message -- that's both a bit unusual and quite refreshing on this message board.

Thanks to everyone that took the time to read and responded so kindly in this thread. You've made a difference.

Congratulations on your great race. I am the same age as you are and have been back running for a little over 2 years after almost 20 years off. My goals are very similar to yours in improving about 30 sec/mile over the next 3-4 years. The past couple years I have been able to improve about 15 sec/mile each year. My goals are 1:12 half and 2:30 marathon. Everything I have read leads me to believe these goals are possible. What we have going for us is that our legs are "fresh" and we have more drive than other runners our age who have done this for 20 years and have other interests that become more important.

Just keep doing what has been successful and you will continue to improve. Good Luck.