Northwest Triathlon and Running Race Calendar

We've just about made it to Autumn and the Trail Races are coming hot and heavy before the rains and mud get serious. This is a great time of year for racing...and training. Just a bit cooler, but still pretty dry and still enough light in the sky to make the most of the day.

Don't waste it.

Let's race!

-Green Text for Trail Runs
-Red Text for Marathons and Half Marathons
-Blue Text for Triathlons and Duathlons
-Orange Text for everything else, the normal 5k, 10k, etc

RACES FOR WEEK OF SEPTEMBER 17th TO SEPTEMBER 23rd

September 22nd / Priest Lake Trail 50k, Marathon, Half Marathon and 5k / Priest Lake, ID

September 22nd / Flagline Trail 50k / Bend, OR

September 22nd / Two Dam Punks 10k / Stabler, WA

September 22nd / High Alpine Trail Half Marathon / Bend, OR

September 22nd / Soaring Eagle Trail Run 50k, Marathon, 10m and 5m / Sammamish, WA

September 22nd / Forest Park Trail Marathon and Half Marathon / Portland, OR

September 22nd / Middle Fork Trail Run 50k and 20k / North Bend, WA

September 22nd / North County Wine Run Half Marathon and 10k / Battle Ground, WA

September 22nd / Indian Summer Half Marathon and 5k / Richland, WA

September 23rd / The Rogue Run Half Marathon / Medford, OR

September 23rd / Race for a Soldier Half Marathon / Gig Harbor, WA

September 23rd / Champoeg Park Half Marathon and 5m / St. Paul, OR

September 22nd / Cape Disappointment Sprint Triathlon / Ilwaco, WA

September 22nd / Last Gasp of Summer Open Water Swim 2m and 1m / SeaTac, WA

September 23rd / Methow Valley Off Road Duathlon Olympic / Winthrop, WA

September 23rd / Portland Triathlon Olympic and Sprint / Portland, OR

September 20th / Twilight River Run 5k / Eugene, OR

September 22nd / Super Spartan Race 15k / Squamish, BC

September 22nd / St. Luke's Women's Fitness Celebration 5k / Boise, ID

September 22nd / Barefoot on the Beach 3m / Gearhart, OR

September 22nd / El Puente Bridge the Distance 10k and 5k / Milwaukie, OR

September 22nd / Kiss Me Dirty Women's Mud Run 5k / Portland, OR

September 22nd / Seattle AIDS Walk and 5k / Seattle, WA

September 22nd / Gladiator Rock 'n' Run 6k / Bonney Lake, WA

September 22nd / Valleyfest Run for Hunger 10k and 5k / Spokane Valley, WA

September 22nd / Best Dam 10k / Estacada, OR

September 22nd / Run for Honor 5k / Lincoln City, OR

September 22nd / From Here to Hear 5k / Eugene, OR

September 22nd / Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Run 5k / Spokane, WA

September 22nd / Run Into Fall 10k and 5k / Salem, OR

September 22nd / Harvest Hustle 5k / Rockford, WA

September 23rd / Where to Start's K9 Run 5k / Stayton, OR

September 23rd / Fremont Oktoberfest Brew-Ha-Ha 5k / Seattle, WA

September 23rd / Muds to Suds 3m / Ferndale, WA

September 23rd / Corvallis Fall Festival Run 10k and 5k / Corvallis, OR

Fab photo of Willamette gourds from the Wayward Spark blog.

Back to the Marathon Training

Well, I definitely took it easy for a few weeks. Eased up on the mileage. Took a couple short vacations. Ate like a big, fat pig.

But now it's time to turn it back on. We're about 14 weeks from the California International Marathon. That means it's time to get busy.

I followed the 18 week Pfitzinger Plan for my last marathon. I enjoyed it, but it wore me out a bit. I felt like I was just about done after 14-16 weeks. I'm hoping by cutting it back by a few weeks, it will keep my old, old legs fresh. I'm also going to mix two training plans together this time around. Good idea? I'm not sure, but I feel like I'm faster over the last two months than I've been in more than a decade. I'm not ready to give up that speed. Not to mention, I'm still looking for PR's in the Fall Festival 10k in late September and the Runaway Pumpkin Half Marathon in late October. So I'm keeping a couple of the speed days a week from the Half Marathon Training plan I've been following lately. I'll keep the long days from the Pfitzinger plan. I think it will work.

We'll find out on December 2nd.

The Case Against Lance Armstrong

Once again, the Sports Scientists get to the root of the issue.

Check out this well-reasoned article on the Lance Armstrong Doping Fight and the loss of his seven Tour de France titles. It delves into the story behind the case and Lance's sudden stop to the fight. Since the USADA hasn't released any of their evidence, the Sports Scientists have to make educated guesses, but they do their usual bang-up job.

It's interesting stuff. I've wanted to believe in Lance for a long time. I still want to believe in Lance, right now, today! But I'm realistic. I know I'm almost surely wanting to believe in a cheat and a liar. Harsh, right? Well, there you go. I sort of hope all the evidence does come out eventually just so I can personally put my mind to rest on the whole issue...as can every other Lance fan that doesn't want to give up hope.

Time to move on.

Northwest Running and Triathlon Race Calendar

Lots of September triathlons in the Northwest. Hurry and sign up for one before the rain comes back!

Let's race!

-Green Text for Trail Runs
-Red Text for Marathons and Half Marathons
-Blue Text for Triathlons and Duathlons
-Orange Text for everything else, the normal 5k, 10k, etc

RACES FOR WEEK OF SEPTEMBER 10th TO SEPTEMBER 16th

September 15th / Cle Elum Ridge Trail Run 50k and 25k / Cle Elum, WA

September 15th / Pine to Palm 100m / Ashland, OR

September 15th / Puffer Butte Huff and Puff Train Run 5m / Anatone, WA

September 16th / Two Bear Trail Marathon and Half Marathon / Whitefish, MT

September 16th / Bend Bigfoot and Dirtyfoot Trail Run 10k / Bend, OR

September 15th / The Chehalem Challenge 14m and 5k / Newberg, OR

September 15th / Sporty Diva's Half Marathon, 15k, 10k and 5k / Tacoma, WA

September 15th / Army Base Race Half Marathon and 5k / Selah, WA

September 15th / River Run Half Marathon, 10k and 5k / Wenatchee, WA

September 15th / Newport Half Marathon and 10m / Newport, OR

September 15th / Discovery Trail Half Marathon / Long Beach, WA

September 16th / Montana Marathon, Half Marathon and 10k / Billings, MT

September 16th / The Scenic Half Marathon, 10k and 5k / Sandpoint, ID

September 16th / Black Diamond Half Marathon / Enumclaw, WA

September 16th / You Go Girl! Half Marathon and 5k / Tacoma, WA

September 15th / Bainbridge Island Triathlon Sprint / Bainbridge Island, WA

September 15th / Black Diamond Triathlon and Duathlon Half Iron / Enumclaw, WA

September 15th / GoldenMan Triathlon Sprint / Goldendale, WA

September 15th / Grand Columbian Super Triathlon (Distances: [ready for this?] Super, Ultra, Half Iron, Olympic, Super Aquabike, Ultra Aquabike, Half Iron Aquabike, Olympic Aquabike, Super Duathlon, Ultra Duathlon and Half Iron Duathlon) / Grand Coulee, WA

September 15th / Wallowa Lake State Park Triathlon Sprint / Joseph, OR

September 15th / Fall Festival Off Road Triathlon Sprint / Montesano, WA

September 15th / Columbia Crossing Swim 1.5m / Pasco, WA

September 15th / YMCA Hidden Springs Road and Mtn Duathlon Sprint / Boise, ID

September 16th / Black Diamond Triathlon Olympic and Sprint / Enumclaw, WA

September 16th / Mt. Angel Oktoberfest Triathlon Sprint / Mt. Angel, OR

September 15th / Harvest Classic Fun Run 8k / Nampa, ID

September 15th / Prefontaine Memorial Run 10k / Coos Bay, OR

September 15th / Eagles' Flight 10k and 5k / Corvallis, OR

September 15th / Oktoberfest Road Race 10k and 5k / Mt. Angel, OR

September 15th / Terrain Mud Run 5m and 3m / Spokane, WA

September 15th / Harmon Tap Room Hustle 5k / Tacoma, WA

September 15th / Arlington Airport Run 10k and 5k / Arlington, WA

September 15th / Signs of September 5k / Salem, OR

September 15th / Anne Jackson Memorial Run 10k and 5k / Burlington, WA

September 15th / Human Race 5k / Spokane, WA

September 15th / Run for Recovery 5k / Yelm, WA

September 15th / Cooks Hill Challenge 10m and 5k / Centralia, WA

September 15th / Run for the Orphan 5k / Snohomish, WA

September 15th / Newport Autumn Bloom 10k and 5k / Newport, WA

September 15th / Santiam Race for the Arts 5k / Mill City, OR

September 15th / 9/11 Heroes Run 5k / Mercer Island, WA

September 16th / Book It Country Run 10k and 5k / Jefferson, OR

September 16th / Jill's Legacy: Jog for Jill 5k / Spokane, WA

September 16th / Roundabout 5k / Deer Park, WA

September 16th / Ranger Run 4m / Quilcene, WA

September 16th / Komen Race for the Cure 8k and 5k / Portland, OR

Update on Lukas Verzbicas Injury - Learning to Walk Again After Bike Crash

A couple days old, but here's an update on Lukas Verzbicas from Runner's World.

Verzbicas, only the fifth US high schooler to break a 4:00 mile, was on a bike training ride in Colorado on July 31. Just another normal training day for the promising triathlon pro. Turns out that couldn't have been farther from the truth. Verzbicas hit some wet sand on the road while cornering, went into a barrier, and broke two vetebrae, his collarbone and several ribs. He's been in a hospital for almost three weeks now and has just started his rehab.

It's going to be a long and tough road. I wish Lukas the best and hope he makes it back to full health and on a race course soon.

Is a Marathon Pace Group for You?

I've actually only run one race in my life with a pace group, and I loved it. I absolutely plan on taking advantage of the pace groups at the California International Marathon when I run it in December.

It looks like my Pace Leader will be one Erik Skaden, above, who appears to be an ultra stud. Marathon PR of 2:42. Good enough for me.

Check out this Runner's World article on the good points, and bad, of the marathon pace group.

See you at the CIM!

Northwest Running and Triathlon Race Calendar - Labor Day Running Races

Hey, Labor Day races coming at ya!

Huge, HUUUUGE, lineup of events for this week - 11 triathlons in one weekend! If you can't find a race here to celebrate the kids going back to school, well, you're not really trying.

Let's race!

-Green Text for Trail Runs
-Red Text for Marathons and Half Marathons
-Blue Text for Triathlons and Duathlons
-Orange Text for everything else, the normal 5k, 10k, etc

RACES FOR WEEK OF SEPTEMBER 3rd TO SEPTEMBER 9th

September 3rd / ORRC Wildwood Trail Trial 10k / Portland, OR

September 8th / Dash Point State Park Trail Run Marathon, Half Marathon and 10k / Federal Way, WA

September 8th / McKenzie River Trail Run 50m and 50k / Eugene, OR

September 9th / Moscow Mountain Madness Trail Half Marathon and 5m / Moscow, ID

September 9th / Health Heart Home Classic Trail Half Marathon, 10k and 5k / Corvallis, OR

September 3rd / LC Valley Endurance Day Marathon, Half Marathon, 10k and 5k / Lewiston, ID

September 3rd / Labor Day Half Half Marathon and 4m / Woodenville, WA

September 8th / Salmon Marathon / Salmon, ID

September 8th / Lake Chelan Shore to Shore Marathon, Half Marathon and 10k / Lake Chelan, WA

September 9th / Skagit Flats Marathon and Half Marathon / Burlington, WA

September 8th / Swim Across America 2m and .5m / Seattle, WA

September 8th / Aluminum Man Triathlon Olympic and Sprint / The Dalles, OR

September 8th / Palouse Triathlon Sprint / Moscow, ID

September 8th / Lake Stevens Triathlon Olympic and Sprint / Lake Stevens, WA

September 8th / K. Vlaun Triathlon and Duathlon Sprint / Astoria, OR

September 8th / XTERRA Off Road Triathlon Sprint / Bend, OR

September 8th / Cottage Lake Tri and Tri Again Triathlon Sprint / Woodinville, WA

September 8th / Best in the West Triathlon Half Iron, Olympic and Sprint / Sweet Home, OR

September 8th / MAC Dash Triathlon Sprint / Madras, OR

September 9th / Seattle Escape from the Rock Triathlon Sprint / Mercer Island, WA

September 9th / Lincoln City Triathlon Sprint / Lincoln City, OR

September 9th / Max Muscle Triathlon and Duathlon Olympic and Sprint / Vancouver, WA

September 8th / Run Fido Run 5k / Eagle, ID

September 8th / Beaverton Fun Run 5k / Beaverton, OR

September 8th / Dash for Dad 9k / Bend, OR

September 8th / Dayton Fiesta Runs 10k and 5k / Dayton, OR

September 8th / Free to Breathe 5k / Tacoma, WA

September 8th / Heroes Mud Run 5k / Snohomish, WA

September 8th / Patriot Day Race 12k, 8k and 4k / Vancouver, WA

September 8th / Farmers Charity March of Dimes 5k / Hillsboro, OR

September 8th / Truth Race 5k / Lebanon, OR

September 8th / Walk, Roll and Run for UCP 8k / Portland, OR

September 8th / Tunnel To Towers 5k / Ferndale, WA

September 8th / Kelso Hilander Festival Kilted 5k / Kelso, WA

September 8th / Survive the Burn 10k and 5k / Salem, OR

September 8th / 7k at Seven Bays Run 7k / Seven Bays, WA

September 8th / Road to Recovery 10k and 5k / Eugene, OR

September 8th / Fairhaven Runner's Waterfront 15k / Bellingham, WA

September 8th / Sublimity Harvest Festival Road Run 10k and 5k / Sublimity, OR

September 9th / Iron Girl 10k and 5k / Seattle, WA

September 9th / Wings of Karen Bra Dash 5k / Maple Valley, WA

September 9th / N.A.M.E.S. Foundation 5k / Bothell, WA

September 9th / Newcastle 5k / Newcastle, WA

September 9th / Dash and Bash 10k and 5k / Salem, OR

September 9th / Bandon Lions Cranberry Run 10k and 5k / Bandon, OR

September 9th / Pints to Pasta 10k / Portland, OR

Best in the West Triathlon - NW Collegiate Conference Championships

Leave it to superduper triathlon stud, and OSU grad, Blair Bronson to head up an awesome new triathlon.

Now in its second year, the Best in the West Triathlon Festival is Oregon's version of Wildflower! The Best in the West includes a Half Ironman, Olympic Tri, a Sprint Tri, plus it's hosting the NW Collegiate Conference Championships in Triathlon this year! Dude, you must be there!

It's just outside of Corvallis, at Lewis Creek Park at Foster Lake, near Sweet Home, Oregon.

Plus, the Best in the West website has the most amazing, incredible, just unbelievable, FAQ section about triathlons that I've ever seen. Wow.

Sign up now!

Lance Armstrong Wins Steamboat Stinger Trail Marathon

Lance may be barred from competing in Ironman triathlons, but he's still getting out there and getting some work in.

Armstrong won a very hilly Steamboat Stinger Trail Marathon in Colorado in 3:18:10, almost 8 minutes ahead of the guy in second place.

2012 Olympics - A Look Back at Track and Triathlon

Lots of amazing races and competition at the just-completed London Olympics. Let's take a quick look back:

Photo gallery of the Olympic Women's Marathon - sort of cool to see Kara Goucher and Shalane Flanagan lead the pack for so long

The Brownlee's roll in the Men's Olympic Triathlon - the medal winners were exactly who you expected; no upsets here

Recap of the Men's Olympic 800 - this one was fast; Solomon and Symmonds ran well, but didn't medal

Olympic Men's Marathon produces a surprise winner - Ugandan Stephen Kiprotich crashes the Kenyan party

Photo finish in the Olympic Women's Triathlon - this one was a little more open than the men's race

Photo gallery of day six at the track at the Olympics - lots of photos of Allyson Felix winning gold

Photo gallery of the Olympic Men's 1500 - Leo Manzano grabs a surprise silver with an amazing finish

Mo Farah doubles in the 5000 and 10000 - and he made it look pretty easy against strong competition

Photo gallery of Olympic Women's Triathlon - Sweden appealed for a gold tie on the photo finish, but was denied

Ashton Eaton rolls to a gold in the decathlon - Hardee takes silver for US to go 1-2

Northwest Triathlon and Running Race Calendar

Summer is truly flying by. I can't believe we're already looking at September races. Where o' where does the time go?

Speaking of summer, I'm in Sunriver, OR as we speak, and if you notice below, there's a marathon coming up in Sunriver soon. Let me just warn you, running at 4100 feet isn't like running at sea level, that's for sure. I just about died on a 6-mile run here today.

Let's race!

-Green Text for Trail Runs
-Red Text for Marathons and Half Marathons
-Blue Text for Triathlons and Duathlons
-Orange Text for everything else, the normal 5k, 10k, etc

RACES FOR WEEK OF AUGUST 27th TO SEPTEMBER 2nd

September 1st / Bunker to Bonneville Ultra 50k / Carson, WA

September 1st / Sunset Bay Trail Run 15k and 8k / Charleston, OR

September 2nd / Fort Townsend Trail Run 4m / Port Townsend, WA

September 2nd / Roots Rock Trail Run 50k and 25k / Port Gamble, WA

September 1st / Pocatello Marathon, Half Marathon, 10k and 5k / Pocatello, ID

September 2nd / Oregon Wine Country Half Marathon / Carlton, OR

September 2nd / Sunriver Marathon and Half Marathon / Sunriver, OR

September 1st / Umpqua Ultimate Triathlon and Duathlon Olympic and Sprint / Sutherlin, OR

September 1st / Bonney Lake Labor of Love Triathlon Olympic and Sprint / Bonney Lake, WA

September 1st / Titanium Man Triathlon Olympic / Richland, WA

September 2nd / Steve Braun Memorial Triathlon Sprint / Orcas Island, WA

September 1st / Umpqua Ultimate 10k and 5k / Sutherlin, OR

September 1st / Parkland Pace or Race 5k / Tacoma, WA

September 1st / Back to School Fun Run 5k / Portland, OR

September 1st / Salmon Creek Run 7.6m and 4m / Vancouver, WA

September 1st / Blackberry Festival 5k / Bremerton, WA

September 1st / Lake Padden Run 10.35m / Bellingham, WA

September 1st / Over the Narrows 10m and 5k / Gig Harbor, WA

September 1st / Sunriver 5k for a Cause 5k / Sunriver, OR

Galen Rupp Takes Silver in Olympic 10k!

In a race that just about brought tears to my eyes, Galen Rupp showed absolutely amazing closing speed to bring home a silver for himself and the USA. It's the first men's medal in the 10k for the US since 19freaking64, when Billy Mills, yes, Billy Mills, took gold.

Read all about it at the Oregonian.

And check out a nice photo spread from the Oregonian.

Great after-race quotes from the US runners in this Runner's World article.

Photo by Bruce Ely from the Oregonian.

Northwest Running and Triathlon Race Calendar

To paraphrase Ferris, "Summer moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it."

And indeed, the list of races is already shrinking as we get closer to Fall. Get out there and find a race.

Let's race!

-Green Text for Trail Runs
-Red Text for Marathons and Half Marathons
-Blue Text for Triathlons and Duathlons
-Orange Text for everything else, the normal 5k, 10k, etc

RACES FOR WEEK OF AUGUST 20th TO AUGUST 26th

August 23rd / Bush Park Cross Country Series 5k, 3k and 1m / Salem, OR (Thursday Night Race!)

August 25th / NW Trail Redmond Watershed Preserve Marathon, Half Marathon, 10m and 5m / Redmond, WA

August 25th / Cutthroat Classic Trail Run 11.1m / Winthrop, WA

August 25th / Cascade Crest Trail 100m / Easton, WA

August 25th / Canby Charity Run Half Marathon and 10k / Canby, OR

August 25th / Highway to Well Half Marathon, 10k and 5k / Pendleton, OR

August 25th / Mesa Falls Marathon and Half Marathon / Ashton, ID

August 26th / Eugene Women's Half Marathon / Eugene, OR

August 25th / Hells Gate Duathlon Sprint / Lewiston, ID

August 25th / Priest Lake Road Triathlon Olympic and MTB Triathlon Sprint / Priest Lake, ID

August 25th / Lake Sammamish Triathlon Sprint / Issaquah, WA

August 26th / Lake Meridian Triathlon Olympic, Sprint and SuperSprint / Kent, WA

August 24th / Great Day of Play 5k / Redmond, WA (Friday Night Race!)

August 25th / The Werst Race 2.3m / La Grande, OR

August 25th / Seattle Marathon 10k / Seattle, WA

August 25th / Dwight Dash 10k and 5k / Spokane, WA

August 25th / Aumsville Corn Festival Run Run 5k / Aumsville, OR

August 26th / Alki Beach 5k / Seattle, WA

Best Running Song for August - Matt and Kim - Let's Go

All of the sudden, there are so many good running songs out there, I'm having trouble choosing! I had to go on a mini-spending spree at iTunes to stock up the iPod. And now I'm running fast again!

So, for the second time, we're taking a song from the band that gets more from drums and keyboards than should be possible: Matt and Kim.

Their new song is called "Let's Go" and the very cool video stars basketball super-skilled superstar Pat the Roc.

This song is so bouncy and peppy and happy, you can't help but speed up your run with a smile on your face.

In fact, these guys only make happy running songs. Check out "Yea Yeah," where Matt and Kim get attacked by guys in a pizza suit, a banana suit and a taco suit. Yeah, really.



Oh and don't forget "Lessons Learned," where Matt and Kim get naked in Times Square.

Again, yeah really.



Rock that run!

Past Best Running Songs: July: Gemini / "Blue" June: Joe Jackson / "Got the Time" May: Tiesto vs. Diplo / "C'mon!" April: Grouplove / "Tongue Tied" March: Foxy Shazam / "I Like It" February: Foster the People / "Don't Stop" January: Hot Hot Heat / "Bandages" December: Camp Lo / "Luchini aka This Is It" November: Wolfmother / "Joker and the Thief" October: Phoenix / "1901" 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"