Amy Thomas ran the Erie Presque Island Marathon in Erie, PA finishing this distance in the time of 4:09:10 which was a PR by 1 hour and qualified for Boston!!
I qualified for Boston by 50 seconds!! When I joined Runners Connect, I really wanted to qualify for Boston in this race. I knew it was stretch – my 1st and last marathon 4 years ago was a 5:10 time and I needed a 4:10 time to qualify for Boston. But I knew I had done a 9:00 pace in a previous half-marathon, so I believed that it was possible. The biggest hurdle was that 3 weeks prior to the race, after my 20 mile run, it hurt to walk. I didn’t run for 5 days. Saw a podiatrist who diagnosed a neuroma (nerve inflammation between my metatarsels) caused by wearing shoes that were too narrow. (Asics had gotten rid of my former shoe model, and I didn’t learn until too late that the replacement model that they recommended had a narrower toe box). My wonderful doctor is a runner, and with the help of a cortisone shot and some fabulous Reliv nutrition, which I use every day, he encouraged me that I’d be able to do the marathon. So Sept 14, 2014 was a day that will forever be imbedded in my memory….a wonderful story of the rewards of perseverance. I am grateful for the personal plan and help from Runners Connect – I KNOW I could never have qualified for Boston without your help. I simply didn’t understand enough about pacing and training to do it without you. So…THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Bobby Smith raced the Talladega SuperSpeedway Half Marathon in Talladega, AL coming across the finish line with a time of 1:29:17 which was a PR by 5 minutes and 28 seconds.
I ran this race as a tune-up race for my upcoming Rocket City Marathon on December 13, 2014. The goal was to run a patient race with focus on implementing my race strategy and being mentally tough in the final miles to push hard. The day was overcast with a nice breeze that made for a great temperature. Starting the race slow is always tough for me but I was able to dial the pace back 10 seconds the first mile which allow me to settle into a comfortable pace for the second and third mile. From mile 4-10 I ran consistent and at mile 10 I felt great so I went for it. Negative splits from this point on allowed me to pass several other runners which gave me a mental boost. Final 1.1 miles I ran at 5K pace to finish in the top 2.5% overall (19/735 finishers). It was a perfect race!
Madeleine Said ran the Navy Air Force Half Marathon in Washington DC finishing her debut half marathon in the time of 2:17:52.
I was so nervous about this race – getting there, the distance, my recent injury possibly acting up on me. But all that worry was for naught – we started the race at the Washington Monument, clear blue skies, mid 50’s. I ran according to plan – first 4 miles holding back a bit, pick it up until mile 11 and then go for it. The route was beautiful, past the monuments and through Rock Creek Park – so cool to run the streets that I normally zip through in a car – it’s a whole different experience on foot. I kept waiting for the tired part to hit and it never did. Just a bit in that last mile – it was uphill and I was pushing through and then I flew through the finish. My first half marathon!! I can’t wait to do another one – I think I’ve found my niche. And a BIG thank you to Runners Connect and Coach Jamie for getting me to the starting line injury free and ready to give it my all – this is the first time I’ve been able to accomplish a longer race and it’s because I had such great guidance from my coach and the RC team.”
Julia Labovsky ran the Parks Half Marathon in Bethesda, MD finishing this race in the time of 1:48:29 which was a PR by 2 minutes and 30 seconds.
A tune-up race in the thick of marathon training, I was feeling pretty beat up, and was concerned about getting through the race injury-free. At the start, I watched the 1:50 pace group run off and contemplated keeping up, but instead went with how my body was feeling. I was able to build my pace, and by mile 11, I caught up and passed them, getting a 2.5 minute PR of 1:48:29. This PR was unexpected but long-coming, as it had been my goal for last spring which was thwarted by injury.
Chris Carrier ran Makin’ Tracks 5k in River Forest, IL finishing this event in the time of 21:46 which was a PR of 44 seconds in the 5K.
In the first mile, I clocked about 7:07, which was great. My second mile I held just under 7:00 which just sort of happened. Interesting. I continued this for the third mile and punched it up in the last tenth. I was very surprised and happy that I really blew away my previous PR. I see this as an indication that I am way ahead of last year in training and I am very encouraged. I feel like all the speed work is paying off! I have learned that even though I will not be among the fastest runners in a 5k, I need to start near the front of the group. There are lots of kids and slower runners that like to be in the front. I’ve lost energy in the past having to do lots of dodging and weaving.
Tim Peoples ran the Tippy Connect 15K in West Lafayette, Indiana finishing this race distance in the time of 1:22:47 which gave him a win in his age group.
The weather was perfect for the race. Slight cloud cover but bright sun with a slight chill in the air. The route took us through neighborhoods around Purdue University and included down one long hill and up two shorter but steeper hills near the end. My time was 14 seconds slower than last year but I felt much stronger this year. I managed to win the over 50 men’s category and took home a medal!
Jason Bryant raced the Running of the Bulls 5K in Houston, TX coming across the finish line with a time of 22:56 which was a PR by 1 minute.
This race was special to me, because it marked my 1-year “run-iversary”. This 5k was the first race I ever ran (Sept. 2013), so I wanted to come back a year later and see how much I’d improved. Last year I ran 28:56, so this race was a full 6 minutes over my 2013 time. My 5k PR heading into this event was 23:55 (set in March of 2014), and I was shooting for 23:00 in this race. I followed the advice from RC articles for my warm-up for this race.
Jessica Wallace completed in the 5K Mud Run Turkey in Istanbul, Turkey completing this event in the time of 31:50 giving her a 3rd place age group award.
Super psyched about my time of 31:50 in this mud run obstacle course. I really wish I had a way of translating this into a “real” 5K time that takes into account the hills and obstacles. I was 3rd in my age group and 4th female overall. The best part about this race though was my push to the finish. I had had a lady in my sights the entire race, slowly gaining on her. At about 500m I finally passed her. Then she re-passed me. I decided right then and there that she was not going to beat me. I kicked it and finished hard. I beat her by 8 seconds. It is not so much that I beat her but that I finished hard. I was spent but DARN, that felt good to push myself like that!
Bas van Delft ran the RunnersWorld TrackCircuit 5,000m in Spijkenisse finishing this race event in the time of 18:30 which is a PR of 47 seconds.
This is the goal race I have been training for entire summer. Although circumstances were not optimal and I could have raced faster, my time is one I wished for at the start of this summer. Thanks for all the support and the great workouts, Coach Danny Fisher!
James Barrand ran the Dinosaur Valley Marathon in Drumheller coming across the finish line in this race with a time of 3:42:03 which was a PR!
This was my second attempt at completing a full marathon. Earlier this year, I made my first attempt, but I basically ‘blew up’ at KM 37 and just couldn’t finish the race after I hit the wall. While I was disappointed, I did learn a lot from that experience and I was able to apply it to this race. This time around, I had a better strategy, more discipline and a more solid base of training going in which allowed me to finish the race and feel relatively solid all the way through. It was a great feeling to finally achieve my goal.
