I decided to wrap up this series by sharing my story in the same format.
Name: Sara Ibbetson
Age: 39
City/State: Ozark, Missouri
Occupation: BCBA Clinical Director
Hobbies outside of running:
Reading, traveling, writing, yoga, anything outdoors, family time, learning (especially about ABA, Christianity, and athletic performance), gardening (edibles, not landscaping)
When did you start chasing the OTQ and what inspired you to try?
I first considered aiming for an OTQ after I ran a
half marathon PR of 1:22:36 in November 2016, which came 2 weeks after
my second sub-3:00 marathon and 6 weeks after
my first sub-3:00. Why not try to run 1 second/mile faster for twice as far when a little more rested, right? I became very focused on attempting the standard after running 2:49:20 in the
2017 Mesa-Phoenix Marathon.
I love marathon training and would have run many marathons regardless of if I'd have chased the OTQ or not, but it being a realistic yet very challenging goal really appealed to me. I'd watched the 2016 Trials, and at that time the qualifying time seemed way out my league (my PR at the time was
3:01 and I thought 2:59:59 would be my max), but as I inched closer I thought more and more about what a cool achievement it would be to line up with America's fastest female marathoners. I had no idea how much the 2020 OTQ would explode, but as it did and I connected with more and more women chasing it, that made the goal increasingly exciting.
I wrote down my thoughts when I first set the goal
here, and it's an understatement to say that at that time I had no idea what a journey God had in store for me!
Tell us about the races you attempted the OTQ at and the outcomes.
CIM 2017 was my first OTQ attempt. In spring 2017 I scheduled CIM to be an attempt after the qualifying window opened that fall, but based on my training and shorter race times I didn't think I was quite ready. I went into the race confident I could run it between 6:20-6:25 pace, but about 10 miles in I ended up dropping to 6:15 pace and going for it, sure that race day magic was going to get me there. I blew up in the final 4 miles, plus I had a spat of vertigo, and finished in 2:47:14, which was a PR on an OTQ "legal" course and a huge improvement from my 2:49:20 at
Phoenix (a course that definitely requires an *, with about 900 ft of elevation drop). I was pretty crushed by not netting the standard, though, so I did not appreciate the PR.
Since I'd had great experiences running two marathons off of one training cycle before, and since patience is not my strong suit, I went after it again 6 weeks later at
Houston 2018. Since I'd had a health issue before and during CIM, I thought if I was over that I could get the time, and also that perhaps I'd fare better in flat Houston than at rolling CIM, but I was completely out of gas by mile 16 and did a nice regression run from there to finish in 2:54:06. I learned that while I can generally do two marathons close together well, I cannot when there is a power-packed California vacation and an extremely busy holiday season between them.
The next marathon I ran was
Grandma's 2018, but I didn't attempt to OTQ there; I experienced some health struggles starting after Houston and didn't start feeling like myself again until about a month before Grandma's, and one month of solid training does not make for a PR marathon! I ended up running 2:49:08, and I was ecstatic with that based on the way my build-up had gone - I was far happier with this race than I'd been with CIM 7 months before.
I then suffered a severe peroneal tendon strain while training for CIM 2018, and after about 10 weeks off I spent a few months running only easy mileage. Three weeks before the
2019 Chisholm Trail Marathon, I decided that if I could run 22 miles in training that day I'd run the marathon (maybe don't copy my reasoning here!). I finished the 22 miler, did 2 workouts before race day, and finished Chisholm Trail in 2:57:18, which I was pumped with given the circumstances! Like Grandma's 2018, this was not a race I tried to OTQ in, but it's part of the story.
After Chisholm Trail I felt confident enough to put in a real, albeit abbreviated, training cycle for
Grandma's 2019. I felt like I was in shape to run about 6:20 pace, but no one tries to run a 2:46 so I went for the standard. I think I paced brilliantly there for a 2:45:00, and was right where I wanted to be through about mile 21, but then the tank was empty. I really struggled in the final couple of miles, and finished in 2:47:44. I was glad I tried there, even though I wasn't strong enough to hold on.
Next was
Indy Monumental 2019. My training for this race went seamlessly. It was by far the best build-up I'd ever had; during it I ran a
PR half in 74* with a dew point of 72*, a
PR 5K without any rest and mostly running solo (if you know how terrible I am at 5Ks, that was really saying something), and workouts I could have never dreamed of hitting before. This was the first marathon I went into feeling very confident I could run 6:10-6:15 pace. Mother Nature was not easy on me and after battling a powerful headwind for most of the second half of the race I slowed in the final 5K and came in at 2:46:08. It was again a bittersweet PR, but afterward I knew without a doubt that with good weather and the faster CIM course, I could do it.
So I moved forward with a quick turn-around for CIM 2019 but then I
lost my brother a few days before the race so did not go. At that point, I was done. At the urging of my husband and dad, and because I go rogue without a training schedule (especially when I'm stressed/upset), I had my coach train me as if I was going to run Houston, but I didn't actually think I'd run it until a couple of weeks before (I ran some crazy long workout 15 days out and then said, "it'd be crazy not to try Houston), although
then I decided not to again before I decided I would...
Finally,
Houston 2020. I came down with bronchitis the day before the race. We were already in Houston so I tried denial and ran with the OTQ pace group anyway (spoiler: denial does not negate wheezing). I kept thinking I'd drop out after I fell off the group, but I had no idea how hard it is to actually drop out of a race, and I finished in 2:58:45. I was so sick that running a sub-3:00 was a pleasant surprise, but it was really upsetting to not have a "try again" option after this one.
What did you gain from this journey?
I have gained countless valuable connections to amazing women in the running community. I have gained a new appreciation and compassion for runners who work extremely hard yet don't quite make a goal - whether that is missing the OTQ, a BQ, an Olympic team, a sub-4:00 marathon, etc.
I have also really grown as a person from this pursuit. I have gained perspective. When I began this journey I had no idea how non-linear it would be, and I also thought I'd be devastated if I didn't OTQ. While not making it was disappointing, it also seems trivial in light of bigger things in life. I learned to give myself a little more grace than I usually do as a Type A perfectionist.
I gained an awareness that I should always be appreciative of health, daily running, solid races, and PRs. None of these things should be taken for granted. I learned a lot about running and what my body responds best to. I learned more about balance.
Finally, I gained even more love for the sport and running community - and that's saying a lot because I sure already loved both!
What are you most proud of about your OTQ pursuit?
I never gave up. I will never look back and wonder, "What if?" because I fought with everything I had to hit the qualifying time until the final day the qualifying window was open. While I am proud that I ran five marathons in the 2:40s, even if I'd never come close to the qualifying time, I would be just as proud that I worked for it with determination. So many things surrounding any given marathon are out of our control, but I did the best I could with the circumstances I was given each time and never stopped trying, even when life was hard.
Do you have any regrets or things you wish you'd done differently in your OTQ pursuit?
I don't have regrets, but I do wish I'd have appreciated my marathon PRs more when I ran them, particularly at CIM 2017 and Indy 2019. Although I celebrated running 26.2 the fastest I ever had on each occasion, in my mind nothing over 2:45:00 was going to be good enough. There is something about not hitting the time that made all of us women who missed feel like we were not good enough.
I vacillate on whether or not I wish I hadn't run Houston 2020. By doing it, I can truly say I never gave up, and I met so many phenomenal women through the experience that it is difficult to say that I wish I hadn't run it - but I became the most sick I have ever been afterward (due to running it with bronchitis), and now I'm injured, probably due to trying to extend my peak for CIM 2019 and after being unable to run it extending it again for Houston 2020, then running Houston sick. In hindsight, I realize that running 4 all-out marathons in 10 months (8 within 23 months, 10 in 28 months) was probably too much for my body, but due to the OTQ window I just had to try.
What message would you like to send to those following your running pursuits.
I'd do it all again.
Chase your dreams, no matter how far-fetched they seem. Even if you don't accomplish your goals, you'll be glad you gave it your all and you'll certainly gain a great deal from the journey.
God placed this dream in my heart for a reason, and although I'll never be able to say I was a 2020 Olympic Trials Qualifier, I know there was a purpose for it all.
Tell us something unique about yourself.
I grew up living right next to a small airport and my family owned a 4-seater plane throughout my childhood. I didn't realize how wild it was that we would walk through our backyard, get in our plane, and fly on vacations with my dad piloting until I was an adult!
I don't watch television, except for when major running events air and when I cross-train (which only occurs when I'm injured).
What's next for you?
Currently I'm
injured, so my next steps are getting an MRI to get a definitive diagnosis, getting a treatment plan in place, and then rehabbing the heck out of whatever is wrong with my hip. I'll be back running as much as I can as soon as I can, and as long as I am healthy I will always run marathons because I love them. With my current injury uncertainty, I'm not sure on my next performance goals, but if things fall into place for me to chase the 2024 Trials qualifier, you bet I will!
