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2019 Boston Marathon — never regret chasing a goal

April 25, 2019 by Brent

2019 Boston Marathon

Out of three consecutive Boston Marathons, 2019 was my highest corral placement but also my slowest finish. If you had told me the night before I ran the 2019 Boston Marathon that I would miss my race goal, I would have been disappointed. If you had told me that I wouldn’t run a qualifying time […]

Filed Under: Race reports Tagged With: 2019 Boston Marathon, Boston, Boston Marathon, fitness, goals, marathon, motivation, race, runner, running, training

Making 2018 the year of focus — who wants to join me?

January 7, 2018 by Brent

2018 the year of focus

January might be my favorite month. It has a lot of competition from flashy months like April (Boston Marathon), June (anniversary), November (Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday), and December (Christmas and my birthday). But January is the month of possibilities. January starts a new year full of potential. Each year I try to set a […]

Filed Under: Running Tagged With: 2017, 2018, 2018 the year of focus, Boston Marathon, Cap City, Cap City Half Marathon, fitness, focus, future, goals, marathon, motivation, Phoenix Marathon, run, runner, running, training

Coeur d’Alene Marathon: keep your head down, push through

May 30, 2017 by Brent

Coeur d'Alene Marathon

What do you do when everything goes wrong early in a race? I faced that question Sunday at the Coeur d’Alene Marathon in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. My plan fell apart immediately, and I was forced to fight multiple mental battles starting in the first few miles. I learned a lot about mental toughness, however, which led […]

Filed Under: Race reports Tagged With: BQ, Coeur d'Alene, Coeur d'Alene Marathon, fitness, goals, heat running, long run, marathon, marathon training, motivation, patience, race, race plan, race report, race weekend, run, runner, running, training, training plan

Boston Marathon review: chasing the unicorn

April 21, 2017 by Brent

Boston Marathon review

Many times during the past six years, I’ve had to answer the following question. “Why do you run so much?” The answer was always the same. “I want to get faster and run the Boston Marathon.” I don’t think many people asked the obvious follow up question: “why is Boston so important?” What is it about […]

Filed Under: Race reports Tagged With: Boston 2017, Boston Marathon, BQ, fitness, goals, long run, marathon, marathon training, motivation, patience, race, race report, race weekend, run, runner, running

Run for Boston: years later, the mission is still the same

April 15, 2017 by Brent

run for boston

Run for Boston. It’s been more than five years since I set my sights on Marathon Monday. As I sit in the San Diego airport waiting to board my flight to Boston, I can’t help but think back. I printed out my personal contract to run Boston on April 1, 2012. At that point, I wasn’t […]

Filed Under: Running Tagged With: Boston 2017, Boston Marathon, BQ, fitness, goals, long run, marathon, Marathon Monday, marathon training, motivation, patience, race, race weekend, run, Run for Boston, runner, running

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About me

Brent Shirley My name is Brent Shirley, and I'm a stay-at-home dad with experience writing and selling running shoes. Married to a surgeon (she's much smarter than me). Certified RRCA running coach and 11 time Boston Marathon qualifier (2015-25, although I missed the cut in 2015-16). 50 sub 4 finisher.

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