From Rene', 10/20/2008
First off let me say THANK YOU!!! to Ron and everyone in our group. Baltimore was fantastic, my favorite marathon to date, even more than my first. I set a big goal for myself, and was mostly comfortable that I could do it (at least until the week prior to the marathon, when I was sure I bit off more than I could chew). My goal for Baltimore was a 4:15. To many this is no big deal, but for me it is 24 minutes and change faster than my previous best, which was a 4:39:23 at the B&A Trail Marathon, which is flat. My finish time at Baltimore was 4:14:17. I never could have done this without Ron's program and all the support and advice that I got from him and other members of the group. I used all the advice given at the "after the run get togethers", specifically Ron, Paula and Jeff's advice. A special thank you to Paula, Sandy and Rose for being at the race. When I felt like I wasn't going to make it, I just kept telling myself that I just had to make it to your table. It was so great to see you there, it really gave me the "pick me up" that I needed to finish strong.
I never would have met my goal without everyone's support. I can't tell all of you enough just how much better my life is because of running with our group. I wouldn't have found the joy in running that I have without being part of all of this.
Thank you, Rene'