Nine Years to BQ

This Monday marks the 121st running of the Boston Marathon. Runners from all over the world will descend on New England's largest city to claim victory on one of the most famous race courses in the world.

July 2012 when I was over 260 lbs.

I've been a runner for about two-and-a-half years. My story is one like many you would hear if you were to frequent early Saturday morning training runs in your local area. I used to hate running. I got cramps (I still do). It's too time-consuming. It's too hot. Or too cold. Or raining. I could never get in rhythm. I'd run a day or two in a row, then have five days off because I "got busy."

One day, I stepped on the scale and it read 262 lbs. I had never been above 230 in college, and that weight was more muscle when I was working out and conditioning on a daily basis. I wanted to drop the pounds, so I started the Insanity workouts. I went one round and dropped about 30 lbs. down to 230. A few months later, I started it up again. I stopped about two or three weeks into it, but I'd lost another 10 lbs. Then, I started running. Here and there at first, then on a more consistent basis - meaning once every three-to-four days, or so.

Finally, I decided to download an app and track my runs, just to see how far I was going. I had no idea what a pace was or how fast slow my 10-minute per mile pace was, comparatively.

But I knew I wanted to go farther and go faster. I ran a few 5Ks, mostly due to peer pressure. It was fun and a short enough distance that I knew "training" wasn't going to consume my life.

Then, something happened. My mom died on November 14, 2014. She was 59 years old.

The next morning, I went for a run around my hometown neighborhood in Blythewood, S.C. From the first step to the last, I felt my mom's presence right next to me. I could hear her voice telling me, "Look, Ben. I am healthy again. I can run with you now."

And that was that. I knew I had to do it for her. I had to keep running because Momma would be there every step of the way. So I made a promise that as long as I could, I would keep running for her. With her.

I signed up for my first half marathon, the Chi-Town Half in Chicago in April 2015. The hours and hours of training. The pain. The sweat. The frozen eye-lashes and footprints in the snow from running during winter in Upstate New York. It was all worth it. When I hit that finish line, I cried. I smiled. I shook. I fell to my knees. I had the help of an angel the whole way.

I'm a runner now, and I don't ever wanna go back.

Despite my two hours, nine-minutes, forty-one seconds (2:09:41) finishing time, I knew this was only the beginning of what is now a life-long journey.

Last year, I ran my first full marathon in Oklahoma City. I won't lie: It SUCKED! I got hurt about 10 weeks into training (plantar fasciitis), then suffered from cramps starting about Mile 14 through the finish line. Basically, I walk-jogged 12.2 miles. My time was 5:45:31.

Less than a month later, I decided I needed a stronger base of miles underneath my legs before I ventured into the world of marathons. I was already signed up for two more halfs to round out 2016, but I set a goal for 2017. I wanted to run one half marathon each month.

So far, I'm a quarter of the way there, having run at Houston in January, Surf City (Huntington Beach, Calif.) in February, and The Woodlands (Texas) in March. I've got the Oklahoma City Memorial coming up April 30, Joplin (Mo.) Memorial on May 20, and The Scorcher (Stillwater, Okla.) on June 4. That will put me halfway and I have an idea of the races I want to run the second half of the year.

I captured my current half marathon PR (1:50:17)
at the Surf City Half in Huntington Beach, Calif. 

Now it's time to set a new goal.

I want to qualify for Boston - or in runner terms, I want to BQ. My goal is to do so before the 130th Boston Marathon (by the year 2026).

That gives me nine years and would put me at 39 years old. The qualifying time for the 35-39 male age group is 3:10:00. Considering my half marathon PR is 1:50:17 and my only full was over 5:45, I've got a loooonnng way to go.

It's definitely doable. I'm excited about pursuing this and can't wait to set new personal records along the way.

#BostonStrong

-BtW