I don’t like the scratchy feeling of growing a beard, especially in the summer. Which is why it made complete sense to grow one as motivation back in 2013. I wanted to qualify for the Boston Marathon, and I wanted a daily reminder of my lofty goal. A hot, itchy, food mess gathering reminder. Eleven years later, I’m returning to that well growing a 2024 Boston Beard.
That original year didn’t go so well. I trained through the summer heat in Louisiana and raced in Washington state early in September. For that weekend it was almost as hot in the Pacific Northwest as it had been in the South, and I burned up on the course. I set a PR by just a few seconds, and I fell around 40 minutes short of my goal.
I shaved in frustration and wanted to quit on my Boston goal completely. But then I rebounded and got back to work. In the following decade, I grew multiple Boston motivation beards. Some years I qualified quickly and didn’t have to worry about my facial hair at all. Other years I turned the mountain man look all the way up.
I’ve qualified for Boston 10 straight years (the first two I didn’t make the cut, so my finisher streak is sitting at eight including one virtual). For the first time since 2014, I am entering the summer training months without a qualifier for the next Boston Marathon.
So with one week of training down and 11 to go until race day (I’m running in Washington State in early September once again), I’m getting back to the basics.
This week was a little tough to navigate because I was on family vacation on Oregon’s south coast. Thankfully my wife and daughter are accustomed to my running addiction, so they were gracious and supportive.
My goal in this training block is consistency. I’m hoping to put in two workouts (one short interval and one longer interval) and one long run a week. In addition, I need to do strength work and stretching daily — with more time dedicated to the recovery side of running than I’ve committed in a long time.
This week went well. We were in Brookings when I had my short interval workout planned. I ran to the high school track, which turned out to be a giant dirt hole (entire track and football field was under construction). I switched up to timed intervals along the coast, speedwork with a view. On Thursday I did 4 X 1 mile repeats with some rolling hills in Coos Bay.
Then Saturday I fought through much warmer temperatures to finish my 23-mile long run. I didn’t record a single mile under eight-minute pace, which was discouraging. I kept looking at my watch hoping to see my pace dropping, but as I felt slightly better during my miles, the heat increased. So I ended up running fairly even paces.
My mental inclinations are normally negative. So I kept reminding myself that I’m at the beginning of the summer. The end is far away. While I want to see improvement, my pace won’t truly matter until September 7.
One 2024 Boston Beard week down. Less than three months until race day. Let’s chase that unicorn.
Weekly log
Monday: 11 miles along the ocean at the Oregon/California state line.
Tuesday: 10 miles with 20 X 1 min on, 1 min off, along the Samuel H Boardman Scenic Corridor.
Wednesday: 5 easy.
Thursday: 11 miles with 4 X 1 mile tempo w/1 mile easy between from Coos Bay to Charleston and back.
Friday: 6 miles easy from the campground into downtown Coos Bay.
Saturday: 23 miles around Corvallis, even paced.
Sunday: 5 miles with Wallace through the Oregon State University Campus, a running friend in town from Louisiana.
2024 Boston Beard week one highlights: putting in miles along the beautiful Oregon coastline, finishing a run at the Steve Prefontaine mural in downtown Coos Bay (pictured above), and reconnecting with a running friend I haven’t seen in a few years.