This has been one of the worst training cycles I’ve had for a marathon. Second worst in fact, and after the worst training cycle I ran just a hair under 3:21.
With such a lousy, injury-riddled training cycle, I’ve thought a lot about setting a goal. Part of me thought I’d just run at an easy pace, give high fives, and eat and drink anything and everything passed out on the course. But the more I thought about it, the more I thought about how that wouldn’t actually be that fun for me. Maybe some day, but right now I like to race. I like to push my body to its limit, and while just “running for fun” doesn’t sound like a bad idea, I honestly don’t think I’d enjoy it that much.
So, I’m going to race. It might be stupid and I might blow up and be miserable, but I’m going to try it. Here are my “A,” “B,” and “C” goals.
“A” Goal:
Run a Boston qualifying time, meaning under 3:05. This might be a really bad idea as I’ve missed a few long runs and haven’t done any fast-finish long runs that would normally give me confidence to run at race pace, but I’m going to go for it anyway. The past couple weeks, a 3:05 pace has felt easy, so who knows? Maybe it’ll happen.
“B” Goal:
Run under 3:16. That was the time of my first marathon, so it’d be nice to run faster than that.
“C” Goal:
Run under 3:21:46. My slowest time racing a marathon.
So there they are. I’m going to be aggressive, so there’s a pretty good chance it’s going to get ugly at the end.
Thanks to all who have supported me in training for Team World Vision. Thanks to you, I’ve surpassed my fundraising goal of $50 per mile. I’ve got a wristband for tomorrow with the names of all those for whom I’m dedicating a mile.
If you’re interested in tracking me, you can download the Twin Cities in Motion app. My bib number is 3450. Here’s a link to get the app:
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