Friday, December 31, 2010

Slim Pickens


That's what January is to road racing. Ah well, there's nothing wrong with Seattle, Mt. Vernon, or Turner. Make the trip.

Let's race!

RACES FOR WEEK OF JANUARY 10th TO JANUARY 16th

January 15th / Magnuson Series 15k, 10k and 5k / Seattle, WA

January 15th / Nookachamps Winter Half Marathon, 10k and 5k / Mt. Vernon, WA

January 16th / Cascade Half Marathon and 10k / Turner, OR

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Ah, for the love of Cheese!


Why didn't anyone tell me about the McDonald Forest 50k?

As you know, I have an awesome plan of running every single race in Corvallis in 2011. As you also know, they snuck in a new half-marathon after I had announced my plan. And now...

Oh boy, now...see, I was under the somewhat naive misapprehension that the Mac 50 also had a 15k race at the same time, which, obviously, was the race I was going to run. Nope. The 15k is apparently run in October. Meaning the 50k is run all by itself. Just sitting there. As a race in Corvallis. In 2011.

So I guess I'm running a 50k. Even though I've never run anything longer than a marathon. And even though I've never run a brutal trail ultra, like this one apparently is...

Seems like a good time for a new Corvallis 5k to spring up on May 14th...

Which race would I pick? OH NOES! Well, let's just hope that I'm not forced to choose.

Let's just hope...

Saturday, December 25, 2010

The Dead Zone


Yep, it's that time of year. The next couple of months have some pretty slim pickings race-wise. That's ok, just get out there and do some training, do some cross-training, circle a early spring triathlon on the calendar and get in the pool. Whatever it takes to keep your fitness over these next couple months.

March will be here before you know it - then you'll have more than enough races to choose from.

Let's race!

RACES FOR WEEK OF JANUARY 3rd TO JANUARY 9th

January 8th / Leftovers 3 mile run / Lewiston, ID

January 8th / Bridle Trails Winter Running Festival 50k, 10m, and 5m / Kirkland, WA

January 8th / White Elephant 5 mile run / Olympia, WA

January 8th / Lake Samish 13.1 and 6.5 mile runs / Bellingham, WA

Monday, December 20, 2010

Best Running Song for December!


As I've mentioned before, like right here, sometimes you just have to run angry. Sure, running happy is all well and good. But it's winter out there folks. The rain is coming down, the wind is howling, and that bastard in the SUV just splashed you by driving through the puddle on purpose!

Time to run angry!

And that's where the Revenge Song comes in...

So, from a wonderful suggestion by dedicated R's reader Marilyn, this month's Best Running Song is nothing other than the absolutely ultimate revenge song: F**k You by Cee Lo Green.

Hey, we've all been there at one time or another. If you haven't had a bad breakup lately, well, think back to high school already. I'm sure you'll be able to come up with something.

And while it just doesn't have the same effect without the oh-so-perfect swearing, there are clean versions of the song out there - unfortunately titled Forget You. Or F****t You, if you prefer. And here he is on Ellen live - clean. And here he is on Ellen live - not clean.

Enjoy. And get out there and run angry!

Past Best Running Songs:
November: Tokyo Police Club / "Breakneck Speed"
October: Two Door Cinema Club / "Something Good Can Work"
September: Stone Temple Pilots / "Cinnamon"
August: Louis XIV / "Guilt by Association"
July: Devo / "Fresh"
June: Saliva / "Your Disease"
May: Metric / "Gold Guns Girls"
April: OK Go / "This Too Shall Pass"
March: The Hours / "Ali In The Jungle"
February: Los Fabulosos Cadillacs / "El Matador"
January: White Rabbits / "Percussion Gun"
December: Deftones / "Knife Prty"
November: The Kooks / "Always Where I Need To Be"
October: At the Drive In / "One Armed Scissor"
September: Silversun Pickups / "Lazy Eye"
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"

Sunday, December 19, 2010

New Year Runs - Resolution Runs - 2011!


Welcome to 2011!

This will be the last weekend for a while with lots of races to choose from - so get out there and race! We've got Midnight Races, Polar Bear Swims, Resolution Runs, and Burn Off the Hangover Runs!

Let's race!

RACES FOR WEEK OF DECEMBER 27th TO JANUARY 2nd

December 31st / First Run 5k (AT MIDNIGHT!) / Portland, OR

December 31st / First Run 10k and 5k (AT MIDNIGHT) / Eugene, OR

December 31st / Run the Last Mile at First Night 1 mile / Tacoma, WA

December 31st / Year to Year Run 5k (AT MIDNIGHT!) / Longview, WA

December 31st / The Last Run 5k (AND POLAR BEAR SWIM) / Stevenson, WA

January 1st / Twenty11 Resolution Run 5k / Portland, OR

January 1st / First Run - New Year's Day 10k and 5k / Eugene, OR

January 1st / Capitol Mile 1 mile run / Salem, OR

January 1st / Resolution Run 2011 5 mile and 5k / Sisters, OR

January 1st / Thunder Run 5k / Pasco, WA

January 1st / Hangover Trail Run 3k / Salem, OR

January 1st / Resolution Run 5k (AND POLAR BEAR SWIM) / Seattle, WA

January 1st / Seaport Striders Hangover Run 9 and 4 mile / Lewiston, ID

January 1st / Padden Resolution Run 2.6 (AND POLAR BEAR SWIM) / Bellingham, WA

January 2nd / ORRC Y2k11 20.11k and 10k runs / Forest Grove, OR

January 2nd / Resolution Run 10k and 5k / Battle Ground, WA

Thursday, December 16, 2010

The Dreaded Flip Turn


(Cue Theme from Jaws)

Yes, it's winter - the time of year that treadmills, stationary bikes and indoor pools start to look pretty attractive.

But don't go to sleep on the training here! Tri season is just around the corner. In fact, one of the first triathlons of the year here in the Northwest is right here at OSU: the Beaver Freezer on April 2nd!

Unfortunately, over and over, the main reason I hear for people not giving triathlon a try is the swim. And when it comes to racing triathlons in Oregon, especially in the early part of the season, you're going to be in a pool.

Which is good in a lot of cases, because pools don't usually scare people away like open water swims. Ah, but pool swimming brings up something open water swimmers never have to worry about: the flip turn.

Let's face it, master the flip turn and you'll shave a substantial amount of time off your swim. And it pretty much comes down to practice. Get in the pool and work on those flip turns, no matter how much you'd rather hang on the edge and grab a breath.

Here's a very good instructional video for Flip Turns from the nice people at Triathlete Magazine. Check it out.

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

I Demand Warm Weather!

Is there anything worse than living in a part of the world where all the runners are covered up in pants and jackets, not to mention hats, for most of the year?

BOOOO on clothing!

In celebration of winter, and the horrible lack of toned, runner skin that it brings, here are a few shots of Oregon's hottest runners!

You're welcome.








Sunday, December 12, 2010

It's Christmas - Celebrate with a Race!


Or not.

Having Christmas on a weekend is not exactly the best way to ensure lots of racing options. So if you're not around Bonney Lake or Tigard, it's training time.

Get ready for all those "First" runs coming in the new year.

Merry Christmas!

RACES FOR WEEK OF DECEMBER 20th TO DECEMBER 26th

December 21st / Tour de Lights 5k / Bonney Lake, WA

December 26th / Operation Jack Northwest Run - 6 Hr, 50k, Marathon, Half-Marathon, and 6.1 mile / Tigard, OR

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Yes, I know I'm slacking...


At the R's anyway.

Overall, I'm definitely not slacking! As you should know, I spent the month of November writing 50,000 words, so I could be a Winner at Nanowrimo. And in December, I'm writing a 25-day serial Short Story/Christmas Card, titled: 25 Doors.

So yeah, I've had a few other things to do, but know this: as soon as Christmas comes and goes, I'll be back, baby!

Back to writing about running!

Back to Running Every Race in Corvallis in 2011!

Back to writing for RaceCenter Magazine!

So just hang on, we'll get there.

And get out there and run, already!

Sunday, December 5, 2010

Barefoot Running Shoe Review?


I know, right? How do you have a shoe review for barefoot running? Well, this is more a minimalist shoe review. If you want to run barefoot, hey, go ahead. If you want skimpy shoes to run "almost" barefoot, head over to Runner's World and check out these informative videos.

And if you don't already know how I feel about barefoot running, well...you should.

Let's race! With shoes or not!

RACES FOR WEEK OF DECEMBER 13th TO DECEMBER 19th

December 18th / YMCA Christmas Run 6.5 mile and 2.5 mile / Boise, ID

December 18th / Frozen Trail Runfest 50k, 22 mile, 13 mile, 8 mile, 5 mile and 5k / Eugene, OR

December 18th / Santa Marathon, Half-Marathon, 10 mile, 6.2 mile and 3.1 mile and Duathlon / Rochester, WA

December 18th / Santa Runs 10k and 5k / Tacoma, WA

December 18th / Cable Bridge Run 10k and 5k / Pasco, WA

December 19th / 12k's of Christmas Holiday Run 12k and 5k / Kirkland, WA

December 19th / Winter Solstice Run 5k / Eugene, OR

And the photo? Well, you put in "barefoot running dork" and this poor guy comes up. Sorry Buddy!

Friday, December 3, 2010

Every Race In Corvallis in 2011...Maybe!


Well, if I can find one!

No joke - I can't seem to find a single one for January. And maybe there aren't any. Last year, it looks like the first Corvallis race was February 27th. Yikes!

So I may be in for a few more months of training before I can begin the mythical Every Race in Corvallis Quest of 2011!

And I still need a sponsor or two...Five Star Sports? Are you out there? Northwest MultiSports? Hello?

Ummm...Hostess?

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

25 Doors


The new Christmas Story, 25 Doors, gets its first of 25 daily chapters today.

Head on over and check it out.

Monday, November 29, 2010

Ugly Christmas Sweaters!


Sweet! Ugly Christmas Sweater Run! You only get to wear those babies so often, so get them out and run!

Let's Race!

RACES FOR WEEK OF DECEMBER 6th TO DECEMBER 12th

December 11th / Jingle Bells Run 8k and 5k / Eugene, OR

December 11th / Ugly Holiday Sweater Dash 1mile run / West Linn, OR

December 11th / Christmas Rush 10k and 5k / Kent, WA

December 11th / Run Rudolph Run 5k / Edmonds, WA

December 11th / Winter Solstice 5k / Bainbridge Island, WA

December 11th / Jingle Bell Run 4 mile / Bellingham, WA

December 11th / Birch Bay Ghost Marathon and 30k / Birch Bay, WA

December 12th / Jingle Bell Run 5k / Seattle, WA

December 12th / Holiday Half-Marathon and 5k / Portland, OR

Sunday, November 28, 2010

Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner!


Yes, my friends, that's 50,000 words in one month - making me, FINALLY, a winner at Nanowrimo!

And it's a good thing, because I have to immediately, and without delay, start working on my Christmas Story in 25 Parts, titled: 25 Doors. Head over there every day this December and enjoy an original Christmas story with original art from none other than Jennifer Lommers.

Enjoy!

Friday, November 26, 2010

Race T-Shirt Review - Corvallis 5k




Hey, maybe they finally figured it out...yes, dark gray is a fantastic color for a race t-shirt! Much like the Eugene Marathon t-shirt, the Corvallis 5k shirt is a nice, dark shade of gray. It goes with everything and it doesn't show your lunch that you spilled like a white shirt, it's all good!

I like the design as well. Simple, yet modern. Not a bunch of ugly graphics mucking up the shirt, and the combination of dark gray, white, and orange makes the best of the Corvallis/Oregon State University connection.

Shirt: A-

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Turning the Last Corner at Nanowrimo!


40,814

That's words. And I've got six days left. I'm on track and I'm on pace. I'm feeling it. Time for the kick coming down the last straightaway.

Cheer me on!

Monday, November 22, 2010

Holiday Run Time!



Well, we can't all be fortunate enough to run in the snow, but the Holiday season is still an amazingly fun time to run a race. The cold weather, the jingle bells on shoes, the santa hats - it all adds up to a great race season!

Let's race!

RACES FOR WEEK OF NOVEMBER 29th TO DECEMBER 5th

December 4th / Jingle Bell Run 5k / Bend, OR

December 4th / Shellburg Falls Trail Run 10k / Lyons, OR

December 4th / Reindeer Run Half-Marathon, 10k and 5k / St. Helens, OR

December 4th / Toys for Tots 10k and 5k / Arlington, WA

December 4th / Ridgefield Holiday Fun Run 10k and 5k / Ridgefield, WA

December 4th / Fort Vancouver 5k / Vancouver, WA

December 4th / Fairhaven Frosty 10k and 5k / Bellingham, WA

December 4th / Skagit Jingle Bell Run 4 mile / Mt. Vernon, WA

December 5th / Children's Home Society's Red Stocking 5k / Seattle, WA

December 5th / Jingle Bell Run 4 mile / Bellingham, WA

December 5th / Christmas Rush Fun Run 10k and 5k / Kent, WA

December 5th / K9 Candy Cane 5k / Renton, WA

December 5th / Jingle Bell Run 5k / Portland, OR

Sunday, November 21, 2010

Best Running Song for November!


How can you possibly go wrong running to a song titled Breakneck Speed? Hey, you can't. It's by the Tokyo Police Club, and yeah, it's another Canadian band. What can I say? The Great White North really puts out some great bands! It's a great tune to run to and has a pretty good driving beat for a 10k or a half-marathon.

And here's a cool live version.

Nothing like a great song to get your feet moving. Have a good run.

Past Best Running Songs:
October: Two Door Cinema Club / "Something Good Can Work"
September: Stone Temple Pilots / "Cinnamon"
August: Louis XIV / "Guilt by Association"
July: Devo / "Fresh"
June: Saliva / "Your Disease"
May: Metric / "Gold Guns Girls"
April: OK Go / "This Too Shall Pass"
March: The Hours / "Ali In The Jungle"
February: Los Fabulosos Cadillacs / "El Matador"
January: White Rabbits / "Percussion Gun"
December: Deftones / "Knife Prty"
November: The Kooks / "Always Where I Need To Be"
October: At the Drive In / "One Armed Scissor"
September: Silversun Pickups / "Lazy Eye"
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"

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Halfway Home at Nanowrimo!


Yes, I've officially made it past the 25,000 word mark for Nanowrimo!

And I've got a new excerpt up. Check it out!

Saturday, November 13, 2010

Thanksgiving Day Runs!


One of the busiest single days of the entire running year...yep, it's Thanksgiving Day.

Sort of odd that so many runs are on a holiday like that, but I guess it makes some sense: almost everyone has the day off, pretty much everyone eats the big meal late, and finally, you know you're going to eat like a stinking pig later in the day, so burning some calories in the morning is a great idea!

Let's race!

RACES FOR WEEK OF NOVEMBER 22nd TO NOVEMBER 28th

November 25th / Sherwood Give n' Gobble 10k and 5k / Sherwood, OR

November 25th / Huffing for Stuffing 10k and 5k / Bozeman, MT

November 25th / Burn the Bird 10k and 5k / Great Falls, MT

November 25th / Oregon Mid Valley Road Race 5.2 mile and 3.75 mile runs / Albany, OR

November 25th / Bend Turkey Trot 10k and 5k / Bend, OR

November 25th / OAC Turkey Trot 5k / Corvallis, OR

November 25th / Turkey Trot 4 mile and 2 mile runs / Eugene, OR

November 25th / Twin Tunnels Thanksgiving Morning Turkey Trot 12k and 5k / Hood River, OR

November 25th / CSI Turkey Trot 5k / Twin Falls, ID

November 25th / Turkey Trot 3.5 mile run / Longview, WA

November 25th / The Oly Trot Thanksgiving Day 4 mile run / Olympia, WA

November 25th / Bainbridge Island Turkey Trot 5k / Bainbridge Island, WA

November 25th / Norpoint Turkey Trot 5k / Tacoma, WA

November 25th / Turkey Trot Clark County / Vancouver, WA

November 25th / Turkey on the Run 12k and 5k / Wenatchee, WA

November 27th / Seattle Marathon 5k / Seattle, WA

November 27th / Winter Wonderland of Lights 6 mile, 4 mile, and 2 mile runs / Portland, OR

November 28th / Hot Buttered Run 12k and 5k / Vancouver, WA

November 28th / Seattle Marathon and Half-Marathon / Seattle, WA

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Catching up with Nanowrimo


Yeah, I fell behind a bit yesterday. I was just worn down from too many nights in a row of staying up late and writing. But tonight, I made a nice little comeback and I'm right back on track. Check it out - over 15,000 words! Looking good, looking good...

Wish me well, the next ten days are the make it or break it period. I need to bear down here if I'm going to make 50,000 words by the end of the month.

Oh, and I've got a new excerpt up. Read. Read!

Write on!

*by the way, that's 31% done, with 20 days left*

Sunday, November 7, 2010

Taking a Writing Break...to Race!


Taking a quick break from Nanowrimo to think about running. And why not? Pouring rain outside, blowing wind, leaves in the face...time for a run!

Let's race!

RACES FOR WEEK OF NOVEMBER 15th TO NOVEMBER 21st

November 20th / EWEB Run to Stay Warm Half-Marathon, 10k and 5k / Eugene, OR

November 20th / Green Lake Gobble 5k / Seattle, WA

November 20th / GBRC Turkey Trot 5k / Bellingham, WA

November 20th / Turkey Trot 4 mile run / Asotin, WA

November 20th / Jingle Bell 5k Run / Spokane, WA

Thanks to Frazz and Jef Mallet for the strip.

Thursday, November 4, 2010

New Pawn Excerpt Up!



I've got a new excerpt up from my novel in progress: Pawn.

Hope you had already seen the first excerpt...cause it's gone!

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

We're Three Days In! Nanowrimo Ahoy!


Truly, the most amazing thing is that I'm still on pace: 5191 words at the moment. Sing it, baby!

If you're getting the feeling that you're not going to get much in the way of running news this month...well, you're probably right. Don't worry, I'll still get some Race Schedules up and maybe a few other things, but yeah...I'm trying to write 1700 words a day here! I've only got so many hours in the day!

So get out there and run already! We'll talk about it later...

Monday, November 1, 2010

Nanowrimo! It's ON!


Yes, Nanowrimo started today...and I've got 2273 words in the books! I'm actually ahead of the pace! That's got to be a first.

So head on over to my page. I've got an excerpt posted already. I sort of like it - but let me know what you think! I love criticism...good or bad. Let me have it!

Hey, if you're not signed up at Nanowrimo, get on it! We're only a day in. You still have 29 days to pump out your 50,000 words!

Sunday, October 31, 2010

Corvallis 5k Race Resuts and Review!


Need your results for the Corvallis 5k? Head right over here.

Man, what a unbelievably gorgeous day for a race! October 31st and we were out there running in short sleeves and sunglasses. Just awesome.

So the Corvallis 5k,...not exactly the most original name for a race, but there you go. I believe they called the race something else last year, and actually changed the name to the Corvallis 5k for this year. This one is put on by Strands, and as you might expect on Halloween, there were plenty of runners decked out in full costume. The race itself was pretty small, a little over 200 runners. Both Jen and Payton ran with me for this one. At 5000 meters, this race was a full 2000 meters over Payton's usual cross country distance of 3k, so he was feeling it a bit in the second half. We stopped a few times and walked until he finally got tired of me hanging around and told me to take off. It was fun seeing him come around the corner and sprint the last block to the finish line. And why the big sprint? There were two girls in front of him - he didn't want to be "skirted!"

The course for the Corvallis 5k is very forgiving for beginners though. Starting at Central Park just outside of Strands Headquarters, the course quickly turns toward campus and runs through the OSU grounds until 35th, then right up 35th for a bit, and right again back onto campus. After breezing back to 15th, the course takes a right and then a quick left to end back where we started. It's just about as flat as can be and doesn't have a whole lot of turns to speak of, so fast times are definitely possible. And indeed, the winning time was a speedy 14:14 by Michael Kilburg of Corvallis.

Well, I definitely wouldn't expect too many more races in 2010 to have weather like that, but I sure enjoyed our, perhaps, last fling with Summer today!

Race T-Shirt Review coming soon!

Saturday, October 30, 2010

Embrace Your Age!


Check out the Lifeforce Trail Challenge in Eugene: it's one of the few age-staggered handicap races in the NW. Much like the Dipsea, the Lifeforce race has multiple start times depending on your age and sex - then everyone races to the finish line. First runner across the line wins! If you're a female of 71 years of age or older, you go first. Five minutes later, the 65-70 females take off. Four minutes after that, the first kids go: 6 and under girls, along with the 60-64 women and the 81 and older men. And on and on...until a full 36 minutes and 10 seconds after the first group left, the 23 to 27 year old men get to try to chase everyone down.

It's just a great format. Give it a try.

Let's race!

RACES FOR WEEK OF NOVEMBER 8th TO NOVEMBER 14th

November 13th / Fowl Fun Run 10k / Mt. Vernon, WA

November 13th / Winter Pineapple Classic 5k / North Bend, OR

November 13th / Columbia River Classic 10 mile run / Richland, WA

November 13th / Snoqualmie Ridge Turkey Trot 5k / Snoqualmie, WA

November 14th / Lifeforce Trail Challenge 10k and 5k / Eugene, OR

Friday, October 29, 2010

Reilly Johnson - Eight Year Old Dipsea Winner!


The Dipsea trail race, the oldest, and let's face it, most awesome, trail race in America, was won by an eight year old in 2010.

Yes, an eight year old. You see, the Dipsea uses age-adjusted start times, so Reilly got a nice head-start on most of the runners...but not on three time winner Melody-Ann Schultz, who is 68 years old, and also had a nice head-start on the pack. They started together and both had 25 minutes on the eventual overall time winner: Alexander Varner.

Yeah, the race was way back in June, but I just found this great five minute clip, in Reilly's own words, about the race. Hey, if this super-fast little girl can't inspire you to get out there and run, you might as well just give up.

Thanks to Runner's World, and enjoy.

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Bonk Happy with LARABAR!




Gluten free. Dairy free. Soy free. Non-GMO. Vegan. Kosher.

It's hard to argue with that. LARABAR gets to make all of those claims about its energy bars - and for a simple reason: they use very few ingredients. The Peanut Butter Cookie flavor, which the R's tested, contains Peanuts, Dates, and Salt. That's it. The Cherry Pie flavor, which the R's tested as well, contains Dates, Almonds, and Cherries.

So they're simple, which is good, although they do not have the added vitamins and minerals that many energy bars contain, if you're into such things. They're not extremely light on the calories, but again, at least you're sure the calories are all coming from natural sources.

Now for the important part: the taste! As usual, the bars were subjected to a strict, scientific testing process at the R's Laboratory, which is to say I did my best to make everyone in the family try at least one bite of each bar.

The results? Well...they varied.

I liked the Peanut Butter Cookie flavor very much. It was yummy. It was tasty. And for having three ingredients, it did actually taste quite a bit like a peanut butter cookie. Carson also enjoyed it.

Jen hated it. I don't mean she disliked it - she hated it. I think she spit it in the sink. Payton also acted like he hated it, but I think he just wanted to be like his mother.

None of us really liked the Cherry Pie flavor, which was strange because I thought that one would be right up Jen's alley. It was not to be. Apparently, she's not into natural foods as much as I may have thought. Apparently, she likes chemicals.

So the Cherry Pie is easy: let's say 5 BONKERS. And only that high because it's so "natural."

The Peanut Butter Cookie is tougher. I would give it 8 bonkers - it was good. Jen would probably give it 2 bonkers - and she'd probably give dirt a 3 or 4. So officially, let's give it 7 BONKERS. Why so much closer to my score than hers? It's my blog! Haven't you been paying attention?

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

2000 Miles on the Nike+


They may not be fast miles, but they're miles all the same.

I'm officially over 2000 miles on the NIke+. Yes, that's a two with three zeroes after.

I know, I know, but the little things make me happy.

Monday, October 25, 2010

Nanowrimo and Pawned


Yes, true believers, we're exactly one week away from Nanowrimo. Yikes!

And I've got my page all set up. Book title: Pawned. Yeah, I know. I'm not crazy about it either. The title might change by November 1st...we'll see. But the plot is set. I've got some good ideas. I've got a general story. I've got at least the two main characters worked out.

Seven days...

Friday, October 22, 2010

Running and Chocolate - Better than Reese's?


Well, there just aren't a whole lot of runs in November until you get to the Turkey Day runs late in the month.

But there is a race in Redmond that is handing out free chocolate! And that's better than Turkey any day!

Let's race!

RACES FOR WEEK OF NOVEMBER 1st TO NOVEMBER 7th

November 6th / Zeitgeist Half Marathon / Boise, ID

November 6th / Silver Falls Trail Half Marathon / Silverton, OR

November 7th / Padden Mudfest 7 Mile Trail Run / Bellingham, WA

November 7th / Mud and Chocolate Half Marathon and 4.25 Mile Runs / Redmond, WA

Sunday, October 17, 2010

Dathan Retzenhein at the New York City Marathon


Very good article in the NY Times about Dathan Ritzenhein and his upcoming race in the New York City Marathon.

And although there was a lot of good information in the article, this one quote, from Dathan's coach Alberto Salazar, really intrigued me:

“Ethiopians and Kenyans are running 160 miles a week, more than you will ever run, because it’s their only way out, and those who survive that are going to be really hard to beat unless you do everything perfectly,” Salazar told Ritzenhein. “If they have better biomechanics, too, you are in trouble.”

Now I'm skeptical about any statement that tries to attribute a blanket statement over an entire group of people, and this one is even worse, as Salazar slaps it on not one but two entire countries full of runners...even so, that's an interesting thought.

Do I believe it? I don't think so.

Do you believe it?

Well, Dathan can put his beliefs, and Salazar's, to the test in New York in a couple weeks.

Saturday, October 16, 2010

Halloween Races - Time for Costumes!


Yes, we've made it to that mystical place and time. The only time of the year you can safely dress up as SpongeBob Squarepants and do a physical workout. Well, in public anyway. I don't judge what you do in the privacy of your own home.

Let's race!

RACES FOR WEEK OF OCTOBER 25th TO OCTOBER 31st

October 30th / Raptor Run 10k and 5k / Boise, ID

October 30th / Punctual Pumpkin Prediction 10k and 5k / Bend, OR

October 30th / Doc Sears Fall Classic 4.5 Mile Run / Lewiston, ID

October 30th / Run Like Hell Bend / Bend, OR

October 30th / Autumn Leaves 50/50 Run, 50 mile, 50k, and 10k / St. Paul, OR

October 30th / Freaky 5k / Federal Way, OR

October 30th / Pumpkin Run 6.5k / Leavenworth, WA

October 30th / Fall Classic 5k / Monroe, WA

October 30th / Pumpkin Push 5k / Seattle, WA

October 30th / Pumpkin Pacer 5k / Deer Park, WA

October 31st / Corvallis 5k / Corvallis, OR

October 31st / Tri-Cities Marathon / Richland, WA

October 31st / Spooky 12k / Fort Gamble, WA

October 31st / McDonald Forest Trail Run 15k and 5k / Corvallis, OR

October 31st / Run Scared 5k / Seattle, WA

Thursday, October 14, 2010

Pescatarian Ahoy!


Yes, I've lived the fishy life for a full three months now and I'm feeling pretty good about it. So far, I haven't had a true hankering for beef, chicken or pork. In fact, if anything, I've become more certain that I can live without those meats and I'm even, gulp, sure that I can skip the turkey this T-Day.

I know, right?

Now the problem is how to spell the stinking word! Wiki says pescetarian, but Merriam-Webster says Pescatarian. What the?!

I'm sure there's some kind of Latin root word in there somewhere, but I'm just going to go back to Spanish 101 at the UW. Pescar: to fish. That works for me.

Pescatarian it is!

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Run With the President 5k


Here's a crazy idea: run a 5k...in the middle of the afternoon...on Friday.

I know, right?

You don't see too many Friday afternoon runs period, much less starting at the Memorial Union at OSU. Should be fun.

Oh, and the President? Yeah, that would be Ed Ray, the OSU President. Sorry about that.

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Best Running Song for October!


When I think "Northern Ireland" I don't usually picture happy, bubbly, songs that were made for Northwest running the the Fall rain and wind...but that's exactly what we've got for this month's Best Running Song!

The band is called Two Door Cinema Club and the song is "Something Good Can Work." Here's an alternate, 80's style take, on the video.

The band consists of three guys from Northern Ireland and this jaunty little tune is from their first album, Tourist History. Even better, the band is hitting Portland, Seattle, and Eugene in early November!

If you're heading outside for another wet, depressing run, slip this one into your playlist and you'll be happy for at least three minutes of your run!

Past Best Running Songs:
September: Stone Temple Pilots / "Cinnamon"
August: Louis XIV / "Guilt by Association"
July: Devo / "Fresh"
June: Saliva / "Your Disease"
May: Metric / "Gold Guns Girls"
April: OK Go / "This Too Shall Pass"
March: The Hours / "Ali In The Jungle"
February: Los Fabulosos Cadillacs / "El Matador"
January: White Rabbits / "Percussion Gun"
December: Deftones / "Knife Prty"
November: The Kooks / "Always Where I Need To Be"
October: At the Drive In / "One Armed Scissor"
September: Silversun Pickups / "Lazy Eye"
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"

Monday, October 11, 2010

New Article from the R's Writing Group!


Yes, that's a new issue of RaceCenter Northwest you see on the newsstand. And yes, we've got a new article in there. And by we, I mean me, of course. Maybe you have an article in there too, I don't know. And I don't care...get your own blog already.

So anyhoo, it's the infamous "Winter" issue. Pretty thin. Not a lot of races advertising in the middle of the winter, ya know.

As such, I'm not even going to bother with talking about the other articles - it's all about me. Did I mention you should get your own blog if you want to talk about yourself?

So MY article is about Cyclocross and how cyclocross is pretty much headquartered right here in Oregon. Both Portland and Bend can make claims about being the center of the cyclocross world, and both would have a point. If you haven't gone to check out a 'cross race yet, you're missing out on a good time. Head over to the Cross Crusade site to find a race near Portland - and those are the ones to see. They're the biggest and the best in the nation.

Head over to your nearest running shop and pick up a copy of the new RaceCenter. Then go give cyclocross a try.