Marathon: My personal journey: race

Packing for the race! HGH style!!!!

Space is limited. I told my team that I would limit my baggage to a backpack. It just arrived tonight.

Here is a person modeling it. This is a special bag just for my shoes!
#excited

HGH.

See you tomorrow team.

Image source:
http://s921.photobucket.com/user/Graveworm_2010/media/o-WORLDS-LARGEST-BACKPACK-570_zpsbylgl26j.jpg.html

Monday, September 28, 2015

marathon quad city marathon race

Quad City Marathon Recap

James Connely at 7:24 PM No comments:

Yesterday, I successfully completed the Quad City Marathon. What a fun race! I LOVED so many aspects of it. The people (fans), the volunteers, friends and my biggest fans (Teri and Nile) were AMAZING!

Chad and Heather- thank you so much for lettings us stay at your house. It was so much fun to visit with the Natalie and Kaitlyn...and our night with Shawn, Michelle and Alex was magical. I am so proud of you all. You guys have wonderful families. Your mom and dad are proud! Your generosity and friendship means the world to us and it was such a highlight to the weekend.

Today I gave Nile a granola bar from the race. He said "did they give one to Natalie?...I am not eating it. Make sure she is OK". Needless to say, he really enjoyed this weekend and we have to do it again.

I will never forget Teri driving me to the start and helped me get motivated for my journey. I loved seeing Teri and Nile at mile 25. I LOVED seeing Nile run along with me. This powered me through the last 1.2 miles. They sure were longer than expected. YAHOO.

I did the pump and run. I benched 170 lbs. fifteen times and curled 95 lbs. nine times. It was great to give back to charity.

My mile dedications were spot on all day.

I will share more later this week. Thank each and every one of you for supporting me. It means the world! This is me before the race, all smiles and ready.

Sunday, March 29, 2015

marathon marathon training race

Finalizing the race schedule this week!

James Connely at 2:09 PM No comments:

I hope you had a great weekend! I used this weekend to rest my legs after a good week of running. Mentally, I am recharging too. In past month or so, I have been debating which full marathon to sign up for. I am so close to pulling the trigger.

Once I pull the trigger and sign up for the big race, the rest of the schedule will fill in nicely. I can't wait to tell you about my full marathon signup. Stay tuned!

Image source:

http://www.marathonfoto.com/Marathon/Quad-Cities-Marathon-2013/site/viewphotos/RaceOID/07502013M1

Sunday, July 13, 2014

Chicago race

Representing the Iowa Hawkeyes!

James Connely at 12:44 PM No comments:

I am so excited to share with you the news! I signed up to run in the Big Ten K in Chicago. I will be running with my Iowa Hawkeye colors....for me that is SO exciting! This 10K is going to be so special, as I will have my biggest fans with me.....Teri and Nile!

I love the fact that this race is in Chicago. I love this city so much. It is where I was born and raised. Additionally, I have run three full marathons there. The Big Ten K is on July 26th, so I will be posting some more updates on my progress.

I hope you all had a great week and weekend!

Image source:
http://www.hawkeyesports.com/photogallery/gallery_index.html

Thursday, June 19, 2014

finish lesson race

Don't put the bats away too early!

James Connely at 2:59 PM No comments:

My Dad used to coach a team that I played baseball on. He was the third base coach. We were beating a team 28-2. Yes you read this correct, in baseball. It was the top of the last inning and the other team was at bat. The head coach said “let’s put our bats away- we won’t need them”. Guess what….we lost the game 28-31. The moral of the story…play it all of the way through and don’t put your bats away early. If you have a lead, keep driving forward.

This applies to business and running races. You have to finish the job at hand. This could be the sale, meeting or project. In a race, the finish line must be earned.

The head coach and my Dad never put the bats away early ever again. I never have either. The memory was a painful, but good one. It helped me later in life. The head coach would have a serious smile when he talked about that loss. To add more color for you, the team that beat us was a HUGE rival. :)

Image source:

http://www.firstbasecoach.com/baseball-bat-reviews/

Friday, June 13, 2014

business grandview gallop heat personal race shape

It's not personal.....

James Connely at 7:30 PM No comments:

It's not personal.....it's business! This is a common phrase in business today. I am saying this now, as I start to think about tomorrow's race. I am running the Grandview Gallop. I have run this race a number of times, but my last was a significant one for me.

I was physically dominated by the course and the heat. I was out of shape and showed a flash of not being mentally tough. I won't go through those details, as they are in the past. :)

Tomorrow, I am excited about the race! I am in the best shape I have ever been going into the race and I have a solid mental plan. Emotionally, I still remember the last race and will leave you with one last thought.

The Grandview Gallop will be both personal and business for me tomorrow. I am expecting myself to run well tomorrow and will be smiling the whole way!

To all of my friends running or spectating tomorrow (any race), I wish you good luck! How about a quick WOO HOO!

Sunday, June 8, 2014

finish heritage trail run memories race start talent

It's not where you start, it is how you finish!

James Connely at 7:30 PM No comments:

As a business person who recruits talent, I always say this "It's not where you start, it is how you finish!" This is so true. All careers start small and turn into something. That something is up to you.

This is a close parallel to running a race. I have talked to many runners and have experienced this first hand. Getting to the start line is the first step to being awesome. Being awesome in a race is finishing. Often people ask me "how long did that race take you?", which is a simple question. Anymore, I will just answer with a "I finished".

Below is a picture of a group of people (I am the bald guy pictured) starting the Heritage Trail run in Dubuque, IA. To date, it was my best 10K finish. I have many memories from this race, but the most memorable is the finish:)