I DID IT!!!

Solid training really does pay off.

And having a friend pull you through those last 6 miles where you want to give up and walk doesn't hurt either.  (Shelly, I couldn't have done it without you!!)

Yesterday, at the Tulsa Route 66 Marathon, I FINALLY broke the 4 hour mark.  And I did it with a BANG!!  My finish time was 3:51:19!!  A little over 13 minutes off the PR I set at Rock N Roll St. Louis four weeks ago.

And I did it despite a 0.3 mile detour to the Center of the Universe in the 16th mile and a really hilly course!

Our new Michelob Ultra singlets, debuted at Route 66, my Marathon Maniacs bib and marathon finisher medal

 I am beyond ecstatic even now.  When I did my first marathon in 2007, breaking 5 hours seemed like an impossible feat.  Even a year ago, breaking 4 hours seemed like it was out of my reach.  But then again, I had never really put the time and effort into the training.  These last two marathons (RnR StL and Route 66) were the first I'd ever truly pushed myself with training and stuck with a schedule.

So now I finally get to rest.  After RnR StL, I was mentally drained from the training, and missing my goal of a sub-4 hour marathon there on top of that nearly did me in.  I'm looking forward to just running for the sake of running over the next few months.

I have a 5k set for Thanksgiving morning.  This is an extremely competitive race, so I'll just be sitting back and enjoying a "group run" with friends.  After that, it's just easy runs until the runDisney Marathon Weekend Goofy's Race & a Half Challenge, which I will just be enjoying rather than racing.


Splits:
mile 1 - 8:30
mile 2 - 8:47
mile 3 - 8:28
mile 4 - 8:11
mile 5 - 8:08
mile 6 - 7:57
mile 7 - 7:51
mile 8 - 8:09
mile 9 - 8:14
mile 10 - 8:16
mile 11 - 8:14
mile 12 - 8:21
mile 13 - 8:21
mile 14 - 8:17
mile 15 - 8:22
mile 16 - 8:37 (Center of the Universe detour was around 16.6)
mile 17 - 8:18
mile 18 - 8:23
mile 19 - 8:56
mile 20 - 9:13
mile 21 - 9:16
mile 22 - 9:24
mile 23 - 9:49
mile 24 - 10:06
mile 25 - 9:55
mile 26 - 9:44
finish 26.67 - 5:31 (8:12 pace)