26.2

Well, that is how far I ran on Sunday...that's right, I ran the entire thing! Here is a few thoughts from my experience...

Things started off nice...I was running with one of my small groups leaders in the youth department from church. Our goal was 4 hours and 20 minutes. In order to do that, we had to run an average mile of 9:55. After weeks of training, I thought I could handle it in regards to how my training had progressed. So, we started our run and was running on average about a 10 minute mile or so.

At the half was point (13.1 miles), we were a few minutes ahead of where we should be. We ran it in 2 hours and 10 min. All we had to do was repeat that performance on the back half and we would be good.

Around mile 15, we had worked up (or down) our pace to the desired 9:55 that we were hoping for. I was still feeling good, feeling a little bit of pain, but overall feeling pretty good.

At mile 18, my partner was feeling it pretty bad. He hit "the wall" that I had heard about so much that runners hit in a marathon. "The wall" is the point where your body is saying it is time to stop running and you still have some race to run. The trick is to tell your brain that you are not done and that you can keep on going. I believe that part of it is a mental thing for sure. However, he hit it at 18 and I was still feeling like I could keep on our pace. So, he told me to go ahead, that he was going to have to slow down a bit and wasn't going to be able to keep up the pace. I asked to make sure he was cool with me running on, and off I went.

I got to mile 20, which is the longest distance you run in training, and mentally thought "here we go." I started into the unknown adventure of running a distance I never had before.

Mile 20 felt good. 21...felt good. 22...still felt good. 23...man, I can't believe I still feel ok. 24...oh boy, I am not going to make it.

Mile 24 was the worst part of the course. I am not sure why they do this, but on mile 24, you have to cross a bridge...therefore you have to go up and over the bridge. So, at mile 24 you have a hill. I am not sure, but I think that is what did me in. I hit the wall for sure. I wanted to stop so bad. All I could think was, "I am not going to tell Mark and Seth that I stopped" and "Tera and the boys are at the end waiting for me, I have to keep going."

Well, it got me through. Even though that last 2.2 miles were hard (probably one of the hardest things physically I have ever done), I did it. And my official time (from the P. F. Changes Marathon website) is.....(drum roll please).....4:17.59. I was 2697th overall out of 5711 finishers, among men I placed 1760 out of 3190 and among my age group I placed 243 out of 444 (and by the way, 3rd place male was in my age division).

I don't have the camera, so I can't post any pictures today, so I will do that tomorrow. I will for those who are interested give you my mile by mile split time.

Mile 1-10:11
Mile 2-10:02
Mile 3-10:01
Mile 4-10:30
Mile 5-9:26
Mile 6-9:59
Mile 7-10:00
Mile 8-10:05
Mile 9-9:56
Mile 10-9:50
Mile 11-10:05
Mile 12-9:38
Mile 13-10:17
Mile 14-9:12
Mile 15-9:43
Mile 16-10:13
Mile 17-9:52
Mile 18-10:01
Mile 19-9:19
Mile 20-9:29
Mile 21-9:25
Mile 22-9:44
Mile 23-9:16
Mile 24- 8:59
Mile 25-10:00
Mile 26.2-12:31