Athlete Race Recap: Lake Effect Quarter Marathon, Cupid’s Chase 5K, & Super Couch Potato 5K

Full Circle Endurance athletes are feeling the love this Valentine’s Day after a great weekend of racing!

• Lake Effect Quarter Marathon
• Cupid’s Chase 5K - Syracuse, NY
• Cupid’s Chase 5K - Harrisburg, PA
• Super Couch Potato 5K

Lake Effect Quarter Marathon - Minoa, New York

On Saturday, February 12, 2022, the Lake Effect Quarter Marathon returned to Minoa, New York, and Lisa Crockford was there to take on the 6.55-mile race!

Lisa has continued to work on increasing her speed in running (this has been a constant focus for us since November 2021), and this race showed her that her hard work continues to pay off!  She was 15 seconds per mile faster at this race than at the Lake Winter Warrior Quarter Marathon, which she ran just a mere five weeks ago!

Speed gains in running can be challenging to achieve in Winter, and that is especially true for athletes like Lisa who live in cold and snowy climates.  Being from Syracuse, Lisa has had to contend with cold temperatures, snowy and slushy conditions, and many dark runs to continue to make progress toward her goal of running faster.  But she has taken those challenges in stride (pun intended) and is reaping the fruits of her labors now!

Congratulations, Lisa!

Cupid’s Chase 5K - Syracuse, New York

Cupid’s Chase is a series of national running races that took place in many cities across the United States of America on Saturday, February 12, 2022.  Natalie Metz raced the Syracuse event.

Natalie recently became a certified running coach (every coach needs a coach, my friends :) ) and has been coaching No Boundaries, a beginner running program offered through Fleet Feet Syracuse.  The goal race of this program was Cupid’s Chase, and Coach Natalie ran her way to an extremely solid finish time that earned her third place in her age group!

She underestimated her abilities and left before the Awards Ceremony, which is something I hear about often.  So many athletes do the same thing - assume that they didn’t place.  I’m here to tell you: Don’t underestimate yourselves, my friends!  As I shared in my recent Race Report from Rock ‘n’ Roll New Orleans, great results often come to us when we are least expecting them.

Congratulations, Natalie!  You rocked it!

Cupid’s Chase - Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

Sarah Heintzelman also ran one of the Cupid’s Race events, but she ran the 5K in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania!

Sarah has been having me write her Custom-Built Training Plans for over a year now, and she’s been working hard and achieving some great results along the way!

Saturday was another big day for Sarah, as she was able to run the fastest 5K she’s ever run!  She beat her previous best time by a full minute and ten seconds!  That is a full TWENTY-TWO seconds per mile faster!

Custom-Built Training Plans are a wonderful option for athletes seeking some specific-to-them guidance in their training, but who do not need or want a coach overseeing their training every day.  (Athletes who are seeking that kind of coaching prefer Performance Coaching.)

For Sarah, the Custom-Built Training Plan coaching option has helped her to make continued progress in her running, and as you can see from her smile, she’s very excited about that!

Congratulations, Sarah!  Bask in the glory of that new personal best time! :D

Super Couch Potato 5K - Liverpool, New York

It was all about the racing this weekend for Lisa Crockford, who followed up Saturday’s Lake Effect Quarter Marathon with the Super Couch Potato 5K in Liverpool, New York.

This race has been held every Super Bowl Sunday for the last twelve years, and Lisa has run every one of them! Even though her legs were tired from Saturday’s race, Lisa was able to run a fantastic time. Her pace for this race on tired legs was the same as her “fresh legs” pace from a 5K race she did last November! This is a very excellent measure of her improved running speed and fitness.

Way to go, Lisa!