Tag Archive | "ultras"

Joshua Holmes – Vol State 500K 2011

Run It Fast Club Members Pushing Their Limits To The Extreme

 

Two EPIC races will be starting in the next few days. Guess what? Two Run It Fast – The Club members will be representing at both races and pushing their limts to the extreme!

You’ve probably heard of one of the races – AdventureCORPS Badwater, a 135 mile race across Death Valley in California. It starts on Monday, July 16th and I hear the temperatures for this year’s race will be in the range of 118 to 123 degrees! The runners start out from Badwater (85Ft below sea level, the lowest point in the Western Hemisphere) and climb up to the trailhead at Mt. Whitney. Along the way, they will battle the heat, possibly melting shoes, their own minds and bodies and do a little climbing (13000 Ft). That sounds like fun, right?

Some famous names in the running world are running Badwater this year: Marshall Ulrich, Dean Karnazes, Pam Reed, and Amy Palmiero-Winters. Last year’s winners, Oswaldo Lopez and Sumie Inagaki will be back this year to defend their titles.

And back for his second year at Badwater is our very own Ed Ettinghausen, RIF #121! He will be starting this year’s race in the 10:00 am wave. At last year’s Badwater, Ed finished 13th in a time of 31:21:54. I’d say he was running it fast! Now that he’s no longer a rookie, I expect he’ll Run It Fast this year too. I just wonder if he’s going to be sporting the Jester hats at Badwater?  Good luck Ed!

The other race? You probably haven’t heard of that one. It’s a “little” race called the Last Annual Vol State 500K. The race is 314 miles across Tennessee…in the middle of July. Now it may not be as hot as it is in Death Valley but it’s WAY more humid. Also, a FEW more miles too. The small band of runners in this race will leave tomorrow morning from Dorena Landing, Missouri and make their way across Tennessee to “The Rock” at Castle Rock, Georgia. The runners have 10 days to complete the journey.

Our fearless leader, Joshua Holmes RIF #1, is running the Last Annual Vol State 500K…again! He ran it last year in 8 days and 7 minutes and change. He has plans to Run It Faster this year and I KNOW he will. He’s got the experience and this year he’s a much stronger runner. I can’t wait to see how much time he shaves off his time from last year. Good luck Joshua!

What I find so amazing and inspiring about both Ed and Josh is that they did these races before and STILL signed up for another year. They know exactly what they are getting in to and they aren’t afraid to face those challenges again. While marathons across the country are being cancelled because of “heat”, these two, along with all the other entrants, are saying “Bring it on!”. I know they have every intention of running harder, faster, and stronger this year and it will be fun to watch.

I hope you’ll join me in sending lots of encouragement to Ed & Josh as they head out. They are two of the most supportive and encouraging runners I’ve met. They love running and they share that love with runners of all ages and abilities. Both of them are so down to earth as well that they would probably be embarrassed when I say they are inspiring but I know I’m not alone in thinking this. They are AWESOME! Please show them some love!

Here are some links you can use to follow both races/runners:

Badwater

Twitter: @adventurecorps
Facebook: Badwater Ultramarathon
On the Web: webcast
The live photostream on Instagram: RD Chris Kostman

 Last Annual Vol State 500K

Runner’s Map (updated twice a day): Google Map
Joshua on Twitter: @bayou
Joshua on Facebook: Joshua Holmes
Run It Fast on Twitter: @RunItFast
RunItFast on Facebook: Run It Fast
Joshua’s 2011 Vol State 500K Race Report

And don’t forget to check back here for updates and results!

*Update* I just found out another RIF Club member will be running the Last Annual Vol State 500K! Please also send Run It Fast Good Luck vibes to Sulaiman Seriki RIF #154!

If you’d like to join Run It Fast – The Club or would like more information about it, please click this link:

Run It Fast – The Club (JOIN TODAY)

Posted in Running, THE CLUB, Ultra Marathon, Vol StateComments (1)

Ed

I Must Be Doing It Wrong


On Saturday, during the Nanny Goat 12/24/100 Ultra Race, I saw some tempers flare and heard others had tantrums/meltdowns. I had not seen that before in a trail race/ultra before and it surprised me. I thought it was just me who had little meltdowns during races. Luckily, no one was there to see the one I had on Saturday. While I was on the course, I tried to be positive/laugh so only Twitter bore the brunt of it. Which was, thankfully, only one tweet.

I think that when you enter the world of ultras and you see all these amazing people doing them and read about all their great adventures that you have this idealized vision of what an ultrarunner is. I know I do. To me an ultrarunner is someone with their sh!t together, who always smiles, never complains, figures out issues and deals with them, and just keeps running strong.

Yeah…that’s not me. So far, I’ve done 4 ultras and in every one of them, I felt:

  • Depressed – because I wasn’t as fast as I’d hoped.
  • Frustrated – because I couldn’t figure out stomach/feet/leg issues.
  • Whiny – because I wasn’t having a rainbows & unicorns race.
  • Sad – because I didn’t turn into the magical, glorified ultrarunner I thought I would be.
  • Angry – because I sometimes thought about quitting.
  • Fear – because I sometimes thought about quitting.
  • Doubt – that maybe, just maybe I didn’t have what it takes to run ultras.

So I must be doing it wrong. Right?

When my friends run ultras or I read race recaps of ultras, I’m always looking for some insight into what they were thinking when they were out there. Did they hit a low point? Did they have any doubts or fears? Am I the only one with thoughts like these?

And then when people congratulate me or tell me that they are proud of me for what I’ve accomplished, that little devil on my shoulder whispers in my ear “yeah, but they don’t know you were _____ (fill in the blank with any of the above).” That stupid little devil makes me feel guilty for accepting praise. I REALLY need to get rid of her or at least put a muzzle on her. Because you know what? I’ve been getting them done. Sure, it hasn’t always been pretty but I finished all 4 of them.

So I must be doing something right. Right?

I guess the whole point of my post is this…If you are thinking of going for an ultra (or your first marathon or half marathon or whatever new distance) but you’re not sure if you can do it…then go for it! Because if I can do it, you can do it.

Just know this…ultrarunners are NOT perfect. Take me for example. I am not a gifted runner. I’m not fast and I’m not agile on the trails. I am full of insecurities and doubts. I have low/ugly/would you like some cheese with that whine moments. I am not the poster child for an ultrarunner. Or even a runner really.

But…I am a runner and an ultrarunner. So, even if it isn’t all sunshine and roses, I keep going. That’s all you have to do. Keep going until you’re done. If you can do that, you ARE doing it right.

[photo submitted by me]

Posted in Running, Timed Races, Ultra MarathonComments (1)



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