Corvallis Half Marathon Report and Results

Yeah, I was in about nine pictures, but not a single one was a decent shot. Ah well...when your best photo is the one where you're directly blocked by some guy without a shirt that should never be without a shirt, well...

Here are the free photos if you'd like to look through them.

And note, that I was wearing my AWESOME Blerch shirt from The Oatmeal. "I believe in the Blerch!"

OK, Corvallis Half Marathon. Let's discuss. Actually, let's discuss the week heading to the race.

So last Wednesday, Jen came down with a pretty bad case of the flu. Vomiting, diarrhea, the works. I, of course, teased her about it being great prep for the Half. Yes, foreshadowing.

Fast forward to Friday morning. I wake up with an upset stomach, but not feeling too bad otherwise. Yep, I’ve got the runs too. Oh boy. I still don’t feel awful though. So I’m shaving to get ready for work and am about to get into the shower when I suddenly feel like I’m going to throw up. I mean, it hit me out of nowhere. Super-fast. Sweat on my forehead – the whole works immediately. So I get down on the floor by the toilet and…

Yeah, I’m not sure if you know this about me or not, but when I’m really sick or dehydrated, I pass out. I’ve fainted probably a dozen times in my life, usually when I’ve got the flu or something similar.

…so I come to, and I’m not joking here, wedged in between the bathtub and the toilet with my face resting on the toilet plunger like it’s a pillow. And lord, I know where that thing’s been! Anyway, when I come out of a faint like that, it always takes a good few minutes just to remember where I am and what the hell is going on. But it eventually comes to me: I’m sick, I passed out, I should get my face off the plunger. Oh, and I’ll spare you the details, but did you know that some bodily functions, like vomiting and diarrhea, don’t necessarily stop when you’re passed out? Yeah, the bathroom and I were a god-awful mess.

So I get in the shower just to get cleaned up. Stumble downstairs and get into the floor of the bathroom down there…and proceed to do the whole damn thing over again. Vomit, pass out, diarrhea…in various combinations. I think Jen ended up doing about four loads of laundry just from me that day.

So after about two hours of this, I felt a little better and moved out to the couch. Since I weigh myself every day, I realized the next day that I had lost seven pounds in basically two hours!

So yeah, that was two days before the race. Saturday I felt about 60-70% back to normal and I figured I’d walk the damn Half if I had to – I wasn’t going to just skip it. Sunday, I was up to maybe 80% health. The problem was the illness and the weight loss just took the starch out of me. At about 8 miles, my legs were just jelly. There was an ambulance taking a girl off the course at about mile 12 (it was probably due to the heat – it was pretty warm) and I thought “there but for the grace of God go I.”

Yeah, so that's the short version about why I ran a 1:58 instead of a 1:45 or so that I think I was capable of.

If you're looking for results, check here or here.

For non-free photos, head over here or here.

There was a fair bit of controversy about the new logo for the race. Most people didn't like it. They did clean the final version up a bit and the logo on the shirts actually doesn't look too bad.



Sorry, didn't get a very clear shot on that one. Let's try again.



And the back.



It's one of those races where they give you a "finisher" shirt before you actually run the race. That's OK. I still ran it, even though the temptation was pretty strong.

They also tossed in a decent pair of racing socks with the logo, but I forgot to get a picture of the socks. Sorry about that.

The medal isn't too bad. Better looking than the previous few years, for sure.



So that's that. A very slow Corvallis Half. No biggie. I plan to be in shape - and NOT sick - for the Eugene Half on July 27th. Looking for a PR there.

See you then.

Heart of the Valley Triathlon 2013 - Now in April!

Be aware - the Heart of the Valley Triathlon has moved up by a full month!



In the past, the HOTV Tri was always held on Memorial Day weekend. Maybe thinking they'd attract more racers by moving it off the holiday, the 2013 edition will be held on Sunday, April 21st.



Hopefully, it will increase the number of racers, because it is a bit of a risky move. The last weekend in May is hardly guaranteed for good weather, but it sure has a better shot of it than the middle of April. And moving it up that far puts it just two weeks after another Corvallis triathlon, the Beaver Freezer.

Five Years...Ten Posts: Part 4

Four years ago, the R's Family made, frankly, our best decision ever: we moved to Corvallis, Oregon. After living the first 40 years of my life in Washington State, it wasn't a huge move, mileage-wise, but it was a gargantuan change in every other way.

We could not have found a better city to live in, raise a family in, and yes, to run in. Thank you Corvallis.

This post, from August 4th, 2008, was just a couple weeks before we moved to Corvallis. Jen and I were in town to house hunt and, for me, to job hunt. Yes, we moved here before I even had a job. Yikes.

It looks like I was about 30 pounds heavier here, so Chip Ross and the rest of the great running trails in Corvallis have been good for me in that respect.

And there's Jingle! She loved Corvallis as well. What a good dog.

HITTIN' THE CHIP ROSS WALL...

Apparently, Chip Ross is Latin for "Holy crap, will this 89 degree uphill never end!?!" Yes, I ran (well, who's kidding whom), I sort of ran-walked up and down the main trail at the Chip Ross Park in Corvallis today. That's some steep stuff right there. Was it worth it? Check out those photos...yeah, it was worth it. I almost broke my ankle trying to check out the view while I was running. "Kids. Always stop and walk before you gaze at the view!"

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!

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!

Mental Toughness and the Long Run

There's nothing else you can do that proves how much you want it. Nothing that shows how interested you are in getting a good time in a marathon that's still 12 weeks away. Nothing that shows how bad you want to get into the Boston Marathon.

Yes, I'm talking about the weekly long training run. Two or three hours out on the roads and trails, usually just me and the iPod, trying to put away 12, 15, even 20 miles.

It's amazing how many different ways you can think "I'd rather be doing anything else but running" over the period of two long hours.

So today I needed to churn out 14 miles. I mean, the mileage itself isn't really the issue. I know I can run 14 miles anytime, anywhere.

But then why is it still so hard to actually do it?

Let's check out the old pace chart from the run and see what it tells us:

I need to hit 7:50 pace in the CIM in December to qualify for Boston, so that means I should be doing most of my long runs in the neighborhood of 8:35 to 9:20. You can see from the map above, if you know Corvallis at all, that I pretty much steered clear of the hillier parts of town. It was basically a flat run, so I don't have that as an excuse.

I start out fine, maybe even a touch fast, but that's to be expected early, when the legs still feel good. I get into a bit of a rut in mile seven and eight, but that's not too strange for me either - that's about the halfway point. I always drop off a bit around there, until I can start to smell the barn, then I usually can pick it up. Which I do in miles 9-11, keeping the pace under 9:00.

But then I started to feel 45 years old. I started to wonder if I really wanted to do this for the next 12 weeks. I mean, really? And once you start asking those kinds of questions, you're in trouble.

So Mile 12 was 9:18, at the very top end of my needed training pace. I completely fell off the cliff on Mile 13 with a 9:49. Not that it was a surprise - I didn't want to be out there any longer. I was done.

No, the surprise was Mile 14. I was actually able to make a deal with myself. One last mile hard. Show yourself you want it. Show yourself you can do it.

I even found a mantra for Mile 14, "Lock it in," I told myself over and over.

And what do you know? It worked. I hit 8:24 for the last mile - mile 14 on the day. That was as fast as any mile for the run.

Did I feel good? Strong? Powerful and fast?

Yeah....no.

But I did it. And in the end, no matter what you have to say to yourself to get there, if you can say "I did it," than you had a good run.

Twelve weeks to go.

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!

Running and Hay Fever

Damn, that Tom Selleck had a nice-looking hairy chest, am I right?

Yeah, that's foreshadowing.

So anyhoo, when you've got a bad case of hay fever, every single year, from about April to July, you can't really just put running on hold. I mean, that's the meat of the running year right there. In the Northwest, that's damn near the entire running year. Outdoors anyway.

So basically, you just pop your favorite pill every morning and hope for the best.

So after a little Fexofenadine fix, I hit the trails this morning for a nice ten-miler in the Corvallis sunshine. And apart from a little wind (which hay fever sufferers never want to see), the weather was just about perfect.

So off I went. A nice little loop by campus then back to Bald Hill Park via the Midge Cramer Path.

And even though my pace slowed down considerably going up Bald Hill, I was pretty happy with my overall pace, especially the few miles after the hill. I felt good.

My splits for the ten+ were:
8:17
8:32
8:34
8:54
8:58
8:31
10:21
10:07
8:13
8:03
7:58
Can you tell where I was going up?!?

And while my hay fever didn't cause my throat to close up, like it sometimes does when I run through Avery Park, it was clear when I went to take my shower that the pollen was going through my lungs pretty good.

No, I don't have chicken pox. Those are hives from breathing in too much pollen during the run. Makes you wonder what my actual lungs look like. I don't really want to know. And no, I don't have quite the hairy goodness of Magnum, P.I., but I'm getting there.

And you wonder why Galen Rupp wears that dorky mask? Well, that's why.

Galen Rupp photo from Thomas Boyd and the Oregonian.

Corvallis Half Marathon Race Review!

Yep, the 2nd Annual Corvallis Half Marathon is in the books. Check out the results right here and/or here.

So the race...the day started out just about perfect. Light cloud cover, temp at the start right around fifty degrees and absolutely no wind. Perfect. They were calling for 2000 runners, but it sure didn't seem like that at the start line - it was very thin towards the front of the starting chute. I guess everyone wanted to be in the back of the line. Whatever.

So the OSU band played the National Anthem, nice touch, and we were off!

Did I have a solid plan coming into this race? Yeah, not so much. I wasn't positive how I wanted to run this Half. A few weeks back, I was running very well...felt good, felt strong. Then I pulled something in my side, maybe an oblique. The last couple of weeks have not been as good. I've been cutting runs short, skipping days, just not hitting on all cylinders. So I thought I better go out conservatively, maybe try for an 8:15 for the first few miles, at the very fastest. The problem was my brain was having trouble communicating with my legs. I could not, could not, slow down enough in the first mile. I checked the Garmin...7:35 pace. Holy crap! Slow down! Checked it again a minute later...7:38. Are you kidding me? I totally put on the brakes and finished the first mile with a 7:54. OK. I mean, I know I can handle that kind of pace for five, six, seven miles, but for 13.1? Not sure. Slow down. Now!

Nope. Second mile...7:46. Nope again, third mile...7:46 again. Yowza. OK, I was getting past the point of this even mattering. I mean, I was already 25% into the race, might as well just run it now. If I died at the end, then there you go.

At least a couple slight uphills in miles four and five kept me slightly above 8:00 pace, with an 8:00 and a 8:03. And a slight downhill in miles six and seven, I kicked it back up to 7:43 and 7:42. I was feeling pretty good and was almost ready to stop worrying about my pace. But not quite. See, mile eight was the long, slow uphill. That was the only worry left. If I could get through that mile at a decent clip, I'd feel pretty good about the rest of the race.

Oof, long, slow, uphills. Not my favorite. But I got through it at 8:14. Good enough. Just a couple very short hills after that - almost all flat or downhill on the last five miles. The sun came out on and off to warm up the situation, but how can I complain about that? I've been waiting for sunshine for months! Bring it!

I got through mile nine at 7:35 - lots of downhill there. Miles ten, eleven and twelve came in at 7:49, 7:48 and 7:54. I was starting to feel it a little bit - my legs were wearing down. But I reminded myself that I was on pace to absolutely crush my Half Marathon PR and that kept me chugging along. Actually passed a few people that were crashing harder than I was during mile thirteen, a 7:46, and brought the last tenth home with a 7:05 pace. Considering they run you down into the stadium on an asphalt ramp that's at about a 15% slope, I'm surprised I didn't slide through the finish line on my face - my legs barely kept up with me going down that hill.

Came across the 50 yard line in Reser Stadium at 1:42:24. That was good for 175th overall (out of 1634), and 10th in my age division (out of 60). But that's just the frosting.

The cake was the 1:42:24 was a nine-minute plus PR of a Half time I ran way back in 2004. And my 2012 Corvallis Half finish time was a full 14 minutes faster than my 2011 finish time! I'm feeling pretty good about that.

But is it Boston worthy? Well, that's the big question, right? After all the hemming and hawing, the 7:50 pace was exactly the pace I'd need to run in Newport to qualify for Boston. So that's good. But clearly, the pace I can run for 13.1 does not exactly transfer straight across to 26.2. The pace conversion at Runner's World grades me up to a 3:33:24 marathon time. Which is about ten minutes faster than my last approximation, but not quite up to the 3:25:00 I need for a BQ.

Ah well, I needed something to work on for the next six weeks anyway.

Photos by Jen Lommers - thanks!

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Corvallis Half Marathon Results!

Here they are!

Race report coming soon.

169

Beaver Freezer Triathlon 2012 Results!

Here they are!

And here they are!

And Steve Hatten - go run your 3rd lap!

Wow, what great weather for the race - let's hope we get the same thing next Sunday at the Corvallis Half.

Congrats to everyone that raced the Freezer!

168

A New Corvallis Race? In December? Really?

Apparently, EPIC 2011 will not be finished on Thanksgiving Day, after all.

A new race, a first year debut, has appeared. And it's a "Reverse Aquathlon" of all things! Check it out here. Officially, they're calling this event the Holiday Multisport Classic and it takes place on December 17th.

There's also a plain old 5k, if you'd rather. Personally, I'm all about the swimming, thanks.

So...the pain train rolls on! Event number 28 on the EPIC 2011 list.

Holy schmoly.

Corvallis 5 Race Review!

Or not, as the case may be...

So this was the first of a race double header for me on the 30th. The Corvallis 5k, at 9:00am, was to be my 25th race of the year and the McDonald Forest 15k Trail Run, at 10:00am, was to be my 26th.

Didn't happen.

Hey, I was ready and willing, but the Corvallis 5k wasn't.

All of the runners were literally lined up in the starting chute, at about 8:55am, when the race director announced, "Looks like we'll be a couple of minutes late. The 5 mile race will start a few minutes after nine, and the 5k will start at 9:15."

What?

I mean, WHAT?!?

Hey, it said in the flyer that the race started at 9:00. It said at the website that the race started at 9:00. I was on a tight schedule, with no room for error. I had to start at 9:00!

So I stood there and talked it over with my manager, otherwise known as my wife. Even if the 5k started right at 9:15, which was debatable, it would only leave me about 15 minutes to drive from downtown Corvallis to McDonald Forest and find a parking spot and get to the start line. Too tight. We came to the conclusion that I had no choice but to call this one and take off for the McDonald Forest 15k.

Not happy about that. I'll probably run the course later this week just to make myself feel better, but it's not the same. Here are the results. Yeah, I'm not in there.

Shirt is pretty boring, except for the fact that the back says, and I quote, "Spread the love like you spread butter! Mad Love!" Um, ok.

On to the McDonald Forest 15k!

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!

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!

Habitat Half Marathon Coming Fast!

Yeah, we've got quite a gap here between races in the EPIC 2011 series: almost six weeks between the Out to the Ballgame 5k and the Habit for Humanity Health Heart Home Half Marathon Trail Run (yeah...let's just call that one the 6H Half). But this is no time to slack off on the training! The 6H Half (or 10k or 5k if you wish), is a beast of a trail run. It's basically just about half of the Mac 50 course, so yeah, it's tough!

With that in mind, the R's hit the Bald Hill trails today for a little hill work. It was a good hard 11 miler, two trips up Bald Hill, with about 1000 feet of climbing. Good for what ails ya!

You've got about four weeks of training left before the 6H Half - get on those hills!

My First 5k Win!

Of course, I ran it by myself...

Check out the whole story here in the Corvallis Gazette Times.

So OK, I didn't officially win the Out to the Ballgame 5k, but I did set a new 2011 5k PR of 24:07. Let me tell you, it's sort of nice to have a pacer on a bike out in front of you for the entire course. Thanks Gerhard!

Oh and the photo. Note Carson in the background. The kids ran the warning track and 3rd baseline home with me after I got to Goss stadium. She was getting a bit tired at that point, but nice effort while holding a stuffed buffalo! Payton, of course, had no trouble keeping up with me even though he was in flip flops.

Thanks to Aaron Yost for the nice article and Ethan Erickson for the photo.

Run Faster in One Easy Step!

If you're looking to run faster, I recommend the Pacific Gopher Snake (helpfully pictured above).

I was coming down the back side of Bald Hill on Sunday and started to jump over what I thought was a rubber water diverter, of which many are placed along the trails in Bald Hill to keep the rain from washing out the trail. Well, I thought it was a rubber diverter until it started to move across the trail. That was when my foot was about two inches above it and, almost against the laws of physics, it turns out you can actually jump straight up in the air even when running down a hill at a 7:00 pace. Who knew, right?

So if you're looking for something to move you right along on your next long weekend run, I'm going to say "four foot long Pacific Gopher Snake."

Yep, that'll do it.

Red, White and Blue Riverfront Festival 5k Race Review!

You know how some races just align with the stars? You line up at the start line and your legs feel fresh, your mind is totally focused and you're ready to push your body harder than you ever have before?

Yeah, this was not that race.

Hey, it wasn't the fault of the...man, I don't want to type that whole thing again...let's just say the Red 5k. It's not you, it's me! I mean, if you think I'm going to complain about a race that costs $4, think again.

But as I head farther into the abyss that is the EPIC 2011, and this was my 16th race of the year, I'm starting to realize it's very much a double-edged sword. While a bad race is easily forgotten, since the next race is never far off, I'm realizing it's pretty hard to get mentally prepared for every race. Sure, a 50k or a Half Marathon, heck, even a sprint tri, gives you enough to work with. You can see the challenge there and prepare yourself mentally and physically.

But another 5k, on a course that I've raced, honestly, three times already this year? Man, I was standing on the start line and I just wasn't there mentally. I had a bit of an upset stomach since the night before, my legs were a bit tired, it was hot, and frankly, I had absolutely no reason to believe I was even going to approach a EPIC PR.

Sheesh.

Really, the best thing I can say for my performance here is I managed to hang on to beat Payton. Let me tell you, when he gets his lungs in good enough shape to beat me in a race (and it will happen sooner rather than later), I want it to be memorable for both of us. I want him to earn it. So we both still have that to look forward to.

Ah well, maybe I just need a vacation...

Out to the Ballgame 5k - Hawaii Satellite Race coming up!

Girls On The Run All Up In My Face

OK, let me get the disclaimer out of the way right up front...because my wife said I had to: Girls on the Run is a fine organization full of wonderful people accomplishing fantastic goals.

Then why do they hate me so much!?!

Let me explain. No there is too much. Let me sum up.

So, if you have a really good memory, you'll remember WAY back in June of 2009, I ran my last Girls on the Run 5k, right here in Corvallis. Yeah, that was the race that didn't have a volunteer or a marking at the turnaround, causing about the first 50 runners to cover an extra 1.2 miles. Yeah, I wasn't happy about that.

Then, in the 2011 Girls on the Run 5k, just a few weeks ago, I ran what can only be termed an uninspired and unmemorable race, but, and this is the important part, I did indeed RUN.

So, you might ask, why then, are you not listed among the 500 runners in the results?

Well, that's a good question, isn't it?

I believe it's because Girls on the Run organization hates me for some reason. Hey, I'm a nice guy! What's the deal?

In case you were wondering, I finished 14th, about two seconds after Mr. Williams, my son's old fifth grade teacher. Go ahead, just write my name in there. In pen.

Why does it matter, you ask? It was just a small 5k, with very few speedy runners entered, and for a charitable cause, to boot.

Hey, I'm a runner. It just matters.