Archive | November, 2012

Where Run It Fast Runners Are Running This Weekend (Dec 1-2, 2012)

Where Run It Fast Runners Are Running This Weekend (Dec 1-2, 2012)

Here is a look at where everyone is running this weekend. We had 29 responses this week. Good luck to everyone and Run It Fast!

To join Run It Fast – The Club then click HERE to read more details.

Where Run It Fast Runners Are Running This Weekend (Dec 1-2, 2012)

Storified by Joshua Holmes · Fri, Nov 30 2012 09:56:02

@runitfast Death Valley Trail Marathon and Rock ‘n’ Roll Las Vegas Marathon. #runitfastJoshua Holmes
@runitfast #StJudeMarathon Saturday! WOOHOO! #runitfastKristy
@runitfast Running the #DeathValleyTrailMarathon tomorrow. Hopefully. My 10th marathon. #runitfast #5Lisa Gonzales
@runitfast #stjudememphismarathon halfTanya
@runitfast winter wonderland run. 4 miles with the Christmas lights at PIR.Josh Liggett
@runitfast will be running the Kingston 10K here in South West London. The Tow Path will be flooded. It will be muddy, but hopefully fast.Runners Knees
@runitfast #Gingerbread5K in Katy.NaomiPipes
@runitfast Saturday -opener for the indoor mile series Sunday 2mi xc in lots of snow!Michelle Mitchell
@runitfast Running the full @StJude Memphis Marathon. With a finish, it will give me Marathon Maniac status. WooHoo!Darron A. Tytler
@runitfast #rif203i’ll resume my training for El Paso marathon on February 24th10 miles on Sunday…Rodamor VanPorbeers
@runitfast St Jude in MemphisNathan Judd
@runitfast Running 8 on Saturday and 8 on Sunday in Madison/Ridgeland MS. Going out for a short trail run now.Nathan Bass
@runlikeacoyote @runitfast working at the finish line at #stjudemarathonLeigh Marsh
@runitfast st Jude Memphis half marathon.Scott Gatlin
@runitfast I’m running the Memphis St. Jude Marathon Saturday morning. RIF#168Greg Smith
@runitfast Running in the Santa Hustle #Chicago on Saturday! #RunItFast #rif10 #runChiDianna Seda
@runitfast Memphis! #StJudeMarathonHolly Craig
@runitfast 15 miles on Little Miami River trail in Loveland, OHLarry Keister
@runitfast St. Jude Memphis marathon weekendBekah Gillespie
@runitfast #StJude Memphis 26.2!Karen Workman
@runitfast North Face Endurance ChallengeJulie Petrone
@runitfast Xterra Trail Run World Championship on Oahu!Larry Gill
@runitfast #StripatNight #RnRLV bound from Chicago! Good luck everyone!DANIEL ZEPEDA
@runitfast Running the Leslie Spit in Toronto with @DaveYona and others. 15km training run :-)Alex Flint
@runitfast Hollywood Half in Florida #runsistarunRunsistarun
@runitfast Annapolis Half Marathon on Dec. 1 at 7:00am!!!Bethany Burroughs
@runitfast savannah river bridge 10k and 5k, savannah, gaE.B.
@runitfast Santa 5k in Burlington Vermont on SundayLeah Morgan
@runitfast We’re running here. Register here: http://rdcrss.org/Qv4hci "@mia41cal: @joshduhamel @PrepareSoCal @RedCross Good luck with the run!"Team Lucas

Posted in Running0 Comments

October-2012-Best-Medal

VOTE: Best Race Medal – October 2012

There were 60+ medals submitted to the Bling Case in October! What a month! I had no idea October would be such a popular race month. Let me tell you, it was hard to narrow it down. The best I could do was narrow it down to 25 medals. I chose them because they either were great representations of their race (like the Hershey Half Marathon Medal) or they had a unique shape (like the Yellowstone-Teton 100 Mile Buckle), or they were unique (like the Showdown Half Marathon Medal that let the participants choose the color of their medal), or they were just plain fun (the Halloween medals especially)! Good luck picking a favorite! I have no idea which one I’m going to vote for yet.

Anyway…the medal chosen as the Best Race Medal for October 2012 will be included in the contest for the Best Race Medal of 2012 at the end of the year. Oh, and the September Best Medal 2012 Vote is still going on so you have 2 more weeks to cast your vote for your favorite September medal if you haven’t done so already.

The Best Race Medal winners so far this year:
January – Inaugural Louisiana Marathon Medal 2012 
February – Surf City Marathon Medal 2012
March – Rock ‘n’ Roll New Orleans Half Marathon Medal 2012
April – Flying Pirate Half Marathon Medal 2012
May – Safari Park Half Marathon Medal 2012
June – Navy Ten Nautical Miler Medal 2012
July – Sogonapmit Marathon Medal 2012
August – North Country Run Medal (2012)

Vote for your favorite October 2012 race medal:

 

Thanks for voting!

MORE PHOTOS OF MARATHON/ULTRA MEDALS AND BUCKLES

Posted in Bling, Medals2 Comments

Joshua Holmes and Jonathan Harrison – 1st and 2nd Place Black Diamond 40 Finishers – Run It Fast

Black Diamond 40 Miler Race Report: Back in Black

Back in Black

The Black Diamond 40 Miler was without a doubt the best race I’ve had in my short running career.  Not only did I set a marathon PR and 50K PR, but I ended up getting 2nd overall in my first race past the 50K mark.  An added bonus was that I got to do it in a hometown race with some of the best people I know.

I’ve titled this report Back in Black because this was really a comeback race for me…ok and because that’s one of my favorite pump-me-up songs of all time.  My last race was The Jackal Trail Marathon back on June 23rd.  After battling a nasty case of plantar fasciitis for several months I really started feeling good again in September so I decided to start training with my RIF brother, Nathan Judd, who was training for the Stump Jump 50K and Lookout Mountain 50.  In addition to rebuilding my mileage, I really stepped up my strength training and by the end of October I was craving a race.  The Black Diamond 40 was exactly what I was looking for, a RIF race, local, low key, awesome people and a new milestone for me to reach.

Now the morning of the race, despite a nasty head cold, I felt like a caged lion.  Five months is a loooong time to go without racing by the way.  Well after some good socializing, the race began and almost immediately I had to talk myself into sticking to my game plan.  For those who don’t know me I am notorious for allowing my angst to take over when a race starts which more often than not results in me starting out too fast.  Ask my wife, Leah, she has some great stories.  So in light of this struggle of mine I was prepared to run 10 minutes and walk 2 minutes, run 10 and walk 2 and so on.  I figured I would stick to this strategy as long as I could because I wanted to make sure I paced myself and left something for the final 15 miles.  It was also my goal to finish in 7.5 to 8 hours.  When the race started I found a groove pretty quick.  When I reached the 10 minute mark every cell in my body wanted me to keep running but I stuck to my plan and started walking.  Not long after I started running again I saw Leah for the first of many times throughout the day. Allow me a moment to say that Leah did an incredible job crewing for me all day in addition to checking on, encouraging, and taking pictures of the rest of the field.  Thank you Lord for my amazing wife!

By mile 5, I wasn’t too far behind Brad Box, who was in the lead at that point, so I started to stretch my running time out since he was picking up the pace a bit.  Between miles 7 and 8 I finally caught up to Brad and we chatted for a bit while walking up a long hill.  My shoes at this point weren’t feeling quite right so I let Leah know I wanted to change shoes the next time I saw her.  A few minutes later I watched as Leah went into NASCAR Pit Crew mode whipping the car around the shoulder on my side of the road, jump out of the car, grab a lounge chair out of the trunk and set it up on the shoulder with my shoes next to it.  I sped up until I reached her to make sure I didn’t lose any ground with Brad, I sat down and she untied one shoe while I got the other, yanked my shoe off and put the new one on me.  I think it literally only took about 20 seconds total.

Those first steps in those fresh shoes felt like I was running on air so I instantly got a burst of energy.  It’s amazing how little things like that make such a big difference in a long race.  That quick stop also allowed me to see that Joshua Holmes was only about a minute behind me.  For some reason I felt like I didn’t need to let him catch up to me, which makes sense considering I’ve only run past the marathon distance one time and Josh has run 40 or more miles oh I don’t know a million!  Yeah that makes total sense. HA!  Anyways, it’s at this point that I really start to entertain the idea that I could actually win this race.  Mile 10, the first relay exchange spot, came and went.  From miles 11 to 15 Brad and I ran together quite a bit and I had the chance to get to know him better.  Great guy by the way.  Being a father of 4 ranging from 5 years old to 13, Brad was kind enough to share some good parenting advice with me.  As we were nearing mile 15, although I was very much enjoying Brad’s company, I was in full-on race mode so I was looking for an opportunity to make a move and at mile 15 I did.  According to my Garmin, I ran mile 15 in 8:22.  At this point, I’m running on pure adrenaline.  Okay maybe Roctane and oranges too, but the point is I was feeling good so I let loose.  Once I felt I had built a substantial lead I reinstituted my run 10 min./walk 2 min. strategy.  Of course Leah continued be an unbelievable support and before I knew it I had reached mile 19.34, the second relay exchange, basically the halfway point.  It was one of the highlights of the race for me because my mom, dad, sister, and nephew were waiting for me with a sign to support and encourage me.  With a huge smile on my face, I gave them all a quick hug and said, “I gotta keep moving I’m in the lead.”  Seeing my family and having so many people encourage me was so energizing.  Before heading on I crossed the street to Regean’s Supreme Muffler, which used to be owned and operated by Charlie Reagan, a great guy and super fast runner who was tragically taken from us over a year ago.  After that I headed on towards Humboldt.

By mile 22 I asked Leah to stick with me every 1 to 1.5 miles.  Although I was still in the lead and feeling good I knew I was likely start slowing down due to not knowing how my body was going to react when I passed the marathon distance.  It also really started to dawn on me at this point that I was on the verge of setting a PR for my marathon, which I ended up doing by 20 minutes!  Not long after that I started to get a little queasy which started to slow me down.  Leah informed me that Josh was about a quarter of a mile back but gaining.  Unfortunately my stomach continued to feel more and more unsettled, which meant walking more.  Having to walk more really got me to thinking more about the miles for the first time all day.  By mile 29 Josh finally caught up to me in Humboldt. We talked for a few minutes and when I told him about my stomach issues he was gracious enough to offer me some ginger capsules to help.  I was hesitant to take them because I didn’t know how my stomach would react to them.  Well about 5 to 10 min. later I started feeling worse so I asked Leah to see if she could get the ginger from Josh since at this point he was a minute or two ahead.  His offer still stood so the next time I saw Leah she gave me the capsules and they started working almost immediately.  So I picked the pace back up a little.  By this time we had made it to the third and final relay exchange at around mile 30.

Now I’m gonna be honest people my top three goals the last 10 miles was to avoid cramping up, puking and pooping my pants.  The body begins to react in unpredictable ways when you push it to new limits.  I’m happy to report I ended up achieving all those goals.  The ginger helped the later to and in order to keep my quads from cramping up I ended up taking 23 Hammer Endurolytes over the course of the whole race 12 of which I probably took in the last 10 miles.  When Josh asked Leah how I was doing and she told him about me being on the verge of cramping up he once again went above and beyond the call of good sportsmanship and gave Leah 2 potassium tablets to give me at around mile 35, which helped calm my left quad down allowing me to keep running.  So what does taking all that stuff do to a man you ask?  I was so bloated I felt like a running Santa Claus those last 5 miles.

At mile 38, after getting me one last refill of water and spoiling me all day, I asked Leah to go on ahead to the finish line to wait for me.  I gave it one last push and ran in the rest of the way.  Roughly 20 minutes later I finally saw the church where the race had started almost 6.5 hours earlier.  I picked up the pace and crossed the “finish line” a.k.a. Josh’s truck at 6:31:27, just 9 minutes behind Joshua Holmes, a seasoned ultra veteran!

As I was celebrating with my family and friends it really started to sink in what I had done.  It was very surreal.  Four months earlier I was only able to ride my bicycle and here I had just averaged a 9:39min/mi. pace for 40.5 miles!  What a comeback!

– Jonathan Harrison

More Photos of Jonathan Harrison at the Black Diamond 40 Miler

Inaugural Black Diamond 40 Miler Official Results

Black Diamond 40 Miler Finisher’s Medal

[all photos submitted by J. Harrison]

Posted in Race Reports, Ultra Marathon0 Comments

trail_running

Run It Fast – The Club Profile Donna Pittman #181

RIF #181 Donna as an honorary Hatfield at the Hatfield McCoy Marathon

Time for another Run It Fast – The Club profile! This week, we are spotlighting RIF #181 Donna Pittman. I met Donna at the Flying Monkey Marathon earlier this month and we got to run for a little while together which I really enjoyed. The Flying Monkey Marathon is hard enough but Donna had a little mishap during it that made it even more challenging but she survived…I mean, finished and got her first Monkey kill. Read her “don’t” below to read all about it!

Meet Donna:

INFO
Name: Donna Pittman
RIF #: 181
Blog: www.themommyminute.blogspot.com
Facebook: Donna Johnson Pittman

STATS
Years Running: 5.5 years
Favorite Race Distance: 13.1
Favorite PR: Kentucky Derby Marathon
Favorite Race: Oak Barrel Half Marathon
Favorite Bling: Hatfield-McCoy Marathon finisher’s plaque in a mason jar.
Next Race: My first trail marathon at Land Between the Lakes in Kentucky on March 9.
What Makes You FEEL Fast?: Finishing strong and when I do tiny races and come out with an age group placement.

FUN RUNNING QUESTIONS
Who inspires your running and why?
The members of this RIF Club inspire me daily. I love how so many are “outside the box” runners completing extreme challenges in terms of distances, back-to-back races, running on trails and up mountains. You all search out adventure, not just another 5K PR, and I need more people like that in my life.

What is the strangest/funniest thing you’ve ever seen while running?
The strangest thing I’ve ever DONE on a run was at the Run Under the Stars in June of this year. I guess because it is a night race or because I overloaded on sodium, my feet swelled to the point that my shoes no longer fit by mile 13. I had huge blisters and all my toenails hurt. I thought I was going to have to finish in flip flops. Then I figured if MY shoes didn’t fit, why not try someone else’s? My friend James had already run about 20 miles in his shoes and was switching to fresh ones. So, I put on his hot, sweaty men’s shoes three sizes too big and completed my first 50K in them. My friends said I looked like I was running in clown shoes, but hey, whatever works.

Which of your running routes makes you the happiest and why?
My happy place is the Bicentennial Trail in Ashland City, TN. It is 17 minutes from my house. On one side, it is a four-mile paved path along the river. There is an old wooden bridge to cross and even a little waterfall in one spot. The other side is a dirt road/trail along the river for a few miles, then I follow the road through a campground, beside a little beach, and past Cheatham Dam. It’s where I discovered long-distance running. The first time I ever ran 13.1 miles was there. 6. Have you ever worn a costume during a race? What was it and for what race? If not, would you?

Why do you race?
Well, certainly not to win! I love being a part of the community of runners. That camaraderie is my favorite part. I talk to people in port-o-john lines. I initiate conversations on the course. I stay afterwards just hanging out. I enjoy spending time with my old friends and make new ones. In two of my five marathons, I’ve made a friend around mile 13 and stayed with him/her until the end. We shared our life stories (at my pace, we are talking for 2+ hours….), but most importantly, we shared the suffering. Suffering shared is so much better than suffering alone. I do races for fun, mostly, but a few times a year, I go all out to see what my body can do. I’ve only “left it all out there” a couple of times though. I need to do that more often.

What was your biggest “don’t” of a race?
Falling down at the 10.7 mark of the Flying Monkey Marathon is my biggest “don’t.” I had never fallen on pavement or a trail before. One minute I was talking to Lisa Gonzales, the next minute I was looking at sky. I stepped in a pothole in the asphalt, rolled my left ankle, and went down hard on the right side. I sprained my ankle and my wrist. Then I had to run 15.5 more miles. But, I figure the Monkey was going to hurt anyway…..

What running moment are you most proud of?
The race I’m most proud of is the April 2012 Kentucky Derby Marathon. I trained hard, studied the course, and wrote a detailed race plan of what pace when. I even wrote my goal splits in Sharpie on my arm for miles 13, 16, 20, 23, and 25. I executed my plan exactly, ran negative splits, and finished 3 minutes ahead of my “best-case scenario” goal. It was a nine-minute PR, and I definitely left it all out there. Those last couple of miles hurt, but were my fastest of the day.

Finally, we asked Donna if there was anything else she would like the rest of the club to know and that is what she had to share:
When I started running in 2006, I absolutely fell in love. Running changed my life. I knew I had to share this amazing experience with others, so I became a RRCA certified running coach. Over the last three years, I’ve coached aspiring runners ages 5-12, led two Couch to 5K training groups, and have helped 122 runners and run/walkers cross their first half-marathon finish line. As a coach, I’ve discovered that most people just need someone to believe in them. I love sharing my passion with others!

***

Donna said she admires RIF – The Club members for being ” “outside the box” runners ” but I think she shows a lot of that herself…like wearing “clown shoes” so she can keep running at the Run Under The Stars race (a timed, loop race). She also obviously has a LOT of determination to not quit after spraining her ankle while running the Flying Monkey. She passed me later on in the race and I had no idea that she was hurting like that! I admire Donna for her guts, her outside the box thinking, and her willingness to help other runners and give back! Thanks for sharing Donna! Good luck with your next race and…Run It Fast!

I am seeing an awesome trend while doing these profiles of Run It Fast – The Club members. So many of them are helping others and giving back to the running community and I think that’s what makes it such a great club. It is so cool to have so many supportive and encouraging runners help each other and push each other to be the best we can be!

If you’d like to join Run It Fast – The Club or would like more information about it, please click this link:

Run It Fast – The Club (JOIN TODAY)

[All photos submitted by Donna Pittman]

Posted in Interviews, Running, THE CLUB0 Comments

1354117001

Space Coast Marathon Medal (2012)

This is the medal for the Space Coast Marathon that was held on November 25, 2012 in Cocoa, Florida.

Awesome medal! Love the shuttle and the stars and the planets. Shiny bling well worth a marathon effort!

MORE PHOTOS OF MARATHON/ULTRA MEDALS AND BUCKLES

[Medal photo submitted by RIF #156 Susanne McDowell]

Posted in Bling, Featured, Marathon, Medals0 Comments

1354117011

Bangkok Marathon & Half Marathon Medal (2012)

This is the medal for the Standard Chartered Bangkok Half Marathon that was held on November 18, 2012 in Bangkok, Thailand.

Here is another view of the marathon medal:

MORE PHOTOS OF MARATHON/ULTRA MEDALS AND BUCKLES

[medal photos submitted by Natalia Tanyadji – follow her on Twitter @nataliatanyadji and by Vincent Morand – follow him on Twitter @vincent_morand]

Posted in Bling, Featured, Half Marathon, International, Marathon, Medals0 Comments

Schaumburg Half Marathon Turkey Trot Medal 2012

Schaumburg Half Marathon & 5K Turkey Trot Medal (2012)

This is the medal for the Schaumburg Half Marathon & 5K Turkey Trot that was held on November 24, 2012 in Schaumburg, Illinois.

Very cool bling!

MORE PHOTOS OF MARATHON/ULTRA MEDALS AND BUCKLES

[medal photo submitted by Arturo Moreno. Follow Arturo on Twitter @marathonarturo]

Posted in 5K, Bling, Featured, Half Marathon, Medals0 Comments

Quarry Turkey Medal 2012

Quarry Turkey Half Marathon/10K/5K Medal (2012)

This is the medal for the Quarry Turkey Half Marathon/10K/5K that was held on November 24, 2012 in the Quarry Lakes Recreational Area in Fremont, California.

Pretty fierce turkey! Love that it incorporates a slice of pumpkin pie too.

MORE PHOTOS OF MARATHON/ULTRA MEDALS AND BUCKLES

[medal photos submitted by Sarah – follow on Twitter @craftyxplorer]

Posted in 5K, Bling, Featured, Half Marathon, Medals0 Comments

Black Diamond 40 Miler Medal 2012

Black Diamond 40 Miler Medal (2012)

 

This is the medal for the Inaugural Black Diamond 40 Miler that was held on Black Friday, November 23, 2012 in Jackson, Tennessee.

So cool that the medal has a map of the route on it. Love it! This is a photo of the back of the medal and the award that RIF #1 Joshua Holmes won for winning the race. Congrats Josh!

Check out the full results here: Inaugural Black Diamond 40 Miler + Relay Results 

MORE PHOTOS OF MARATHON/ULTRA MEDALS AND BUCKLES

[Medal photos submitted by RIF #1 Joshua Holmes.  Follow him on Twitter @bayou]

Posted in Bling, Featured, Medals, Ultra Marathon0 Comments

Nike We Run Mexico 10K Medal 2012

Nike We Run Mexico 10K Medal (2012)

This is the medal for the Nike We Run Mexico 10K that was held on November 25, 2012 in Monterrey, Mexico.

MORE PHOTOS OF MARATHON/ULTRA MEDALS AND BUCKLES

[medal photo submitted by Rodamor VanPorbeers – follow on Twitter @gargaholio]

Posted in Bling, Featured, International, Medals0 Comments


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