(I posted this over at RW as well, but I know there are some RA only peeps)

What was the goal, when did you decide it was possible, and how (and how much) did you change your training to make it happen.  Or, if you tried but failed, what did you learn?

For as long as I've been running, I've always assumed that a sub-4 marathon was completely out of the question for me.  But, as I've worked my times down over the last 2 years (5:00, 4:43, 4:37, to 4:20), I've started to wonder if that's right.  I'm not getting any younger (turning 48 next month), so I probably don't have many years left to make a run for it.  I like to set realistic goals for myself, but don't want to sell myself short either.

I would love to hear about your experiences.

Of course!

Sub-1:45 half... I don't know how it happened, because I just snatched that number out of the air at random after I ran a hilly 1:51.  It seemed like a nice number for a flat half.  I did make it (barely), but I can't say I actively did anything to get there, so really, I just got lucky.  The sub-1:40 is proving substantially more difficult.

But the big one for me was running a marathon.  Notice I'm not saying it was a great marathon, and I know there are people here who disparage the whole "finishing is an accomplishment" thing, but for me, it was a pretty damn big deal.  Lots of people start running with the goal of a marathon -- I was never one of those.  I would have been perfectly happy to never do one.  Until a doctor told me that I'd probably never run a marathon (because my bones are sucky), and telling me that I can't do something is the fastest way to get me to do it.

Since I'd never run one before, I didn't necessarily have a time goal.  I mean, I had one, but it was pretty arbitrary.  I missed it by a minute and a half, mostly because I got injured five weeks before the race and that kind of screwed things up.  But.  I did finish a marathon, and I didn't break any bones along the way.  All I had to do was gain weight.  So there you have it -- get fat, it will help you achieve your running goals.

Sub-50 10k was once a pipe dream. Now that's in the middle of my easy pace range.

I ran my first half in 2:06 / first marathon in 4:28.  I got my half time down to 1:59 (by my 3rd one) and I thought eventually if I worked hard I could run a 1:50 half and a sub-4 marathon.  I didn't think I could improve much more than that. This was in my second year of running.  I averaged around 40mpw for that marathon without speedwork.

 

Then I got injured and spent a year trying to get back to running again.  The next year I built my base up to 40 and then 50mpw and started doing speedwork.  I ran a 1:46 half - huge improvement and I didn't expect that.

 

I assumed, then, that the gains would start slowing down.  I used Hansons Advanced for marathon training and ran a 1:43 half / 3:42 full.  Then I started thinking about BQing (something I never thought I could do).  Marathon trained again (slightly more mileage) and ran a 1:37 half (I was hoping for a 1:40 but it just exceeded my expectations). and ran a 3:33 full.  <-- I knew I could run a better full but it was a BQ for me by about 1:45.

 

This year I got my half time down to 1:34 and ran a 3:23 marathon.  Now I think I could run sub-3:20 next year. Maybe even 3:15.  I never in my wildest dreams would have thought I could run those times a few years ago.

That's an amazing progression.   I've always just thought of you as a really fast runner.  It's nice to learn how you got there.  What is your mpw average now?

For me to run at all was something I always thought impossible.  I'm an older runner with bad knees.  Guess what, it didn't matter.  Every new milestone is something I once thought impossible - from running 3 miles to 5 miles to 10 miles to 15. I never thought that racing would be a part of my life.  I'm old and slow, why would I race?  Then I found out that I actually enjoy it and that I can occasionally win AG awards.  Winning AG on my first HM and then winning Masters female on a 10k -- I would never have thought either possible.  Admittedly, they were small races, but still.  After getting seriously injured twice, I was pretty sure my running was finished, but then I decided to keep trying and now a marathon seems like a possibility.  Specific time goals aren't as important to me as they are to most of you, but every race I've done I've surprised myself by meeting or exceeding my expected time.  I have no idea what will happen in the future, but so far I've been able to surpass any limits I thought I had, so I'm hopeful.

Finishing a half.

Then break 2 hours in a half.

Not since I started running, but I tend to set pretty realistic short-term goals. Before starting to run I didn't necessarily think any of it was *impossible*, it just wasn't something I was interested in/knew how to work toward. I also think my current long-term goals will be eventually be possible with enough miles under my belt and some well-thought-out quality work.

 

That's an amazing progression.   I've always just thought of you as a really fast runner.  It's nice to learn how you got there. 

+1! You give me hope that I might eventually be fast too

Thanks everyone.  I've really enjoyed hearing about your philosophies, training and successes.  I'm fired up for 2015 now.