Race Report - Crazy 8 5k

And the first leg of EPIC 2011 is in the books. Through the cold and the snow and the frost and the ice, EPIC is tougher to take out than a Midwestern Postman.

So one of the coldest February 26theses ever in Corvallis showed up for the Crazy 8 10k and 5k. At race time, the temp was 26 degrees, but at least the wind wasn't blowing as hard as it had the day before. Since I was just running the 5k and wouldn't have much time to get overheated, I went serious on the clothing: hat, gloves, long pants, jacket. I was still freezing until about the halfway point.

Small race - maybe a 100, 150 runners. Nice course, although they cut a bit off from this year's route because of ice and snow on the bike trail the race used. Starting at the Benton County Fairgrounds, we took off around the parking lot and out the front entrance. A sharp right onto the sidewalk and down to the Midge Cramer path...and that's about it. We strolled down the Midge Cramer path, and over a number of spots of snow and ice (brutal, had to get off the trail and run in the soft snow to get some traction), until we hit the halfway point and turned around and did the whole thing backwards to the finish.



So, according to my Garmin, the race was actually 2.80 miles, .30 short of the 5k and since the 10k ran a similar route, only they continued around again, I'm guessing their course was a touch short as well.


One down, about 25 to go!

Oh yeah, almost forgot to mention, all photos taken by the Jen Lommers EZ Photo, Lawnmower and Malt Liquor Hut on 3rd and Main. Tell her the R's sent ya!

EPIC 2011 is Coming Up Fast!

Take a gander over to the right there and you'll see the front end of the EPIC 2011 schedule. Yeah, it's a gonna be a busy year. We start off this week with the Crazy 8 - just doing the 5k, no need to kill myself right off the bat when I'm staring down a schedule like that. Then mid-March we've got another 5k with the Woodstock's Spring for Kids. One week off after that, then a tough three weeks in a row stretch of a 10k Trail run, a sprint triathlon and the inaugural Corvallis Half Marathon. And that's not even discussing the pain that is the McDonald Forest 50k on May 14th. Man, I don't even want to think about that yet.

There are other Corvallis races looming out there, but I haven't listed them yet as they either don't have a set date or have not updated their website/registration. I'll get them up as soon as they get finalized. If you know of any 2011 Corvallis races that are set in stone and are posted somewhere, just let me know and I'll add it to the EPIC list.

Right now, each race listing just links to the registration website. After I actually run each race, I'll change the link so that it takes you to my race review of each race.

Whew...wish me luck!


Hey look! It's me running on the sandy beaches of Corvallis! Yeah, just kidding. That was San Diego. Hey, we've got snow forecast for the next few days...a guy can dream, right?

Cross Training is My Friend

Made it to around seven 'o clock last night and still hadn't done my long run, so I decided to visit Dixon and do a long, indoor Tri Workout instead. So, 600 yards of swimming, 16 miles of biking, and 6 miles of running later, I had in my long workout of the week.

Good decision on my part. I'm smart. Just take my word for it - I wouldn't lie to you.

Today my legs feel WAY better than they usually do after my long Saturday run. A nice change-up. If you've got an old, tired body like me, I would suggest a cross-training workout anytime to give your aching muscles a rest.

Let's race! (Two! Yes, TWO adventure/obstacle course 5k races on the schedule this week!)

RACES FOR WEEK OF FEBRUARY 28th TO MARCH 6th

March 5th / Pineapple Classic 5k / Portland, OR

March 5th / S & M Challenge 5k / Castle Rock, WA

March 5th / Mountain Marathon and Half Marathon / Olympia, WA

March 5th / Snake River Canyon Half Marathon / Pullman, WA

March 5th / Honeywagon Half Marathon and 4 mile runs / Everson, WA

March 5th / Champoeg Park 30k and 10k / Champoeg Park, OR

March 5th / Methow Valley Winter Triathlon / Winthrop, WA

March 5th / Centennial 37 mile trail run / Stateline, ID

March 6th / Lord Hill 50k, 20 mile, 10 mile and 5 mile trail runs / Snohomish, WA

March 6th / Rowland Rd. Run 10k and 5k / Carlton, OR

March 6th / Lincoln City Half Marathon and 10k / Lincoln City, OR

Boston Marathon Gets On My Nerves

You may have already heard the news: the Boston Marathon is changing the rules on us.

Check here.

Or here.

Or here.

Or here.

Basically, everyone is going to have to run faster, starting in 2013, to qualify for the Boston Marathon. Further, runners with super-fast qualifying times will be able to register for the race before those that barely squeaked past the qualifying time.

What does all this mean to a runner, like me, that would be lucky to make the old qualifying time...on a moped? Yeah, good luck on that.

Boston Marathon, curse your cold, dark, bottomless, soul.

Old School Triathlon

Don't worry, I'm not going to subject you to yet another rant of mine about how triathlon, especially long course, is the whitest, richest, most privileged, expensive, snobbiest excuse for a sport this side of golf. No, no, I'm not going to do that.

I'm just going to say, this year, for my two Corvallis Triathlons that will be part of EPIC, The Beaver Freezer and Heart of the Valley, I'm going totally OLD SCHOOL.

-That means my Kona mt. bike on the bike leg.
-My running shoes on the pedals - no bike shoes.
-Regular old laces in the shoes - no speed laces.
-Helmet? Four years old and totally non-aerodynamic.
-Wetsuit? Swim Skin? Get real.
-Shirt? Cotton.
-Goggles? Well, the strap broke, but I tied a good knot in it.

And anyone that gets in my way on the running leg in minimalist running shoes, or God forbid, barefoot, I'm gonna kick them right in the ass. With my Nike Air Max Motos. With the big cushioning.

Join me and FIGHT THE POWER!

Beaver Freezer Triathlon Elevation Profile

Well, I've got the one you probably don't really need for the Beaver Freezer - the run elevation profile. I'll post the bike elevation profile soon.

So the run. Basically, you come off the bike right outside of Dixon, run up a slight hill to get to the Memorial Union, then take three laps around the central portion of campus. Check the map:


The course is decent; meaning flat. It has one slight hill, just in front of Snell Hall and the Valley Library, that you'll hit three times. Since it's a loop course, you lose the elevation from that small hill on the backside of the run, which has a nice long shallow downhill. Don't ask me what those two elevation "bumps" are on my elevation map at about the .6 mile mark. There are no hills there - ignore that. I think a small asteroid bumped the Garmin satellite right there.

8,623 Marathon Training Programs!

Well, it seems like that many anyway.

Hal Higdon is the man. Yeah, he's old school, but he's the cool kind of old school. You know, like someone else's cool parent, not like your dorky parents. Anyway, Hal Higdon has just a gobsmack of free training programs on his website. Not just for the marathon either. He's got:

-5k Training Plans
-8k Training Plans
-10k Training Plans
-10 Mile Training Plans
-Marathon Training Plans
-Boston Marathon Training Plans
-Ultramarathon Training Plans
-Winter Training Plans
-Triathlon Training Plans
-PR Training Plans
-Walking Training Plans
-And many, many...many more!

I mean, Hal is giving away stuff like it's going out of style. Check it out!

First EPIC Race on the Calendar!

And the first race of the long EPIC 2011 season is in the books! On the books? In the schedule? Whatever - it's coming up soon! The Crazy Eight 10k and 5k (why don't they do an 8k??) in Corvallis on the 26th. Be there or be an equilateral parallelogram.

Woot!

Let's race!

RACES FOR WEEK OF FEBRUARY 21st TO FEBRUARY 27th

February 26th / Crazy Eight 10k and 5k / Corvallis, OR

February 26th / River Rush 5k / Auburn, WA

February 26th / Fall Creek run Around 20 mile, 15k, and 5k / Lowell, OR

February 26th / Buck Mountain Mudslinger Trail Run 6.5 mile / Silverton, OR

February 26th / Winter Off-Road Duathlon / Lakewood, WA

February 26th / Smelt Run 10k and 5k / La Conner, WA

February 27th / Max Muscle Half Marathon / Vancouver, WA

February 27th / Shoes for Foster Kids 10k and 5k / Seattle, WA

Best Running Song for February!

Hey, as far as I'm concerned, it's just like Vegas - what happens in your iPod stays in your iPod!

And so this month, we're going to talk about, gulp, yes, guilty pleasures on your iPod that can really get you going for the run.

First up, man, it doesn't get guiltier than this: Puff Daddy and Jimmy Page with Come With Me. Now, this song came from an awful movie, Godzilla, and came from a guy that was, rightly, accused of stealing everything good he did. But, let's face it, when you steal from Jimmy Page, at least you're stealing good stuff. The normal version of this song is good enough, but the Saturday Night Live version...wow.

And here's still another Puff Daddy song, yes that's what he was called back then, not Diddy, and you can't deny, he knew how to grab talent around him. Here's All About the Benjamins with none other than Dave Grohl from the Foo Fighters on drums.

Here's a great song that the old folks my age might remember: You Get What You Give from the New Radicals. This guy was actually really talented, but didn't seem to enjoy the limelight that much. Still, this is just an awesome song to run to.

Sorry, not even the R's is brave enough to put the Bee Gees on the iPod, but here's the next best thing: Wyclef Jean sampling some Bee Gees and giving it his own spin, with We Tryin' To Stay Alive.

And a couple of rock hits that people want to pretend they never listened to back in the day...I know better!

First, it's Korn with Freak on a Leash. Great song when you need to run angry. Plus a great video.

Then, and last, a band that NO ONE will admit they listened to...well, the R's will admit it. And I'll admit it's still on the iPod as well: Limp Bizkit and Boiler. You can knock them for a lot of stuff they did, but this song can really keep you going toward the end of the a long run. The video is pretty gross, however.

Hey, if you like it, run to it. Don't let other people tell you what's good!

Past Best Running Songs:
January: We Are Scientists / "The Great Escape"
December: Cee Lo Green / "F**k You"
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"

A Slight Lull in the Program

A bit of a lull in the schedule before we get into March, but don't worry, the races are coming!

Let's race!

RACES FOR WEEK OF FEBRUARY 14th TO FEBRUARY 20th

February 19th / Rotary Run Around 2 Miler / Portland, OR

February 19th / Founding Fathers 5k at Cheadle Lake / Lebanon, OR

February 19th / Run for Chocolate 5k / Sunriver, OR

February 19th / Couples Classic 5k / Eugene, OR

February 19th / Heart Breaker Half Marathon, 10k and 5k / Portland, OR

February 20th / Birch Bay Marathon and Half Marathon / Blaine, WA

RaceCenter Expo in Portland!

FREE STUFF!

And beer!

There is an EPIC 2011 race that day, but maybe I'll make it there late.

Sounds like a good time!

Beaver Freezer Sold Out!

Well, I don't know if it was as fast as last year, but it was definitely within three hours.

Hope you got in.

See you at Dixon!