Nike...Don't Make Me Get Stern With You

So I headed to the Nike Outlet store last night 'cause the R's needs to shoe up before the Eugene Marathon...which is coming up scary-fast.

And lo, what do my eyes behold but Air Max Moto 7's...and 6's! See, I've been running in Motos for, well, since the Motos came out about seven years ago. And I've loved every pair. Well, until the Moto 7's. Not that they were bad, but they felt like they had a really low-profile heel. Which I don't want. I liked that the Motos had always had a bit of a slope from the heel to the forefoot. But the 7's felt flat. Sometimes it felt like my heel was in a pothole.

I thought I was just imagining it. I mean, would Nike drastically change a style on the seventh version?! Of course not!

Well, I tried on the Moto 6's and the Moto 7's side by side last night and...Nike drastically changed a style on the seventh version.

That's not good business. That makes me wonder about the 8's. Will they be back to normal...or was the Moto 7 the new normal?

Ah well, at least I was able to buy a new pair of Moto 6's last night. I'm good for another 4-6 months.

Man, there are so many races coming up, it's certifiably insane.

Let's race!


RACES FOR WEEK OF APRIL 19th TO APRIL 25th

April 24th / Earth Day 10k and 5k / Tigard, OR

April 24th / Lynch Creek 5k / Eatonville, WA

April 24th / Eagle Run 10k and 5k / Oak Harbor, WA

April 24th / Santiam Lumberjack Scramble 10k and 5k / Mill City, OR

April 24th / Troop 1571 5k / Poulsbo, WA

April 24th / Dolphin Dash 5k / Port Orchard, WA

April 24th / Tom Wales Community Run 5k / Seattle, WA

April 24th / Sean's Run From Autism 10k and 5k / Portland, OR

April 24th / Fun with the Fuzz 5k / Bellingham, WA

April 24th / Cougar Community 5k / Vancouver, WA

April 25th / Fixit Fun'd Run 10k and 5k / Anacortes, WA

April 25th / Ice Breaker Road Race 5 mile, 3 mile, and 1 mile / Great Falls, MT

April 25th / Olivia Medici Memorial 10k and 5k / Beaverton, OR

April 25th / See Spot Run 5k / Yakima, WA

April 25th / Top Pot Doughnut Dash 5k / Seattle, WA

April 25th / Bainbridge Island Half-Marathon and 5k / Bainbridge Island, WA

April 25th / Clubsport Run for Haiti 10k / Tualatin, OR

April 25th / Boardwalk 5k / Seattle, WA

April 25th / Bellevue 5k / Bellevue, WA

April 25th / Mt. Rainier Long and Short Course Dualthon / Enumclaw, WA

New Article on the Streets!

And it's all about your heart. No, not your toughness...your heart! To wit, is running, especially long distances like marathons, good for your health? Or as some studies seems to imply, is running going to freakin' kill ya?

Well, go pick up the new issue of RaceCenter magazine and I'll tell you. You see, I wrote this little article called "Heart Strong?" and while I sure as Hell don't get to the bottom of anything, I think I do make one or two points that are worth reading.

You say you don't give a rat's about your heart? Why I oughta come over there and kick your...

Fine, let's see what else is in the new issue.

An article about finding a coach. That's cool. I couldn't handle it, though. I'm not much of a listener.

What else? How about an interview with ultimate Ironman superstar Chrissie Wellington? That's right. What can you say about Chrissie? No one else even comes close. If she's talking, you better listen up.

And then one of those shoe guide dealies. Pretty pictures, I guess, but I never seem to actually read those.

So there you have it. Hurry up and go grab a copy already. Your heart isn't getting any younger, you know.

Best Running Song for April!

This month, The R's is choosing a great song...and a great video! In fact, this catchy little tune, called "This Too Shall Pass" by the band OK Go has got the best video, since...since...

Well, since OK Go's last great video: Here It Goes Again.

This is truly the ultimate in Rube Goldberg Machines! More elaborate than anything even Pee Wee Herman came up with. I've heard there are some hidden cuts in it, but who cares? It's awesome!

And the song has a nice tempo for a midrange run - I'm thinking maybe a 10k or Half-Marathon. Good vocals, nice drum beat...and I can dance to it! I give it a 47! (American Bandstand reference for those old-timers like me.)

Catch another cool version here: live with a marching band.

And OK Go's performance on the Jimmy Kimmel Show.

Past Best Running Songs:
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"

Beaver Freezer Results 2010!

And the results are up!

Here too, in orange!

Beaver Freezer Photos!

Beaver Freezer on the OSU Campus. Wet, windy and downright cold. But you were out there.

Congratulations.

THAT'S why they call it the Beaver FREEZER!

Ouch! The forecast for race-time tomorrow at the Beaver Freezer is 39 degrees, 15 mph wind, and a 70% chance of rain.

That's going to be a cold bike ride, my friends.

Please don't go back and read what the weather was like last year. Really, you don't want to know.

Good luck out there.

Shamrock Run T-Shirt Review!

Man, I like this one! And don't even get me started with the Beer-Bottle-Opener-Medallion!

First, it's white. White! What's wrong with white? We really need to get more race directors to understand the attraction of the white shirt. It goes with everything. It looks clean. Even when it's not clean, it looks clean. Black shorts, red shoes, yellow shorts, black dress socks...the white shirt goes with all of them.

And what a great, simple, good looking design. Right to the point font with no amateur hour graphic design. Orange and green...just like the old country! Ah the peat! And the sponsors on the back - perfect! Get a couple big money sponsors and stop there. You don't need 46 different company logos on the back of the shirt. Get those people to give more than $20 each already.

The Medallion? Wow. Every race should make their finisher medal into a beer bottle opener. It's the ultimate melding of form and function.

The shirt: A
The medal: A+

Beaver Freezer Is Right Around The Corner!

So if you got in the Freezer, you're pretty much wrapping up your training now. Not really much sense killing yourself at this point. Have a cookie, already. You're wasting away.

And if you didn't get in...hey, sorry, but check the list right down below here - there are lots of Sprint Tris coming up fast now. And you could always volunteer for the Freezer. Volunteering, it's good for your soul!

Let's race!

Unless you're tapering for the Freezer, then...let's rest!

RACES FOR WEEK OF APRIL 12th TO APRIL 18th

April 16th and 17th / Snake River Sprint Triathlon / Lewiston, ID (Friday Night Swim...Saturday Bike and Run! Wha?!)

April 17th / Ekiden Trail 10k / Dexter, OR

April 17th / Strides for Students 5k / Newberg, OR

April 17th / Fit City 5k / Tualatin, OR

April 17th / Earth Day Half-Marathon, 15k, 10k and 5k / Seattle, WA

April 17th / Young Life 5k for Kids / Vancouver, WA

April 17th / Wenatchee Marathon, Half-Marathon, and 10k / Wenatchee, WA

April 18th / Albany Sprint Triathlon / Albany, OR

April 18th / Spokane River Run 50k, 25k, 10k, and 5k / Spokane, WA

April 18th / Komen Race for the Cure 5k / Spokane, WA

April 18th / Bridge to Brews 10k and 8k / Portland, OR

April 18th / Spring Fling Sprint Triathlon / Elma, WA

April 18th / WWU Earth Day and Alumni Run 5k / Bellingham, WA

Oakland Marathon Results

Yeah, I know it's a little out of my jurisdiction, but my main man, and cubicle-mate, Manny Balesteri, ran the Oaktown Marathon this morning, so I figured I needed to give a little shout-out: PR BABY!

That's right, Manny ran Oakland in 5:21:27, beating his previous PR, at the Vegas Rock n Roll, by 31 seconds! Now that's pacing yourself!

Congrats Manny!

Oh yeah, here are the results for anyone else you might care about.

Coconut Water - Really?

So apparently, the new Gatorade is...no, not Powerade. No, not Accelerade. No, not Staminade. No, not...um...Antisweatyade.

It's coconut water. Seriously.

The story is that coconut water has the sugars, the carbs, the sodium, the potassium. They say it's got it all!

I'm leery, but if you know me, I'm always leery. But here, I'm actually a little leery of the taste. Hey, if it's nasty, it doesn't really matter how good it is for me - the R's has a picky palate.

So I'll go get some and do a little taste test. For you. Because I care.

Believe me, if it's nasty, you'll hear about it.