2015 Fall Racing Season – Client Accomplishments

Fall 2015 Racing Season was awesome for our clients:

  • 7 Marathons (1 PR, 3 first time race distance completion)
  • 14 Half Marathons (4 PRs, 1 age group award, 2 first time race distance completion)
  • 1 8-miler (a PR)
  • 6 5Ks (2 age group awards, 1 first time race distance completion)
  • 1 23 mile hike
  • 1 20 mile ready-to-run training event
  • 1 corner kick goal
  • 1 first-time push-up
  • 1 magazine cover!

Here are the accomplishments in Fall 2015 by our clients:

Marathon Maniacs Newsletter Cover

Dana is famous.   Check out the cover of this month’s Marathon Maniacs Newsletter:

Dana said “I was only able to be there to post that picture of me and run that event (injury-free, I might add!) because of the effective training you put me through. :)”

Schaumburg Half Marathon Turkey Trot

Wendy, Tammie, Peter,  Catherine and Wally completed the Schaumburg Half Marathon Turkey Trot.  Wendy was 2nd in her age group!  Peter was 4th in his age group!

Thanksgiving  Day Turkey Trot Races

Nicole is our newest runner!   She completed her first race today, the Downers Grove Turkey Trot 5k.   Congratulations to Nicole!

 

Jerry ran the Naperville Turkey Trot 5K

 

Lisle Turkey Trot Tune-up 5K

Peter, Catherine and Jerry ran the Lisle Turkey Trot Tune-up 5K. Peter was 3rd overall and 1st in his age group!

   

Naperville Half Marathon

Michelle, Amanda, Jerome, Mary and Jim Q all completed the Naperville Half Marathon.   Michelle set a 9 minute PR and Jerome set a 6 minute PR!   Jim Q equalled his PR!   Amanda completed her first Half Marathon!

Jerome (Jay) said “I am overjoyed I cut 6 minutes off of my last half marathon time. Anxious to get together with you to get better for Spring!”

Amanda said “I’m so grateful for your training. It made all the difference–mentally and physically.”

 Congratulations to all of our athletes!

Hot Cider Hustle 8 Mile Race

Michelle ran a PR of 1:18 at the Hot Cider Hustle 8 Mile Race!   Michelle ran her first marathon at the Fox Valley Marathon just last month.   Read more about Michelle here.

Grand Rapids Marathon

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Dana completed the Grand Rapids Marathon in spite of fighting a respiratory virus all week.   Great job and great perserverence!  Congratulations Dana.

 

Wally finished 2nd in his age group in the St. Eugene School Trot ‘n Treat 5K.

One of our 3 Rivers Soccer Club SAQ Academy participants scored a very rare corner kick goal!

 

Ciara

 

 

Check out the video.

 

 

 

 

Chicago Marathon

Peter, Diane and Keith completed the  Chicago Marathon under less than ideal conditions (warm and windy).   Congratulations to all three marathoners!

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Diane  set a new PR by over 15 minutes!

After the race, Diane said “Hooray to a Wonderful Race & to a Beautiful Beast of a Day!”  This is Diane’s second Chicago Marathon while training 2 times per week with L2 Performance Training.   Read about Diane’s 20 year road to the marathon.

 

Prairie State Half Marathon

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Catherine completed the Prairie State Half Marathon.   She is working toward completing the All Community Events Half Marathon Series. Congratulations to Catherine!   Catherine is a RunSMART client.   Read about RunSMART (and how to register) here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fran had always wanted to do a ‘real’ push-up.    And now she can!   Great job Fran!

Read more about Fran’s story.

 

 

 

Vikas completed a 23 mile hike around Lake Geneva in Wisconsin with his children.   Nice job!

 

 

 

Fox Valley Marathon

Mary, Michelle and Connie are all marathoners now!  They each completed their first marathon at the Fox Valley Marathon.  Congratulations to all three of them!   Photos from the race:

 

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After the race, Mary said “Thanks, Laurie! You’re the best. I couldn’t have done it without you!!”

Mary later wrote: “I never could have imagined running a marathon before I began training with Laurie. I could not have done it without her. Because she so thoroughly prepared me both physically and mentally for race day I knew I would cross the finish line. It was one of the best moments of my life. Laurie was at the finish line cheering me on. I am so happy I got to share that moment with her. It was as much her accomplishment as mine. She took me from an average runner to marathoner. I can’t wait for the next marathon!”  Read about Mary’s road to the Marathon.

 

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Michelle later wrote “On that lovely fall morning, Laurie was there at the start of the race. As always, she was encouraging and had more faith in me than I did in myself. And I did it….it was long, and ugly but I finished. 26.2! I absolutely could not have managed without Laurie’s help. And, being the cool coach that she is, Laurie got me a 26.2 magnet for my car.”  Read about Michelle’s journey here

Connie2croppedFVM ConnieFVM

After the race, Connie said “FIRST and foremost…thank you for all of your love for running and the strength you gave me to even move on through my injuries. I can’t thank you enough for all of your support. No matter how long it took me I wanted to try this before I turned 60 which is in December. I did it!!”  Read about Connie here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

CARA Chicago Ready to Run 20 miler

Dana was a Pace Group Leader at the CARA Chicago Ready to Run 20 miler. Here she is leading her team.

 

 

Naperville Trails Half Marathon

Peter and Joe completed the Naperville Trails Half-Marathon.

Peter set a new Half-Marathon PR of 1:28:07.   He was 16th overall and 3rd in his age group.
After the race, Peter said “somehow I managed to beat my previous half marathon PR by 38 seconds, most of which I earned on the last 2 miles.  Thanks for your help.”  Read more about Peter’s success here.

 

 

 

 

 

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Joe completed his first Half-Marathon at Naperville Trails with an excellent time of 1:46:11.
After the race, Joe said “Thank you!  Feel amazing, nothing hurts, and enjoyed myself!   Thank you for all of your help!”

 

 

 

Great job by both athletes!

2015 Spring-Summer Racing – Client Accomplishments

Here are some of the accomplishments in Spring/Summer 2015 races by our clients:

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Wally completed the MuckFest MS Chicago 5K Mud Obstacle Run.  This is a team race that includes running, crawling and climbing.  Wally said his L2 Performance Training Sports Conditioning Program really helped: “All of the crawling training really helped me.  Spider crawls training worked awesome.  My team said I was like a monkey.  So I think our Sports Conditioning training and our running training program did it.   I wasn’t even sore after the event!”  Read more about Wally’s journey here.

 

Catherine ran the Lisle Windrunners 10K. 

Anthony completed the Chicago Spartan Sprint Race.  This was a major accomplishment for Anthony as he has been plagued by injuries in the past and did not think he would be able to compete in this event.   Anthony said “I am very excited and I think I am that much closer to cracking the code to running. Thank you again for the advice.”

Peter and Catherine completed the AMITA Fitness for America Half-Marathon.   Peter was 3rd in his age group.

Charisma completed the Chicago Rock and Roll 10K in very hot, humid conditions.

Michelle completed the Waterfall Glen Xtreme 10 miler.  This was Michelle’s first 10 mile race.

Peter and Catherine ran the Downers Grove Park District 5 miler.  Peter finished 4th in his age group.

Peter, Mary, Catherine and Jerry ran the 3rd Annual River Grove FOP 5K.   They had some great results:

Peter was 3rd Overall, 2nd in the Men’s Masters division and won his age group.

Mary was 7th Overall Female, 2nd in the Women’s Masters division and won her age group, setting a PR for the 5K.

Jerry was 3rd in his age group.

Congratulations to all!   Here are some photos from the race:

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Laurie, Peter, Catherine and Mary after the race

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Jerry and Laurie after the finish

Peter with his age group winning medal

Mary with her age group winning medal

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Michelle ran a PR at the Cosley Zoo 10K Run.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Diane won her age group at the Ridge Run 10K in 53:06. Read more about Diane’s journey here.

 
Wally - Rock River 5K 2015 v2

 

 

 

 

 

Wally won his age group at the Rock River Leisure Estates 5K. Read more about Wally’s journey here.

 

Jaime set a PR of 1:26 at the Soldier Field 10 Mile race.

Two of our clients ran the Chicagoland Spring races in very hot and humid conditions:

Peter ran 3:33:33: in the Chicagoland Spring Marathon and was 21st overall and 4th in his age group. Read about his journey here.

 

Peter said, “At least, I am not injured (other than a few blisters), which is in big part an outcome of the RunSMART class.”   RunSMART will be offered again this summer at Edward Health and Fitness.    Watch the Upcoming Events section for info on how to register.  

 

 

 

 

 

Mary completed the Chicagoland Spring Half-Marathon in 2:12:18.   This was Mary’s 3rd Half Marathon. Read about her journey here.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Diane was 2nd in her age group at the Run Like a Mother 5K with a PR of 23:50. 

Read more about Diane’s journey here


 

 

 

Peter, Michelle and Catherine completed the Groovin in the Grove 5KPeter was 4th overall and 1st in his age group.   He set a PR of 18:53. Read about his journey here.

Wendy completed the 2015 Boston Marathon this April having qualified at the Indianapolis Marathon in the fall.   She is also qualified for, and plans to run, the 2016 Boston Marathon.

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Diane was 2nd in her age group at the Morton Arboretum Arbor Day 10K.

 

Read more about Diane’s journey here

 

 

Dana completed the CARA Lakefront 10 miler.

Peter, Catherine and Jerry completed the Bank of America Shamrock Shuffle 8K.   Peter ran a 31:34, good for a PR and a Top 2% finish in his age group!  Catherine also ran a PR!

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Diane ran the Lisle Spring Sprint 5K on March 22. Diane won her age group and was second woman overall!

 

Read more about Diane’s journey here.

 

 

Jim and Susan both completed the Naperville St. Paddys Day 5K.

Wally completed the 2015 Tokyo Marathon this past February.   Wally has completed 5 marathons and is halfway through completion of the World Marathon Majors.

Read more about Wally’s journey here.

2014 Racing Season – Client Accomplishments

Our Clients had many impressive and exciting accomplishments during this fall’s road racing season:

Peter V. completed 2 marathons this fall, including a personal record and Boston Marathon qualifying time of 3:22 at the Naperville Marathon.   Read about his journey here.

Diane completed her first marathon this fall at the Chicago Marathon in a time of 4:30.  She had all but given up on her dream of running a marathon 20 years ago due to injury, but her training with us allowed her to reach her goal.  Diane says ” “I never gave up on my dream but thanks to Laurie’s help I was able to finally reach my goals and feel like a champion.”  Read more about Diane’s journey here.

Ryan completed his first marathon this fall at the Chicago Marathon in a time of 3:54.   Ryan told us “I wouldn’t have been able to do it without your help.”

Dana completed the Des Plaines River Trail Marathon this fall – completing a marathon injury-free for the first time in her running career.

Wendy completed the Indianapolis Marathon this fall, qualifying for the Boston Marathon.

Felicity completed the Naperville Marathon this fall.

Kristine completed her first marathon at the New York City Marathon this fall.  She is hoping to return there in 2016 to better her time.  Kristine says “Probably be looking to you for help on that!!!”

Mary completed her first 2 half-marathons this fall with a Personal Record of 2:06 at the Naperville Half-Marathon.   She also won her age group in a 5K this past spring.  A year ago she was unable to run due to serious injury.  Read about her journey here.

Linda completed her first Half Marathon at the Naperville Half-Marathon this fall.   Linda said “Thank you for the training!”

Catherine set a Personal Record in the Half-Marathon at the Naperville Half-Marathon.  Catherine said “It’s all from your training!”

Peter K. completed his first 5K this fall with his daughters.  Peter says “I couldn’t even walk around the block without being in pain and now I am running some. My daughters and I did the Color Vibe 5K, and while my time was a little slower than I had hoped, the point is that I did it and that would not have been possible if I had not spent time training with you.”

P.J. completed 2 triathlons this fall, overcoming injury issues with our training help.

Jerry completed several 5K and 8K races this year – his first races ever at the age of 68 – after training with us this year.  Read about his journey here.

I can’t wait to see what these clients, as well as all of our new ones, do in 2015!