Nanowrimo Starts Tomorrow!

Yes, tomorrow.

Well, I have my page all up, but I have to admit...I'd be shocked if I get much written this year.

Never say never...yet. Hmmm, sounds like a James Bond movie.

C'mon Spokane! Really!?!?

Hey, I know we're all excited for Christmas, but this is just taking it a bit too far...the Spokane Jingle Bell Run is on November 20th.

Yes, November 20th.

That's before most of the turkey trot runs. It's before Thanksgiving.

It's just wrong.

Now maybe they have some kind of scheduling difficulties, although I don't see a whole lot of races in Spokane in December, but still...

What's wrong with having Jingle Bell Runs in December?

Let's race!

RACES FOR WEEK OF NOVEMBER 14th TO NOVEMBER 20th

November 19th / A Very Poplar Run 10k and 5k / Boardman, OR

November 19th / Grand Ridge 50k, Marathon, Half Marathon and 5m Trail Runs / Issaquah, WA

November 19th / Turkey Trot 4m / Lewiston, ID

November 19th / Turkey Trot 5k / Vancouver, WA

November 19th / GBRC Turkey Trot 5k / Bellingham, WA

November 19th / Jingle Bell Run 5k / Spokane, WA

November 19th / Poultry Predictor 4m / Redmond, WA

November 20th / Fall BEAST Adventure Race Trail Run and Mt. Bike / Snoqualmie, WA

November 20th / Run To Drums 10k and 5k / Seattle, WA

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

November 20th / EWEB Run to Stay Warm / Eugene, OR

Epic Leadman Triathlon Debuts in Bend!

In a few short days, November 6th to be exact, you'll be able to sign up for the absolutely brutal Leadman Triathlon...in Bend, Oregon!

Last year, the first ever Leadman was held in Vegas. This year, they're rolling one out in both Vegas and Bend.

If you're interested, here are the totals. Read them and weep:

Swim: 5k
Bike: 223k ("OOF!")
Run: 22k

Yeah, that's a 139 mile bike ride. Clearly, with a short swim, fairly short run and horribly long bike, this is a race made for bikers. If you're not a star on the bike, I'm not sure why you'd even want to try this one.

Should be interesting. Pencil it in for next September.

Nanowrimo in five days!?!

Whaaaaaaa?

Holy Happy Crappy, Nanowrimo really snuck (sneak, snake, snuck) up on me this year. Where does the time go?

So are you writing a novel during November this year? I have not decided. I'm really not ready. The wife and I were thinking about RE-writing our novels from last year's Nanowrimo. Well...certain people that shall remain nameless (yeah, the wife) would have to finish first, then rewrite. But whatever...

What a dilemma. Somebody talk me into it. Or out of it. Not sure what I want here...

So are you writing this year?

Kara Goucher Sticks With Oregon

Yay!

Oregon's sweetheart, Kara Goucher, has indeed switched coaches, but will remain in Oregon, according to her latest blog post.

So apparently many of the recent rumors about Kara's plans were just that, rumors. Kara will remain in Oregon to help keep the Northwest as the hottest hotspot for pro and amateur runners alike.

Go Kara! Go Oregon!

Best Running Song for October!

Phoenix rising!

Usually I have no problem picking one awesome song for the Best Running Song of the Month, and then finding one or two by the same band that are also good but not equal to the original pick.

Can't do that here. These two songs from Phoenix - also known as the best thing to ever come out of France - are both incredible songs to run to...I can't pick just one.

1a:
1901: Official Video
1901: Even more awesome live version from Letterman

1b:
Lisztomania: Official Video
Lisztomania: A HD live version from Glastonbury in 2010

Enjoy.

Past Best Running Songs:
September: Matt and Kim / "Daylight"
August: Collie Buddz / "Holiday"
July: Pretenders / "Tattooed Love Boys"
June: The Wombats / "Moving to New York"
May: Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros / "40 Day Dream"
April: Foxy Shazam / "Unstoppable"
March: Pharrell / "Fun Fun Fun"
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"

Unlucky Number 13

Well, usually I put together a schedule of the Northwest races for a weekend, sometimes, mostly during the summer, even a race here and there during the week...

But this one is a schedule for one, single, lonely day. November 12th.

Apparently, there isn't a single race in the NW on the 13th. Not that I could find anyway.

Maybe people were worried about the bad luck. Although it's not a Friday...

Let's race!

RACES FOR WEEK OF NOVEMBER 7th TO NOVEMBER 13th

November 12th / Cheadle Challenge Adventure Run 3.6m / Lebanon, OR

November 12th / Run for Kyron 10k and 5k / Portland, OR

November 12th / Stumptown Cross Series #4 / Portland, OR

November 12th / Fowl Fun Run 10m / Mount Vernon, WA

November 12th / Winter Pineapple Classic 5k / North Bend, WA

November 12th / Columbia River Classic 10m / Richland, WA

November 12th / Carkeek Park Trail Run 10k and 5k / Seattle, WA

November 12th / Snoqualmie Ridge Turkey Trot 5k / Snoqualmie, WA

November 12th / Kevin's Cup XX Trail Run 8k / West Linn, OR

November 12th / Pioneer Run 15k and 5k / Phoenix, OR

November 12th / Veteran's Day Run 5k / Salem, OR

Lauren Fleshman's Abs Squeeze Coal Into Diamonds, Feed the Hungry, Then Take Break By Solving US Budget Woes

No, really.

Check out the post by Lauren right here, on her completely awesome and fun running blog. If you send her a copy of the latest Runner's World, with none other than Lauren herself on the cover, she'll sign it and send it back to you!

What a sweet girl!

Personally, I'm going to send her my copy and request that she not write anything that might cover up those awesome abs. Rowr!

Mighty Oaks Acorn Run 5k Race Review!

We're getting close now - on Sunday the 16th, we had the Mighty Oaks Acorn Run 5k, the 23rd race on the EPIC 2011 schedule. And a fine race it was. The race was a benefit to raise funds for the Mighty Oaks Children's Therapy Center.

So we lined up at Willamette Park in Corvallis on a foggy, cool morning. No wind at all and it didn't look like rain - perfect running weather. We started out north, toward the baseball fields, for just under a mile. I had a lot of kids around me for the first few hundred yards (more on that later), but got by most of them before the turn-around. I still had one boy in front of me, setting a decent pace, at the turn-around.

These out and back courses at Willamette Park are always interesting, because the bike/running trail really isn't wide enough for a lot of passing, and when you've got people, and strollers, going both ways, it gets tricky. A little boy, around four years old maybe, totally took out a kid running beside me with a nice, no-look, swerve across the entire path on his little bike! Good times.

But my pace after the first mile was good, 7:16, and I felt all right. Of course, the first half of this course is as flat as it gets. The second half is a touch hillier, so I knew I would have to save just a bit. We made it back past all the walkers and strollers, and the girl on stilts (no, really), and passed the start/finish line heading the other way. Clear sailing. At about mile two, I got past the only female in front of me, but couldn't quite catch the kid that was just in front of me the entire way so far (one Nick Graham, 14 years old, according to the results). I would reel him in on the flats and downhills, then he would just toast me going up the hills.

I actually could have went by him at the second turnaround, as Nick kept going (to touch the fence, about 20 feet away?), instead of just going around the tree, as we were supposed to do. But who does that? I yelled at him to turn around and get going, then waited for him to get just by me and started the chase again (see the pace chart - that steep down spike into the 12:00 area is me waiting).

So we headed back, and I thought I could maybe get by him, as it's mostly downhill back to the finish line at the park...but I forgot there was one last, steep uphill. My man Nick just left me in the dust, as you can see clearly on the pace chart. Ah well, nice run, Nick.

Check the results on this one. Very, very weird. It was like an invitational for Masters and runners under 18. Note that there isn't a single runner in the top 28 finishers that was between the ages of 17-37! That's just bizarre. And there were some decent times. A 51 year old running an 18:11. A 16 year old running an 18:24. But not a single runner from the prime age groups at the front of the run. Just strange.

Personally, I was happy with my time. At 23:15, it was my fastest 5k of 2011, although if I had looked at my watch just a little before the end, I could have taken off five seconds and had a Master's PR of 23:10. Doh!

Interesting shirt. The colors and butterfly design were in honor of Cassie-Jo Robinson, an 11 year old that passed away earlier this year. Her family was at the start of the run and gave a moving tribute. Read an article about the race and the cause in the Gazette Times. Thanks for a nice shirt, Cassie-Jo.


So we're definitely getting close to the end now. A small, on campus, 5k this Friday afternoon. Then a twofer, yes a twofer, on October 30th, with a 5k and a 15k Trail Run.

Rollin' on!

100 Year Old Man Finishes Marathon!

This week, it's a 100 year old man finishing a marathon.

Last week, it was the woman who ran a marathon and then gave birth later in the day.

I don't know about you, but I'm feeling like I need to get off my lazy ass and do something already.

Run a 5k for Andrew Moritz!

As most R's readers know, I live in Corvallis, work at OSU, and support the Beavs at all times...except when they play my alma mater, the University of Washington Huskies.

So I was shocked to read this article in the Seattle Times today about former Dawgs basketball player Andrew Moritz. Moritz is only 33, but has a rare form of cancer that has no known cure. In fact, his doctor basically told him there's nothing else to do.

Moritz doesn't want to give up so easily, wants to fight until the very end, and doesn't see any reason to quit now when he's never quit on anything before. I love his attitude.

To support Moritz, head over here or here and sign up for the MVP 5k Challenge. It's a benefit run in Seattle to help his cause.

And it's a cause well worth helping.

Let's race!

Ironman Marathon Not An Actual Marathon?

Maybe some of you already knew this, but it's news to me. Some Ironman Triathlons, by rule, can have their Marathon run course be as much as 10% short (or long) and still be good to go! No, really. That's a 23.6 mile marathon, in case you were curious.

See a decent write-up of the whole thing here at Track and Field News.

Wow. There's a lot to wonder about here. First, I don't think, even a little, that this diminishes how difficult an Ironman tri is, and how impressive the athletes are that finish them. But does it matter?

Absolutely.

Now anyone that has done a trail run knows that one 50k is not equal to all 50k's. Some are brutal, with over 7000 feet of climbing, while others have less than 2000 feet of climbing. But a 50k record is a 50k record. No matter what. And a marathon record is a marathon record, whether you're running in hilly Seattle or flat Eugene. It shouldn't matter.

And I feel the same way about Ironman races. They should all have 26.2 runs. No question. How can anyone compare one time to another?

Now it's one thing to be "certified." I don't care if a course is certified, necessarily, as long as it's been measured honestly as the correct length. But I don't want a race director consciously making a course where every mile is actually nine-tenths of a mile.

Now apparently the Ironman Championships in Kona is run on a certified course. It's legit. If you're wondering what other courses might or might not be legit, just check this list over at the USATF.

This is one I hope gets changed soon. Let's make an Ironman and Ironman.

Dawgs Vs. Ducks

In a running race?

Yep, it's true. Before the football game in Seattle on November 5th, you can challenge those dreaded Ducks. So get on your purple and gold and run like a Husky!

I also like how you can register as a Duck or a Husky in this race and your fee benefits either the UofO Alumni Association or Seattle area non-profits, respectively. That's a great idea.

Let's race!

RACES FOR WEEK OF OCTOBER 31st TO NOVEMBER 6th

November 5th / Zeitgeist Half Marathon / Boise, ID

November 5th / Lord's Acre 10k and 5k / Powell Butte, OR

November 5th / Silver Falls Trail Half Marathon / Silverton, OR

November 5th / Healthy Hearts 5k / Ridgefield, WA

November 5th / Dawgs Ducks Tailgate Run 10k and 5k / Seattle, WA

November 5th / Fircrest Watch Your Speed 5k / Fircrest, WA

November 5th / Mud and Chocolate Trail 4.5m / Redmond, WA

November 5th / Puddle Jump 10k and 5k / Olympia, WA

November 5th / Ron Herzog 50k / Granite Falls, WA

November 5th / No Hills 10k and 5k / Rickreall, OR

November 5th / Strides for Diabetes Awareness Trail 10k and 5k / Springfield, OR

November 5th / Lithia Loop Trail Marathon / Ashland, OR

November 6th / Anything is Possible 5k / Seattle, WA

November 6th / SamFit Heroes Run 5k / Lebanon, OR

November 6th / Turn Back the Clock 10k and 5k / Lacey, WA

November 6th / Padden Mudfest Trail 6m / Bellingham, WA

November 6th / Mud and Chocolate Trail Half Marathon / Redmond, WA

November 6th / Get Your Rear In Gear 5k / Bothell, WA

Great Pumpkin Run Race Review!

And number 22 on the EPIC 2011 countdown was the 21st Annual Great Pumpkin Run, 10k or 5k, depending on your state of mind. And although I didn't come away with a new 10k PR (Doh!), I did pick up a first place in my age division...yeah, there weren't a whole lot of runners in this race.

So anyway, as we huddled in one of the buildings at the Benton County Fairgrounds, the rain came down and down and down. It wasn't a heavy rainfall, but it was a steady mist, to be sure. I lined up next to Payton's former 5th grade teacher, Mr. Joseph Williams, while we listened to some quick instructions from the Race Director. Basically, he only had one: finish in the correct chute! There was a 5k finish chute and a 10k finish chute; he was very clear on which was which, and said they'd be yelling out the same at the finish (this is called foreshadowing - please pay attention!)

Ready, set, go! And Mr. Williams was off like a shot. I mean, I knew he was fast, but about half the time, he runs pushing his daughter in a stroller, which brings him back closer to my pace. Not today. We ran out of the Fairgrounds, out to the road, then right back in on the Midge Cramer path toward Bald Hill.

The group spread out fairly quickly, which was good, because the first part of the Midge Cramer is a bit narrow. No issues though and we quickly got into the rolling hills, which we would have for the first five miles of this one. I probably went out a bit too fast. I was shooting for around a 7:45 pace in the first mile or two, then wanted to hang on in miles three and four and speed up to around 7:30 for miles five and six. Except for the "hanging on" part, that's pretty much what I did. But I looked at my watch a little before a mile and noticed that I was hitting a 7:10 pace - way too fast for me in a 10k. I pulled back a touch, but who knows, that may have been the start of my troubles, right there.

Coming out of the other side of Midge Cramer, we headed west on Oak Creek Drive. Now, there really wasn't any issues with traffic, but this just is not my favorite road to run on. First, it's got some serious rollers. Nothing steep, but constantly up and down. Second, and worse in my opinion, this is a 50mph speed limit road, and as such, the corners are canted. I absolutely hate running on sloped roads. If there's one thing that can mentally take me out of a race, that's it. I don't know why, but it just throws me. So needless to say, miles three and four were really tough for me.

So my pace coming out of mile four was not good. I knew I was really going to have to pick it up on the last two miles to have a shot at my PR of 48:57. And I felt like maybe I could do it. After the turnaround, I started to feel a little better mentally, and once I got past the rollers for the second time, I thought maybe I had a chance. Coming back by the Midge Cramer path, we 10k'ers got mixed in with the back end of the 5k race. Even though most of those people were walking, there's still a slight energy boost when you're passing up a bunch of people, no matter how slow they're going!

So swinging back onto 53rd, I took a quick glance at my watch, knowing I would either have to make an all-out sprint for it or just forget about it...and I just forgot about it. I eased up just a touch and came in at 49:39. The Garmin measured the course a little long at 6.28, but we were crossing roads and paths back and forth, so maybe I just didn't take the right line on everything. The awesomely named Seven Richmond took the win. Check the results right here. And here's Seven himself.

Oh yeah, the foreshadowing. This guy right here, one Thomas Weller, did not beat me. Although the race results would tell you otherwise.

I didn't see Mr. Weller at any point in the race until about 10 feet from the finish line. Yeah, I'm guessing he's one of those folks that the Race Director was warning us about. So Jay, yes, Jay Sexton, I believe you actually took second in your division, not third. Hope you didn't lose out on a bunch of prize money.

And the shirt!

No time for resting. Up next Sunday, as the EPIC train rolls on, is the Mighty Oaks Acorn Run 5k.

See you there!

Ironman Kona World Championships!

They're racing...right NOW!

Go check it out live at Ironman.com.

Also, check out Universal Sports for a live feed.

And cheer on Corvallis homeboy Nate Smith! He's got bib number 1238. Go Nate!

Kara and Meb to Pitch for Skechers Running Shoes?!?

That's the rumor anyway.

And the Skechers site for their new GOrun running shoes does indeed have a "testimonial" from Meb Keflezighi. But there's nothing on there about Kara. Yet.

It's possible, I guess, considering all the other news/rumors about Kara Goucher lately: leaving Nike, leaving Oregon, leaving Salazar.

The shoes themselves look like any other minimalist shoe that's come out in the last year. I'm sure they're fine, but I doubt they're revolutionary. Kara could still run faster than 99% of the population wearing the box the shoes came in, so it's not a huge deal either way.

Hey, Oregon still loves you Kara! Even in Skechers!

New OSU Track Under Construction!

Yeah, we've talked about it before, but they're actually working on the thing now!

Yep, it's true, they're actually building a track at Oregon State University. It's a good day.

Here's the whole story.

Watch them build it live on this here webcam.

They haven't announced the name for the new track complex yet, but it's got to be Fosbury Field, right?

The Oatmeal Runs an Ultra!

I'm not sure how I missed this, but the writer of The Oatmeal site recently ran the White River 50 miler.

If you don't know The Oatmeal, well, you clearly don't get out enough and probably lead a joyless, pathetic existence, so...yeah, sorry about that. But read it already!

All you need to know about the greatness of his race review is this line right here: "After you've been running for 8+ hours every little thing becomes an incredible luxury; at mile 21 I drank a cup of flat Mountain Dew and I swear it tasted like unicorn tears. At mile 43 I ate a PB&J sandwich and it was like eating the entrails of a fallen angel."

Oh, and if it's your first day on the internet, included in his race report is swearing and other naughty stuff that may offend your delicate ears. And that should send all my middle school readers running right over... For my middle-age, male readers...LOOK, BOOBIES!

Oh, and if you're curious, here are the results of the White River 50. Yes, Mr. Oatmeal, Matthew Inman, did indeed finish, with a 11:29:25.

Congrats Matt!

Start Streaking with the Runaway Pumpkin Half!

The toughest part about starting a really good racing streak is getting in on the first race. I mean, if you started on the 2nd, or the 4th, or the 16th race, you can't look with disdain at the runner lined up next to you and say "Yeah, I've run every single one of these races. How about you, Loser?"

I've already gotten in on one prime opportunity this year, the inaugural Corvallis Half Marathon back in April.

And here's another perfect chance: the inaugural Runaway Pumpkin Half Marathon in Lebabon, OR on the 29th. You know you want to...it's your chance to get in on the ground floor. When they're running the Runaway Half in 2036, you'll be able to say, "Yeah, I've run all 25 of these babies...and boy, are my feet tired."

Rimshot!

Let's race!

RACES FOR WEEK OF OCTOBER 24th TO OCTOBER 30th

October 29th / Runaway Pumpkin Half Marathon / Lebanon, OR

October 29th / Doc Sears Fall Classic 5m / Lewiston, ID

October 29th / Multnomah Falls Trail Run 5.6m / Corbett, OR

October 29th / Zombie Apocalypse Trail Run 5k / Tualatin, OR

October 29th / Pumpkin Run 6.5k / Leavenworth, WA

October 29th / Monroe YMCA Fall Classic 5k / Monroe, WA

October 29th / Pumpkin Push 5k / Seattle, WA

October 29th / ORRC Autumn Leaves Ultra 50m, 50k and 10k / Champoeg Park, OR

October 29th / Pumpkin Run 5m / North Bonneville, WA

October 29th / Halloween Run 5k / Echo, OR

October 30th / Run Scared 5k / Seattle, WA

October 30th / Tri Cities Marathon / Richland, WA

October 30th / Cougar Mountain Trail Run 50k / Bellevue, WA

October 30th / Monster Mash 10k and 5k / Eugene, OR

October 30th / Corvallis 5m and 5k / Corvallis, OR

Beavers Building Haiti 5k Race Review!

Well, 5k plus...

First, this is a good cause, building a school in Haiti, and unfortunately the turnout at this fundraiser 5k was really poor. Maybe 50 runners, and most of those were students. Check out the organizations right here that are working to build the school in Haiti and help out already!

OK, now to the race itself. The Beavers Building Haiti 5k started at Kearney Hall, right on the OSU campus. When I picked up my race number before the race, they had a course map printed out that you could take. It looked like they had made it on MapMyRun.com or something similar and I noticed something right away...that last tenth of a mile after the Mile 3 marker looked really long. Really, really long.

So the route was quite familiar, since it basically followed most of the Fall Festival route from last week, except it cut out the long trip out and back to 53rd. Fast course, pretty much completely flat, except for the small hill in front of Dixon. Another one of those races where people quickly ended up on their own. I passed a guy right around the one mile marker, then that was it. Never got very close to the guy in front of me and no one caught me. Forever alone, right?

Coming up to the turn to the final straightaway, which was right at the 3-mile mark, my fears were confirmed. The finish line wasn't even in sight - it was way down there. The Garmin said the course was actually about 3.30 miles long. Which, as it turns out, was ok, because I was hoping to run a 23:11, but I wasn't going to make it anyway. I figure, if the course was correct and actually 5k, I would have run about a 23:39, so I was bound to be disappointed either way. On the positive side, it's my fastest 5k of 2011, so at least my speed is still going in the right direction.

The shirt is all good. Cute design, not too many ads on the back, and it's white. They should pass a law that all race shirts have to be white, black or grey. Lime green or pink race shirts get you six months probation with an ankle monitor. And I noticed the shirts were made in Haiti. Nice touch.


So, that's it for EPIC # 21. We're moving right on next week with #22 - the Great Pumpkin Run on the 9th. See you there!