Run It Fast®

We asked on Twitter (@runitfast) where you were running this weekend and 17 of you responded!

Best of luck to you all running this weekend and those running at the Olympic Trials in Houston as well.

Joshua Holmes – Training runs in Maui and maybe a small marathon before next weekend’s Maui Oceanfront Marathon. #runitfast

Frank Hostetter  – Resolution 5k/10k in Orange Park, FL

Lisa Gonzales – I’m running local trails and going to hit every hill I can find so I’ll be ready to smoke some boys in Feb! 😉

Marielle Genovesi – Gotham Cup college meet, The Armory in NYC#oneontastate

Maricel Bautista – I’m running the Resolution 10K Race tomorrow in Orange Park FL!

Scott Gorski – Samson Stomp – 5k, Milwaukee Cty. Zoo

Caitlin E. Brown – Phoenix Rock ‘n Roll!

Rebecca Elrod – The @TRAXRunning Frozen 4 in Bowling Green, KY. It looks like it could be a four-miler in snow… 🙂

elizabeth v rehmer – livingston my half marathon w-Nike+

Craig Brett – 11 miles of The Rough and Tumble. Mud and hills what more could you want.

Nolan Holloway – running stone mountain park. training for a 5k in Feb.

Karla Riemer – a snowy 12 miler in my hometown!

jufreeze – Either Georgia or South Carolina, not sure but at least 7 miles

Kristin Auci – Freehold NJ Winter Series 5K on Sunday

Monkey Trent – I’ll be running SwmpStomper 50+ k in Memphis’ Shelby Forest.

Gerard Pescatore – Icicle 10 Miler in Wilmington, DE on Sunday! Brrrrrrrr

Willie Way – LVTC Fund the Fund 10k, Saturday.

Qualifying for the prestigious Boston Marathon is not easy to do. Some are able to pull it off on there first or second marathon. Others try to qualify for years and finally get there. And, then there are those who can never qualify no matter how much they want it.

I met Ami Roach at my neighborhood 5K nearly three years ago. She finished the 5k in 24 minutes which is a decent time, I thought. She shared with me that she would like to qualify for the Boston Marathon and needed a sub 3:40 finish time. She lit up when we talked about this. At this point, Ami had only ran a few marathons and her goal was to break 4 hours. I was excited for her that she was so driven to qualify for Boston but I knew deep down that she probably still had a long way to go. For most people, a lot is involved with knocking marathon times down.

Ami and I became running buddies after we met that day and began to run on a regular basis together. She shared with me that she used to weigh 254 pounds at 5’1”. Until she told me that she wore a size 20 shorts and showed me a few “before” photos, I really couldn’t imagine it. How could this super strong, powerful running machine once be morbidly obese? And on top of that, she had been overweight her entire life.

I tried to make sense of her weight problem by asking her a lot of questions. What was it like being that heavy? What was your daily life like? Did other people stare at you or ridicule you? And why couldn’t you lose weight?

Ami’s approach to weight loss was not by using fad diets, although she had tried many of them throughout the years. Over five years ago, she lost weight the good ‘ol fashioned way-eating less and moving more. She began to cook healthier and exercise by using “Biggest Loser” home video workouts and jogging on the treadmill in her home. She didn’t dare head outdoors out of being uncomfortable running in front of other people at such a heavy weight.

Ami explained to me that she had an epiphany after she ran her first 10K, which was in the 60 minute range, still at a heavier weight. She said that she realized at the finish that this was what she was meant to do…run.

I really wanted Ami to break 4 hours in the marathon for two reasons: 1) She wanted it desperately 2) What an incredible success story for someone to lose 130 pounds AND finish a sub4 hour marathon. We trained together and with others in our community and she continued to run marathons. Some of them close to the 4 hour mark and others were ten or more minutes off. I even paced in twice to finish in four hours but she still couldn’t do it no matter how much she wanted it.

At the Chicamauga Marathon last November, she missed the 4 hour mark by 6 seconds. Six measly seconds! She was determined to get a sub 4 hour marathon at that point and trained harder. She never gave up.

I used to wonder if Ami got sick and tired of always seeing me finish faster in every race that we do. Not that she is competitive with me but I can see how it could become frustrating at times. I also wondered if Ami would ever be able to get a sub 3:40 or even a sub 3:45 which is what her qualifying time changed to by turning 35 years old. I tried to be optimistic but I often thought, if she’s struggling so much breaking 4 hours, how is she going to knock off another 15 minutes? I continued to be supportive and of course never shared my doubts with her.

On a mission, Ami set out to run the Charlotte Marathon the following month and didn’t tell anyone except for myself and one other person. She was fed up with this, didn’t want any pressure, and headed to Charlotte to run a hilly marathon and break 4 hours. She not only broke 4 hours but she blew it away with a 3:53. Okay…now I’m thinking that she can qualify for Boston and she’s thinking that she can too.

A few marathons later used as training runs, she prepared herself to qualify at the Mercedes Marathon this past February. She had veteran runner, Scott Ludwig, pace her to finish in under 3:45:59. She finished in 3:44:12. This was Ami’s 21st marathon.  I have never seen her more happy in her life and she couldn’t wait to register for the Boston Marathon.

The Boston Marathon has become so popular in recent years that the standards to get in changed for 2012. Because Ami is in a competitive age group and she “barely” qualified, she missed getting in by 26 seconds. She was devasted but this fueled the fire even more. Hard training was not over. Now it was time for her to get ready to lower her time significantly for 2013 so that there is no chance that she will not make it in with her time.

Training became more intense and running buddy, Coach Joe Fejes pushed her even more. But, heading over to the park by herself to run a 0.67 mile significant incline at a 8:00 pace over and over was not unusual for Ami. She was driven. She wanted it. And she was not going to give up. The Savannah Marathon, which coincidently was one year later from the Chicamauga Marathon where she couldn’t break 4 hours, was the race that she had her sights on to crank it out. And, she was not using a pacer this time.

The morning of the Savannah Marathon, I was counting the minutes for the phone call. Did she break 3:40? Did she break 3:35? How did she do? When I got the call from her that she got 3:32:06, I was ecstatic and couldn’t control my enthusiasm. It’s a good thing that I was in a car parking lot with the windows closed or my loud screeches would have disturbed some people for sure.

Ami had an over 12 minute personal record AND she beat my marathon PR from 2009 by over a minute. She had done it and this was her 29th marathon.

A good friend of ours gave us free entry into the Zooma Women’s Half Marathon this past weekend so we both registered. Ami had run a 1:39 half just two days prior at the Thanksgiving Atlanta Half Marathon and I had a 100 mile race the following weekend, so we sort of decided that we would stick together and not push too terribly hard. When the gun went off, we suddenly found ourselves 2nd and 3rd overall and were running a 7 minute pace. Wow! I thought, I wouldn’t be able to keep this up. My goal for the rest of the race was to try and keep up with Ami who is clearly faster than myself at this point. I loved chasing Ami. She is finishing this race, on tired legs from a fast half marathon just 48 hours ago, before me. This was one of the best races of my life.

-Beth McCurdy

Huntsville’s DeWayne Satterfield was all business wear, while being his jovial self, in winning the 2011 Recover the the Holidays 50K yesterday in Huntsville, Alabama.

Satterfield beat out Tim Vinson with a time of 3:50:59. Vinson was less than 6 minutes behind Satterfield in 3:56:35.  Finland’s Kari Salomaa took third place with a time of 4:10:01.

The female winner was Tammy Tribett who finished the course in 4:25:30.

The course consisted of a 1-mile out and back, followed by 10 loops on the Huntsville Cross Country 5k course.

Top 40 Recover from the Holidays 50K Results

1. DeWayne Satterfield (Huntsville, AL) – 3:50:59
2. Tim Vinson (Madison, AL) – 3:56:35
3. Kari Salomaa (Helsinki, Finland) – 4:10:01
4. Brett Wilks (Huntsville, AL) – 4:12:25
5. Eric Patterson (Athens, AL) – 4:14:45
6. Chad Davis (Huntsville, AL) – 4:17:30
7. Nelson Armstrong (Castalian Springs, TN) – 4:20:30
8. Erik Debolt (Madison, AL) – 4:21:30
9. Tammy Tribett (Manassas, VA) – 4:25:30 (F)
10. Brett Addington (Owens Cross Roads, AL) – 4:27:12
11. Josh Erhard (Gallatin, TN) – 4:27:22
12. Daniel Hazelton (Clarksville, TN) – 4:29:11
13. Andy Davidson (Tuscaloosa, AL) – 4:36:59
14. Larry Dickerson (Somerville, AL) – 4:37:53
15. Wayne Heckler (Decatur, AL) – 4:40:04
16. Mark Freeman (Huntsville, AL) – 4:41:22
17. Michael Scott (Chattanooga, AL) – 4:43:29
18. Jon Elmore (Decatur, AL) – 4:52:30
19. Joshua Holmes (Jackson, TN) – 4:53:22
20. Wade Dunn (Birmingham, AL) – 4:57:10
21. Stephen Brown (Decatur, AL) – 4:57:55
22. Barry Ege (Hanceville, AL) – 4:58:40
23. Scott Schlapman (Huntsville, AL) – 5:05:38
24. Sal Coll (Rossville, GA) – 5:10:52
25. Michael Dehaye (Huntsville, AL) – 5:14:10
26. Bryan Campbell (Hazel Green, AL) – 5:14:41
27. Samuel Hong (Alpharetta, GA) – 5:16:57
28. Martin Schneekloth (Huntsville, AL) – 5:17:43
29. Eric Broyles (Madison, AL) – 5:18:13
30. Patti Holmes (Huntsville, AL) – 5:19:47 (F)
31. Keith Buell (Huntsville, AL) – 5:27:30
32. Chris Clemens (Belvidere, TN) – 5:30:23
33. Sarah Tierney (Harvest, AL) – 5:35:30 (F)
34. George Sanders (Laceys Spring, AL) – 5:36:12
35. Michael Gravel (Madison, AL) – 5:36:38
36. Sup Fravel (Madison, AL) – 5:40:18 (F)
37. Mark Hales (Birmingham, AL) – 5:42:24
38. Marit Janse (Fenton, MI) – 5:44:28 (F)
39. Richard Trice (Huntsville, AL) – 5:46:55
40. Mike Youngblood (Shelbyville, TN) – 5:48:15

Congrats to all who ran yesterday in Huntsville and across the world!  May your 2012 be full of many more miles and successful races.

[photo: Winner DeWayne Satterfield (Angus Young look) with Joshua Holmes]

We asked on Twitter (@runitfast) where you were running this weekend and 22 of you responded!

Joshua Holmes – Recover from the Holidays 50k in Alabama and Downtown Dash 5k that night in Tennessee.

Kristen Jones – new years eve race in Rehoboth De and new years day race in Bethany beach! Racing in to the new year!!

Stanley Peyton – Harrisonburg Va #FirstNight 5k

Anwen Edwards – Running tomorrow morning with the girls around Llogerheads and Cilcain in North Wales. Hope the rain holes off.

Naresh Kumar – Recover from holidays 50K 🙂

Jeanie Olinger – doing my first New Year’s Run!

Lisa Ford – a 6mile new years day race x

Monkey Trent – Dirk’s FA 50k!

Jason Buike – to the liquor store : )

MAXIMILIAN – Deployed AF new years 10K, Kuwait

Lisa Hamilton – Halifax NS

Susan Eastman – 7.5-mile run tomorrow in Centerville MA; 5-miler on Sunday in Barnstable Village; next race Jan. 8 – winter Grand Prix series

Jaim – New Years Resolution Race, Rochester, MN! Supposed to be really windy….

RMP – at viveros México city

Lisa Gonzales – I’m running in San Francisco at the New Years One Day 12HR!!! Woo!!! Sorry, I’m just a little bit excited. 😉

Evan Gilead – I had the #needforspeed but my jet plane is in the shop. Second alternative, I went running.

Lionel Garcia – no races this week but #rundisney next weekend!

Ian Richards – Running from home probably 8 miles steady on Sunday.

Jared Friesen – 2 double digit back to back runs this weekend for a total of 32 miles in cold Alaska winter weather!

Erin Donovan – Albany, ny! Hangover half marathon

Aaron Johnstone – 14 mile training run tomorrow for the @austinmarathon! Just hit 1000 mi. for the year this morning!!!

Kiwi – Knoxville, TN

Steve Carleton – South Mills Recreational Trail, South Mills, NC

Ashley Hicks and Toni Carey created Black Girls RUN! (website) in 2009 to tackle obesity, disease, and workout apathy in the African-American community for women.

Black Girls RUN! Mission Statement:

The mission of Black Girls RUN! is to encourage African-American women to make fitness and healthy living a priority. According to the Centers for Disease Control, 80% of African-American women are overweight. BGR! wants to create a movement to lower that percentage and subsequently, lower the number of women with chronic diseases associated with an unhealthy diet and sedentary lifestyle.

The group has now grown to over 60 local clubs across the United States in a relatively short amount of time.

The ladies told the The Tennessean some of the obstacles African-American women face when it comes to wanting to run:

The message faces multiple obstacles: cultural perceptions, ingrained food and beauty customs, lack of a receptive environment or safe place to be active, and the belief that recreational running is simply not something black people do.

Carey even told the newspaper a reason her mom told her she was scared to run that is actually pretty funny.

“She told me black women don’t run,” Carey recalls. “And then she told me all the reasons why, including my uterus was going to fall out, which happens to be this myth that prevails. It’s crazy.”

Often though we are told myths or reasons why we can’t or shouldn’t run or do something we are curious about doing.  Often that excuse or reason is planted within us by someone who is afraid, scared, or sometimes even jealous that we want to do something so ‘foreign’ or ‘extreme’ to them.

Carey didn’t hold back in telling the newspaper another reason African-American women are sometimes timid to try running is their ‘hair.’

And though they often feel strange saying it, hair also impacts activity. Because of the products black women use to style their hair, they often don’t wash it every day. Sweating and then having to re-do their hair is a deterrent.

“As silly as it may sound, it really is a huge issue for black women,” Carey says. “Hair is supposed to look a certain way, you are supposed to fit in this certain stereotype. There’s a lot of apprehension going natural.”

Another reason Carey listed was that it’s not always safe to run through some of the neighborhoods that some women live in.

She concluded though that the biggest reason African-American women often don’t run is lack of an example or positive role model when it comes to athletics and running.

Every community of every ethnicity needs strong women like Ashley and Toni to lead, inspire, and motivate women and men alike to take better care of their health through education and being active.

Congrats to Ashley and Toni on what they’ve been able to accomplish in the African-American community in the past couple of years.

Black Girls RUN! Website

[image: Black Girls RUN!]

Bryon Powell over at IRunFar.com got his hands on a preview pair of the upcoming New Balance Minimus Amp MT1010 trail shoes earlier this week and wrote an impressive and detailed review of the minimal trail running shoe.  The shoe will be a descendent of the New Balance Minimus MT10 that was released in 2011.

The quick lowdown on the New Balance MT1010:

I see the New Balance MT1010 as a low-to-the-ground, lightweight (at 7.7 ounces for a US men’s 9, it’s the exact same weight at the MT110) trail shoe that’s protective and supportive enough for everyday trail running shoe for those of us who aren’t waifish, who don’t run like a gazelle, and who don’t always run on buffed out, rock-free trails. In other words, it’s a trail running shoe for most of us whether we’re training (20 or) 100 miles per week or running a 100-mile race over rugged terrain.

READ IRunFar.com’s Full Descriptive Review + Many Photos of the MT1010

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from the Run It Fast family to you and yours this weekend and holiday season.

(Pictured above is Kiki at the Santa Hustle 5K in Indianapolis last weekend. You can follow Kiki on Twitter @CapnKeeks)

Fabrizio Colella running the Christmas Trail at River po Park ,trail di Natale nel parco del po di trino( italy ). Follow him on Twitter @CollellaFabrizio

Seattle runner Tim Nelson was hit by a semi-truck while running to work back in late October. He suffered a fractured skull in two places, broken back, punctured lung, and broken arm.

Nelson’s lawyer demanded to see the dash cam from the police car.  Nelson quickly discovered that the Seattle Police Department had added insult(s) to his extensive injuries at the scene of the accident.

Via Q13 Fox in Seattle:

“It ain’t my problem,” one officer said about Nelson’s injuries.

“Why don’t you drive a car?”

“Yeah, don’t try to jog to work, dumbf—.”

One officer was identified as Doug Jorgensen.

Nelson, as we all would be, isn’t too happy about the officer’s comments:

“As citizens, we pay their salaries and we are going to hold them to a higher degree of responsibility because they are public servants. In a situation like this, when you have someone lying on the ground near death, I don’t see any reason to excuse that,” said Nelson.

Some reports state that Nelson ran against a red crossing light.  No mater the case, he should have been treated with more respect from the SPD even if he was unconscious.

Watch the video above from the police dash cam.

To make it even worse the local news kept referring to Tim as a ‘jogger’ and ‘jogging’ to work.

See -> Does Being Called a Jogger Offend You?

We asked on Twitter earlier today if the term ‘jog’ or ‘jogger’ offends you as a runner.

Here are some of the harsh, funny, and interesting responses we received from our followers:

Ana Murray – Yes! ‘Jogger’ classifies runners as slow but running has no predetermined speed – speed is relative to the person. Run on!

Troy Bratton – yes because I’ve worked my butt off to improve. Jogging is closer to walking than running…

Christian Hiteshew – b, just proves who runs and who doesn’t

Melissa – I don’t care what anyone calls me. All I care about is getting my miles in 🙂

jason candy – A…because I don’t jog…my pace is more to a runner…gray line???

Kat – I don’t even know what jogging looks like. Something you do in place? I think you run or you don’t run. There’s no middle ground.

Eddie Wooten – Either is good for you. Running, to me, suggests more effort.

Gerard Pescatore – no because, as a runner, I’m laid back

Stuart Clayton – Yes, very much so.

Kristy – I’m not offended. There are different types of people. If someone wants to go out for a jog, it’s still a great form of exercise.

BMonty – Yes, but only when it’s used in a derogatory manner. “They’re not a real runner, they’re just a lazy jogger.” That riles me.

Sebaskid:p – No, somedays you have to jog to rest from running

baxterimahounduknow – mmmmm nah… But I’m no jogger lol !

Vic Arvizu – Does it matter? It’s still faster than walking

JeremyAntonAnderson – it totally offends me to be called a jogger when I can run a sub 6 minute mile for 7 miles

Jo – No ‘runs’ are for training ‘jogs’ are for recovery. Although used to hate polar software classifying my hard efforts ‘light jogs’

elizabeth v rehmer – b)no because people that use that term do not know what they are talking about… no active person says that.

HaroldShaw – A and here is my post on it http://bit.ly/vdVwXR 🙂

Yvonne Dehn – A. Because I’ve worked hard for my ‘runner’ status. Jogging is what u do as recovery between intervals

Stewart Crouch – I jog 4 days a week and run 3 days a week.

Lisa Gonzales – No. As long as it isn’t in a news story. Bad things happen to “joggers” in the news.

More Lisa Gonzales: Oh, forgot to say it’s because I don’t give a rat’s backside about what anyone else thinks. I know what I am! #badass 😉

Frank S – #runners train for something specific. Joggers jog w/no specific race goals typically. I’ll say this, no one calls me a jogger 🙂

(Everyone tweet Frank S and tell him what a good jogger he is!!! ;))

Jonathan Bobbitt – A. But only when another “runner” asks “how far did you jog” while looking down nose condescendingly. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

(Bobbitt refuses to disclose how far he jogged this morning!!!)

Brad Dulay – Only if someone called me a jogger. If you’ve run more than a 5k you shouldnt be called a jogger

Euan Jardine – Yes!! Joggers are not runners.

Paul Nottoli – A. Jogging is what middle aged Mom’s with to much money do to look cool.

dunlapa – Nope not at all. Jogging/running same thing to me 🙂

NaomiPipes – Not offended. But I use the term runner and disclaim that I am not fast.

Sarah – No, because those that call me a jogger are non runners and they just dont understand

Stevie Ferguson™ – A because in a race, I guarantee we are *not jogging! 🙂

angela dively – yes, it does. Jogger connotates someone who has a hobby. Runner is someone who competes, even if it’s against oneself.

John Shepard – Confused as to why this would offend anyone.

Rebecca Rene – Have a marathoner friend who gets INFURIATED when called a jogger. Maybe it’s a dedication/hobbyist/purist thing? IDK

More Rebecca Rene – Hell, run, jog call it whatever as far as I care. For me, it’s about getting my butt across the finish.

Pavement Runner – “offend” is a strong word. But there is a difference, right? I would never refer to myself as a jogger

thomas ransome – jogging implies a definite lack of effort, also makes it sound pleasant, its not pleasant running hurts…in a good way!

Versa Dave – I don’t take it offense since my 11 min pace is kind of a jog anyways.

Lee Price – No, as somedays I ‘jog’ somedays I ‘run’.

John Shepard – Kind of like Underwear/Underpants. I don’t care so long as I feel good. F it.

CYU – #runners train 4something specific. Joggers jog w/no spcific race goals…..No one calls me a jogger :)” <3 this!

Crystal – yes only cause I work on my running everyday I didn’t get in Boston by jogging

Richard Lima – Those who say “jog” or “jogger don’t run at all.

Cazz Singson – Honestly?? YES!!! 🙂

TJ – YES because we all should have higher self-esteem aka confidence and believe in the power of our runs #RWRunStreak#Running #run

AND THE BEST FOR LAST…

Francis L. – YES. Joggers wear matching sweatsuits & are more concerned w looks than fitness. And runners don’t find dead bodies. Joggers do.

With that said, here is first article I saw a friend had posted on Facebook this morning, Jogger hit by Semi discovers police ridiculed him at the scene

If you want to play it safe you shouldn’t call another runner a ‘jogger’ or mention they are ‘jogging.’  However, I say if you know the runner then have fun and be sure to compliment him or her on their ‘jogging.’

You can follow Run It Fast on Twitter @runitfast

We asked on Twitter (@runitfast) where you were running this weekend and 17 of you responded!

Good luck to everyone running this weekend, especially all of you that are running your first 1/2, full, or any distance race.  Run It Fast!!!!

Joshua Holmes– @bayou – Charlie Reagan Memorial 5K in Milan “Go Bulldogs!!!”

Naomi Pipes – @NaomiPipes – Running the #YMCAJingleBellRun in Houston on Sunday 🙂

Laura Raeder – @LauraRaeder – Tuscon Marathon

David D – @bigcat48 – I’ll be in Grafton, IL at The Pere Marquette Endurance Trail 7.5 miler. Not a marathon, but may feel like one after I’m done! 🙂

Gerard Pescatore – @GPescatore – Nice, leisurely 5 miler on the beautiful Wissahickon trail in Philly

Fabrizio Colella – @Colellafabrizio – n italy special trail the hills of the piedmont barbera wine

Stephen G – @stepheng73 – Jingle Bell Run in downtown Houston.

Shawna – @ssulax33 – RnR Miami Half on Sunday! #LMMB

Lizzi Liz – @lizziliz38 – Weston FL Run for Tomorrow Half Marathon

Lisa Gonzales – @runlikeacoyote – 20 miler tomorrow and 10 miler on Monday, both on the hills close to home! Fun!

Kidney Racer – @kidneyracer – I’ve got 16 miles on the docket for Saturday morn. Likely going to happen alongside a chilly Lake Michigan in Milwaukee, Wis.

Kevin Erb – @kevinerb – Gingerbread Pursuit (4-miler) in #FortWayne tomorrow morning. Supposed to be quite nipply! http://ht.ly/7UlFf

Jeanie Olinger – @DovesFireMin – running my second post injury 5K – “faster than the pastor” for missions

David Flax – @reddsman – Jingle Bell 5K in Baltimore.

Claudia Keller – @socialmedialex– Sunday, Silvesterlauf, a 8.6km run in the heart of #Zürich (& raising money 4 #jrz www.jrz.ch, donations welcome!)

Kiki – @CapnKeeks – I’m running in the Reindeer Romp 4K in Louisville, KY.

Tianna Marshall – @TrunsLA – Holiday Half in Pomona!

Tim Bledsoe – @TimBledsoe – Running the Holiday Half marathon near Adidas HQ in Portland, OR

Petra Amrein – @peachA22 – anywhere my chicken legs will take me! #reallytri-ing