Choosing the Right Course

Running a marathon in under 3 hours isn't going to be easy, especially for someone whose previous best time was 3:39, so I've decided I need all the advantages I can get. I believe that choosing a flat and fast marathon will help out tremendously. I originally thought I'd run the California International Marathon in December. Bart Yasso said this is an extremely fast marathon since there is a -300 ft elevation change. However the more I thought about it the harder I believed it would be for me to run. Living in Colorado requires a lot of patience with the weather and training into December would mean a lot of running in the snow (since I refuse to run on a treadmill). Between training in the snow and having an average of low 40 degree starting temperatures helped me forget this race. My search soon led me to a page on the Boston Marathon's website. This page breaks down marathons by the number of Boston Qualified finishers and the percentage of finishers who qualify. At this point I looked at a number of things. One, I want a race that will be near sea level. Since I'm training at elevation, this is another advantage I will need. Two, I want to run a race in a new area. If I'm going to be traveling I'd like to see something new. Three, overall elevation change shouldn't be too drastic. And four, it has to be in the fall.

Breaking down the list.
1. Boston Marathon. Obviously I have to qualify for this race first.
2. Mohawk-Hudson River Marathon. This race is very close to the town I grew up in so I know the roads fairly well. After looking at the course map it looks like it would be a pretty boring and ugly run. Not to mention I'd like to see something new.
3. Bay State Marathon. I couldn't really find much wrong with this race.
4. Road to Hope. Its in Canada, need I say more?
5. Pocono Mountain Run. This race is in May.
6. Steamtown Marathon. While many think it would be great to run a marathon that is mostly down hill, they don't think about the toll their quads and knees will take. Changing -3000 ft in elevation might be nice, but if my legs aren't used to all that downhill then I don't think it's worth the risk.
7. Wineglass Marathon. This is the one. Its flat, Runner's World claims it to be one of the fastest, and it's in the fall. I like that the race is in the beginning of October too. This means I won't miss any training for the weddings that I have in October. Being in NY also means my family and girlfriends family will be able to go there for support. And we all know that support is HUGE, especially when you hit the wall and are hurting. Now that I know my race, let the training begin!