Run It Fast®

Here is the finisher’s medal from the inaugural Rock ‘n’ Roll Pasadena Half Marathon that was held on February 19, 2012 in Pasadena, California.

Rock ‘n’ Roll can be either hit or miss on their medals. This is one of their more beautiful pieces of bling.  The color scheme plays well for Pasadena.  The only thing that would have been better is if they could have fit a rose on there somewhere.

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[medal photo submitted by Tiffany Henness. Follow her on Twitter @Running_Hutch]

Here is the finisher’s medal from the 2012 LIVESTRONG Austin Marathon that took place in Austin, Texas on February 19, 2012.

Cool medal. Lot of detail and references to Austin. Stays true to the LIVESTRONG brand.

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[medal photo submitted by Aaron Johnstone. Follow him on Twitter @TexasRunnr]

We asked on Twitter (@runitfast) where you were running this weekend and 48 of you responded!

Good luck to you all this weekend and Run It Fast!

Joshua Holmes – 4 consecutive days of 12-13 trail miles each. Prep for#MS50

Can’t Stop Endurance – Sylamore Trail 50K

Ryan Bak – I’m running HaggLake50k#haggmud near Forest Grove, OR. 1st race back since the Olympic Trials Marathon!

Nathan Kreeger – Pilot Mountain Payback trail marathon. Pilot Mountain, NC.

aimee bellwood – Brighton half marathon, England!

Lori Guerrini – With 50 degree weather in #Chicago on Friday, I am running along Lake Michigan for 8-10 miles.

Emily Stacey – racing in Coles Bay #Tasmania for the #colesbay100! Doing the run leg (18km).

Jonathan Bobbitt – 4 days, 50 miles…leading to the dreaded taper for MS50

JCGrez Tri IM70.3 – Olimpic distance Tri this Sunday, just for #Training…#Triathlon #RunItFast

alexv13 – Mission Peak

Jen Nagle – running the rhythm and blues 1/2 marathon this weekend!

Jenna Schofer – 14 miles in Portland….yeah for marathon training & a 4-day week-end.

Rob Estell – Ft Laud 1/2 marathon

Gavin Grobbelaar – Tuks 21km Pretoria and Pirates 21km Joburg.

Jared Friesen – racing in the Little Su 50k up in Alaska, my first ultra and 30th birthday present!

Sandra Laflamme – Racing at Pats Peak in NH for race #3 of the http://winterwild.com race series @TeamAMPllc  @Earth_Tec#motherrunner  #womenrunning

Leah Thorvilson – Lost Dutchman Marathon!! Think I’ll fin him??

Brian Rice – IMS Arizona Marathon @arizonamarathon

Camilla Brookes – 10km fun run in Huskisson NSW. Recovery run + medal + camping trip – bad weather = great weekend to be had!

Victor I. Fleitas – The Black Warrior 25k.

Tracy Pellizzari – Birch Bay, WA marathon! 🙂

Nikki Thurmond – Austin LIVESTRONG! 13.1

secret santa – just doing my long run – this weekend 17 km on a scenic seafront path

Alvin Lee – Myrtle Beach Marathon, goal to break 4 hrs! # runitfast

Jason Sutton – if I shake this heavy duty head cold it is Pilot Mountain Payback Marathon for me tomorrow.

Aaron Johnstone –  @austinmarathon on Sunday!!! #RunAustin #runchat

Kevin Ronayne – Training runs this weekend will be in Central MA

Tom Hoogendoorn – will be doing the fort Langely Historic Half

James Meredith – 23 miles, final train run for LIttle Rock. Laps around the neighborhood. Boring … but helps me mimic water stops better.

Jonathan Stewart – 17 mile tempo in Jackson town.

Melanie Gomez – #Austin half marathon #LIVESTRONG

Gerard Pescatore – 14 mile training run in Philly (Training for the Run for the Red on 5/20). #runitfast

Susan Eastman – Valentine’s Twosome 3-miler on Sunday in Sandwich MA to benefit Relay for Life Team; also running 7 miles Sat. w/group

alex castillo – running in the Demery Cox 5000 this Sunday #gonerunning

Sarah Malaney – 5 mile group run with the BTG #HalfMarathon training group. we are in week 3 of 14!

Nathan Bugg – <– “heart n sole 5k” at whiterock lake, Dallas Texas

Christina Kaighen – The Destin 50 Ultra in Destin, FL. 50K of the world’s most beautiful beaches!

Lauren Stone – 8 mile training run in Forest Park here in STL training for a half on 4/7

Jeremy Couch – Brookville, IN to Oxford, OH…

Miriam Wood – Minneapolis. A 1/2 marathon

Mindy M – Great Aloha Run on Monday here in Honolulu. 8.15 miles.

Emily Conley – Sylamore 50K. My favorite race and what started my obsession with trails

Samantha – Brazen Bay Breeze Half Marathon in San Leandro, CA.#runitfast

Laura Raeder – austin! #runaustin

E.B. – Brunswick, GA – 10th Annual Bridge Run 5k

Mark Beer – tribesports london ultra should be a good one 1st ultra of the year for me

kim kreuzman – In Indy – with @MilesThatMatter! Haven’t see him in forever! #Soexcited!

Tracy Rinella – Bay Breeze Half Mary 🙂

Julia Forystek –  #VirginiaIsForLovers. 😉

IT’S HERE – The RUN IT FAST RUNNING CLUB – Join Today!!!

The Run It Fast Running Club

Run It Fast is a way of life for both beginning and veteran endurance athletes. RIF is open to everyone and is simply a motto for pushing past your own limits to go further, faster, and do more than you ever have before. Everyone’s ‘Fast’ is relative and 100% subjective.

As a part of the Run It Fast Running Club you will receive a Run It Fast tech shirt for joining. There is not a better way to receive encouragement at a race than to be sporting the RIF shirt. You will hear ‘Run It Fast’ at the exact moment your energy dips or you need that extra push to finish that race or set a new PR.

In addition, you will have access to Run It Fast coaches to discuss running your first 5K, half marathon, marathon, or ultra. You will also receive discounts on Run It Fast clothing/merchandise and to future RIF races, events, and non-RIF races where we can procure a group discount.

We are also working on creating a place on RunItFast.com for you to store your races and results in addition to a point system to rank runners to create end of the year awards based on total distance, speed, and other factors.

If you’ve wanted to be part of a national running community to encourage and be encouraged by others you will enjoy being a part of the Run It Fast Team.

Membership Pricing:
New Members: $35 (includes Run It Fast tech shirt & shipping)
Renewals $15 per year

First 150 to join will be entered into a drawing for a free Garmin 310XT GPS watch!

First member from each different state will be entered into a drawing for a Running Warehouse gift card!

Benefits: Run It Fast tech shirt, RIF membership card, becoming part of RIF community, discounts at various races/RIF events and running stores, access to RIF coaches, place to store and keep track of your races, discounts on RIF merchandise and gear, point scoring system for male and female runner of the year and other awards.

The sooner you join the lower your Run It Fast badge # will be.

*If you already have a Run It Fast shirt then please email RIF at RunItFast@gmail.com for a discount code to join (without shirt, unless you want another one).

Here is a sneak peak at the 2012 Little Rock Marathon medal. The race will be held on March 4, 2012.  This year is the 10th anniversary of the race.

The Little Rock Marathon is a very popular marathon in the South and has won several awards over the past few years.

However, this is by far the tackiest medal I’ve ever laid eyes on.  I know that is partly by design but this thing is Liberace gaudy.  The mirror ball within Thor’s shield is a spinner.

Last Year’s (2011) Little Rock Marathon Medal

Am I being too harsh on this piece of bling? Leave a comment with your thoughts.

Little Rock Marathon Website

[medal photo courtesy of Little Rock Marathon FB page]

7-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong finished second on Sunday in the Panama Half Ironman to New Zealand’s Bevan Docherty.

Docherty won with a time of 3:50:13 holding off Armstrong by 42 seconds as Lance finished in 3:50:55.

Men’s Race – Top 10 Finish

1 3:50:13 16 Bevan Docherty Santa Cruz CA NZL
2 3:50:55 0:42 24 Lance Armstron Austin TX USA
3 3:52:59 2:46 5 Richie Cunningh Boulder CO AUS
4 3:53:38 3:25 4 Rasmus Henning Tuineje DOM
5 3:54:44 4:31 12 Romain Guillaum Montmorot FRA
6 3:55:30 5:18 7 Jesse Thomas Springfield OR USA
7 3:56:21 6:09 1 Chris Lieto Danville CA USA
8 3:58:32 8:19 23 Ivan Vasilyev Moscow RUS
9 4:00:53 10:40 9 Oscar Galindez Santos ARG
10 4:01:24 11:11 6 Bert Jammaer Boom BEL

Docherty, who overtook Armstrong in the latter portion of the run, claims Armstrong ignored him somewhat after finishing.

“I’m not sure what it was all about. I can only assume he was just disappointed to get beaten,” Docherty said.

Docherty said that later on that Armstrong did finally shake his hand and congratulate him.

“I did shake his hand a little bit later. He’s on a completely different level and planet to us guys [triathletes],” Docherty said. “It’s great to have him in the sport, he certainly adds something. It’s an eye-opener to see how he gets mobbed and the chaos around him.”

Which of the three legs did Armstrong struggle the most? You’ll never guess it…

Docherty stated, “I thought Lance would absolutely cream us on the bike, but he was probably in a similar position to me where he wasn’t too sure how to pace himself,” he said. “He certainly looked like he was holding back and that was probably why he ran so well off the bike.”

Either way, Armstrong was impressive on Sunday and perhaps the greatest endurance athlete of our generation or any generation.

Armstrong will keep working at it until he can dominate the triathlon and Ironman.

Post Half Ironman Interview with Lance:

Women’s Race – Top 10

1 4:15:31 40 Angela Naeth Prince George BC CAN
2 4:19:11 3:40 36 Kelly Williams Austin TX USA
3 4:19:34 4:03 52 Margaret Shapiro Herndon VA USA
4 4:21:42 6:11 35 Leanda Cave Tucson AZ GBR
5 4:25:29 9:58 44 Tine Deckers Kessel – Lo BEL
6 4:29:00 13:29 37 Yvonne Van Vler Schwarzach NLD
7 4:29:17 13:46 39 Natascha Badmann Oftringen CHE
8 4:30:20 14:49 49 Michelle Vesterby Odense DNK
9 4:31:09 15:38 48 Bree Wee Kailua-Kona HI USA
10 4:33:03 17:32 43 Dede Griesbauer Boston MA USA

[images: Ironman Live]

I have access to “civilized” trails close to where I live. There are probably 20 miles of single track & fire road in a park that’s bordered by 2 freeways, a local airport, and the town I grew up in. They are used by hikers, horseback riders, mountain bikers, and runners. There are even water fountains and bathrooms just yards off the trail. The only critters you’re likely to see in there are coyotoes, squirrels, rabbits, skunks, ducks, and birds – nothing scary. They are practically perfect in every way…except elevation. It’s all hills but there are no long, extended mountains to climb. For that, I would need to hit the trails that go up into the San Gabriel Mountains. Which I happen to live in the foothills of! Lucky Me!

Or it would be lucky me if I wasn’t so nervous about running them alone. I could get lost! I could run into a mountain lion or a bear! Or a rattlesnake! Wait, that already happened. Still it has to be safer than running on the street, right? At least there wouldn’t be cars.

Anyway, I was curious to see what other thought was safer (running trails vs running streets) so I tweeted a poll on Twitter yesterday. “Which do you think is safer, trails or streets? Why?”. I only asked women at first until I was scolded for discriminating against the guys. Sorry about that! All in all, 22 people responded and these are the results:

 Streets: 15

Trails: 7

I can’t say I’m surprised that more people picked streets. Are you?

Most of the reasons people chose streets was because of visibility, light, more people (“witnesses” – scary thought!), and surer footing. One person said “I sometimes worry that if I collapsed in a trail nobody would find me” and another said “trails is where the witches, zombies and werewolf’s live”. Although I would think you’d have to watch out for zombies more on the streets than the trails. 😉

The biggest reason that people chose trails over the street was because there are no cars but also because there are fewer people and it’s “too early for creeps”. And the consensus was that you would meet more like-minded adventure people on the trail than some random joe/jane.

How would I vote? I would vote for My Trails over the streets but I’d vote for streets over the mountain trails. I’ll work up the courage to hit them though. I swear. 🙂

Which side of the fence do you fall on? Would you rather run on the trails or the street? Do you run trails at night? Have you run into any wildlife? Any advice for newbies hitting the trails for the first time?

One of the most distinguishable marathon medals on the circuit. Here is the 2012 Mercedes Marathon medal that was given out on February 12, 2012 in Birmingham, Alabama.

This bling will remind you of your youth when your buddies were yanking Mercedes hood ornaments off of cars and wearing them around their necks to junior high study hall.  Unlike then, those that received this pretty piece on Sunday worked hard to earn it.

MORE PHOTOS OF MARATHON/ULTRA MEDALS AND BUCKLES

[medal photo submitted by Alex Morrow. Follow him on Twitter @BhamAlex]

WOW! Talk about a beautiful finisher’s medal. Here is the bling from the this year’s 26.2 With Donna Marathon that took place in Jacksonville, Florida on February 12, 2012.

Medals don’t get much more beautiful than this one.  This marathon does a great job of raising awareness and money for breast cancer.

MORE PHOTOS OF MARATHON/ULTRA MEDALS AND BUCKLES

[medal photos submitted by Jenny Rodriguez @JennyRN2009 and Brandon Duwe @brandonduwe]

Bobby Mack won the USA Cross Country Championship on Saturday in a very cold St. Louis, Missouri in a time of 35:41.

Aaron Braun finished in second place. Third went to Josh Simpson.

Christo Landry and Rombough rounded out the top 5.

Other notable finishers/Results:

• 6th – Elliot Kraus
• 13th – Steve Murdock

The women’s race was held prior to the men’s event and included a photo finish win for Sara Hall who barely edged out Molly Huddle (full story).

[hat tip to Jeff Caron]