Think about the fastest mile you’ve ever run. Just one mile. Did you run it in six minutes? If so, well done. That’s an incredibly tough benchmark.

Now take it a step further. Could you run 26.2 miles at an average pace faster than that? If so, that’s exceptional. And that’s exactly what Lisa Goodin did. In only the second marathon she’s ever completed, she ran an Olympic Trials Qualifying Time by averaging just under 5 minutes 59 seconds per mile.

For most athletes, the late 30s are considered the twilight years, when peak performances drift into memory. But for San Diego’s Lisa Goodin, age 39 has marked the beginning of something entirely different: a breakthrough so profound it has reshaped not only her racing career, but her understanding of her own potential.

Goodin is a mother of three who has spent more than a decade building her running life around family rhythms. The result wasn’t a step away from sport, but a surprising surge forward. 

She was good as a college walk-on, but her real stride has come in the years since her kids left the diaper days behind. She has PR’d (achieved a personal record) in nearly every race she’s run in the past two seasons. And, she’s not just improving, she's excelling. 

In December, Goodin ran the California International Marathon (CIM) with a mind-boggling Olympic Trials Qualifying time of 2:36:46. The woman who once swore off the 26-miler in favor of shorter distances is now one of the fastest marathoners in the country. Her story is one of resilience, reinvention, and relentless joy.

But this chapter begins with a partnership.

Her husband Jacob, a professor of kinesiology and sports science, is more than her greatest supporter. He’s also her coach. Their dynamic, she says, “works really, really well for us.”

“I think she's only fired me twice in our entire 15-year coaching relationship together, and both times she wanted me back pretty quickly,” he joked. “I don't think I had to beg, but…”

“Some couples follow a sports team together,” he added. “We chase Olympic trials, qualifying times and other goals that Lisa has on the track.”

Training has become a shared language in their marriage, one that keeps them connected through the chaos of parenting and professional life. “It’s been unifying for us,”  said Lisa. “It’s a tremendous gift in our marriage.”

It’s a gift Jacob doesn’t take lightly. Calling Lisa “highly coachable,” he sees her strengths not just in talent, but in her ability to embrace challenge. “Lisa has done a very good job of choosing positivity when she has encountered setbacks.”

One recent setback became a turning point. Nine weeks before the CIM Lisa developed a stress reaction. That could have ended her marathon quest before it began. But injury, “doesn’t throw me when it happens,” she said. Instead, her mindset is always the same. “Let’s figure out what I can do, and I’m going to start doing it with my whole heart.”

Her mileage plummeted from 85-90 miles per week to about 40, and was replaced with about 10 hours per week of what Jacob calls “unloaded cross-training modalities.”

“I was a little bit skeptical about how fit I could stay,” Lisa said. But quickly, she felt the power of the new system. “I actually loved how fresh my legs felt on the days that I did run. I could work really hard without the fatigue afterward.” 

“Every time we encounter a setback it’s really an opportunity to innovate,” added Jacob. 

Their innovation worked.

On the morning of the race, Lisa felt confident. “I knew I’m fit enough for this. I have trained for this.” She had visualized the end of the marathon for months. “Every time that I would finish a workout,” she said, “I always told myself, this is the end of the marathon.” 

On race day, she hit the halfway point at 1:18:30, exactly the split needed for the 2:37:00 Olympic Trial Qualifying standard. Knowing she was running right on the bubble lit a fire in her. Her very next mile was the fastest of the day, a sharp 5:52, pushed by the realization that her halfway split left no room for error. 

The finish came down to the wire. Near the end of the race, Lisa could see the screen with her time. “I saw 2:36 up there,” she said. And not wanting to leave the ending to chance, she surged through the final two tenths of a mile, crossing the finish line with just 14 seconds to spare. 

Put another way, had she run just one second per mile slower over the entire race, she would have missed the cutoff.

For Lisa, motherhood didn’t signal a slowdown. Instead, it sparked the strongest running of her life. "I’ve always been someone who seeks growth," she said. "I love the process of working hard and watching that effort pay off.”  

But the turning point came when her children got older. “There were no longer diapers to change or babies to feed. That’s when we decided it’s time to dive deep into this.” 

Training became her full-time pursuit. “I consider that to be a huge privilege. I used to say, if I could train like a pro, I think I could do a whole lot more.” 

Now, she trains like a pro, and it shows. 

She credits her Prado Racing Team teammates, too. “These people push me to be better. They believe there’s more in me.” 

A guiding verse anchors both her training and her life: Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer (Romans 12:12). “Living this out,” she says, shapes her focus. “To keep myself grounded, and just fix my eyes on the things that matter.” 

Joy is her compass. Joy in the work, the community, the chase, and the challenge.

What surprises Lisa most is not necessarily that she qualified for the Olympic Trials, but when she did. “I never dreamed that this is something that I’d be doing at this stage of my life.” 

By the time she lines up for the Trials, she’ll be 42. “Even approaching 40, I can do brand new things and I’m excited about more to come after this.” 

What drives her forward? Gratitude. “I’m so grateful for what my body can do, and that God has equipped me to train hard. I delight in pushing the limits.” 

Lisa Goodin isn’t just hitting her stride at 39. She’s reimagining what’s possible.

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