Lifetime Qualifier

BQ is a buzzword in the running community. It means “Boston Qualifier.” This distinction is noteworthy because earning a BQ is both difficult and time bound. It requires you to run a qualifying marathon at a fast pace and your qualification expires after a year. So to continually run the Boston Marathon you need to continually qualify for the Boston Marathon. And to continually qualify for the Boston Marathon you need to continually be in great shape. One important note is the qualifying time scales with age, meaning as you get older, the time becomes increasingly slower (as you inevitably slow down with age).

This feels like a good bar for where I want to be. Lifetime Qualifier isn’t about the Boston Marathon - it’s about working daily to be the best I can be. And about reaching higher and further than I’m certain I can achieve. I say all this before kids, or health problems, or any of the other thousand curveballs life can throw my way - I’m ready for the challenge.

To summarize LQ in the words of Vincent Hanna:

It keeps me sharp… on the edge… where I gotta be.

-Nick