Mark Quebedeaux ran the OLOL Resarch Hospital Race 10k and finished with a time of 56:39.
We volunteered on Saturday so that we could serve our community and get a different perspective from the folks that work the races and then on Sunday my youngest daughter and I ran the 10k. This was a family weekend.
Andrew Timmons ran the Napa Valley Marathon and finished in 3:10:12. This was a new personal record by 15 minutes!
Missed Boston qualifier but did PR.
Gary York ran the Tuscaloosa Half Marathon and finished this race in the time of 1:39:28.
The race was the RRCA State Championship. The course had a few early rolling hills, but otherwise was fast. The weather was perfect for a race. I ran the race as a training run to test my fitness for Boston. I started the first few miles a bit faster than I planned, but I felt comfortable so I kept up the effort. I finished first in my AG.
Rebecca Dorr ran the Half at the Hamptons Half Marathon and finished in a time of 1:58:31, which was a PR by 2:25.
I was very excited going into this race, I really feel that my speed and endurance have improved and I was ready to see the results of my work on the course. I had a few hiccups in the race, there was a headwind coming off the ocean in the first half, then it got super cold, also due to a storm a couple of days before, there were sections that were covered in ice/snow…but that wasn’t too bad.
There was one climb on the course that was significant (mile 6-7) and I slowed my pace purposefully to conserve energy for the second half. At mile 9 there was a water stop, which I tried to take advantage of. Unfortunately for me my hands and face were almost completely numb from the cold and I could not navigate where my mouth was…(If you have ever seen the movie Airplane and know about Striker’s drinking problem…that was me.) Luckily at about the 10 mile mark we turned, the sun came out and the wind was now at our back. Mile 12 came and I knew I had to get my legs going faster..that was hard! My motivation came when some guy started breathing down my neck. I could feel that he was trying to pass me, that’s when I let the hammer fall and commanded my legs to go double time…I lost that guy and had the finish line in my sites..
I did it. Gun time was 1:59:04 Net 1:58:31
I learned a lot in this race…
1) Pinch the water cup…it works unless your hands don’t
2) Don’t wear a Flip Belt
3) Conserve on hills!The biggest breakthrough I had was my mental game. At mile 9 when I felt my body starting to tire, I just kept my brain in check by thinking, yes it hurts…and it’s just going to get worse…This may not work for everyone but for me it worked to get me from mile 9 -12. Then I just had to sing the Peanut Butter Jelly Time song in my head, to shut out that voice trying to convince me of my imminent demise.
I felt great after the race and not as tired/sore as I have been. I DO know that the support of the Runners Connect community and the coaches have been outstanding. I know you can help get me to that 26.2!!
Karen Wilson ran the Snickers Marathon and finished with a time of 3:56:54. This was a personal record by 5 minutes.
I had a spectacular time at the Snickers Albany Marathon and achieved a new PR with the help of a couple pacers. I started out with 3:55 pacer Jacque, who I’ve had the great fortune to run with in another race. Because of Jacque’s running style and wonderful personality I knew I wanted to run in this marathon. When she had to stop twice for the porta johns, she asked me both times to run with the pacing flag and left me in charge of pacing this huge group of people! Little did she know that I have the hardest time running my paces correctly during my workouts! So of course I set a pace of 8:40 and got called out by one of the guys—who jokingly accused me of running 8:30! When I got to mile 23, I had to stop to walk for the first time and thought my goal of finishing under 4 hours was doomed, especially when the 4:00 pacer (Kelly) passed me by! I managed to catch up with them at the next water stop. I literally felt that I couldn’t go on when Kelly looked at me and said, “Go! You’ve got 5k left!” I replied that I didn’t think I could do it, my goal was to get under 4 hours but she assured me that if I stayed with her I could do it. Kelly asked me what my name was and she must’ve said “come on Karen!” more than a dozen times. Somehow with all the hard work I’ve put in training with RC and not wanting to let anyone one down-especially myself I managed to find the motivation to get my legs moving again. And yes, I accomplished my goal at 3:56:54!!
Matthew Stewart ran the Auckland Round the Bays with a finishing time of 30.44, which was a PR by 3:17.
Slotted this race in between a 13km warm-up and 5km cool down as a replacement for my 32km long run. After being mistaken for an elite runner (!) I was allowed to join the start area from the front rather than have to go round the back the long way to get to the front of the start corrals. I set off pretty quick and got a bit concerned that I was still in touch with the true elites. A quick check of my watch had me a 3:00/km pace! Needless to say I eased up a bit after that. About ⅔ the way into the race I was noticing the heat, the 13km warm up and the approx 95km week and faded a bit. Stoked to have finished 26th overall and 4th in my age group with a 3:17 PR over the last time I ran the course in 2013. Next year I’ll think I’ll apply for an elite bib and go for sub 30 minutes.
Laurie Householder ran the Albany Marathon and finished with a time of 3:38:01. This was a PR by 4 minutes, 41 seconds.
After qualifying for Boston 2016 but missing the final cutoff after registration by 10 seconds, my #1 goal for this race was to qualify for the Boston Marathon with priority registration. I finished nearly 7 minutes faster than my qualifying time so MISSION ACCOMPLISHED! I had hoped to run a 3:34-3:35, but was surprised that the course wasn’t as flat as I had read. My Garmin showed a total elevation gain of 260 feet. Considering I probably run 26 feet in gain on a 20 mile training run as I live in the low country where the only hills we have are bridges, I definitely began to feel the effects of the long gradual inclines by mile 21 when my pace started to slip. That last 10k was a definite mental battle (then again, when is that last 10k NOT a mental battle?!? Definitely something I need to work on!)! I have been solely marathon focused for 3 years straight so I am excited to take a season off from marathoning and try my hand at actually training for and racing shorter distances through the fall until Boston training starts next winter!
Melissa Peirce ran the Half at the Hamptons Half Marathon and finished with a time of 2:14:37.
Leading with the good, I felt pretty good during this race, and finally managed to avoid going out too fast. That said, while I followed my plan fairly closely those first few miles, I wasn’t able to pick the pace up in the middle miles and fell off a bit in the last few. I tired a bit on the hills at mile 5 and 7, and had to focus hard to get pace back up after them. They weren’t steep, but just enough to tire me out. My goal here was to do at least as well as the half in late October but missed by 2 minutes or so. I believe the issue here is tax season, where my work hours since Jan 1st have climbed through the 50s and now around 70 hours these last 2 weeks. Tires me out mentally, and seems to do so a bit physically as well. So now I’m determined to run another half to get my time back down to my typical 2:10 to 2:12 time. There’s one in early May that may be good. And hoping that will give me enough time between now and then for some significant improvement. Funny thing is that I run races during tax season to escape the stress of work….and then I stress over the race result 🙂 Honestly just a tad discouraged over this one. Hoping to turn that around soon.
Diane Souza ran Ireland 5k with a finishing time of 28:06, which was a 40 seconds PR!
Ran this last year improved by 40 sec my pace/m 8:47 which is great for me!!!
Cheryl Red ran the San Jose 408k – 8k and finished this race in the time of 51:52.
It was my first time running this distance (only 5k and 10k before). My pace wasn’t the fastest, but I’ve been battling hip and leg issues, and not great sleep the past few nights, and I ran with very little fatigue. The course was nice, and there were mariachi bands playing along the course during the last mile.
Luis Cifuentes ran the HM city of Salamanca Half Marathon and finished in a time of 1:24:34. This was a personal record by 7 minutes!
Cold and windy but sunny morning race at my hometown HM today. I was determined to pace myself throughout the first 10k and try to negative split the second half despite the hilly terrain over the last 6k where I had to fight negative thoughts when things were getting really tough. I eventually managed to do so (40:12+39:39) for a 1:24:34 finishing time. Now I think is time for a full Marathon.
Jeff Wettig ran the Bockfest 5K, finishing this distance in the time of 25:37. This was a PR by 1:22.
I PR’d by 1:22. Previous 5K PR was this race in 2015. Really thought I had about 30 seconds faster in me for this race, and disappointed I didn’t pull it out. There is tremendous elevation the first 1/2 mile and in mile 3, in both cases I took it too fast (especially the first hill). Interestingly, our previous race, a 10k Feb 13th I had a faster last 3.2 miles in it than this 5K mile race – it did not have quite as much elevation, but judging from that finish I believed I could have done this 5K faster.
Jo Bourke ran the Lago Maggiore Half Marathon and finished with a time of 1.22.49.
I wasn’t sure what to expect going into this tune up race as there was an enormous dump of snow the day before and then it poured with rain, turning everything into a slushy mess. Race day was gloriously sunny with a chilly breeze and the snow on the mountains was dazzling. They had managed to push most of the slush off the road, leaving behind a tonne of deep, icy puddles which proved impossible to avoid so it was a race run with cold, wet feet!
I started out at my goal pace and managed to get into a group that was travelling at my speed for the first 9km or so. Just before halfway I suddenly found myself between groups and things got tougher mentally and physically. I felt as though I was having to put in a lot of work just to maintain my pace and I was conscious of coach Michael’s advice about being conservative so as not to jeopardise the rest of the training cycle. I backed off a little and found that I could cruise along relatively happily at the slower pace. At the top of another surprisingly steep little hill a pacer caught up with me and I flipped out because the first pace group was supposed to be doing 1.25 and I didn’t think I’d lost that much time. He was alone and said that he’d stick with me and help me over the line in 1.21 – what a guy! So, that was a great boost and I was able to run a faster last km, although it was a finish time that was 40 seconds slower than my personal best. All in all it was a good experience and even though I didn’t meet my time goal I don’t feel too tired or disappointed. Now it’s on to the final 5 weeks of marathon preparation!
Ralph Caddell ran the Our Lady of the Lake Children’s Hospital Half Marathon and finished with a time of 1:54:59.
Inaugural Half Marathon for the local Children’s Hospital. Nice mostly flat course around the LSU Campus and Lakes. Nice temperatures to begin so I got off to a decent start but faded as the temperature increased and the last 3 miles were mostly in the sun. Probably should have started a little bit slower. Had to take a quick bathroom break during mile 5 so I lost some time there. I did manage to get 1st in my age group which is a first for me in a half marathon so I am happy with that.
Stuart Marker ran the Washington Heights 5K in 0:17:15, which was a PR!
Very happy with the race. Yes it was a PR, but …. I haven’t actually run a 5K before (despite numerous marathons, halves, 4m, 10k) – mainly as the NY road runners mainly puts on 4m in central park as it better fits the loop. So getting a PR was easy 🙂
In terms of the race – tough and hard work as its a hilly course. The race was an out and back course. Started under control and then after 0.25 m hit the first steep hill which was 0.25m. Then down/up/down to the turn around point. Overall the elevation gain was 192 ft (and loss the same). Splits compared to overall average pace were 1st mile, -5s, 2nd mile +5s, 3rd mile -1s and then the final 0.1m was at -20s. This means I probably went a little fast – elevation gain was 35 ft mile 1, 2nd mile 81 up, 117 down and 3rd mile 75 up/63 down. Which means mile 1 too fast, mile 2 a bit slow.
So again pleased with my training program, and thanks to everyone for the words of encouragement (and the much needed admonishment to slow down on my slow days). Onwards now to marathon training!
Jeff Horton ran the Trinity River Levee Run 5k and finished this race event in the time of 20:39.
Two races now in a row where I started judiciously and ran negative splits.
Karen Scobie ran the 3rd Selfkantlauf 10k and finished with a time of 56:42. This was a personal record by 1:47.
This was a local race that we had done last year as well. Last year it was unseasonably hot (18C) on race day, after a week of about 10C. Today it was 3C and raining.
Last year was my first run after taking 6 weeks off for a partially torn Achilles, so I didn’t really race it, just enjoyed running pain free. This year, I was considering trying for a 55 min finish, but the trail was wet and muddy and it wasn’t going to work out. What was the same was the crowded start and narrow path. Passing was hard, but after about 2 k we settled in. The narrow path continued, so it took some finesse to get around people at times. The best part of this year was stopping for hugs and kisses from some friends and their little ones along the route! A good day 🙂
Steve Hassenzahl ran the Chattahoochee Road Race 10k and finished this distance in the time of 47:38.
The weather was perfect and I ran without injury. I stayed within myself, not entering the red until the last half mile or so. I ran a negative split and felt great the whole way. No suffering and I was still a couple minutes below my goal (sub 50:00). It was also a negative split which is very rare for me.
Lisa Patel ran the Bock Fest 5k and finished with a time of 28:49, which was a 6 seconds PR!
This is a fun race that tours through the historic brewing areas of Cincinnati and is part of the “Beer Series”. This was a good test as we run this yearly. I was a little disappointed with the first mile as there is a big hill and a lot of walkers made for difficult navigation through the streets. I was able to make up time in the second mile and am happy with my overall time, PR and my personal course record.
Dana Beller ran the Snickers Albany marathon and finished with a time of 03:58. This was a personal record by 17 minutes.
This race held my previous or at 4:15 from many years ago. Now I pr’d and was only 3:30 off my Boston qualifying time.
Susan Christensen ran the Cowtown Marathon with a finishing time of 5:13:35.
The weather was warm (about 75 degrees) and humid. I was able to maintain my goal pace for 18 miles, and then slowed, but not too much. This was a good race in that I was able to pace myself well, and my foot injuries and other injuries healed nicely during training, so I felt fantastic during the race!
Georgia H ran the Little Rock Marathon and finished with a time of 6:13:05.
I had only planned on doing the half-marathon, as I’ve been nursing a groin injury since January. When I got to the race, I joined the 6:15:00 pace team. They used a 1:1 walk/run interval. I had never run/walked before, having always prided myself on running the entire distance. It worked though, got me to the finish line. Next marathon in 7 weeks. Planning on some rest first and a new pair of Hokas!!
Kenn Walker ran the Erlanger Chattanooga Marathon and finished with a time of 3:26:30. This was a massive PR by 22 minutes!
This race was a huge improvement over my disappointing first marathon last Fall. I found the right pace group and stayed with them for almost the whole race. My nutrition plan worked much better and I stuck with it. The race was fast, hilly, and fun–this was the inaugural Chattanooga Marathon and it was a great course that was a great tour of the city. I ended up 3rd in my age group which was a fantastic and unexpected result! Improvements I will make for the next marathon will be a little different nutrition plan for the last 6 miles–find something that will work as a boost towards the end, and wait for a final surge a bit longer. I’m on a huge learning curve with running marathons, but I gained so much knowledge in this race, it was great and came mostly thanks to our spectacular pacer and the folks I had the pleasure of running with in the pace group.
