How Did I Do?

I realize now that I made up my goals for this race WAAAAYYYYY far in advance. Partly because I was super-excited, and partly because I also write a blog on runnersworld.com and wasn't sure if I'd be able to post this one in time. So how did my goal pan out for RnR Chicago? Check it out...

1. To finish - DONE!
2. To take water and/or Gatorade at each aid station - DONE! But it was really hard to do. There were a couple stations where I couldn't stomach Cytomax, but I made myself take water and pour it over my head if I couldn't finish. I even took sponges at both stations! Didn't take Gu though...
3. To run negative splits - INCOMPLETE :( I think it's almost impossible to run negative splits AND run a consistent pace throughout. An oversight on my part. I will work harder next time at defining my goals a little more clearly.
4. To run a pretty consistent pace throughout - DONE! I was between 9-10 mm for the entire race, finishing ahead of the 10mm pace.
5. Start out slow!!!! - SO-SO I didn't start out SUPER slow, but slow enough where I wasn't uncomfortable and was able to maintain my pace throughout and complete goal #4. My first mile was 9:21, which is pretty good for me!
6. To get a PR - DONE! New PR: 2:07:28. Yay!
7. To break 2 hours - INCOMPLETE :( But getting there! To think that I started out this running year at 2:14:and change, and have already reduced my PR by 7 minutes. That's pretty darn impressive! I've shaved almost 2 minutes per race off my time. If I keep this up, I should reach my goal early next year. (I'm planning on training hard and running races even during the winter! Gives me an excuse to train better, get a treadmill, and go on vacation to somewhere warm for a race!)