Northwest Running and Triathlon Race Calendar - Halloween Runs Part III

Yes, you really could dress up in your Halloween costume in three consecutive weekends and run a Halloween race. In fact, if you're adventurous, you could try out SIX costumes by running both on Saturday and Sunday.

Think of the candy, man!

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 OCTOBER 22nd TO OCTOBER 28th

October 26th / Dawn of the Dead Dash Trail Run 5k / Tacoma, WA

October 27th / Team Red Lizard Stumptown XC 8k / Portland, OR

October 27th / Riverside Run Trail 10k and 5k / Spokane, WA

October 27th / Trail Creek Trail Run 12k / Sun Valley, ID

October 27th / ORRC Autumn Leaves 50/50 Trail Run 50m and 50k / Wilsonville, OR

October 27th / Trail of Terror Trail Run Half Marathon and 5k / Athol, ID

October 27th / Dawn of the Dead Dash Trail Run 5k / Seattle, WA

October 27th / Leavenworth Winter Sports Club Pumpkin Run 6.5m / Leavenworth, WA

October 28th / McDonald Forest Trail Runs 15k and 5k / Corvallis, OR

October 28th / Lutherwood Wouldn't You? Trail Run 10k and 5k / Bellingham, WA

October 28th / Scott Cougar Mountain Trail Run 50k and 20m / Newcastle, WA

October 27th / Runaway Pumpkin Half Marathon / Lebanon, OR

October 27th / Columbia Gorge Marathon and Half Marathon / Hood River, OR

October 27th / Snohomish River Run Half Marathon and 10k / Snohomish, WA

October 27th / Halloween Marathon, Half Marathon, 10m, 10k and 5k / Lacey, WA

October 27th / Grants Pass Half Marathon, 10k and 5k / Grants Pass, OR

October 27th / Columbia River Power Marathon, Half Marathon and 8k / Umatilla, OR

October 28th / Tri-Cities Marathon / Richland, WA

October 27th / Halloween Twilight Duathlon Sprint / Lacey, WA

October 28th / Methow Valley Off-Road Duathlon Olympic / Winthrop, WA

October 27th / Doc Sears Fall Classic 5m / Lewiston, ID

October 27th / Farm Man Challenge 6.66m and 5k / Meridian, ID

October 27th / Monster Moon Run 10k and 5k and Run for Your Bones 2hr and 1hr / Aloha, OR

October 27th / Monster Dash Run for Education 10k and 5k / Ashland, OR

October 27th / Pumpkin Push 5k / Seattle, WA

October 27th / Black Cat Fun Run 5m / Tacoma, WA

October 27th / DeMolay Halloween 5k / Olympia, WA

October 27th / The Color Run 5k / Boise, ID

October 27th / Real Needs Trick or Trot 5k / Moscow, ID

October 27th / Farmstead Challenge 5k / Meridian, ID

October 27th / Family Fun Pumpkin Run 5k / Great Falls, MT

October 27th / Halloween Haul 5k / Missoula, MT

October 28th / Run Now Wine Later 3m / Yamhill, OR

October 28th / Woodland Park Zoo Pumpkin Dash 5k / Seattle, WA

October 28th / Run Scared 5k / Seattle, WA

Photo from Run Scared 5k - Check it out in person!

Best Running Quote of All Time

Is this the best running quote in the history of running history?

Yes, yes it is.

Running is like sex with the SAME person everyday forever. In concept, boring, but once it's done, you really do feel smug and better than other people.

Original quote/Tweet from Jenny Mollen.

Requoted/Retweeted by Jenn Shelton.

Lance Armstrong Wins Superfrog Half Iron Triathlon

Ban? What ban?

Yes, Lance is still banned, but this was not an officially sanctioned race, so Lance rocked the banana hammock for the entire race and won easily with a course record 3:49:45.

Story here.

Photos here.

Different story and different photos here.

Northwest Running and Triathlon Race Calendar - Halloween Runs Part II

Even more Halloween Races to choose from - get your costume ready now!

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 OCTOBER 15th TO OCTOBER 21st

October 20th / Lake Padden Trail Half Marathon / Bellingham, WA

October 20th / Dawn of the Dead Dash Trail Run 5k / Portland, OR

October 21st / Goat Grind Trail Run 4m / Helena, MT

October 21st / Super Dave's Down and Dirty Trail Run Half Marathon / Bend, OR

October 21st / Fort Steilacoom Trail Run 50k, Half Marathon, 10k and 5k / Lakewood, WA

October 20th / Lewis-Clark Half Marathon and 5k / Clarkston, WA

October 21st / Run Like Hell! Half Marathon, 10k and 5k / Portland, OR

October 19th / Fall Sprint Triathlon Sprint / Boise, ID (swim on Friday, bike and run on Sat)

October 21st / Beaver Fever Duathlon Sprint / Philomath, OR

October 20th / Halloween Hill Climb 5k / Sherwood, OR

October 20th / Montessori Monster Mash Dash 5k / Pocatello, ID

October 20th / Run with the Kokanee 10k and 5k / Issaquah, WA

October 20th / SHOES 5k: Operation Indonesia 5k / Seattle, WA

October 20th / Zombie Chase 5k / Rigby, ID

October 20th / Monster Dash 5k / Salem, OR

October 20th / Chelan Chase 5k / Chelan, WA

October 20th / Howl n Scream Scram 10k and 5k / Richland, WA

October 20th / Miles for Mercy 10k and 5k / Richland, WA

October 20th / Monster Dash 5k / Richland, WA

October 20th / Operation Christmas Child Shoebox Run 10k and 5k / Arlington, WA

October 20th / Walla Walla Crush 10k and 5k / Walla Walla, WA

October 20th / Wish Run 5k / Idaho Falls, ID

October 20th / Fremont Mat Dawgs Fall Night 5k / Umpqua, OR

October 20th / Here 2 Hear 10k and 5k / Boise, ID

October 20th / Regatta Run 5k / Tualatin, OR

October 21st / The Dash Race for the Kids 5k / Seattle, WA

October 21st / Run the Tac with the Pac 5k / Tacoma, WA

October 21st / Team Susie Race for a Heart 10k and 5k / Pendleton, OR

October 21st / Dawg Dash 10k and 5k / Seattle, WA

October 21st / Mighty Oaks Acorn Run 5k / Corvallis, OR

October 21st / Goblin Gallop 5k / Redmond, WA

October 21st / Komen Race for the Cure 8k and 5k / Eugene, OR

Photo once again from Best Race Costumes.

New RaceCenter NW Article Hits the Stands - Cross Country and Cyclocross

It's true, I've got another faboo new article out in the latest issue of RaceCenter NW - at a Jamba Juice near you!

Or if you're lazy as dirt, just head over to the RaceCenter Digital Edition and you'll be able to keep your ass firmly planted in your couch. You're welcome.

So let's see if there's anything worth looking at, besides the article from the R's Writing Factory of course:

-Well, the cover is cool. I'm excited about finally getting back out there for a trail race in a couple weeks, at the Condor 25k, and this cover picture gets me thinking about running on that lovely, soft dirt.

-After a bunch of pretty, full-page ads, we get Brook Gardner's Editorial on page 12. Brook makes some good points about the minimalist movement and not following fads and getting a shoe that actually works for you. Or as I've said, more succinctly, many times, "get a real pair of shoes, for God's sake - those Five Fingers will just end up at the bottom of your closet."

-Some Race Briefs: Seattle Marathon (which I won't run until they get a new RD), Nike Cross Nationals coming to Portland, Stumptown XC coming up (I hope to make it to a race), tons o' Jingle Bell Runs, Jeff Browning showing them who's boss at the Wasatch 100, and Cyclocross news. All good stuff, all informative.

-An informative article on Fueling for Late-Day Energy, for those pesky evening races.

-My homeboy Max King talking about getting your Mental Schwerve on. (I know this is a family blog and all, but does anyone else read Max King and have your brain instantly translate it as "Max F*cking King"? Mine does. I mean, the guy is just incredible.)

-Chris Bagg, tri dude extraordinaire, talks about the bennies of Cyclocross.

-USATF Oregon Stuff.

-Jeff Browning talks about the race from the cover photo: the TransRockies Run.

-Some amazing writer with the amazing name of Scott Lommers writes an article about the amazing similarities between Cross Country Running and Cyclocross. And he titles the article "Criss Cross." Yes, I thought of that. Wow. Amazing.

-JD Downing talks about snow and sports and stuff. Not interested, thanks. Too cold.

-Somebody writes an article about Scott Sports. I assume it was Brook Gardner, but for some reason he didn't put a byline on it.

-Then a Shoe Guide. And hey! There's the Nike Pegasus 29. What do you know, I just reviewed that bad boy myself!

-Then the Event Calendar and we're done.

All in all, not a bad issue. Good stuff. Pick one up so you can be one of those smart people with all kinds of helpful fricking advice.

Max King Wins at XTERRA Championships and 50K Trails Championships - And Other Links

Oregon running god Max King rolls to win at USA 50k Trail Championships - But wait! On the same weekend, Max also...

Our guy Max King also wins the XTERRA Trail Run National Championship - for the fifth straight freaking time

Still a few spots open for the Boston Marathon - got a marathon this weekend?

A photo gallery from the XTERRA USA Triathlon Championships - no, Max King didn't win the tri race...but only because he didn't enter

Andy Potts and Jenny Fletcher win Branson Ironman 70.3 - Andy's my boy; he's a swimmer at heart

Finish your races strong - or follow my plan: start too fast and die a miserable death

Jordan Rapp and Christine Anderson win Leadman 250 in Bend, OR - they moved the race from Las Vegas

Some Tri Bike Porn for the ladies out there - it's Michellie Jones' custom pink Felt (that sounds dirtier than it really is...)

Review of running water bottles and other hydration systems - I love my basic, old Amphipod.

And here are some photos of the Leadman race in Bend - looks like a pretty bike ride

Corvallis Fall Festival Race Results and Race Review

Another 2012 race and another PR in the books!

Hey, if you just want to see the results and could care less about my race; I completely understand. Here are the results for the 5k and 10k.

Now let's talk about me!

So I was on a nice little streak in 2012 coming into the Corvallis Fall Festival 10k. I had run four races and set three all-time PR's and one master's PR. So I was four for four. And since I had set my 10k PR last year, at the very same Fall Festival course, I saw no reason that I shouldn't go five for five in 2012. My PR coming in was 48:57. Nothing spectacular, to be sure. It was basically the same pace as my half marathon PR, so I definitely felt good about my chances coming in.

We actually had some rain the night before, but an hour or so before race time it was sunny and quite warm. A good day for a race!

I met my friend Manny B, coming up from Eugene, and we chatted, did a little warmup, chatted, hit the honey buckets, and chatted while we waited for the 10k start time of 9:15. Sort of late on a warm day like today, but there you go.

Now I know I've complained about this before, but I just don't understand...so I'm going to complain again. You've got a race with both a 10k and a 5k...why do you start the 5k first!?!? The 5k will always have the walkers and the kids and the joggers. The 10k will always have the more serious, faster on average, runners. So why start the 5k first? I just don't understand...

Anyway, they started the 5k at 9:10 and the 10k exactly five minutes later at 9:15. I don't need to tell you that we came up on the back of the 5k pack very, very quickly. It was never completely blocked like we were at the Red, White and Blue 5k, but you had to swerve back and forth around a number of walkers, both during the first two miles, then at the end as well when we merged back in together during the last mile. Big deal? No. But I still think you could solve the problem by starting the 10k first. Stepping off soapbox...now!

As usual, I ran the first quarter mile or so without looking at my watch. I like to try to find my pace and keep my breathing and heart rate at a decent level before I look at my pace and adjust.

And as usual, I went out too fast.

I mean, look at that first quarter-mile! I needed to average about 7:45 to set a new PR. I wanted to average about 7:30. I glanced down at my watch at about a quarter-mile and saw I was hitting about 6:15! Hey now! I looked up and saw Gerhard Behrens' back just ahead of me and then I really knew I needed to slow down. There's no way I should be running up with him at any point in the race.

I was able to reel it back in a bit and hit the first mile marker at 7:03. Quite a bit faster than my plan, but I felt OK so I just kept rolling. The second mile came in at a respectable 7:14 and I knew if I could just hang on for 6.2 miles, the PR was looking like it would go down hard.

Miles three and four are a long, straight out and back on the road that heads behind the OSU Dairy Barns and then under the Covered Bridge, until finally hitting the turn-around all the way out at 53rd. No 5k runners to worry about in this section, but it's not my favorite section, plus the sun was blazing in our faces on the way back to campus. My splits here were 7:33 and 7:28, which was just about perfect. I was feeling it a little bit, but was pretty happy that my pace was steady around 7:30.

We came back onto campus proper for mile five and my favorite section - a slight downhill and, importantly, shaded by huge trees as we made our way down to Reser Stadium. Overall, this is a very flat and fast course. That plus the late September date, which usually means clear skies, but not too hot, makes this a great course for a PR. I hit mile five at 7:36.

I was tired on mile six, and my 7:41 pace shows that, but there's a short hill in front of Dixon there and I was already dreaming of the downhill past Benton Hall and the finish line right after.

I came through the last .2 mile with a nice push at 7:14 pace to hit the line at 46:11.

The old PR was 48:57, so it was a nearly three minute slice off my old PR! Overall, I was 39th out of 216 runners in the 10k. Fourth out of 15 in my age-division...so close to that white ribbon! And 35th out of 105 guys.

So one more PR in the books for 2012! Next up is the Condor Run 25k...that's a very hilly trail run...although I don't think I've ever run a 25k before, so I guess that's a sure PR!

See you there!

Nike Pegasus 29 Review

So the new Nike Pegasus is out...and I've been nervous since I saw the first picture of the updated design a few months back. It doesn't really look like the Pegasus 28.

I'd say, if anything, it's looking quite a bit like the Lunarglide.

The sole doesn't have the block in the outside of the heel any longer. It's now just a solid block of Cushlon. Apparently still has Zoom Air in there, so the end result probably isn't much different. And indeed, it feels about the same on the foot...well, cushion-wise anyway.

And yes, I do have something to compare them to...yes, I do.

I've been a big fan of the Pegasus for a few years. Which might explain my apprehension on the changes:
-traction design is different
-sole design, as mentioned earlier, is different
-and the upper is hugely different

So after a few runs, here are my thoughts on the Pegasus 29.

I haven't used them long enough, or in any kind of wet weather, to comment on the traction design that much. I was NOT a fan of the old traction design, so any change is OK with me. I thought the old traction design was a little slippery in the rain and seemed to wear out pretty quickly.

The sole, although very different in appearance, feels pretty much exactly the same as the old one. And that's a good thing. It's very cushioned, great for long training runs or long races. It also has a big heel to toe drop. Again, that's fine with me. If you're a minimalist, zero-drop, type of person, you already know that this is not the shoe for you. But if you're old-school, and want a decent drop in your running shoe, here you go.

Now the upper. Well, it's radically different. It's very light, very thin, mesh material. And there's not much in the way of overlays. It's just light. And that's good. I mean, I like the way it feels on my foot. But...it worries me a bit too. It almost feels a little too light. Too insubstantial. I would not wear this shoe on a long trail run - I'd be afraid of blowing a toe out the front or the side. Now I have no idea if this is true - I've only worn them four times now - but that's definitely how it feels.

So overall, I think they'll be good. They feel about the same, only lighter. That's good, right? Only time will tell if the upper material truly is durable. If not, I'll be back to let you know. Until then, light is good. Every ounce off my person is an ounce I don't have to drag 26.2 miles!

Let's run!

Northwest Running and Triathlon Race Calendar - Halloween Runs!

Halloween races? Already?

True story. Get your costumes out and get ready because here they come.

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 OCTOBER 8th TO OCTOBER 14th

October 13th / Detroit Lake Mud Run 10k / Detroit, OR

October 13th / Hagg Lake Hybrid Marathon / Gaston, OR

October 13th / Mink Creek Jane Austin Zombie Chase Trail Run 6m / Pocatello, ID

October 13th / Team Red Lizard Stumptown XC 5k / Portland, OR

October 13th / XTERRA Harvest Half Marathon and 10k / Kenmore, WA

October 13th / Sekani Trail Run 10k and 5k / Spokane, WA

October 13th / Soda Screamer Thirteener Trail Half Marathon / Soda Springs, ID

October 13th / Defiance Ultra 50k, 30k and 15k / Tacoma, WA

October 13th / Triple Ripple Trail Festival 10k and 4m / Orcas Island, WA

October 13th / Le Grizz Ultra Marathon 50m / Kalispell, MT

October 13th / Canfield Mountain Trail Run Series Half Marathon, 9m and 5k / Coeur d'Alene, ID

October 14th / Helena South Hills Trail Series 6.6m / Helena, MT

October 14th / Spokane Marathon, Half Marathon and 10k / Spokane, WA

October 14th / Walla Walla Marathon, Half Marathon and 10k / Walla Walla, WA

October 14th / Poulsbo Marathon, Half Marathon and 10k / Poulsbo, WA

October 14th / City of Trees Marathon and Half Marathon / Boise, ID

October 14th / Girlfriends Half Marathon / Vancouver, WA

October 14th / Albany Aquatics Last Chance Triathlon and Duathlon Sprint / Albany, OR

October 14th / Klicks Mt. Bike Duathlon Sprint / Bellingham, WA

October 13th / The Great Pumpkin Race 5k / Bend, OR

October 13th / Zombie Apocalypse Run 5k / Dayton, OR

October 13th / Domestic Violence Awareness Run 10k and 5k / Salem, OR

October 13th / ORRC Blue Lake Runs 15k and 5k / Troutdale, OR

October 13th / Big Bend Triathlon Club 10k and 5k / Moses Lake, WA

October 13th / Fire Prevention 5k / Snohomish, WA

October 13th / Race Against Racism 5k / Tacoma, WA

October 13th / Autumn Leaf 10k and 5k / Omak, WA

October 13th / Edmonds Celebrate Schools 5k / Edmonds, WA

October 13th / Fall Fest Footrace 10k and 5k / Richland, WA

October 13th / Mount Vernon Band Aid 10k and 5k / Mount Vernon, WA

October 13th / Rampage at the RAC 5k / Lacey, WA

October 13th / Sacred Heart School 5k / Gervais, OR

October 13th / Jeff Silbernagel Memorial 8k and 5k / Lyons, OR

October 13th / Pumpkin Run 5k / Missoula, MT

October 13th / Lebanon Rotary Race for Literacy 10k and 5k / Lebanon, OR

October 13th / Airfield Estates Vineyard Run 5k / Sunnyside, WA

October 13th / What Women Want Fun Run 5k / Great Falls, MT

October 13th / Mustang Stampede 5k / Ammon, ID

October 13th / Running of the Bulldogs 5k / Bellevue, WA

October 13th / Raw Deal Run 6m / McLeod, MT

October 13th / Crabfest Fun Run 5k / Port Angeles, WA

October 13th / Monster Mash 5k / Shoreline, WA

October 13th / WHHH Paint the Towns Pink 5k / Raymond, WA

Ocotber 13th / Stagecoach Run 10k and 5k / Jacksonville, OR

October 13th / Bengal 5k / Pocatello, ID

October 14th / Azrael's Wish - A Cure for Galactosemia 5k / Hillsboro, OR

October 14th / Hospice Run to Remember 4m / Springfield, OR

October 14th / Jog the Bog 10k and 5k / Grayland, WA

October 14th / Haunted Hustle 10k and 5k / Puyallup, WA

October 14th / Young Life Seattle 5k for KIDS 5k / Seattle, WA

October 14th / Free Flight Run 10k and 5k / Newport, OR

Need a costume idea? Check out this amazing website about...yes, best race costumes!

Inaugural Condor Run 25k

A brand new trail run in Corvallis, in memory of Corvallis ultrarunner Dave "Condor" Bateham, the Condor 25k will hold its inaugural edition on October 6th.

All the registration info is here and here.

Am I signed up? You know I am. I needed to do a long training run that day anyway. What better way than to do it running up and down the hills of Corvallis?

And when I saw that humbly awesome Condor 25k art up above, I knew I simply had to own that race shirt.

It's about 50% filled. Hurry up and sign up today and I'll see you out on the trails!