It’s that time of the month…
time to join up with Coco & Deborah for their ultimate coffee date.
1.Over coffee…
I’d tell you that unfortunately there was a record number of Boston Marathon qualifiers for 2024 and my friend did not get in. 😦
2. Over coffee…
I’d tell you that on a related note, they’ve changed the qualifying standards for the NYC Marathon. It used to be that you could qualify for with a non-nyrr half marathon finish time.
Important Note: 2024 will be the last year NYRR will accept both half marathon and full marathon Non-NYRR qualifying times… Starting in 2025, the TCS New York City Marathon will only accept qualifying full marathon times.
3.Over coffee…
I’d tell you that training for a full marathon is so time consuming… I was debating whether or not to run NYC again in 2024 (with my friends) or just go spectate.
However, if I survive the 2023 marathon, I may have to run it in 2024 since I may not be qualifying again.
4.Over coffee…
I’d tell you that I’m all about Pumpkin Spice.
So I tried the new GU flavor.
It tastes really good but during my half marathon, it gave me a stomach ache.
I tried it again during a 9 mile run and no issues. Maybe I just need to get used to it.
5.Over coffee…
I’d tell you that as soon as we finished our girls’ race-cation, we started planning the next one.
In fact, we already picked our 2024 race and I confirmed the dates with the RD. Now I’m finalizing our rental (for 10).

Half Marathon and 5k – 10/6/24
Happy Running! What’s new with you? What do you think about qualifying for these two marathons? Anyone try pumpkin spice Gu? Ever run the Cape Cod Half Marathon? Please share.
It’s Friday so I’m also linking up with bloggers, Me (My First 5K and More), Running With Attitude, Run Laugh Eat Pie, Runs with Pugs, and Zenaida!
So Join in!
And don’t forget to link back to your hostesses and visit some other bloggers.






The time commitment is exactly why I don’t run marathons anymore. It’s a lot. It’s sad to see so ,many qualifiers not able to run. So disappointing.
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My friend worked sooo hard. He is going to try again this weekend in Chicago.
And yes. It seems all I do is run or think about running.
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I love that you’re already planning your next girls’ race-cation!
Interesting that NYC is changing its standards. I really felt so bad for all of those runners who BQ’d and still didn’t make it into Boston.
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Me too. I’d be devastated. But I don’t plan to try.
Cape Cod next year. You should do it!
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I guess I am in the minority on the PSL. I find them so sickeningly sweet and I would not waste my calories. Enjoy though! I am sure you will run NYC again it seems like you are enjoy the NYC running
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I like sweet lol
I may run it because we get race amnesia.
Hope you can join me in March.
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I’ve heard a lot of conjecture that the carbon-plated shoes have something to do with the noticeable drop in marathon times. Who knows. I know people who’ve tried them through running groups who had shoe reps there and they said it felt like they had springs attached to their feet, and they did run faster, at least for the 3-4 miles on the group run.
Never tried pumpkin spice Gu, but I can’t tolerate any of the Gu’s. I do like pumpkin spice, though.
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With my foot issues I’m sticking to Topos and actually don’t need to be fast.
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I feel so lucky that I got to run NYC marathon, twice, back when there were no qualifying times- it was just a lottery.
I can’t decide if I would love or hate that Gu flavor- guess I’ll just have to try it!
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Try it and more than once.
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Surprisingly, what I miss most about no longer running marathons is the long training runs. I miss all the fun my friends and I had on the trail while running together.
I’m so sorry your friend didn’t get into Boston even though he ran a qualifying time. Back when I ran marathons, there were times that I qualified by only seconds. It would be frustrating to run a qualifying time and for that not to mean anything.
I don’t think I’d like pumpkin spice flavored GU.
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The runs are fun with others. But like this weekend when it’s supposed to rain, it’s stressful.
My friend is trying again in Chicago.
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I think you should go for it and do NYC again next year 🙂 I wish my tummy could tolerate Gu gels. They were my go-to until (all of a sudden) they made my tummy revolt. The PSL might be a bit too sweet for me, though, and I have a terrible sweet tooth.
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You should try it.
We’ll see how 2023 goes.
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Well, yeah, obviously I have run the Cape Cod Half. Hopefully you don’t get the same weather we did.
I actually think that with how crowded marathons are these days, it makes sense to have to have a marathon qualifying time.
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Yes. What if you qualify with the time and you still can’t race. Not fair!! I’d be really upset.
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It’s the game. It’s not like it’s anything new.
Would I be upset if it happened to me? Yes, probably. But it’s not something I have to worry about. I can be empathetic to those who it happens to, but unfortunately they know it’s a possibility.
As Marcia said, as much as it sucks, it’s their race and their rules.
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So interesting on the marathon qualifying rules. I guess the big races will get harder and harder to get into — no matter how much the entry fees are!
I bet you go for NYC in 2024. 😉
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You are probably right. lol
The good news is that more and more folks are running.
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That’s a lotttt of qualifiers! That’s so sad that they can’t run it even though they don’t qualify! :[
I’m probably kinda in the minority but I don’t like PSLs all that much — chai lattes though… ❤
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I think you love PSL or hate them. I like chai too but coffee more.
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I am not a PSL person, so that Gu would be a no for me.
I don’t love the idea of qualifying times for races, but when they get so big and popular, I guess there has to be some way of limiting the field.
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I guess so but so sad wen you work so hard and then you can’t run it.
Good news is that he BQ’d by a lot today.
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I like pumpkin spice coffee but need to be in the mood for it. Wait, I need 3:55 to qualify for the Boston Marathon and 3:51 for the NYC Marathon. Am I reading that correctly?
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Yes, because you’re still young.
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What I meant is that the time is lower for NYC.
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Oh right. Yes. And you can use your half time. That’s how I get in.
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