Peachtree Registration Opens March 15th!

Do you want to run the biggest race in America? Well, here's your chance.

Just a semi-long road-trip to Atlanta and you could be one of 60,000 runners in the Peachtree Road Race. Also known as "the largest race in the United States."

Sort of an odd registration process. You can head over to the Peachtree site any time between March 15th and March 22nd, register, and then they'll put you into a really, really big hat and on March 23rd, they'll draw 60,000 names out.

Which means, I guess, they think they might actually get more than 60,000 entries? Wow. They had 55076 finishers in 2011, so I guess it's possible.

Of course, for $17 bucks and a short jaunt to Spokane, you can run with 51,303 of your closest friends at Bloomsday. Well, that was the number of finishers - Bloomsday actually had over 56,000 runners signed up themselves in 2011, making a pretty good push for first place in the ol' big-ass race category. The cost for Peachtree, by the by, is twice as much as Bloomsday: $35. And actually, that's not that bad, these days.

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Mt. Ashland Hillclimb Registration Opens Soon!

Well, to be exact, it opens March 20th, at 8:00am.

Go right over here to sign up.

And don't dilly dally: it usually sells out pretty fast.

Of course, if you're a big weenie like me, just ignore the whole thing. The Mt. Ashland Hillclimb is 13.3 miles long and has over 5600 feet of elevation gain. Yeah, it's hard. As the race organizers are happy to tell you, its got the "second most elevation gain of any continuous hill climb in the continental US."

So there's that.

On the plus side though, the race directors are smart-asses, which I enjoy, so be sure to read the FAQ's.

Yeah, that's Jenn Shelton, apparently at the Mt. Ashland Hillclimb, I guess. That's the photo that came up at the top when I Googled it anyway. And for the ladies, I've also included a shot of Ashland Superstar Erik Skaggs, at the top of the "hill".

Enjoy.

Photo(s?) by Andy Atkinson.

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Best Running Song for March - Foxy Shazam - I Like It

Hey, I'm not proud of myself for picking this song...but listen to it and try to tell me I didn't do the right thing!

Somehow, Foxy Shazam, yes...Foxy Shazam!...is the first band to make a repeat appearance on The Two R's Best Running Song list. If you recall, they first hit the list back in April of last year with Unstoppable. Now, almost a year later, they hit the list again with I Like It. And man, I like it! If this song doesn't speed up your run from sheer joy, or, I don't know...maybe fear...than you may just be dead already.

I do believe that this guy is the closest we'll ever get to getting Freddie Mercury back...and there's nothing wrong with that.

And yes, I've got to link to the song that made Foxy Shazam and "I Like It" possible.



Rock that run!

Past Best Running Songs:
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"

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Garmin Connect and Forerunner 110 Problems

In other words, "Arrrrggggghhhhhh!!"

Garmin, in their infinite wisdom, has decided to slouch down to the lowest common denominator and make some changes to "time data fields." In their words, "more accurate and meaningful (and less confusing)" by removing the "moving time" field completely.

And not just remove it from this point forward, but remove the "moving time" data from all past runs stored in Garmin Connect as well! What?!?

Let me try to explain why this is a horrible idea. "Moving time" is a pace average that shows how fast you've run a particular mile with the benefit of removing the time where you were not running (at a stoplight or bathroom or collapsed on the side of the road perhaps). In other words, it's the only pace number that you care about. Why would anyone want to know the pace they ran with the 90 seconds added in where you were standing at the stop light? Nobody needs to know that!

Here's a snapshot that I had of an old run with "moving time" included: the only one I have anywhere since Garmin erased it from every run in the Garmin Connect database!

Note the "moving pace" and "average pace" were the same here because this was a race, and I didn't have to stop anywhere.

And here's a capture of the new data.

Note the slow Mile Two (stoplight) and the slow Mile Five (stoplight) - I'll admit the slow Mile Six was due to the elevation on that mile. But without the "moving pace" designation, how can you tell you were stopped at some point during the mile? It just looks like you were dragging ass!

Ah, but Garmin says, don't worry. Just set your "Auto Pause" feature on your watch. That will do the same thing automatically.

Yeah, I would, you bunch of geniuses, but the Forerunner 110 doesn't have the Auto Pause feature!

So instead of having three columns of data, and letting everyone choose which column is most useful, Garmin eliminates one column from the entire history of runs that anyone with a Forerunner 110 has ever done...and gives you no way to get the information back.

Here's Garmin's explanation about how they got rid of the "moving pace" because it was too confusing for the masses. Of course, they don't mention that Forerunner 110 owners are just screwed.

Well, you could go buy a new $200 Forerunner 405, I guess. Gee, I wonder if they thought we might have to do that?

Seafair Torchlight Run Discounted Entry Fee!

Today Only!!!

And just $15. That's a good deal right there.

Plus, you can sign up to run with KIRO Anchor Jenni Hogan, which would be all good as far as I'm concerned. Yep...all good...

Sorry, distracted there for a moment.

Let's race!

RACES FOR WEEK OF MARCH 26th TO APRIL 1st

March 30th / Badger Mountain Challenge Trail Ultra 100m / Tri Cities, WA

March 31st / Badger Mountain Challenge Trail Ultra 50k and 15k / Tri Cities, WA

March 31st / Birch Bay Road Race 30k, 15k and 5k / Blaine, WA

March 31st / Girl Scout Cookie Run 5k / Spokane, WA

March 31st / Make a Change Trail Run 10k and 5k / Corvallis, OR

March 31st / Yakima River Canyon Marathon / Yakima, WA

March 31st / Champoeg Spring Challenge 10k and 5k / St. Paul, OR

March 31st / Running of the Fools 10k / Longview, WA

March 31st / Can Do 10k and 5k / Bothell, WA

March 31st / Dash Point State Park Trail Run Marathon, Half Marathon and 10k / Federal Way, WA

April 1st / Race for the Roses Half Marathon, 10k and 5k / Portland, OR

April 1st / April Fool's Day 10k and 5k / Salem, OR

April 1st / Seahawks 12k Run at the Landing 12k and 5k / Renton, WA

April 1st / Seattle RainMan Indoor Sprint Triathlon / Seattle, WA

April 1st / VZ 5k / Van Zandt, WA

April 1st / Dirt Dash Trail Run 5m / Hagg Lake, OR

April 1st / Wenatchee Marathon, Half Marathon, 10k and 5k / Wenatchee, WA

April 1st / Run to Africa 10k and 5k / Lebanon, OR

April 1st / Fool Your Fat Fun Run 5k / Stayton, OR

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Pete Pfitzinger Marathon Training - FTW!

Whew...just finished week five of the 18-week Pete Pfitzinger Marathon Training Plan. The long run yesterday was a 16 miler, in which I was supposed to run a number of miles at marathon race pace (well, who's kidding who, I was supposed to run 10 of the 16 miles at marathon race pace, but that just wasn't going to happen).

So we're now three months away from my goal race in Newport. Will I be ready to run at Boston pace in three months? Well, that's the question, isn't it?

I think I'm improving. If we compare my run yesterday to a long run (12 miles) from three weeks ago, I'm definitely getting faster. In both runs, I had five miles that were at a pace well above average. In the run three weeks ago, those five fast miles were averaged at 8:15. Yesterday, those five fast miles were averaged at 7:48. Which is good, because that's the pace I need to run the whole stinking marathon at in Newport.

So the speed is coming around. But what about the endurance? I won't lie, I don't think I could hold that pace for more than about eight or nine miles right now. Can I increase that to 20 or 22 in three months (figuring that I can somehow survive the last few miles on willpower alone, I guess)? I don't know, but that's the goal.

Sometimes you've got to put the over-thinking and worrying aside and just trust in the program. The Pfitzinger Plan has worked for lots and lots of runners - there's no reason it shouldn't work for me, right?

Right?

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Basic Swim Technique and Instruction

Hey, it's March. That means it's nearly Spring. And that means...that's right, it's nearly Triathlon Season!

And as always, the one thing that seems to scare people away from signing up for their first triathlon is the swim. People hate the swim. Personally, I love the swim, but I realize I'm in a very tiny minority.

So who better to offer up some swimming tips than a former Olympic swimmer and the best swimmer on the Pro Tri Circuit? That's right, Andy Potts.

Check out this short video here of Andy showing you the way to hit the water.

Good stuff.

Then get out there and swim. Tri season is just around the corner!

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Shout Out to Bloomsday

I just gotta give a shout-out to Bloomsday. In a day and age where big races, such as the New York Marathon, are charging hundreds of dollars to allow you to soil their roads with your running shoes (the New York Marathon charges $255, to be exact), Bloomsday invites over 50,000 runners...and charges them seventeen bucks. Yes, $17. Unbelievable.

So support your local, Northwest races, and sign up for Bloomsday.

And tell New York to stick it.

Let's race!

RACES FOR WEEK OF MARCH 19th TO MARCH 25th

March 22nd / Bring in Spring 5k / Eugene, OR (Thursday Night Run!)

March 24th / Spring Sprint Duathlon / Lewiston, ID

March 24th / Shufflin' for Shawna 10k / Corvallis, OR

March 24th / Cougar Fun Run 10k and 5k / Echo, OR

March 24th / Walk for Water Fun Run 5k / Portland, OR

March 24th / Buck Mountain Mudslinger Trail Run 6.5m / Silverton, OR

March 24th / XTERRA Fort Steilacoom Trail Run 10m and 5m / Lakewood, WA

March 24th / Leif to Leif Run 5k / Seattle, WA

March 24th / Magnuson Series - Spring Into Action 15k, 10k and 5k / Seattle, WA

March 25th / Run Ladies Run Half Marathon and 10k / Roche Harbor, WA

March 25th / McKenzie River Half Marathon / Eugene, OR

March 25th / Gorge Waterfalls 50k / Cascade Locks, OR

March 25th / Mercer Island Rotary Half Marathon, 10k and 5k / Mercer Island, WA

March 25th / Big Climb 69 flights / Seattle, WA

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Running Across the Tacoma Narrows Bridge

And with the long run on Saturday, we're through Week Four of the Pete Pfitzinger marathon training plan. Over 42 miles last week, and this upcoming week will have over 45 miles before I get a well-earned recovery week.

My long run on Saturday was interesting for a number of reasons. First, earlier in the week, looking at my schedule, I knew my usual long run day of Sunday didn't look good. We were going to be driving from Seattle back to Corvallis on Sunday, then volunteering at the Corvallis Swim Team meet on Sunday night - no time to fit in a 15 mile run. So I skipped my off day on Friday and instead did my short recovery run, then placed my long run on Saturday instead of Sunday. Of course, that put the long run on the tail end of five straight days of running. Oof. This old body needs a day off now and then.

Then, since we were staying with the parents-in-law in Gig Harbor over the weekend, I figured I better find a running route around there. Zing! I know, I'll run across the Tacoma Narrows Bridge!

Ah hindsight. If I only knew then what I know now.

But I didn't know then! So I hunted up the Scott Pierson Trail, which runs from Gig Harbor, across the Tacoma Narrows Bridge, and into Tacoma. I knew it would be a little hilly, because that area just is, but hey, what's a hill or two, right?

Oof again. As you can see from my Garmin stats here, we started out pretty well, although that slow first mile is me trying to figure out where to keep my cell phone. I finally moved my GU from the pocket in my water bottle holder to my shorts pocket and put the phone there, but it took some effort. And it exposed the GU to the elements... Yum - cold, thick GU!

Anyway, the first four miles went swimmingly, then I hit the bridge. Yes, there's a good reason old Galloping Gertie fell into the Puget Sound back in 1940 - the wind just howls across that thing! On Saturday, they were getting steady wind of 20-40 mph, with gusts of 50-60! I had trouble keeping upright the whole way across the bridge, and it's quite a long bridge at that - a bit over a mile from end to end. Wow, that was a tough mile, going over that thing. And of course, all I could think while running it was "I'm going to turn around in a few miles and I'll have to run this damn thing again, going back home."

And a strange quirk with the Garmin appeared after I downloaded the stats. As you can see from the photo, the Tacoma Narrows Bridge is not flat. Like most bridges of that size, it has a serious hump in the middle. You go up the first half, and down the second half. But according to the Garmin elevation, I fell off the bridge and swam across! My elevation hits sea level all the way across the bridge, which messes up the elevation in two ways: I don't get the actual elevation climb on the bridge, plus I get the bad data from dropping to sea level and climbing back up, twice.

Then I lost the trail a couple times winding through Tacoma, especially where it goes under Highway 16 and ends up on the other side of the highway. It's not marked well there, so pay attention if you're running it. And then there are a few stoplights. And the windy bridge on the way back.

Yeah, I'm looking for excuses for the slow time.

But I guess if I was looking for a tough training run just for getting ready to tough-out a marathon purposes, well, that was a good one.

Best Running Song for February!

I gotta think this is the first Best Running Song I've featured that has a Best Actress nominee in a starring role. And most likely the last. I mean, what are the odds, right?

This month's Best is a perhaps the most catchy thing I've heard in years, Don't Stop by Foster the People. And here's the video, starring the aforementioned Gabourey Sidibe, star of the movie Precious. The video also stars the band members of Foster the People in a great sendup of a cop show very reminescent of the legendary Beastie Boys "Sabotage" video.

The lyrics, and frankly the tune itself, of Don't Stop by Foster the People reminds me of a very similar song, that's now over 30 years old: Don't Cha Stop by the Cars. Here's the original and here's a great live version. Ignore the bad hair and just check out Elliot Easton rocking that guitar!

Rock that run!

Past Best Running Songs:
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"


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