Here is the finisher’s medal from the Santa Run 5K that took place in Exeter, Devon, England on December 2, 2012.

MORE PHOTOS OF MARATHON/ULTRA MEDALS AND BUCKLES

[Medal photo submitted by Martyn Ewers.  Follow him on Twitter @martyngringo]

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

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

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

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

Back in Black

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

– Jonathan Harrison

More Photos of Jonathan Harrison at the Black Diamond 40 Miler

Inaugural Black Diamond 40 Miler Official Results

Black Diamond 40 Miler Finisher’s Medal

[all photos submitted by J. Harrison]

The inaugural Black Diamond 40 Miler + Relay took place on Black Friday – November 23, 2012 in Jackson, Tennessee.  The race took runners from Jackson to Milan to Humboldt and back to the finish in Jackson over the course of 40.50 miles.

Jonathan Harrison left the field two miles into the race and set a blistering pace as the rest of the field couldn’t keep up.  One of the more amazing things about Harrison’s run is that it was his first time to go beyond a 50K.  He even set a PR marathon split along the way.

He led the entire race until around mile 29 when Joshua Holmes caught up to him in Humboldt.  The two continued to push each other from Humboldt, down Windy City Road, back to the finish at All Saints Anglican Church.

Holmes finished in 6:22:48 with Harrison coming in a close second in 6:31:27.

Brad Box ran strong throughout the day and finished in third place with a time of 6:42:18.

On the women’s side the win went to Jennifer Whitley in 7:27:57 with Diane Bolton, like Harrison running for the first time beyond a 50K, coming in second place with a time of 7:37:19.

Mikki Trujillo, running her first 40 Miler, came in third place in 8:14:53.

Black Diamond 40 Miler Results

1. Joshua Holmes (Jackson, TN) – 6:22:48 (9:27/pace)
2. Jonathan Harrison (Henderson, TN) – 6:31:27 (9:39)
3. Brad Box (Jackson, TN) – 6:42:18 (9:56)
4. Danny Staggs (Livingston, TN) – 7:01:35 (10:24)
5. Anthony Ohrey (Henderson, TN) – 7:23:29 (10:57)
6. Jennifer Whitley (Murfreesboro, TN) – 7:27:57 (11:03) – 1st Female
7. Diane Bolton (Nashville, TN) – 7:37:19 (11:17)
8. James Krenis (Jackson, TN) – 8:07:53 (12:02)
9. Mike Youngblood (Shelbyville, TN) – 8:14:44 (12:13)
10. Mikki Trujillo (Cookeville, TN) – 8:14:53 (12:13)
11. Winston Trice (Hayes, VA) – 8:23:54 (12:26)
12. David Oglesby (Jackson, TN) – 8:53:03 (13:09)
13. Billy Cannon (Milan, TN) – 9:00:25 (13:20)
14. Heather Shoemaker (Alpharetta, GA) – 9:34:14 (14:10)
15. Scott Stader (Jackson, TN) – 9:34:14 (14:10)

Congrats to Harrison, Box, Staggs, Ohrey, Bolton, Trujillo, Trice, Oglesby, and Cannon who all set Personal Longs!

The Black Diamond Relay was competitive as the Just A Blur team anchored by a blistering final leg by Steven Reagan came from behind to beat the Diamond-Dolls by nearly six minutes.

Third place relay team went to -Y Racing which broke 6 hours as well.

Black Diamond 40 Miler Relay Results

1. Just A Blur (Steven Reagan, Marj Mitchell, Mark Finton, Michael Banks) – 5:36:09 (8:18/pace)
2. Diamond-Dolls (Kristen Doyle, Angie Box, Leanne Dibrell, Nick Butter) – 5:42:04 (8:26)
3. -Y Racing (Julie Montgomery, Lyndi Strange, Erin Gray, Melanie Kayal) – 5:51:14 (8:40)
4. Fit4@5  (David Johnson, Stephanie Johnson, Scott Gatlin, Julanne Stone) – 6:11:14 (9:10)
5. Run It For Fun (Jim Warmbrod, Ed Woodside, Amy West, Zach Hagen) – 6:23:12 (9:27)
6. Thanksgiving Leftovers (Daniel Escue, Joey Kennedy) – 7:06:08 (10:31)

Here is a look at where everyone is running this weekend. We had 30 responses this week. Good luck to everyone and Run It Fast!

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

Where Run It Fast Runners Are Running This Weekend (Nov 22-25, 2012)

Storified by Joshua Holmes · Thu, Nov 22 2012 09:34:30

Here is a look at where everyone is running this weekend. We had 23 responses this week. Good luck to everyone and Run It Fast!

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

Where Run It Fast Runners Are Running This Weekend (Nov 17-18, 2012)

Storified by Joshua Holmes · Fri, Nov 16 2012 22:25:07

The big scandal involving General David Petraeus and his biographer Paula Broadwell has consumed most of the cable airwaves and news headlines over the past week.  At the heart of the story is the affair that Petraeus and Broadwell shared together.

Broadwell wanted to write her book on Petraeus but she needed access. She heard he was an avid runner and asked the General if she could run with him.  So the two of them met at the Pentagon in D.C. and went off for a run together.

The rest, as they say, is history.

Here is how Paula described it during a speech at the University of Denver back in October:

Our first interview in person was on a run. And I had proposed this because I knew it was a rite of passage for many of his former aids, to kind of get in the inner circle you had to be a runner.

Well I had run in high school, I had run in college, I had been a sponsored triathlete when we lived here in Colorado, so I loved physical fitness, but I didn’t think he knew anything about me in that regard.

So, we went for a run. We started at the Pentagon, and I had my recorder. I thought if I asked him questions that he had to give lengthy answers to, he would be more winded than I was. But he was smarter than I was — he’d say yes or no or he’d just asked a question in return or say “that’s classified, next.”

Anyhow, at some point at about mile three or four, he started to pick up the pace. And I knew this was coming. I call it the “boiling frog approach,” because you don’t know that the water is getting hotter and hotter. In any case I realized what was going on and I decided to shut off the recorder and race him.

And I was told never to beat him.  Keep up with him and you earn… it’s the rite of passage. But don’t beat him because he’s a guy, you’re a girl, and he’s a celebrity, and you’re a soccer mom.

In any case, he started elbowing me and it was over.

Long story short, I did beat him. We got down to six-minute mile pace, and I later found out that he was going through radiation treatment for prostate cancer, so it didn’t really count. But it was a rite of passage and a great sort of rapport builder with him.

It sounds like both Petraeus and Broadwell are in excellent shape if they were going head-to-head putting down a 6-minute/mile pace.  And hats off to Broadwell if she was a sponsored tri-athlete in Colorado.

Who knows exactly when or where their affair actually commenced (reports say 2011 after he left the Army), but I’m sure there was no turning back once he started elbowing her.

Broadwell’s words should become the confirmation quote from now on when one is caught with his or her running shorts down, “He started elbowing me and it was over.”

Knockin’ elbows is the new ‘Knockin’ Boots!’

Here is a look at where everyone is running this weekend. We had 54 responses this week. Good luck to everyone and Run It Fast!

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

Where Run It Fast Runners Are Running This Weekend (Nov 10-11, 2012)

Storified by Joshua Holmes · Fri, Nov 09 2012 15:47:27

Here is the finisher’s medal from the St. Louis Track Club Half Marathon that took place on November 4, 2012 in St. Louis, Missouri.

MORE PHOTOS OF MARATHON/ULTRA MEDALS AND BUCKLES

[Medal photo submitted by RIF #187 Daniel Escue.]

As we posted minutes ago, Mayor Bloomberg and NYRR president Mary Wittenberg have canceled the 2012 ING New York City Marathon just hours before the race was to take place on Sunday, November 4, 2012.

Many believe it would have been the right call 60 hours ago, but Bloomberg reassured everyone the race would go on and runners from all over the world hopped on planes to travel to NYC to run the historic race.

Now many angered runners are lashing out at the decision by Bloomberg to cancel the race after so many traveled to the city upon his word that the race would go on. Runners have lost thousands of dollars in airline tickets and hotel rooms.

Here is what some runners are saying on our Twitter feed (pro and con) when we asked them for their thoughts:

New York City Marathon Canceled – 2012

Storified by Joshua Holmes · Fri, Nov 02 2012 16:05:11