Eileen Fox ran the Austin Half Marathon and finished in a time of 02:48:03.
Ran the race kids, in-laws and a few friends. Made a fun long weekend enjoying downtown Austin.
Lisa Patel ran the Chocolate & Beer Valentine’s Day 10K and finished this distance in the time of 1:00:46. This was a PR by 1:50.
This was the first race that I really felt in control. Even with the icy bridges (4x) where I had to slow down to maintain an upright position, I was able to take almost 2 minutes off of my time. I am inching closer to my goal of a 10K in under 1 hour and hope that the next one (without snow and ice) I can get there.
Chris Carey ran the Mercedes-Benz Half Marathon and finished with a time of 1:37:08.
Not my best race, but overall a good one. Love running Mercedes every year, just something about running in your hometown race that’s special. On to the race itself. Went into it really wanting to work on consistent pacing, and overall, I feel like I did well in that area. Last year, I set a PR in the Mercedes half, but I went out really fast, and midway through the race I had to recompose myself and had to hang on for dear life at the end. Did a much better job this time around starting out conservatively and then gradually easing into race pace and holding it throughout most of the race. Found that I had much more in the tank during the hilly middle part of the race.
Thought I had a shot at a PR, but around mile 11, my club foot (my left foot) started acting up. Had to stop several times to stretch and work it out. Even then, the running was difficult. Ended up running 8:30-something the final mile, more than a full minute above my pace throughout the race, which eliminated a chance at a PR. Was initially disappointed that I fell short of my goal, but I remembered that you can’t control the uncontrollables, and my foot acting up definitely fell in that category. Still need to work on finishing stronger — that needs to be a major goal in 2016. I think that’s the key to taking my running to the next level.
A highlight of the run was meeting Coach Crouch. Her husband, Michael, won the marathon and Sarah ended up placing among the females in the half and finished as the top American female finisher. I can say Sarah is just as nice and supportive in person as she is on Runners Connect. Her husband is also incredibly nice, and he made a young boy’s day when he gave his finisher’s trophy to him. That kid was beaming! Thought that was really cool. All in all, a good day!
Alison Scofield ran the Sweetheart 5k and finished this race in the time of 25:35.
My running group sponsored this race, so of course I had to register for it! However, I did not plan on it being -12F on race day. The route was 2 loops around a large lake in town, which would typically be pretty nice but there was a lot of snow pack and ice. On the first loop there was a sharp turn with ice on the ground, and of course I fell! I jumped back up and kept going, keeping my eye on that spot the second time around. Despite the fall, I still managed to come in 1st in my age group, and I think 4th female overall. Not a bad day!
Leslie May ran the Rhythm & Blues Half Marathon and finished in 1:55:44, which was a PR by 29 seconds!
This is the first time I have ever actually placed in my age group in a half marathon. Held reasonably consistent pace throughout, and I wasn’t wiped out at the end. Fueled well before and during. Not a huge improvement in time, but happy with the race overall.
Beth Lynch ran the “Run For Your Heart” 5k and finished with a time of 00:29:48, which was a PR!
Great race – everything came together!
Luc Berthouze ran Worthing Half Marathon with a finishing time of 01:42:16, which was a PR!
My first half-marathon and also my first (tune-up) race under RC training. Being in control of my performance was probably the one thing I most enjoyed and it was all down to the advice I received in the last few weeks. So thank you and now looking forward to the marathon in April!
Courteney Schinbeckler ran the Lost Dutchman 10k and finished this race in the time of 1:03:01.
Fun race with an amazing sunrise over the Superstition Mountains.
Mark Ballou ran the Los Angeles Marathon, finishing this distance in the time of 4:25:13. This was a massive PR by 0:20:05.
Well that was a doozy! I PR-ed by 20 mins!!! (Updated PR after confirming from official results) And an improvement over my last marathon of 36 mins! Super exciting, a testament to the structure and guidance I’ve received from RC! Thanks Coaches!!! (Not to mention some hard work…) I went into it hoping to get between a 4:15 & 4:30, so really pleased with the result. I can only imagine how I would have performed had my training not been derailed by work the last month.
Few other things that tripped me up, not a corral candidate, though I waited for the field to thin a bit before starting, my slow pace for the first mile was defined by the dense crowds. It kinda sucked. Also I inadvertently tagged a light pole, clicking the lap button making for a weird .6 mile lap around mile 3, throwing off my splits for the whole race. My nutrition worked out OK. It was mostly liquid, my “Go-Juice” mix made with natural sugars, matcha, S-Caps & such. When I felt hungry, I ate some dry fruit bars & leather that I tolerate well.
The absolute best part was that my wife braved the traffic & met me at two key spots (mile 11 & 20) and at the finish. She helped refuel my “Go-Juice” and my spirit! Also other friends were out watching the race at different spots. Overall a great experience!
Allie Whitelaw ran the Austin Half Marathon and finished in a time of 1:37:45.
I was supposed to run the A1A Half this morning in Ft. Lauderdale, but ended up going on a last minute trip and running the Austin Half in TX instead! Everyone warned me there would be lots of hills, and having been training in Florida for Florida races I knew I wasn’t really prepared for a lot of hills so I started out really conservative. I tried to take advantage of the downhills and just keep my effort the same on the uphills, so my splits weren’t exactly what I would have planned, but overall I was happy with race and my finishing time! Not a PR (1:34), but I knew going in that would not be the case so just kept my goal at being as close to my PR as possible. It was a really fun morning and a great way to see a new city! I would definitely go back to Austin, maybe even for the Full marathon with some hill training of course 🙂
Sarah Keith ran a Marathon in Los Angeles and finished this distance in the time of 3:41:38.
A course pr for me with 30 minutes off of last years time…..missed a lot of training in December so felt that I could have done a lot better but I am very happy with my time…another BQ with a 4 minute cushion……This is a difficult course as it has many stretches of incline but a super fun course. My best Marathon time is 3:34:07 however that was a downhill and that was an advantage for me.
Aaron Sobel ran the Rhythm & Blues Quarter Marathon and finished in 1:00:22.
Was hoping to break an hour today in my race (6.5 mile). Came close but missed. Still, after my long injury layoff last year, this was a good fitness test. Being able to run near my best Half pace was encouraging for races to come so I’ll take it.
Earline Gilley ran the Donna 26.2 Relay 10k and finished with a time of 57:12. This was a personal record by 1:53.
This was actually 6.09 miles, so I think I would’ve finished 6.2 at about 58:05. That would still be a 1:53 improvement for me. This race gives me a good gauge for where I stand now and what my current abilities are. I had originally stated in my goals for RC that I wanted to run a 10K with an average pace of 9:40, but I think I can say I’ve already done that.
This was a fun race, and I am glad I was the first leg of the relay, just so the butterflies were over with right away. I decided to continue running after I passed the baton, got some water, and walked around for a few minutes. Then I caught up with my teammate and ran with her for the remainder of her leg, which was 3.8 miles. She did a run/walk at 12:20 pace which was a great cool-down for me. My bunion hurts, but it was worth it.
Brian Bigelow ran the Cupid’s Chocolate Chase 5k and finished this race in the time of 22:47, which was a 21 seconds PR!
It was just a fun race for me. I did give it my best as I feel it gave me a little confirmation as to my marathon coming up in 29 days on March 13. I will say I went out too hard and had too much left over so need to get this straightened out for the marathon! I also have a 10k scheduled for February 27. I know the marathon will be a lot bigger beast as it will only be my 2nd ever and it will be on my 60th birthday. I am shooting high and feel better and better as it approaches. Still concerned as to the pace I need to be at for it but hopefully this will show so that I can feel better about it. Am excited though, gig, Brian
Jeff Wettig ran the Chocolate and Beer Valentines 10K, finishing this distance in the time of 52:40. This was a personal record by 1:55.
PR’d big time this 10K after struggling my last couple 10K races with hitting the wall. I’m very excited with my performance as I felt strong the entire race and was able to kick it strongly the last 1.5-2 miles, and still didn’t leave it all on the course!. Even with gusty 18 degrees and a fair amount of snow and ice on the course. I think this is proof that our commitment to the RC training plan and this crazy training is really paying off. I’m looking forward to this racing season and hitting big PRs in my Halfs and Full this year.
Louis Marchand ran the LA Marathon and finished with a time of 3:16:10. This was a new personal record by 7:13.
3:16:10!! Really happy!! 1st HM 1:39:30 / 2nd HM 1:36:40. For many reasons, I was too slow on the first 10km, then I got to my goal race pace. I finish really strong with the last 5km in 21:30 with still some fuel in the tank. The weather was not as hot as expected but certainly too hot for me. Anyway, experience coming in, already looking forward for the next one! Compare to my 3 others marathons, I feel much better and the last 10 km wasn’t so bad. My PR was 3:23:23.
Anthony Pallotta ran a 5k race in Baltimore, MD and finished this distance in the time of 23:06.
This is my first time training in the winter and I don’t have the right gear to run in the bitter cold. Anyway, I did test myself on a TM @ 1.0 incline and ran 5k in 23:06; 7:27/mile. That’s a 50 sec improvement from last November. I missed a PR by 12 seconds from November 2014. I was very pleased with the run. I felt strong at the end and left some time on the table. 1st mile @ 7:45, 2nd mile @ 7:33 and kept increasing the pace for the last 1.1. The training went great.
Adam Anderson ran the Surf City Marathon and finished with a time of 4:59:21.
I felt fine starting the race, but I noticed my heart rate was a little higher than normal even in mile 1. Anyway I did not push to keep my race plan, I just tried to get in the low 9’s, but at mile 13 I couldn’t do it any more. I started falling off and was in the 12-15 minute range from that point on. It was suggested to me that it could have been a potassium deficiency, but that is just a guess.
I feel like my training was great and I was in the best shape I could have been in. I loved the training plan and will continue with the program, I just think it was something I did wrong with nutrition. I will look around and setup a plan for it.
Ralph Pillinger ran the A1A Marathon and finished with a time of 3:38:17.
Considering how spot on my training was I am disappointed, I knew this was a gamble to attempt to BQ as I just ran NYC on November 1, a quick 15 week, back-2-back marathon cycle…could have yielded great results, I though my program was working well, then with 3 weeks to go I caught a horrible cold (1st in over 2 years), apparently it took its toll on me. I need to rethink my racing and next race or goal while continuing to try to BQ. I take a week off after a marathon so we will see what happens this week.
