Motivation

 

It's really amazing what little things help bump up the motivation. Recently, Abbott World Marathon Majors put together a virtual challenge where starting in a couple weeks, each week has two challenges (2.62mi and 26.2mi -- that can be completed across multiple runs) that will correspond with a different one of the six Majors. They also have a couple of other challenges, related to running a marathon distance in one event. Not sure what there will be on the other end beyond some semblance of online badges. (They do have medals for purchase for completing any given challenge, but I'm not about to pay $15 for each of those medals.)

Even more motivational is finally getting access to the Boston Marathon's Virtual Experience website where I finally got to see the bib number I would have gotten had the race happened in April 

OMG! I suspected that I would have gotten into Wave 1, but I didn't know until now that that really would have been the case. Wave 1 Corral 8. But, still, a red bib! Runners with the red bibs are practically royalty among the runners that morning. (Especially those who are in Wave 1 Corral 1 -- bibs under #1000.) For everyone, the lower the number, the better your ranking -- everyone is placed in order of their qualifying times.

I'm all set to run a Boston-certified marathon in October. And so far, my training is on pace for my breaking 3 hours. (!) To think that my bib number may drop a few hundred more. Now THAT is some great motivation for a Boston runner -- to get the lowest bib number possible.

And I will also be pacing the 3:55 group in a marathon in a few weeks. Included in the virtual toolbox included by BAA are printable signs re: entering the eight towns that the Boston Marathon runs through. I plan to print those out and display them at the appropriate points along the course for my runners. It's something minor, but suprisingly meaningful for this Boston Marathon runner.