When I ran a personal best and a Boston Marathon qualifying time at Grandma’s Marathon in June 2017, I knew there was no guarantee that I’d be accepted into Boston 2018. Since they have to cap the field, the Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A.) has, over the past few years, had to determine a “cutoff” time for qualifiers. In other words, they fill it with the fastest people and allow those who beat their standards by the most to register first. The first two days of registration are for people 20 minutes or more under their standard, then those 10 minutes or more under get two days to register, and then those 5 minutes or more under get their chance. If, after the first week, there are spots remaining, they open it up for anyone with a qualifying time to register.
That’s where I come in. The qualifying standard for my gender and age was 3:45. I ran a 3:41:36, putting me 3 minutes and 24 seconds under the needed time. Thankfully, the race didn’t fill week one and I was given the chance to submit my application and did so with extreme diligence and anxiety on September 18th. I checked, rechecked, and checked again to make sure I had entered all the data correctly. I hit submit, received my confirmation number, and then the waiting game began. The B.A.A. was extremely good at keeping people updated via social media. I went to their Facebook page, on average, 20 times a day to look for any indication as to when I’d learn my fate. As the days wore on, it became clear that THE day would be Wednesday, September 27th- a full 10 days after I had completed the registration process.
I awoke with excitement, anxiety, and eagerness on the 27th. I prayed, though I could imagine my Mom telling me there are far more important things to pray for, and prayed some more (sorry, Mom). I tried to get a few things accomplished but, you see, the 27th was significant for another reason, too. It was my birthday. And, anyone who knows me knows that I love my birthday, even though I’m old enough that I should like it a little less these days. I even requested the day off of work long before I knew the day would be THE day. Good thing. I took to checking Facebook every 15 minutes and reading the comments section from the post on the 26th to see if anyone else had received their notification. Early morning, no update. Mid morning, no update. Finally, just before noon I decided I was going for a run as I needed a distraction. I took my phone with, went outside and did some stretching, and opted to check ONE more time before I took off. I was looking at the Facebook page again, thinking that maybe the B.A.A. would announce the cutoff time prior to sending out the individual emails with the acceptance/non-acceptance notifications. As I was doing so, an email came in. I quickly pulled down from the notifications and noticed it was the one I’d been waiting for. My heart stopped and I frantically looked at it to determine if I was in or out. The first word I saw was “Congratulations” and in that moment, I knew. I WAS IN! Without caring I was on a public sidewalk with tons of traffic, I began jumping up and down as tears sprang forth. “I got in. I got in,” I repeated followed quickly by, “Thank you, God!” I calmed down long enough to read the whole email, made the call to notify Dan, and emailed my Mom and Dad.
I savored every minute of my 4.5 mile run that afternoon. With a tear-stained face, I smiled at random people who I’m quite certain thought I might be crazy. The sun was shining and the scent of fall was in the air. What a glorious day.
Following my run, I stopped at my favorite coffee shop for lunch. I pulled my phone out and looked at the messages my parents had sent while I was running. Then, I went back to the Boston Marathon Facebook page to find out what the cutoff was. I sincerely hoped I had a bit more cushion this time. For the 2014 race, I made the cutoff by 4 seconds with a slower time. I felt confident I had given myself more breathing room this time. I began reading the announcement, which was rather lengthy, and my eyes zoomed in on the words “Those who ran 3 minutes and 23 seconds faster than their age and gender qualifying times were accepted into the 2018 Boston Marathon”. My heart stopped. I felt instantly sick. Are you kidding me? I made the cutoff by 1 second? I began to doubt that I was really in, but then remembered that I had the email confirming it. I kept doing the math over and over in my head. I really did make it, right? They hadn’t sent me the email in error? The feeling of barely making it and realizing my goal by the smallest margin possible is surreal. I didn’t feel relieved. I felt, well, sick is really the best word. A race that covers 26.2 miles and took me over 3 hours and 41 minutes to finish, well there are many things that could have cost me that second and put me on the wrong side of the cutoff. It really was too much to think about and to consider. I decided that I needed to just be happy and thankful and honored. There really was no room for any other thoughts. As I have previously documented, when I ran Grandma’s Marathon, I was determined and focussed. Every decision I made- to stop for water, go out of the way to run through a sprinkler, get vaseline- was calculated. And, everything I did was to ensure I was able to run and finish the 26.2 miles. Take one of those things out and sure I might have finished faster, but I also might not have finished at all if I had denied my body the things it needed. I told Dan that I was considering giving him and his family this triumphant shout out as I neared the Grandma’s finish line back in June. In fact, I spent considerable time thinking it over during the last few miles of the race. In the end, I decided not to. I remember telling myself, “If you make some obnoxious display of victory and then miss getting into Boston by a second, you will be really disappointed in yourself”. I kid you not. Unbelievable foresight.
As Dan and I set out that night to celebrate my birthday and my Boston acceptance, I was still slightly worried. My name wasn’t showing up on the Entrants list on the website. I knew that the site was uploaded in batches, but to truly feel comfortable, I really wanted to see my name on that list. I kept checking, even though I knew the B.A.A. office was closed and it wouldn’t likely happen until the next morning. Then, yet another detail fell into place when with a quick browser refresh, there I was.
It’s funny to look back and remember what a great story I had when I qualified for my first Boston by 4 seconds. It’s a story that I love to tell, with precision detail. I never dreamed that I would qualify again and then make it in by an even smaller margin, making for an even more remarkable tale. It’s hard to believe that amateur marathon running can become a game of inches. In the end, I have to remind myself that even though I just barely squeaked in, I shouldn’t allow myself to diminish the PR that got me there. It’s still a good time, and I worked really hard for it. There are just lots of talented runners out there, and I understand fully how blessed I am to count myself amongst them. #BostonStrong2018