Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Beaver Freezer Triathlon 2011 Update


It's almost Beaver Freezer time! Three more days and we're there.

And the swim heat and lane assignments are posted - check them out.

Also, the weather report for Saturday does not look too promising. For now. Let's hope it changes before the weekend, because 53 degrees for the high and 40 degrees for the low sounds a bit chilly - especially for the waves starting at 7:30. Yikes.

Bring your mittens, kittens!

Sunday, March 27, 2011

Race Report - Make a Change Trail 10k


Please ignore that map. Woulda, shouda, coulda...dint.

Wow, the first trail run in the EPIC series - I was excited! We've had lots of rain and the Make a Change 10k course winds around Bald Hill, so you knew we'd be getting muddy!

Or maybe not.

A couple days before the race, the race organizer, Eclectic Edge Events, posted this statement on the registration page:
* Due to conditions on the trail, the courses may be relocated to out-and-back courses on the paths that loop around Bald Hill Park, to the northwest.
That doesn't sound like mud to me.

And indeed, the muddiest part of the entire 10k course was when I got out of my car in the Benton County Fairgrounds parking lot. Now I understand that race directors have it tough. No matter what they decided, people would probably complain. But come on! This is a trail run. In March. In Corvallis. Does anyone out there think the trails might be muddy?!? If you're signing up for a trail race, mud has to be expected.

Nope. The race directors took the course off the trails and put us on the asphalt.

So the race started on the Midge Cramer path, just off 53rd, by the Fairgrounds. The 5k started at 10:00, with the 10k starting fifteen minutes after. I wasn't real sure of the "new" 10k course at the start, but I heard someone say they thought we were going to follow the 5k course, then head up toward Martin Luther King Jr. Park and back for our second half of the 10k. That sounded OK to me, since that would give us a gentle downhill for the last 2k or so.

Although the rain was threatening all morning, the race started under breaking skies with a decent wind coming from the south. We followed the path to the 5k turnaround, which was almost at the parking lot at the other entrance to the park. I'd describe the path to you, but hey, it's an asphalt bike path - what's to describe?

We came back the same way we came, but cut off into the parking lot right before we got mixed into the finish line area. That tenth of a mile through the gravel parking lot was the only time during the 10k that we weren't on pavement. After dodging a few 5k finishers and family members that were wandering around the parking lot, we shot back onto the bike path that runs along 53rd. And indeed, we headed straight up toward Martin Luther King Jr. Park. I've run this route many, many times, and I knew the path ran slightly uphill all the way from the Fairgrounds to the Park, so I was a bit surprised that I felt pretty smooth and easy going up. Almost like I was being pushed from behind.

Yeah, it took a few minutes, but my tired mind finally figured it out. The wind. It was giving us a nice push out, but I knew on our way back to the finish, we'd be running the downhill into a good, stiff breeze.

We hit the turnaround at the Park, and POW, it was indeed windy coming home. But check out the pace chart from my run: I was smelling the barn at the turnaround. I tried to shorten up my steps a bit and fight into the wind all the way home and hit the wire feeling pretty good, all things considered. You can check out the results right here.

So my new trail running shoes felt good. Too bad they didn't get any mud on them. I guess I'll have to go mud them up during a training run instead. Seems like a bit of a waste of good mud.

Saturday, March 26, 2011

Race Number 5 in the EPIC 2011 Series - the Corvallis Half


Yep, here comes number five on the schedule already: the Corvallis Half Marathon. Sold out for its inagrual event, as you know.

Just ran #3 on the EPIC list today - Make a Change Not a Trail Run 10k - I'll be posting a race review of that soon.

Man, the races are really backing up on the old schedule here! Spring has sprung, my friends.

Let's race!

RACES FOR WEEK OF APRIL 4th TO APRIL 10th

April 8th and 9th / YMCA Spring Sprint Triathlon / Boise, ID (Swim on Friday, Bike/Run on Saturday...Wha?!?)

April 8th / Twilight 5k / Lewiston, ID (Friday Night Race!)

April 9th / Whidbey Island Marathon, Half-Marathon and 5k / Oak Harbor, WA

April 9th / Y Run for Kids 5k / Tacoma, WA

April 9th / Beat Coach Pete Scholarship 5k / Boise, ID

April 9th / Skagit Valley Tulip Run 5 mile and 2 mile / Burlington, WA

April 9th / Best Dry Run 5k / Estacada, OR

April 9th / Nun Fun Run 2.5 mile / Seattle, WA

April 9th / YFC Run for Youth 5k / Seattle, WA

April 9th / Oregon Marathon and Half Marathon Relay, Half Marathon and 10k Individual / Eugene, OR

April 9th / Pear Blossom Run 10 mile and 5k / Medford, OR

April 9th / Diez Vista 50k / Sasamat Lake, BC

April 9th / Apple Capital Spring Duathlon / Wenatchee, WA

April 9th / Tilikum 10k and 5k / St. Paul, OR

April 9th / Spring Burst 10k and 5k / Tigard, OR

April 9th / Rage in the Sage Mountain Duathlon / Benton City, WA

April 10th / Corvallis Half Marathon / Corvallis, OR

April 10th / ORRC Vernonia Marathon and Half Marathon / Vernonia, OR

April 10th / Soaring Eagle 50k, Marathon, 10 mile and 5 mile runs / Sammamish, WA

April 10th / Mt. Si Ultra 50 mile and 50k / Snoqualmie, WA

April 10th / The Dirty Du Trail Duathlon and the Dirt Dash 5 mile trail run / Hagg Lake, OR

April 10th / Captain Jack's 8k / Kirkland, WA

April 10th / Peterson Ridge Rumble 40 mile and 20 mile Trail Run / Sisters, OR

April 10th / Cow Pie Classic 3k, 2k and 1k / Turner, OR

April 10th / Seahawks 12k Run at the Landing 12k and 5k / Renton, WA

April 10th / El Puente Bridge the Distance 10k and 5k / Milwaukie, OR

Friday, March 25, 2011

New RaceCenter Article Out at Last!


Yeah, it's been a while. I haven't had anything published in quite some time. Not that I wasn't writing. Trust me, I was writing. Just nothing for the public eye in a while.

Well, I'm back! And maybe better than ever. Not sure about that part really. But I do have a new article out and you can see it right here, in the new RaceCenter electronic format! Woot!

The article is about marathon training programs, which I don't know anything about because I'm a stuck-up S.O.B. that does all my training on my own. But when has not knowing something ever stopped me from writing about it, right? Right!

So check it out. It's a good read, if I do say so myself.

And, of course, I do.

Thursday, March 24, 2011

Kara Goucher is Back, Baby!


For any women out there wondering if having a baby means PR-death to your running times - nope, probably not. And we've got proof.

Oregon's own new mother, Kara Goucher, ran her first big race since she had her baby, and smoked the NYC Half Marathon course with a 1:09:03! Pow!

Nice article about her, and the other Oregon Project runners, right here.


Thanks to Photorun.net for the nice shot of Kara - who looks awesome, as usual.

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Pro-Motion T-Shirts for Sale - Cheap!


Yeah, I know we've talked about this before, but let's face facts: running shirts get funky!

And I don't mean good funky. I mean stanky.

So toss that thing already and head over here to this Pro-Motion site where you can get cotton and tech racing shirts dirt cheap! Why not, right?

Tell 'em the R's sent ya!

Monday, March 21, 2011

Corvallis Half Marathon Sold Out!


Wow, hope you guys are already in. The Corvallis Half Marathon website now has a posting that the race is officially sold out.

I mean, that's good. It's nice to be popular. But too bad if you're not in yet.

Hey, see you on the 10th!

Sunday, March 20, 2011

Bonk Happy with Clif Bloks!


Or not, as the case may be.

Let me assure you, there is no bigger fan of Clif Bar than me. Given the choice of any energy bar available, I'll take a Clif Bar pretty much 99% of the time. They're just quality.

But these Clif Bloks things are a whole different story.

They're straight-up nasty!

Picture Jello blocks, made with double the sugar, then not mixed up very well, and you've got the general idea of Clif Bloks. I'd say they're like eating candy, but they're too sweet to be candy.

And frankly...I like candy.

Hey, I'm sure they'll do the trick as far as your carbo needs. I mean, sugar is sugar, right? But could we try to make them at least somewhat palatable?

I'm gonna say 2 BONKERS. Out of 10.

And that's just because I'm a nice guy.

Saturday, March 19, 2011

EPIC 2011 Kicks Into High Gear!


Trying to enjoy my last weekend off for a while. Did a nice long tri workout today, but that will be it for the long weekend workouts for a while. I've got the Make a Change 10k next weekend, then the Beaver Freezer Triathlon the weekend after that and finally the Corvallis Half-Marathon the weekend after that. Whew. Should be interesting.

Let's race!

RACES FOR WEEK OF MARCH 28th TO APRIL 3rd

April 2nd / Shotgun Trail-Blast 50k, 25k, and 10k / Marcola, OR

April 2nd / Lynch Creek 5k / Eatonville, WA

April 2nd / Gateway 5k / Poulsbo, WA

April 2nd / Running of the Fools 10k / Longview, WA

April 2nd / Yakima River Canyon Marathon / Ellensburg, WA

April 2nd / Salmon Creek Run 10k and 5k / Powers, OR

April 2nd / Nuts for a Cure 5k / Oakland, OR

April 3rd / Yakima Skyline Rim Run 50k and 25k / Ellensburg, WA

April 3rd / Race for the Roses Half Marathon, 10k and 5k / Portland, OR

April 3rd / Horse Butte 10 mile trail run / Bend, OR

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Shamrock Run 2011 Results and T-Shirt!


Saw a girl in Dixon today with a Shamrock Run race shirt on and it reminded me that I'm a bit Corvallis-centric these days with the EPIC 2011 going on. But the shirt was very cool! Sort of a soccer style, with long sleeves and a nice clean look. Nice job Shamrock Run and Adidas!

Oh, and here are the results of the 2011 Shamrock Run if you're interested.

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Time to Enter Dipsea!


All right, this is no time to dilly-dally: if you want to have a chance to get into the greatest race in the world, and perhaps the most difficult race in the world to get into, you've got to be ready!

This Wednesday, the 16th, the Dipsea organizers will be posting the entry form. You've got to fill that baby out and get it in the mail like pronto. It's a first come, first served type of thing. Well, they also accept bribes of cold, hard cash, but basically, it's a speed thing. You've got to get the entry in the mail fast.

If you don't know the Dipsea, it's time you learned. This is a bucket-list type race. Don't miss your chance to get in.

Sunday, March 13, 2011

Race Report - Woodstock's Spring for Kids 5k!




And here we are - race number two in the EPIC 2011 lineup: the Woodstock's Spring for Kids 5k.

Not exactly inspiring weather as we rolled up to the race. And yes, I said "we," as the R's brought along the boy to run the 5k with me. He's getting very tall and very skinny and after we ran a little warmup two-miler a week before the race, I realized it's not going to be long before he's faster than me.

Sigh...

But I digress. We were talking about the rain. It was just misting slightly as we picked up our race numbers, but then it really started to come down as we ran back to the car to take cover. We were hoping that it would pass over before we had to go back and stand at the start line, but it wasn't to be - we lined up at the start line in a decent drizzle.

The race started on Avery Park Drive, just in front of the Rose Garden at Avery Park. So you would think that we might have actually run around the park a bit, right? Wrong. We spent approximately 10 seconds in the Park. As soon as the starting gun sounded, we ran directly around the corner and out of the park, hooking up with the bike trail about a tenth of a mile away from the start.

One thing about running every race in Corvallis is that I know every race course just about by heart. It's nice. The Spring for Kids course followed the bike path downtown, then jumped onto the River Walk along SW 1st St. As I've run that route about 200 times (no, literally), I knew we'd have a very slight uphill to the halfway turnaround, then a nice, gentle downhill all the way home. And lo, it was to be. In the first mile, we had some students in front of us from Crescent Valley High School that were making quite a wall, but after we busted through that, it was smooth sailing.



Payton actually stayed with me until after the turnaround. That little bugger is getting fast - if and when he actually decides to train, he could be a good runner. But since he has not made that decision to train yet, he faded at about the two-mile mark and I kept on with my steady pace pretty much all the way to the finish. Only one obstacle on my way - a little boy about six or seven years old and about three feet tall. It was after the two-mile mark, so this kid was actually running very fast for someone with foot long legs, but when I tried to pass him, he actually kept cutting me off to try to stay in front of me! I'd drift left to go around him and he'd wait to the last moment and then move in front of me. I'd go right, and there he'd go! Hey, I'm all for supporting younger runners, but I almost tripped the little guy to get him out of the way! Finally, I gave a little burst (I don't have a lot of burst these days) and made it around him. Who knew my best rival in the race would be a kid that's probably in kindergarten?

Hit the finish line under 25 minutes, so I was happy there. My pace is slowly but surely coming down. Payton came in only a couple of minutes after me, so I was glad to see he didn't fade too badly.

Probably about 200-400 runners all told. Hard to tell exactly because there were a lot of walkers with umbrellas and coats and who knows if they had a number under all that?

Now I get one weekend off, then it's three races in three weekends coming up.

Boy Howdy...

Saturday, March 12, 2011

Springtime and Night Races!


Ah, Spring...when you can actually run a race after work.

I love evening races, around 6:00 or 7:00, with the sun still in the sky. It's such a different feel than a morning race. Your body feels different at night. Personally, my legs usually feel fresher, more warmed up, more loose, at night than in the morning anyway.

Yay for night races!

RACES FOR WEEK OF MARCH 21st TO MARCH 27th

March 24th / Bring In Spring 5k / Eugene, OR (Thursday Night Run!)

March 26th / Spring Classic Sprint Duathlon / Portland, OR

March 26th / Make a Change Trail Run 10k and 5k / Corvallis, OR

March 26th / Cougar Fun Run 10k and 5k / Echo, OR

March 26th / Birch Bay Road Race 30k, 15k and 5k / Birch Bay, WA

March 26th / Lake Sammamish Half Marathon / Redmond, WA

March 26th / Leif to Leif 5k / Seattle, WA

March 26th / Can Do 10k and 5k / Bothell, WA

March 26th / Badger Mountain Challenge Trail Run 100mi, 50k, and 15k / Richland, WA

March 26th / Rotary Run for Kids 5k / Veneta, OR

March 27th / Lions Strides for Diabetes Awareness 10k and 5k / Springfield, OR

March 27th / NW Trail Runs Redmond Watershed Preserve Marathon, 10mi, and 5mi / Redmond, WA

March 27th / Leashes and Laces 5k / Post Falls, ID

March 27th / Fort Vancouver Run 15k, 10k, and 5k / Vancouver, WA

Friday, March 11, 2011

Only McDonald's for a Month...


then run the LA Marathon in 2:36?

What the...!?!

I thought my EPIC 2011 challenge was nutty - I've got nothing on this guy!

But hey, it's all for a good cause, so "like" him already and help out.

Thursday, March 10, 2011

Barefoot Running Is Bad!


Hey, I didn't say it - this guy did!

Well, OK, I did say it, once or twice, but this guy actually puts some work in on convincing people that Barefoot Running is not the cure-all that some people make it out to be.

Whereas, I just like to say things like, "don't be an idiot - put some shoes on already."

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Beaver Freezer Discriminates Against Hot Athletes!



Well, no, obviously not me!

But I don't get to see any of the hot athletes in their swim wear! Well, not the ones I want to see anyway...

OK, let me explain. No, there's too much. Let me sum up...

The Beaver Freezer Triathlon is too big to put all the athletes in the same pool for the swim leg. So they use two different pools that are about 100 yards apart on the OSU campus: Dixon and Langton. And here's the crazy part: they put all the women in the Dixon pool and all the men in the Langton pool! What?!? I don't want to swim with a bunch of guys. Guys are boring. Guys are hairy. Guys are disgusting. Girls, on the other hand, are not boring. What's wrong with mixing it by swim times?

I'm not happy about this.

Not happy at all.

I DEMAND EQUAL RIGHTS FOR TRIATHLETES!

(so I don't have to look at a bunch of guys in Speedos)
[photos included as evidence for both genders - do I need to say more?]

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Gifts for Your Triathlete


Check out this great little collection put together by none other than JenLo herself.

Everything you need for that triathlete birthday coming up!

Monday, March 7, 2011

EPIC Race #2 Coming Up!


Yes, this Saturday brings the second race in the EPIC 2011 series: the Woodstock's Spring for Kids 5k! And it's a benefit for Corvallis Schools, so get your cheeks out there and run!

And in the new race calendar below - YES, the elusive, wily, Northwestern triathlon has been spotted!

Let's race!

RACES FOR WEEK OF MARCH 14th TO MARCH 20th

March 18th / St. Pattie's Shamrock 10k and 5k / Sisters, OR (Friday Night Run!)

March 19th / Winter Triathlon Sprint Championships / Baker City, OR

March 19th / Santiam Canyon Scramble 5 mile trail run / Lyons, OR

March 19th / Lucky Clover 10k and 5k / Springfield, OR

March 19th / Foothills Dash 10k and 5k / Orting, WA

March 19th / The Ridge 5k / Puyallup, WA

March 19th / Spring Forward 5k / Tacoma, WA

March 19th / Chuckanut 50k Trail Run / Bellingham, WA

March 19th / Canal Caper 10k / Ephrata, WA

March 19th / Pacific Rim 24 Hour Endurance Run / Longview, WA

March 20th / Titlow Trails Mud Run 5k / Tacoma, WA

March 20th / Seattle RainMan Indoor Sprint Triathlon / Seattle, WA

March 20th / Big Climb Seattle / Seattle, WA

March 20th / Harry's Spring Run-Off 8k / Vancouver, BC

March 20th / Mercer Island Rotary Half Marathon, 10k and 5k / Mercer Island, WA

Who's the sleazy car salesman? Who knows...I entered "Elusive wily triathlon" into Google and got that guy.

Saturday, March 5, 2011

Fastest Band in the World!


The R's loves, LOVES, the new Puma ad: The Fastest Band in the World!

And as someone who spent a week in Jamaica a while back, let me tell you - what a country and what a place to run!

Now, of course, the whole thing is an effort by Puma to sell their new shoe, the Faas 500, but I'm OK with that. Even though I haven't worn a pair of Pumas for about 25 years, when I had a pair of Puma track spikes in high school. Go Wolves!

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Best Running Song for March!


Yeah, we just had snow and wind and three straight days of driving rain...

But it's MARCH AT LAST! I'm talking about Spring, baby. It's almost here. As you should know, if you've spent more than two seconds at The R's, I am the most fair weather runner in the Northern Hemisphere. I live to run in the sun, in the heat, under the blue skies. I'm ready for the heat. Bring it on.

So what we need here is a sunny song. A Spring song. A song that will make you think of blue skies even if the rain hasn't gone away yet.

And that brings us to Pharrell Williams and Fun Fun Fun. Just a happy song. You can not hear this song and not want to go out for a quick five miles! I love it.

And since the song of the month is from a movie - the awesome Despicable Me! - let's check out a couple more tunes that come from a recent, oscar nominated, flick. First, "Mombasa" from Inception. And here's the actual scene with the song: guys with guns always make you run faster! And of course, the Main Theme from Inception, Dream Is Collapsing. If this one doesn't get you across the finish line, there's nothing that will!

Hans Zimmer...you were robbed at the Oscars, buddy.

Past Best Running Songs:
February: Puff Daddy / "Come With Me"
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"