The Declaration of Goals!

 As readers of this blog know, I have a fondness for quests. There is no current Quest underway for the Vaughan & Miller duo, but I do have goals. As noted in the previous blog post, I am currently pursuing a goal of running + walking 10 miles per day. That goal is primarily to boost up my fitness level (and spirits!). 

My BIG GOAL is to run a marathon in my 70s. I've run at least one marathon every decade of my life since my 20s and I see no reason not to continue that trend. I have not yet identified which marathon to train for but I do have some criteria: 

• Being a fan of variety, I would prefer it to be a marathon I have not run before.
• It would be nifty if it could be in a state where I have not yet run a marathon.
• It needs to have a very generous cut-off time just in case I have to walk part of it.
• I would prefer a small marathon (vs. a big city marathon).

One contender is the Charlevoix Marathon to be held on June 20, 2026. Charlevoix is one town southwest of my hometown of Petoskey, it's an out/back course along the shore of Lake Michigan with the turnaround just short of Petoskey. I actually ran from Petoskey to Charlevoix along this course (a bike path) a few years ago. It's mostly flat, with a road on one side of the course (great for spectators) and trees and Lake Michigan on the other side (great for scenery and calm). A pretty dandy course all in all. The marathon starts at 6 a.m. (good thing it's a short drive from our house to Charlevoix!) and the course closes at 1 p.m. which would give me 7 hours to finish the marathon. I'm thinking if I can't finish in 7 hours, I shouldn't be out there! If y'all who are reading this blog have other suggestions for marathons, please do send them my way!

I do have a secondary goal: to beat my age in the Bolder Boulder. I had hoped to train up to that this year but the darned busted wrist put a stop to that idea! I did "run" the BB this year since I had already registered but I had only been given permission to "lightly jog" just prior to the race. I tried very hard to adhere to that mandate during the race and ran in the 15s (minutes per mile) for the first 4 miles. I was very discouraged and not having a lot of fun. I've run slowly and/or walked with friends and family in the past and had a blast - but to be on my own, "running" slowly not of my own choosing, well, blech. So once I got to Mile 4, I said screw it! And picked up the pace. Mile 5 13:42, and Mile 6 12:46. Now that brought a smile to my face!

So there are the goals, etched in stone (or embedded in the internet).

Run + walk 10 miles per day (photo from today's midday 90+ degree run - trying to toughen up donchaknow):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Run a marathon while in my 70s (photo is from my first Boston - when I was 39): 

 

 

 

 

 

Beat my age in the Bolder Boulder (photo of my Bolder Boulder training buddies in 2017. For a dozen or so years now, once spring rolls around, we're out there doing intervals on Wednesdays, tempo on Saturdays and long runs on Sundays leading up to the Memorial Day race. If anybody can help me get ready to race, it's this gang!)

 

 Onward!