Run It Fast®

Kenya’s Mary Keitany destroyed the half marathon World Record at the RAK Half Marathon today in Ras Al Khaimah, UAE when she ran a 1:05:50.

Lornah Kiplagat had set the World Record back in 2007 at the IAAF World Half Championships in Italy with at time of 1:06:25.

[Read More on Mary’s Historic Race]

Way to Run It Fast Mary!

Here is a quick rundown of the male and female winners from the 2011 Half Marathon Championship in Houston on Saturday.

MEN
1. Mo Trafeh, 1:02:17
2. Ryan Hall, 1:02:20
3. Patrick Smyth, 1:02:32
4. Fasil Bizuneh, 1:02:47
5. Jason Lehmkuhle, 1:02:49

Ryan Hall was leading at the 13 mile mark before Trafeh unleashed a Michael Phelps like kick over the  last tenth of a mile to beat Hall by three seconds.  It was a tight finish among the top five with just 32 seconds separating the group.

WOMEN
1. Jen Rhines, 1:11:14
2. Serena Burla, 1:11:38
3. Nan Kennard, 1:12:03
4. Katie McGregor, 1:12:12
5. Tera Moody, 1:12:30

The women had a little more separation with Rhines winning by 24 seconds over Burla.  5th place finisher Tera Moody finished 1:16 behind Rhines.  The win for Rhines, a 3-time Olympian, was a personal record.

The same course will be used next year for Olympic Marathon qualifying.

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!

San Diego native Josh Cox won the 2010 Las Vegas Rock N’ Roll Marathon on Sunday with a time of 2:25:06.

40-year old Dorota Gruca, today on her birthday, was the female marathon winner finishing in 2:44:38.  What a great birthday gift to herself.

The race, sponsored by Zappos, featured nearly 30,000 runners for both the full and half marathon.  Naturally, dozens of runners dressed as Elvis Presley were found throughout the course and of all speeds.

The course starts at the south end of the Las Vegas Strip and runs up the entire Vegas strip, by all of the casinos, until runners turn west around mile 9.

Scott Bauhs won the half-marathon in a time of 1:02:38.

Jen Rhines, a 3-time Olympian, was the first woman to finish the half-marathon, in a time of 1:14:56.

COMPLETE LAS VEGAS MARATHON and HALF MARATHON RESULTS

[image: yfrog]

Marathon wild child Leah Thorvilson was the female winner at the 2010 St. Jude Marathon on Sunday in Memphis with a time of 2:40:20.

Second place female went to Firaya Sultanova-Zhda 2:52:09 and third to Muliye Gurmu in 2:54:05.

Thorvilson, who is an elite female marathoner, has already qualified for the U.S. Olympic Trials. She holds several records including the course record at the Tupelo Marathon, a race she has won several times.

She currently resides in Little Rock, Arkansas.

The overall and male winner was Peter Kemboi of Kenya with a time of 2:26:29. In a bang, bang, bang finish Peter edged out Dereje Hailegiorgis 2:26:30 and Ronald Kurui 2:26:35.

The Half Marathon overall winner was Josh McAdams with a time of 1:08:01.  He also won the St. Jude half in 2008.

The first female to finish the Half Marathon was Rachel Best with a time of 1:28:36.

Complete St. Jude Marathon and Half Marathon Results

Money raised from the marathon benefits St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, TN.

Check Out the 2010 St. Jude Marathon Finisher’s Medal

[photo: Facebook]

Photo, Jim Clark

The horde of hollow-eyed ghouls making a death march along Cookeville city streets next Saturday will turn out to be a pack of sleepy-eyed runners competing in the 2nd Annual Haunted Half Marathon. For some, the worst nightmare ever; for others, a glory-dream…

Dream? One dream weaver will be Angie Clark. No scar-faced guy with blades for fingers will catch her. The Celina native, now living in Sparta, follows a rigorous training program, regularly running farther than the race’s unlucky 13.1-mile distance…

The race goes to the fit, the trained. Others fall behind, some way behind. Bad luck for those poor wretches. Laggards will be arrested and thrown into the pit where porta potties are pumped…

Read the full story by Dallas Smith on his website by clicking HERE

Micah Tirop, of Murfreesboro, Tennessee, won The Middle Half Marathon this morning in Murfreesboro with a blistering time of 1:05:43.  He held off  Joseph Maina, from Richmond, Kentucky, by just 15 seconds.  Paul Michel rounded out the medal stand with an impressive 1:07:02

Men Top 9 Results (Sub 1:20)

1. Micah Tirop (Murfreesboro, TN) 27M – 1:05:43
2. Joseph Maina (Richmond, KY) 28M – 1:05:58
3. Paul Michel (Gunnison, CO) 27M – 1:07:02
4. Scott Wietecha (Goodlettsville, TN) 29M – 1:10:37
5. Bradley Chronister (Manchester, TN) 24M – 1:16:54
6. Cameron Aly (Bowling Green, KY) 21M – 1:17:15
7. John Thorpe (Nashville, TN) 36M – 1:18:35
8. Chad Hintz (Thompsons Station, TN) 25M – 1:19:43
9. Timothy O’Leary (Antioch, TN) 48M – 1:19:49

Janet Cherobon was the fastest female on the day. She finished the flat and fast course with a time of 1:17:12.  Sonja Freind-Uhl (1:19:00) and Jillian Mastroianni (1:24:12) were the 2nd and 3rd place female finishers respectively.

Women Top 7 Results (Sub 1:30)

1. Janet Cherobon (Rome, GA) 32F – 1:17:12
2. Sonja Friend-Uhl (Brentwood, TN) 39F – 1:19:00
3. Jillian Mastroianni (Nashville, TN) 28F – 1:24:12
4. Ashley Comstoct (Bare, ON) 24F – 1:26:22
5. Sue Ann Heins (Brentwood, TN) 43F – 1:28:42
6. Catie Caldwell (Franklin, TN) 32F – 1:29:05
7. Kristi Phillips (Murfreesboro, TN) 35F – 1:29:47

View All Results from The Middle Half

The Middle Half Website

Congrats to personal friends Kirk Catron, Scott Flowers, Gene Caballero, and Chris Estes who all had a great race today.

I spent this weekend in Maryland at the First Annual Half Full Triathlon.  This event was the brain child of Brian Satola at the Ulman Cancer Fund to help raise money to assist young adults diagnosed with cancer.

Pre Race:  Several months ago, I was picked to run the half marathon relay leg on team Bec and Friends.  Bec Wassner is a pro triathlete.  Her twin sister, Laurel, is the only pro triathlete that is also a cancer survivor.  Both were racing as part of relay teams to show their support of the Ulman Fund.

Bec was our swimmer and Mark Raynault, also a cancer survivor, was on the bike.  Mark is about 6 years out from his blood cancer diagnosis.   I meet Mark at the Team Fight luncheon.  He is a wonderful guy who I hope to see again in the future (maybe I can talk him into teaming up again next year!)  At the luncheon, Brain presented a very moving video showing just what Team Fight is all about.  I hope a link becomes available.  Many were moved to tears.

Just before the video, I was asked to say a few words about my journey from cancer to over 110 miles in 24 hours.  I enjoyed sharing with Team Fight  just how running has helped me through my own recovery and has shifted my self image from one of “cancer patient/survivor” to “athlete/survivor”.   I also explained how the Ulman Fund personally helped me get back on my feet by giving me a scholarship.

Race Day: There was over 1000 participants.  100 were cancer survivors! The start was a time trial wave start which meant swimmers were release in pairs every 2 seconds and sent off in group by age bracket or other designators.   The wave for Relay was one of the last to go.  Bec is incredible and swam her .9 mile leg in around 21 minutes, passing many of those released into the water well before her.

Mark took off on his 56 mile bike leg.   Mark was undertaking an incredible feat by racing the longest race of his life for our relay.   He did ride the course two weeks ago in about 3:45.  We were hoping that he would be back by that time or sooner.  I showed up in transition at 11:10 am, just 3 hours after he set off on the course.

While waiting for Mark, the leaders came in much later than anticipated due to a very strong head wind slowing everyone down.  I was hopeful that Mark could still pull off a 3:45.  At the 3:30 mark, I got ready to race and tried to stay that way.  It is terribly hard to be ready to race when you don’t know when you are going to start.   Like most bikers, Mark was running late and by 4 hours I began to worry.  Chatter started about flat tires, popped chains or other things that could go wrong out there.

Then suddenly I felt a sharp pinch under my arm, like someone stuck me with a safety pin.  Oh man! I just got stung by a bee (twice!)   Not sure if I was allergic, but knowing my dad is, I began to have a mini panic attack.  I watched the area and I felt fine while standing.   I was just not sure what would happened when I started getting my heart rate up.  The double loop run course had lots of police and volunteer presence and that helped me feel a bit at ease.   About 20 minutes after the sting, Mark came explaining that he did get a flat.  (I’m so sorry that happened Mark)

I wasn’t the least bit disappointed in the delay because I knew that I was feeling less than prepared to crank out a speedy half.   My ACL was not perfect and I was told the course was challenging.  I truly just wanted to finish the race with a good effort and hopefully stay sub-8 pace, chalking this up as a nice training effort.  Generally I don’t worry about whether or not I will finish a half, but if my ACL got too painful, I knew I would have to stop.

I took off out of transition and I was moving well.  It felt good to run fast until I started up the first little hill.  I could feel my heart pounding and hear my wheezing.  I started to get scared!  Oh no, is this anaphylaxis!  There isn’t even another runner nearby to help me!  I looked at my arm and the swelling had appeared to have gone down.  Then I hit mile marker 1 and saw it a 6:57 on my Timex.  Ha ha!  That explains it.  My heart is pounding and I can’t breath because I am running a lot faster than I should be.   I just needed to slow down.

Soon, I caught up to some others and tucked in behind a guy with a smooth stride.  We hovered at 7:30-7:40 per mile until the next water stop where he slowed and I passed.  The course was rolling with some truly substantial hills, the kind that make you question whether you can run to the top without walking a few steps.  I was pleased to never need to resort to that.  But if I had just come off a 56 mile bike ride, I probably would have walked half that course!

By the second loop the down hills and any sharp turns began to take a toll on my knee.  I slowed down my pace to see if I could reduce the strain that was starting.  It pained me to see some splits well into the 8’s on those last climbs, but today wasn’t the race for me to damage myself.

But when I saw that 12 mile mark, I decided to just open it up until the finish.  As I approached mile 13, I suspected I was in the mid-7’s.  I was happily surprised to find my last split was 6:53 and my fastest of the day.  I kicked hard into the shoot to finish in about 1:42.  There really is nothing more exhilarating than finishing strong and one thing Triathlete do well is set up a finish line!  Carpet, flags, flowers, fences and a gigantic framed in digital clock!  This sure beats the old standby shoot made from a few traffic cones and some police tape that I’ve seen show up at few good ol’ foot races. 😉

Overall, Brian did a fantastic job directing the first Half Full Tri.  Sarah was incredible at the Ulman Fund info table, interviewing and posting videos of willing participant explaining why they are at this event.   Katrina was another amazing Ulman Fund person I got to meet as she ran around with her camera snapping race day photos soon to be published online.

I feel honored to have been a part of this event and hope to return next year ready to rock those hills.  It honestly almost makes me wish I owned a bike!  🙂

(Please keep the Ulman Fund in mind when considering which cancer foundation to send a donation.  http://www.halffulltri.org/ or represent  Team Fight http://www.ulmanfund.org/Get-Involved/Team-Fight.aspx at your next event!)