Beyond Boston: Ken Mason

I met Ken through The Loop, a community that was originally on Runners World that he mentions several times below.  His story really illustrates how helpful community is in achieving goals.  Ken puts in very impressive consistent mileage, and it's really paid off for him: he ran a 3:14 PR in his mid-50s and doesn't seem to be slowing down anytime soon.

Introduce yourself (who you are, where you're from, what you do, etc.)

I’m Ken Mason, 57 years old from Maryland outside of Washington DC. I’m a systems engineer having worked on designing and building software systems for Federal, foreign, and local governments.

What are your thoughts on Boston 2020 being cancelled?
I was both relieved and sad about the race being first postponed and then cancelled. Sad because Boston has been such a great experience – being able to hang out and run with so many great runners, being cheered on by awesome fans/spectators, and having a whole city being completely caught up in the whole race weekend is fantastic. A big part of my relief on the initial postponement in the spring was due to having gotten sick back in February with a chest cold. While I had recovered from it, I was not feeling as fit as I would have wanted to so not having to push myself through March was a welcome relief. I had also run a PR marathon at the beginning of December at Rehoboth Beach and pushing into Boston training after a short recovery had also probably tired me out more than I had realized at time. The relief felt for the fall was around the continuing risks associated with COVID-19. While there are a lot of places in the country that have not been hit particularly hard, Maryland, especially the DC suburbs, have been hit extremely hard.

How did you handle the initial postponement and eventual cancellation, mentally and physically?
It was nice and, probably, necessary to be able to back off of training last spring and really recover for a while. Also being able to relax a little made it a little bit easier to deal with everything else that was going on. I know that, eventually, there will be races and that serves as some motivation, but I have also been able to focus on running for the sake of running.

Do you plan to run Boston 2020 virtually? Why or why not?

Yes, I do. For me, running Boston is more than just the race, it is about celebrating the journey to get there. That journey includes not just training for the race but training and racing to qualify for Boston. The fact that it will be “virtual” will be a little bittersweet, but I’ve already seen some messages from the local race team about coordinating (safely of course) our virtual Boston races. I’ve already done a couple of virtual races (Cherry Blossom 10 Miler and Marine Corps Historic Half Marathon) so I’m thinking I may need a special place to display the medals from these virtual races just to commemorate this time period.

Do you plan to run Boston 2021? Why or why not?
Yes, I’m really hoping that I can. As a said earlier, Boston is a very special experience – not just the actual running but also everything else going on during that extended weekend. I’m also looking to run Boston well; my previous two attempts at Boston (2018, 2019) were less than stellar. I ran okay times but well off my PR and each attempt included some walking after bonking on the infamous hills. This year’s goal was to just run a solid, smart race and I’d still like to check that box.

How did you get started in running? Tell us a little about your early running career through present.
I ran a couple of years of track in high school. I wasn’t very good but did enjoy the experience. I ran sprints (100m to 600m) because I couldn’t imagine racing over anything longer. To be honest, my motivation was to be able to add a line to my college applications (I don’t think it made any difference for college itself but it may have played a role in getting awarded an Army ROTC scholarship). I ran occasionally in college just to stay fit enough for Army ROTC. After college, I was commissioned as 2nd Lieutenant in the Army and for three years on active duty I ran a few miles every day. After getting out of the Army I ended up taking a 20 plus year break from running. I was in my mid-40s and would walk occasionally to get some fitness and on one walk decided to try running a little. That little bit of running eventually led to a little more running and things kind of started to snowball from there. Looking for information about running I quickly found Runners World and eventually the Loop. Finding the Loop was important because I started learning about racing and that racing was for everyone. After finding the Loop I ran my first 5k and then the next weekend my second; guess I was hooked.

Today I’m still friends with a number of people from the Loop. I’m also a member of the Montgomery County Road Runners Club (one of the largest clubs in the nation but with a great feel of being a local community). Being in the club has gotten me involved in a number of regular group runs and being able to socialize with club members at different races (including Boston where we have some great representation). This last year I was able join the club’s competitive racing team which means being able to represent the club at races.

Why did you decide to run your first marathon?
I stepped up to the marathon in pretty much the conventional way of racing 5k to 10k and then some half marathons before I was able to convince myself that a marathon might be a possibility. A big reason for starting to think that I could do it was seeing some of the news coverage of the Marine Corps Marathon and realizing that a lot of the runners weren’t that different from me. Another big reason was reading people’s race reports on the Loop and again realizing that it was achievable. My first marathon was the 2010 Marine Corps Marathon. I really enjoyed the whole experience and the MCM is still one of my favorite races to do – there is something incredibly special about getting handed a cup of water or Powerade by a US Marine every couple of miles.

When did you set the goal of qualifying for Boston and what inspired you to try?

One of the inspirations to try was certainly reading about people’s BQ’s and Boston races on the Loop. The other was the bombing. At the time I didn’t feel like I was ever going to be fast enough but in the spring of 2014 I was able to set a huge PR that started to get me where I could think about it.

What was your journey to BQ like?
The journey was rocky and filled with a fair amount of frustration. This was pretty much due to getting in a bunch a solid training having some good shorter races and then getting injured right before a marathon. Prior to finally getting my BQ, there were at least 3 marathons that I was signed up for that I did not make it to starting line for. I was able to BQ in January of 2017 at the Louisiana Marathon. At the time I needed 3:40:00 to BQ (that’s been since changed to 3:35:00 for my age group) and I ran a 3:31:25. Since that first BQ, I’ve run 6 more marathons all under my BQ time and have lowered my PR to 3:14:24.

Why did you decide to run Boston 2020?
Despite not running the race very well, I have really enjoyed the experience each time. I also really wanted to run the course well. The course is historic, remarkably interesting and can be pretty tricky – about 16 miles of downhill (mostly) that can really beat you up, the infamous Newton hills, and the final stretch into Boston.

How did it feel to be accepted into Boston 2020?
I knew that I was highly likely to be accepted, I had about a 15-minute buffer on my BQ time, but it still a thrill to be able to enter and then get the acceptance.

What did you learn from this journey - from BQ to postponement to cancellation?
I’ve really been able to reinforce the idea of running for the sake of running and training not just for the one big race day but for what you can get out of the process each week and month.

Not being able to race (or even run with a group of people) other people are missing out on some really special moments – my oldest niece graduated High School this spring and the graduation consisted of the family driving through the parking lot of the school to get her diploma (the school is hoping to do another ceremony in July).

Anything else you'd like to share?

I’ve been actually starting to wonder about what the qualification for Boston 2022 will look like. That qualification window should open this fall, but you must wonder how many races will take place, especially the large races like New York, Chicago, or the Marine Corps Marathon. The lack of fall races could mean that executing in the spring will be even more critical.