Last week, I applied for the third time to run the Boston Marathon. This week, the Boston Athletic Association announced 33,266 other runners did the same. This was a little lower than number-crunchers like Brian Rock predicted, but only slightly, so updated estimates of the cutoff time are still comfortably in the ballpark of 5 minutes. Sitting here with a buffer just slightly over 2 minutes, I think my fate is all but sealed.
Of course, I expected this, which is why I signed up for Jersey City a couple weeks ago. I am already building a base for that training block in the hopes that I can bring home a big PR in 2026. The way BQ times are trending, I will need one.
Time for this week’s training update!
Sunday: 13 rainy miles along the Passaic River. In college, I did many of my long runs on the Charles in Boston, which left me with a soft spot for out-and-backs and bridge crossings. This run did not quite scratch that itch; the Passaic isn’t a pedestrian paradise like the Charles is, and along much of the route the river wasn’t even visible! Still, one of the best reasons to be in marathon shape, in my opinion, is because more miles means more exploring. No new route is ever wasted.
Monday: 7 easy. This was a midday run and felt way better than my morning runs usually so. There could be several reasons for this, but my money is on food, water, and caffeine.
Tuesday: 7 easy. Mondays are busy, so Tuesdays are hard. I was very tired here.
Wednesday: 6 miles with a few hill sprints. Last week this felt impossible, but this week I had a few reps in me. I took longer rests to make sure of it. After that, I wandered around town until my stomach told me it was time to go home.
Thursday: 7 easy, with an extra hour of sleep compared to the rest of this week. I felt every minute of it. Amazing what going to bed on time will get you! I need to keep doing this.
Friday: 7 easy, again with more sleep, again felt good.
Saturday: 4 miles at tempo pace (6:01 average). This was my best workout since I was crushing hills in the lead-up to the Mercer County Half. Pacing was extremely even through the first three miles; the fourth felt harder, and I was on pace for about 6:04, but I opened up on the last lap and finished sub-6. Nailing your workout and knowing there was more in the tank always feels good.
This Week: 56 miles. Another high water mark since my son was born, and probably where I will stay until this past month of fifties starts to sink in. I know I will need to keep sleeping better to keep progressing, so that’s the challenge for now. I have found far less internal resistance to a 9:30 bedtime compared to 9:00, so I think I will have to improve my habits a little bit at a time.
Baby: My son has been fighting some sniffles this week, but otherwise he’s doing great. We had a great visit with my brother and a few of my cousins over the weekend, and he had so much fun he refused to nap! This was not his best decision, but I understand it. No new milestones to report. Like his dad, he’s working on things in very small steps.
In other running news, the World Championships are currently happening in Tokyo. Thanks to the brutal time difference, I am catching most of the action on a significant delay. I managed to watch the men’s marathon last night, which turned out to be a great event to have seen live! I may have more thoughts once everything wraps up this weekend, but until then, no spoilers please!
theDNF 
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