Vivek Chaudhri ran the 5k Jingle Bell Run and finished this distance in the time of 0:23:46. This was a PR by 38 seconds!
PR by 38 seconds, AG 2. My brother-in-law, sister-in-law, my wife (her first race) and I raised over $2k for the Arthritis foundation and ran this race ??. It was a small race and I started at the front. The course was hilly with one very steep climb in the first km and very little flat portions. It was 2.5 circuits within the campus.
I ran a hard race and breathing was 2:2 for the first 3k and then 2:1 to 1:1. Did make a wrong turn once so probably lost about 15 seconds. Did not pass anyone and nobody passed me. Finished and then jogged with my wife :).
Lindsay STRAW ran the Jingle Bell Half Marathon and finished with a time of 1:40:51.
Considering the cold weather (7-10 degrees) and road conditions (icy, snowy) I considered this a good solid effort. Not every race will be a PR, nor will you see the fitness that its there. Sometimes you need to just enjoy the experience and remember that is why you do this sport. That is what I did this day.
Terry Whelan ran the CIM race with a finishing time of 3:17:58. This was a massive personal record by 0:12:10.
In the last 3 months I have achieved lifetime PRs in the 1/2, 5k, and now full marathon, not bad at age 59. I signed up for this race as a stepping stone to Boston. As my fitness improved I realized that I could aim higher. I told anyone who asked that my expectation was ‘mid 3:20s’, Coach Dylan had me down for 3:25. I knew I could do more if I pushed, and my internal dialog said 3:18. I enjoyed meeting coaches Dylan and Ruairi the day before. Their enthusiasm, and knowledge of running is contagious.
Vincent Hardy ran the California International Marathon and finished in a time of 2:53:11. This was a new personal record by 4:27.
And CIM is done! It was a really good on so many levels. First, it was a great week-end with Anne, with friends and we also met several of the RunnersConnect coaches in person. Then, the event was super well organized. Finally, I managed to run with a race strategy I had wished to implement before but never stuck to. This time, I did! And I loved it. As Claire had recommended, I should go conservatively in the first half, and then see if I could run fast in the last 5k. I ran the first 14 miles with my friend Johnny, and we were sticking to a pace slightly under the target 6:40. I admit I was worried as I thought my goal of 2:55 would never happen once we hit 1:28 at the half-way point. Unfortunately, Johnny had a knee problem and slowed down (but still did a 5:10 while walking the last mile, still qualifying for Boston, so impressive). I was lucky to not be injured or in pain, so I picked up the pace slightly at mile 14, trying to hit 6:35 or about. And in the last 5 miles, I felt I was doing a fast finish workout in the sense that it was hard to accelerate, but I could do it. My last mile was at 6:12 and my last half marathon as almost a HM PR. I finished 15th of 458 in my age group! This race is a confidence builder and I am very grateful to Claire for her coaching throughout the preparation. Looking forward to training for Kaiser HM!
Shanthi Lackey ran the Oceanside Turkey Trot 5k and finished this distance in the time of 0:21:29.
It rained on the first mile and had a headwind on our south loops. Decided to do the 5k instead of the 10k since my foot had been bothering me. I think it was a good choice. Still managed to get 1st in my AG so that was nice treat for dealing with less than optimal weather condition’s.
Shawn Gross ran the Frosty Run 10K and finished this race in the time of 0:34:30.
First race in 14 months….Thank you Runner’s Connect for keeping me injury free! I’m gonna crush my goal race (Marathon in March).
Ivan Medvedev ran the Ted Corbitt 15K and finished with a time of 1:07:14, which was a PR!
It was my first race after Chicago Marathon, so I only had 4 weeks for training. Its a hilly course in Central Park so I did not expect to run very fast and set my goal to run 7:20 pace. I spent some time deciding what to wear this morning. I run hot and did not want to overdress but then it was also pretty cold and windy. In retrospect shorts + t-shirt + handwarmers + gloves was the right decision.
I felt good after 6 miles so upped the pace a bit. I ran the last 3 miles at around 7 min/mile pace which felt ok and was a pleasant surprise for me. Final surge was tough but short 🙂
Anna Haberzettl ran the Panama City Beach (PCB) Marathon with a finishing time of 3:52:17. This was a personal record by 0:07:42.
Hit my paces until a side stitch (Miles 14-15) which I slowed down for and my legs tightened up. There was no 3:40 pacer (as advertised) so I fell in on a group that was about that pace. My training was on point with nutrition and fluid intake. For the next race, I want to start and stay injury free to surpass my goals.
Simon Williamson ran the Gwent League Cross Country race 10k and finished this distance in the time of 0:45:54 (9.1km).
Ran the race about 30 seconds faster than in March this year. Felt strong throughout and managed to beat a couple of my club mates who’ve been ahead of me for the last few months. Running very fluidly on the downhills, gaining several places on each of the 3 laps.
Lorette Pretorius ran the Sesibeng 10 km and completed this race event in the time of 0:42:21. This was a PR by 3 minutes!
Felt fantastic, average was 4.21…. just a pity race length too long
Shatchakarn Chaiear ran the Tanaosri trail 20k and finished in a time of 04:36:00.
I wanted to try this event for a couple of years, but wasn’t sure if I could finish it. 1060 meter elevation gain, the uphill was never ending I had to stop several times, the downhill was more scary. I’m so glad I finally did this run way before the cut off time. The ranking wasn’t bad either, 258/904 overall, usually I’m towards the end or in the middle.
Kristina Parisien ran the Mill Cities Relay 4 mile and finished with a time of 0:31:57.
Relays are fun. Never run this distance so don’t know about PRs. It was super cold, feet freezing in the beginning, and was a hilly course. But downhill for last 3/4.
J. Wade Bainum ran the California International Marathon and finished this race event in the time of 3:18:18. This was a PR by 2 minutes 18 seconds!
Last year I was in better shape when I ran this marathon, but I started out too fast and ended up cramping around mile 21/22. This year I executed a much better race strategy and significantly improved my time. Missed an even split by 16 seconds.
William Bell ran the St Jude 10k with a finishing time of 1:01:36, which was a PR by 3:22.
Great running conditions weather-wise. 10K/5K common start with 10,000 runners made first 2 miles very crowded. Felt pretty good at the end like I might could have run the middle miles a little faster.
Kory Wnuk ran the Tiger 10K and finished this race event in the time of 0:51:14.
First time actually racing in a 10K versus a quarter-marathon. Weather was nice when we started, but I could have used it a bit cooler. There were no major hills, but there were definitely some inclined portions of the course. All of my body parts held together well. This was somewhat a concern over the past few weeks. I felt like my pace from mile to mile bounced around a bit more than I would have preferred.
Nicholas Florio ran the California International Marathon and finished with a time of 3:45:55.
I decided to go all out and see if I could do a 3:40 marathon. The first 20 miles I held steady between 8:25 and 8:28 pace every 5k. Then ran out of gas at mile 20. Nothing to lose in trying. It was warm and humid so Not ideal conditions.
Lisa Whitten ran the Kia 25k classic and completed this distance in the time of 2:28:41.
My birthday run! No PR but happy with this time. Started seeing more consistent splits. Started closing my pace at mile 13 but was able pick it up.
Adam Spanier ran the Adam Spanier ran the Santa Monica-Venice Christmas Fun Run 10k and finished in a time of 0:48:12, which was a PR!
This was my first ever running race and I’m glad I got to do it before doing the marathon. I realized at the time that I ran my first couple miles too fast. The last three miles were tough for me, but I just picked someone in front of me to keep up with and that helped me zone out everything else. I felt great afterwards and was very happy with my performance.
Philippe Delecheneau ran the Cherry Lake Christmas Run, Sri chinmoy Races 10k and finished in 0:57:35, which was a PR by 51 seconds!
This is where it all began 3 years ago. That were I did my first race. At the time, I was paced by a good friend and we made it through in 1h01:06. It’s good to see a progression, not only on the clock but how I felt during the race. This time around, I felt good, in control and I quite enjoyed it.
Sergey Makagonov ran the California International Marathon and finished this race in the time of 3:53:45.
Followed the plan strictly: first 10mi@9:10min/mi, next 10mi@8:50min/mi, last 6.2mi@8:30 or faster. Those final 6.2 miles were challenging but delightful since I could pass a lot of people on the way to the finish line. Finished the last mile pretty strong, with the final 200m sprint peaking at 5:05min/mi pace.
Overall, I feel I had 3:50 or faster in me today which matches my expectations from training, but for the first marathon it’s better go conservative and let it be a solid starting point. Expecting a big PR next year ? CIM is now my favorite race. Very well organized, great work by the volunteers. Crowd is amazing especially when needed during the final miles.
John Berg ran the Hillsborough River Marathon and finished this race event in the time of 4:54:00, which was a PR!
I think I went out too fast, but I also think my hydration was really lacking. It also was on mixed ground: very uneven trail/grass, single track, some road, gravel path. Here are the stats: I ran the first half in about 2:09:00; I ran the second half in about 2:45:00. I started the race out exactly on my race plan. Here are my first few miles of splits: 10:18, 9:52, 9:55, 9:49, 9:48, 10:14 (was chatting with someone), 9:53. At this point I felt really good -strong, in control, and having fun. My plan was to pick it up a bit if I felt good so I turned it on a bit, but then my splits started getting wacky: [mile 8] 9:18 (too fast and I knew it), 9:28, 9:49 (too slow), [mile 11] 9:35 (just right), 9:44. About this time, I started to realize that something was off because I was having mild cramping in my right quad, which never happens. I figured I needed to slow down and so I did: 10:23, 10:10 9:59, 10:24, 10:35, 10:54 [mile 18]. This was the end of the third lap in the race and I knew I was in trouble. I knew there was probably no way I could pick it up in the final miles of the race. I figured that dehydration was probably a factor. However, it was too late and my performance just degraded: 11:10, 12:08, 12:09, 12:20, 13:12, 13:18, 13:13, 13:21. My only consolation prize was that I met one of my goals – to run the entire race. By the last few miles, I had a thousand thoughts about just stopping and walking. The coaches tips in the podcasts really helped: just pick out something (tree, etc..) and run to it before picking another; keeping positive thoughts in the head; smiling (not sure if I made this one up, but it helped).
Daniel Reynaud ran the California International Marathon and finished with a time of 2:58:44. This was a personal record by 7 minutes!
I was mentally prepared to have a pretty terrible marathon: I had a lingering cold and the weather driving up to Sacramento was crazy stormy. But on race morning the weather gods were with us, and we basically had low wind, perfect temperatures and were occasionally gently misted ?
I got to my corral at the last minute (6h55) due to a late porta potty run, so I started about a minute behind the 3h00 pace group. I ran miles 1-10 “”by myself””, passing a lot of people, then at mile 10 I caught up with the 3h00 pace group and ran miles 10-20 with them. This section really felt like I was working a bit hard just to hang with the group, so I was worried about how sustainable that really was.
When mile 20 finally rolled around, I felt like I still had something in the tank so I picked up the pace a little and left the pace group behind. At mile 24 I was feeling a side stitch coming up and my shoes were very wet at this point, so I tried to breathe and focus, now was not the time to blow up. I got a big boost from seeing my family at mile 25.5 and kicked for a strong finish! ? Race nutrition: Hill Aid Spring gels at miles 3, 8, 13 and 18, drank to thirst (maybe 1 cup every other aid station). It felt alright.
So happy that everything finally came together nicely, after years of dedicated training and failed attempts ? I had to chase away negative thoughts and remind myself that I had a really good training block, I had no injury, no pain, I executed the nutrition plan properly and my family was there to support me ❤️ It really helped pushing through the mentally difficult parts and have a great race day.
Gregg Fergot ran the California International Marathon with a finishing time of 3:09:54.
I trained great, I planned well and I stuck to the plan. Missed my PR (5/23/2003) by 54 seconds. Was disappointed for 30-60 seconds and then realized that I ran a 3:09 at 56, something I last did 16 1/2 years ago! Qualified for Boston 2021 with 25 minutes to spare! Very Happy with this race and my season!
Sandra Keller ran the Pay It Forward 5k and completed this distance in the time of 0:28:05, which was a PR by 34 seconds!
Really enjoyed running this race with a friend from Run Club. She has a really nice smooth stride so I could easily key in on her energy. I tried to stay just below the point where I could feel myself draining energy. Last mile was tough as expected. This was basically a flat course with only two “hills” which were undercuts for a railroad overpass. 2 feet less elevation gain but because it was divided up, it felt easier. My main goal was to clock another 5k under 29:00 minutes. So I was super excited to beat my last week’s PR by 34 seconds. 2/23 age group; 23/139 female; 57/212 overall. Race adrenaline lasted the rest of the day.
Chad Katoff ran the California International Marathon and finished this race in the time of 4:18:48, which was a PR!
Training
Started running 1 minute at a time in February 2018 and slowly ramped up from there. I reached 30+ miles per week during the peak of this cycle. After the Summer Breeze Half in August where I finished in 2:07, I focused on speed work and aerobic base, completing the Tiburon 10k on September 29 in :53. In August, I started working with Runners Connect and overall felt incredibly well supported by their team. I was amazed at how much stronger and faster I became in the last 4 months.Race
I felt great at the start and stayed with what I thought was conservative through the first half. I followed my plan, but we met a few light rain showers, my feet got wet and I remember aching as early as mile 9. My feet hurt and I wasn’t even that deep into the race. I stayed strong through, finding new places within myself, resorting to music, using mantras etc. The final slog was painful, but I made it in.Nutrition: Drank on course Nuun endurance formula at most stops, but had more water later in the race due to stomach cramping. Slowly drank 40g Ucan dissolved in water between miles 9 and 13. Results: Stomach aches, cramps, hunger pangs. The Ucan strategy worked great for a 14m long run and a 16m, but it just wasn’t enough for this.
Lessons learned:
9:15 / 4:05 was too ambitious – Next time be more conservative–the goal is to run the whole thing, negative split and finish strong.Train more hills – Even though there wasn’t that much climb, I need to train more hills, probably mixing in trail running and strength work.
Nutrition – Try and do some more intense runs with a “full on fueling” strategy. I was more minimalist in my fueling which works great for easy runs, but race day requires more and I have to practice in advance.
Next race will probably be a trail 10k and then some sort of half. I feel like I’m ready to go Sub 2 on a street half for sure. Thank you to all of my friends, coaches and mentors: Runners Connect, Gregg Fergot & Chris Selger amongst others.
Hitomi Murokami ran the California International Marathon and finished in a time of 4:22:57. This was a new personal record by 2.61 minutes.
Perfect run till 19 miles and had to deal with severe cramps till rest of the miles. Still PR!
Gordon Yamate ran the California International Marathon with a finishing time of 3:56:18.
Missed target of below 3:50, but still almost 9 mins below BQ time for my age category. Felt good basically through mile 16-18, but fell behind the pacer at mile 18. I had to really dig down deep to push to the end, and really tried to stay close to a 9 min pace to finish under 4 hours, but saw spikes on my Garmin of over 10 mins at times.
Brad Batchelder ran the San Antonio Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon and finished with a time of 1:35:53. This was a PR by 2 minutes and 9 seconds!
Overall I’m happy with the results of this tune-up race. I was hoping to run 1:35 flat but the humidity (100%) and hills really slowed me down. I ran mile 7 in 7:42 and mile 12 in 7:37. I executed the first 3 miles according to plan, going out conservatively (7:34, 7:23, 7:20), and felt strong staying at 7:15 pace or slightly faster until mile 7 and mile 12 and finished strong running mile 13 in 7:08.
