St. Jude Memphis Marathon

26.2 Miles 2:59:16 6:51 average
68th Place Overall
8:00 am) mid 30's at start
Well I finished in 2:59 not the 2:49 I was shooting for. Still not
bad. I realize my expectations were too high for my level of fitness
going into this race. I was not doing near the amount of volume in
training to perform to my goal. I hoped it would not be the case but
it was. Early into the race I new it would not happen. I was shooting
for 6:30 per mile and even in the first few miles I was not able to
hit those numbers. Usually I have to almost hold back the first few
miles to keep from going out too fast. I felt I was pushing it and
still not hitting the number. I new the second half would only be
harder as I fatigued and I was right.

The course was great had some rolling hills but nothing all that steep
or long. I enjoyed the sights along the course and they had bands,
Elvis interpreter and cheerleaders along the course. Water stops at
every mile marker was nice. We ran down Beale St twice that was fun.

My Uncle and Cousin also ran they did the Half Marathon. They both
did great. They are hooked. They signed up for Nashville Marathon
in April. It will be exciting to see how they do at the marathon
distance.

What's next? Nothing! I'm taking it easy for the rest of December. I
needsome rest. I will resume training in Januarary. My focus is going
to be Cellcom Green Bay Marathon. I will do a couple half marathons
before that as tune up races. But Green Bay will be my 'A' Race. I
don't want to say what I am shooting for time wise but a PR for sure.

Below is my splits per mile.
Mile/Pace
1/6:38-----15/6:46
2/6:33-----16/6:46
3/6:31-----17/6:53
4/6:41-----18/7:01
5/6:23-----19/7:03
6/6:36-----20/7:04
7/6:38-----21/7:04
8/6:45-----22/7:16
9/6:39-----23/7:15
10/6:42----24/7:29 Head Wind
11/6:38----25/7:11
12/6:41----26/6:54
13/6:42----.2/6:17
14/6:40