Suzanne Anderson ran the Indianapolis Marathon and finished in 4:09:43. This was a new personal record by 13:32.
The Indianapolis Marathon was my 5th marathon and it was a PR for me by 13 min 32 secs! What surprised me (and makes me think I can continue to get faster) is my prior PR was my first Chicago marathon in 2001 when I was 14 years younger! I never thought I could actually be faster at age 49 than 35.
i was worried about being able to run the full distance this time since my longest long run was 18 miles. After this marathon, I am a total believer in the runners connect training philosophy. I felt really good up through mile 23. I wasn’t able to keep my pace as close to the prescribed paces in my race plan as I would have liked. The last 2 miles were particularly difficult, with the last mile being mostly uphill. I started feeling nauseous and my stomach got upset so I didn’t take another GU or drink any additional Gatorade, which may have helped in the last few miles.
Lorna SteMarie ran the Detroit Free Press Half Marathon and finished with a time of 2:34:58, which was a personal record!
My first HM. Not sure if I was ready up until the day of the race. Then I decided: will I win? No. Will I DNF? Probably not. So why not just go out and enjoy it? So that’s what I did. Planned a stop at 6 miles, blew by that, planned one at 8 miles, blew by that, planned one at 10 miles but still going strong. Finally at 12 miles I gave myself a little walk break so I could finish fast. Out of 838 women of all ages, I finished 495th!! Not bad for an old broad of 61. Plan to do it again next year!
Chantal Ouellet ran the Aiatshitau 10k and finished in a time of 56.35.
10 seconds slower than my PR on a rough surface, close to trail. Special because it was the first race after many injuries that followed me all year long. Special because I could not go to Toronto for the half-marathon. I choose to do this one instead, with the Innu community where I live. I’m very proud to have been able to participate. Special because it was my first race in snowy conditions!!
Julie Rowe ran the Bay State Half Marathon and finished the race in a time of 3:01:17. This was a PR by 20 minutes!
This represents a big improvement for me over my first half marathon. The first one, in July 2015, was incredibly hot and I was concerned with just finishing. This race was pretty cold (in the 30s at the start) so I was hoping to improve my time and stretch a little. I did improve and it was great!
Karl-Olav Gravdal ran the Amsterdam marathon and finished with a time of 03:05:26, which was a 7 minutes PR!
Although I didn’t quite manage to beat my goal of finishing faster than 3:05:00, I’m extremely satisfied with a 7 minute improvement of my PR (since April). I sticked to my plan for each section of the race, but the first five kilometres the crowds slowed me more than I expected. Even with a 03:20 negative split it was not enough to regain what was lost. The best thing with the race was that my wife also participated (her first marathon)!
Dennis Moore ran the Kansas City Half Marathon and finished in 1:48:05. This was a personal record by 6:38.
✅Arrive at the start healthy
✅Finish under 1:50 (1:48:05 official, 6:29 PR)
✅Negative split (2+min difference)
Many firsts for me, almost all mental. The first few miles were very congested, the first mile was downright frustrating. But after that I seemed to just get faster, the last three miles were my overall my fastest. I might actually be guilty of leaving some time on the course, but I followed my race plan with religious discipline. Best overall training cycle leading up the best overall race I’ve had thus far! #purposeineverystep #trustyourtraining
Cary Morgan ran the Sojo Marathon and finished the distance in the time of 3:38:08, which was a PR by 52 seconds!
First, thank you to everyone in the RunnersConnect community and Coaches Jamie and Jeff. This was a small race, only 180 marathoners, but it is USATF certified. This race was a Boston qualifier for me by about 2 minutes as well as a PR by nearly a minute. This race won’t get me into Boston even though I meet the qualifying time, but I really don’t care.
Fuel-wise, I took a slightly different approach to this race than I have in others. I consumed e-gel (not as viscous and more carbs than GU) around miles 5, 10 and 14.5 and then I switched to Carbo Pro liquid at miles 18 and 22 (thank you to my wife Mechele for handing me water bottles at miles 18 and 22). I had a target finishing time, but I tried to compensate for slower miles due to hills around miles 4-6, 16 and 19.
I’m super glad for the training runs where I ran on tired legs, although during those runs I hated it. That really prepared me for the pain of the last 10K. I’m sure I could have run 15-20 seconds faster per mile at the end, but there was a storm coming in and we had 10-15 mile / hour head winds the last 2 miles of the race (talk about a mentally debilitating punch!).
Tracy Hixon ran the Des Plaines River Half marathon and finished with a time of 1:46:26.
Even though this was my longest run (and race) in about 5 months, I ran 21 seconds faster this year than last year. The weather was dry and crisp. I was hoping to break 1:55 but some race day magic and pacing first half with others helped me crush my goal. Nice confidence builder. I think the track workout earlier in the week helped energize my leg turnover. Oh, and first in Age Group placing was a nice bonus. Off to a great start with RunnersConnect!
Ricardo Lopez ran the XTerra Pt Mugu 16K and finished the race distance in the time of 01:59:45, which was a PR!
I whimsically signed up for the XTerra Pt Mugu 16K trail race last Friday even though I’ve barely run in 4 weeks. Temps were reasonably cool compared to what we have been getting around here, but it was definitely humid. That said, the race was very fun. It was 1000ft up, then down, then 1000ft up again, then down to the finish. It is hyper-competitive since it’s part of a series that draws very fast trailrunners from the whole country. Luckily that doesn’t take away from us back-of-the-pack runners. A+++ Would run again!
Alison Scofield ran the Detroit Free Press Marathon and finished with a time of 4:10:15, which was a personal record!
This was my first full marathon, and I think it went great! It was really cool running over the Ambassador Bridge into Canada, and the run down it really gave me some time in the bank. But I think I started running to fast then and had trouble reeling it back then, and we were only 4 miles in! Then we ran through the tunnel back into the States, which was neat. I got to see my parents at mile 8, and my husband and daughter at the halfway point. My hip have me trouble from mile 5-18, where I finally took a walk break. I took a few more breaks at mile 20, 23, and 24.5, but was able to run across the finish line with a smile on my face! It was definitely one of the hardest things I’ve ever done, but I feel like I learned a lot this training cycle, and I’m already looking to improve my time next May at the Fargo Marathon! Thanks to all the coaches and RC members for your help and support!
Anna Squicciarini ran the Hershey Half Marathon and finished in a time of 1:43:35.
This was a tough race. It was cold and I started off a hair too fast, and therefore I wasn’t able to push as hard as I should have to PR. In fact, I was on my way to PR until about mile 9. At mile 9 I just couldn’t go any faster and there were still some hills ahead of us!! Overall, I managed to finish strong at my last mile, but I did not deliver the same solid race as WineGlass. Interestingly, runkeeper believes that this is my fastest half, because I ended up running about 13.45 miles, and was faster overall. Too bad that is not what is going in the records! 🙂
Andrew Mitrey ran the Columbus Marathon and finished this distance in the time of 3:24:07.
First time in 3 years I have run this fast. Also was 15 mins faster than the my last marathon. Qualified me for Boston for 2017, which was my goal!!
Corrie Rose ran the Myrtle Beach Mini Marathon and finished with a time of 1:55:57. This was a personal record by 5 minutes.
On Saturday I ran the 5K. No PR on this one, but very close. On Sunday I ran the half marathon. It was cold windy start, but by mile 3 I was warmed up and ready to roll. This was my 4th half marathon and I was so excited to get a PR by 5 minutes. My goal has been a sub 2hr, and I did it!!! Ready for the Dopey Challenge at Disney in January!
Brant Wheeler ran the Upper Cumberland Haunted Half Marathon and finished in 1:32:03, which was a personal record by 3:19.
I was able to pick up the pace in the last half of the race, at which point I’m usually slowing down because I took off too fast. I was able to hold back at first and then start picking things up about mile 6.
Christopher Jones ran the Toronto Scotia Bank Waterfront Marathon and finished in a time of 3.23.11. This was a new PR by 9 minutes.
I finally got under 3.30. After banging on the door for my last two marathons. All that hard work and tackling ‘the beast’ each Tuesday really paid off! Thanks coach and the RC team, now I just need to do the same for Boston! I feel I could still improve on this time as I had to make an unplanned quick bathroom stop where I lost a minute, also my first couple of miles were fractionally slower than planned but perhaps this was the reason I could finish with a 7.13 min/mile.
Ron Darin ran the TCS Amsterdam Marathon and finished this race event in the time of 3:40:21.
Running the Amsterdam Marathon has been a bucket list race for me since I started running almost 2 years ago. The course is a blast to run. The crowds are loud, encouraging and line the entire route. I will try and run this race every year.
AS for the race, the weather was tough. 45/9 degrees and rainy. Lost feeling in both feet about mile 18. Was spot on my target pace of 7:45 through 20 miles when I started cramping and my legs kinda froze up. Finished at 3:40 well behind my PR. All in all a terrific experience. Now I have 26 days to recover before the 642 Marathon in Kuwait Nov. 14.
Roxane Allen ran the Oktoberfest 10K and finished with a time of 50:41, which was a PR by 1 min.
Achieved a personal record and was awarded 1st in my age/gender category (LF40-44).
Jon Whitehouse ran the Chelmsford Marathon and finished this race in the time of 3:02:21. This was a personal record by 12:32.
A good day out. This was my second marathon so had a much better idea of what to expect. In my mind I wasn’t going to go faster than 7min/mile pace until 8-10 miles but in reality I still went off too fast which meant the last eight miles were a bit of a drag: spent the first third of the race wondering if I should slow down but felt comfortable; the second third was good; but in the final third couldn’t lift the pace for any distance and even small inclines felt like big hills. Nevertheless went from 31st to 25th place in second half of race.
Deidra Petty ran the Gulf Coast Half Marathon and finished with a time of 1:46:34. This was a PR by 2 minutes!
My previous PR was from a Women’s Half on cold, rainy day in 2014. Today’s flat, local course started and ended at a state park 20 minutes from my suburban neighborhood and It was perfect weather in the low 50s and sunny. I felt fast and strong and confident. At the 10k mark, I PR’d my 10K race time. At the 10 mile mark my calves started cramping, however I realized that if I maintained, I could PR my Half. So I held on and even held off some guys near the finish. I was so happy about besting my time that I drove home without coffee or stretching. I limped through the door and yelled, “I PR’d!” My 4 yr old daughter said, “Yea, you finally broke your FATTEST record!” It’s okay. I’m still ecstatic and I still gonna train hard.
Marilyn Tams ran the Robert Hamilton Memorial Road Race and finished in a time of 43:54.
This was a very small, low key race, and not chip timed. Old School I guess you could say! A very nice race to come back to after my injury. The weather was perfect and it took place along the river, so the views were beautiful! Placed second in my age group and was 8 seconds shy of a PR! felt pretty good about it all in all. I even managed negative splits through the entire 5 miles! It looked like a cutdown run on my Garmin! Pretty Excited!!
Chris Carrier ran the Frank Lloyd Wright 5k and finished with a time of 21:34, which was a 12 seconds PR!
The race is special because it is run partially in my back yard – and it’s a week after the Chicago Marathon, so a nice way to apply your fitness to a shorter distance. My goal was to best my 5k PR (21:46) which I got during marathon training last year, although it was a month before. I figure that’s about equivalent, since I’m not totally on fresh legs a week after. I didn’t think through a race plan, but having seen the basic one RC recommends, I kind of followed it anyway. I started at 7min mile, second mile I paced against other runners (which was a bit of a mistake because I thought they were going faster) and slowed to 7:04, got to 6:50 in the final mile and sprinted to the finish.
Since it’s a big race and results didn’t post right away, I walked home. There my kids (3 & 6) were bouncing around and they wanted to “run too.” We went back outside and ran a bit with the 10k runners and ended back at the finish area. I took them to the exhibits and ended up in the field house. I saw the results were posted so I casually took a look and was shocked to see I was 1st in my age group! (actually, a guy placed overall who was in my group, and that made me first).
Doug Faulkner ran the Denver Rock & Roll Half Marathon and finished in a time of 2:04:00.
I crushed the Runner’s Connect predicted time by over 9 minutes as it had me at 2:13:42. I have a history of not doing enough strength training and it came to haunt me midway through the race. At the 10k mark my IT band started to feel aggravated. By mile 10 I started to have pain in my left knee (which I’ve never had before). Both of those slowed me down quite a bit. I had planned to run comfortably hard until mile 10, then race the remainder like a 5k. Being so focused on paces during training doesn’t mean a whole lot if during the race recurrent strength issues flare up. I believe more consistent strength training and drills would have dramatically improved how I felt about this race – and may have given me a faster time. Still, I’m happy with a 2:04 HM. Five minutes off my PR, so there is hope yet for future glory.
Heather Joe ran the 4 Bridges Half Marathon and finished with a time of 1:58:08. This was a new personal record by 10:21.
This was a HUGE PR for me (10:21) and I finally sub 2 hr!!! The weather was perfect and I felt good. This race had some hills but they didn’t slow me like races in the past. I felt strong and energized most of the race. My husband said he’s never seen me look that happy in a race. I credit RC for that.
I have been set back for years with injury and have made very slow if any progress. After this race I finally have hope that I can get faster. I hoped for a 3 minute PR max and I got over 10!!! I know now that I have potential to grow!!! Meeting Chris and Gary my team mates from Birmingham was also pretty cool those guys raced amazing races and inspired me.I went out faster than planned and was sure that was going to burn me but I kept the pace mile after mile and never got burned. I was so surprised! Training paid off. I have had so much doubt in the past with my running, today I have hope and I can’t wipe this smile off my face. Awesome race in a scenic city!!
Grant Hughes ran the Toronto Waterfront Marathon and finished with a time of 3:14:12.
I was heading into this race missing my last key workouts before the taper because of a glute issue. This was a race with an easy start and a tough finish. I had a good pacing plan going into the race, starting relatively conservatively for the first while, then picking up the pace to goal pace. I executed the first half flawlessly – I was within seconds of my planned splits for the first half. At about 27k, I found three guys that were doing my pace, which worked well for the next 5k. At about 32k, they outpaced me and slowly headed off into the distance. I really faded for the last 10k, though. That being said, I passed one of those guys at about 37k, but his pacer was nowhere to be seen. I was having some stomache issues between 35-40k, so passing him was an up moment in that period. My left hamstring had the consistency of a rock but no pain by about 40k. I pushed through it all, missing my PR by 1:24, but at least bettering my time on the course from last year by 4:05. So, overall a success in meeting my “D” goal, given my issues before the race. Also, as an added bonus, I BQ’d for 2017 by better than 15 minutes. All of the coaches and the support of the other athletes at RunnersConnect contributed greatly to this success.
Mary Merkel ran the Boston Firefighters Local 718 Memorial Road Race and finished in a time of 00:59:00, which was a PR by 1:40.
I had really wanted to break the hour mark in a 10K and was happy to achieve that. This is my first race since my last 10K in April 2014 which had been my prior PR. This was a “tune-up” race and my first one since I started training with RC. In the last week or so, I’ve come down with a cold and have not been feeling up-to-par so I had prepared myself that I may not achieve my goal time. Honestly, the race was not so enjoyable. It was cold and windy and I still don’t feel healthy but I really wanted to break that time and I managed to pull it off. I am delighted to have done it and know that my training with RC was key.
Tim Buckingham ran the Metro Health Grand Rapids Marathon, finishing this distance in the time of 3:28.19.
Last year I ran in Grand Rapids and was hoping to run 3:30 but missed by 18 seconds. I still qualified for Boston by 9:42 but really wanted to break 3:30, so that was my goal for this year. I ran the race almost exactly how I planned. I ran 1:44.28 for the 1/2 and 1:43.51 for the second half… a negative split! I couldn’t have done it without my son Todd helping me the last 5 miles. So I finished in 3:28.19… not a PR by any means but the best I’ve ran in several years and also a great way to celebrate my 55th birthday!
George Willard ran the Columbus Marathon and finished with a time of 4:29:17. This was a massive PR by 1:24:56.
Lots of personal reason this was special, but mostly because it is for a good cause, the Nationwide Children’s Hospital, is a wonderful course, is lined almost the entire way by enthusiastic spectators and supporters, and has over 100 musicians and DJ’s along the route. PR of almost an hour and a half as my only other marathon run was plagued by knee issues. Hats off to all the coaches here! I couldn’t have done it without the great training program and advice.
Tanya Munroe ran the Cape Breton Fiddlers Half Marathon and finished the distance in the time of 1:43:02, which was 2 minutes PR!
Gary York ran the Four Bridges Half Marathon and finished with a time of 1:34:03. This was a personal record by over 10 minutes!
I had not run a Half in over 18 months, so I was looking forward to testing my fitness and setting a PR. The weather and course were great, and I felt good running mostly below my target A Pace of 7:37/mi. I started a bit slower (7:40, 7:36, 7:37), but picked up the pace as I got into the race. In the last 3 miles, I felt strong and tried to pick up the pace (7:32, 7:38 (uphill), 6:25 (downhill)). I finished with a PR of 1:34:03 which was 4th in my AG and 51st overall.
The Good: I set a big PR, ran faster than my A Pace, and felt strong throughout the race.
The Bad: The course was short by 0.6 miles, so my Half PR is way faster than I deserve. My 7:32 pace should have resulted in a 1:38:45, which still would have been an awesome race for me and over a 6 min PR!.
The Ugly: A younger friend finished 1st in his AG with a run about 2 min faster than me (yeah!) and another younger friend placed 3rd in his AG with a run over 2 min slower than me (yeah!), so I was hopeful that I might place in my AG also. But alas I was 4th, and out of the hardware. Lesson learned – you can’t control who is in your AG so don’t get caught up in all that. Run your own race and put in your own best effort! That I did today.
Chris Carey ran the Four Bridges Half Marathon and finished in a time of 1:32:11. This was a personal record by 3:18.
Nervous going in — was fighting some injuries just a couple weeks before the race. Actually rested most of the week. I didn’t know what to expect, but I was determined to trust my training and give it everything I had. Nailed my splits most of the race; however, I began to experience spasms in my calf between miles 11-12. At about 12 miles, they stopped and I raced as hard as I could the final mile. I could hardly believe my eyes when I turned the final corner and saw the clock showing I was beating my previous PR by more than 3 minutes. Best of all, I did it in front of my wife and two boys and lot of my fellow Birmingham Track Club running buddies. I was feeling good enough, knowing that I’d PR’d, but when I went to get my official time, I was shocked to see that I’d finished first in my age group. I was stunned — that’s the first time I’d ever placed in a half marathon. And the award was awesome for a homebrewer like me — a beer mug engraved with the race emblem!
All in all a great experience. What a confidence booster — I know if I can dig deep I can do it. Thanks for the all the coaching — I can’t tell you how much I relied on it today! I learned a big lesson today — TRUST THE TRAINING!
Brian Putnam ran the HITS 10K and finished with a time of 51:13, which as a personal record by 2 minutes!
Nice race today…took 2nd in my division. Another trophy for the house is always nice. The temperature was great, but the wind pretty much killed my pace. What’s worse, though, is that this was only a 10K race and I ran way slower than my expected capability. I should’ve been able to hold a 7:30 pace without wind, and possibly a 7:50-8:00 pace with this wind. The best I could do was an 8:15 pace, and I almost started walking about the 5 mile point. My legs were getting tight at 2.5 miles, and I was starting to feel depleted by 4 miles. I was able to get a 2 minute PR, but an improvement of only 2 minutes since my last 10K almost 7 months ago makes me wonder if I’m improving at all. I can run slowly all day, but I don’t think I can hold a pace for 13.1 miles.
Chris Carrier ran the 2015 Chicago Marathon and finished this race in the time of 3:55:06.
This was a disappointment, to be sure. My primary goal was 3:45, my secondary was a PR (less than 3:49:40).
I can’t explain it. I started a little faster than I intended and was on my pace bracelet. Given that GPS is not going to work well at the beginning of the race due to tall buildings, this is understandable, but I was still over 9min miles and I let myself spread the extra time as I eased into paces. However, after mile 6 (I think), I kept being about 4-10 seconds behind my paces. It was weird – I couldn’t seem to fix it. I can’t really blame that, but it was annoying. At the half, I should have been 1:52:35, but I was 1:52:41. So what, right? But it bothered me and it persisted until it got worse around mile 20. At mile 20, I was 25 seconds behind, at mile 21, nearly a minute. Mile 22, a minute and a half. My paces, which should have still been close to 8:30 were now just over 9:00.
I don’t know why it happened. It was about 12 degrees warmer than usual and I know that other runners reported similar issues. I don’t recall the heat bothering me but it might have had a subtle effect. Maybe it’s because I listened to music this time and didn’t draw the same energy from the crowd? Maybe I was a tad ambitious in my goal. Perhaps if I’d gone for 3:47 I could have made it. I certainly don’t believe I am behind where I was last year when I maintained my paces and even accelerated in the last mile to get under 3:50. It’s hard not to sound whiny when people ask you how it went and you say you were disappointed. I’m left second guessing myself.
Anup Sharma ran the Victoria Marathon and finished with a time of 5:02:00.
I will remember this race for just “making it to the finish”, I have done better times on this course before but this was my HARDEST effort ever to get to the finish line. I was completely rehabilitated after a calf muscle pain and somehow kept on my feet in intense pain to just get to the finish. I will do another marathon and I am determined to do much much better. I want to learn and overcome this muscle cramp deficiency I have. Thanks to Runners Connect and Coach Dodge and Coach Gaudette for the guidance as well as the community and forums for their support !
Bjorn Ludviksson ran the Chicago Marathon and finished the race distance in the time of 03:22:48.
One of my worst time in marathon since 2009. Never ran so slowly and at low impact during training. However, the venue was great and the course is a fast one. Had a great time with my wife and friends in Chicago, what a great city:)
Andrew O’Donnell ran the Chicago Marathon, finishing this distance in the time of 03.58.26.
Catherine Ozeroglu ran the Prairie Fire Marathon and finished with a time of 4:55:14. This was a PR by 0:03:31.
I was never athletic or desired to run long distance growing up. The motivation to run my first marathon back in 2006, was out of emotion & remembrance of my mother who passed away from cancer. So running for “charity” and the ability to just “finish” was my drive.
Well, I am proud to announce that this was my FIRST marathon training where I actually LEARNED how to run!!! I ran LESS miles during the week but with QUALITY and I learned HOW to run SLOW in order to run FAST!! At first, I was feeling a bit embarrassed posting last Sunday’s finishing time of: 4:55:14. But then I reflected on past races & realized this was my BEST race thus far! Thank you Coach Jamie, for believing, encouraging, protecting that hip pain, and “coaching” me to the finish line! I feel like a “New Runner” and I’m excited to take my next race to a new level…as a SMART runner! Thank you Runners Connect team for the support you give freely to each other, it is positively encouraging!
Vladimir Selec ran the Amsterdam Marathon and finished with a time of 3:18:41, which was a PR by 4 min 9 secs!
After Boston, where I hit the wall and was off 4 min to brake my PR, in Amsterdam I was on the mission to do just that. City of Amsterdam is amazing and would highly recommend it! The course itself is pretty flat and great for PR. The start is broke in to corals .. Be closer to the start line in your coral if you wish to brake PR. The streets are narrow in the beginning and it makes it harder to pass slower people.. Really happy with everything!
