Where I Hope To Go From Here

My last post ended after three grueling weeks of training. This update picks up during a 10-day taper and recovery period before ramping back up to 22 miles — the longest run I plan to complete before race day.

After my 20-mile run on the 26th, I rested on Monday, then completed three runs of around 3 miles each before taking another rest day on Friday. My weekend runs were shortened from their usual distances to allow my body to recover and rebuild. On Saturday the 3rd, I ran 10 miles, followed by another 10 miles on Sunday.

Monday was another rest day, followed by a 3-mile run on Tuesday morning. On Wednesday, I headed to Pella for a 5K that kicked off the Tulip Time Festival. I ran it with my son, Luke, who lives and works in Pella. At 25, he’s a young buck and wanted to push the pace — at least by my standards. His goal was to run 7-minute miles. I wasn’t sure I could hold that pace, but I told him I’d start there and see how long I could hang on.

To my surprise, I made it the entire way and even had a little left in the tank. I finished in 20:19, averaging a 6:52-per-mile pace, and placed first in the 55–59 age division. Best of all, Luke and I crossed the finish line together, which made it perfect.

In recent weeks, I’ve been doing interval workouts of 4 x 1 mile or 4 x 1.5 miles during the middle of the week, so I treated this race as a hard 3-mile interval session. It was challenging, but it should help improve my pacing and overall fitness.

Thursday became another rest day, and Friday was an easy 3-mile run. Then it was back to the long weekend miles: 11 miles on Saturday and 22 miles on Sunday. Typically, my Sunday run is double the Saturday distance but at a slower pace, while Saturday’s run focuses more on marathon pacing. Saturday’s run averaged 8:03 per mile, while Sunday’s came in at 9:10 per mile — exactly where I want them to be for this stage of training. Ideally, Saturday runs should be near marathon pace, and Sunday runs should fall about 30–60 seconds slower per mile. This weekend lined up perfectly with that plan.

Now, on to my goals for Grandma’s Marathon on June 20.

First and foremost, my goal is to raise $15,000 for clean water projects around the world. But I also have some personal running goals. I don’t usually like to say these out loud because it puts me in a vulnerable position if I fall short. But what the heck.

My first goal is to finish the marathon in 3:50:00, which would qualify me for the Boston Marathon. If I can stay healthy, I genuinely believe this is within reach.

My second goal is to run seven minutes faster than the qualifying standard — 3:43:00 — because simply meeting the Boston qualifying time often isn’t enough to secure entry. In recent years, runners have typically needed to beat the standard by several minutes to make the cutoff.

And finally, if everything goes perfectly and I run the race of my life, I’d love to finish in 3:30:00. That would be a personal best. My current PR is 3:32:00, which I ran in 2005. To approach — or even surpass — that time 21 years later would be incredibly meaningful to me.

Is it possible? I think so. Is it likely? Probably not. Everything would need to line up perfectly, and I’m okay with that.

As important as these running goals are to me, the goal that matters most is raising money for clean water. I also hope this journey inspires other runners, bikers, and walkers to join me in a way that fits their own lifestyle while supporting this cause.

If you’re interested, reply in the comments or send me a message. And if you know someone who might want to follow along or get involved, please share this post with them.

I now have six weeks until Grandma’s Marathon, so keep following along — and we’ll find out together how this story ends.