#FBF to 2014 • my 4th marathon • my 4th MCM in a row • my first time breaking 4 hours! . . I had an amazing plan in 2014. I PLANNED on taking it out easy. I planned on around a 1:58 half with a slight fade, and a 2:00 back half. I planned to stay with the 4:00 group. But things didn’t go as planned. . . During the first mile, the 4 hour group went left and I went right.... I lost them. Then I went to split my watch (timex) at mile 2 and it had stopped it self. Two miles in and I had NO IDEA my pace!! Then I remembered MCM has great 5k markers, so I ran 5ks, trying to keep them under 27. It felt easy! Then I hit the half with a PR 🤦🏼♀️ 1:51:13. I made an intentional decision to slow down and go for a 2:08 second half. . . The weather cooperated and I got to see my boyfriend at the time and my puppy 🐶 ❤️ around mile 18 (I think!). I finished the second half with a strong 2:05:57 for a finish time of 3:57:10. It took 4 years, a cool day, and the right mindset for me to break 4 hours. In fact, I didn’t do it again until Chicago 2017! (In 2016 I was 4:01:40) . . The marathon is a fragile beast. You can train perfectly and have the day go wrong - humidity, nutrition, illness- or you can have an amazing day that’s not backed by any kind of intentional training (2014 MCM and 2017 Chicago for me were both “surprise” PRs). But one things for sure, you have to respect the 26.2 distance and keep your mind POSITIVE!! . . #marathon #runwiththemarines #marinecorpsmarathon #goldenretriever #teamintraining #inspiringrunners #runningmotivation #runwalkrun https://www.instagram.com/p/BpZdC2JFDOS/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1i7svslf5zq3j
