Thanasis Kypraios ran the GoteborgsVarvet Marathon and finished with a time of 3:29:28. This was a personal record by 13 minutes!
Trip to Gothenburg. Tourism, visiting relatives and participation in the city’s half marathon (it is considered to be the world’s largest half marathon). This is the second time I have been to Gothenburg and run the race, so this year I wanted to do something special and a little crazy. So, I did the half twice (with an 1 hour interception). Conservatively the first half (1:45:47) and a little faster the second one (1:43:41) which led to a super Marathon PB (3:29:28), first time sub 3:30.
At last, I ran a marathon with cold weather and a little rain every now and then. Next goal: Athens Authentic Marathon, can I do a sub 3:30 there? This is the challenge…!
Lindsay DiMarco ran the Race for Blake 5k, finishing this distance in the time of 22:07.
While not technically a PR due to the long course (3.3 miles), I hit the 5k in 20:49 which is a PR for me for 3.1 miles (my previous 5k official PR was on a short course). This race was tough with tons of rolling hills and near 100% humidity so even though it wasn’t an official PR, I can tell that I’m improving as a few months ago, I would have raced much slower in these conditions.
Bjorg Klem ran the AirBnB Brooklyn Half Marathon and finished in a time of 1:55:55, which was a PR by 1:39.
This was my spring goal race that I have been working towards since the beginning of the year coming off injury. I had a good 10 mile tune-up in early April and a great half marathon in mid April and was confident in my training. Apart from the humidity I had a great race. I followed the race plan pretty well: first 5k at 9:03 pace, then 8:50, 8:36 and 8:41 for the next 3 5k splits. The last 6 miles of the course is a straight, flat stretch down to Coney Island – it should be fast (and it was) but I found it tough mentally as all you see ahead of you is an endless sea of runners and all you can do is count down the streets from avenue C to Z and then some. We finally turned right around the 20k mark and I just had to walk for a bit, the humidity finally got to me. I checked my watch for the last time and realized I was closer to my 1:55 A goal than my 1:57 B goal and I think that’s what got me running again. In addition to the half marathon PR, my garmin gave me a new 10k PR. The race also completed my 9+1 requirements for guaranteed entry to NYC marathon 2017.
Thank you to the coaches – Michael and Jamie in particular – and the RC community for your advice, support, inspiration and motivation.
Rick Lopez ran the XTerra Malibu Creek 22K and finished this distance in the time of 2:50:56. This was a massive personal record by 50 minutes!
This race goes up the popular “Bulldog Trail.” It features 1800ft of total gain in 4 miles near the start – 1650ft of it packed into 3 miles! – running through the M*A*S*H set, and spectacular, rocky terrain with views of the ocean once we hit the top, running along the Backbone Trail. I ran this route once before and was dreading that long climb but this time weather was kind, I’m in better shape for climbing, so I managed to improve my time by about 50 minutes! It was a fun day, but my quads are feeling it!
Brian St.George ran the Fargo Half Marathon and finished with a time of 1:20:16, which was a PR!
I stuck to my pacing plan through mile 10 and felt overall good with the pace. I was running with a pack of 4 most of the race that all looked in their 20-30’s. I did what I could to maintain our 6:05 pace after 10 and pulled ahead as most of the 4 started to drop off. I think the heat was getting to all of us. One of them caught me in the last 100 meters, but i’m still happy that I was able to stay ahead of the others and lead that group through those last few miles. I finished 20th overall (4000+ in the half) first in my 40-44 age group, and 2nd master runner which gets me a $300 pot. As an added bonus, my time was the 4th fastest in 15 yr race history for my AG. Best of all, I’m pain-free two days after the race. Time to build on what I’ve got started this year.
Jonathan Bogaard ran the Lew Blond 5k and finished in 24:16, which was a 35 seconds PR!
This is my third time running this local race. Perfect weather and a nice flat course for a good cause (raise funds for ALS). In 25 months I have gone from my first 5k at 34;19 to this one at 24;16 – a 10 minute improvement! I know I’ve told my journey before but for new RC members who might read this I want them to know that sticking with it pays off. RC has been part of the journey for the last 13 months and has made a huge difference. I enjoy the racing and the PR’s but my overall health (I lost 50 pounds – I know that’s mostly “kitchen” but without the exercise calories) and fitness has improved dramatically. The variety of the workouts, the science that the coaches explain and the awesome coaches and teammates makes RC so valuable to me. I’m not sure I would have stuck with it without the RC support. I went out a little fast on this one (big surprise – right?) and worked hard through the middle to pick up the pace a little. I felt like I lacked “kick” at the end but the PR and my ISR split says I did speed up so that’s great. One more 5k goal race and then its a switch to HM training for a September goal race.
Anne-Lise Vivier ran the Brooklyn Half Marathon with a finishing time of 2:00:18.
This race was a battle all along, mostly, I think, because I did not have my cough and allergies under control. I knew pretty early that I would not PR, but I was hoping to break the 2-hour mark, which I missed by 18 seconds. I was losing speed during the first half of the race, without being able to do anything about it (it was in the park, which is why I blame it on allergies..) and did better during the second half on the Parkway (a lot less trees). I finished a lot stronger than last year, and this is the only thing I am happy about. On a happier note, this race was also my sister-in-law’s first half marathon and she did well. I’m proud of her! Nice bonding experience. 🙂
Mihir Saswadkar ran an Half Marathon in Mumbai and finished with a time of 2:53:13.
I was targeting 2:15 or lower. As things panned out, I sped early, in the 9th km. never recovered from that and ended with my slowest HM time ever. Also, the heat played a part as I slowed down, which I hadn’t originally factored in.
Laurie Householder ran the Miles for Meals 5k and finished in a time of 21:19. This was a PR by 25 seconds.
This was only my 2nd truly competitive 5k effort after years of marathon training. My only goal going into the race was to beat my previous time from last month (21:44) and, of course, a podium finish would be nice! However, since I can’t control which speedy runners show up on race day, I was set on following my race plan to ensure a PR. From the start, I was the front female and didn’t have much competition around me other than males, so I settled into my pace, tried to reign in more of the guys over time, not slow down, and kick it into 5th gear in the last half mile. I finished feeling like I did all of those things to the best of my current ability. Finished 1st female overall! That’s a first for me (and, hopefully, not my last!) I’m encouraged to see improvements in just a a short time period of doing speedwork and can’t wait to see how much speedier I can get in coming months for a late summer 10k and a fall half marathon.
Alain Blais ran the Marathon SSQ de Longueuil Marathon and finished this race in the time of 03:49:55.
I’m very happy with that race. It’s not my PR but I improve by 5 minutes with my last marathon. It was hot 24 Celsius and the second half was tough for everybody, I don’t meet runners with a PR today. The only problem is my chip time, and official time on Sportstats.ca it’s exactly the same. On my Garmin I was 3:49:15. It does not matter I’m happy with my achievement.
Tony Malinauskas ran the The Battlegrounds Mud Race 5 Mile and finished this distance in the time of 1:22:14.
Came in 2nd of 57 in my age division! During the race I thought I must be doing poorly because this one runner who appeared to be in my age group zipped out of sight from mile 1.5, but it turns out that he was the only one ahead of me. Anyway, it was terrific weather for a run, and I had been wanting to run at this venue since this winter when I found out about them and their claim to be “the best permanent mud obstacle course in the Midwest.” There were plenty of obstacles and some were quite interesting, though the terrain was not nearly as rugged as that of my local permanent course (near Cincinnati).
Sean Smith ran the Ogden Half Marathon and finished with a time of 1:31:17. This was a personal record by 2 minute 22 seconds.
Cool temperatures and a total downpour of rain (just the way I like it). I felt really good in the first mile and was confident that I would be able to post a new PR. This race was special because it was a solid bounce back from a disappointing Boston Marathon. I feel that my training before and since that race finally showed up on the scorecard!
After the first few miles, I ran the race by feel. I had my GPS watch, but put it in “clock mode” and just used my instincts. There was a point at about mile 8 or 9, when I made a choice to let go and go for it. I could have just stayed steady, but I decided I had it in me to push just a little harder. It was that decision that helped me post a great time. This was a PR for me, a 3rd place in my age group, and I only need to shave off 8 seconds/mile or so in order to run sub 1:30. I am confident that can be done fairly soon!
Great race and although I am new to RC, I have already learned a lot and enjoy the support of my fellow runners!
Sharon Mosley ran the Airbnb Brooklyn Half Marathon in 2:14:33, which was a PR by 5 minutes!
A half marathon PR by 5 minutes, all thanks to RunnersConnect! First, 5 minutes might not seem like a lot, but for me it’s huge because this was half marathon #11. Each of my previous ones, I was trying to get to 2:15, but I was always very far off due to my own lack of knowledge about training. The closest I have come is 2:19 in 2012, down from my first half (2:42) in 2010.
Last week, I had a coaching call with Coach Michael to set up a race plan. I was excited to actually go into a race with an actual plan aside from to just run the best I can, don’t be last, and always finish. The main thing he cautioned me was not to go out too fast in the first miles, which I tend to do in any distance race. The only thing was that this was my first time participating in such a huge race. When my wave started at 7:45am, we moved inch by inch, and I didn’t actually cross the start line until after 8am! By the time I crossed the start line, I knew I was supposed to hold back my pace and really really tried, but it was extra challenging because of the crowds and because it felt like I had just waited so long to run. I probably went out too fast and then realized too late and pulled back my pace. The next few miles were small rolling hills, and I passed quite a few people and felt great. I was excited to get out of the park to take advantage of the flat and downhills of the final miles. Miles 12 and 13 were actually my fastest! This has never happened in any of my previous races. Also, one thing I noticed is that this was my fastest half marathon, and I wasn’t even that sore at the end or even today (the next day) like I usually am when I “self-train”. I hope this means that I have an even faster half marathon time in me at some point.
Overall, thank you RunnersConnect not just for the training plan, but for answering all of my questions. Thank you also to all of the other RC members. It’s inspiring to see everyone post their training good and bad and in between. It keeps me motivated especially on the days when I don’t want to do anything running-related.
Mark Bunkowske ran the Fargo Half Marathon, finishing this distance in the time of 1:37:10.
The Fargo Half Marathon was my first tune-up race in preparation for a full marathon this fall. I’ve run two marathons and a few half-marathons before. However, this race was unique in that I was able to recover quickly from a hard effort in the middle of the race. I ended up running negative splits and according to mtecresults, from Mile7 on, I passed 77 people and was passed by 1. I attribute this to the RC emphasis on aerobic conditioning. In previous marathon training, I was adequately trained to run a half-marathon or 10K but now I feel like I’ll be more able to handle the rigors of the marathon.
Race Results: http://www.mtecresults.com/runner/show?race=4076&email=1&rid=3124
Jim Paterson ran the SUP and Run 5K with a finishing time of 25:06.
This was my first competitive 5K since coming back from injury early this year. I managed 2nd in Age Group and within a minute of my PR. I was pleased with my performance and know what I need to work on to get back to 100%. The weather was great sunny and 73F and the course around the lake was superb.
Aaron Sobel ran the Impact A Hero 5k and finished this race event in the time of 25:38. This was a new personal record by 1 minute.
Was very happy with my race. A PR by a minute and best 5K I’ve run in years. I hit my all too predictable focus lack / fade after mile 2, but the difference this time was I refused to settle into a slower pace. Put the hammer down and told myself “Not today.” Credit to the new training plan, which really prepared me much better (thanks Coach Danny!). Looking forward to my next 5K in a few weeks.
Erik Hartmann ran the Canandaigua Classic Half Marathon and finished in a time of 1:35:11.
Very tough climbs in this race, especially miles 7 and 8.
Grace Martinez ran the Brooklyn Half Marathon and finished this distance in the time of 1:43:03. This was a personal record by 8 minutes!
I felt strong through the whole race. It made me realize how much I need to pace myself better, especially in the beginning. I didn’t prepare myself with the proper pace times to get the finish time I really wanted (1:40) so I ran too slow in the beginning. But because I felt great and strong during the race, I think 1:40 is attainable for me next time. This run reminded me how much I love running and how far I’ve come since I started. Thank you so much for your help.
Ralph Toussie ran the Brooklyn Half Marathon and finished with a time of 1:30:34, which was a PR by 1:18.
Writing this with my feet up and a big smile on my face after surprising myself with a shiny new PR! Really doubted myself going into this race given issues with my hip. Hip never seemed to be an issue but around mile 9 the opposite side calf started twitching and threatening to cramp up. Thankfully it never materialized into a full cramp.
I’ve only been with RC for a little over a month. I’m excited to train in earnest for the NYC marathon this coming November! Thanks to all the coaches and fellow RC members for their advice and support the last few weeks!
