2023 NYC Marathon / Running Update
Nov 7, 2023 10:38:39 GMT -5
arsenette, SasukeDoctor, and 3 more like this
Post by dudesky1000 on Nov 7, 2023 10:38:39 GMT -5
Hey everyone!
For those who don't remember, I used to frequent these boards quite a lot! I still lurk, but don't post too often. Still love Sasuke, but fell off the ANW wagon some time ago. But if one thing's remained stronger than ever, it's my love for running!
The last time I posted here about my marathon training was in 2017. That was my 5th NYC Marathon, and it was a breakthrough year for me, finishing in 3:03... 35 minutes faster than my previous PR, which was way back in 2014 (which feels like ancient history now haha). Although I qualified for Boston that year, I actually didn't end up getting in, since too many people qualified, and an additional cutoff was applied. Then, in 2018, they dropped the qualifying time to sub-3, so I ran 2:59 at the 2018 NYC Marathon. Turned out, that wasn't good enough either! In 2019, I resolved to run at least 5 minutes faster, so I did - finishing in 2:54! Surely a 6-minute buffer would be enough, but alas, COVID happened and subsequently, there was such high demand for the 2021 Boston Marathon, and fewer spots up for grabs than usual, so hilariously, my 2:54 was still not good enough. I had a long overdue crash-and-burn at NYC '21, not even coming close to another Boston qualifying time, but luckily, Boston was still willing to accept my 2019 time, so I did finally manage to get in!
Over the course of the pandemic, I began coaching! It took a bit of time to grow, but this year I coached over a dozen athletes running various races, and it's been incredibly rewarding and fun. Yes, I still primarily work in the film world. Just living two dreams at once!
Speaking of dreams, Boston '22 was exactly that. I made it count, running a new personal best of 2:49... a whole hour faster than my very first marathon!! When NYC '22 came around, my new goal was to get the "other" elusive BQ (Berlin Qualifier, aka sub-2:45) and a historic heatwave made that a laughably impossible task. I did make it into Boston once again, but finally ran into my first injury in early 2023, so I was forced to treat Boston as a "fun run". It feels silly writing it that way, because all of these races are extremely fun. But that Boston where I didn't think about time goals and just went about it at a relaxed pace did make it extra fun!
This year, with my 10th NYC Marathon on the horizon, and my first significant injury behind me, I resolved to make it count. I am so happy to report that I did, running the best race of my life up to this point, finishing in 2:42. I was just outside of the top 200 amongst the entire 51,000+ person field. To say I never expected to come even close to that sort of result when I first began going down this crazy rabbit hole is an understatement. Welp, next stop: Berlin!
It's hard to believe that I've been at this for so long. Reading some of the old threads and my training updates brings a smile and and healthy dose of cringe to my face. But I sure have fond memories of the support I received and for the time when this was the only place I knew to share my training updates!
I hope everyone is doing well with their own training, work, life, etc. and that this board lives forever!
Stay tuned for more updates :-) and happy running!
-Evan
For those who don't remember, I used to frequent these boards quite a lot! I still lurk, but don't post too often. Still love Sasuke, but fell off the ANW wagon some time ago. But if one thing's remained stronger than ever, it's my love for running!
The last time I posted here about my marathon training was in 2017. That was my 5th NYC Marathon, and it was a breakthrough year for me, finishing in 3:03... 35 minutes faster than my previous PR, which was way back in 2014 (which feels like ancient history now haha). Although I qualified for Boston that year, I actually didn't end up getting in, since too many people qualified, and an additional cutoff was applied. Then, in 2018, they dropped the qualifying time to sub-3, so I ran 2:59 at the 2018 NYC Marathon. Turned out, that wasn't good enough either! In 2019, I resolved to run at least 5 minutes faster, so I did - finishing in 2:54! Surely a 6-minute buffer would be enough, but alas, COVID happened and subsequently, there was such high demand for the 2021 Boston Marathon, and fewer spots up for grabs than usual, so hilariously, my 2:54 was still not good enough. I had a long overdue crash-and-burn at NYC '21, not even coming close to another Boston qualifying time, but luckily, Boston was still willing to accept my 2019 time, so I did finally manage to get in!
Over the course of the pandemic, I began coaching! It took a bit of time to grow, but this year I coached over a dozen athletes running various races, and it's been incredibly rewarding and fun. Yes, I still primarily work in the film world. Just living two dreams at once!
Speaking of dreams, Boston '22 was exactly that. I made it count, running a new personal best of 2:49... a whole hour faster than my very first marathon!! When NYC '22 came around, my new goal was to get the "other" elusive BQ (Berlin Qualifier, aka sub-2:45) and a historic heatwave made that a laughably impossible task. I did make it into Boston once again, but finally ran into my first injury in early 2023, so I was forced to treat Boston as a "fun run". It feels silly writing it that way, because all of these races are extremely fun. But that Boston where I didn't think about time goals and just went about it at a relaxed pace did make it extra fun!
This year, with my 10th NYC Marathon on the horizon, and my first significant injury behind me, I resolved to make it count. I am so happy to report that I did, running the best race of my life up to this point, finishing in 2:42. I was just outside of the top 200 amongst the entire 51,000+ person field. To say I never expected to come even close to that sort of result when I first began going down this crazy rabbit hole is an understatement. Welp, next stop: Berlin!
It's hard to believe that I've been at this for so long. Reading some of the old threads and my training updates brings a smile and and healthy dose of cringe to my face. But I sure have fond memories of the support I received and for the time when this was the only place I knew to share my training updates!
I hope everyone is doing well with their own training, work, life, etc. and that this board lives forever!
Stay tuned for more updates :-) and happy running!
-Evan
