Jenny from Fargo, ND (Female)
Occupation: Domestic Engineer
Age on race day: 29 2006 Boston Marathon - Boston, MA
This was my 4th marathon and I finished in 3:29:33.
Running Background:
I consider myself an intermediate runner and I primarily run for competition. I always wanted to finish a marathon, but just one and that would be it. After my first child I decided to run one. I ran the Phoenix Rock and Roll Marathon in 3:43 and had a great time. After realizing I was only 3 minutes from qualifying for Boston I had to do another. After my second child I ran Grandma's Marathon in Duluth, MN in 3:41. I missed qualifying for Boston by 53 seconds, what a disappointment. I swore I would never run another marathon. The next day I was attempting to find another marathon in the fall to run. I ran the Twin Cities Marathon 4 months later and qualified for Boston with a time of 3:35.
Training:
I trained for 5 months following Hal Higdon's training program. During my training I averaged 40 miles per week. For someone thinking about running a marathon I would tell him/her to make sure you don't overtrain, keep a positive attitude, find someone to train with, and make sure you do speedwork, speedwork, speedwork.
Race Day:
The race was awesome!!! The entire atmosphere at the Boston Marathon is amazing. Elite runners, people lining the streets to cheer you on, being a part of the oldest marathon was an incredible experience. I had so much fun during this marathon! I met my goal, and ran my best marathon time, 3:29, 6 minutes faster than my previous and I had fun.
Recovery:
My recovery wasn't bad. I took an ice bath after the race.
To someone thinking about running a marathon I would say DO IT! The feeling of accomplishment once you cross the finish line is worth all the hard work and sweat that goes into training for it.
Plans to Run Another:
I plan on running more half marathons in the future. The full marathon takes a lot of time for training and is hard on your body.
