Run It Fast®

Ultra marathon legend Scott Jurek discusses how he became interested in running, ultra marathons, and how he gets through such extreme races and distances with CNN’s Dr. Sanjay Gupta.

Scott has won Badwater, Western States several times, and almost every other endurance running race in the United States.

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On Fridays I would take Momma out for supper. One Friday we ate at Pizza Hut where I could have spaghetti. She wondered why. It was because my first race, a 10K which I’d kept a secret, was the next morning.

Four days after her death, I had surgery, and, following recovery, trained for eight weeks and ran my first marathon. Running began a new life for me. For her, life itself was a hard run. By coincidence, it ended as my new one was beginning. Endurance had threaded her days. She left it with me.

Read Dallas Smith’s full story by clicking Here

Be patient and let the running come to you.

… as long as it is “aged with tender loving care.”

I am often approached by beginner runners with questions on how to get faster, how to run longer, what to wear during runs or races, what to eat, etc.  The main questions are usually on the topics of how to run faster and how to run for longer distances.  The answer is, there are no tricks or shortcuts. It takes time to develop speed and endurance.  To improve speed one does have to fine tune speed work sessions into the mix, and with endurance one does have to consistently incorporate long runs into a running regime.  But all this requires time, consistency and patience. It won’t happen over night. Not even close, in most cases.

In the Beginning
I started running after I graduated from Purdue University in May 2000.  I can’t recall exactly why, but I think it was out of boredom.  I had always been very active, but never a runner.  So one day, in early summer 2000, I thought I’d start running.  I ran for about two minutes, and walked for about five minutes or so.  I’m not sure because I didn’t buy a running watch for another six years.

So I kept up this attempt at running for longer periods of time.  I remember, vividly, how difficult at first the  breathing was for me.  I realized very quickly that I had to build up my lung capacity to sustain this ‘running thing’ for longer periods of time.  I kept at it.

Racing Here and There
I ran a few 5ks, and actually finished my first one in just under 25 minutes.  I kept running.  Still no running watch, and I can’t even remember what shoes I had or how often I changed them, or how many miles I ran at a time or at what pace. I just kept running.

In October 2004 I registered for my first half marathon.  I didn’t know anything about half marathons and the farthest distance I had ever run was somewhere between 7-9 miles, I guessed. I joined two other girls who were training for the New York City Marathon on one of their long runs.  It was a few weeks before the Asheville Half Marathon, the half that I registered for, and I ran 16 miles with the two girls.  It was hard, very hard, but I felt good.

I ran my first half marathon, an extremely hilly Asheville Half Marathon, in 1:53:55.  The race organizers didn’t give out finishers medals then, but I didn’t even think about that fact until years later.  And, really, it didn’t matter.

I waited almost a year before I ran my next race (not for any particular reason, I just did), which was the Fireball Moonlite Classic 5k on July 3, 2005, which I finished in 22:10.  After that I ran a few races here and there, but mostly I just ran.  And ran.  And ran.  Oh, and I finally bought a running watch in 2006.

Kickin’ It Into High Gear
After giving birth to my son in March 2008, I was itching to get back in shape.  As soon as I got the much-anticipated ‘OK’ from my doctor, I started running again.  My first run 6 weeks after delivery lasted only 15 minutes, the next was around 28 minutes, and so on.  I ran the Providence Heart and Sole 5 Miler about two months after I gave birth, then the Lexington Medical Center Governor’s Cup 8k a few months later.  In March 2009, nine years after I started running and 5 years after my first half marathon, I ran my second half marathon, the Knoxville Half.

I started running more races, but it wasn’t until January 2010 that I started logging my weekly mileage.  I bought a Garmin in March, ran four more half marathons and started training for my first full marathon … this all occurred 10 years after I first started running.

Moral Of The Story
Be patient, but keep it up!  As a friend and running mentor once told me:  “Don’t force running.  Let the running come to you.”  It may not happen how and when you want it to, but be patient and stick to it.  Believe me, you will be pleasantly surprised and rewarded for your patience and hard work!

The finisher’s wood medal from the 2010 Harpeth Hills Flying Monkey Marathon in Nashville, Tennessee. The race takes place in November and is one of the most challenging marathons in North America.

RELATED: Ben Schneider Wins 2010 Flying Monkey Marathon (Results)

Harpeth Hills Flying Monkey Marathon Website

We went barreling into the roundabout too fast for the wet cobblestones. The car lurched into a sickening skid. Rafael jerked the wheel, and we swooped through the circle clean as a pin. The lucky fact that no other cars were about at that early hour helped.

My friend Albino was riding shotgun; his older brother, Rafael, was driving, and I was in the back. The brothers and I burst out laughing. We didn’t care. The danger seemed small compared to what we were rushing toward, the place where our minds already were.

Which was the XXI Maratón Ciudad de Sevilla. On this February day that had yet an hour to wait before dawning, we rushed along wet streets heading for a rendezvous with the brothers’ running club. From there, according to plan, we would all drive to the marathon at Olympic Stadium.

The Peugeot’s thermometer showed 4 degrees C and the wipers beat back the rain. A little colder and there wouldn’t be rain—which would be an improvement. As it was, we’d be both cold and wet. Staying warm enough would be a problem.

“This is as bad as it gets, unless there’s wind too,” I said.

Then the wind came…

To read the full story by Dallas Smith click HERE

Here is the official finisher’s medal from the 2010 Rocket City Marathon in Huntsville, Alabama.  You won’t find too much bling more colorful than Rocket City’s out on the marathon trail.

2010 Rocket City Marathon Winners and Results List

View More Marathon Medals from Across the United States

Alabama native Daniel Ellis won the 2010 Rocket City Marathon on Saturday.  The 27-year old ran the course in a time of 2:24:37.  Ellis barely edged out Kameron Ulmer who finished just 13 seconds behind with at time of 2:24:50.  Scott Wietecha claimed third crossing the line at 2:27:08.

Candace Jacobs, of Huntsville, Alabama, won her hometown marathon as she was the first woman to finish at 2:54:21.  Second place was 37-year old Gina Krabbendam in 3:02:25.  Lisa Tolley took third with a time of 3:02:54.

2010 Rocket City Finisher’s Medal

Place Overall No Name              Age City      State    Time
                ********** MALE OVERALL RESULTS ***********
    1     1 Daniel Ellis               27 Birmingham   AL 2:24:37
    2     2 Kameron Ulmer              23 Boise        ID 2:24:50
    3     3 Scott Wietecha             29 Goodlettsvil TN 2:27:08
    4     4 David Riddle               29 Cincinnati   OH 2:28:14
    5     5 Michael Deren              23 Johnson City TN 2:29:40
               ********** FEMALE OVERALL RESULTS ***********
    1    27 Candace Jacobs             30 Huntsville   AL 2:54:21
    2    42 Gina Krabbendam            37 Lookout Mtn  TN 3:02:25
    3    45 Lisa Tolley                43 Seneca       SC 3:02:54
    4    50 Kathy Wolski               44 Knoxville    TN 3:05:01
    5    56 Isabelle Ledroit           44 Montreal, Qc    3:06:54

Dink and Suzanne Taylor put on a great race.  The shirt, medal, and finisher’s hat were all top notice. The pasta dinner was solid and Sarah Reinertsen, the guest speaker, told her inspirational story of being the first above-the-knee amputee to finish an Ironman.

View Complete 33rd Annual Rocket City Marathon Results

Rocket City Marathon Website

Elvis Presley isn’t dead.  At least he wasn’t on Sunday at the Zappos Rock N’ Roll Marathon when Claudio Palma, who was dressed up as Elvis for the race, saved a fellow marathoner’s life, post race, by performing CPR and resuscitating a woman who had passed out.

Palma tells the Las Vegas Review-Journal he was dressed as the King after Sunday’s Las Vegas Rock ‘n’ Roll half-marathon when he performed CPR and resuscitated another runner at the Burger Bar at Mandalay Place.

The 36-year-old was clad in a jumpsuit, sideburns and scarf for the race and may have looked like Presley, but in real life, he’s an anesthesiologist.

I guess it is no surprise that ‘The King’ was at a Burger Bar when his superstar powers called upon to resuscitate the woman.

It should also be noted that Palma, in full Elvis regalia, also got married during the marathon at a ‘run-thru’ chapel on the Vegas strip during the race.

Just another day at the office for ‘The King.’

RELATED: Josh Cox Wins 2010 Rock N’ Roll Las Vegas Marathon

Here is a photo of a young Lance Armstrong in high school at Plano East High School during a cross country meet.

Armstrong has run three marathons (NY twice, Boston once) during his first retirement from cycling.  His marathon PR is 2:46:43.  He has also competed in several triathlons as well during his athletic career.

I am not sure if Lance was a high school cross country champ but with his drive and genetic disposition it’s a pretty safe assumption.

And on yeah, this young lad, in the photo above, has won cycling’s prestigious Tour de France seven times.

With this post I broach a topic I’ve avoided ever since I started this blog: me.

So this is new. But it is not an enduring change. It is an exception, and I’ll soon shut up about the boring topic and return to my policy of staying quiet about the ever-indulgent “me.”

So, what brought this on? Why did I think anyone in the whole round world would want to read about what you will find below?

I had a pretty good year.

As a racer, that is. Maybe a remarkable year. My annual racing report summarizes it. I decided I’d put it up for whatever informational, instructional or inspirational value it may hold, and maybe it holds none. But if you are a racer also you may find it interesting. Or maybe not. Anyway, here it comes.

Beat it if you can.

Read the full story by Dallas Smith by clicking HERE (Race Results and State Records)