Definitely not suggesting I’d be in it (not as much a beginner as I am… and I live WAY too far away to even travel there. But I stumbled on some info when I was looking for local races in the next few months. After the January marathon down here, there’s another one in March and it said in the description that the times were certifiable and you’d be able to qualify for the Boston Marathon.

I suppose the big reason for “qualification” is the sheer popularity of the Boston Marathon, the limited space available for safety, and to ensure the race wraps up in a reasonable amount of time so that those busy streets can be back to full use.

And judging by those times, and my very beginner-status, there’s no way in hell I could qualify… probably not for many many years.

Considering how many people I follow on YouTube who are avid runners, they’re big on the Boston Marathon and do what they can to reach qualifying times (most of them have done it several times… can’t wait to get that fit!). So it was just an interesting tidbit that made me wonder about OTHER races that may require previous runs and “qualifying times.”

I’m in the middle of job searching and hope like hell that I can find something that pays well and will let me join other races and do more charity runs beyond the Chevron Houston Marathon… but I need money and a schedule that will allow it to happen. I just applied to one job that would give me 4 10-hour days, but also starts early in the morning. I’d be beating the traffic going to and coming from work, and on the other 3 days I’d be able to do road running.

Okay, okay, kiddo…. don’t write up your schedule changes before the interviews hatch… but that one job would definitely give me a workout and keep me physically busy, which is what I want in spite of my age. My birthday’s coming up and the only thing I want this year is a job that will let me pay my bills and get me out of debt.

I wonder how many races I could reasonably do and how far I could go myself. In my first marathon to come, I’m not gonna be concerned about personal best times because I don’t have one yet, and I just wanna get good enough and fast enough to finish without having to be hauled to the finish line in a golf cart or on someone’s shoulders. The year after will be a different story.

But it’s apparent the Boston Marathon is an ideal race to strive for, at least for those who don’t go for Ultramarathons or Triathlons. And when I get my iFit program back on my machine (I paused it due to my current budget), there are bits of the Boston Marathon I can do on my elliptical. Makes me feel a bit better knowing I can participate slightly even over a thousand miles away.