Peak Performance Maine Marathon

The Peak Performance Maine Marathon, Half-Marathon, and Relay went off yesterday under overcast skies and fairly mild temperatures. The weather the night before was rain, thunder, and lightening, and so there was a shared sigh of relief among all participants on Sunday morning.

With the exception of a few upcoming marathons, namely, Bay State, Manchester City, Nike Women's, and New York City, the majority of the Peak Performance training group I've been working with since May 31st, achieved their goal to run either the full or half-marathon in Maine yesterday. Twenty-eight group members ran the half, and fourteen completed the full. Congratulations go out to all.

The group trained together for 18-weeks throughout the summer. Everyone had a schedule to follow, and then weekly, came together as a group in various pre-determined locations for the "long run." We were fortunate to have several Team in Training runners join the group about three weeks into it. Runners were able to recognize other runners at their pace and over the course of the four months experienced a wonderful sense of camaraderie. Most runners know the benefit of running with friends - it makes the time go by; it often challenges one to work harder; and it helps one develop a sense of commitment. I think this group received all that by the end of the program.

Many were racing the distance, whether the half or full, for their very first time. I believe the time results of these efforts are less important than the bravery it required to toe the line and the commitment it took to accomplish it. Lives are changed!

Of course, as it goes with running and anything that stretches one's abilities into unknown territory, there was some attrition in the group during the program. Injuries happened, lives became busy and stressed, plans and priorities simply changed. And that's okay. One of the reasons I value running so much, is it teaches us how to cope with failure and disappointment, and how to be flexible and forgiving of one's limitations. It motivates us to try harder and to not give up; and it provides a vehicle for us to share our trepidations, achievements and improvements.

Here are the results from yesterday's races:

Half-Marathon:
Sarah Blodgett – 3:00
Jessica Brown – 3:00
Debbie Chasse – 2:09
Susannah Clark – 2:06
Karen Gilbert – 2:14
Karla Gilbert – 2:14
Michelle Goldman – 2:05
Chris Gould – 2:02
Nora Gross – 2:13
Robert Jolicoeur – 2:10
Katharine McCarthy – 2:04
Emily Morris – 2:21
Stacy Morris-White – 2:01
Carrie Newton – 2:25
Margaret O’Keefe – 2:08
Deb Patry – 2:26
Curtis Picard – 2:15
Julie Smith – 2:05
Jenn Stockless – 2:37
Ashley Stone – 2:11
Nan Tanner – 2:10
Ellen Theodores – 3:15
Chelsea Thompson – 2:24
Stacey Trembley – 2:57
Kristin Watson – 2:15
Cindy Wegener – 2:10
Laura Welles – 2:00
Louisa Wickard – 1:50

Marathon:
Jennifer Christensen – 5:13
Troy DeRoche – 4:02
Cathryn Douglass – 5:07
Shawn Gilbert – 4:39
Jamie Hiltz – 4:39
A.J. Hungerford – 3:34
Andrea Jordan – 4:53
Shelly Lajoie-Carlson – 5:01
Darrin Lary – 4:02
Robyn Merrill – 3:43
Steve Taylor – 4:19
Chuck Thorp – 3:20
Donna Tucci – 5:23
Linda Whitten – 5:50

Congratulations, again. Now it's time to rest and recover, and set new goals.

Best wishes are in store for the following runners for their upcoming events:

Betty Rines – Bay State Marathon in Lowell, MA on October 18
Chuck Thorp – Manchester City Marathon on November 1
Carrie Newton – New York City Marathon on November 1
A.J. Hungerford - New York City Marathon on November 1
Emilie Manhart – Nike Women’s Marathon in San Fran on October 18
Kristin Quatrano - Nike Women’s Marathon in San Fran on October 18

Good luck!!