Name:Sean McCarthy
Age:40
Hometown:Lynn
Occupation: Mortgage loan officer at Salem Five Bank
Q: Have you run a marathon before? If so, how many, and which ones?
A. I have run one marathon, the Baystate Marathon in Lowell in 2013.
Q. Why choose this year to run your first Boston Marathon?
A. Running this marathon has always been a goal of mine. It is something that I got tired of saying that I would get to someday, so I decided this would be the year.
Q. What are your thoughts going into the marathon?
A. I?m looking forward to participating in one of the most celebrated athletic events in Boston. I also will be thinking about all of the people that were affected by the marathon bombings a couple of years ago. Those people have shown all of us what both strength and perseverance looks like.
Q. What was your training regimen like?
A. I started training in early January. Basically I would do one long run per week with two to three shorter runs every other day. On days I didn?t run, I did some cardio, like working out on the elliptical machine and taking spinning classes at the Peabody YMCA.
Q. What was training like this winter?
A. It was hard to maneuver around all of the snow, but I managed. I did more running on the treadmill than I would have liked to, but running on the roads was too dangerous at times with the poor conditions.
Q. Do you have a target finish time?
A. I would like to finish near the four-hour mark, although I am not holding myself to that. I really just want to concentrate on finishing the race. When I ran the Bay State marathon in 2013, I finished in 4:10.
Q. Why do you run?
A. Running helps me clear my mind. It?s been a great outlet for me.
Q. What is your best/favorite running memory?
A. When I ran the Baystate Marathon in 2013, my son Iain jumped out into the street and finished the race with me. That is a very special memory, something I will remember and cherish forever.
Q. What are you most looking forward to on Marathon day?
A. Hopefully nice weather. I?d love a 60-degree day.
Q. How long have you been running? How did you get into running?
A. I started running a little over four years ago in Lynn Woods as a way to get back into shape. I have met some great people along the way, who have taught me a lot. Some of the people I?ve met as part of the running community have become good friends of mine.
Q. What is something you’d like non-runners to understand?
A. I?d tell people to give running a shot. If you think you can?t do it, I?m willing to bet you will surprise yourself.
As told to Katie Morrison