Barbara Powell ran the Chicago Marathon and finished the race with a time of 3:25, which was a personal record by 6 minutes!
Not only was this race a 6 minute PR for me, but I was able to really prove to myself how strong I can be when I commit to a plan and push myself. I went out at a controlled 8 min/mile pace to start out and pulled through a negative split for my second half, with my final set of mileage tucking tight to 7:30/mile. I lost out on about a minute of time because I had to stop at mile 15 for a porta potty break– I wasn’t able to get it out before the race started! But it didn’t deter me or set back my mindset, I kept it going and picked up my pace from there. I am really excited to take a break and then get onto training for Boston Marathon this upcoming Spring! Loved every moment in Chicago, it is a gorgeous course with amazing energy and tons of fun!!
Robert Hardy ran the Mohawk Hudson Marathon and finished in a time of 4:37:55, which was a new PR!
Well, first marathon in the books. What an incredible day. The weather was perfect. I knew it would be tough for sure, but I had no clue what I was in for. Coach Sarah told me intend on the last 6 miles being a living hell and she was right. At one point my hamstrings and knee were just in so much pain. On a little walk break at mile 21, I was trying to figure out some new mantras or anything to get me through the end. I texted Sarah because I felt I need something. She answered me right away and said “I’m right there with you. Take it a half mile at a time! you got this! It bought a tear to my eye, That some I have never even met would help me out after finishing her own marathon about an hour away 5 states away (In 2 hours less than me! She’s amazing) anyways that text alone got me through the last 5 miles and a finish to an incredible day. This service has been invaluable to me! Could have never done it alone. Sarah has helped me not only through running but a lot of life issues as well. I’m honored to call her a friend now and hopefully for a long time!! Told myself after the race never again will I do that! This morning, already hit google for my next marathon!
Rajeev Singh ran the PRBM 2015 Half Marathon and finished with a time of 2:23:50.
Finished strong without any problems at all. This was not my goal race but tune-up event
Anthony Boyadjis ran the Steamtown Marathon, finishing this distance in the time of 4:22:58.
This was a workout for me, as I ran with my daughter on her first marathon. I wanted to pace her to 10:00 per mile and it was a perfect run on a perfect Fall day. Beautiful course. I may well come back next year to race it. This wasn’t really even a tune up race as I ran it as a long run.
Emily Pilotte ran the Mohawk Hudson River Marathon and finished with a time of 3:38:09.
This was a tough race. My legs just never felt right, from very early on, which is obviously not a good thing in a marathon. I pulled every mental trick out I could to keep moving and fought ’til the end to get a BQ for ’17 and feel very fortunate to have at least salvaged that. Without RC I wouldn’t have been able to pull that off. I am very appreciative of the support from the coaches and fellow members that I got along the way. Thank you!
Karen Wilson ran the Chicago Marathon and finished with a time of 4:01:34, which was a 3:06 minute PR!
Just got back from an amazing marathon experience in Chicago! I managed to get a new PR of more than 3 minutes from a PR I made 8 years ago!! I decided to run with the 4:00 pace group because I was running too fast during my workouts. BTW, I ignored my Garmin because it was completely useless, my pace was all over the place! I was told the 4:00 group was behind me, so once again I was reminding myself to slow down. All was good and I was feeling great but started drinking more Gatorade than usual because I was really feeling dehydrated and “salty”. So instead of taking in another gel I skipped it and drank and drank until I got stomach cramps at mile 23. I had to walk quite a distance twice to recover and slowly got to running again. I was hoping to get a grunt under 4:00 hours but I really can’t complain because I’ve gotten faster and stronger and PR’d! I owe it all to RC’s solid training methods. Thanks to all for the encouragement : )
Michael Iban ran the Gualala River 5K and finished with a time of 22:31, which was a PR by 10 seconds.
One tune up race completed, two tune up races to go before the CIM. I finished second overall, first in my age group. The course was hilly and picturesque as it followed the Gualala River towards the Pacific. The start was a steep 1K downhill similar to Hopkinton, followed by a series of rollers prior to the turnaround. The entire course was covered by a canopy of trees, which rendered the 620 useless; so I ran by feel as the coaches prescribed. The pace for the first mile felt slightly slower than target, then from mile one to mile two I ran what felt like target pace. As the turnaround approached, I counted fine runners ahead of me. At the turnaround I felt like I could pick off all but the first runner. So, as the coaches prescribed, I ran the last mile as fast as I could, and started picking runners off one at a time. My previous 5K PR was on a flat course; so achieving a PR on a hilly course with a killer uphill finish made this race particularly gratifying. Next tune up race is a 10K in two weeks. Woohoo.
Kim Rankin ran the Florida 10 – Lakeland and finished this race in the time of 1:02:43.
This race was a good tune up race. I was a little slower than my desired pace. But I did some things better this race that I’m happy about. I didn’t go out too fast. I had a cold and temps and humidity were back on the high side. So this tune up race gave my confidence that as the temps get cooler , I will be on target for my races.
Debra Hexsel ran the Chicago Marathon and finished with a time of 3:33:55. This was a new personal record by 6:00.
What a day… The take away: Trust your training and trust your coach. Thanks to Runners Connect and Coach Sarah I’ve achieved so much this year and especially this Sunday. Longest I’ve stayed healthy, two marathons in one year, a 2016 and 2017 BQ a PR and an AG win.
Now to the race: It was going to be warm as we progressed through the run so I was focused on hydration and not going out too fast. Oh and wind too. I tucked in behind a group running 3:35. First event I’ve run bottle free and it worked. First event I haven’t done run/walk and it worked. Besides run/relax/enjoy I kept saying don’t let your goal slip away. Go after it. That is how I handled getting back on track from those late water stops!
I knew I was on pace to PR but it wasn’t until an hour later visiting with Coach Sarah after the race that we found out I’d won my age group–me, holy cow! Plus a BQ. Still work to be done though as hard as it is to believe, the 60 year old age group would have had me in 4th place. Still pinching myself to find this all real.
Brian Atkins ran the Long Beach Marathon and finished with a time of 4:36.
This was the worse race I have ever had. I ran strong for the first 20 miles and was pretty much on track. Then I bonked. After that I could only run for about a minute at a time. I believe that the weather peaked out at 99 degrees. So it was the hottest race I have ever run.
MJ Llamas ran the Chicago Marathon and finished the race in the time of 4:59.
I had high hopes for Chicago after my awesome PR spring Shamrock marathon early this year. Both courses are fast/flat and my summer training showed all signs green. But somehow I just felt off during the race — a previous ITBS injury started to creep around Mile 19ish, my tummy was unsettled after Mile 10.
Nonetheless, being so new to racing marathons, since joining RC in June 2013, I have already raced 3 full marathons and 3 halfs (all halfs PR’d). I have more to learn as a runner and although the stars did not align for me in Chicago, I still had a great time running it and truly proud of what I’ve done. It made it even more special that my 83yo Mom was waiting for me around Mile 6.5ish (the course runs past her condo). I stopped to give her a big kiss & hug and she asked how come I’m not sweating. I said, I’m just warming up!! I don’t think she got the joke 🙂
Of course, I can’t end this report until I thank all our RC coaches — Jamie, Danny, Sarah, Jeff. And all RC members who rally behind us, supporting our ups & downs, high-fiving our accomplishments. For all you do and have done, thank you for molding me into a better, faster and smarter runner today.
Russ Shupe ran the Bemidji Loop the Lake 26K and finished with a time of 2:57:42.
I was originally going to run the marathon but a number of family issues came up that really prevented me from training in the last couple of months. So I switched to the shorter distance (26K Loop around Lake Bemidji) and pretty much ran it as a long training run. It was a beautiful weekend and the scenery around the Minnesota North Country is a real treasure.
Tom McCray ran the Chicago Marathon and finished in 3:42:23. This was a personal record by a whopping 42 minutes!
My time running Chicago was amazing, the weather was beautiful and the best & loudest crowd ever. Three years ago I set a goal to run a sub 4 hour marathon before turning 40. Thanks to RC and all the workouts during this past hot summer I kept my promise and crushed my goal. The hardest part was trusting my race plan, easy pace to 5k, slowly pick it up to my steady pace to mile 20 and “as fast as you can go” because there is free beer at the finish. At the half way point I was at 1:51 and feeling that I banked some energy. From there until 20 all I can remember is a voice telling me to “work this mile” and “Trust your training “. 10k to go and the oain kicked in, but this time I was prepared for it and started thinking about how proud I was of myself when I completed my fast finish 20 mile run 3 weeks before and I wanted that feeling again. The last miles were hard, but I did it as fast I could go, thank you again RC coaches and team. In the end I don’t think I knocked down the wall, but i am happy to say I found the door to the other side.
Becky Purdy ran the Hartford Half Marathon and finished with a time of 1:51:53.
Tune-up race. Beautiful fall day. Tried to stay relaxed through 10 miles then picked it up for last 5k, working to pick off people rather than just trying to run faster.
Tim Peoples ran the Chicago Marathon and finished in a time of 5:43:00.
What an amazing experience. My time was much slower than I was wanting and ended up a bit injured, but I finished with a big smile. The crowds were the best I ever experienced at a marathon. Music and cheering almost the entire 26.2 miles. Well organized with lots of water stations as it was hot.
Art Mercurio ran the Mohawk Hudson River Marathon and finished with a time of 4:10:41.
Most of the course was stunning- bike paths along the Mohawk and Hudson Rivers with perfect fall weather. I had planned to follow Coach Jamie’s advice to take the first six miles slow. However, I got locked into the 4 hour pace group at the start because they seem to be starting a little slower and it was hard to get out because of the narrow bike path. I stayed with them until 13.1 and then made the unwise decision to surge ahead. I was OK until mile 20 and then it was payback time. Last 6 miles were tough and my pace dropped significantly. I did finish two minutes faster than my last marathon in March. Lesson learned- follow your coach’s advice!! Many thanks to fellow RC runner Emily Pilotte and her family for cheering me on at the end.
John Sheridan ran the Chicago Marathon and finished the distance in the time of 4:22:11. This was a massive PR by 1:07:15.
I did the Chicago marathon last year and finished, but it wasn’t pretty. I say “did” and not “ran” because I used a run/walk strategy and there was a lot of plain walking involved after the 30k mark. The reality was I just wasn’t ready to run a marathon. I had only been running for about 18 months, and I wasn’t in good enough shape or durable enough yet. I had read an article by Coach Jeff (although I wasn’t a member of RC yet) about why beginners should wait to run a marathon, but I ignored it. I hadn’t been running for 3-4 years, and I couldn’t comfortably run 35-40 miles a week as he said you should be able to, but I wanted to do a marathon and that was that.
Well, after my second-to-last longest run last training season, I started to get shin splints and basically had to taper starting five weeks out from the race. Whatever fitness I had ebbed away over the the next five weeks, and my finishing time was 5:29:26. Still, I was determined to actually run a marathon, so I took two weeks off and then trained all through the winter, spring, and summer, and Joined RC; the result was a massive PR. My goals for this race were 1) to finish; 2) run the whole way; 3) PR; 4) break five hours; 5) finish in 4:30 or less. I’m extremely pleased because I accomplished all of my goals for this race, and I genuinely feel that RC made a big difference in the outcome of this race.
Calum McLellan ran the Munich Marathon and finished with a time of 3:45:30. This was a personal record by 0:18:35.
I had 3 goals going into this one: no walking, negative split and sub 3:40 (in order of importance). I was really happy with how I ran the first half. I kept things really easy – all the easy running in training paid off: I was used to applying the brakes even if I felt good. After 37km I struggled to keep a pace 1min/km slower than goal pace. I think this may have been a lack of water. I drank at all the stations but wasn’t used to drinking out of paper cups when running and foolishly didn’t slow down to have a decent drink (also, as I got tired in the second half I was drinking less and less at each station). Just before 40km there was a drink station where I stopped to down 2 cups of water and one of sports drink. I felt better for the last 2km after the fluids but the damage was already done.
So… I achieved goal number 1 – no walking! I was close enough to the other goals to feel good about the race. The improvement over Paris in April was huge (crash at 37km compared to 26km with a lot of walking in the last 10km).
Jeff Miles ran the Army Ten Miler and finished the race distance in the time of 69:44, which was a new PR!
John Ranger ran the Chicago Marathon and finished with a time of 3:19:03. This was a personal record by 09:22.
I wasn’t sure how to approach this race whether to go with the 3:15 pacers or 3:20. In the end I felt very comfortable and settled in with the 3:15s. Everything was going smoothly and seemed relatively comfortable going through the half bang on schedule but after a few more kilometers I could feel myself just drifting off the back a little. As I got to mile 20 I knew it was going to be tough. It was pretty warm, I was getting a lot more headwind and the fast first half came back to bite. I tried to stick with it, checking off each mile marker as it came and went, finally crossing in 3:19:03, an almost 9 1/2 minute PR and a 2017 BQ by 11 minutes.
Ben Lundell ran the Chicago Marathon and finished this distance in the time of 3:20:10, which was a PR by 6:30.
Ran Chicago for Team Zero Prostate Cancer charity, in honor of my fathers successful treatment this year. Was looking to run around 3:15 but I had difficulty relaxing into that pace. I was happy I was able to run by feel looking only at mile splits and decided to have a “B” goal of 3:20. This goal helped me focus when I was really hurting, which felt like much of the race. I cramped in my hamstring 50 meters from the finish line as I tried to sprint to a finish below 3:20 and had to limp the rest. I was laughing to myself because at that point I could’ve cared less about being 10 seconds over and was just happy to have put in a solid effort. Congrats to all of the other RC runners in Chicago!
Rajesh Inbasekaran ran the Chicago Marathon and finished with a time of 3:59, which was a new personal record!
This was my first Marathon, was trying to keep it slow, after the last experience on the half marathon on a hot humid day. Felt pretty good after the race, thanks to all the training.
Teresa Perez ran the Red Gold Run To Crush Hunger and finished this race event in the time of 50.28.
I got to see and run with a lot of my friends. It’s affiliated also with a chili cook off so it’s a very big festivity in my hometown. All put on by Red Gold.
Diane Souza ran the Newport Marathon and finished with a time of 5:21:17, which was a new PR!
This was my first marathon for me and 3 of my friends. Very challenging course with a lot of hills especially the second half. I felt great the first 12 miles, but once we ran by the finish for the half marathoners, I had a hard time mentally cause I wanted to finish too. The last 6 miles really sucked!!! I never thought I would finish started cramping in gluteus and hamstrings cause of all the HILLS. Howeve, it was a beautiful course and the weather was perfect! I am glad I finished! I don’t know if I will sign up for another one, but I will continue with 5k, 10k, 10 milers and half marathons for sure, hopefully improve my times.
Mohamed Vazquez ran the 7th Buffalo Stampede Half Marathon and finished with a time of 1:25.
It is my second tune up race in preparation for my full marathon in December 6, 2015. I always enjoy racing and push it to the limit. I have done 1:25 twice this year and it’s been a great experience so far in this race and Austin half last 2/2015. Still need to work more in good pacing for my races but will continue working in that for the next 8 weeks. Enjoy the race itself and it really hurts in the last three miles but that’s what is all about…
Sheila Brown ran the GoodLife Victoria Half Marathon and finished this race in the time of 2:21:31. This was a personal record by 4:00.
After a massive rain and wind storm yesterday, today was clear and calm, a perfect running day. Km 6-8 were on a very tiltly road through a park, which aggravated my IT band. Probably should have stopped, but chose to keep going and baby the legs. Walked through all the water stations, which helped. Made the decision to stop looking at the Garmin pace and just by feel, enjoying the process of running.
Was 1:12:15 at the 10k mark, and passed the 2:30:00 pace bunny shortly after, so I knew I was about where I wanted to be. About 17k, I thought my leg was going to give in and I got very nauseous, but kept plugging away, and it passed. At 19 k, made the decision to start passing some of the people who had been bugging me for awhile, and at 20 k, sped up some more when I realized I was at 2:15:08 and had a chance of making my goal of 2:20:00. I was close, crossed at 2:21:31 chip time. if I had not stopped to take a couple of pictures and sent a few text messages, I would have been under my goal time, but this was a race to share with others who have been supporting me through the training.
Helen Barnes ran the Brooklyn Rock & Roll Half Marathon and finished in a time of 1.56.27, which was PR by 10 mins.
I have ran few half marathons in the past and never made it under 2 hours so whilst this was a training run leading into the New York Marathon in 3 weeks I still hoped I could come in under 2 hours. A well needed mental boost after 6 months of training.
A very early race time start and a 30 min delay meant I started the race with numb fingers. Great racing conditions weather wise once the sun came up and a nice not too hilly course meant I felt great from the first few steps and I stayed like that until the end. I made a judgment call half way through and decided that 2 hours was within my grasp but I did not want to over do it and have my hips be in great pain post race (my biggest problem as I have spine issues) so I slowed my pace from 8.5 min miles down to 9.
My final time was 1.56.27 which is almost a 10 min PB for me so I am beyond happy especially as I feel I had a whole lot more in the tank. I enjoyed every minute of the race for the first time in my life and that’s down to the incredible training and preparation I have had from runners connect. The fact that I was barely out of breath doing sub 9 min miles and that I had enough mental strength to hold myself back to protect my marathon race in 3 weeks is nothing short of a miracle for me in every aspect.
Running up to this race I have been feeling very low in confidence so I could not be happier that I am now mentally prepared and very excited for the New York Marathon in 3 weeks. Thank you runners connect 🙂
Brantley Long ran the Pilot Mountain to Hanging Rock 50K and finished with a time of 7:10, which was a PR!
I really worked hard and had to really dial in my nutrition plan and race strategy in a short amount of time. My last few weeks of training were up and down with several good days and an equal amount of bad days. I kept at it and on the bad days I took away all the things that went wrong and stored them away for future reference. I made my plan and come race day I was as ready as I could be. When the race started I stuck to the plan and it really paid off. So many people shot off down the trail and pretty soon it was just me and my running buddy. We stuck together for about 40K and then I slowly started to pull away. I realized I was felling a strong surge of energy and knew it was time to go. When reached the last aid station and was told that i only had 1.8 miles to go I put it all out on the trail and finished at a near sprint. Being that this was my first venture into a distance over 20 miles I felt like I really nailed this one. I know that I couldn’t have done this with out the training plan that RC put together for me and the support I have felt from the coaches and members. I also know that all the strength truing has really paid off in keeping my body injury free and actually feeling pretty good today (the legs are sore, but hey I did over 4000 feet in elevation gain so i figure thats to be expected)! Thanks to RC for everything. I am looking forward to more exciting adventures.
Phil Copestake ran the Oxford Half Marathon and finished with a time of 1:47:12.
First race for a while, pleased to achieve close to my PB, had to work hard in the last 3 miles after going off slightly too fast. Beautiful sunny autumn day for a half marathon!
Carol Grisso ran the Fall City 10K and finished this distance in the time of 54:03, which was a 10 seconds PR!
It was POURING rain, but made it very comfortable. Running a PR was a GREAT surprise : )
Denise Schwartz ran the Milwaukee Lakefront Marathon and finished with a time of 5 hrs 24 min, which was a new PR!
I have been running for the past 10 years starting when I was 42. I planned to run my first marathon at the Chicago marathon 2 years ago for my 50th but had to cancel because of injury. This year I was determined to do a marathon despite numerous personal and physical setbacks.
My goal at this past weekend’s marathon was to finish in under 5 and half hours, which I did. My official time was: 5 hrs 24 min. We had perfect running weather in Milwaukee, low 50s and overcast, and I had my family and best friends there to cheer me on. My son, who runs a sub 5 min mile and is a nationally ranked triathlete, jumped in to run with me at numerous points in the race including the last 5 miles which were challenging to say the least.
Being a physical therapist, I signed up with RC to not only coach me but to learn from their coaching, to better assist my athlete patients. I’m very glad I trusted Jamie’s training with this run/walk method as I made it to the race uninjured! Thank you Jamie! Despite still being fatigued and sore I am looking forward to training for the next race. Now I know I can run a marathon and can train through adversity, I can do anything I set my mind to.
Bjorg Klem ran the Bank of America Chicago Marathon and finished in a time of 4:28:39.
I followed the race plan pretty well for the first half, started off with first 4 miles a little slower than race pace, then got caught up by the 4:10 pace group that i followed until about half way, reaching 13.1 miles in 2:06, feeling great running through the city and with a good part of it in the shade. At around 14-15 miles it felt like someone turned up the thermostat – there didn’t seem to be any cover anywhere and the sun was started to beat down pretty hard. Sometime before mile 18 i started to feel some pain in my hip so eased up on the pace, then after the stomach also protested (too much Gatorade i think) i decided to run/walk the rest of the race and hopefully have a shot at a decent race at NYC.
Having had a day to digest it, I am not going to say I am disappointed (okay maybe a little bit) but I am very glad I have a back-up race lined up, it made the decision to ease up and just go for a finish a lot easier. Negotiating with the weather gods for 45-50 degrees and cloudy conditions for November 1 🙂
Sarah Ryan ran the Chicago Marathon and finished with a time of 3:48:24. This was a personal record by 9:46.
I lived in Chicago for almost five years so it was fun to run past to many places I used to live and spend time and it was really nice to have my friends come cheer for me. This race was enormous and it was neat to see the huge crowds cheering. I PRed by almost ten minutes so I was happy about that but I was hoping for better. It was a good race and I’m happy with my time but I’m really happy it’s over.
Al Zapatero ran the Long Beach Half Marathon and finished in 1:40:29. This was a personal record by 2 min 11 sec.
Due to Achilles issues, I didn’t run for two weeks before race, did 30 min on stair climber and 1 mile on treadmill but that’s it. Focused on strength training provided by runners connect site which I believe made it possible to push through. During race I had to stop and walk around mile 10 because of Achilles issues and was still able to PR.
