Runners: describe how your best race ever in your life went

Storyteller wrote:

We've all had that one race when everything just came together. If you haven't, you need to race more. A new realization? New PR? A win? Share your story.

Can non-runners also participate?

Yeah I'm a hobby jogger. Can I participate?

Unfortunately my best race was the result of peaking too soon, so it happened the third week in October, but it was still an incredible feeling at the time.

I was a senior in high school and had gone from pretty mediocre to somewhat competitive on the county level over the previous three years. I won a tri-meet the second week in October and was facing some rivals (including the county 3200 champ) the following week in a six-team meet.

I went out somewhat reserved, but was within the top 10 by the 1/2 mile mark. By a mile it was me and five or six other guys, including the champ and a guy who had outkicked me several times the previous spring. It was a somewhat hilly course, with most of it on trails through the woods. At about 1.5 miles, the champ and the kicker surged. I was feeling great and had to make a choice: go with them (I had never beat either of them before) or hang back in the chase pack.

I went with them and the three of us gapped the chase pack quickly. We continued to haul tail through the woods and lengthened the gap. With about 1/2 mile to go, the champ took off and I tried going with him. We came flying out of the woods (me a few seconds back) as all of the girls teams lined the course cheering. I was in love

with a girl on our team and was doing everything i could to impress her (and not look like I was hurting). The lactic acid was building, but I was rolling. I actually started thinking about what I would say if I won.

Ultimately the champ was too good and held me off. Because i went after him early, the kicker ended up getting me just before the line, too. Crap.

Still, even though it wasnt my best result of the season, it was the best I felt. It showed I could run with the best in the county and made all the training i had been doing worth it. I just wish i felt that way over the next three weeks.

Maybe not the "best race of my life" per se but a very well executed one nontheless.

It was a 1600m last spring. I wanted to best my recent PR of 5:19 (yes i am not very fast)

I had my strategy planned out and went out the first 400m pushing less than I had previously, because I had the tendency to run the first lap too fast because it always felt so easy. I went through in like 78 I think, feeling very good. Made a slight surge for the 2nd 400m to maintain pace, came through in 2:39ish still feeling strong and knew I had the PR in the bag, it was just a matter of how much time I could drop in the last 2 laps. Made a very hard surge the 3rd 400m and started to catch the pack in front of me, while also dropping someone behind me. hit 1200m in 3:58 or so, rapidly catching the pack in front of me. I was hurting pretty bad at this point but knew I only had 400m left. Surged again going down the backstretch and was very close to the pack in front of me. Last 200m gave it literally everything I had, pulling even with a teammate who was in the pack ahead of me. Could not feel my legs the last 100m as I sprinted to the finish. Unfortunately my teammate outckicked me by a few tenths but I came in at 5:13, 6 seconds under my PR with absolutely nothing left. One of the only races where I knew I had gave it literally everything I had and paced it perfectly.

This thread is an invite for TL/DR.

Probably a 3k my freshman year of HS at a good sized invite. Went out with the leaders, and each lap just felt like I was cruising and relaxed. I felt focused and just "on". I kept expecting to hit a wall, but never did. With 800 to go I took the lead and ran a 2:16 final 800 (at the time I thought it was such a kick!) to win in 9:13 .

I ran 9:15 later that season, but went out a bit faster and it hurt like hell. I definitely was just firing on all cylinders in the first race, but also learned a valuable lesson in how important pacing can be.

Legs felt heavy at the start but never got worse. Ran in the zone.

Several years ago I was dating this lady. Not real long time frame, but around 10 months or so. It was known I was going to get moved for my job, with the expectation of moving back after within the year. Well, come July she had an epiphany at friends wedding out of town. She broke up with me over the phone as she figured that would be better than in person picking her arse up a the airport. (I can see that).

This gal prided herself on being a college athlete , she was a rower at a small college....big deal. She generally dated guys with a little bit of a gut. This was the first time she dated someone more fit than her and she admitted several times it "p*ssed her off." She was in tears one time about it. It was dumb, she was very fit. I was dumbfounded by the insecurity.

So, I am getting moved a month after the break-up and trained like a mad-man. I didn't really harbor any animosity as she's a good person, but I did want a good run for spite. It helped in my new town, I knew nobody, so I had time on my hands.

Early October I run the marathon in city I left. It was PR conditions. She said she would still come out to support me and saw her a couple times on the course. I was feeling pretty good from miles 0-13 and picked up the pace slightly. Miles 14-23 I maintained that pace. The last three miles, I don't know what came over me, felt like I was flying and was running at my 10K pace. Later that night, I texted her and thanked for for coming and let her know I PR'd by 16 minutes....with a time she would never remotely come close to. Then I went out and got drunk.

Mine was an 8th? place finish that felt just like a win. It was in a mid sized 15K road race, probably 500 finishers or so. I'm a hobby jogger by letsrun standards, but was in great shape that day as I was running big marathon training mileage at the time. Within the first couple of miles, the leaders had disappeared, so far ahead they were out of sight. I was in a mini trailing pack with two other guys, and we stayed in rough contact for the rest of the race. A few times I thought the other guys were dropping me. A few times I thought I'd dropped one of them. But we all hung in there and kept coming back. Our trio of the 8th-10th place finishers was probably several minutes behind 7th place, but that made our mini competition feel like we were vying for a win. I felt strong but doubted my kick, so decided to make a decisive move at the 8 mile mark. I surged away and eventually didn't hear the footsteps any more. I thought I had them. But then suddenly with a few hundred meters to go I felt someone on my shoulder. Somehow I gathered myself for a strong finish, and barely locked down that 8th place. Was a PR in about 54 minutes, but mostly gave me confidence in my conditioning and race toughness. Maybe not my best race ever, but certainly one of the most enjoyable and memorable for me.

Storyteller wrote:

We've all had that one race when everything just came together. If you haven't, you need to race more. A new realization? New PR? A win? Share your story.

Not my best race ever, but one of the most memorable.

There was a 10k I raced in July a few years ago with 110 other people, so very small.

The morning was very hot (close to 80 at the gun) and very humid with no wind, no clouds, and no shade.

The course was in a rural area with plenty of hills to climb (the race itself started on a climb).

Went out fast but controlled and was dealing with a yet to be diagnosed injury in my left foot.

The first 5k was rough but I hung in there, passing other runners here and there.

I was surprised how many people I was passing but for the second 5k, I had no idea what place I was in. I could see a couple runners ahead of me on a long stretch, but they had enough of a lead on me that I didn't think I had it in me to catch and pass them. It was so very hot and I was questioning exactly what I was doing with myself, running on this July morning, when I could be poolside somewhere, when the mooing of a cow snapped me out of my daydream. I ran on.

The finish was on a slight downhill and when I had it in my sights, I started to kick because the only thing I wanted at that point was to just stop and get a drink of water. There were bottles of water at the finish, so the faster I ran, the sooner I could drink. Another runner, much taller than I must have had the same idea because I heard his kick as well. I wasn't about to be passed this close to the finish, so I dug deep and threw everything I had at the last quarter-mile, completing it in 75 seconds (it really hurt). The other runner finished a few seconds behind me and we congratulated each other. I remember the other runner thanking me for pulling them in, and I in turned thanked them for that final push.

Finished 11th overall and first in my division. Soft finish, but even the winner had a soft time. The heat & humidity were brutal.

Later that day, I ran a 5k for fun in the evening, having been given a bib by someone who couldn't use it. Turned out the 5k course was short and untimed. Wish I would have known that beforehand because the seond race is when the injury really flared up and I ended up getting diagnosed with sesamoiditis.

But that 10k in the morning made my day.

4 years of futility against my arch rival ended in the conference finals of my senior year of HS.

I'd beaten him once earlier in the season, but it was laughed off b/c he was hung over.

In the finals, I decided there was no way I'd let him get ahead. I went out hard and absolutely destroyed him. He tried to keep up, but couldn't. I ended up 3rd; he fell all the way back to 11th.

Set a world record while winning the 800m at the 2012 Olympics and became first person under 1:41. Maybe you heard about that race.

5K, had to beat a banana to win Jamba Juice, stronger incentive than any other past motivation, ran a PR

*but did not defeat the banana, shame ensued

I can't pin down a single best race. Maybe a best race at each distance I ran.

100m - won a duel meet 12 grade

200m - won a different duel meet that year

400m - made it my goal to win districts and did it. I was in lane 4. The favorite was in lane 3 and he went out hard and made up the stagger early. With 200 to go, I maintained contact running the longer outside curve and was close with 100 to go. I dug in, took the lead and held off the field for the win. That was gritty and satisfying.

800m - Sr year of college, IC4A semi. Top two make it to finals and my teammate was in my heat plus an NCAA qualifier. I lead the first 450m at a steady pace, fell back to third before the 200 to go mark. My teammate got the lead on the home straight. I passed them both before the line with my teammate qualifying in second. I won in my lifetime PR.

1500m - Jr year of college. I was an 800 runner but asked to run the 1500 at the conference meet. I had only run the 1500 twice before in my life and had never even raced a mile. I hung with the leaders, moved up to second with a lap to go. Staked the leader over the last lap and blasted the last 100 fir the win. It was a big PR, too. I ran much faster later on but that was probably my most satisfying 1500m race.

5K - road race with a couple if good local racers in the field. One guy took the first mile out pretty hard and I was 3 sec back. I took over the lead at half way point as the leader faded but another guy stalked me the rest of the way. I kicked away from him the last .1 and ran my only sub 15.

10k - road race. Thanksgiving many years ago. Sleet before the race caused a cautious start. I grabbed the lead at the first mile. Some local running hero ran directly behind me at that point. I ran steady the next two miles and he stayed right behind me whether I slowed or sped up. Mile four I really picked up the pace and gapped him a bit but didn't lose him. I backed off the fifth mile. He caught back up but wouldn't pass me. I picked the pace back up for mile six and he stayed with me. With .2 mile to go, I slowed on purpose and made him pass me so I could see what he had for a kick and he started sprinting. I smiled and went after him. I blasted by him with 200 to go and he had nothing to give back. I cruised the last 50m fur the win.

My best overall race was probably none of those, though.

I was fifth in my 1500m PR and hung in with some top runners to get my OT qualifier.

Took a cartload of EPO and then ran this 3k where it felt like I was jogging. Ran 7:20.

I was fit. I ran fast. I ran a PB. No one faster than me showed up that day, so I won. The end.

local 5k road race with about 1000 people. 40 degrees, clear. i went into the race completely relaxed because it was unplanned and i didn't care too much about the outcome. it was after the fall season, and i had cut my mileage way back from 60mpw to 30mpw for the month leading to this. the combination of these things made me feel super fresh. it started off fast and we established a lead group of 8. by the second mile it was stringed out with me in 4th and a leader about 100m ahead looking like he would solo in to victory. i made a move for 2nd at mile 2.5 and continued as hard as i could. then i could see the leader getting closer and closer. every time i pulled up next to him he would surge ahead, but i kept it constant and was gradually increasing pace, and i knew i was doing something special, and i knew my footsteps behind him must've been mentally defeating at this stage in the race after his solo effort. with 200m to go i caught him and made a definitive pass, to win in a PR of 15:24. each mile was 5 seconds faster than the previous. i would have trouble running mile repeats at this pace, but in this race it seemed easy. i got a little glass trophy for winning which i converted into a christmas tree ornament. it was a damn fine race.

HS: I only got into the 1600 JV league finals as an alternate, but then took 3rd and PR'd by 9 seconds.

31 years later: The HM where I floated effortlessly across the ground, faster than I'd run any workout, just flying along for miles without getting tired. PR'd by over 4 minutes and took 3rd.

Sort and simple - Fall 2013.

Half Marathon - Went out in 5:50 and change and kept negative splitting. Perfect weather on hard packed crushed gravel, had a bike to chase and a girl to impress. Last mile was 5:12 and felt great. Ended up with a 1:11:52

Full - Later that fall. Went out in 5:35 and found a running buddy running the same pace. Mid-sized marathon. Ran together with the running buddy, going through the half in 1:15:40ish. No real issues until 23 when he dropped some low 5:40's and I couldn't hang. Finished at 2:33:34.