Maurice McMahon ran the Drogheda Midsummers 5k and finished with a time of 16.02.
Ran a 5k race tonight instead of workout. Ran a seasons best on a tough enough course. Happy. Went in with tired legs and a bit of DOMS still present. Paced race well. Found myself out in 2nd place after about 1k about 20secs or so behind leader. Kept plugging away and caught him at about 3.5k. He kicked on a bit but caught him again on a sharp uphill. Got ahead of me on downhill and he held on to beat me by 1 sec. Official time 16.02.
Scott Gibson ran the Grandma’s Marathon and finished with a time of 3:32:40. This was a personal record by 00:01:10.
The course itself featured gentle rolling hills very consistently throughout the entire 26 miles. There really were very few points of flat elevation, so I took a strategy of aiming for an overall average of 8:00 for the first 10 miles, with 8:10 on uphills and 7:50 on downhills. Past 10 I started giving myself permission to bring the pace down a little, with 7:40’s on downs and closer to 8:00 on uphills, though I still tried to stay in the “green” effort zone at all times.
At mile 21.8, I experienced the first twinge of my weak calf which I have become very familiar with over six marathons, meaning it was about to go into full protection mode (spasm, cramp, etc.). I backed off the pace just in time for Lemon Drop Hill, and I think the calf twinge and slower pace made the hill seem like a piece of cake. I took stock after clearing the hill and remembered Dylan’s advice to leave it on the course, so I ramped up my pace here and there again, only to have the calf repeatedly twinge, and around 23.5 it went into the first of all out spasm. So I had to balance the tightrope knowing I couldn’t push a full 3 miles at full effort. I tried to keep it under a 9 minute pace as best I could, and in the last mile I started cutting down more. I managed to take over a minute off of my PR from 3 years ago (Napa), so I view this race as a definite step forward even though the same calf continues to plague just about every race. I had decided this race was going to be a stepping stone rather than go agressively for a BQ pace, and the fact that I did not end up injured nor didn’t bonk is a fair measure that this strategy worked.
In debriefing with Dylan, we decided that what I did well with this race was controlling the pace out of the gate for the first 2/3 of the race, something I found challenging in my first couple attempts, and I note the effort level was easier than I anticipated (more like 4/2 easy breathing instead of 3/2). We had decided that I should stay in the green/easy zone until somewhere between mile 20 and 22, and I managed to do so until at least 18. My feet fatigue level/soreness was much better than many of my longer training runs (18/20 milers). The one thing that seems to still be the issue to conquer is one of strength. I was much more consistent with strength during training this past cycle, tweaking it continuously with feedback from Dylan and my PTs, but there were still a couple of periods immediately after a few days of niggles or work travel where it fell by the wayside for a few weeks. So I clearly still have much to improve upon.
Josep Kvilhaug ran the B.A.A 10k and finished this distance in the time of 46:25.
So the B.A.A 10k is a 10,000 person race starting at Boston Common running up past Boston University ,turnaround, run back. It’s billed as flat. It isn’t. At BU there is a long 2-tiered hill that hurts. Started out a bit too fast at 7:10….. Fantastic race scenic, running parts of the Boston Marathon course, great weather albeit a tad warm, and just a fun experience. My coaches predicted a 46:30 finish. Well I proved them wrong with a blistering 46:25. That’s 2 consecutive races that the coaches have predicted accurately within 6 seconds. So I ran ok after the too fast start and got progressively faster the last 3 after the hill. Ended up 2nd AG in the very old division. Happy to share the the roads with 10,000 of like-minded friends!
Alona Huber ran the BAA 10K and finished this race in the time of 44:18, which was a PR!
First time racing a 10K! It was sunny and hot. I kept the pace fairly conservative and was able to kick hard at the finish. I’m coming off of a month of marathon recovery so this was a nice “rust buster”.
Leila Hadzic ran the Vučko Trail and completed this race event in the time of 2:12.
I have not plan to race, I felt not ready. I haven’t race since 2017. I think it went well.
Dean Morley ran the Stragglers 10k with a finishing time of 38:22, which was a PR by 1 second!
This may have just been a 1 second improvement over my previous PB, BUT I ran this one over 6 years ago and am 54 now. My main distance is also marathon, so I had no thoughts of breaking it today. To add to this, I had just raced a 10k on the Sunday (38:44 – more normal time). One thing that helped in the race is the general Runner’s Connect race brief, that does encourage you to not start off too fast, hang in with a group around 3-5 miles, and then push on – all of which I managed to do in this race. Just goes to show RC know what they are talking about! Also thanks to Coach Dylan for my new schedule with this early focus on speed, which I am sure has helped.
Maureen Burdock ran the Pride Meet 2019 5k, finishing this distance in the time of 00:23:22. This was a new personal record by 00:03:26.
This was my first ever track and field event. I started too fast but managed to finish fairly strong. I was shocked at my time as I had just hoped to break 26 minutes!
El Jones ran the B+ 5K and finished this race in the time of 23:11.
Racing for kids with cancer. Not happy with my time but It was 89 and 95% humidity. Still managed to squeak 1st in AG. Great after party.
Diane Knowles ran the JP Morgan Chase Corporate Challenge Boston 4 mile and finished in 25:38.
Been running this race for 20+ years. Not my best time ever for this course but a pretty good one. A good 30 sec/mile improvement from last year ?
Marietta Miller ran the Brain Freezin’ for a Reason 5k and finished in a time of 34:21.
The race was for Alzheimer’s and it was my first official race with my granddaughter!
Bridget Decker ran the TRACC Booster Summer Sun 5k and completed this distance in the time of 21:58.
Negative splits- Yea! Took the first mile way too slow (was trying to follow the race recommendations). Don’t remember the last time/if ever I ran a 6:48 min/mi- very happy with that one!
Was also nice to get 2nd for all females and 4th for all males and females (small race helps with that)- just 100M behind the high schoolers who beat me- gotta represent the 40+ crowd!
My average pace was 2 sec/mi slower than my last tune-up race (7 weeks ago), but I’ve been feeling under the weather (tired and sore throat) and this one was at 2000+ ft higher elevation, so I think my fitness has definitely improved despite the slower pace.
Kevin Dollard ran a 15k race and finished with a time of 1:50:40.
Very lucky and no Achilles issues during the race! Very hilly course so went out a little bit conservative but felt pretty great the entire way with a nice spread at the finish. Won the 60+ by 5 minutes.
Fabio Vannucci ran the Grandma’s Marathon and finished this race in the time of 3:01:26. This was a PR by 5 minutes!
First Grandma’s in books. It wasn’t exactly what I was planning but still a 5 min PR. As they said: a PR is a PR doesn’t matter how it was! I showed up on the starting line feeling pretty confident. I don’t think I’ve ever been as fit as I am. So, the plan was to shoot for sub-3 and potentially 2:55. I was on this target until mile 20, when the wheels completely fell off. I went to a bad patch at mile 17, but recovered relatively well. At mile 20, I went from feeling pretty good to trash in a quarter of a mile. The weather was fine (60s). But I was feeling pretty hot and started getting sponges to cool down probably every water stop after mile 15. I thought the nutrition was fine, but not the hydration plan. I only realized it when I crossed the finishing line and started getting cramps everywhere.
In summary, I still think the 2:55 fitness is there, it was just poor execution. No more marathon for me this year, probably a 10K and a 10 mile in the fall. I’ll leave the marathon for next year, perhaps Boston or Chicago.
Finally, I truly appreciated all the support and advise from RC runners and coaches! I really enjoyed the challenges and the learning experiences that we went through during this cycle.
Tony Malinauskas ran the Indian Mud Run 10K and finished this race in the time of 2:45:00.
3rd place in AG! This was a difficult obstacle race that included 70 obstacles and rugged terrain with many steep, slippery hills (requiring ropes to climb) and several long, deep water crossings. This was my 3rd year to participate in this race and my first to avoid any penalties by succeeding at all 70 obstacles! I attribute much of that success to my concentrating on grip endurance training in addition to my running.
Steph Love ran the Grandmas Marathon with a finishing time of 4:42:22, which was a PR!
I feel happy with running a slow, smart race with my friend. Neither of us have been running for very long (this is 4 years for me), so I felt happy that I finished without any injuries, and besides a little sunburn, I think I could do this again. The first half of the course was more rolling than the second half, but the weather was perfect and I had lots of people in place to cheer us on from mile 19-23. I ate every 5 miles, and never had the experience of “bonking”–I just kept running. There is a hill toward mile 23 (Lemon Drop Hill) that looks obnoxious when you come from a basically flat or slightly downhill course and see it looming for a mile, but it turns out the 3 hills at the end felt really good and loosened up my legs so I could run much faster the last couple of miles. I do not think I have the fitness right now to run a whole marathon at that speed, but I think I could build up to it. All in all, for a first marathon, it was the right amount of challenge, and all of my training and practice with fueling, clothing, etc. worked great. Thanks to the RC coaches and community for all of the help and support.
Carie Wille ran the Grandmas Marathon with a finishing time of 3:27:06. This was a massive personal record by 20 minutes!
My first Grandma’s Marathon! Ran it with my sister, which made it that much better than other marathons in the past. PR’ed by 20 minutes and qualified for Boston, so extremely happy with the results. We made a very conscious effort to stay controlled the first few miles, which made a big difference, although that last mile was a doozy?. Weather was just about perfect, and spectators were amazing. Thank you to the RC coaches and runners for your support throughout this journey!
Nicolas Mimoglou ran the 10K of Bois de Vincennes and finished with a time of 59:16.
This is my first 10k after my fracture. Before that, I didn’t know what to expect but I felt I hadn’t come back to my earlier fitness. So this race was something “”new”” to me!
For the first half, I just tried to see if I could run at the pace my coach had “”told”” me. Then, I saw the pacer of 1h outrun me and decided to follow him. This showed I was confident enough to do that. At km7, he stopped to drink and I outran him. Then, in the last 2 km, I made bigger strides, keeping the same pace, and had the pleasure of seeing my pace go up!
The last 200 meters were somewhat difficult, due to the sun and to the paving stones, but tried to keep the pace. What a pleasure to see I had made it in less than 1h!
Neil Edwards ran the Runfest Wales – 10k and finished this race in the time of 49:12, which was a PR by 0:02:26.
Well I’ve got to be happy with that achieved what I set out to do which was a sub 50. It was tough going though the race plan went out the window pretty much from the start as I realised I was running the first mile too quick so slowed it down. The 2nd and 3rd miles were ok I was at the right pace but then the final 3 miles were probably a bit too quick for me I found it getting harder to maintain the pace but pushed through. It was cloudy but a very warm day which didn’t help at times there was a nice breeze as the run was along the coast. Nevertheless, I got the desired result so I’m very happy I couldn’t have given any more.
Katie Halder ran the Grandmas Marathon and finished in a time of 3:29:21, which was a PR!
FIRST MARATHON, done! Wow! Grandma’s Marathon with my sister. Gorgeous, perfect weather. It was so great to be able to run with my sister for a majority of the race. Held back in the early miles and so glad I did. I have heard of the wall and the last 4 miles were a STRUGGLE. I hit it HARD!! I was able to still end up with a goal time of just under 3:30 and a BQ qualifying time. I followed my fueling strategy of water with each water stop and huma gel every 4 miles.
Thank you Runners Connect coaching for the great support and for the Runners Connect community support! I am so glad that I went into my first marathon with this community and coaching. I don’t think I would have the success without all of you and HUGE shout out to my sister, Carie for encouraging me along the way and showing how to persevere and go after it!
Mary Apsey ran the Mammoth Half Marathon with a finishing time of 1:50.22.
This was the hardest half I’ve done. Although there is a net descent of 1200 ft, the race starts at 9000 ft above sea level so the lack of oxygen makes it difficult. The scenery was beautiful and there was good course support. My official time was 1:50.22 which didn’t match up to the 1:55 on my watch. However, I was running this one for fun and not a PB so it doesn’t really matter.
Julio Castillo ran the MRSQ 50K and completed this distance in the time of 4:45:00. This was a huge personal record by 28 minutes!
From the start I ran with another friend, he’s faster but didn’t really train that much for distance in the last couple of months. He still managed to keep the pace for around 37K when he told me to go on my own, since he wasn’t able to keep the speed anymore. From that moment I was on my own, I knew there were 2 more aid stations ahead (and that the fun uphill will start in 3 more Ks) , so I stopped on the first one and refilled my bottle with half water/half gatorade and took off not really stopping on the last station.
I could see someone from the race around 200m ahead, so with 4K to go I set my goal to slowly try to catch up to him, plan worked well and after 2K he started to walk, so I could join him, he started running again with me and kept me company for a good 600m when he decided to take another break. I started to push since I felt I still have some energy left on the legs and crossed the finish line with a nice PB and with a strong finish.
Joe Sonnek ran the Grandmas Marathon with a finishing time of 3:04:59, which was a PR by 26 seconds!
It was my 25th marathon and I was able to set a PR by 26 seconds! It was the first time I have been under 3:10 in 10 years, and I was able to beat my previous PR that was set in 2004. I qualified for Boston by 1 second!
Gillian Ross ran the B.A.A. 10l 10k and finished this distance in the time of 50:33. This was a PR by 5 minutes!
Tough race, hot out. I pr’d but the last 10K I did it was even more hot and humid. I altered my paces based on the temperature calculation but it wasn’t enough. I kept my paces fairly even but struggled a lot mile 4 and 5 but was able to pull out a strong finish for the last 800m.
Ian Spencer ran the Harry Hawkes 10 mile and finished this race event in the time of 1:21:57.
Despite struggling a bit over the last two miles I still managed to win the M70 category. Unusually for me I slept very badly the night before and this may have affected me. Bit slower than a 10 mile race I ran on 19th April in a time of 1:19:27. Also I have found it beneficial to have two days rest before a race which I didn’t have this time.
Andre Arseneau ran the K-100 Relay (10 mile) and completed this distance in the time of 1:23:48, which was a PR!
I ran leg 7 of the K-100 relay for team Lost in Pace. The race starts in the foothills and ends in the Rocky Mountains. My leg started with a generous downhill and finished with a short one. In between was more undulating. I was very pleased with my pace. Once again I was motivated to push through any thoughts of easing up because I was competing for my teammates. It’s a valuable lesson. And the team atmosphere was terrific!
Kevin Daniel ran the Bulls and Bandits 5k with a finishing time of 0:24:14.
This was a small, local 5k that we were able to squeeze in due to some last minute problems with the original plan of a half-marathon. I ended up third overall, and first in my age group, which was pretty cool! The course was hot at 2:00 PM, and the distance was a little off, but it was a ton of fun.
Adam Davis ran the Mammoth Lakes Half Marathon and finished with a time of 2:03:47.
4th in age group but what made it special was running with my son, sorta, he beat me by 26 minutes!!!
Darci LaFave ran the BAA 10K and finished with a time of 0:48:16.
BAA 10K! The hot and humid weather was a challenge for me, but I took in water, stayed steady, and ran fairly well. Needed a porta-john stop about 2 miles in, but that’s ok too. Finished 1030/8003 Overall, 243/4444 Females, 7/259 F50-54. This wasn’t a 10K personal best, but it was a race PB. I enjoyed the race and had a great time in Boston!
