Eugene Marathon Comin' Fast!

About 36 hours away now.

We headed down south this afternoon. Hit the Expo (small and crowded). Picked up the t-shirt (long sleeve and dark grey - nice). Grabbed the goodie bag (lame). Picked up a Krusteaz chocolate chip cookie (yum!).

Then went out to eat at the Steelhead Brewery and headed back home.

Nothing to do now but to face the pain on Sunday. Hope to see you there.

Me and Beck...We're Losers...

baby, so why don't you kill me?

Yeah, that great eBay post I did, where I put my Softride up for sale...I listed it as the wrong size. Twice.

Criminy, I'm too dumb to live...

Let's race.


RACES FOR WEEK OF MAY 10th TO MAY 16th

May 15th / YMCA Famous Idaho Potato Marathon, Half-Marathon, 10k and 5k / Boise, ID

May 15th / Run for the Health of It! 10k and 5k / Bonners Ferry, ID

May 15th / Endurance Festival 10k and 5k run, 35k Duathlon / Pocatello, ID

May 15th / Windermere Marathon, Half-Marathon and 5k / Post Falls, ID to Spokane, WA

May 15th / Canby Fun Run 5k / Canby, OR

May 15th / Bay View Women's 10k / Mt. Vernon, WA

May 15th / CASA Champions for Children 8k / Eugene, OR

May 15th / Girls on the Run 5k / Longview, WA

May 15th / Run the Trail 8k and 5k / Gresham, OR

May 15th / May Day 5k / Garfield, WA

May 15th / Lebanon Sprint Triathlon / Lebabon, OR

May 15th / The Friar Trot 10k and 5k / Sherwood, OR

May 15th / Dam Run 5k / Sweet Home, OR

May 15th / UW Bothell 5k / Bothell, WA

May 15th / Two Park 5k / Tigard, OR

May 15th / Miles for Memories 5k / Bellingham, WA

May 15th / Fly Day 5k / Everett, WA

May 15th / Max Muscle Vancouver Parade Run 4k / Vancouver, WA

May 16th / Tualatin River Trail 10 mile / Tualatin, OR

May 16th / Cougar Fun Run 10k and 5k / Echo, OR

May 16th / Rhody Run 12k / Port Townsend, WA

May 16th / Bark in the Park 5k / Eugene, OR

May 16th / Selah Community FunD Run 5k / Selah, WA

May 16th / Capital City Marathon, Half-Marathon, and 5 miler / Olympia, WA

May 16th / Nordstrom Beat the Bridge 5k / Seattle, WA

38 Friend Requests...and Counting...

OK, so I'm not a Facebook guy. Hey, I admit it. It just doesn't do it for me.

BUT...why does everyone I know always have a big "BUT"?

Sorry, Pee Wee flashback...

BUT, Facebook does happen to be one of the two ways you can track the R's at the Eugene Marathon! So...go Facebook!

On May 2nd, just head over to my Facebook page...right about here...and check my progress. If everything works the way it should, and I'm not in the back of an ambulance, then you'll see my time at 10k, Half, and 20 mile. Hmmm, those are weird splits, but there you go.

You can also track me right at the Eugene Marathon page. Just enter in my name, two T's - two M's, or my bib number, #802.

Then pray for me.

Softride Bike for Sale!

Since I've already decided that this is my running year, and I'm not going to be doing any triathlons this year, I'm putting the hallowed Softride up for sale!

Sniff, sniff...I love that bike...

But, life goes on. When I come back to triathlons next year, I'll be on a new bike. It's time!

And you? You deserve a new bike!

Check out the Softride here.

Oh, and check out the old Wetsuit. It's on the auction block as well!

Eugene Marathon Running Music - Playlist!

As George Michael used to say on Sports Machine, "You see it here first!"

And so you do. Here is my playlist for the Eugene Marathon. Unfortunately, it's only about 3:10 worth of music - that ain't gonna cut it for me. But it's exactly 50 songs, so seemed like a nice round number...I'll just have to listen to a few songs twice. No big.

See you next week in Eugene!

L.E.S. Artistes-Santogold
This Too Shall Pass-OK Go
Le Disko (Radio Edit)-Shiny Toy Guns
Bohemian Like You-The Dandy Warhols
Trojan Horse-Bloc Party
Hella Good-No Doubt
Cosmopolitan-Nine Black Alps
Only A Lad-Oingo Boingo
One Month Off-Bloc Party
My Lucky Day-Jason Falkner
Love, Reign O'er Me-Pearl Jam
Dream All Day-The Posies
Luchini (A.K.A. This Is It)-Camp Lo
Tattooed Love Boys-The Pretenders
It's All About the Benjamins (Rock Remix)-Puff Daddy & The Family
Salute Your Solution (Album Version)-The Raconteurs
15 Step-Radiohead
Muzzle-Smashing Pumpkins
Trippin' On A Hole In A Paper Heart-Stone Temple Pilots
Juicebox-The Strokes
This Time-The Verve
The Great Escape-We Are Scientists
So Here We Are-Bloc Party
Vitamin R (Leading Us Along)-Chevelle
Rock Machine-Copyright
I Wanna Lose Control (Uh Oh)-Deathray
Percussion Gun-White Rabbits
Knife prty-Deftones
Lay Me Down (feat. Rome of Sublime With Rome)-The Dirty Heads
Ackee 123-The English Beat
New Way Home-Foo Fighters
Striptease-Hawksley Workman
Bandages-Hot Hot Heat
Banquet-Bloc Party
Ali In the Jungle-The Hours
Megalomaniac-Incubus
Miracle Medicine-Jason Falkner
Bawitdaba-Kid Rock
King Without a Crown-Matisyahu
Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me-U2
El Matador-Los Fabulosos Cadillacs
Down In The Park-Foo Fighters
The Heinrich Maneuver-Interpol
Brain Stew-Green Day
On Fire-Van Halen
My Sharona-The Knack
Like Eating Glass-Bloc Party
Lake Michigan-Rogue Wave
Always Where I Need to Be-The Kooks
Tears from a Gun-The Black Ghosts

Coconut Water Ahoy!

Remember when I wrote about the up and coming drink that is coconut water? Sure you do. Well, tonight I took the plunge and bought a can...bottle...umm...box.

And drank it.

And, well, there were mixed results.

First drink: I was too nervous to really taste it. I'm not exactly a "try new foods" type of guy. But it wasn't as horrible as I thought it might be, so...

Second drink: OK, I tasted it that time. Not bad. The kind I bought was flavored with a bit of passion fruit and it had a slight fruity taste. Mostly bland though. And a touch thick.

Third drink: Still bland. Boring. And thicker.

Fourth drink: It seems to be getting thicker every time I pour some into my mouth. It's a little goopy and nasty. I'm not really digging it at this point. I'm wondering if passion fruit juice with coconut water flavoring might be the way to go.

Fifth drink: It's definitely got the consistency of cough syrup, but with a slightly more disgusting taste.

Sixth drink: You'll have to ask the sink - it got the rest of the glass.

So, in total: Not the worst thing I've ever voluntarily put in my mouth, but just not very good. It's supposed to be great for you, so...maybe dump a bit into some real juice, where the flavor and thickness can be diluted and disguised?

I think I'll stick with Gatorade.

Ummm...4:48 pace for Boston?

Yep, that was Robert Cheruiyot's winning pace at Monday's Boston Marathon - a 2:05:52 finish.

A time like that is so fast; not only can I not imagine myself ever running that fast, even for one mile, but I have trouble believing anybody can run that fast. It's truly amazing to see the times just keep dropping on these races.

Wow, if you like the Duathon, which has seemed to fade a bit in recent years, this weekend is for you! Four, count 'em, FOUR Dus for yous!

Let's race!


RACES FOR WEEK OF MAY 3rd TO MAY 9th

May 8th / Canine Caper 5k / Bonners Ferry, ID

May 8th / Jordan Johnson Memorial 10k and 5k / Post Falls, ID

May 8th / CARDV Mother's Day 5k / Corvallis, OR

May 8th / Haggen to Haggen 5k / Bellingham, WA (My Favorite Run of ALLLLL Time! Set a PR right here!)

May 8th / McDonald Forest 50k / Corvallis, OR

May 8th / NARAL Run for Your Rights 5k / Seattle, WA

May 8th / Lake Run 12k and 5k / Lake Oswego, OR

May 8th / Lost Lake Ultra 50k / Bellingham, WA

May 8th / Silverton Hospital 5k / Silverton, OR

May 8th / Mother's Day Marathon, Half-Marathon, 10 mile, 10k, 5k, Sprint Tri and Sprint Duathlon / Elma, WA

May 8th / Mud Mountain Melee 8k Trail Run / Enumclaw, WA

May 8th / Inspiring Hope 10k and 5k / Mukilteo, WA

May 8th / Fiasco in Pasco Sprint Duathlon / Pasco, WA

May 9th / Cut Check Duathlon / Vancouver, WA

May 9th / Up the Crooked River Sprint Duathlon / Prineville, OR

May 9th / Kirkland Half-Marathon and 5k / Kirkland, WA

May 9th / Run Mama Run! 10k and 5k / Portland, OR


Thanks to PaceTat.com for the photo!

Make Mine a Chocolate on the Rocks...

So I did my last long run before the Eugene Marathon today (cut it a bit short, but that's another story), and thought it would be a perfect time to test out some different gels to try to find one that won't gag me during the race.

See, my overriding memory of gels is during the Seattle Marathon, lo those many years ago, and the fact that they had one flavor at the "wall" water stop (at mile 20 or 22, something like that).

Yes, it was banana flavor. Yes, I thought I was going to zook on the volunteer's shoes. It was straight nasty.

So I did a little shopping at my favorite local tri shop - Northwest Multisport - and grabbed a little assortment of goo. Plus, my main man Manny did me a serious solid and got me a bottle of Liquid Gold from the source down in Eugene. Apparently, that's what they're serving to the runners on the Eugene Marathon course, so Manny and I thought it would be nice to test it out.

So here is my review of the four gels in the photo:

Power Bar Gel (Vanilla): Straight nasty. And I'm a big vanilla guy, but it was so sickingly sweet. It was just awful. I could hardly choke it down. Did I mention it was sweet? It curled my toes when it hit my tongue. Never again.

Hammer Gel (Chocolate): Not bad. Pretty good, really. A little bit of an aftertaste that made me thirsty, but the chocolate flavor was pretty good and it wasn't overly sweet. A little thicker than the rest, if you like that. I could work with this one.

Liquid Gold (Citrus): I think the Citrus flavor was a bad idea. They actually make it in a bunch of different flavors, but someone working at the Glory Bee factory store told Manny that the Citrus might be the flavor they're handing out at the race, so he got that one. I liked the honey taste and texture a lot, but not the Citrus afternote. I think Chocolate Mint might work, but the Natural flavor is probably the one to go with - what's wrong with Honey flavor? Nothing.

GU (Chocolate Mint): We have a winner! Yep, I've decided Chocolate is the way to go here. And the slight Mint note wasn't bad at all. This one is a winner. A touch thinner than the Hammer Gel and a little tastier.

So do any of them give you a boost of energy? Hell if I know. The way I see it, it's all mental. I just need something to keep me going.

I'd prefer a cheeseburger, but that's not quite as portable.

You Can Have My Wetsuit...

When You Pry It From My Cold, Dead Hands!

Ok, Ok, don't get all Tea-Party Loony on me. There's some misinformation running around out there about the new Wetsuit Rules announced by Ironman. Triathletes are left thinking they just blew $500 on something they're not even going to get to wear outside of the bedroom (rimshot!).

It's not true. You've got nothing to worry about.

Probably.

Let's look a little more closely:

-First, these changes are for full Ironman and 70.3 races. A lot of races were already using these rules, so they're just falling in line. I imagine the USAT will fall in line eventually.

-The new rule slightly changes the temperatures of the water that will make wearing wetsuits legal, but nothing significant.

-It sets a limit at 5 millimeters thick, but most wetsuits are already under that, so you're probably good.

-Swimskins, yes, Swimskins, not wetsuits, must be made of textile material, not rubberized material. No big deal there.

So, in the end...nothing much will change for most triathletes. And frankly, as someone that actually gains ground in the swim leg, I say any rule making the swim tougher for the rest of the crowd is all good with me.

Two Weeks to Eugene!

That's right, my friends. Two short weeks until the Eugene Marathon. Maybe one more long run over the next few days, then time to start the taper. Make it a good one.

Wow, it's the Big Race Weekend:
-Eugene Full and Half
-Sunflower Trail Full
-Cinco de Mayo Half
-Tacoma Full and Half
-Bloomsday
-Another Cinco de Mayo Half
-Vancouver Full and Half

Woot!

Let's race!

RACES FOR WEEK OF APRIL 26th TO MAY 2nd

May 1st / SolAire Salmon Run 10k and 5k / Bend, OR

May 1st / ORRC Hagg Lake 10.4 and 10k / Forest Grove, OR

May 1st / Western Oregon University Sprint Triathlon / Monmouth, OR

May 1st / Cinco de Mayo Half-Marathon and 8k / Snoqualmie, WA

May 1st / Run for the Animals 5k / Vancouver, WA

May 1st / Sunflower Trail Marathon / Winthrop, WA

May 1st / Apple Blossom 10k and 5k / Wenatchee, WA

May 1st / Olympia Downtown YMCA Spring 8k / Olympia, WA

May 1st / Skagit Running Company May Day 3.5 miler / Mt. Vernon, WA

May 1st / Free Them 5k / Seattle, WA

May 2nd / Tacoma City Marathon and Half-Marathon / Tacoma, WA

May 2nd / Lilac Bloomsday 12k Run / Spokane, WA

May 2nd / Cinco de Mayo Half-Marathon, 10k and 5k / Portland, OR

May 2nd / BMO Vancouver Marathon, Half-Marathon and 8k / Vancouver, BC

May 2nd / Lung Run 5k / Seattle, WA

May 2nd / Eugene Marathon, Half-Marathon and 5k / Eugene, OR

Time to post, Slackass...

Yeah, I know, but see it's like this...

I've been working! No, not work work, I mean writing. I've been trying to flog out a new RaceCenter article that's already like two weeks late!

But no fear, the R's is back.

Plus, I've brought three cool blogs with me in case you need some inspiring reading material. I've been chatting with three very cool NW athletes that have had to overcome some pretty nasty hardships. They'll all be profiled in the next article I have out for RaceCenter in about six weeks. Check them out:

Linday Kandra's blog about being the greatest bike rider in Oregon that's currently fighting breast cancer.

Aaron Simpson's blog about being faster than Hell at many distances.

Darren Smith's blog about being a stud Ironman racer that's giving cyclocross a go.

If I were half as much of a badass that these three are, I'd be pretty bad.


The guy in the photo, you ask? I have no idea. But if you do a Google Image Search for "slackass" he comes up on the first page. I'm guessing that's tough if he's looking for a job.

Whidbey Island Marathon Results!

Looks like Whidbey Island had the big race of the weekend.

Need results?

Check here.

Or right here.

Hope you had a good race.

Website Find of the Week!

Here's a cool one for you:

FindRunningPartners.com

What's it for, you ask? Ummm, I'm gonna go out on a limb and say, "it's for finding a running partner."

I know what you're thinking: do we really need another "social" data collection website. Does this site do something that Strands won't do...or Athlinks won't do...or Facebook won't do?

I don't know. What are you asking me for? I'm not a paid sponsor or anything. I do like how you can search for partners for swimming and biking and every other sport you can think of. I don't really like how they charge money to receive full functionality of the site (you can get on for free, but not everything will work).

So if you've tried the website, let me know what you think.

Nike...Don't Make Me Get Stern With You

So I headed to the Nike Outlet store last night 'cause the R's needs to shoe up before the Eugene Marathon...which is coming up scary-fast.

And lo, what do my eyes behold but Air Max Moto 7's...and 6's! See, I've been running in Motos for, well, since the Motos came out about seven years ago. And I've loved every pair. Well, until the Moto 7's. Not that they were bad, but they felt like they had a really low-profile heel. Which I don't want. I liked that the Motos had always had a bit of a slope from the heel to the forefoot. But the 7's felt flat. Sometimes it felt like my heel was in a pothole.

I thought I was just imagining it. I mean, would Nike drastically change a style on the seventh version?! Of course not!

Well, I tried on the Moto 6's and the Moto 7's side by side last night and...Nike drastically changed a style on the seventh version.

That's not good business. That makes me wonder about the 8's. Will they be back to normal...or was the Moto 7 the new normal?

Ah well, at least I was able to buy a new pair of Moto 6's last night. I'm good for another 4-6 months.

Man, there are so many races coming up, it's certifiably insane.

Let's race!


RACES FOR WEEK OF APRIL 19th TO APRIL 25th

April 24th / Earth Day 10k and 5k / Tigard, OR

April 24th / Lynch Creek 5k / Eatonville, WA

April 24th / Eagle Run 10k and 5k / Oak Harbor, WA

April 24th / Santiam Lumberjack Scramble 10k and 5k / Mill City, OR

April 24th / Troop 1571 5k / Poulsbo, WA

April 24th / Dolphin Dash 5k / Port Orchard, WA

April 24th / Tom Wales Community Run 5k / Seattle, WA

April 24th / Sean's Run From Autism 10k and 5k / Portland, OR

April 24th / Fun with the Fuzz 5k / Bellingham, WA

April 24th / Cougar Community 5k / Vancouver, WA

April 25th / Fixit Fun'd Run 10k and 5k / Anacortes, WA

April 25th / Ice Breaker Road Race 5 mile, 3 mile, and 1 mile / Great Falls, MT

April 25th / Olivia Medici Memorial 10k and 5k / Beaverton, OR

April 25th / See Spot Run 5k / Yakima, WA

April 25th / Top Pot Doughnut Dash 5k / Seattle, WA

April 25th / Bainbridge Island Half-Marathon and 5k / Bainbridge Island, WA

April 25th / Clubsport Run for Haiti 10k / Tualatin, OR

April 25th / Boardwalk 5k / Seattle, WA

April 25th / Bellevue 5k / Bellevue, WA

April 25th / Mt. Rainier Long and Short Course Dualthon / Enumclaw, WA

New Article on the Streets!

And it's all about your heart. No, not your toughness...your heart! To wit, is running, especially long distances like marathons, good for your health? Or as some studies seems to imply, is running going to freakin' kill ya?

Well, go pick up the new issue of RaceCenter magazine and I'll tell you. You see, I wrote this little article called "Heart Strong?" and while I sure as Hell don't get to the bottom of anything, I think I do make one or two points that are worth reading.

You say you don't give a rat's about your heart? Why I oughta come over there and kick your...

Fine, let's see what else is in the new issue.

An article about finding a coach. That's cool. I couldn't handle it, though. I'm not much of a listener.

What else? How about an interview with ultimate Ironman superstar Chrissie Wellington? That's right. What can you say about Chrissie? No one else even comes close. If she's talking, you better listen up.

And then one of those shoe guide dealies. Pretty pictures, I guess, but I never seem to actually read those.

So there you have it. Hurry up and go grab a copy already. Your heart isn't getting any younger, you know.

Best Running Song for April!

This month, The R's is choosing a great song...and a great video! In fact, this catchy little tune, called "This Too Shall Pass" by the band OK Go has got the best video, since...since...

Well, since OK Go's last great video: Here It Goes Again.

This is truly the ultimate in Rube Goldberg Machines! More elaborate than anything even Pee Wee Herman came up with. I've heard there are some hidden cuts in it, but who cares? It's awesome!

And the song has a nice tempo for a midrange run - I'm thinking maybe a 10k or Half-Marathon. Good vocals, nice drum beat...and I can dance to it! I give it a 47! (American Bandstand reference for those old-timers like me.)

Catch another cool version here: live with a marching band.

And OK Go's performance on the Jimmy Kimmel Show.

Past Best Running Songs:
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"

Beaver Freezer Results 2010!

And the results are up!

Here too, in orange!

Beaver Freezer Photos!

Beaver Freezer on the OSU Campus. Wet, windy and downright cold. But you were out there.

Congratulations.

THAT'S why they call it the Beaver FREEZER!

Ouch! The forecast for race-time tomorrow at the Beaver Freezer is 39 degrees, 15 mph wind, and a 70% chance of rain.

That's going to be a cold bike ride, my friends.

Please don't go back and read what the weather was like last year. Really, you don't want to know.

Good luck out there.