Cowtown Half-Marathon...Here I come!

We're about four days away. No sense killing myself now. I know I'm not really ready, but I'll get out there and run it. I think I'll hang with the 2:00 pace group for as long as I can...and just hope for the best.

Do I sound fatalistic? Because I'm actually very excited about it - I haven't run a half in years. I mean YEARS! I just don't want to get ahead of myself because I know it's going to be very tough for me.

Wish me luck!

Race T-Shirt Review!

So the Good Samaritan Challenge 12k T-Shirt from last weeks race...I like it. It's a nice heavy material, it's a decent shade of blue, it's got a fair art design. What's not to like?

And for those "too good for cotton" runners out there that complain about all non-tech shirts - what is your problem? Don't you people ever do anything but run? Don't you mow the lawn? Play basketball? Go to the mall with the kids? There's nothing wrong with a cotton t-shirt every once in a while.

I give it a solid "B".

Let's race.

RACES FOR WEEK OF OCTOBER 5th TO OCTOBER 11th

October 10th / Domestic Violence Awareness 10k and 5k / Salem, OR

October 10th / ORRC Blue Lake 15k and 5k / Troutdale, OR

October 10th / Hoquiam Invite Open 5k / Hoquiam, WA

October 10th / Frontier Round-Up 5k / Graham, WA

October 10th / Bill Hamilton Memorial Street Strut 5k / Edmonds, WA

October 11th / Gresham Jazz Runs Half-Marathon, 10k and 5k / Gresham, OR

October 11th / Hack n Dash 5k (sort of) / Junction City, OR (Speed Golf! Run a 5k and golf at the same time!)

October 11th / Runningshoes.com Offroad Sprint Duathlon / Bellingham, WA

October 11th / Run Vera Run 5k! / Seattle, WA

October 11th / Sun City Half-Marathon and 5k / Yakima, WA

October 11th / Royal Victoria Marathon, Half-Marathon and 8k / Victoria, B.C.

October 11th / Spokane Marathon, Half-Marathon and 5 Mile / Spokane, WA

October 11th / Haunted Hustle 10k and 5k / Puyallup, WA

October 11th / Bog Jog 10k and 5k / Grayland, WA

October 11th / Great Columbia Crossing 10k / Astoria, OR

Water Bottle Ahoy!

So I opened up the mailbox this morning and there was a long, skinny box sitting there. Oooohh, and it's got my name on it! I love packages in the mail!

I give it a little shake...clank, clank, clank. Hmmm...sounds like metal.

I check for a return address. It's got a Portland address, but it doesn't say who sent it.

Oooohh, I don't love pipe bombs in the mail!

Hey, you know the blogging upper crust, of which I am surely a member, does draw some strange stalkers...maybe somebody out there doesn't like running. Or writing. Or AMERICA (wave flag in background now!)

Well, I don't like shrapnel, you pinko commies!

Drawing on my years of experience watching bad cop TV shows, I smack the box against the mailbox three or four times, hoping to dislodge the yellow wire...or maybe the red one...I don't remember which one you're supposed to cut.

Anyhoo, it didn't blow up, so what the hey, I opened up the box, and HEY, it's a Portland Triathlon stainless steel water bottle.

Odd.

There's no note or explanation of any kind. Just the bottle.

You know, I sort of remember some people walking around with these after the race. I figured they bought them or something. Now I'm thinking the, ahem, late-arrivers to the finish line didn't get one because they had run out for some reason.

But I've got one now, baby!

I'm back!...like maybe 73% back!

OK, I'm back from the sickness, but I'm not 100%. Not even close.

I headed to Dixon for a quick run after work today because even though my cold is lingering, and I felt pretty meh, I hadn't run since Saturday and I've got to get two or three or four runs in this week just to get some rhythm back before I head to the Sacramento Cowtown Half-Marathon next Sunday.

So I went to Dixon. It's getting crowded even though classes don't start until Monday (the dreaded "free" week at Dixon...ugh).

Did I feel good? No.

Did I run good? No.

Will I be tearing up the course in Sacramento?

Dude! Quit hounding me with all these questions. I'm still sniffling over here!

I hate colds...


Oh! The photos. Yeah, those are all from Google Images when you type in "Scott Running"...strangely enough, none are of me, you know...running.

This. I do not need.

Two weeks from the Sacramento Cowtown Half-Marathon. The first day of Fall...with the Corvallis weather in the 90's. Fresh off a strong outing in the Good Samaritan Challenge 12k.

And I'm sitting at home in my PJ's because I've got a brutal cold.

Sigh.


For the record, I hate these "cat wuz" things...but I'm too sick to find something better.

I Invited My Sherpa to the Race...

So, the Good Samaritan Challenge 12k. Well, that's what I ran...there was also a 5k.

Let's see what the brochure has to say: "The 5k and 12k courses start and finish on 45th Street between Sunset and Starker Arts Park. The 5k course is mostly flat with one short but steep hill challenge about half way. The 12k covers the same route as the 5k for approximately two miles, before continuing on toward Philomath where the 12k participants will be challenged by Neabeack Hill."

Now I've been around, and I realize most race directors would tell you that a race up Mt. Hood would be "short, but steep" and a race up Mt. Everest would be "challenging," so I felt prepared for what was ahead of me at the start line.

Still, about 3/4 through the race, I realized, "Wow, this mother is challenging!"

But back to the start...

A brave and hardy 20 or so people lined up for the start of the 12k in Starker Arts Park. That's what happens to a small race when there's a driving rain coming down an hour before the start time - you don't get many day of race registrations. The weather at the start was nice though; overcast and cool, but not raining. Better yet, Starker Arts Park is about two minutes from the apartment - I walked over to the start line!

Since there was a very small crowd of runners and a 5k that started right after the 12k, I knew that everyone in the 12k would be a "real" runner and I'd be finishing toward the back of the pack. No problem there. I really just wanted to have a good, strong race as I barrel toward the Cowtown Half-Marathon that I'm not nearly prepared for...if I ran anything under a 1:15, I would be happy enough. Slow but steady was the order of the day.

And we're off!

I immediately drifted to the back of a very short line of runners as we headed off down Country Club Drive. There were maybe one or two runners behind me and a few in front of me that were only going slightly faster than me, so I settled in to my pace and waited for the first mile marker, so I could adjust if needed.

The clouds were making it pretty humid, but the lack of sun was actually nice and the first mile-marker came up fast: 8:30. Hmmm, not bad, but I was looking more for nines. I wasn't sure I could hang with 8:30 on a "challenging" course. I throttled back just a touch and came to the first hill. Ah, this must be the "short, but steep" guy here. I hit it pretty good and the top came up fast. That wasn't so bad. I was feeling good about that first uphill - I was right over that baby.

I came around the next corner and realized why I felt so good...there was the "short, but steep" hill still coming up! Yep, that's why you should always run the course beforehand. Ah well...

Oof, that one was "steep," and I'll reserve judgement on the "short" until I see the rest of the hills on the course. After we split from the 5k course at mile two, we hit a nice, long flat stretch as we headed into Philomath. Unfortunately, it didn't last long. Yowza, where did these hills come from!?! I thought these Philomath people liked the flat country so their cows could wander around without getting tired.

Coming up to the top of the first part of a very long hill, I looked over to my right and checked out my plot if I couldn't make it to the top. Nice spot for a cemetery - nothing like pondering your morality while you're struggling up a steep hill. Then we hit a few switchbacks on our way up a very steep road through a nice neighborhood of Philomath. Made it to the summit and the mile five marker and water station, where a volunteer told me "you're almost there!" Yeah, well unfortunately, I know my metric system and five miles sure isn't almost there for a 12k.

Nice view of the church steeple as we came back down from the highlands into Philomath and then suddenly we were on the paved running trail that goes between Corvallis and Philomath. Hey, this is the trail I run all the time - it goes right by our apartment. Suddenly in familiar territory and knowing exactly that we had two small hills left, then a nice flat stretch to the finish, I nuzzled behind the only two runners in my view. After getting over the the hills, I gave a slight (very slight) burst and moved in front of the two and tried to remember how to close to the finish.

I somehow stayed ahead of them and hit the line at 1:07:51 for a 9:05 pace.

Hey, that's about what I was looking for and I felt pretty good the whole way through, even though I could have used a Sherpa at the four-mile marker...

At least it's something to build on as I head to Sacramento for what looks to be an extremely flat Half.

Oh yeah, I took 2nd place in my age-group...but for all I know there may have only been two of us.

OK, I know you're thinking, "that doesn't look cloudy and overcast to me - that looks like Phoenix!" Hey, I didn't stop during the run to take photos! Those were taken the day after - not a cloud in the sky.

Another Race in the Books for 2009!

Today was the day for the Good Samaritan Challenge 12k, my 6th race since April (3 triathlons and 3 road races). When you're an old man like me, it takes a while to round into shape and I came into 2009 in bad shape. But I'm starting to actually feel pretty good now. I felt strong, if not extremely fast, all the way to the end of the 12k. Race Report coming tomorrow!

Next up: the Sacramento Cowtown Half-Marathon on October 4th!

Let's race!

RACES FOR WEEK OF SEPTEMBER 28th TO OCTOBER 4th

October 3rd / Missoula All Women's 5k / Missoula, MT

October 3rd / Leavenworth Marathon and Half-Marathon / Leavenworth, WA

October 3rd / Soroptismist Intl. of Albany Run for a Life 5k / Albany, OR

October 3rd / Baker Lake 50k / Concrete, WA

October 3rd / Race for the End of Domestic Violence 10k and 5k / Bellingham, WA

October 3rd / Mighty Oaks Acorn 5k / Corvallis, OR

October 3rd / Walla Walla Crush 10k and 5k / Walla Walla, WA

October 3rd / Autumn Leaf Run 10k and 5k / Omak, WA

October 3rd / Clackamas YMCA Fun Run 5k / Happy Valley, OR

October 3rd / Habitat for Humanity Run/Walk/Ride 10k and 5k runs and 28 mile bike / McMinnville, OR

October 3rd / One Meal, One Hope 5k / Seattle, WA

October 3rd / Fallen Leaf Run for SIDS 5k / Spokane, WA

October 4th / Cougar Fun Run 10k and 5k / Echo, OR

October 4th / Rotary Run at Salmon Days 10k and 5k / Issaquah, WA

October 4th / Portland Marathon and 5 Mile run / Portland, OR

October 4th / Sacramento Cowtown Marathon and Half-Marathon / Sacramento, CA

I can tell you're lying because your lips are moving...

So two weeks have passed since we last talked about NaNoWriMo. We're down to six weeks before you actually have to start writing. Have you been thinking about your plot? Have you come up with more than one character? I mean besides the "main guy in the story that looks a lot like George Clooney" character?

You haven't, have you?

Have you been getting the timeline of your story down? Do you have an ending? How about a beginning?

You don't, do you? Don't lie to me, I can see it in your eyes. You've got nothing.

Oh, I see, you're figuring you can write some crappy Vampire story as long as everyone in the novel in young and pretty, right? Hey, it works for everyone else right?

You, my friend, better get thinking about your novel.

Six weeks...

And counting...

Fall Festival - Leaves Ready or Not

I actually saw a few yellow leaves yesterday on the Adams Elementary playground (go Alligators!). Just in time for the Corvallis Fall Festival and the runs therein.

The summer weather is pretty much still around, but the number of races is finally cooling off just a bit. Hey, no big deal, they're still around, maybe just a bit farther away.

Let's race!

RACES FOR WEEK OF SEPTEMBER 21st TO SEPTEMBER 27th

September 26th and 27th / Black Diamond Long Course, Olympic and Sprint Tri, Half-Marathon, Duathlon / Enumclaw, WA

September 26th / St. Luke's 5k / Boise, ID

September 26th / Chief's 5k Run / Lafayette, OR

September 26th / Grape Crush Rush 5k / Kennewick, WA

September 26th / Autumn Classic Sprint Triathlon / Elma, WA

September 26th / Valleyfest Run for Hunger 10k and 5k / Spokane Valley, WA

September 27th / Corvallis Fall Festival 10k and 5k / Corvallis, OR

September 27th / Splash and Dash Sprint Swim and Run Duathlon / Tualatin, OR

September 27th / Bellingham Bay Marathon, Half-Marathon, and 5k / Bellingham, WA

September 27th/ Alki Beach Run 5k / Seattle, Wa

September 27th / Kalani Rodrigues Memorial Scholarship 10k and 5k / Vancouver, WA

September 27th / Race for Fetal Hope 5k / Kirkland, WA

Naked...Nude...um...Fleshy Soft Parts...

Well, if that doesn't get the Google searchers to head on over, I don't know what will.

But, wait! I'm not kidding around. You see, both Nike and Brooks have decided to go naked in their new ads. Personally, I prefer the Nike ad - since I'm more a fan of naked women runners than naked fat guys, but they're both pretty good. My only lament? Why is Kara Goucher the only runner in the entire Nike ad that's not naked?!?

Check them out: Naked Nike and Naked Brooks.

Don't miss the other very funny Brooks Superfans ads: Ice Cream Man, Cop Baton, Office Park, Playground, Story Time, Border Crossing, Ultramarathon, and Driving Range.

And yes, there was a movie in the '60's called "The Naked Runner," based on a novel titled, duh, "The Naked Runner." Now it all makes sense, right?

Leonard...meet Leonard

Wow, if you closed your eyes and read the new Peter Leonard...wait, that wouldn't work.

If you opened your eyes, and tore the cover off the new Peter Leonard book, you could swear it was written by none other than his Father, my favorite author of all time, Elmore Leonard. I'm not saying that to knock Peter Leonard. I wish there were five or six people out there that could write novels just like Elmore Leonard - I'd have more to choose from at the library.

Anyhoo, go get the new Peter Leonard, "Trust Me," right now. Don't delay. Now! Schnell! I'll wait here until you get back...

Best Running Song for September!

Here we are in September. The summer is pretty much over, the days are getting shorter, and as I experienced in my long run yesterday, the sunshine is no longer guaranteed. There will be days with wind, there will be days with rain, there may even be days where the treadmill is truly the only good option.

And on days like that, there's nothing like a good song to get your feet moving. I know there are some naysayers out there, people that spout off with things like "if you can't motivate yourself, then maybe you shouldn't be a runner." You know what I say to those people?

"Bite me."

Sometimes it's tough to get motivated to run. That's a fact. But me and the Silversun Pickups are here to help. If there's anything a band needs to get on my iPod, it's a drummer that isn't afraid to get the beat going, and the Pickups have all of that going on. Just check out their drummer on Letterman here...man, he gets busy. The song is called "Lazy Eye" and the lead singer has a great voice and isn't a half-bad guitar player either. Plus, the Pickups have a female bass player that fully qualifies under Bill Simmons' theory of Female Musician Hot. I think this one will get you going.

If you like that one, check out this little number: the wonderfully named "Well Thought Out Twinkles."


Past Best Running Songs:
August: Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros / "Johnny Appleseed"
July: Deathray / "I Wanna Lose Control (Uh Oh)"
June: Raconteurs / "Salute Your Solution"
May: Tea Party / "Save Me"
April: Bloc Party / "Like Eating Glass"
Ever: The English Beat / "I Confess"

Good Samaritan Challenge Ahoy!

Getting old...it's just not fun. I played some full-court basketball, 5 on 5, no subs, almost two hours worth, pretty serious guys.

I could barely walk the next day. Three days later, my legs are still sore. Not the way to go about getting ready for the Sacramento Cowtown Half-Marathon in four weeks, I can tell you that.

I'll try to get out for my weekly long run tomorrow. Basketball...what was I thinking? I'm no kid like Obama, right?

Almost as many races as last week...I'll be doing the Good Samaritan Challenge 12k as a warmup for the Half. Right in Corvallis - come on over to Starker Park on the 19th and join me.

Let's race!

RACES FOR WEEK OF SEPTEMBER 14th TO SEPTEMBER 20th

September 19th / Timberline Marathon Trail Run / Government Camp, OR

September 19th / RiverFest 10k and 5k / Maupin, OR

September 19th / Prefontaine Memorial 10k / Coos Bay, OR

September 19th / Oktoberfest Road Race 10k and 5k / Mount Angel, OR

September 19th / Free to Breath 5k / Tacoma, WA

September 19th / Airport Run for Hope 10k and 5k / Arlington, WA

September 19th / Rock 'n Relay Marathon relay and 4.5 mile solo runs / Portland, OR

September 19th / Run for Congo Women 9 mile and 3 mile runs / Portland, OR

September 19th / Champoeg Half-Marathon and 5 mile run / St. Paul, OR

September 19th / The Grand Columbian Half-Iron and Olympic Triathlons, Aquabike Duathlon / Electric City, WA

September 19th / Run Wild 8k and 5k / Eatonville, WA

September 19th / Lake Chelan Shore to Shore Marathon, Half-Marathon, and 10k / Chelan, WA

September 19th / Enumclaw Poker Run 5k / Enumclaw, WA

September 19th / Good Samaritan Challenge 12k and 5k / Corvallis, OR

September 19th / Indian Summer Half-Marathon and 5k / Richland, WA

September 20th / Fremont Oktoberfest Brew-Ha-Ha 5k / Fremont, WA

September 20th / Kirkland Sprint Triathlon and Duathlon / Kirkland, WA

September 20th / Salmon 10k and 5k runs / Leavenworth, WA

September 20th / Scenic Half-Marathon, 10k and 5k / Sandpoint, ID

September 20th / Trek Women's Sprint Triathlon / Seattle, WA

September 20th / Komen Portland Race for the Cure 5k / Portland, OR

Less than two months to NaNoWriMo!

What do you mean, you haven't started plotting your nanowrimo novel? We're less than 60 days away now. It's time. Take it from a two time nanowrimo loser, you've got to be ready to roll come November 1st. Have your plot down, have your outline in your head, have your pencils sharpened, your computer charged up, your quill...fluffed. I guess, I don't know really.

The way the negotiations are going between the Union and management at OSU, I reckon I'll have a few extra furlough days in November to work on my novel.

Ah, there's a silver lining in everything.

Behind

Yes, I know...I'm a little behind on the race calendar. It's not the way for the guy that's number one in your hearts to act, believe you me.

This is one of the bigger weeks I've seen in a while - there are races everywhere! Actually, this week just has an insane amount of races...twenty-seven and counting!

So without further ado...let's race!

RACES FOR WEEK OF SEPTEMBER 8th TO SEPTEMBER 13th

September 12th / Olympia Black Hills Triathlon and Duathlon / Olympia, WA

September 12th / Xtra Mile 11k run / Vancouver, WA

September 12th / Palouse Sprint Triathlon / Moscow, ID

September 12th / Endurance Festival Half-Marathon, 10k and 5k Trail Runs / Pocatello, ID

September 12th / Glendive Badlander 10k Run / Glendive, MT

September 12th / Health, Heart, Home: Habitat 8k Run / Corvallis, OR

September 12th / Dayton Fiesta 10k and 5k Runs / Dayton, OR

September 12th / MAC Dash Sprint Triathlon / Madras, OR

September 12th / Walk 'n' Roll 8k Run / Portland, OR

September 12th / Ramble for Recovery 10k and 5k / Roseburg, OR

September 12th / Fairhaven Runners Waterfront 15k / Bellingham, WA

September 12th / Army Half-Marathon and 5k / Fort Lewis, WA

September 12th / Lake Stevens Olympic and Sprint Triathlons / Lake Stevens, WA ("Dude, be a man and go RETRO!")

September 12th / Columbia Crossing 1.5 mile swim / Pasco, WA

September 12th / Swim Across America 2 and .5 mile swims / Seattle, WA

September 12th / Uncle Joe 50k / Newport, WA

September 12th / All American Sprint Triathlon and Duathlon / Vancouver, WA

September 12th / Iron Girl Women's 10k and 5k / Seattle, WA

September 13th / Pints to Pasta 10k / Portland, OR

September 13th / XTERRA Trail Running National Championships Half-Marathon, 10k and 5k / Bend, OR

September 13th / Bank to Bay 10k and 5k / Tacoma, WA

September 13th / Tri Turtle Tri Sprint Tri / Seaback, WA

September 13th / Anchorman Sprint Triathlon / Seattle, WA

September 13th / Red Hills Wine Country Classic 10k and 5k / Dundee, OR

September 13th / Skagit Flats Marathon and Half-Marathon / Burlington, WA (the old Stomping Grounds!)

September 13th / Ridge Run Half-Marathon and Tater 5k / Ridgefield, WA

September 13th / Spokane Olympic Triathlon / Spokane, WA

I'm Number One! I'm Number One!

Well, I'm the first Beaver Blogger anyway. No, really...

Check it out.

Thanks to Nasco for the picture of the saddest looking first place ribbon that money can buy.

Last Portland Tri Post...I Promise!

You know, it's easy to figure out how the elite athletes train. Pick up Runner's World or head over to Running Times' website and they'll be only too happy to show you how the elite train. But, you want to see how an old guy, with two kneebiters at home, a normal 9-5 and a horrible addiction to dark chocolate trains? Where do you go then, right?

Right here, that's where.

Here's a little movie from the Portland Tri weekend showcasing my pre-race, race, and post-race. Note the extreme lack of preparation, confidence and sleep. Also note the large cheesey bagel in my hand shortly before the race - I swear to you, that thing was my wife's! I was just holding it! Listen closely to where I explain to Carson and Payton how the race organizers must be planning on getting us out of the water and back onto the dock, "They must put a ramp or ladder over it."

I'm so naive sometimes, it actually hurts.