"Achieving one’s qualifying standard does not guarantee entry" - an update

It was a long shot. I knew, when I submitted my registration for Boston 2017, that the only way I might have a chance is the opening of a Week 3 of first-come, first-served registration. But, as was also the case for the past three years, registration was closed before Week 3. For 2017, one had to be 2:09 under the threshold qualifying time, for all age groups. For comparison, one had to be under by 2:28, 1:02, and 1:38 for 2016, 2015, and 2014, respectively. So, I am one of the 2,957 people for whom "achieving one's qualifying standard does not guarantee entry" turned out to be, alas, true.:(

I needed 3:52:51, 2:09 under my threshold qualifying time of 3:55:00. That's just five seconds faster per mile back in May (Pocono). "Just," I'm thinking, sitting here now. At the time, on the course, those would have been five looong seconds!

So, it's Boston 2018. I'll be in the next age group, with 15 more minutes (!) added to the qualifying standard. Goal will be to qualify by at least 20 minutes (3:50 or faster), which would put me in the group whose registrations get accepted first. Harrisburg is coming up in November. I was pretty confident of running a 3:50 there, until that left heel injury in July, which kept me off the road for an entire month. I'm quite behind in training, and I'm rethinking how I should run that race. Next year, I'll probably skip the early spring race (e.g., Rock 'n' Roll DC, Shamrock). I'm also thinking not to run Pocono again in May. I've done that race three years in a row now. Those rolling hills of Miles 19-23 make that net-elevation-loss course rather deceptive--even though I did finally BQ there. Instead of Pocono, I'm looking at a possible new one, Gettysburg in April, which goes through parts of the historic Gettysburg Battlefield. It's a small race, with just a few hundred people, on a course that's generally flat, with some hills in the early miles (in contrast with Pocono!).

Harrisburg and Gettysburg, my two qualifying races for Boston 2018. I expect to be toeing that starting line at Hopkinton in April 2018! :)