Best Running Song for March - Youngblood Hawke - We Come Running

Geez, barely getting this one in before the wire...

Once in a while, you get a song that combines snappy running tunes with catchy running lyrics - and here I present "We Come Running" by Youngblood Hawke. I mean the chorus repeats the line "we come running." What do you want from me!?!

Anyway, this is a poppy little tune from a sunny L.A. band that, and I hate to say it, probably has "one hit wonder" written all over them. Still, it's a good tune. It definitely gets caught in your head - you'll probably be singing it for the rest of the day.

Speaking of catchy tunes with great running lyrics, check out Paolo Nutini with "New Shoes."



Just like Paolo, there's nothing that can improve my mood like putting on a brand new pair of running shoes! And I imagine the line "I'm short on money, but long on time," applies to plenty of runners as well.

Rock that run!

Past Best Running Songs: February: Yolanda Be Cool / "We No Speak Americano" January: The Naked and Famous / "Young Blood" December: Of Monsters and Men / "Little Talks" November: The Black Keys / "Little Black Submarines" October: Cold War Kids / "Hospital Beds" September: Bloc Party / "Octopus" August: Matt and Kim / "Let's Go" 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"

New RaceCenter NW Magazine Article - Triathlon: More for Less

Yes, "More for Less." No, I was never destined to be a copywriter. But hey, we all have our talents, as small as they may be.

So there is a new issue of RaceCenter out now! Please run quickly to your nearest running/shoe store and/or Jamba Juice and grab a copy. Oh, and get a Strawberry Surf Rider while you're there - Nom Nom!

If you're one of those new-fangled kids with your fancy iPhone-type device, then head to the digital version of RaceCenter right here.

This month we're concentrating on how to race triathlon without being a rich, middle-aged white person. Good luck!

Seriously though - if you read my blog, you know my general view on triathlons. Fantastic sport that is pricing itself out of range for most normal people...and getting worse as the sport becomes more popular! Grrrr...

Anyhoo, my article, Triathlon: More for Less, offers up a few choice ideas on how to bring down the costs. First, be a superstar and get sponsored. For the rest of my great ideas, go read the article.

I want to give a quick thanks to Scott Benjamin, Blair Bronson and Chris Bagg for answering my triathlon questions with humor, grace and knowledge. Thanks guys, I hope you all have a great upcoming tri season.

Oh, and if someone wants to buy me that $10,000 Felt as a small reward for all the outstanding writing that I do for you, at no cost to you in particular, please let me know where I can pick it up.

Northwest Running and Triathlon Race Calendar - April 2013

I'm currently working on a RaceCenter article about the toughest half marathons in the Northwest. And the consensus choice of runners everywhere seems to be Idaho's Race to Robie Creek Half. It's coming up fast...if you're tough enough.

-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 APRIL 15th TO APRIL 21st

April 20th / Cement City Trail Run 10k and 5k / Concrete, WA

April 20th / The Rattler Trail Runs Half Marathon, 9m and 4m / Winthrop, WA

April 20th / Race to Robie Creek Trail Half Marathon / Boise, ID

April 21st / Spokane River Run 50k, 25k, 10k and 5k / Spokane, WA

April 21st / Yakima Skyline Rim Trail 50k and 25k / Ellensburg, WA

April 20th / Trout Lake Run Half Marathon, 10k and 5k / Trout Lake, WA

April 20th / Wenatchee Marathon, Half Marathon and 10k / Wenatchee, WA

April 21st / Blooms to Brews Half Marathon and 10k / Woodland, WA

April 20th / Grizzly Triathlon Sprint / Missoula, MT

April 20th / Rage in the Sage Off Road Duathlon Sprint / Benton City, WA

April 20th / Spring Fling Triathlon and Duathlon Sprint / Elma, WA

April 21st / Heart of the Valley Triathlon and Duathlon Sprint / Corvallis, OR

April 21st / Albany Triathlon and Duathlon Sprint / Albany, OR

April 19th / Twilight 5k / Lewiston, ID (Friday Night Race!)

April 20th / Falcon 15k, 10k and 5k / hillsboro, OR

April 20th / Dirty Dozen Adventure Challenge 5k / Albany, OR

April 20th / Discover Spring 10k and 5k / McMinnville, OR

April 20th / SAAM Run 5k / Siletz, OR

April 20th / Fun with the Fuzz 5k / Bellingham, WA

April 20th / Earth Day Run 5k / Seattle, WA

April 20th / UW Student Health Law Org Judicata 5k / Seattle, WA

April 20th / Magnuson Series: Earth Day 15k, 10k and 5k / Seattle, WA

April 20th / Salmon Run 10k and 5k / Ellensburg, WA

April 20th / Run with the Dawgs 5k / Creswell, OR

April 20th / Run the Ridge 10k and 5k / Lebanon, OR

April 20th / Dash for Dance 5k / Auburn, WA

April 20th / Race for Hope 5k / Beaverton, OR

April 20th / Falls to Falls Fun Run 5.2m / Twin Falls, ID

April 20th / Community Fun Run 5k / Spokane Valley, WA

April 20th / Superfun(d) Run 10k and 5k / Bonner, MT

April 20th / Pat's Run - Pat Tillman Shadow Run 4.2m / Tacoma, WA

April 20th / UKnight for Autism 3m / Mukilteo, WA

April 20th / Suncrest Senders Fun Run 5k / Nine Mile Falls, WA

April 20th / Ruston Way 10k and 5k / Tacoma, WA

April 21st / Sporty Diva's 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10m Runs / Seattle, WA

April 21st / Seahawks 12k and 5k / Renton, WA

April 21st / IMAGINE Reducing Gun Violence 5k / Seattle, WA

April 21st / Run for Color 5k / Walla Walla, WA

April 21st / Spring Dash 5m / Coeur d'Alene, ID

April 21st / Light of Hope 10k and 5k / Bend, OR

April 21st / More Birthdays for Renee 5k / Redmond, WA

April 21st / WWU Earth Day 5k / Bellingham, WA

April 21st / Sooke River 10k / Sooke, BC

April 21st / Earth Day Run 5m and 5k / Tigard, OR

Half Marathon Training Plan - Week Seven

We're getting close now. Only three weeks until the Corvallis Half. I actually felt pretty good during my long run yesterday...well, longish. It was a recovery week, so... Come to think of it, maybe that's why I felt pretty good.

Here's what I have to look forward to this week:

-Monday

--Rest

-Tuesday

--1m warmup
--.25m at 7:30 pace
--.75m at 7:40 pace
--2.0m at 7:50 pace
--.25m at 7:30 pace
--.75m at 7:40 pace
--2.0m at 7:50 pace
--1m cool down

-Wednesday

--1m warmup
--3m at 7:45 pace
--1m cooldown

-Thursday

--6m at 8:15 pace

-Friday

--Rest

-Saturday

--6m at 8:00 pace
--6 x 100m strides

-Sunday

--14m at 9:00 pace

Seafair Torchlight Run 2013 On Sale - One Day Only!

If you want to sign up for the Seafair Torchlight Run for...wait for it...wait for it...wait - OK, for $18!! then get out your wallet immediately! You'll never get in cheaper than that. But it's today only, March 20th, until midnight.

Head over here for more details.

If you're not familiar with the race and need to read a great race review, well hey, why didn't you say so? Strangely enough, here is a great Seafair Torchlight Run Race Review, from 2012.

Half Marathon Training Plan - Week Six

I'm feeling like I'm not getting in half-marathon-shape quickly enough. The Corvallis Half is coming up really, really fast on April 14th. But at this point, what can you do but stick to the program and hope the body starts shaping up soon?

Here is the workout plan for this week:

-Monday

--Rest

-Tuesday

--1m warmup
--.75m at 7:45 pace
--.10m at 7:30 pace
--.75m at 7:45 pace
--.10m at 7:30 pace
--.75m at 7:45 pace
--.10m at 7:30 pace
--.75m at 7:45 pace
--.10m at 7:30 pace
--1m cool down

-Wednesday

--5m at 8:30 pace

-Thursday

--1m warm up
--.25m at 7:30 pace
--.50m at 7:30 pace
--.25m at 7:30 pace
--.25m at 7:30 pace
--.50m at 7:30 pace
--.25m at 7:30 pace
--1m cool down

-Friday

--Rest

-Saturday

--6m at 8:00 pace

-Sunday

--12m at 9:00 pace

Northwest Triathlon and Running Race Calendar - April 2013

Wow, we are well into Spring now. Just look at that list of races. If you need a 5k, you're set. Most other distances don't look too bad either.

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 APRIL 8th TO APRIL 14th

April 13th / Alger Alp 50k, 25k and 5m / Alger, WA

April 13th / Squak Mountain Trail Run 50k, Half Marathon and 12k / Issaquah, WA

April 13th / Bruneau Beast Trail Run 20k, 10k and 5k / Bruneau, ID

April 13th / Rock Creek Ramble Trail Run 100k, 50k and 30k / Lamont, WA

April 13th / O.A.T. (Olympic Adventure Trail) Run Half Marathon and 12k / Port Angeles, WA

April 13th / Lumberjack Endurance Runs 100m, 100k and 50m / Port Gamble, WA

April 14th / Dirty Du Trail Run 5m / Hagg Lake, OR

April 13th / Goat Mountain Gallop Half Marathon / Molalla, OR

April 14th / Vernonia Marathon and Half Marathon / Vernonia, OR

April 14th / Whidbey Island Marathon and Half Marathon / Whidbey Island, WA

April 14th / Cherry Blossom Fitness Festival Half Marathon / The Dalles, OR

April 14th / Corvallis Half Marathon / Corvallis, OR

April 14th / Race for the Roses Half Marathon, 10k and 5k / Portland, OR

April 13th / RainMain Indoor Night Triathlon Sprint / Redmond, WA

April 14th / Dirty Du Mountain Duathlon Sprint / Hagg Lake, OR

April 14th / Cherry Blossom Fitness Festival Duathlon Sprint / The Dalles, OR

April 13th / Dragon Run 5k / Dallas, OR

April 13th / Alpine Preschool Scamper 5k / Monroe, OR

April 13th / Earth Day 5k / Tacoma, WA

April 13th / Bloomin' Warmup 10k and 5k / Soap Lake, WA

April 13th / Little Hearts 5k / Vancouver, WA

April 13th / Tulip Trot 5k / Woodland, WA

April 13th / Whidbey Island 5k / Whidbey Island, WA

April 13th / Camellia Festival Fun Run 10k and 5k / Newberg, OR

April 13th / Spring Fever 5k / Richland, WA

April 13th / Color Me Rad 5k / Eugene, OR

April 13th / Run for Recovery 5k / Walla Walla, WA

April 13th / PNWU Run for Your Life 5k / Yakima, WA

April 13th / Pear Blossom Run 10m and 5k / Medford, OR

April 13th / 5k Heart Run 5k / Spokane Vally, WA

April 13th / It Takes a Village 5k / Tacoma, WA

April 13th / Go Me! 5k / Ammon, ID

April 13th / Camp Odakoda 5k / Happy Valley, OR

April 13th / Spring into Summer Fun Run 5k / Richland, WA

April 13th / The Great Escape for Cash 5k / Salem, OR

April 13th / West Valley 10k and 5k / Boise, ID

April 13th / Super Hero 5k / Bellingham, WA

April 13th / Beat Coach Pete Scholarship Run 5k / Boise, ID

April 13th / Hope Run 10k and 5k / Spokane, WA

April 13th / Run for Youth 5k / Seattle, WA

April 14th / Pooch Scoot 5k / Bellingham, WA

April 14th / Bridgeway Run for Autism 8k and 5k / Eugene, OR

April 14th / The Biggest Loser Run 15k and 5k / Springfield, OR

April 14th / Eat Run Hope 5k / Seattle, WA

April 14th / Outpace Diabetes 10k and 5k / Seaside, OR

April 14th / The Retro Run 5k / Portland, OR

April 14th / Run for the White Oak Savanna 5k / West Linn, OR

Are "Barefoot" and Minimalist Running Shoes Done?

Humans, right? We love the latest thing. We can't wait to jump in on the new fads. Of course, that means we're ready to jump off just as fast. And so it goes with minimalist running shoes...

Great new article on the state of the running shoe, and minimalist shoes in particular, in Running Times. Check it out right here.

And really, the great takeaway from the article is this: the first paragraph up there isn't really true! We don't jump in on the new fads. We aren't ready to give up are usual, familiar, boring, old running shoes. Sure, there is a small group that loves to jump on fads, but emphasize the "small." And don't forget that the running magazines need new articles every single month...and their websites need new stuff every single day. Of course they're going to emphasize the newest fad! They have to print something.

Here, let Running Times lay some truth upside your head:

"But here's a reality check: Minimalist shoes account for about 11 percent of the U.S. running-shoe market. Remove the Nike Free from consideration, and sales of the remaining minimalist models constitute about 4 percent of the U.S. market." Quote from article by Scott Douglas.

And I can tell you from experience here on the campus of OSU, there are a LOT of Nike Frees around that never, ever get run on.

Now, if we can just get Nike to stop screwing up my favorite models of trainers. I'm looking at you, Nike Pegasus!

Half Marathon Workouts - Week Five

So I'm in Week Five of nine, getting ready for the Corvallis Half Marathon on April 14th. It's Tuesday, and my legs are still sore from my long run on Sunday...not a good way to start week five.

Here is the workout plan for this week:

-Monday
--Rest

-Tuesday
--1m warmup
--.25m at 7:30 pace
--.75m at 7:45 pace
--1.50m at 8:00 pace
--.25m at 7:30 pace
--.75m at 7:45 pace
--1.50m at 8:00 pace
--1m cool down

-Wednesday
--4m at 8:30 pace

-Thursday
--6m total, alternating 3:00 min at 7:45 pace with 1:00 min jog

-Friday
--Rest

-Saturday
--6m at 8:30 pace
--6 x 100yard strides

-Sunday
--14m at 9:00 pace

Here goes nothing...

Northwest Running and Triathlon Calendar - April 2013

Wow, this week we've got Girl Scout Cookie Tasting, Mud and Chocolate and...Prison.

Choose wisely.

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 APRIL 1st TO APRIL 7th

April 6th / Stub Stewart Trail Challenge 6.25m / Buxton, OR

April 6th / Shotgun Trail Blast 50k, 25k, 10k and 5k / Marcola, OR

April 6th / Barking Spider Bash Trail Run 10m and 10k / Nampa, ID

April 6th / Splash and Dash 5k / Tillamook, OR

April 6th / Sporty Diva's Trail Run at Lake Young 19.5m, 9.5m and 5k / Renton, WA

April 7th / Horse Butte Trail Run 10m / Bend, OR

April 6th / The Double Half Half Marathon, 10k and 5k / Yelm, WA

April 6th / Buttercup Run Half Marathon, 10k and 5k / Arlee, MT

April 6th / Yakima River Canyon Marathon / Yakima, WA

April 6th / Birch Bay Road Race 30k, 15k and 5k / Birch Bay, WA

April 6th / High Speed Pursuit Half at the Prison Half Marathon, 10k and 5k / Kuna, ID

April 7th / Mud and Chocolate Half Marathon / Redmond, WA

April 7th / The Double Half Half Marathon, 10k and 5k / Orting, WA

April 6th / Apple Capital Spring Duathlon sprint / Wenatchee, WA

April 6th / Beaver Freezer Triathlon Sprint / Corvallis, OR

April 6th / Rainman Indoor Triathlon at Haselwood YMCA sprint / Silverdale, WA

April 6th / Mud and Chocolate 4.5m / Redmond, WA

April 6th / Jog for a Hog 5k / Vancouver, WA

April 6th / Girl Scout Cookie Fun Run 5k / Spokane, WA

April 6th / Skagit Valley Tulip Run 5m / Burlington, WA

April 6th / BoGlow Night 5k / Boise, ID

April 6th / To Hell with Cancer 5k / Redmond, WA

April 6th / Twilight Hope Run 10k and 5k / Moscow, ID

April 6th / Deer Park Family Fun Run 5k / Deer Park, WA

April 7th / Keep Running for Kids 5k / Eugene, OR

April 7th / Stoller Community 5k / Portland, OR

April 7th / Run for Ryan 5k / Billings, MT

April 7th / Bridge to Brews 10k and 8k / Portland, OR

April 7th / Leashes and Laces 5k / Post Falls, ID

April 7th / Merville 15k / Merville, BC

Today's Half Marathon Workout - Week Four

OK, so I'm in Week Four of a nine-week half marathon program. Getting ready for the Corvallis Half Marathon on April 14th.

My first three weeks have been like this: 42 miles, 43 miles and 30 miles. Week four will be 42 miles total again.

So today's workout is 6 miles, alternating 3:00 minutes at my 10k pace, which is around 7:30, with 1:00 minute jogs.

Sounds interesting.

Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon

So they held the Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon last weekend...yes, last weekend. With an open water swim, in the San Francisco Bay, water temperature around 55 degrees.

To absolutely no one's surprise, the swim conditions were brutal...and one competitor died. Story from Slowtwitch here. Another race article here.

Sure, it's easy to say in hindsight, but come on, who thought that swimming in the Bay in early March would go well? They moved the race from its usual date in June because of a conflict with the America's Cup, but really, was there no other warm-weather weekend available?

Here's a photo gallery of the race from Slowtwitch so you can see the conditions for yourself.

The whole thing is sad. A needless death and a needless black eye for the sport of triathlon.

Northwest Running and Triathlon Race Calendar - March 2013

Wow, I went out for a recovery week 10 miler yesterday in the GLORIOUS, BEAUTIFUL, MAGNIFICENT SUNSHINE!

Yeah, I am soooooo ready for Spring. Bring it on.

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 MARCH 25th TO MARCH 31st

March 29th / Badger Mountain Challenge 100m / Tri Cities, WA

March 29th / Pickled Feet 24hr, 12hr, 6hr and 100m / Eagle, ID

March 30th / Gorge Waterfalls 50k / Cascade Locks, OR

March 30th / Badger Mountain Challenge 50k and 15k / Tri Cities, WA

March 30th / Dash Point State Park Trial Run Half Marathon and 10k / Federal Way, WA

March 30th / Easter Marathon, Half Marathon, 10m, 10k and 5k / Lacey, WA

March 30th / Wheatfield Half Marathon and 8k / The Dalles, OR

March 29th and 30th / Snake River Sprint Triathlon / Lewiston, ID (Friday night swim, Saturday bike and run!)

March 30th / Spring Classic Duathlon / Portland, OR

March 30th / Easter Twilight Duathlon Sprint / Lacey, WA

March 30th / Ash Dash Memorial 10k / Boise, ID

March 30th / Hoppity Hops Run 9k and 5k / Portland, OR

March 30th / Scrambled Egg 5k / Redmond, WA

March 30th / Run Like a Fool 5k / Olympia, WA

March 30th / Spring Forward 5k / Tacoma, WA

March 30th / Canal Caper 10k / Ephrata, WA

March 30th / Purple 5k / Billings, MT

March 31st / Easter Egg Stash Dash 5k / Eugene, OR

Awesome picture of the Corvallis Riverfront Fountain by the Skruben blog.