Run It Fast®

This is the medal for the North Face Trail Running Challenge that was held on August 19, 2012 in La Calera near Bogota, Colombia.

A simple, but solid medal for the challenge which includes a 5K, 10K, 21K, and a 50K. Congrats to Juan who ran the 21K!

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[Medal submitted by Juan Escallon – follow him on Twitter @casquetas]

Scott Gatlin RIF #80

This week’s RIF Club Profile is Scott Gatlin #80. Scott is another on of our RIF runners from Tennessee. From all that I’ve seen so far, there is a fun and supportive running community in the Volunteer State. You’ll see in Scott’s interview that he’s got a pretty good running support community of his own, one he found and one he inspired!

Meet Scott Gatlin:

INFO

Name: Scott Gatlin
RIF #: 80
Twitter: @Gocart223
Facebook: Scott Gatlin

STATS

Years Running: 4 years
Favorite Race Distance: Half marathon
Favorite PR:  New Orleans Rock and Roll Half Marathon
Favorite Race:  St. Jude Half Marathon in Memphis
Favorite Bling:  New Orleans Half Marathon
Next Race:  Local 5-10k’s, including the Thanksgiving Day 5K in Jackson TN, then St. Jude Half Marathon in Memphis
What Makes You FEEL Fast?:  Sprinting in my cross-training workouts.  I’m much better at sprints than distance, and hope to compete in the Tennessee Senior Olympics track and field sprints in 2013.

FUN RUNNING QUESTIONS

Who inspires your running and why?  My training/running friends have inspired my running since the beginning.  In particular, David (RIF #84) and Stephanie invited me, coached me, encouraged me, ran my pace early on, and have become the caretakers of our running group, which has grown to over 30 runners.  I run because of those relationships.  Fitness, while a blessing, is secondary to the relationships and the camaraderie.  So many times our training runs are just excuses to be together and enjoy each other.

If you could go for a run with any famous person (living or dead), who would it be and why?  I’d enjoy training or running a race with George W. Bush.  While he made some mistakes in office, I admire him for many reasons, including a marathon in the 3:30’s.  He’d have to slow down for me.

What is the strangest/funniest thing you’ve ever seen while running?  Our running group really enjoys running in falling snow, but before the roads become dangerous.  On one particular snow run, which happened to fall at about 9:00 pm on a Sunday night, many drivers acted like they’d never seen runners before.  They were honking, stopping and yelling, and seemed completely amazed that we would run in that weather.  Their comments along our route in North Jackson were the most amusing thing that’s happened to me while running.  But I guess the drivers were the ones seeing something funny….

Why do you race?  I race because I really need a training goal in front of me.  I enjoy training with my friends, but it’s far too easy to slack off, especially in the heat of the summer, if a race is not looming in the future.  And in every race I run, I enjoy talking to folks I don’t know during the race.  I’m not sure if they enjoy it or not….  And I really have grown to cherish the post-race fellowship – hearing the stories, the successes, the challenges of my training partners.  The social atmosphere of racing has become a huge blessing for me.

Big races or small races? And why?  I love the atmosphere and noise, energy, excitement, crowds, and hoopla of big races (NOLA, St. Jude), but I think I enjoy the local smaller races as much or more.  It’s comfortable to run where I train.  It’s great to sleep in my own bed before the race.  And it’s like a family reunion after the small local races, including the Andrew Jackson Marathon and Half Marathon.  Spending time with the running community is something that I really enjoy.

What is the one piece of running gear you can’t leave the house without? Garmin Forerunner 305. We joke that we almost refuse to run if we can’t upload it and get credit for it.

What running moment are you most proud of?  I’m most proud of my April 2012 PR in the NOLA half marathon.  While I was elated to knock off 9 minutes, I was much more excited that the change in diet and cross-training (CrossFit Jackson) had proven to work.  In every prior half marathon, I’d bonked somewhere in the last 2-3 miles.  That was not the case in April.  My fastest five miles were the last five miles, all sub-8:00, and I had some gas left in the tank at the finish line.  Feeling good at the end of a race was a huge change, and one that I intend to do again.

Is there anything else you would like the rest of the club to know that we didn’t cover in the questions? The most gratifying aspect of my running has come gradually.  One by one, each of my family have begun running and pursuing a lifestyle of health and fitness.  I was blessed to run the New Orleans Half Marathon with my oldest son, Jesse, and his wife in April (the first half for him), and my younger son, Brooks, ran the Andrew Jackson Half Marathon with me, step for step, later that month.  Their wives run and race as well.  And my wife, Jamie, who has never involved herself in exercise until now, is running and exercising and has dropped around 40 pounds in 2012.  I can’t wait to run a race with her at her pace and be with her when she crosses the finish line.  Running and fitness has blessed and unified our entire family.  A Gatlin Family race shirt is not far in our future, and I’m looking forward to the day when my grandsons are old enough to train and race with us.

***

It’s so cool that Scott’s family has taken up running and that it’s brought them closer together. Congratulations to Jamie for losing weight and running too! I can’t wait to see the Gatlin Family race shirt. I think what I liked most about Scott’s interview is that he is using CrossFit to make himself a stronger runner and that he knows what his strengths and weaknesses are. He has big plans (the Tennessee Senior Olympics Track & Field 2013) and I have no doubt he will get there.

Thanks for sharing Scott! Good luck with your running & racing!

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 Scott Gatlin]

This is the medal for the Tour De Pain which took place on August 10-11, 2012 in Jacksonville, Florida.

The Tour De Pain is 3 races: a 4 mile beach run on Friday night, a 5K on Saturday morning, and a 1 mile on Saturday night. The times for all 3 races are then added together. It would be a challenge to figure out how hard to run each race!

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[Medal submitted by E. Smith – follow him on Twitter @beardrunjax]

This is the medal for the 30th Annual Elvis Presley 5K run that was held on August 11, 2012 in Memphis, Tennessee.

I’m sure there were quite a few Elvis sightings that day. If you were fast enough to catch him anyway. 😉 Congratulations to RIF #33 Robin Robbins for winnig the Men 55-59 age group at the 5K!

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[Medal submitted by RIF #33 Robin Robbins – follow him on Twitter @rockinrobin1954]

This is the medal for Tap ‘N’ Run that was held on August 11, 2012 in Nashville, Tennessee.

The race is “a 4k with 4 beer chug stations“. Always convenient for the post race celebration when your medal is also a bottle opener!

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[Medal submitted by RIF #75 Jennifer Scarlett]

This is the medal for The SeaWheeze Lululemon Half Marathon that was held on August 11, 2012 in Vancouver, BC.

This is a very unique medal. But not only is it a medal, it’s also a key chain and the ribbon is shoe laces. Have to love multi-purpose bling! I love the message on it too.

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[Medal submitted by Carol Liang]

This is the medal for the Runyon 5K that was held on August 12, 2012 in New York.

The runners in this 5K get to run through Yankee Stadium! The runners speed along the concourses, ramps, stairs between levels, and the warning track that circles the field. Very cool race course! Check out the course description here: Runyon 5K Route.

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[Medal submitted by Seth Tabor – follow him on Twitter @Taborifica]

This is the medal for the Hottest Half Marathon that was held on August 12, 2012 in Dallas, TX.

This is the second half marathon that Teal & Beth did as part of the Four Seasons Challenge. Spring and summer are complete and they well get extra bling when they complete the other 2 seasons. Very cool way to keep runners motivated to run all year. Can’t wait to see what the Four Seasons bling looks like.

I love this fiery medal. It’s perfect for a summer race!

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[Medal submitted by Teal & Beth – follow them on Twitter @LifeisaRun]

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!

Michelle Mitchell:  @runitfast  Luzhniki 15k …(race 2 of 3 part summer cup)

E. Smith:  @runitfast Tour De Pain, 3 races in 24 hours. (4mi/5k/1mi) Jacksonville, FL

Sarah:  @runitfast Going to be running @FleetFeetPtown Women’s 5K in Pleasanton, CA on Sunday! Yay! #neverstoprunning

Dennis Arriaga:  @runitfast Running my 1st Trail Race: The Crystal Springs Trail Run (11 miler) in Woodside, CA.  Nervious and excited at the same time!

Reese:  @runitfast #lululemon #halfmarathon in #Vancouver for #RunReeseRun.org 🙂

Rohnny Petitjean:  @runitfast Liege/be for me Sunday morning.

Lisa Davidson:  @runitfast the #Acura10miler right here in downtown Toronto. Going for a PB!

Clint Randall:  @runitfast @RunFalmouth!

Perry Ligon:  @runitfast The Chiques Challenge – 4mi run & 2mi kayak – a fun one with family – http://t.co/VAG5eMRW

Jason Weekes:  @runitfast running the Transcendence Ultra 12-Hour Endurance Run in Olympia, WA http://t.co/zkZ4tstZ

constancegail:  @runitfast Look where I get to run my 12 mile training run tomorrow! https://t.co/fwVi4ZDY

Jason Parry:  @runitfast 15 miles along beautiful Lake Michigan in Milwaukee.  Eight weeks until @mkelfmarathon

Lisa Gonzales:  @runitfast 16 on Saturday and 10 on Sunday on local trails. Woo!

Elizabeth Rehmer:  @runitfast 15 miles in Livingston mt

Jon Dunlap:  @runitfast Saint John marathon by the sea

Michelle:  @runitfast Running the “Hottest Half” 1/2 marathon in Dallas, TX in memory of my mom #MilesForMom

Mary Jane Schriver:  @runitfast Ultrafit Columbus half marathon

Trisha Street:  @runitfast 7 miles around my neighborhood training for woman’s half St Pete

Running_Mountain High:  @runitfast #Georgetown To IdahoSprings, CO #halfmarathon

Heather:  @runitfast running my 35th marathon this year at Salisbury 54321 😉

Sofie Degrendel:  @runitfast Rythm & Run Antwerpen!! De Rock ‘n’ Roll 1/2 marathon!! Be there, sunday 14h. #running #runners

Giovanni Pessina:  @runitfast pineta di Appiano Gentile Como Italy

80degreessouth:  @runitfast on a treadmill in a freezer facility at Loughborough Uni today. Trying out kit from  sponsor Odlo getting ready for antarctica

Oscar Casanova:  @runitfast Running at “The Hottest Half” in Dallas as a checkpoint of my preparation to the Chicago Marathon

Angela Taylor:  @runitfast hottest half in Dallas!!

Amy McDavitt: @runitfast Falmouth, MA on Sunday in the 40th Falmouth Road Race! Can’t wait! @RunFalmouth

Steve Curley:  @runitfast Falmouth 2012!

Banzaiadventurer:  @runitfast Queensland Australia for the #anacondanoosa

Michael Miller:  @runitfast discovery park, seattle.

Amber Goetz-Bouchard RIF #15

This week’s RIF Club Member profile is Amber Goetz-Bouchard #15 and I’m not sure you’ll find a more enthusiastic and happy runner in Run It Fast – The Club. Every time I see a post from Amber on the RIF Club group page on Facebook, it makes me smile because she’s always smiling in her pictures and sharing the things that make her a happy runner – like her favorite trail or new bling or a picture of the course for her first trail race or just a really great run. Her enthusiasm is infectious and makes you want to go out and run!

Check out Amber’s story:

INFO

Name: Amber K. Goetz-Bouchard
RIF #: 15
Blog: Just Keep On Running
Twitter: @am3erkgb
Facebook: amber.goetzbouchard

STATS

Years running: 1994 – present
Favorite race distance: 13.1 (only b/c it’s the longest race distance I’ve done to date 😉
Favorite PR: Winter Flight 8K (44:46) on 04Feb12
Favorite race: Rock n’ Roll San Diego (1/2 Mary)
Favorite bling: Cincinnati Flying Pig (1/2 Mary)

Next race: Springmaid Splash “XSTREAM” 10K (trail race) 18Aug12
What makes you FEEL fast?: When I’m in the zone, the knees are high and the back is aligned – I feel like I’m floating and I am completely pain-free.  Ironically those moments of Zen make me feel light as a feather and untouchable 😉

FUN RUNNING QUESTIONS

Who inspires your running and why?
My friends inspire me, those who run faster than me and those who cannot run anymore.  Each and every one of them has taught me something about running in general, my running, and all the little analogies running has on life.  When someone takes and makes an invested interest in me and my [dis]abilities, it gives me that spark of encouragement to try harder.  It’s my way of showing them my appreciation for their invested time in me.

What is the strangest/funniest thing you’ve ever seen while running?
Well… there was this one trail run where I happened to look to my left into the woods because I noticed something large in my peripheral vision… it turned out to be two people ‘going at it’ in the woods!  That is more along the lines of ‘I so totally did not want to see that!’

What’s the most beautiful place that you’ve run?
Oh goodness, every run is beautiful – but the top two on my 2012 list are (1) crossing the river during the Flying Pig Cincinnati Half-Marathon in May as the sun was coming up along the river and (2) my sunrise runs at a local park (Guilford Mackintosh Lake and Marina Park – GMMP for short).  I’m a sucker for beautiful sunrises.

 Which of your running routes makes you the happiest and why?
I would call my 12.5 mile loop around the back roads of Burlington my happy route – it takes me into the agricultural community so I’m running alongside fields of corn, tobacco, cows and or horses, sharing the road with tractors, and getting the friendly hello from every farm dog along the north side of town 😉

Have you ever worn a costume during a race? What was it and for what race? If not, would you?
I haven’t worn a costume before and I’m not sure I would – I get easily annoyed with my ponytail some days, so I wonder if I would handle wearing a costume…

What is your favorite go-to pre race meal?
My nutritionist is wicked awesome!  I have a stellar pre-race meal: 2 Kashi 7-Grain waffles with 30 mL syrup and 3 slices of pork bacon.  YUM!

What is the thing you splurge on after a race?
I used to go bananas (literally) after a race with all the goodies – nanas, orange slices, apples – all the fruits.  However, now I bring my post-race meal with me (in a cooler, which my endearing gear-boy husband carries for me): liquid whites with Whey ptn., and after that I start sucking down additional electrolytes with my Smartwater®.  (I sweat a lot and finish most races with a layer of salt on me…)

Why do you race?
I race because it offers the opportunity to mingle with ‘your own kind’, a community that ‘gets you’ and everyone is just happy.  I have yet to go to a race where there are grumpy people and I love being in a positive energy environment.  Not to mention the fact it is extremely motivating to see all walks of life running the same route at the same time as you – people that have it worse than you, people that are racing for the first time, and the lovable grandpas and grandmas that are out there.  I only hope I’m still doing this at their age.

Big races or small races? And why?
Big races are cool, lots of hype, big vendors (I like to buy gear, it is addictive for me), and you can witness a lot of elite runners and observe their pre-race routines.  However, with smaller races, there seems to be more conversation and I see more of a variety of runners and learn a lot more from the stories people share about their journeys.

What is the one piece of running gear you can’t leave the house without?
My sunglasses, I think if the watch failed (and it has), the iPod died (and it has), the hair elastic broke, or my compression socks were torn – I’d be okay.  However, as an office-dweller by day, running in the sunlight for me is like asking a vampire out on a lunch date.

What was your biggest “don’t” of a race?
Do not bust out the gate like an enraged lion or giddy gazelle!  Too many times have I burnt my stores of energy only to find myself halfway into the race and forced to conserve… please please please, use your paces wisely.

What’s your pre race routine?
Get up about 3-3.5 hours in advance, gulp down the morning supplements and start the physical therapy/stretchies, take a break for breakfast (and 1C black coffee if I feel the need, along with 0.5L H20) and then continue the trigger point therapy, rolling, etc. all the while running through the gear check in my head and obsessively re-checking what time it is to make sure I’m leaving with enough time to get to the starting line.  Once all geared-up and at the race (usually well in advance b/c I’m the nervous OCD type), I then have time to chat with other runners and this has a calming effect for me – which is what I need before I start obsessively checking the Garmin, the tightness of the shoelaces, the ponytail, the bib… etc.!

What running moment are you most proud of?
If by proud you mean emotional – ironically it would not be during a race, it was not with a fellow runner, it was something that happened just between me and me.  This would be the longest distance run I’ve had the opportunity to run to date, which was 20.2 miles.  I had attempted that local route once before and had to stop and walk off and on over the last 3-5 miles – it was heart-wrenching to stop, I desperately did not want to stop, but I did not bring enough nutrition with me and the legs just couldn’t handle it.  So, the second time I attempted that route, as I passed that spot I was forced to begin walking on the first attempt, I felt a tug in my chest, I was proud that I made it further that time!  Not only further, but I completed the route I had set out to do!  I didn’t stop running once!  When I arrived at my finish line (my car, in the gym’s parking lot), I was afraid to stop, I didn’t know how I was going to handle myself when I stopped.  Would everything seize up?  Would I collapse?  I don’t think I wanted this accomplishment to end and if I stopped running, it would officially be over…  I wasn’t really sure how I was still running at that point.  But I slowed to a jog and then a walk, and then I crouched, and my hands touched the asphalt… and I cried.  I finally understood why all those athletes cry after their big races.  Sure, I’m no elite athlete, but I beat my own expectations and that made me feel proud.

If you can’t run, you’re ________?
One pissy kitty.  (People can tell when I haven’t run – they pretty much send me away and say I can come back once I’ve had my run 😉

Is there anything else you would like the rest of the club to know that we didn’t cover in the questions?
Well, I guess in terms of accomplishments, one is the ability to keep on running despite my degenerative disk disease (DDD, right between the L5-S1) in my back.  The doctor, upon diagnosis, said I should stop running.  Should.  The doctor also said I had the option of fusion surgery or pain management via physical therapy.  I am going the pain management route and so far, so good.  There are set backs here and there, but oddly enough my strength conditioning and running are the best tools for managing the back pain.

The other more recent accomplishment would be the 35+ pounds I have gotten rid of since Christmas day of 2011.  There’s a long story and history behind the weight issues, running injuries, etc.  However, with the help of my outstanding nutritionist (Dennis Cejas), my self-disciplined strength and circuit training, and now Coach J’s running program (Justin Gillette!! (RIF #153)) – the past 2 months have seen a massive transformation for me and I now believe I will be running better, longer, [more] injury-free, and happier 🙂

Amber’s Motivation Board and Wall

***

I didn’t realize until I read Amber’s responses that she was dealing with DDD. From all the positiveness she puts out there on Facebook, I never would have guessed that things weren’t always rosy for her. I think sometimes we only see the surface of what other runners are dealing with or how they are training. We see someone running, maybe passing us in a race, and we think “they have it so easy” or “why are they faster or stronger than me”. But we don’t really know if they do have it “easy”. What I like best about Amber’s story is that she is writing her own story. She might not have it easy but she’s using the tools available to her to become better and stronger. Whether it’s motivating herself with her board and wall (very cool idea, don’t you think?) or hiring a nutritionist and coach to guide her, she is a fulfilling her goals to “be running better, longer, [more] injury-free, and happier”. So be like Amber and write your own story. Do whatever it takes to make your goals happen, despite what life throws at you.

Thank you for sharing your running life with us Amber! Good luck with your first trail race. You’re going to have a blast and Run It Fast!

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 Amber Goetz-Bouchard]