If a BQ is so easy to hit, then why do so many people have trouble getting it?

It takes talent to be able to put in decent mileage though. Any kid who ran super competitively in HS/college as an NCAA probably ROFLs at the idea that qualifying for BOSTON is hard.

However, you can’t really take it for granted as running career health, making it to the starting line healthy off the high mileage training and then executing well on race day with good fueling pacing and no bonking is never guaranteed. And you only have a certain window to do all that.

A Typical LRC A-hole wrote:

Because most hobby joggers do not train hard. They don't run enough mileage. And they don't do hard workouts.

They just jog a few times a week ,and add a long run in the weekend. And they believe they are working hard.

This.

I started running 31 years ago. I hooked up with a running club and there wasn't anyone in that club who wanted to that couldn't BQ. It took me 3 years of long runs, tempos, and speedwork to get a time. Once i figured out the training, BQing wasn't even hard so i upped my goals.

People seem to think that you should be able to accomplish anything just by 'wanting it bad enough' and that "it's all in your head". BQing isn't hard if you make running a priority.

I'm seeing now how difficult it is.

Ran from '98 to '02 in HS, XC and track all 4 years.

Quit for 15 years (although I did a 5k in 2008 off 2 mos. of training and somehow ran 18:33 at 24 despite running 2 miles in 20 minutes when I started).

Started running on a consistent basis in late May 2017. So it's been 4 years of consistent training and I'm still a ways away. But I ran my 3:24 on 37 mpw with no structure, no smart watch and no coaching.

Am at a consistent 50 mpw the last 2 mos. and seeing where it will take me. I could go up to 80 if I had to but I have a lot of other things going on too.

The whole thing is set up so that only certain percentage can get in. Some will have to be left out. Never understood the big deal over BQ. If you make the marathon trials, that is an accomplishment.

jecht wrote:

I'm seeing now how difficult it is.

Ran from '98 to '02 in HS, XC and track all 4 years.

Quit for 15 years (although I did a 5k in 2008 off 2 mos. of training and somehow ran 18:33 at 24 despite running 2 miles in 20 minutes when I started).

Started running on a consistent basis in late May 2017. So it's been 4 years of consistent training and I'm still a ways away. But I ran my 3:24 on 37 mpw with no structure, no smart watch and no coaching.

Am at a consistent 50 mpw the last 2 mos. and seeing where it will take me. I could go up to 80 if I had to but I have a lot of other things going on too.

Did you gain significant weight? That is what usually stumps most former runners. Bob Kennedy had a hard time running 3:30 and that was in his late 30s.

BoA wrote:

The whole thing is set up so that only certain percentage can get in. Some will have to be left out. Never understood the big deal over BQ. If you make the marathon trials, that is an accomplishment.

It's also harder to qualify for the NYC Marathon than Boston.

maffeboner wrote:

easy if you've had the benefit of any college or a decent high school training in your past. in the past, you had the time and the coaching and the body and the team, and now as a hobby jogger, all you've got to do is regain former fitness by repeating some workouts from the past and adding a long run.

hard otherwise. you're building brand new fitness and you're older. you don't have a coach or the knowledge to train effectively. you don't have a team to push you. and you don't have the time.

The biggest barrier to a BQ is injury. You need to be running 50 miles per week (or have a lot of natural talent) to hit a BQ. And at 50-60 miles per week your starting to push high injury likelihood threshold. I think something like 40 percent of marathoners seriously increasing their mileage experience runners knee.

try-ath-uh-leet wrote:

I know MANY serious runners who would love to BQ. Many who have busted their asses chasing after this holy grail of running for years. A few squeaked in. Most fell a handful of minutes - and in some cases many minutes - short. It takes a bit of talent and a bit of luck as far as being able to train and not get injured. And things need to line up right on race day. Possible for "anyone willing to put in the time"? No freaking way.

I used to think this way until I got on Strava and realized that most of these people who act like they are training so hard are really not running very much. They only run a couple of days a week, run low mileage and run too hard when they do run. There are far fewer "serious" runners out there than it seems.

The true talent is persistence and patience. You have to give it something almost every day and be willing to run slow and slowly build mileage so that your muscles have time to adapt. Most people aren't willing to do those things.