Stepping Up: Anne Flynn, Michigan's top woman marathoner, trains for Trials near home. Photo by Charles Douglas McEwen

It didn't shock Anne Flynn of Augusta to run a PR at last fall's LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon. She had breezed to her four best marathon times in the Windy City.

But her 2:44:58 exceeded her greatest expectations. "I was just hoping to squeak in under 2:48, the qualifying time for the 2004 U.S. Olympic Trials," Flynn said.

She did more than squeak. At age 39, the Delton Kellogg High School physics teacher shattered her 1998 previous-best mark of 2:47:21.

Flynn's 2:44:58 was the best state women's marathon time last year. She also ranked first in 2001 with a 2:48:25. (In 2000, Flynn moved to Michigan from Iowa, where she had owned the top women's time as well.)

"I'm usually a conservative starter," said Flynn. "When I'm running well, I get stronger as the race progresses. I tend to enjoy the second part of races more than I do the first.

"At last year's Chicago, I knew I needed to run a 6:24/mile pace to go under 2:48," she added. "I felt great. After 11 or 12 miles, I dropped to 6:10s."

Flynn, who is married to a pathologist and has two daughters, 12 and 10, ran her first marathon at age 30 just seven months after giving birth.

"I wanted to do something different," she explained.

She grew up in Buffalo, N.Y., and ran for the University of Iowa, where her best times were 16:50 for 5K and 36:00 for 10K.

Flynn had never run more than seven miles in a road race prior to finishing the 1993 Marine Corps Marathon. "The tough part about running so far is the training," she said. "If you've done that work, you can just let the race unfold."

She ran her first 26.2-mile race in 3:17 and has finished 13 since, including Boston, Twin Cities and Grandma's.

At the 2000 U.S. Trials in South Carolina, Flynn survived a humid, 80- degree day to finish 88th of 175 qualifiers in 2:58. "I had hoped to run faster. It was very-tough day," she said.

Flynn hopes for better weather at the April 3, 2004 Trials in St. Louis. "It's a great experience and an honor to run with America's best marathoners. The sponsors treat the athletes wonderfully," she said.