Terry Whelan ran an Half Marathon in Valencia, CA and finished with a time of 1:46:00.
A brand new local race for Father’s day. The course included a pair of very hard up hills with only a short gap between them. No one is going to PR here, its too hard, and good time would not count due to the course being about 0.1 miles short.
While the temperatures started out comfortable it was getting hot towards the end. I took in water early and ran through the last 2 water stations. I used the RC pacing plan and had the joy of picking off runners over the last 4 miles. My goal was to finish strong and this was successful.
Ron Darin ran the Kona Strawberry 5k, finishing this distance in the time of 22:23.
First race in 6 months and first 5k in a year. My 17 yo son and neice also ran the race. I wasn’t in solid race shape and went out a little too fast (6:46). That combined with 84 degrees forced me to back off in mile 3. Positives were an age group win and 21st out of 463. It was a fun evening.
Siobhan Donegan ran the Run for Empowerment 10k and finished in a time of 44:55.
The Run for Empowerment is an annual fundraiser for vitally needed domestic violence prevention services here in this county. I know how important their services are to our community and was happy to come out to support them by running – a small way to lend a hand.
This was a small, local 10K on the Burlington bike path – pretty much where I run every day. It was 70 degrees at the start and 73-74 at the finish. The path itself was flat and mostly shady with a few sunny stretches which we runners endured together! It was hot so I wouldn’t say it was fun out there but I did persevere in the heat and finished.
I came in first in my age group (which was a handful of women) and 4th woman overall. All in all a good race. This was 16 seconds off my PR but that was a different race with different conditions so in general I feel good about this. This was a good gauge of my fitness and a confidence boost to get out there and race some more (which I needed.) Happy to overcome my pre-race jitters and simply get out there.
Jonathan Bogaard ran the Cove School 5k and finished in 23:58, which was a PR by 21 seconds.
I had focused on this 5k race to “peak” before switching to another HM training cycle. 10 days off due to an inflamed toe joint early in the training cycle, stayed up too late the night before talking with my son, didn’t sleep well, Pebble watch didn’t seem to want to work at the race, went out too fast – all of this had me thinking that sub-24 (my goal) might not be in the cards today. I tried to push miles 2 and 3 to not drop the pace too much and was successful in keeping sub-24 minutes in striking distance. The last half mile of the course was basically a rutted pasture road but as I passed mile 3 I realized I had a shot at sub-24 and started to pump my arms as fast as I could and try to pick up the pace. Success at 23:58 – met my goal and another PR for this distance. I got the arm pumping from one of the Run to the Top podcasts. Splits were 7:35/7:47/7:46 and a 6:40 pace for the last 10th. My goal was to run 7:50/7:40/7:30. Thanks to all the RC coaches and teammates for their support and encouragement. I know the PR’s and improvements will stop at some point – but not last Saturday. My first 5k was in April 2014 with a 34:19 time. RC gets a lot of credit for my improvement since I joined in April of 2015.
Brian St.George ran the Gary Bjorklund Half Marathon and finished with a time of 1:18:59, which was a PR by 22 seconds.
Great race and a PR. I hit the 1:18’s by 1 sec. I fell a little short on averaging a sub 6 pace, but the conditions were hot and I’m really pleased with how I fought today. I almost fell off the pace around miles 8-9, but noticed I was leaning too far back. I focused on my forward lean and found my way back to a sub 6:00 pace. Finished 4th in my AG and beat some key local competitors.
Calum McLellan ran the Stuttgart Half Marathon with a finishing time of 1:37:30. This was a personal record by 4:12.
I wasn’t sure how fit I was going into this race. I was hoping to get in about a minute or two faster but I just didn’t have it in me to pick up the pace in the second half. It felt like I slowed down a lot in the second half, but after checking my splits online I found out that I only lost 5 seconds in total over the last 11km when compared to the first 10. The 4:14 split on the last km may have helped a bit 🙂
All in all I’m happy with how this race went, especially the almost even splits.
Kory Wnuk ran the Wild Pig Chase Trail Run and finished the race event in the time of 32:31, which was a PR!
It was a 3-mile (approximately) trail race through mud and water that the rains brought. Most of the trail was submerged with water, but there was about a half-mile stretch where the water was nearly to my knees, which obviously made the going rough.
The deep water and unseen submerged tree roots were just made for breaking ankles. I fell, but was uninjured, three times before the conclusion of the race. I did finish 15 overall, which I am happy with considering the conditions. This race was a lot of fun, as there is nothing like getting out there and playing in the mud and water.
Tom Benoit ran the Fairhaven 5K and finished this distance in the time of 24:45, which was a PR!
This was my first 5K race, so I took it somewhat cautiously at the start not knowing what to expect from my body. Goal time was 25:15 – 25:30, and I came in at 24:45, so most pleased.
The course was straight 0.9 miles gradually uphill, then a 1.3 mile loop of hills and flats, then 0.9 miles back gradually downhill. I had the loop pace strategy planned down to the tenth of a mile to manage the hilly parts. Unfortunately, I planned with the loop being run clockwise, but we ran it counter clockwise. So I tossed the planned figures out of my head and went by feel and my breathing pattern as general guides. Did mile 1 moderately hard but holding back some and did 8:11. Mile two I upped the effort (adjusting for hills) and did 8:17. For the last 1.1 miles I went for it and had a 7:31 pace. Ended up 8th out of 60 in my 50-59 age group.
Carmen Lopez-Acevedo ran the Carrera De Madrid 10k and finished in a time of 53:46. This was a new personal record by 1:05.
It was my first 10k race since March and after the Marathon. I hadn´t specifically trained for it but I am obviously improving fitness as although I hoped for a PR I wasn´t sure I could do it. It was a beautiful day in Madrid, sunny and crisp and the course is a fast one. I paced well, think I had a little left in the tank by the end so hopefully I can keep improving and enjoying running!
Jason Sonnek ran the Grandma’s Marathon and finished this race in the time of 3:21:17. This was a personal record by 7:09.
My fourth and best marathon was a bittersweet experience. On the positive side, I improved from top-20% in a field of 6,000 last year to top-6% in a field of 7,500, and I lowered my PR by over 7 minutes. However, I fell well short of both my “A” goal (3:05) and my “B” goal (3:15). This marathon training cycle went almost perfectly and I arrived at the starting line healthy and prepared to run a 3-hr marathon. Unfortunately, the weather did not cooperate. It was 70F with 90% humidity and full sun at the start, and it just got hotter as the day went on. I slowed my planned race pace by ~30s/mi and took at least one cup at every water stop, but it wasn’t enough. I felt decent through 20, but started to get sick (nauseous/delirious) just short of 21. The last 5 miles were a slow slog, but I had my family to cheer me on and I was in good company. Nevertheless, I’m proud of the finish on a tough day and, dare I say, looking forward to taking another crack at it.
Cynthia Mortus ran the River of No Return 50k and completed this distance in the time of 6:38:35.
This was a very challenging and beautiful race. Elevation at the start was 5100 ft and had 2 major climbs totally almost 8000 ft and topping out over 8300 ft. I had been fighting off a cold/upset tummy the week before so struggled with fueling. I started out in the back as coach Jamie told me to. I managed to only get passed twice as I made my way. I passed a lot of people that went out too fast. The first 20 miles took me 5 hrs and the last pounding downhill 11 miles 1:38. I was happy to have enough left to run that pace. I placed 47/109 finishers, 2nd in 50-59, 12/40 women and best of all 3rd in the masters! Thank you Coach Jamie!!
Jared Spencer ran the Wake Forest Rotary 5K with a finishing time of 18:19, which was a PR!
This was my first 5k race and excited to report I won the race with a time of 18:19 which also made this a PR. So thankful for the training program RunnersConnect created for me. I was very prepared for this event, and the weather was cooperative. I started the race by making sure I didn’t go out to fast in the first mile which had me somewhere is 6th over all. By the end of the second mile, I was in 2nd and took the lead at about the 2.5 mile spot. Because of the training plan and preparation, I was able to put on a strong kick to pull away to a 20 second victory. RunnersConnect is the best!! Thanks!!
Grant Hughes ran the Manitoba Marathon and finished with a time of 3:16:55.
All in all, not a bad race given the conditions. Wicked thunderstorms at 4 o’clock in the morning, left lots of water out for it to be nice and humid. To top it off, the winds picked up and swung around to be 12 mph headwinds for the final 2.5 miles.
I started the race with the plan of a pace of 7:10-7:15 for the first 15 miles or so. Man, it was hard holding back the pace and I met that plan with limited success. Having seeded myself in the 3:30 area, I was being passed left right and centre, even though I was still ahead of my pace. Thankfully, the sky was overcast for the majority of the race, but the sun started peekeng out more and more starting at around 18 miles and…I began to fade. Then the turn out onto the 6 lane throughfare for the final couple of mile fight into the headwind. Such fun. For the most part, I was able to run the tangents almost bang on.
Overall, given the conditions out there, I’m happy with that one, even though it wasn’t a PR. 2nd in my age group and 25th of 640 overall. Many thanks to Sarah for getting me here – we’ll kick butt at a (hopefully) cooler Chicago!
Louis Marchand ran the Serie du Diable #2 5k in 19:57, which was a PR by 0:06.
My 2nd 5km local evening race (out of 4) for this summer. Another PB, by 6 sec. this time: 19:57! Honestly, I think I’d rather race a half marathon than a 5km… That is so tough!! But once I crossed the finish line, the experience was totally different seeing that I was under the 20min mark for the first time!
Edward Sum ran the Stouffville Dash for Diabetes 5k and finished this distance in the time of 19:22. This was a PR by 29 seconds!
After running for almost 10 years, this was only my second 5k race, as I’ve mostly been involved in marathons and halves. It was a local race close to my home and work area. It was very hot to start, near 30 degrees Celsius. I knew it was going to be tough going into the race, with the heat and the race plan that Coach Sarah developed for me. Her advice for me to run with mind, body, and heart worked perfectly today. I ended up second overall in the race and placed first in my age group. I was more impressed with how I was able to dig really deep that last mile to pass a few early leaders ahead of me, which I didn’t think was possible during the middle of the race. Great day overall!
Romaine Lewis ran the Healthy Achievement 5k and finished in a time of 20:03. This was a personal record by 41 seconds!
Today was the culmination of my RunnersConnect training program. Although I did not achieve my goal of a sub-20 5k, a 20:03 is nothing to sneeze about! I PR’d by 41 seconds from my last PR on Memorial Day.
The cause of falling short was simple-technology issues. The hand-me-down Garmin Forerunner 10 that I received 2 weeks ago starting showing that I was going 2 minutes per mile during my warmup. So my backup plan was my watch which I’ve used with my armband my previous 2 races. Well, since it took forever to find it, I was still fumbling with it when the gun went off. Solution-Purchase an updated watch tomorrow!
Thanks for all your help. No new race scheduled but I still need RunnersConnect to coach me to better times!
Gord Funk ran the Manitoba Marathon and finished the distance in the time of 3:41:11. This was a massive PR by 50 minutes!
My first marathon had a mile of elevation, so that that’s all I had to go on before this, my second one. So while my improvement over the first marathon is huge, its not really apples and apples.
The first 30 kms rolled out relatively easily at 5min/km. Was aiming for a negative split with a 3:30 time, but I hit the wall around 35kms and finished with the time I did. The day was pretty muggy, and the person who won this year was 12 mins slower than his pace last year, so it seemed to affect everyone.
I’ve very happy with this result, and appreciate the coaching that I received In particular – train slow to go fast. I now have a benchmark that I can use in future races. In the meantime, I think I want to try some trail running – just to ensure that I stay in touch with the beauty or running, and not turn it into a ego-game to achieve a lower number. Thx to everyone who offered encouragement or advice over the last 4 months.
Sean Regan ran the Grandmas Marathon and finished in a time of 3:36:00.
To sum it up, Grandmas Marathon didn’t go down nearly as well as I’d prepared for. But I’m proud of it, just the same. Details: After running a 3:16 last May, and then getting injured and dropping out of last fall’s marathon, I was on the hunt for my first BQ (under 3:15). And…I still am. It just wasn’t to be, as I caught my first-ever taper cold virus 2 days before the race. And then ran in temps ~30 deg F warmer than any of my 4 previous marathons. So clearly the energy my body had to fuel my muscles was reduced. As one measure of comparison, I looked at avg HR per mile vs my 3:16 effort last spring. I didn’t hit the 160 bpm mark until about mile 17. But in this race, I hit it around mile 4-5. So by the time mile 19 rolled around in this one, I more or less blew up! But…I shifted my attitude around well after about a mile of frustration, and decided my new goal was to finish no matter what. I wanted my family (wife and 2 young daughters) to see me practice what I preach…”never give up”… especially when things get tough, or don’t go as planned. And I’m so glad I did! They were all as proud as ever of me. No regrets whatsoever in this one. I’m now enjoying some down time and will refocus on next running goals in the days to come. I truly love this sport. And I’m not giving up on Boston either.
Duane Durant ran a 3 miles race in Hawaii and finished with a time of 20:14.
Was a return to running after knee injury race. Though I didn’t run sub-20 minutes as I’d hoped, it was a great race. It was the first time I felt like I was applying a skill to the sport. Until now, I would essentially muscle through runs. The education from the training plan has changed my approach to training and to racing.
