Stephanie Jones ran the Rock n Roll New Orleans Marathon and finished with a time of 4:59:29.
This was my first marathon since 2005 (which was my only other one) and first since getting back into running in 2014. I did not make my time goal but the big goal was to finish and to enjoy myself so I would want to do more marathons, and that was accomplished. It was a great race that I recommend highly, and a great experience.
Jonathan Bogaard ran the Rock’n’Roll Half Marathon and finished in a time of 1:58:29, which was a PR!
My longest race distance ever and I trained well for it with a 16 week time frame. Great help from the RC coaches and thank you to Coach Danny for helping with the plan and the race plan.
I pretty much hit my goals – (1) finish under 2:00, (2) run negative splits, and (3) deal with whatever race curves got thrown at me. The race went pretty smooth although I went out very slow the first mile (big crowd, streets in bad shape, etc.) but I didn’t panic and consciously tried to stay calm. It also became apparent that my GPS was off on distance and so I adapted by just pacing off the mile marker clocks. Dropped some of my nutrition at mile 9.5 and just laughed. The course was in tough shape – uneven streets, potholes, etc – so I decided that goal #4 was to not roll an ankle and was very conscious of footing. All good!
Lots of people and support along the course and that was great. In addition to thanks to Danny, thanks to: (1) Coach Jaime – positive attitude and great encouragement, (2) Coach Sarah – paraphrasing – “racing is pain management” – I used that during the race, (4) Tina M – lots of great podcasts on my long runs, and (5) all my RC teammates for their positive support and encouragement.
Deej Ferguson ran the Anthem 5K and finished the distance in the time of 27:02.
I run very few 5Ks; just don’t like the distance since it usually takes me 3 miles just to warm up but I typically fit this one into my schedule as it’s the opening race for the Derby season and a fun atmosphere. This year was extra special as it was my first race since my brother-in-law passed away last month and I ran it to honor the incredible husband, dad, son and brother he was.. I became a runner to stay healthy in the hope of having more quality years with my family; he was all about his family and honoring him with this run seemed fitting. It was a hard effort since I didn’t get as much time as I’d hoped to warm up but the brightness of the sun brought memories of him laughing and cutting up with the family & that energy fueled me in the final stretch and I brought it home, holding it together till after I crossed that line. I was 1 1/2 mins slower than my PR but still held an “actual” pace that was speedier than my 2 mile speed interval workout so I’m happy! 3.18 miles in 27:02 — 10th of 214 runners in my age division, top 10% of all females and top 22% overall of 5,640 participants .. I’ll take it and RUN with it 😉
Kim Campbell ran the World’s Best 10K and finished this race event in the time of 55:40.
This tune up race was my first race since suffering from a femoral stress fracture in September. My 10K PR is 55:36, which I achieved right before the injury. I was so close to beating this! Yesterday’s race, the World’s Best 10K, included running over a bridge at mile 1 and up and over a highway overpass at mile 5. Both were a bit challenging but not significantly. I know that I didn’t run at max effort because I didn’t know how my body, and mind, would react to being in a race setting again. I was very nervous at the start, yet I ran and feel strong throughout the race. I feel confident that I will match or beat my half marathon PR which is 1:59:07(2013). My next race is the Puerto Rico Half Marathon on March 13, 2016.
Suhas Kulkarni ran the Endurathon54 30k and finished with a time of 03:43, which was a PR!
It was hill run total with elevation of 654m. I had plan to do it in 3.30hrs but done in decent time. At rank 39 category and overall 87 among 200 plus participants for 27k run category this is my first ultra and that to hill thanks no injury pain or recovery required.
Deidra Petty ran the ROCK N ROLL marathon and finished in a time of 03:59:02. This was a personal record by 15 minutes.
My previous PR was from LaSalle Banks Chicago 2000 04:14:02. A large group of us flew up from New Orleans Track Club, and I was pleasantly surprised by the fan support considering it was 40 degrees that day. The start of the race was very congested, more than few times someone elbowed me or clipped my feet. It felt like I was trapped so I just focused on the person in front of me and relaxed. I took in fluids from every water stop and seemed to maintain pace. It was great. The plan was working. At some point I saw 8:28 on my GPS and I thought, “This is my tempo slow zone. I can do this ‘all day'”. I smiled and a few more miles flew by.
It was a great day to run then I felt my quad stick. The muscles just didn’t release around my knee. I stopped to stretch and nearly fell over as the opposing muscle groups started to cramp. I began a little trot. “Just keep moving.” I repeated again and again. I tried anti-cramp ointments and sprays and salt; nothing helped. Be patient. I just kept going.
I finished! And I was promptly escorted to the Emergency Medic. There they made me drink 2 large Gatorades and 2 glasses of overly salted chicken soup. About an hour later I sat up, drank another Gatorade, was discharged and went to get my medal. Today I am faster than when I was in my 30’s and I have a PR to prove it.
Patrick Flynn ran the Cowtown Half Marathon, completing this distance in the time of 2:10.
Pacing my son-in-law the first 10 miles of his first marathon was a real treat. Nice steady 10 minute pace. They split off at 10 miles and I picked up my pace to about 9:10 or so. Finished feeling very strong. Looking forward to the Dallas RnR Half in three weeks!
Kevin Farewell ran the Phoenix half marathon and finished with a time of 1:55.
Had my normal mileage working out the week before – and did a Friday Phoenix run of 8 miles while it was really hot. Wasn’t going to “race” but this would be a good test of my fitness levels. Took it easy first half and picked it up in the second half 1;01 and a :54 split. Still had gas left in the tank at the end…so all in all a good day.
Susan Linz ran the Rock n Roll Half Marathon, a race in New Orleans.
This was an assessment race … where is my conditioning at the beginning of the year … I thought it would be a good one because weather would be good (warmer than Michigan) and course is flat … but, it was not anywhere near the pace I thought I could run (a minute slower per mile, on average). Lesson learned: now is the time to start doing core, weights and other non-run activities to get my overall body ready to run.
Claire Bartholic ran the Swamp Rabbit Half Marathon and finished in 1:27:49. This was a PR by 3 minutes!
Ringing the PR bell! Point-to-point, net downhill, no wind, at about 1200′ closer to sea level than the mountains where I live. Coach Michael’s advice was to take the first mile at 6:44 and click them all off after that. Well, all but 3 of my miles were faster than that! The first 3 miles I couldn’t really feel my legs because they were frozen. My breathing was calm and even and every time I checked my watch, I was ten seconds under. I tried to reign it in, but it just felt too easy to the point of being difficult to go slower. Around mile 8-9, my effort went up, but it still was controlled. Very few negative thoughts like I usually tend to get at high effort, so that was nice. The last two miles I turned it up and then really sprinted the last 400m. It was a competitive race with good prize money so I wasn’t going to win (the female winner was 1:17), but I managed to get 2nd place Master’s, 11th female out of 616 women. I’m very, very happy about this one. Partly because I did well, and partly because I know I have a lot more to give!
Phil Wright ran the Stockport Trail Half Marathon and finished this race in the time of 2:18:20, which was a PR!
This was my first half marathon, something which had been a real mental hurdle for me to get over. I’ve been struggling with a recurring injury over a number of months, often feeling like it was two steps forward, one step back. Then I found this race – setting off from my village, taking in some of the paths and routes that make up my usual stomping grounds. This was important for two reasons:
1. If I thought I was going to DNF, I was within walking distance of home.
2. To offset that negative thought, I knew that as I was getting tired, I would be returning to home ground and would get a good boost from that.Happily, the latter proved to be the case and from five miles out I was running paths I know well. The past couple of months have focused on building in more speed work, particularly adding fast finishes into my long runs. This let me set and hold my target pace and even push hard for the last 1.1 miles without feeling the need to ease off at all. Kept my nutrition on point throughout, stopping at water stops to refill my hand-held and get back out. Gels every 45 mins kept me topped up energy-wise.
Overall, I was almost surprised about how well things worked out. I’m running on two pretty trashed legs and, while I’m never going to be fast, I want to have solid times for every race distance I run. This was a big milestone for me – looking forward to the next one.
April Palmer ran the RNR New Orleans Half Marathon and finished with a time of 2:06:17.
This is a very flat race and the weather was perfect, starting out in the 40’s. I have ran this race twice before as the marathon but this was my first time to run the half. My finishing time was not close to my PR but a lot faster than I have ran in a while including another flat half last month. I ran near negative splits with 9:42-9:49 the first 4 miles, 9:25-9:37 miles 5-8, 9:18-9:32 miles 9-12, 9:18 mile mile 13 and 8:35 the last 0.1. I felt I ran my training, yea. Thanks runners connect, hope to keep getting faster.
Rick Sansoucy ran the Hyannis Half Marathon, finishing in the time of 1:57:47.
It was a beautiful day for a race, especially for February. 45 F and breezy, with the wind only a problem for short stretches of the race. The course for this race is very nice with several stretches along the water. I’ve been fighting off a sinus infection this week and thought I was over it. Unfortunately, I woke up feeling lousy. I considered bailing out but being a running fanatic, ran anyway. Felt tired from the get go and worked very hard throughout the race. Managed to kick the last mile and record a time that ranked 5th out of my 19 half marathons and was fairly respectable for the old folks division. Oh well, on to the next 1/2 in April!!!!
Brian Bigelow ran the Dunes 10k and finished this distance in the time of 48:48, which was a PR by 48 seconds!
I wanted a little feel for where I am at fitness wise as I have a full marathon on March 13. I was so pleased with the results. Yes I know it’s a 10k and not a marathon but it showed me a lot and confidence is sky high! Started off way too fast at a 6:15 pace, wanted to run with the leaders lol. Got into a great pace and felt great throughout. Can’t wait for the marathon. Hopefully I can get more input as to the best pace to run it at! Only my 2nd ever and on my 60th birthday, what a present. Have a great week, gig, Brian
Jeff McLinden ran the Hyannis Half Marathon and finished in a time of 1:43:39.
I wasn’t sure how my hamstring was going to hold up but fortunately it went pretty well. Ever since I PR’d in Boston in 2015 i’ve been trying to recover from a high hamstring issue. Now after running this half marathon I feel more confident that I’ll be able to run Boston the spring.
Diane Souza ran the Hyannis Marathon and finished with a time of 4:58:13. This was a new personal record by 18 minutes.
This was my 3rd Marathon, I have been Training with RC since September 2015 and I’m very happy with all my results, I continue to improve all around and have only been running for 2 years. This was a PR of about 18 minutes which is HUGE!!! Especially for a marathon. I have been following the blueprint nutrition plan too and I didn’t hit the WALL until mile 23!!! I hope to continue improving my pace and endurance and someday qualify for BOSTON!!
Kathy Balme ran the YMCA Half Marathon, finishing this distance in the time of 1:59:43.
It’s my first race since last April and I’ve been coming back from an injury. But, the comeback has been slow. So, going into this race, I didn’t know what to expect, hoped to come in under 2 hours, but secretly hoped to come in 2 or 3 minutes faster than that. In the second half of the run, I really struggled. The nice thing: my sister ran me out and up over a hill at 5.5km in, then she stopped there and waited for me to come back (it was an out-and-back route), and she ran me back in. I found this to be very helpful for me. I did make my sub-2 hour goal, but not my secret goal. 🙂 So, I’m happy enough for now. Sometime, I’m going to master that particular course though.
Earline Gilley ran the Angry Tortoise 25k and finished with a time of 2:45:31.
This was my longest distance run ever. It was a trail race. I had started training for this race in early November. I had used the Hanson’s half marathon method, running 6 days a week, up until the last 3 weeks. I was exhausted and suffering from a sinus infection, so I switched to Runners Connect. I feel much better since starting with RC, not fatigued at all. Running 5 days a week suits me better.
Karyn Woolf ran the Phoenix Marathon and finished in a time of 3:55:08.
This was my first marathon and I have to admit that I thought it was going to go a lot better than it did especially after having a great 18 mile long run a couple of weeks ago. I also came down with fever and chills at the beginning of the week and was sick for a couple of days which probably had a small effect on it. I was feeling better by the race though. By the end of the race, it was a warmer day in Phoenix than it has been during my the rest of my training too. By the end, I was just glad to finish!
Katherine Leff ran the Samsung Tel Aviv Half Marathon and finished with a time of 2:15:16. This was a massive PR by 18 minutes!
The last half marathon race I did was 2 years ago. I did not train particularly hard for it and my time was over 2 and half hours. This time around I have been training several months for a marathon and am in much better shape. Despite this run being a training run, I ended up making great time and beating my PR by almost 20 min! And that is after having run more than 30k the week prior to the half marathon.
This run proves to me that training does pay off.
