Team RunnersConnnects carries the hot streak into September with 4PRS and 2 course PRS

Heidi Bush ran the Ross Marathon in Tasmania, Australia finishing in the time of 3:55:14 which was a PR by 17 minutes.

HeidiBThis was my third marathon and my first since joining RC and I just wanted to finally run sub-4:00. I’d been battling a virus leading into this race and didn’t feel 100% on the day, but decided to just give it a crack and hope for the best. The course was windy and hilly and I was happy to get around, keep the legs moving and just sneak in under 4 hours in 3:55:14. It was absolutely all my RC training that allowed me to achieve that goal even when all cylinders weren’t completely firing, so a huge thank you to RC!

Brendan Crill raced his first marathon, the Ventura Marathon in Ventura, CA completing this distance in the time of 3:02:14 which placed him 3rd in his Age Group.

This was my debut at the marathon distance and it was an enjoyable experience, though the last 4 miles in particular were a real struggle. I’m very happy, and actually kind of amazed at how good the first 18 miles felt. I finished third in my age group and 24th overall. Even though I didn’t break 3 hours like I hoped, my time should get me into Boston 2015. I am also very happy to have completed a couple of weeks over 50 miles during the training cycle – that’s the highest mileage I’ve been able to do without getting hurt since college 20 years ago (and even then I couldn’t do many weeks at that mileage without injuries)

Robert Sklenar ran the Ventura Half Marathon in Ventura, CA coming across the finish line with the time of 1:31:42 which was a PR of 3 minutes and 30 seconds.

RobSkBig PR and more importantly a great training marker for my real goal this year, the California International Marathon in December. With 2 half marathons this summer this one culminated a total of 11 minutes being cut off my personal best and was the first time I ran sub 7:00 minute pace, finished 59th overall but no sure about other details as results still haven’t been posted. Felt good and while I went out to run 1:30 I recognized it wasn’t there and while I certainly faded some I still held it together to finish reasonably well. Who can possibly complain about a 3:30 PR? Not this guy.

Dave Powers ran the Louisville Pure Tap 5k in Louisville, Kentucky finishing this race in time of 24:47 which was a PR of 2 minutes and 40 seconds.

This race is the first race in a series leading to a half marathon. It was an out and back course with a hill starting at the 1 mile mark and ending at 1.5 miles. The course was crowded until the hill (1000-1200 runners) then it thinned out. There was also a small incline leading to the finish line. Finished good I think only 4-5 runners past me in the last mile and I passed one of them just before the finish line.

Siobhan Donegan raced the Maple Leaf Half Marathon in Manchester, Vermont coming across the finish line in the time of 1:41:50 which was a course PR and an Age Group Win.

SiobhanEven though this was not a PR I improved upon my time from last year by 1 minute 16 seconds and to me that was HUGE. Being able to compare my results from races one year apart also helps me see the difference that RC (started Jan., 2014) has made in my performance! The course was pretty hilly and it was hot and muggy through those latter miles, so I really needed to persevere. This race definitely boosts my confidence in preparation for my marathon in October. Hopefully I can continue my RC training and stay entirely injury free to run my very best race then.

Cara Hawkins ran the Denver Trail 10k in Lone Tree, CO finishing this race with the time of 1:05:22.

CaraHI’m actually not really happy with this race, due to crazy traffic/crowds my first 2 miles came in at 27. I was able to get into a set pace around mile 3 (8:10-8:30) but was def. a hard lesson to learn about choosing races.

 

Karl-Olav Gravdal ran the Stordløpet 12K in Stord, Norway finishing this event with the time of 55:06 which was a PR by 6 minutes.

KarlMy goal for the race was to finish in about 55 minutes, which I managed. After about 2 km the route has a 3-4 km hilly section, so took it easy in the beginning and conserved as much energy as I could. I knew it would be needed later in the race. After entering the hills I ran more or less by myself for a while. Most people were behind me, but I knew that 10-15 persons were in front of me (they had a much higher tempo in the beginning).  It had rained a lot the night before, so at that point I just focused on ‘staying alive’ on the muddy and slippery path. Unfortunately I lost some seconds when I lost balance and almost fell, so once back on the road I once again had some catching up to do. Fortunately there were more hills and I was soon back on their tail and soon after (in the next hill) I passed . I finished strong, about thirty seconds ahead of them, at a strongh 8th place.

Morley Lee ran the Canmore Rocky Mountain Half Marathon in Alberta, Canada finishing this race with the time of 1:36:21.

I had great advice from Jamie and Danny on how to approach this run. Both coaches suggested only to maintain marathon pace and to have a lot of fun. I did exactly what Danny suggested by starting 5-10 sec slower for the first 3km and tried to hold marathon pace for the rest. It was hard at times because of the hills but I used all the mantras from Runnersconnect articles and it worked. I was doubtful that I could hold marathon pace because of the Tuesday workout prior of 2x10km workout at MP and there was no taper for this race. This gives me some confidence that I may be able to PB in October (Toronto Waterfront Marathon). I came in 4th in my age category of 1:36:21 with a pace of 4:35/km so I was pleased with that.Thanks to all the coaches at RC!! Could not have done this without you!!

Marilyn Tams ran the Two Bear 1/2 Marathon in Whitefish, MT finishing this distance race with a time of 1:55:57 which was a course PR of 14 minutes.

MTThis race was beautiful and scenic and very Challenging! Loved it! My time wasn’t quite a PR but 14 minutes better than the last half I did in February! (PR was 5 years ago). I feel like I’m making progress towards my goals! Thank you Runners Connect!

 

 

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