Run It Fast®

My 100th Race!

My name is Lisa Gonzales and I am RIF #5 (Run It Fast Club). This past weekend, I ran my 100th race! If anyone had told me 10 years ago that I would be running 100 races, including marathons and ultras, I would have said they were crazy. But racing is so fun! And addicting!

I have been keeping track of my races in my running & cycling log (an Excel spreadsheet) because I’m a numbers geek and it makes me happy to see all that I’ve done. The bonus to keeping them in Excel means I can keep a few stats on them. Here’s a summary:

Race Distances:
Ultras – 8
Marathons – 15
Halfs – 36
10Ks – 14
5Ks – 17
Other races – 10

Races in California: 77 (not surprising since I live in Southern California!)
Races in other states: 23 (AZ-5, KY-1, NM-1, NV-4, NY-1, OR-1, SD-3, TN-4, TX-1, UT-1, WA-1)

Races By Year
2009 – 2
2010 – 4
2011 – 12
2012 – 29
2013 – 19
2014 – 14
2015 – 20

I took 9 months off in 2013/2014 because I was diagnosed with ovarian cancer on 9/30/14 and I had to have surgery and 6 rounds of chemo. If not for cancer, I would have hit 100 sooner. One of things that made me so angry at cancer was how many races I had to miss. Racing, to me, is a party and I was mad that I missed so many parties! Sure, it hurts when you run hard and sometimes you want to puke your guts out at the end of a race… but I love seeing friends and running with people who are just like me and knowing that you left everything you had on the course is very satisfying!

So without further ado, here are the races I’ve run since April 2009.

1. 4/5/09 – Renegade 3 Mile Trail Run – San Dimas, CA – The start of my addiction. This race was hilly, hot, and hard but I was proud of myself for finishing it. 
2. 11/28/09 – San Dimas Turkey Trot 10K – San Dimas, CA
3. 2/14/10 – Lost Dutchman Half Marathon – Apache Junction, AZ
4. 5/2/10 – Eugene Marathon – Eugene, OR – This race finishes in Hayward Field. Very cool to run on the track where so many fast, fast, runners have raced.
5. 10/10/10 – Mohawk Hudsom River Marathon – Albany, NY
6. 11/27/10 – San Dimas Turkey Trot 10K – San Dimas, CA
7. 1/22/11 – Buffalo Run Half Marathon – Catalina Island, CA
8. 2/20/11 – Lost Dutchman Marathon – Apache Junction, AZ – This is a very cool race. Fun start and fun course. This was the first marathon I did where I actually ran the whole thing. 
9. 4/9/11 – Labor Of Love Half Marathon – Lovell Canyon, NV – I won my Age Group!
10. 4/10/11 – Labor of Love Half Marathon – Lovell Canyon, NV – I won the Women’s Half Marathon on the 2nd day! I wasn’t sure that running back to back half marathons was a good idea but it went really well, even with the big hill! It was my first time going sub 2 hours too. Woo!
    

    Labor of Love Half Marathon

11. 6/25/11 – Seattle Rock & Roll Half Marathon – Seattle, WA – This is where I set my half marathon PR.
12. 7/4/11 – Freedom 5000 – Claremont, CA
13. 8/28/11 – Santa Rosa Marathon – Santa Rosa, CA – This is where I set my marathon PR.
14. 10/16/11 – A Hurricane Jem 16.5 Trail Run – Hurricane, UT
15. 11/26/11 – San Dimas Turkey Trot 10K – San Dimas, CA
16. 12/4/11 – Las Vegas Rock & Roll Half Marathon – Las Vegas, NV
17. 12/31/11 – New Years One Day 12 Hour (45.6 miles) – San Francisco, CA- My first ultra! And I picked a 12 Hour! LOL. This was a really fun race with great views of San Francisco, the Golden Gate Bridge, and Alcatraz. It ended at midnight on New Year’s Eve and we watched the fireworks go off over the city. Very cool!
18. 1/7/12 – Southern California Half Marathon – Irvine, CA
19. 1/28/12 – Wild Horse Trail Half Marathon – Chula Vista, CA
20. 2/4/12 – Jackson Jackass 50K – Jackson, TN – This was my first 50K and it was a mudfest!
21. 2/26/12 – La Jolla Canyon 50K – Malibu, CA
22. 3/11/12 – Mesquite Canyon 30K – Waddell, AZ
23. 4/22/12 – Foxy Trail Half Marathon – Rancho Bernardo, CA
24. 5/6/12 – Safari Park Half Marathon – San Diego, CA
25. 5/26/12 – Nanny Goat 12 Hour (45 miles) – Riverside, CA
26. 6/10/12 – Cougar Trail Half Marathon – San Diego, CA
27. 6/23/12 – Billy Goat Half Marathon Hill Climb – Corona, CA – This is a challenging but fun race. “It ain’t got but one hill” but it’s 6.5 miles long.
28. 6/30/12 – Mojave Narrows Half Marathon – Victorville, CA
29. 7/5/12 – Freedom 5000 – Claremont, CA
30. 7/14/12 – Stonewall Peak Half Marathon – Cuyamaca Rancho State Park, CA – This was one of the prettiest races I’ve done. This was the first race I got lost at but only added about a mile onto my race. Oh, and I got stung by a bee on my ear! What an adventure!
    

    Stonewall Peak Half Marathon

31. 8/5/12 – ET Full Moon Midnight 51K – Rachel, NV- This race is a SciFi running geek’s dream. You run during a full moon at midnight out near Area 51! I’m pretty sure I saw some strange lights out there. 
32. 8/19/12 – Leading Ladies Marathon – Spearfish, SD
33. 9/2/12 – Disneyland Half Marathon – Anaheim, CA – The start of my runDisney addiction! Seriously love these races. 
34. 9/8/12 – Endure the Bear 15K – Big Bear Lake, CA
35. 9/15/12 – Summer Spectacular 50K – Santa Monica, CA – This is where I set my 50K PR! And then spent the rest of the day in ER from heatstroke. I do not recommend doing that! But I got a PR!
36. 9/29/12 – Big Sur Trail Marathon – Big Sur, CA
37. 10/14/12 – Raptor Ridge Trail Half Marathon – Escondido, CA
38. 10/27/12 – Javelina Jundred (100K) – Fountain Hills, AZ – This was my first 100 mile attempt. Well, my only attempt so far. I dropped to the 100K though.
39. 11/11/12 – Malibu International Marathon – Malibu, CA
40. 11/18/12 – Flying Monkey Marathon – Nashville, TN – This is a very popular race put on by Run It Fast Club member Trent Rosenbloom. I was unlucky enough to get into the lottery for it in 2012! It’s a gorgeous place to run but watch out for the Flying Monkeys! And the hills! 
    

    Flying Monkey Marathon

41. 11/22/12 – ARR Thanksgiving Day Classic 10 Mile – Peoria, AZ
42. 11/24/12 – San Dimas Turkey Trot 10K – San Dimas, CA
43. 12/8/12 – Santa Monica/Venice Christmas Run 10K – Santa Monica, CA
44. 12/8/12 – Santa Monica/Venice Christmas Run 5K – Santa Monica, CA – I loved doing the Double. You ran the 10K first and then the 5K. Sadly, they aren’t doing the double this year.
45. 12/9/12 – Holiday Half Marathon – Pomona, CA
46. 12/15/12 – Paramount Ranch Trail Half Marathon – Calabasas, CA
47. 12/16/12 – Holly Jolly Half Marathon – Camarillo, CA
48. 1/5/13 – New Years Race Half Marathon – Los Angeles, CA
49. 1/27/13 – Calico Trail Runs 30K – Calico Ghost Town, CA – The scenery in this race is amazing and you finish in a ghost town. What’s not to love?
50. 2/3/13 – Surf City Half Marathon – Huntington Beach, CA
51. 2/17/13 – Bandit 30K – Simi Valley, CA
52. 2/23/13 – Rohring Round The Clock 6HR – Bonita, CA
53. 3/10/13 – Snoopy Coaster Run 10K – Buena Park, CA
54. 3/17/13 – Bataan Memorial Death March – White Sands, NM – This race is amazing! Definitely one of my favorites. It’s run at the White Sands Missile Range and it’s a very emotional and moving race that honors the survivors and those who lost their lives in the Bataan Death March. 
    

    Bataan Memorial Death March

55. 3/30/13 – Chino Hills Trail Run Series 15 Miler – Chino Hills, CA
56. 4/6/13 – Hollywood Half Marathon – Hollywood, CA
57. 4/13/13 – Griffith Park Trail Marathon – Los Angeles, CA
58. 5/5/13 – OC Half Marathon – Newport Beach, CA
59. 5/19/13 – Horseshoe Lake Trail Marathon – Palo Alto, CA – I celebrated my birthday with a marathon. 
60. 6/1/13 – Fontana Days 5K – Fontana, CA
61. 6/2/13 – San Diego Rock n’ Roll Half Marathon, San Diego, CA
62. 6/8/13 – Run Under The Stars (50K) – Paducah, KY – Running for 10 hours under the stars in circles on a horse track doesn’t sound like a lot of fun but it is a blast!
63. 6/24/13 – Asphalt Jackal Marathon – Pinson, TN
64. 7/4/13 – Freedom 5000 – Claremont, CA
65. 7/7/13 – Costume Party Half Marathon – San Diego, CA – This was the last race I really ran before everything went down with cancer. It had the largest medal I’ve received!
    

    Costume Party Half Marathon

66. 8/10/13 – Dove Canyon Half Marathon – Rancho Santa Margarita, CA – My last race before my doctor said I had to stop running. It wasn’t a spectacular run for me but it was fun and I was happy to finish.
67. 5/17/14 – Renegade 3 Mile Trail Run – San Dimas, CA – My first race post cancer. I went back to my first race from back in 2009. I thought it was a fun way to get back into racing. I was still battling fatigue from the chemo so my time was about the same as back in 2009. 
68. 6/7/14 – Fontana Days 5K – Fontana, CA
69. 7/4/14 – Freedom 5000 – Claremont, CA
70. 8/17/14 – Leading Ladies Half Marathon – Spearfish, SD
71. 9/21/14 – Girls On The Go 10K – San Dimas, CA
72. 9/27/14 – San Dimas 5K – San Dimas, CA
73. 10/11/14 – Brian’s Home Run 5K – Fontana, CA – 3rd in my Age Group! Starting to finally feel like my old self again.
74. 10/26/14 – Rock ‘n’ Roll Los Angeles Half – Los Angeles, CA
75. 11/16/14 – Avengers Half Marathon – Anaheim, CA
76. 11/22/14 – San Dimas Turkey Trot 10K – San Dimas, CA
77. 11/27/14 – Claremont Turkey Trot 5K – Claremont, CA
78. 12/6/14 – Santa Monica/Venice Christmas Run 10K – Santa Monica, CA
79. 12/6/14 – Santa Monica/Venice Christmas Run 5K – Santa Monica, CA
80. 12/14/14 – Dallas Half Marathon – Dallas, TX – First time visiting Texas! Great race and a lot of fun. Got to see lots of friends and fellow RIFers here.
81. 1/3/15 – Resolution Run 10K – Los Angeles, CA
82. 1/18/15 – Star Wars Half Marathon – Anaheim, CA
83. 2/1/15 – Surf City Half Marathon – Huntington Beach, CA
84. 2/21/15 – Cummins Falls Half Marathon, Cummins Falls State Park, TN – This was my first race in snow & ice and I didn’t die! Hey, I’m from So Cal, it was 80 degrees when I flew it out. It was worth it though it was a fun race and I won my Age Group! 
    

    Cummins Falls Half Marathon

85. 3/8/15 – Snoopy Coaster Run 10K – Buena Park, CA – 10K PR! I love this race! Mostly because I love Snoopy but also because you run through Knott’s Berry Farm and there is pie at the finish! Also, did I mention the pie?
86. 3/15/15 – Los Angeles Marathon – Los Angeles, CA – This was my first marathon post cancer. I swore I was never going to do big city races again but this one was a great race. It was really well organized, you see some great sights, and the crowd support is awesome. I signed for 2016!
87. 4/4/15 – Peter Cottontail 5K – Rancho Cucamonga, CA
88. 4/18/15 – Cosmo 7K – Pomona, CA – 1st in my Age Group! This is a women’s only run.
89. 5/4/15 – OC Half Marathon – Newport Beach, CA
90. 5/9/15 – Tinkerbell 10K – Anaheim, CA
91. 5/10/15 – TinkerBell Half Marathon – Anaheim, CA – This was another race that I missed because of cancer. I was supposed to run it in January 2014 but had chemo just a few days before it so did not get to do it. So happy to finally run it!
92. 5/16/15 – Renegade 3 Mile Trail Run – San Dimas, CA
93. 6/6/15 – Fontana Days 5K – Fontana, CA – 5K PR and 2nd in my Age Group! This is a very fast course. The half marathon fills up fast because it is a great PR course.
94. 7/4/15 – Freedom 5000 – Claremont, CA
95. 8/16/15 – Leading Ladies Marathon – Spearfish, SD
96. 9/5/15 – Disneyland 10K – Anaheim, CA
97. 9/6/15 – Disneyland Half Marathon – Anaheim, CA – My favorite part of runDisney races is dressing up. This was my 3rd time running as Minnie Mouse. I was Chewbacca Minnie at the Star Wars Half! LOL!
98. 9/20/15 – Girls On The Go 10K – San Dimas, CA – 1st in my Age Group!
99. 10/11/15 – Long Beach Marathon – Long Beach, CA – This was a hot day! Like 98 but I finished! It was the completion of the Beach Cities Challenge (Surf City, OC, and Long Beach) so I was really happy. I had started the Challenge in 2013 but didn’t get to complete it because I had surgery just 2 weeks before Long Beach. Every time I ran a race that I missed because of cancer, I considered it a Revenge Race. Getting to run/race again is the best revenge of that stupid, ugly disease. I win!
100. 10/25/15 – Terrifying 10 Miler – Dana Point, CA – 2nd in my Age Group running as a Pirate! Hard course but great race.

You may have noticed I have a few races that I repeat every year: Renegade 3 Mile Trail Run, Fontana Days Run 5K, Freedom 5000, San Dimas Turkey Trot 10K, Snoopy Coaster Run 10K, runDisney races. These are local races that are a lot of fun! But mostly I use racing to travel and see places I’ve never been. I don’t have a specific plan to race in all 50 States but I’m sure I will eventually. I keep saying I will race less. I don’t know if that’s going to happen though. We’ll see…

Thanks for reading!

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RIF #1 Joshua Holmes and fellow RIFers at the Flying Monkey Marathon

RIFers raced around the world! Well, they have raced over 25,000 miles so far this year so if they had done a relay, they would have run around the world…and then some. 🙂 Here are the October 2013 Extreme Racer Standings:

The race for 1st and 2nd is really close right now.  RIF #159 Diane Bolton is still in the lead with 1621.45 but RIF #190 John Kent Leighton is only 6.55 points behind her in 2nd with 1614.9 points! RIF #1 Joshua Holmes rounds out the Top 3 in 3rd with 1422.8 points.

There was no change in the Top 3 of either the Women’s or Men’s Leaderboards. On the Women’s Leaderboard, Diane is in 1st, followed by RIF #218 Carol Goslin in 2nd with 1144.4 points, and RIF #287 Carol Earles in 3rd with 1043.59 points. On the Men’s Leaderboard, John is in 1st followed by Joshua in 2nd and RIF #279 George Southgate in 3rd with 1205.77 points.

Through October, our RIF Club Members have raced 25,760.01 miles! That total is made up of 1210 races, including:

-18 100 Milers
-23 50 Milers
-63 50Ks
-462 Marathons
-148 Half Marathons
-65 10Ks
-220 5Ks
-222 races of non-traditional distances.

76 of our 300 club members have reported races through October. In total, 78 RIF Club members have submitted points and/or monthly miles so far for 2013 (only points count in the standings so only 76 RIF Club members are listed below).

Here are the full standings through October:

Top Ten Overall
1. Diane Bolton – 1621.45 (RIF#159)
2. John Kent Leighton – 1614.9 (RIF#190)
3. Joshua Holmes – 1422.8 (RIF#1)
4. George Southgate – 1205.77 (RIF#279)
5. Carol Goslin – 1144.4 (RIF#218)
6. Carol Earles – 1043.59 (RIF#287)
7. Denis McCarthy – 986.1 (RIF#263)
8. Kerri Haskins – 923.6 (RIF#261)
9. Rob Distante – 879.63 (RIF#259)
10. Elaine Bickel Green – 769.1 (RIF#217)

Men’s Leaderboard
1. John Kent Leighton – 1614.9 (RIF#190)
2. Joshua Holmes – 1422.8 (RIF#1)
3. George Southgate – 1205.77 (RIF#279)
4. Denis McCarthy – 986.1 (RIF#263)
5. Rob Distante – 879.63 (RIF#259)
6. Hideki Kinoshita – 727.4 (RIF#88)
7. Danny Staggs – 573.5 (RIF#186)
8. Jeff Le – 474.96 (RIF#248)
9. Eric Waterman – 408.7 (RIF#289)
10. Houston Wolf – 400.9 (RIF#254)
11. David Wingard – 333.9 (RIF#101)
12. Billy Cannon – 306.8 (RIF#169)
13. Anthony Ohrey – 293.6 (RIF#27)
14. Kevin Brandon – 265.7 (RIF#214)
15. Arland Blanton – 239.8 (RIF#290)
16. Nicholas Norfolk – 238.9 (RIF#116)
17. Mark Ogletree – 234.9 (RIF#247)
18. Jeff Liu – 231 (RIF#275)
19. Steven Reagan – 215.9 (RIF#157)
20. Nathan Bass – 201.6 (RIF#174)
21. Mark Watson – 194 (RIF#173)
22. Dennis Arriaga – 162 (RIF#140)
23. Rodrigo Jiménez – 158.32 (RIF#203)
24. Jason Scott – 147.2 (RIF#265)
25. Josh Liggett – 142.5 (RIF#147)
26. Robin Robbins – 132 (RIF#33)
27. James Krenis – 126.8 (RIF#67)
28. Kevin Ronayne – 108.4 (RIF#11)
29. Bill Baker – 106 (RIF#196)
30. Nikiah Nudell – 94.8 (RIF#234)
31. Charles Carmen – 89.63 (RIF#255)
32. Stephen Griffin – 86.5 (RIF#48)
33. Rick Thiounn – 79.5 (RIF#111)
34. Neil Dryland – 57.2 (RIF#252)
35. Naresh Kumar – 50 (RIF#2)
36. Stewart Crouch – 29.3 (RIF#89)
37. Brian Wooldridge – 26.2 (RIF#141)
38. Chris Haynes – 26.2 (RIF#223)
39. Brennan Thompson – 25.5 (RIF#274)
40. Daniel Escue – 22.4 (RIF#187)
41. Austin Coates – 22.4 (RIF#241)
42. Al Edwards – 13.1 (RIF#291)

Women’s Leaderboard
1. Diane Bolton – 1621.45 (RIF#159)
2. Carol Goslin – 1144.4 (RIF#218)
3. Carol Earles – 1043.59 (RIF#287)
4. Kerri Haskins – 923.6 (RIF#261)
5. Elaine Bickel Green – 769.1 (RIF#217)
6. Heather Zeigler – 702.2 (RIF#246)
7. Laura Raeder – 510.4 (RIF#20)
8. Suzanne Spiceland – 468.2 (RIF#280)
9. Michelle Walker – 422.3 (RIF#124)
10. Christy Scott – 419.9 (RIF#231)
11. Katrina Mumaw – 399.5 (RIF#268)
12. Robin Mancinelli – 395.6 (RIF#134)
13. Lisa Gonzales – 319.26 (RIF#5)
14. Donna England – 310.2 (RIF#277)
15. Sandy Staggs – 274 (RIF#220)
16. Michelle Mitchell – 262.6 (RIF#133)
17. Heather Shoemaker – 261.8 (RIF#44)
18. Alicia Eno – 246.1 (RIF#126)
19. Shannon Burke – 236.8 (RIF#171)
20. Amanda Staggs – 209.3 (RIF#210)
21. Marj Mitchell – 201.7 (RIF#4)
22. Michelle Lenahan – 192.08 (RIF#283)
23. Christy Bowers – 191.72 (RIF#60)
24. Donna Pittman – 188.9 (RIF#181)
25. Beth Hosick – 184.8 (RIF#219)
26. Jennifer Wood – 183.4 (RIF#243)
27. Melanie Casey – 144 (RIF#202)
28. Jennifer Whitley – 82 (RIF#160)
29. Natalie Torres – 81.7 (RIF#72)
30. Leigh Marsh – 61.7 (RIF#192)
31. Jill Hassen – 57.2 (RIF#242)
32. Marlene Deem – 52.4 (RIF#189)
33. Martine Kincade – 26.2 (RIF#260)
34. Debra Jacildo – 15.2 (RIF#98)

The photo above was from the celebration for RIF #1 Joshua Holmes who had just run his 100th Marathon / Ultra at the Flying Monkey Marathon. This is just one example of how RIFers strive to run more and farther! Congrats Josh!

Now for some RIF Club business…

This month’s random drawing winner is RIF #186 Danny Staggs! We will be sending him a Gone For A Run sign and we are sure it will get a lot of use!

Don’t forget to submit your points/monthly miles next month for a chance to win! Anyone who submits races or miles or even to say they didn’t race/run because life got in the way is eligible for the drawing. We just want to hear what everyone is up to and it’s fun to see the race miles add up. 

Details on joining Run It Fast – The Club

[Extreme Racer points are rewarded per each racing mile completed. Example: marathon = 26.2 points, half marathon 13.1 points, etc.]

[photo from Joshua Holmes]

Here is a look at where everyone is running this weekend. We had 19 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.

Out Damn Negative Thoughts!

I’ve gotten into a very bad habit the past 6 months. I’ve become my own worst critic and I can’t seem to stop it.

When things go bad in a race, I start telling myself how slow I am, how much I suck, how I’m not trying hard enough, not working hard enough, giving up too easily.

When I don’t hit my times in the planned work outs that my coach set up for me, I find myself saying things like “He’s got to be frustrated with me.” Or “I bet he’ll be disappointed again.” Or “Maybe a coach is a waste of time.”

And when a friend teases me about running a 4 hour half marathon, I think “He knows me/my running better than most so I must really suck.”

I know I’m only making things worse. That it’s me who’s disappointed and frustrated (and embarrassed) and not my coach or my friends. I know that I’m not helping myself but…how do I stop it?

I’ve been in a funk ever since the DNF at Death Valley Trail Marathon. I haven’t raced well this year. I’ve been slow as molasses and my confidence is shattered. I doubt I can hit my workouts and I doubt I can keep a certain pace in a race and I think it causes me to live up…er, live down…to my expectations.

I’m tired of it. I want my confidence back. I want to be fast and feel fast.

I know that fast is relative and I know I’m not a 2:30 marathoner but I feel I have a sub 4 marathon in me. Actually, I don’t know what I’m capable of but I dream of going sub 3:55 and qualifying for Boston. I want to go sub 24 in a 5K and sub 50 in a 10K and 1:50 in a half. Or faster.

But to do that, I first have to quit telling myself I can’t.

On Saturday, I ran my 5th 5K. My 5K PR is 24:59 (set in 2011) but I honestly thought I would be lucky if I broke 30 minutes for the one on Saturday. I felt that 27 minutes would be a dream goal but I shouldn’t be disappointed if I didn’t hit it. I thought there was an outside chance of hitting 27 minutes. Maybe.

Then I’m not sure what happened but I got mad at myself. The night before the race I started thinking about what it would take to PR and I started telling myself that I could do it. On race morning as I warmed up I lectured myself over and over again to try. To not give up. To run as hard as I could and try to PR. That it wasn’t impossible. I could do it. But only if I tried. I started the race…determined.

I ran hard.

I finished the race in 25:15.

So…no PR but I ran so hard I thought I was going to puke at the end. I never told myself I couldn’t do it while I was running. I talked myself out of giving up and settling for the slower 27 min goal from earlier. I was happy with my effort. I had run it with my heart instead of my head and because of that, I got a surprise when the times were posted…3rd in my age group! Woo! This is my 5K medal on the left and my AG medal on the right:

🙂 If this were a Hollywood movie, that would be the end…the happy runner girl running off into the sunset with a new mind and a new determination to make her goals happen.

Well, this ain’t Hollywood….

On Sunday, I ran the Rock n’ Roll San Diego Half Marathon (my 24th half marathon) and I was back to my old ways. If you look at the McMillan pace calc based on my 5K time…

…I should be able to go sub 2 for the half. My PR for the half is 1:57:26 (also set in 2011) but I was telling myself to shoot for 2:10 and to be happy with 2:15. And when things went south during the race (I lost 6 minutes to hit the port-a-potty and then fell before mile 10), I started in with the negative talk: I suck, I should just stop racing, I shouldn’t have signed up for that marathon at the end of June because it might take me 5 or more hours to finish and my friends will have to wait for me. What was I thinking? I was frustrated and embarrassed again and beating myself up over it.

Sigh.

Bad habits are hard to break. I have GOT to figure out how to break this one permanently before I give up trying all together. I just don’t know how right now.

Any suggestions? How do you deal with the negative voices?

The Extreme Runner Points program is well under way and we’ve had a great turnout so far. 43 Run It Fast – The Club members have submitted their races and miles for the first 4 months of the year. This is a summary of all the races and miles that have been entered so far:

Pretty cool, huh? So far, Run It Fast – The Club members have run almost half way around the world and run a boat load of races! But that’s not all. I’d also like to highlight some of the fun run things they shared with us when they submitted their races and miles.

January

2 members ran a couple of firsts: Congratulations to Daniela Obregon #49 (@Nanyob) for running her first half marathon and Rick Jarvis #13 who ran his first marathon (and also ran another one in January!).

Nicholas Norfolk #116 (@absolut_zer0) became a Marathon Maniac!

2 members set PRs in January: Dennis Arriaga #140 (@dennarr) set a 5K PR and Hideki Kinoshita #88 (@RunKino) set a marathon PR at the MS Blues and then again a week later at Houston! Congratulations to you both on Running It Fast!

February

3 members set PRs in February:  Dennis Arriaga #140 (@dennarr) set a 10K PR this time and Kevin Ronayne #11(@KRona217) set a PR in the 5 Mile. Once again that running machine, Hideki Kinosita #88 (@RunKino), set a marathon PR! Yay! That’s how you Run It Fast!

March

Daniela Obregon #49 (@Nanyob) ran her first marathon! GoDani Go!

 There were a slew of PRs set:  Dennis Arriaga #140 (@dennarr) set another 5K PR, Kevin Ronanye #11 (@KRona217) also set a 5K PR, Nadia Ruiz Gonzales #69 set a marathon PR at the LA Marathon, and Hideki Kinoshita #88 (@RunKino) set ANOTHER marathon PR at NOLA. Way to Run It Fast!

Congratulations to Perry Ligon #146 (@perry_ligon) who placed 4^th in his age group (50-59) at the St. Patty’s Scramble 15K Trail Race!

April

For firsts in April, we have Dennis Arriaga #140 (@dennarr) who ran his first half marathon! Congrats Dennis!

4 members set April PRs: Mark Sikkila #108 set a PR for the half marathon, Christy Bowers #60 set a PR for the 10K, Hideki Kinoshita #88 (@RunKino) set a 4 Mile PR, and Michelle Mitchell #133 set a PR in the 100K. Awesome job of Running It Fast you guys!

Congratulations to Alicia Eno #126 who was 2^nd Woman Overall at the Dash for Dad 13.1 in Memphis, Hideki Kinoshita #88 (@RunKino) who placed 3^rd in his age group at the Martian Marathon, Marj Mithchell #4 who placed 1^st in her age group at the Shiloh Run In The Park 4 Miler, and Michelle Mitchell #133 who won a 2 mile race and placed 2^nd in her half marathon

***

As you can see, Run It Fast – The Club members have started off the year with a bang! I know the rest of the year is going to be just as fun. No, even better. I can’t wait to see everyone Run It Fast in 2012!

So come on! Don’t be shy. If you haven’t submitted your races and miles for the Extreme Runner Points program for January through April, you can do so here:

Run It Fast – The Club Extreme Runner Entry Form

You can click here to find out more information about it: Extreme Racer Standings Program (details).

In case you missed the post on the current standings thru April 2012, click here: Run It Fast – The Club Extreme Runner Point Standings (thru April 2012)

And for information on joining Run It Fast – The Club click HERE. Join us today and be a part of the fun!

P.S. If you submitted races but forgot to submit your monthly mileage totals, you can leave a comment here or send me an email or a tweet and I will add them for you.

Welcome to the Run It Fast – The Club Extreme Racer Contest for 2014!

Here’s how it works:

-Each month, RIF Club members will enter their race stats in our database.

-You will be awarded 1 point for each mile you raced during the month. For example, if you raced a 5K this month, you would get 3.1 points for the month.

-The database will calculate the number of “race miles” you ran for the month and keep track of them for you  and us.

-We will post the standings each month so you can see where you are in the standings.

-At the end of the year, we’ll crown a male and a female Extreme Runner (with possible age group awards/recognition as well).

So how do you enter your race information? We’ve created a form for you to enter your data into. You can find the form here for now:

Run It Fast – Club Extreme Runner Entry Form

We’ll be adding a link to it on the Run It Fast – The Club page for future access. Let’s look at an example of how RIF #5 filled out the form for January – April:

When you fill out the form, you’ll be entering data for one month at a time but I wanted to give you an idea of how the data will look with various examples. As you can see, RIF #5 ran one race in March that wasn’t a “normal” distance so that race was counted in the Other Races for that month and RIF #5 entered the number of miles for that race. (yes, that means you’ll have to calculate your “Other Races” miles for us – so thank you!).

The form also asks you for your Total Monthly Miles (it should include both “race” and normal training miles for the month) but this number is NOT part of the contest. Total Monthly Miles is just for fun and to see how much everyone is running. Nothing is filled out in Notes above but we hope you’ll share any accomplishments you had for the month with us. We would love to know about new PRs, new race distances completed, age group awards, wins, etc.

This is a sample of what the form looks like:

You just enter your data for the month and click Submit. It’s that easy! But make sure you don’t submit your stats until the month is over. Once again, here is the link to the data entry form:

Run It Fast – Club Extreme Runner Entry Form

Good luck and Run It Fast!

2017 Extreme Racer Winner – Ila Brandli (Results)
2016 Extreme Racer Winner – Karen Vollan (Results)
2015 Extreme Racer Winner – John Leighton (Results)
2014 Extreme Racer Winner – Ed Ettinghausen (Results)
2013 Extreme Racer Winner – David Wingard (Results)
2012 Extreme Racer Winner – Steve Hughes (Results)

Just a reminder…this contest is for Run It Fast – The Club members only so if you aren’t a part of Run It Fast – The Club and want to join in on the fun, click this link:

Run It Fast – The Club

I’ve been thinking about the Dreaded Ds lately: DNF (did not finish), DNS (did not start), and DFL (dead f@#king last).

I have a 50 Miler coming up that is freaking me out just a little bit (ok, a lot). I knew when I signed up for it that it would be a big STRETCH for me but I did it anyway. Sometimes, I feel so overwhelmed by it that I think maybe I shouldn’t run it. Maybe I’m not ready. Maybe I need another year of ultras under my belt before I tackle a 50 Miler with 12,000+ feet elevation gain. But no, I WILL show up on race day and I WILL give it my all. Whatever happens, happens. However, I would be lying if I said I wasn’t worried about a DNF.

Luckily, I haven’t had a DNS for any of my races yet. But it could happen. It would be disappointing but injuries or family commitments may interfere and you have to go with what life throws at you. Sometimes, that means missing a race.

I’m not worried about being DFL either. It’s a possibility. I’ve been last before. It’s hard on the ego. Really hard. Especially when you think you’re all that and a bag of dark chocolate chips and then find out you’re not. But I can live with a DFL as long as I know I did my best.

The DNF though…I think it would depend on the reason. If it happened because of an injury…okay. If it happened because I gave up or quit because it was too hard…not okay. If it happened because I missed a course cut-off…I don’t know how I’d feel about that. THAT is what I’m most worried about.

I was curious to see what everyone else thought and I posted a poll on Twitter – Which of the Dreaded Ds do you fear the most: DNF, DNS, or DFL? 40 people responded and these are the results:

DNF – 18

DNS – 13

DLF – 6

The other 3 people responded with DNSU (did not sign up), DNS (did not sleep which could cause one of the 3 above), and MA (monkey attack – which is an issue at this marathon).

I was a little surprised that DNF & DNS were so close. It seems that those who’d had injuries in the past or missed races for whatever reason would rather DNF than not race at all. It seems like the longer the distance you try, the more you have to accept the possibility that DNFs happen or at least ultrarunners seemed more accepting of it. Those that chose DNF said it was because they didn’t want to quit or break a commitment to themselves. DFLs…they didn’t say but I’m sure you can guess why.

I suppose which one you dread most depends on your running experiences so far and what you have/haven’t dealt with in a race. Good to know. I guess the only “D” we should worry about is DNT (did not try). As long as we train and try to get to the start, try to do the best we can, and try to finish…that’s all that really matters.

But I still would rather not have a DNF!

What about you? Do you dread one of the 3 or have you accepted they are a part of racing?