Use this thread to introduce yourself to the 3:20-ers.  Respond below with your running history and goals, PRs, location (to the extend you feel comfortable posting it) and anything else you would like to post.

Hello! I've been posting on Runner's World and using the RunningAhead training log since 2008. In fact, as I type this, I mark the 10-year anniversary of keeping my RunningAhead log. Ten years later, it has 19,032 miles.

I've also kept a detailed blog of all my races, training, and reflections since 2007 which you can find at the link in my signature. It took me 7 years to finally qualify for Boston. And the journey was so life-changing that I wrote a book about it.

I started running in 2001 as a fitness runner on a treadmill. I ran my first race in 2005 and became hooked.

I live in the Washington DC metro area and I like to race all distances. Typically I run 1-2 marathons per year and a bunch of shorter races. I'm working with a coach from the McMillan Running Company, and I've made significant gains with him over the past 3.5 years. In 2018 I really want to run a sub 3:20 Marathon and a sub 20 5K.

Personal details: I'm 39, married with no kids. I'm a marketing executive at a software company.

ive been running just a few years, started after age 40.  Was C2C before that w zero physical activity.  Literally nothing.  Half marathon was my first ever race 2013.  Then a couple weeks later marathon ( not pretty).  Then repeated that spring 2014.  Then first ultra, road 50 mile Fall 2014.  Since then ive been into trail and ultras for the last 3 years.  2017 stuff below. To be honest, its less painful on the body than the road marathons were for me.  I did my first 100 mile race this past November.  Im usually mid pack or back for 100k and yhe 100 mile.   Better w the 50 distance but nothing that would impress anyone. Im in the Chicago area and feeling that now w the cold.  Although im planning a spring 50k and fall 100 mile, inam basically doing marathon training (Pfitz) for the spring and interested in training excercise science and physiology...and also beer.  Oh yeah, i hate my ITB bands and want them removed. And i love my hounds...

introduction millennial (34m) from the Californias (if you didn't know there is a Northern and a Southern. They don't get along too well) now living in the Nevada (not Ne-VAH-duh) who picked up running around 2014 because I was fat and wanted to do Tough Mudders. I've done four marathons, a couple half marathons and I'm aiming for a Marathon on 4/20/20 in Massachusetts. First time father in 2017 and for some reason I can't get the idea of running Western States 100 off my mind. I brew beer when I'm not running and I love drinking beer (sometimes too much) or trying new stuff from all over. I also won't turn down a Coors Light. It is pretty much a staple and can be treated as currency around my people.

I like hockey and unlike this introduction my race recaps/reviews/reports are quite detailed (i should start a blog about them or something), contain NSFW language, and show you how random my thought process can be during a race (it isn't always focused on running). If you follow me on Strava you'll notice I have a streak going. I'm not sure when it started, why I continue it and when (if) it will end. I kind of wish I could answer at least the first part. For me running is about having fun, staying healthy, meeting new people, and pushing yourself to the limits.

98% of what I run is roads. It's not that I hate trails I just hate hills, falling, and that mixture of dust and saliva that builds up. With that said I could see myself doing more trails once I get my 4/20/20 marathon medal.

2018 running goals 4/20/20 marathon entry at Chicago 2018 (3:07 or faster). 2,018 miles. sub 20 5K (march 11) and sub 1:30 HM (april 11). Reno Tahoe Odyssey 6 man team finish. Stay injury free.

I'm Rune, 44, married and with two kids, 16 and 11, and I work as a marine/structural engineer. I live in Berkeley, California, in the San Francisco Bay Area, and have the advantage of being able to train in mostly temperate conditions year round (as some of you will know already).

I did some running in my younger years and somehow managed to squeeze out my 5k PR of 19:44.4 back in HS, and I still can't fathom I was able to do that back then with the completely unorganized training I was doing back then. Pretty much exactly 7 years ago (December 20, 2010) I was in really bad shape and decided to go for a run. I ran 1.6 miles in about 18 minutes, and had to stop several times because I felt like I couldn't breathe. After several years of on and off short runs (less than 100 miles per year in 2012-2014) I finally got on a program late summer 2015.

I ran my first HM in November 2015, at the tail end of a cold, and it was a complete disaster. Followed up with the Paris Marathon in April 2016 and that kicked things into gear for me. I would probably consider 2016 to be a better year for me than 2017, but that might just be me. I set my HM PR of 1:36:07 about a month ago, but I don't feel like that was a particularly well run race for me, and I feel like I was in better shape than that at the time.

I have Crohn's disease and although I am extremely lucky with how little it affects me compared to some other people, it still affects me some. If I don't take iron supplements I will slowly become anemic, and I feel like I have more issues than most with having to find a bathroom during my training runs (it's never happened in a race though!). I've had about 4 feet of my small intestines removed in two different surgeries so that probably affects everything somewhat.

I have a few goals for 2018: Have a relatively light and easy outlook on my training and races to make sure I have fun, be more consistent in my training than in 2017, follow a proper training program (enough RLRF for me now), beat my HS 5k record, get under 1:30 on a HM, and under 3:20 on the full marathon. Apart from some bad heel issues I had in 2015 I've been pretty much injury free, and I hope to stay that way in 2018. I have two races on the calendar so far in 2018, the Bay Breeze Half February 11 and the Oakland Half (might run the full distance this day) March 25. Bay Breeze will be some sort of a tuneup/test race, but if I'm to follow the progression of paces in my training program from Jack Daniels even that race might result in a PR.

I live in Rockville, Maryland (DC suburbs) and work in Arlington, Va. - after a long stretch working in downtown DC.  Lawyer for a federal agency.  My wife and I have three school-age sons.

I'm 44 and have been running regularly since 2009.  Our youngest son has a developmental disability, Sotos Syndrome.  During the high-stress pre-diagnosis and early childhood years, taking him out for a run in the jog stroller was the best thing I could do for him, me, and the rest of our household.  Tried racing to give the runs some more purpose, then set a goal of breaking 20 in the 5K.  En route to that realized my mileage could support an o-k marathon, so I gave that a try.  Wasn't happy with the result, tried it again with more focus, and was hooked.  Our youngest is now 9 - great to be around, good prognosis and personality, but too big for the jog stroller.  Which is too bad, because at 80 lbs. he made for a great workout and got me to Boston twice as a qualifier.

I like group training programs and am fortunate to be in a large club (Montgomery County Road Runners) that has lots of runners at my pace.  I'm doing their Winter Trails program now with a goal of breaking 6:00 in our club's 50K trail race in early March.  Then an Olympic tri in the spring, and something flat and fast in the fall for a BQ-5:00.

Matt - 46y.o. - living near Charlotte, North Carolina  - wife - 3 kids (16 / 14 / 12).

I was not very active in high school or college, save for running the occasional laps at the stadium across the street from my dorm. My friends were very impressed the one time I gutted it out for 12 laps! After college I moved to Colorado and lived in the mountains for 12 years backpacking, skiing (downhill & cross-country), biking (mountain and road), and an occasional run. I also got married and had 3 children while in Colorado.

A job change and move to Kentucky took away a lot of the big outdoor activity options. I continued road biking and the occasional run, and eventually got myself a Nike+ setup and not long after that a Garmin 305. These motivated me to do both more often and watch the miles add up. Two years later, I moved to North Carolina and started running more often and trained for my first marathon using Higdon's beginner plan. I was hoping for a 3:30, but took a couple of walk breaks and finished in 3:32 (2009). In retrospect, not bad for a newbie.

I started training with some local running groups and decided to try for a 3:15 which at the time was a BQ for me. I didn't have any intention to go to Boston, just wanted to see if I could meet that standard. I ran the City of Oaks marathon in Raleigh in 3:15:13 (2010). They still had the 59 second grace period then, but what I didn't know was that my BQ was actually 3:20 because I would have aged up before the race that I could have registered for, so I had a good 4+ minute cushion.

In 2011 I got ambitious and trained for a sub-3 marathon, but did not run nearly enough miles. In Richmond that fall, I was on pace for the first 18 miles, but couldn't keep it up and finished with a 3:11. No marathons in 2012, but ran a 3:12 in 2013 (Charlotte) after a "just wing it" training cycle. I was a last minute addition as a pace leader for the first half of the 2014 Charlotte marathon. I stayed with the 3:20 group until about mile 20, but I faded and finished with a 3:24. There was another stronger leader who finished on time.

At the end of 2014, I started following the sub-3 thread at RWOL and learned more about what it would take to get there. I read most of Pfitzinger's "Advanced Marathoning" book and began training for a 39 minute 10k and a 1:25 half to see if simply training for a sub-3 was feasible. I was just slightly over on both of those but felt I was getting in better shape and had a good base to go for it. I used the 18 week 70 mpw plan. During that cycle I dropped my half time to 1:23:32 and felt good going into the full at Charlotte (it's local, makes it easy). I ran a 2:58:46 there. Two other running buddies also ran well and we all signed up for Boston 2017.

I had that Plantar Fasciitis in the fall of 2016 and did not have a good base going into the Boston training. I did the 12 week / 70mpw Pfitzinger plan and felt decent going into Boston. The heat, lack of a great training cycle, walking around too much the day before, and/or calf cramps during the race got to me and I shuffled in for a 3:50 - a big personal worst!

Now I'm on week 9 of the 18 week / 70mpw plan again and being hopeful for a possible sub-3 in March.

Hellooooo!    Now is a good time as ever to hop on the train I suppose.

Little background, 42 F, RN drowning in overtime.  Married, no kids. Husband who also runs.  2 dogs who don't.  Just relocated to Orlando Florida and have been feeling very isolated in the running area.  "Back home" I had a great group of competitive girls that we did track workouts together, races together, coffee talks after.   They were all crazy faster than me but somehow it all worked.  I love surrounding myself with like wise minds.   Now it is just me trying to see if really want to plug into solidly formed running clubs that are always running when I am always working.  Blah blah blah  Not sure I fit in anyway ( I have always felt like I came from the island of misfit toys)   I love to train.  Even though I am not as fast as ya'll ---it would be great to follow here just to feel a part of a competitive group again.

Running backgroud:  Coming back from a injury where I was told that I would probably never run pain free again.  By not 1, or 2, but three different doctors.  (large Herniated disk L5-S1)  I refused the surgery because I am a nurse--and we are always the worst patients.   2 long years of PT, lots of pool time, hours and hours of yoga, acupuncture and bunch of other hippie craft I am back on the roads.

BQ'd twice before, and was too injured (torn fascia) to actually run the stupid thing.   Took me 2 years to work up to that BQ, so I figure it will take me another 2 years to get back in race shape.  1 year down, 1 to go.  I feel like I have a lot of unfished business!   Back with my old coach from home, and we are both working on a big solid base INJURY FREE.   If I don't make it won't be time wasted as they say.  I have embraced this journey of working my way back.

My marathon PR is 5 years old.  The race where I tore my fascia-- was on track for a 3:25, fell, and hobbled to a 3:33.  3 months in a boot was bought with that one!   My goal isn't too greedy, a 3:30 would be just lovely.  Thinking of something local here next Jan 2019.   Also really would like to get that sub 1:35 HM and break 20 minutes in the 5K--was so close when I got injured.

I am very excited to see several masters on here!  I do swing back and forth on if I am getting too old for all this.  :-)  Thanks for having me!  Roz...