The R's Takes a Powder...

Summer break and all that - don't fret, just a little vacation.

Don't stop running! Just pretend I'm in the bathroom or something...be right back!

Rock 'n' Roll Seattle Results!

Or as I like to call it, "the good Seattle Marathon," as opposed to "the evil Seattle Marathon" that they run in November.

If you finished yesterday, congrats! Looks like there were about 27,000 in the Marathon and Half combined. Was the half 75% female again this year? If it was, congrats again to the guys!

Results here!

I Call It The "Floppy 5k"

Or the "Happiest Race in the World".

Or the "Bounciest Race You'll Ever Run".

Or the "Holy Crap! You Should NOT Be Running In a Nude Race! 5k".

Officially, it's called the Bare Buns Fun Run, just outside of Issaquah, WA. The 19h Annual, I might add. I've always wondered...but (butt?) I've never been brave enough to actually try it.

Hey, I've got an idea! You run it...and tell me all about it!

Oh, and send some photos.

Let's race.

RACES FOR WEEK OF JULY 5th TO JULY 11th

July 10th / Hagg Lake Olympic and Sprint Triathlon and Duathlon / Forest Grove, OR

July 10th / YMCA Spudman Olympic Triathlon / Boise, ID

July 10th / Caledonian Games 5k / Athena, OR

July 10th / Chuckanut Foot Race 7 mile run / Bellingham, WA

July 10th / Turkey Trot 8k / McMinnville, OR

July 10th / McCleary Bear Festival Run From the Bears 5k / McCleary, WA

July 10th / Mildred's Trail Dash 9k and 5k / Oakland, OR

July 10th / Run of the Mill 5k / Mill Creek, WA

July 10th / Liberty Lake Loop 4 mile run / Liberty Lake, WA

July 10th / Race for the Animals 10k and 5k / Portland, OR

July 10th / Smith Rock Sunrise Summer Classic Half-Marathon, 10k and 5k / Ridgefield, WA

July 10th / Grey Rock 50k, 25k and 12k Trail runs / Tampico, WA

July 10th / Two Rivers Olympic and Sprint Triathlon / Terrebonne, OR

July 10th / Clear Lake Sprint Triathlon / Clear Lake, WA

July 10th / Kent Cornucopia Days 5k / Kent, WA

July 10th / Ocean Shores Big Weekend Half-Iron, Olympic, and Sprint Tris, Half-Marathon, 10k and 5k Runs / Ocean Shores, WA

July 11th / Fueled by Wine Half-Marathon / Dundee, OR

July 11th / Jacey's Race 5k / Sandpoint, ID

July 11th / Spring Meadow Olympic and Sprint Triathlons / Helena, MT

July 11th / Go Girl 10k Trail Run / Portland, OR

July 11th / Langley Half-Marathon / Langley, WA

July 11th / Bare Buns Fun Run 5k / Issaquah, WA

July 11th / XTERRA Vashon Off-Road Triathlon / Vashon, WA


Yes, that's Nick Symmonds, superstar runner, in the photo. Wonder what he's doing all naked? Want to see more? Head over here where the R's talks all about it.

Ugliest, Most Terrifying Runner's Feet...Ever!

Yes, the Western States 100 is coming up this weekend, and just in case your stomach wasn't queasy and upside down already...well, take another look at those beautiful feet!

Why would anyone want to subject themselves to this? I'm not sure. I won't lie to you - I'm jealous of these Ultra Marathoners and hugely impressed by them...but at the same time, I'd never want to be them to actually do a 100 mile race!

So..go you ultra-crazy Ultra Marathoners! May I never, ever join you!


Vile photo by Luis Escobar from the Auburn Journal.

Team Sparkle!

Hey, check my new Advertisee! Team Sparkle!

I showed it to my daughter and she said, "I want one! Hot Pink!"

I know, there are lots of places to get running skirts, but how many of them sparkle?!?

And how many skirt makers advertise on the R's? Only the smart ones!

Go Team Sparkle!

On the Shelf...Again

You know, this getting old stuff really isn't all it's cracked up to be. So once again, I'm taking some time off from running to try to heal up this quad/groin...thing. Gonna take a full four weeks off this time. Hoping for the best.

By far, the most depressing thing is how unbelievably quickly I'm depressed when I'm not running! Don't get me wrong, I'm not turning on the gas range yet, it's more of a vague, anxious feeling. I so want to run, and it's killing me.

Of course that's what got me in trouble the last time. I only took a little over two weeks off. Felt better. Started running again. Was happy. Briefly.

Then the old pain started again. Sigh....

July 19th - I'm coming for you!

Ever run a race at midnight?

Well, here's your chance. The Firecracker 5000 is in Seattle, starting at 11:55pm on July 3rd, ending, well, shortly after midnight on July 4th. I've only run it once, years ago. Sort of odd to run a race in the middle of the night, but there's always a good crowd and it's festive. Something everyone should do at least once.

Let's race!

RACES FOR WEEK OF JUNE 28th TO JULY 4th

July 3rd / Firecracker 5000 / Seattle, WA (11:55 pm start!)

July 3rd / Liberty 5k / Rexburg, ID

July 3rd / Lostine River Run 10k and 5k / Lostine, OR

July 3rd / Five Mile Lake Women's Triathlon / Auburn, WA

Jult 3rd / Firecracker Marathon, Half-Marathon, 10 mile, 10k, 5k, Triathlon / Elma, Wa

July 3rd / Righteous Richland Sprint Triathlon / Richland, WA

July 3rd / Ridgefield 4th of July 10k and 5k / Ridgefield, WA

July 3rd / Two Rivers Olympic and Sprint Triathlon / Woodland, WA

July 3rd / Bigfoot 10k and 5k / Yacolt, WA

July 4th / Yankee Doodle Dash 10k and 5k / Everett, WA

July 4th / Foot Traffic Flat Marathon and Half-Marathon / Portland, OR

July 4th / Aquafina Butte to Butte 10k / Eugene, OR

July 4th / Spark Your Heart 5k / Bend, OR

Haile Gebselassie Runs 4:00 Pace on Treadmill

Hey, look at Haile!

He's hitting 4:00 pace on a treadmill. I know, it's like I'm looking into a mirror, right?

I don't think the treadmills at Dixon can even go at a 4:00 pace. They'd probably start kicking out smoke like Wile E. Coyote's Rocket Running Shoes at about 6:00 per mile.

Ah well, that's what I would look like.

Stinkin' cheap Dixon treadmills...

Me...and Every Single Race In Corvallis

I've got a crazy idea for 2011. Crazy like a fox!

Nah, I just like to say that. Really, it's just plain crazy. See, I'm thinking of running every single race that's held in Corvallis in 2011.

And triathlons.

Crazy right? Well, it wouldn't work in Seattle. Or Portland. It probably wouldn't even work in Eugene. Too many days with multiple races on the same day. But Corvallis? Yeah, it could work. I only see a few days that have more than one race. And Corvallis is a small town. If the races start at least an hour apart, I'm looking pretty good.

If I run into real trouble, I might just have to pick and choose one or the other on certain days, but that sort of takes the fun out of it. Because really, it's the "every" in saying "every single race" that makes it special.

There is one that scares me...a 50k ultra. Haven't decided if I'm going to try to weasel out of ultras yet. We'll see what kind of shape I'm in starting on Jan. 1, 2011.

So are you with me?

The R's Running Down Corvallis!

Oooh, I like it. Maybe I'll have shirts printed up...

Hey Seattle! Shore Run Results and Photos!

Looking for your Shore Run results? Or photos?

Or just thanking the Lord that the sun may finally be here for the summer?

Whatever...find your awesome 10k and 5k times right here.

Photos? Yeah, same place.

Looking for a Date? Let's Rock!

Well, this is a Big-Race weekend!

Pacific Crest, Rock 'n' Roll Seattle, Lake Padden Tri, and ScotiaBank Vancouver Half!

OK, so maybe the Lake Padden Tri is a little out of place there, but I've raced that one multiple times and it's a great course. One nasty hill...but otherwise great.

And remember, last year the participants were almost 75% female at the Rock 'n' Roll Seattle Half Marathon.

WOOT!

Let's race!

RACES FOR WEEK OF JUNE 21st TO JUNE 27th

June 25th / Salem Summer Solstice 10k and 5k / Salem, OR (Friday Night Race!)

June 26th / Rock 'n' Roll Seattle Marathon and Half Marathon / Tukwila, WA

June 26th / Pacific Crest Marathon, Half Marathon, Long Course Triathon and Endurance Duathlon / Sunriver, OR

June 26th / Bridle Trails State Park 30k, 10k and 5k / Bellevue, WA

June 26th / Sternwheeler Days 10k and 5k / Cascade Locks, OR

June 26th / Run for Congo Women 15k and 5k / Portland, OR

June 26th / Leaping for Literacy 5k! / Bellevue, WA

June 26th / Padden Sprint and Double-Sprint Triathlon / Bellingham, WA

June 26th / Deputy Saul Gallegos Memorial 10k and 5k / Manson, WA

June 26th / Summer Solstice 6 mile and 3 mile runs / Vancouver, WA

June 26th / Vashon Island Ultra Trail Run 50k and 10 mile / Vashon Island, WA

June 27th / Pacific Crest 10k, 5k, Olympic Triathlon and Duathlon / Sunriver, OR

June 27th / Treasure State Olympic Triathlon / Bozeman, MT

June 27th / Race to Save Endangered Languages 5k / Eugene, OR

June 27th / Army Strong Fitness Expo 5k / Lakewood, WA

June 27th / Scotiabank Vancouver Half Marathon and 5k / Vancouver, BC

Best Running Song for June!

OK, let me explain...see, my formative years were spent listening to AC/DC and Van Halen and Judas Priest and Kiss and the Scorpions and Cheap Trick and Lord help me, Ted Nugent. Dude, when you're 12 years old and you've got Free-For-All on the Pioneer tape deck in your Brother's Malibu turned up to 11...well, that stays with you. Sometimes I just can't help myself, I've got to listen some actual ROCK.

Of course, when the late 90's - early 00's came around, and Limp Bizkit, Korn, Puddle of Mudd, Linkin Park, and the Deftones came on the scene, I wasn't totally bummed out. I mean half of them were complete posers, but at least they played hard, fast rock that you could actually run to (even if it was on a friggin' huge cd player because you hadn't even heard of an MP3 player yet!)

And it's from that group of rockers that we're going to grab this month's Best Running Song. It's from a one and done band called Saliva and the song is "Your Disease." Hey, any song that has the lyric, "wearin' dark glasses like a cop in Texas," can't be all bad.

And there's just no doubt, this Saliva video is chock-full of tasty 2001 goodness. You got your dumb cops, your fast cars, tats, piercing, silicone, and endless rock-god posing. It's just good.

Plus, this truly is a great song to run to - it's a 5k pace song for sure.

Have fun out there.

Past Best Running Songs:
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"

Let's Get Dirty!

Not that way, perv!

I'm talking about the 2010 Dirdy Birdy. In the mud. Under the lights. How many times have you run a 5k with spectators throwing water balloons at you? A 5k with slides into mud puddles? A 5k run on a motorcross track?

Dude, this looks like a fun one.

Let's race!

RACES FOR WEEK OF JUNE 14th TO JUNE 20th

June 17th / Run Eugene Run 5k / Eugene, OR (Thursday Night Run!)

June 18th / Dirdy Birdy 5k (Mud Run!) / Portland, OR

June 19th / Iron Mountain Olympic and Sprint Triathlon / Maple Ridge, BC

June 19th / Wildcat Chase Equalizer 4 mile / Portland, OR

June 19th / Cascades Edge Olympic and Sprint Triathlon and Duathlon / Enumclaw, WA

June 19th / Running of the Trolls 5.75 and 3 mile runs / Astoria, OR

June 19th / Datalogic 5k / Eugene, OR

June 19th / Cape Mountain Trail 10 mile and 5 mile runs / Florence, OR

June 19th / XTERRA Solstice Olympic Triathlon / La Grande, OR

June 19th / South Coast Half-Marathon, 12k and 5k / Coos Bay, OR

June 19th / Cottage Lake Tri and Tri Again Sprint Triathlon / Woodinville, WA

June 19th / East Oregonian River Run 15k and 5k / Pendleton, OR

June 19th / Compassion2one 10k and 5k / Sammamish, WA

June 19th / NW Run for Epilepsy 5k / Portland, OR

June 19th / Five Mile Lake Triathlon (and Retro Tri!) / Federal Way, WA

June 20th / The Furry 5k / Seattle, WA

June 20th / Prost8K / Springfield, OR

June 20th / Tri-Fusion Kids Triathlon / Spokane, WA

North Olympic Discovery Marathon Results!

One of the prettier marathons in the Northwest. Did you stay dry?

Need your results? Check 'em right here.

Triathlon Transition Clinic

This clip is just too good.

I'm pretty sure if they hadn't cut away the video, we would have seen the guy pull over a Lazy-Boy recliner and have a seat.

I've had some transitions where I've felt like that, but I hope to God I've never looked like that!


Cool "Guy on Recliner" drawing by Joseph Williams and Tina Garceau. Check out their stuff over here.

New Article at Your Favorite Running Store!

Yes, indeedy, the R's has a new article in the June/July issue of RaceCenter NW.

And as opposed to my usual schlock, this one actually is quality work. Well, the writing itself is still pretty half-assed, but the topic is Grade A. I profile three athletes that have fought or are still fighting serious injuries or sicknesses. Aaron Simpson, Lindsay Kandra and Darren Smith. No joke, these three have guts to spare. If you're looking for a little inspiration to help get over yourself and your petty, insignificant issues...well, these three will do it. They're the real deal.

What else you got, you ask?

Well, let's just see.

-First up, we've got a full-page photo of Nick Symmonds. I have a hard time taking him seriously ever since the Naked Nike ad, but still, he's straight nasty on the track.

-Next, we've got Brook's editorial. Um, he's saying my article made him think of "Break My Stride." Um, yeah. Check out this Solid Gold clip here...that's not a compliment, Brook...no, it's not.

-Then we have a full-page photo of the Eugene Marathon. There I am!

-Then some short Briefs. Um hmm. Good stuff. I like short reads...my attention span ain't what it used to be.

-Then an article about Carbs and how to be a good person. I'd read it, but I'm pretty sure it doesn't say "Go to Dairy Queen more often," so I think I'll just skip it.

-Then some race notes and that picture of Jenn Shelton...
.
.
.
.
.
.
Sorry, sort of lost my focus there.

-Then an article about Cross-Training. I love me some cross-training. I'm partial to swimming, but whatever bakes your potato.

-Then something about Vitamin Supplements. No doubt, a great read. But it's about Vitamin Supplements...I just can't do it. Sorry Shannah.

-Next, an article on Relay Running. I wrote an article just like that a couple years back. I don't like reading articles on the same topics I've already written about...it always makes me think, "damn, why didn't I say that?"

-My article. Yay me!

-Trail shoe guide. These are ok, but they end up reviewing about 12% of the actual shoes out there on the market, so I always feel like, "Yeah, but what about...BRAND X!" But maybe that's just me.

-Then a very nice, fairly complete, Event Calendar. Nothing like you get at the R's, but still pretty good.

-And then the back page funny article. Always written by Tim Dooley. Not bad, sometimes quite funny. Humor is a tricky business though. I mean, getting poked in the eye is funny, but there's always somebody that has to say "you could put an eye out like that!" It's tricky, I'm telling you.

And that's it. Good issue. Tight.

Happy National Running Day. Now get out there and support your local running writers.

Or Writing Runners.

Whatever.

Jenn Shelton Goes for the Title!

Yeah, that would be the title of Oregon's Hottest Runner! Well, she won the Pear Blossom Ten Miler too, but c'mon, let's focus here!

I realize that Kara Goucher is at a bit of a disadvantage here, being pregnant and whatnot, but hey, I've got nothing against pregnant women - it's just hard when you're trying to battle against Shelton's swimsuit!

That thing has got to be homemade right? I mean...it's got pears on it! That swimsuit does bring back some bad memories of Borat, but Shelton somehow makes it work.

Bonus points for the look on the guy's face that's running beside her. I'm guessing lots of guys would have been running with her...if they could have kept up.

Go Jenn!


Thanks to RaceCenter for the photo. Which reminds me...I was supposed to talk about my new article for RaceCenter, but I got distracted. Tomorrow.