How to qualify for the Boston Marathon

Finn Melanson [00:00:10]: Low fellow runners. I'm your host, Fin Malanson, and this is the run to the top podcast. The podcast dedicated to making you a better runner with each and every episode. We are created and produced by the expert team of coaches at runnersconnect.net, where you can find the best running information on the internet as well as training plans to fit every runner and every budget. The fall racing season is fast approaching, but September is also the deadline to register for the Boston Marathon. So On today's show, we're covering everything you need to get to the start line of the world's oldest annual marathon. For many, this April race is seen as the pinnacle of marathon running due to its difficult qualifying standards in notoriously tough hills. It's also recognized as an Abbott world marathon major with over 25,000 competitors each year. Whether you're targeting a trip to Boston this spring, or you just wanna learn more about what it takes to get there. We've got you covered in today's show. We will walk you through the entire process of getting to that start line from qualification to registration and race logistics. These topics will include what time you need to qualify based on your age and gender, tips in last minute races for hitting the qualifying times, he qualifying and registration deadlines, and what to expect when you get there and more. Let's get into it. If you're looking for a better energy gel that contains no sugar and instead uses a revolutionary slow burning carbohydrate, then you should check out you can. I'll tell you more about the science later but you can get a free sample pack by going to runners connect dot net forward slash you can. That's u c a n. You're looking for the best way to strengthen your immune system and improve recovery during your taper or as the seasons change, You need to check out Alma Colastrum. Later in the episode, I'll dig into all the research, but if you wanna see for yourself, just head to try Alma com forward slash rtt.

Jeff Gaudette [00:02:16]: a r c

Cory Nagler [00:02:21]: Welcome to a special edition of the run to the top podcast all about the Boston marathon. We've got you covered if you've ever wanted to run this famous race. This is also part 1 of our September racing series where throughout the month, we'll be focusing our Friday episodes on getting you ready to crush your racing goals. I'm your showrunner Corey Nagler, and I have a confession to make that while I've competed in marathons all over and run a personal best of 2:30, I've never actually towed the line in Boston. That's why I've brought on some members of our team who are well familiar with the Boston Marathon. And while I know that neither of them have run it themselves, have a lot of expert information to share with you about how to get there and perform your best in Boston. So, Jeff, Andy, welcome to the show.

Andie Cozzarelli [00:03:06]: Thank you. Thanks for having us.

Jeff Gaudette [00:03:07]: Thanks, Corey. Nice to be here.

Cory Nagler [00:03:09]: Awesome. Yeah. I'm excited to this one, and I'm sure you have a lot of athletes who are gearing for Boston are getting ready to sign up. So I think it's gonna be relevant to a lot of our audience.

Andie Cozzarelli [00:03:18]: Yeah. For sure.

Cory Nagler [00:03:20]: Perfect. Well, let's cut right to it and get to the qualification process. How do you actually get there? Jeff, I'll pass it off to you. What do you actually have to do to qualify for and then register for the Boston marathon?

Jeff Gaudette [00:03:34]: Yeah. So that's a great question. So, I mean, many people do realize that do need to qualify, and that means that you have to run under a certain time. And those times are gonna change based on your age and then your gender. I I could list them all here on the podcast, but that doesn't make a lot of sense. I would refer people to the Boston Marathon website, which is baa dotorg, o r g, and they have a list. So they break it down. So for example, for, if you are, let me bring them up here. you know, so for example, depending on your age and then your your gender, you'll have different times. And since there's about, I think, fifteen different age bra different time age brackets. It doesn't make sense to go over them in the podcast. but that said, starting around 20 13 or 2014, they actually started to have more people register or more people hit the qualifying times than they had the ability to, take on. So generally speaking, the Boston marathon caps out, I bet a total about 30,000 runners. That's been the size of the race over the last, about 15 years. And the only difference was in 2021 with COVID. They were just the field size of

Finn Melanson [00:04:48]: 20,000.

Jeff Gaudette [00:04:49]: So with the field size of 30,000, generally speaking, they take out about 23,000 qualifiers. So 23,000 people that have qualified, I've run under the qualifying times. other numbers that they accept into the race. And they leave about 7000 spots open for charities, famous people, and all bunch of different things. But generally speaking, around

Finn Melanson [00:05:12]: 23,000

Jeff Gaudette [00:05:13]: qualifiers is what they take on each year. so that said, looking at some of the recent data starting in 2017, you needed to run about 2 minutes 9 seconds faster than default boston qualifying time in order to get in. And then in

Finn Melanson [00:05:29]: 2018,

Jeff Gaudette [00:05:30]: that actually increased to 323. So 3 minutes 23 seconds faster than your Boston Court qualifying time. In 2019, that increased again in, to 4 minutes 52 seconds. So once Boston saw that, they realized that they needed to tighten the standards since it didn't really make a lot of sense to have a qualifying time and then not be able to get in or to be so far off. So they tighten the qualifying standards by about 5 minutes per, per age bracket. And when they did that in 2020, the time standard, that you needed to run out of failed to 139. So that's the last best of good data that we have. like I said, it's because 2021 was the year that we had all the COVID issues. And so they reduced the fight field size to 20,000. So that made it an outlier. I think in that year, there were you had to be about 7 minutes under the qualifier. And obviously, they had a significantly greater number of people register because it was one of the few races that actually was a go ahead that spring. And then second, because they lowered the field size by, ten thousand people, that obviously made a big difference in, obviously, the total number of people that can qualify. So that gives you some idea of of kind of what historical standards have been. Moving a little bit more recently, in 2022, you did not have to run. They took everybody that ran under the qualifying standard as a and in 2023, they took everybody that ran under the qualifying standard as well. So over the last 2 years, you haven't had to run faster than, or significantly faster than the qualifying standard to enter. Basically, if you ran the qualifying standard and you entered, you got in. My personal prediction is that that is gonna be the same this year as well for

Finn Melanson [00:07:13]: 2024,

Jeff Gaudette [00:07:14]: that you're not gonna have to run faster than the significantly faster than the qualifying standard to get in. If you've run the qualifying standard, I predict and don't hold me to this, but I predict that you'll be able to get in. Now the reason for that is we can actually see the total number of qualifiers, like all the qualifiers, for every year. And generally speaking, Boston has about 55,000 to 70,000 qual total qualifiers. And If we look at

Finn Melanson [00:07:44]: 2023,

Jeff Gaudette [00:07:44]: so last year's data, there were 68,000 people that qualified, total people that qualified, and then they accepted everybody that entered. So Accepted about 22,000 runners. So they accepted everybody that entered. In 2022, there were 54,000 qualifiers, and they accepted everybody that entered. Looking at the data as of, the most recent data that I could get together for 2024, there have been 50,000 qualifier so far. And as of as of the recording of this podcast, there's only 2 weeks really left, 2 or 3 weeks left to hit that qualifying standard. So that said, there are anywhere from 5 to 15,000 less total qualifiers this year. And based on the last 2 years, having everybody that qualified get in, I would say that that's gonna be the same, for 2024 as well. you know, we could get into a larger discussion about what the reasons for that is personally, I think a big part of it is, especially during COVID and before COVID, there were so many people that tried to get to to try to do Boston that you know, Boston for a lot of people as a one and done thing. You know, you kinda do it once, and then a lot of people don't do it more than once. Or there's a good percentage of people So you had a lot of people before 2021 that kinda got that kicked Boston Boston off their bucket list. And then also one thing that I the trend that I've noticed recently is that travel expenses have been a lot higher. So airline flights are higher. hotel prices are higher. just food and generals higher as well. So I think the that also eliminates a lot of the people again that have done Boston before and might not wanna do it again just because the cost you know, is generally speaking gonna run anywhere from a

Finn Melanson [00:09:19]: 1000

Jeff Gaudette [00:09:20]: to $34,000 depending on how far you need to travel, what type of hotel accommodations you can get, that kind of So I think that's what's been keeping the numbers down the last couple of years since the adjusted price of travel has come down so much. So, that was kind of a big, information dump. So the one thing I'll also add to that, since we're talking about it is, official registration opens on September 11th at 10 AM Eastern Standard Time. and it officially closes Friday, September 15th, at 5 PM Eastern Standard Time. the faster the the, obviously, the sooner that you can actually go ahead and register, the higher the chances that you're gonna get in. If something, if they do end up having more people enter that that qualify for, that's how I would go about that. I would definitely try to get in Monday, September 11th at 10 AM Eastern Standard Time. I would try to get in within the first few hours there. and that should help your chances, of making sure that you get into the race if you've qualified. So, yeah, that, again, that was a pretty big information dump, but, hopefully, it gave a lot data and backed up some things. And I think, luckily, this year, again, my prediction is that if you've qualified, if you've run out of qualifying time, you're gonna be able to get in. So we'll hopefully see if that holds up.

Cory Nagler [00:10:29]: Awesome. And I I think, I know it's a lot to go through with those qualifying standards. So we'll probably include a link, in the show notes if if any listeners want it.

Finn Melanson [00:10:36]: --

Jeff Gaudette [00:10:36]: best way to do it because then I'm just reading a bunch of numbers.

Cory Nagler [00:10:40]: Yeah. For sure. Just to give people a sense, though, I think on the faster end, which is for 18 to 34 year old, is it 3 hours for men and 3:30 for women? Is that right?

Jeff Gaudette [00:10:48]: Correct. Yep.

Cory Nagler [00:10:49]: Okay. So your prediction is if you've run that, you're you're good to go. You're gonna get in.

Jeff Gaudette [00:10:53]: Yeah. That's my prediction based on just, again, the last 2 years, all the qualifiers getting in that that wanted to get in. And then this year, also having a less number of total qualifiers. And then also I don't think much changing in terms of, I think, the the impact has been people that have run Boston before don't necessarily want to incur the travel cost, which have been significantly higher the last 2 or 3 years, post pandemic.

Cory Nagler [00:11:19]: Right. And do you know the the window for actually running that time? How far back does it extend?

Jeff Gaudette [00:11:25]: great question. So I believe you have to have run it Let me just double check this. let me double check.

Cory Nagler [00:11:36]: I think I have here, September of 2022. Is that right?

Jeff Gaudette [00:11:42]: That is correct, I believe. I apologize. I don't have that number, on the top off the top of my head. oh, yes. It it opened September

Finn Melanson [00:11:50]: 1 2022.

Cory Nagler [00:11:51]: Okay. Perfect. Okay. So if you if you've run those qualifying times, in in the link that we attach as of September

Finn Melanson [00:12:00]: 2022,

Cory Nagler [00:12:01]: you're good to go. And I guess just in case there is some buffer, Jeff, do you know the process for that? How, how Boston usually informs you if you've been accepted?

Jeff Gaudette [00:12:09]: Yeah. You'll get a you'll basically get an email. So when you first register, you're basically not really confirmed. Like, it says your your registration is, like, been confirmed. and then you'll get a separate email that sends you've you've been accepted. I don't know exactly when they send those out. usually, it's a few days after they close the registration. but it it it's been very it's varied every year, but usually it's a few days after they're closed at the registration.

Cory Nagler [00:12:33]: Right. Yeah. No. That makes sense. so best of luck to any listeners that are hoping to register for or qualify for the Boston marathon. Just in case there's anyone listening here, who has aspirations to run the Boston Marathon in 2024, but hasn't yet run the standard and wants to. I believe they still have just a little bit of time, before that deadline comes on September 15th. Do we have any advice for hitting that standard and maybe any races that are still out there that might be good opportunity? Andy maybe I'll it off to you for this one?

Andie Cozzarelli [00:13:03]: Yeah. I'd say, hopefully, you've been training if this isn't something that you're looking at. Hopefully, you've already kind of put in all the work because at this point, you're you're in the taper for that race day, but some of the ones that are most immediate, we have eary marathon on, actually, all three of these next ones are on 910. The ones that I wrote down are all coming up on the same weekend. So it essentially would be the Erie marathon. We've got Grand Rapids, tunnel vision. And then I also wrote down the last chance BQ Point 2 marathon in Geneva, Illinois. All of those races of all of them, the Chicago will land Grand Rapids, last chance, has a

Finn Melanson [00:13:39]: 61.5%

Andie Cozzarelli [00:13:41]: BQ. the other ones are around 30%. So Erie is

Finn Melanson [00:13:45]: 34.1%.

Andie Cozzarelli [00:13:47]: tunnel vision is 36.9. And then I didn't get the data for the, last chance, the the Geneva, Illinois, the last chance be q point 2. but I imagine it's probably pretty close. It's a it's a looped course. You do it several times. I think it's around a three mile, loop. So you have kind of it's gonna take a little bit of a mental grind if you were interested in doing something like that. but definitely still an option. It's gonna be a flatter course just given the fact that it is loop, they try to pick the the flattest loop that they can. It gives us ample you ample to opportunities to get fluids and things like that. So that's a good benefit of it. the one thing I'll say if the tunnel vision 1 is on your list is that it is a downhill marathon. So, if you're planning to do that one, be very, very careful on the front side of that race because that downhill, a lot of times where you feel super comfortable early on and you start too quick, but that's a recipe for you know, really, really getting some bad cramping towards the end, and that can really completely throw off the race. So with if you're doing a a downhill marathon, we wanna make sure we're being very very controlled early on pacing wise. and then be mindful that after that, you might have a little bit longer recovery window. So give yourself some time to recover The the downhill can be really, really nice because you don't have to work as hard, but it really puts a lot of beating on the quads. So we really wanna be mindful that we're, taking care of ourselves from perspective and and doing what we can. So if you're doing that one, I also hope you've done some training to help kinda build up the strength in the quads and the and the knees and all of that. So we don't end up injured coming out of it. So those those would be my suggestions for last chances, but, you know, otherwise, if you're if you're like, yeah. I don't know that I can get it in this this fall. Always nice to take a chance and just see where you're at and then have some opportunities, you know, going through the next year to qualify for 2025. and and start setting those milestones up for yourself.

Cory Nagler [00:15:39]: Yeah. Those those downhill marathons can really be punishing on your quads. Yeah. And you just those numbers you mentioned so that the BQ percentages, is that the percentage in the race who hit the time standard? Is that right for Boston?

Andie Cozzarelli [00:15:51]: Yes. So that's the number. So, basically, they they showed how many people qualified in the race and what percentage of those people were you know, what percentage of those people qualify for BQ? like, so overall, some of these races, like, the one that has 61.5% is a little skewed because I imagine that it's a smaller race. And so it only had, I think, somewhere around, like, 30 qualifiers, but in the grand scheme of everyone who race, that's actually a large percentage. So just kind of thinking about that, though, that could also skew those results looking higher. so just keep that in mind in terms when you're looking at these percentages, like what What does it look like in terms of how people actually qualify and how big is the race? Because, actually, sometimes the race size can have an impact on on how easy it is to qualify or not. So Yeah.

Cory Nagler [00:16:36]: Yeah. No. I think that gives a good general sense of, I guess, a a little bit skewed depending how competitive the field is, but it it does generally tell you if the if the course is is good for qualifying.

Jeff Gaudette [00:16:47]: Yeah.

Cory Nagler [00:16:47]: Jeff, do you have do you have any specific, races or tips to add?

Jeff Gaudette [00:16:51]: No. I mean, I definitely think when Andy said, you know, obviously, there's only a couple of weeks left, but for people that are listening to this that obviously want that wanna qualify and run the 2025 race, and so are looking to run their marathon sometime in the next year or so. You know, I definitely think choosing the right race is is definitely important. We've already talked a little bit about it, but field size makes a big difference. So the you kinda wanna have that balance of a bigger field. where you're gonna have some people around you, maybe have some people watching, that kind of stuff, balance that with having a smaller field size so that you're not you know, like some of the major big races, you know, you basically spend the 1st 3, 4 miles, you know, kind of in a big bunch, you know, making it really difficult to get in your pace, get in a groove, that kind of thing. so the website, it's called find my marathon.com. they have the breakdown that Andy and I are using of the total number of qualifiers from each race or at least the top 25 races and then the percentage of it. So I always look at trying to find a good balance between total number and percentage. so kind of like what we discussed, if there's a really small percentage, but a pretty high total. so for example, the Los Angeles marathon is 1. it has about 300 qualifiers and 3% of those So you can see, like, Los Angeles is a huge marathon. A lot of people do it for fun. So you're not gonna you're gonna get a a high number, total number, because there's so many people. but a low percentage because a lot of people are just kinda doing it for fun. Whereas you get somewhere in the marathons like the 1, Andy had talked about where there's only you know, 300 maybe a 1000 competitors, and then you get 60% of them qualifying because everybody's there just to qualify to try to qualify for Boston. So, that's one thing to look for. And then the other thing that kind of, like, we've kind of hinted at is, you know, choosing the right course. So you wanna choose a course that's fairly flat maybe a little bit downhill. some people have success with the the extreme, downhills like Saint George, which is kind of a an extreme downhill. But like we've kind of already discussed, you just definitely need to be careful of that. If you're gonna use that type of course, then make sure that you train specifically for it because you wanna make sure that you're you'd be able to handle that, that change in, race atmosphere with their downhills killing your quads, that kind of thing.

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Cory Nagler [00:22:03]: Yeah. And we'll, we'll definitely link to find my marathon as well. I guess, looking ahead, know, there's not much time to train as you pointed out, Andy, if you're hoping to qualify this year, but looking ahead to 2025 or or or other years for athletes who really wanna, you know, get faster and make sure that they can hit that BQ that Boston qualifying time. Do you have any general training advice for them to prepare for that?

Andie Cozzarelli [00:22:26]: Yeah. The number one thing I would say first is don't make the qualifying standard your ultimate goal every time you step out the door. If you're, you know, a good, like, 10, 15 minutes off that from your most recent races, give yourself a milestone races to kind of inch closer to that. that's gonna help us give us the best success in outcomes because when we put ourselves into, we start trying to race or do workouts at a pace that's outside of our actual zones. outside of what we should be training at. It changed the same list of the workout, and we may not even be preparing ourselves for marathon pace miles. We may not be strengthening our legs in the way that's gonna help us sustain for that distance. And so we may make it part of the way through the race and then kinda hit the wall pretty quickly. So we wanna make sure we're always training for the right pieces in the right zones that we're in. So even if you spend some time, like, maybe you you've been doing a lot of marathons, maybe you drop down, do some shorter distance racing, even 5 ks, 10 ks, even half marathon training blocks can help us just to build some speed backup and legs, trains the stimulus, and then maybe go back to the marathon. See, we're, and kind of work with it that way. It really is dependent upon kinda how how is your your how's it been going for you? Are you making steady progress? What does that steady progress look like? and then kinda using that to decide, okay, when's a reasonable time for me to be, going for the standard? Alright. Let's, like, let's when would be, how much time should I allot for preparing for this. And and I think steady progress is probably the most consistent, the most effective. So, you know, when we had huge jumps in in our paces, Sometimes that's because maybe we haven't reached our potential, but sometimes it could be that we we maybe went really, really hard and we could put we could be putting ourselves in a position where we're over trained a little bit or where you're approaching injury. So we wanna make sure we're we're keeping that consistent balance, seeing that steady progress over time, And and Naomi can kinda give ourselves a a spot. We're like, okay. Maybe 2026 is my year. Maybe 20 25 is my year and just kind of having some races in there But we're always just going approaching it as I wanna see how fast I am today and moving from there and seeing seeing what that looks like. And I think that's the easiest way think it also gives you a little bit less pressure on every opportunity that you do raise because I think that can be a a real challenge that we may not recognize this happening, but when we are constantly like I need to run the standard. I have to qualify and running out of time. That can be, I can't I think it can sometimes get in our head a little bit, and we don't race as well as we could. So I think, you know, always approaching those races, finding ones that you you want to do. So don't just always be shooting for races just because they're flat, they're fast. Also think about, like, what races you wanna do because you enjoy them. So have a balance of doing races that are that are gonna help you with qualifying and doing races that you enjoy and that you want because they, and they just make you happier as your partner. those would be my biggest pieces of advice for for kind of you're working towards that qualifying. and I think that's gonna be, you know, give yourself that space to not feel like it to happen today or tomorrow.

Cory Nagler [00:25:21]: I think that's great. It's it's good to keep in mind. This is the oldest of the, of the world majors been around for quite a while and probably still gonna be around later. So even if you don't hit it this year, there's there's always next year. And I think you you touched on the pressure of trying to hit that qualifying mark every time if you're focused on it. But I think also after you've hit it, it it it helps if you're not focused on that singular goal to keep progressing afterwards and have something to work towards.

Andie Cozzarelli [00:25:44]: Yeah. A 100%. I think even in the race at Boston, you know, I I made this mistake just the the Olympic trials was kind of the same way for me where I qualified And then I think I made the race too much too big for them than what it was. Like, I made it bigger than it was, and I didn't end up racing it well because I overtrained. So even after you qualify, don't feel like you have to, like, go crazy with your training and preparation. There's gonna be some minor changes because Boston is a is a very specific course, but We wanna make sure we still maintain that balance and how we do things and not not blow it up to be bigger than it is and, approach that race looking to enjoy the experience and get the most out of it instead of feeling like, okay. Now I'm at Boston, and I have to do X. So I think that's an important thing to think about if you've already qualified or you're you're kind of getting ready to.

Cory Nagler [00:26:34]: Yeah. And, Jeff, I I know, like myself, you haven't actually run Boston, but you've definitely both run a qualifying time and also coach many athletes who have. Do you have any additional advice to add?

Jeff Gaudette [00:26:46]: Yeah. So I wanna say first that I think Andy's piece of advice about, you know, not over I think the biggest mistake people make and Andy brought this up was people that are runners that are 10, 15 minutes away from the qualifying time. will often time try to shoot that, you shoot for that in their first race trying to qualify. And it really needs to be a step by step progression. And so, and you already covered that a lot. And I definitely think that's biggest mistake we see. I think if you're trying to prepare, I think the best thing that you can do is, in my opinion, in my experience, is to increase your mileage. based on the data that we see with the hundreds of runners that we coach and that come into every kind of, like, weekly come into our training system, the the number one thing that I see that they could benefit from is higher mileage. So we get a lot of, marathoners that are coming in that topping out 30, 40 miles per week, which totally understand is a lot, but the greater the volume that you can handle and the you can kind of train yourself to handle. the better that you're gonna be in the marathon, one from just the physiological perspective, but also the ability to handle more training. And so I would say that if you're looking at, like, a Boston 2025 kind of thing and you have a year to train, I would focus I would definitely have a training block where I would focus on building my mileage. and just really even that. So reduce the intensity of the workout days, maybe even dropping a workout day. So you may be only doing one hard workout a week. and then the other, but really the focus being on increasing your mileage so that you can handle a greater workload. And, again, that greater workload physiologically helps from marathon, but it also allows you to train harder when you're actually training for the marathon, do long doing longer long runs or the longer run the long runs being a lesser percentage of your overall overall total of volume, being able to do more total volume during your tempo runs, marathon pace runs, that kind of thing. So To me, that's the biggest change that people can make right away if you're looking for 2025 is get in a good block of solid mileage building training. And then once you do that, the next advice that I have, piece of advice I have for people is to make sure that you're specifically training for the race. And I talk a lot about this a lot in almost every training talk that I do, but race specific training is probably the number one thing that Runners that that don't have coaches, whether they be runners connect coaches or not, are is is race specific training. And by race specific training, we mean obviously training to specific demands of the race and where that gets a little kind of technical, you know, kind of running as all training or you think running as all specific But when we talk about specific demands of marathon, we're talking about, increasing your ability to burn fat as a fuel source because we need to do that so that way we don't burn through our glycogen too quickly. We need to increase our ability to run at aerobic threshold. And so a aerobic threshold is kind of that threshold, that point at which you switch from primarily using your aerobic system to starting to use the, anaerobic system. And that's really roughly your marathon pace is your aerobic threshold. increasing that ability or basically improving that ability. And then 3rd, training your ability to training your legs to be able to sustain running for 26.2 miles at whatever pace that you wanna run at. And so you wanna make sure that the workouts that you're doing are specific to that, and that's a whole podcast in itself. So I won't get too much into it. but I'll give you an example. So for some, like, marathon training schedules that I see online and things like that, they'll have you, like, every week or every other week doing something like 8 times 400, 12 times 400, 6 times 800, 6, 8 times 800 at, you know, 5 k pace or something like that with, equal amount of rest, something along those lines, maybe even 10 k base with equal amount of rest. And that's kind of considered like a VO 2 max workout. when we look at the marathon, the VO2, you know, you're you're increasing your VO2 max isn't gonna have a direct correlation to your Marathon performance in terms of direct percentage improvements. So in my mind, that's kind of a wasted workout. Instead, you can do something that's gonna be more specific to the marathon, which would be like marathon pace miles. We have workouts that we call, like, lactate, clearance workouts where you're training your body to clear lactate, those types of things. And, again, that's a whole podcast in itself. We have a lot of training on that, so I will get too deep into that. but you wanna make sure that you're focusing on the right specific training when you when it comes to the 12 to 16 weeks before your actual race day. So

Finn Melanson [00:31:04]: --

Cory Nagler [00:31:05]: Yeah. And and in fact, it is a podcast of itself. If you're curious a little more details, as you're listening, as this comes out on September 1st, me and Andy actually recorded, an episode all about specific workout types that would it just come out a week ago? So definitely recommend giving that a listen if you're looking towards training for Boston. Just one other piece on the training before I move on, I wanna touch on You mentioned this example of a runner hitting 30 to 40 miles and potentially pumping it up. I'm I'm curious if I'm sure a lot of listeners fall into that camp of of of mileage range be it 30, 40, or maybe a little higher. If if you're, say,

Finn Melanson [00:31:42]: 10

Cory Nagler [00:31:42]: to 15 minutes off Boston qualifying currently running 30 forty miles, how much over the course of a year should you realistically target pumping up your mileage in order to have a good shot at hitting that BQ time?

Jeff Gaudette [00:31:55]: Yeah. That's a tough question because I think it's gonna really be it's gonna be very, very individual because it's gonna depend on you know, what your injury history looks like, what's your overall. So one thing about increasing mileage or just increasing your training in general is that it has an your your whole life has an impact Right? So if you have a family, if you have a stressful work job, you know, it's gonna be that's gonna be a different situation than somebody who might be single or might not have a a a really difficult job, that kind of thing. Like, one's it's gonna be significantly easier for one of those guys to to, increase their mileage than the other. So it's a little bit individual. but I would say if I if if you were asking me to ballpark it, I would say, like,

Finn Melanson [00:32:35]: 10

Jeff Gaudette [00:32:35]: to 15 miles over the year. So if you're at, like, 35 and that's, like, kind of been your near your max or you've kind of been at 35, maybe 40 range at the peak of marathon, your previous marathon training, I would say maybe look to do, like,

Finn Melanson [00:32:48]: 45

Jeff Gaudette [00:32:48]: on the high end

Finn Melanson [00:32:49]: 50,

Jeff Gaudette [00:32:50]: over the year. I think that would be a a a solid progression.

Cory Nagler [00:32:54]: Yeah. And I I I think that's good context to have because a lot of people when they hear bump up your mileage go through these crazy increases, but 10 to 15 miles over the course of a year is is very approachable. So I I think that's kind of reassuring if you fall in that that ball part that you you have a lot of time to build up mileage to to get to that point.

Andie Cozzarelli [00:33:11]: Yeah. And I can I was gonna say it's it's important too that the what he said about decreasing intensity. That includes, like, making sure your easy paces are truly easy because that's where those extra miles can come from. And if you're running too hard, all time, you won't you won't be able to add extra miles up and injured. So but that time on feet just has such a huge impact in the marathon that know, slowing down a little bit, but being able to get more time and have a huge impact.

Cory Nagler [00:33:38]: Yeah. No. All great points. I mean, at this point, we've done a really good job of explaining for listeners kind of how do you hit that qualifying standard and what that registration process is? Let's jump ahead just a little bit to say you're already at Boston or if you're thinking about signing up for Boston, what to expect, Andy, I know you've worked with a lot of athletes who have run Boston. What's your sense of overall that weekend experience?

Andie Cozzarelli [00:34:02]: So it can be a a very busy weekend. There's also a lot of high around it. If you've been in the city during the Boston marathon, there is there's a lot going on. There's all kinds of pop ups. You'll see pro athletes doing talks at every different location across the city. So you kinda have to prepare yourself. First, it's important to recognize you. What's my for the weekend. If you're looking to just enjoy the experience, you know, go ahead and take part in all the things. But if you're going there and you wanna have a really strong race, Be mindful about how many things you add to your plate that weekend. So if you wanna go hear somebody talk, pick and choose which ones you wanna you wanna go see, plan to actually pick your packet up, I'd say, 2 days before. So if you can get to Boston a little bit early, it's gonna be easier. It's gonna be less stress you're gonna be able to knock out all those things because you're gonna have to have all that time on feet walking around the city, getting the things you need, getting to your hotel, try to prepare that to be the 2 days before. The day before the race is kind of one of those the time frame where we wanna kind of chill out a little bit kinda let go of some of that some of that hype maybe hop, like, you know, just hang out in your in your hotel a little bit longer and just kinda spend some time not getting too over over stress or too excited before the race because that can definitely happen that atmosphere is just super exciting. I've only been there to to cheer and I already, I felt excited to be just standing there. And it made me wanna race so bad, but, you wanna make sure we're not using too much energy in those days before. just, you know, just being all caught up in that excitement. Save that for race day. We want that excitement to be to be present when we when we're getting ready for race day. the other things is that, you know, booking and getting food the night before. So if you wanna get reservations, you I it might be too late. I don't know how quickly things book up, but Be mindful of that. Figure out what you want, what you would ideally like for dinner. I think the one good thing that's come out of the pandemic is the ease of being able to order takeout. And that can actually be nice because you can time it out. You can say I wanna pick up my meal at this time or I want it delivered around time. And then you can eat it in the comfort of your own hotel room, just make it kinda slows things down if you're somebody that wants to kinda have some peace and quiet the night before. So there's options on that front, but, you know, be prepared from a perspective of what do you normally eat the night for a long run and try to keep things similar there. Don't try to go out and do something extravagant the night before. there's always gonna be, if you wanna explore Boston and hat and get some good food and try some local cuisine, go ahead and do that after the race. There's gonna be you you have an entire day. There'll be people out all over the place celebrating the the accomplishments. So So just kind of plan your weekend out, to make it the most, you know, de stressed and, you know, have some time for the excitement, but try not to get too excited on the front side. And then race morning, I know the race starts relatively late compared to probably a lot of races that you guys do. But the the getting on the buses and being prepared to to load the buses and all the things you have to do from that perspective, make sure you know exactly where you have to be and when and that you've kinda scoped that out. The other things to be mindful of because the race starts a little bit later, you might need to pack food with you on your bus. So be prepared with with snacks and things that are, if you wanna eat your breakfast while you're you're riding to the start line, just know when you start what timing you need to have your breakfast, have all of those things planned out ahead of time, pack your gear bag, all of that stuff, so that you can be well prepared. I know last year it rained, so pay attention to the forecast. Try not to obsess over it in the week before because that that's one of those that can change the day and it did the year I'd cheer in 2019, but have things, pack things to be ready for whatever conditions could happen and then kind of prepare yourself for a gay gonna be a rainy morning. Do I need to make sure I have a poncho while I'm waiting to start that I can strip off and and change, or do I need the change of shoes so that if my wet sneakers, I don't wanna race them. I wanna change into a fresh pair wipe before we start, have all of those things kind of worked through. Those would be my biggest suggestions for the week leading up, the the race day, all that good stuff.

Cory Nagler [00:38:07]: And I think a lot of that is good advice for just about any race or certainly any race where you're traveling, you know, stick to your routine and make sure you give yourself ample time so that you're not, stressing about things last minute.

Andie Cozzarelli [00:38:18]: Yep. Yeah.

Finn Melanson [00:38:19]: 100%.

Cory Nagler [00:38:20]: Jeff, any additional thoughts? I don't know if you've actually been to Boston to cheer, but and any thoughts on kind of what that weekend looks like or how to succeed there?

Jeff Gaudette [00:38:30]: Yeah. I think Andy did a great job. I've lived in Boston for quite a few years. so I pretty much was there for most of the early teens. went, like, 15 years in a row. So, yeah, Andy's completely right. And I will also say that the the atmosphere is electric, and that's something that I think first timers aren't always prepared for is you kind of get into the city and all of a sudden it's like everything is Boston, everybody you run into is Obviously, a runner you can just tell, or they're wearing their Boston jacket, that kind of thing. And so there's just energy that I think drains people more than they realize. And then I'll, you know, because like Andy said, you're just kind of excited all the time. so just be prepared for that. It's just gonna be one of those things that you that's just part of going to Boston. It's part of the fun of it. just kind of be prepared for it. It's something that I don't think people realize that's gonna happen quite as much as it does. And I think Andy's, another great point was try to get all of your, ducks in a row way beforehand. So if it's gonna be a restaurant, if you're gonna if you wanna go out to eat, if you're gonna have food delivered to your room, just try to do all those things far in advance as possible because it's pretty hectic. you know, everybody's kinda trying to do the same thing, get the same types of foods, So, that helped. That's a big just getting that logistics out of the way early as early as you can is very helpful.

Cory Nagler [00:39:44]: Yeah. Any way you can reduce this dress on on race day or race weekend is welcome.

Jeff Gaudette [00:39:48]: Yep. You just want you wanna make it fun. So getting that stuff ahead, you know, done ahead of time is allows you to just enjoy the experience a little bit more.

Cory Nagler [00:39:55]: I love it. It should be fun. Yeah. Yep. Awesome. Cool. Well, hopefully if you're racing Boston or even thinking about signing up for Boston that This is kinda what your appetite a little bit, and we've given you some useful advice for signing up and and maybe even qualifying for the race. I don't wanna dive too much in the training specific for it, both because we haven't gotten the registration date yet, but also because, I think we're probably going to plan to have an sold in early December to give you those insights. So again, hope this was helpful. And if you do end up registering and getting into Boston, good luck to anyone registering. we will have an episode for you to walk you through how to make sure that, that you can get to Boston as fit and ready to go as possible. so, Jeff, Andy, thank you both so much. This was a great conversation.

Andie Cozzarelli [00:40:44]: Yeah. Thanks for having us.

Jeff Gaudette [00:40:46]: Thanks, Corey, and thanks, Audience, for listening. Appreciate it. see you guys in Boston. Thanks for listening

Finn Melanson [00:41:05]: run to the top podcast. I'm your host, Finn Malanson. As always, our mission here is to help you become a better runner with every episode. Please consider connecting with me on Instagram at Wasatch Finn and the rest of our team at Runners Connect. Also, consider supporting our show for free with a rating on the Spotify and Apple podcast players. And lastly, if you love the show and want bonus content, behind the scenes experiences with our guests, and premiere access to contests and giveaways, and subscribe to our newsletter by going to runnersconnect.netback/like till next time, I'd be training.