missy1102 I sure wish you did miss me in your opening post. But I fear that it is time for me to throw in the towel on this year's race. I had to stop training three weeks ago and the doctors want me off my feet for at least another four. I wonder if I will need to requalify or if they have some sort of medical deferment policy? I should go find out.

Aww, Matt, I'm really sorry to hear this. I believe Boston does have a deferrment policy. I know if you attend the race, there is a form you fill out at the expo to defer. If you aren't attending this year, I'm not sure what the policy is. I hope you get the leg thing figured out, or else learn to run with just one good leg. All the best to you.

Hi everyone! Just joining the group. This is my third consecutive Boston, and I'm looking forward to a much better outing this time. My last marathon was in October of 08, so I've had plenty of time for base mileage and a full training program this time. I'm also sticking to the FIRST marathon training program. I've run 11 previous marathons, and I wanted to give this program a real try to see if it will improve my time. Physically, I feel very well-balanced...more than all other marathon training programs. The interval sessions are very fast and I've had a lot of difficulty matching the recommended paces for my marathon goal. The tempo runs have been the easiest for me, and the long runs have started to get more difficult. For instance, in about an hour from now I'm dreading running a 20-miler at mp +30 secs. Anyway, my PR is 3:18:02 (Mohawk-Hudson River Oct 2008), although my two Bostons were not even close (3:43 in 2007 and 3:36 in 2008). I've run 3 consecutive PR's in the fall (CIM 2006 - 3:20:49, Philly 2007 - 3:19:21, and the abovementioned Mohawk). So, I'm still optimistic about "conquering" my past difficulties in Boston and running for a PR. I don't think it was Boston per se that doomed me. In both Bostons, I didn't feel energetic at mile 3 or 4 and knew that I was going to have a tough time. We all know when we are going to have a good race...it feels "easy" for the first 5-7 miles. Good luck to everyone!