From Bodybuilder to Boston Qualifier: Eli Rodriguez's Running Journey

DFW Running Talk: Eli Rodriguez
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[00:00:00] Welcome to another episode of DFW Running Talk, and today we are live at park Plaza in Boston for the Boston Marathon, Boston Marathons. Tomorrow today's special guest is Eli Rodriguez. Eli, how are you? Good. How are you? Doing well, man. I appreciate you coming on. I see you on oh. Appreciate this.

This is awesome. And look, I see you on Instagram all the time. Of course. I've seen you running and you and I really haven't talked too much, and so I was really excited to reach out and at least have this quick hit. Running quite a bit and you've got better and better over probably the last couple of years for sure.

What got you into running what got you into the marathon running? I actually, originally I tore my rotator cuff, so I actually used to be a bodybuilder, so I used to lift weights a lot. And then in 2021 I like tore my rotator cuff and then the couldn't lift weights for about four months. So then I got into the treadmill, walk and walking.

Okay. And then. Decided to sign up for my first 10 K in 2022. From there, my journey took off a little bit, and then my first marathon was Dallas of December of [00:01:00] 23. Wow. So I've only been doing it. That's not long at all. That's pretty great. Not long at all. I love it. But it keeps me fit. It me being in my forties.

You know what, just making health a priority. So honestly, like running has been amazing just to stay fit and things like that. But yeah, since then I've just, Boston is actually my second Boston. I did Boston last year for the first time. So let's talk about that. When you ran your first marathon to qualify, which marathon was it?

And then how'd you do? So I did mountains to beach in 2024. So about five months after my first marathon, and then I ended up doing a 2 54 at mountains to beach. Dang. So sub three beq at the same time. So your first sub three? It was my first. Okay. And how many marathons have you done overall? All. Okay.

That's, that's a lot of marathons for Yeah. 2023. No one told me that you were actually supposed to kind of space 'em out a little bit. My first six months I had done five marathons. Oh gosh. This been like a newbie is so excited to do all these marathons. Yeah. Yeah. That's pretty [00:02:00] awesome.

How was your first Boston? What was that like and what did you know about it? Was it just, oh, that's the next thing to do, or? So honestly, I joined Trained Pegasus as Run Club. And then the, all of those amazing people motivated me. I didn't really think about Boston.

Yeah. At all. Honestly, as a runner who was just starting out, I was just just training to do a marathon. Like honestly, I didn't. Really, truly knew a lot about the sport before I got into it. Yeah. So Boston was really never on my like game card, but joining the group that's pushed me and made, they're like, oh no you got the talent you'd be able to do it.

So I was just like, okay. So yeah, qualified and then. Boston for the first time last year. It was amazing. Atmosphere was wild. I did learn a lot though, definitely with the hilly course. Yeah, it wasn't, I had done a lot of flag courses. Most of my marathons were flat, except M Beach was a downhill, but. I learned a lot.

It wasn't my best marathon, actually. It wasn't my slowest marathon today, but I get redemption now, right? Redemption my second. So honestly, I [00:03:00] just keep moving forward and just again, just learn never to quit and keep going. And. I've already guaranteed in my next BQ next year already before oh. So as long as I'm healthy and I'm able to do it, but definitely I just, I learned a lot.

A lot of people gave me some better advice, more advice just to be able to train, little bit more, increase the volume. Yeah. My coach so Fas is my coach. Yep. So he is help me like tackle a little bit more volume, more kale workout. Just to get more comfortable with the course itself. That's right.

And the weather's gonna be a lot better this year than it was last year. That's right. This, tomorrow's weather is gonna be quite amazing. All these will be posted on Day of Boston, but, so now that you've had a year, how's your training been going? From what I can tell, you post your training stuff on Instagram sometimes, and you're looking really fast.

Yeah. What's that been like? This year and honestly since Boston last year, it just more just, again, just building the base 'cause. I do feel like because I was [00:04:00] such a novice runner, I felt like there was some steps I jumped over and what I'm stating, the build and the foundation.

So I actually started doing one-on-ones with Fs, like in November of last year after Chicago. Yeah. And kind did drills that track and field people would do in college. Just build up that foundation that, that stride, the cadence, just the form itself, making it better and just feeling, building that strength in that foundation.

So honestly, since then, like I've done a couple halfs. I did the Dallas half last year, like the. 25 and then the Houston. So I did a one 20 in Houston in January. Is that your best? It is my best, yeah. I prd the Dallas at a 1 22 and then I PRD again in Houston like a month later for at a one 20. I think that's the beauty about half marathons is that you can do a couple, two or three or whatever, one a month if you wanted to and still try to PR if that was the goal, oh yeah. The goal was the pr. Yeah, it was definitely, Houston is a great [00:05:00] race. Yeah. Logistically, like it's amazing people, things like that. What does, so you've done Boston watch, what does that mean now to you doing it the second time and being able to soak that in and what does it mean anything different now?

Or is it just saying, so for me it means, again, knowing that. I belong here. Yeah. Yeah. Like it wasn't a fluke. I know. I'm able to run those spaces, able to get to here and just like again, just sit back, trust my training, don't let the nerves get to me. As much in this race, but again, still have fun, but try to just rip it and do it my best.

So honestly, again, like from last year, for me this year, just a redemption. Any specific goals for Boston Marathon this year? So to do a sub two 50 is the goal, is the overall goal. So anything 2 49 59, I'll be good with. I've been training for a faster marathon, so yeah. Again, just you wanna respect Boston.

I'm not gonna definitely go out [00:06:00] there and just think that it's a easy, but but yeah, so that's the goal. I think that's an amazing goal. Any kind of thoughts around, how you might train for Boston or how others if they're interested in running Boston, any kind of thoughts and. Yeah, honestly it's just just fine.

Depending on where you're at, like Dallas and there is some elevation here and there it is hit and miss. So honestly, you we went up to Castle Hills area to do some hill, hill work up there. Finding those little pockets of like play and honestly it's not just doing hills up and down, but flying that hilly route that you're doing, like the elevation of almost simulation as much as you can possibly.

But yeah, just have to do what we can in Dallas. Thankfully the heat gets, us little bit of an elevation The summer. Yes. Our cheap man's elevation. Yeah. It's what it is, but it is what it is, so we just do what we can. Anything around like how trained Pegasus, you mentioned that you run with them quite a bit and great group by [00:07:00] the way, but anything that you know from a community standpoint that has helped you, with the running.

Honestly again, like my first, two marathons I ran on my own. And then after that I, I joined a run club. Trained Pegasus, of course, was my first run club. Yeah. I've run with Oak Cliff and the completely sauce, like run clubs and I, it's amazing how like just running with people motivate you.

Pushes you Yeah. To pla I feel like places again that you don't feel like you could Yeah. By yourself and. Always having that backing, especially coming to these races like this oh yeah, I've come by myself before I've done a race by my, and honestly, like it's amazing when you have a group that you're here with that they're exchanging like advice or suggestions and do this, do that.

Like experiences that they've all had in the past. Yeah, so honestly, I recommend anyone who gets into running there's so many run clubs out there. That best fits shoe. So it's not a one fits all, like That's right. They're all amazing in Dallas and [00:08:00] DFW areas, so I love that advice, man.

That's, and there's nothing like coming to something like Boston, right? You get a lot of people come, that are qualified from DFW and look, just this morning we were we did a shakeout rod. Shakeout rod. We had breakfast, and you just have somebody there to.

Be with the whole entire time is nothing like that community. And I really appreciate you saying that. Yeah, it's amazing. I had a friend from New Jersey who came, doesn't, he runs by himself, but he joined us in our shake cameras and we're just amazed how many of us were there and like we're all talking and just again, a great vibe and yeah.

Nothing best, it can be it. No, I think we've covered it all, but I, again, I appreciate the time and I'm definitely gonna go out and do my best and have fun still no matter what. It's a race. Have fun. But yeah, I appreciate it. Hey, good luck tomorrow and let the wind be at your back.

How about that? I appreciate that. So thank you. Thank everyone for tuning into another DFW Running Talk. I'm [00:09:00] Chris Tetzel. Make sure you subscribe to our newsletter, DFW running talk.substack.com. Thanks, Eli. Thank you.