Tuesday, November 12, 2013

Is It OK to Kill Cyclists?



That's the question Daniel Duane asked in the New York Times on Sunday. Once you get past the provocative headline, it's a fair question. I can't believe how often I read an article about a cyclist that's been hit and/or killed in the Northwest and see that no charges were filed against the driver. It's scary and it's absurd.

So what do I see this morning? You guessed it, a new headline in today's Oregonian: "Man who fatally struck cyclist in Washington won't face criminal charges."

I don't think it's necessary to get "blame" or "revenge" every time a cyclist is killed by a driver - accidents do indeed happen - but until the punishments against drivers start to fit the crime, bikers are taking their own lives in their hands every time they ride the roads.

That's not right.

Saturday, November 9, 2013

"Pinkwashing" Harry Potter



Well, this is just the worst thing ever.

So there's a short article in the New York Times by an author and mother named Lynn Messina. Now those are two groups I don't usually disparage, but I'm going to make an exception here.

This woman is insane.

Messina explains in the article that she "child-proofs" the books she reads to her children, including Harry Potter. She adds in her own lines to the book as she reads, changing the meaning of the book, making the characters more responsible, toning down the bad behavior, making them eat their vegetables.

This woman is insane.

And apparently she's serious. In the end, she decides Harry Potter is too dark for her five year old - she can't "pinkwash" it enough. So she gives up on it.

Hey, I'm all for choosing appropriate books for your children, but if you can't read it as is, then don't read it. I can't believe that even needs to be said.

Friday, November 1, 2013

Northwest Running and Triathlon Calendar - November 2013 - Thanksgiving Races and Turkey Trots



Yep, it's Thanksgiving Day - the single biggest running day of the entire year. This year, we've got 46 different races on Turkey Day. That's pretty good.

But even more amazing is the fact that you can run three marathons over Thanksgiving weekend...in the same city! Yes, Seattle has three marathons in four days: Thursday has the Wattle Waddle, Saturday has the Ghost Marathon and Sunday has the Seattle Marathon.

Sure, go ahead and run them all. Why not?

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 NOVEMBER 25th to DECEMBER 1ST

November 28th / West Linn Turkey Trot Trail Run 5k / West Linn, OR

November 28th / Wattle Waddle Marathon and Half Marathon / Seattle, WA

November 30th / Seattle Ghost Marathon and Half Marathon / Seattle, WA

December 1st / Seattle Marathon and Half Marathon / Seattle, WA

November 28th / Turkey on the Run 12k and 5k / Wenatchee, WA

November 28th / Turkey Day 5k / Boise, ID

November 28th / ORRC Turkey Trot 8k / Portland, OR

November 28th / Tofurkey Trot 5k / Portland, OR

November 28th / The Oly Trot 4m / Olympia, WA

November 28th / Beat the Bird 5k / Bellevue, WA

November 28th / Magnuson Series Thanksgiving Day Trot 10k and 5k / Seattle, WA

November 28th / Gateway's Run for the Hungry 5k / Washougal, WA

November 28th / Cheney Turkey Trot 5k / Cheney, WA

November 28th / Longview Turkey Trot 3.5m / Longview, WA

November 28th / Mini-Cassia Turkey Trot 5k / Paul, ID

November 28th / Race to Feed the Hungry 5k / Idaho Falls, ID

November 28th / Club 24 Turkey Trot 10k and 5k / Echo, OR

November 28th / Walk for Water Turkey Trot 5k / Ridgefield, WA

November 28th / Runucopia 15k, 10k and 5k / Salem, OR

November 28th / Huffing for Stuffing Run 10k and 5k / Bozeman, MT

November 28th / Portneuf Turkey Trot 5k / Pocatello, ID

November 28th / Oregon Turkeython 10k and 5k / Portland, OR

November 28th / Struttin for Stuffin 10k and 5k / Nampa, ID

November 28th / Give and Gobble Thanksgiving Day Run 10k and 5k / Sherwood, OR

November 28th / Turkey on the Run 12k and 5k / Wenatchee, WA

November 28th / Seattle Turkey Trot 5k / Seattle, WA

November 28th / Turkey Day 5k / Boise, ID

November 28th / Run, Turkey, Run! 5k / Billings, MT

November 28th / Bainbridge Island Turkey Trot 5k / Bainbridge Island, WA

November 28th / Newport Turkey Trot 10k and 5k / Newport, OR

November 28th / Burn the Bird 10k and 5k / Great Falls, MT

November 28th / Give Thanks Run 5m / Redmond, WA

November 28th / Benton-Franklin Red Cross Turkey Trot 5k / Kennewick, WA

November 28th / Skamania's Turkey Trot 5k / Stevenson, WA

November 28th / Gig Harbor Holmes Chiropractic Turkey Trot 10k and 5k / Gig Harbor, WA

November 28th / Tacoma City Turkey Trot 5k / Tacoma, WA

November 28th / Issaquah Turkey Trot 5k / Issaquah, WA

November 28th / Clark County Turkey Trot 10k and 5k / Vancouver, WA

November 28th / Southern Oregon Turkey Trot 8m / Medford, OR

November 28th / Oregon Mid Valley Road Race 5.2m and 3.75m / Albany, OR

November 28th / Bend Turkey Trot 5k / Bend, OR

November 28th / Run Wild Missoula's Turkey Day 8k / Missoula, MT

November 28th / Norpoint Turkey Trot 5k / Tacoma, WA

November 28th / OAC Turkey Trot 10k and 5k / Corvallis, OR

November 28th / Turkey Trot Eugene 4m / Eugene, OR

November 28th / Turkey Stuffer 5k / Springfield, OR

November 28th / Hood River Turkey Trot 12k and 5k / Hood River, OR

November 28th / Keizer Turkey Dash 5k / Keizer, OR

November 30th / Winter Wonderland of Lights 6m, 4m and 2m / Portland, OR

November 30th / Seattle Marathon 5k / Seattle, WA

November 30th / Christmas as the End of the Road 5k / Winthrop, WA

December 1st / Hot Buttered Run 12k and 5k / Vancouver, WA