Northwest Running and Triathlon Calendar - November 2013

The highlight of this week has got to be the Bellingham Trail Marathon and Half Marathon. Organized by race director Candice Burt, this trail race covers some of my old favorite routes from my days in the 'Ham. And be sure to check out Burt's wonderful blog over here: Wild Defined. She's a fast runner and always provides a good read on her race reviews. Check it out.

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 4th to NOVEMBER 11th

November 9th / Red Lizard Stumptown CC Race 8k and 6k / Portland, OR

November 9th / Down and Dirty Wine Run trail 10.5m / Yacolt, WA

November 9th / Kevin's Cup Trail Run 8k / West Linn, OR

November 9th / Canfield Mountain Run 50m, 50k and 25k / Coeur d'Alene, ID

November 10th / Northwest Trail Runs Carkeek Park 10k and 5k / Seattle, WA

November 10th / Bellingham Trail Marathon and Half Marathon / Bellingham, WA

November 10th / Autumn Trails Eugene 16m, 10m, 6m and 3.5m / Eugene, OR

November 9th / Walk Wheel Run for Veterans Half Marathon, 10k and 5k / Creswell, OR

November 9th / First Call Veteran's Day 50k, Marathon and Half Marathon / Bothell, WA

November 10th / Multnomah Channel Run Half Marathon, 10k and 5k / Scappoose, OR

November 9th / Mustache Dache 5k / Corvallis, OR

November 9th / No Hills Harvest 10k and 5k / Rickreall, OR

November 9th / Fowl Fun Run 10k and 5k / Mount Vernon, WA

November 9th / Winter Pineapple Classic 5k / North Bend, WA

November 9th / Race to Feed Our Veterans 5k / Spokane, WA

November 9th / Everyday Superheroes 5k / Bellingham, WA

November 9th / Cheadle Challenge Adventure Run 3.6m / Lebanon, OR

November 9th / Pioneer Road Run 9m and 5k / Phoenix, OR

November 9th / Tater Trot 10k and 5k / Blackfoot, ID

November 9th / National Veteran's Day Run 11k and 5k / Spokane, WA

November 9th / Trees for Tilori 5k / Eugene, OR

November 9th / Run with the Duck 5k / Eugene, OR

November 9th / FCA Superfan 5k / Champoeg Park, OR

November 10th / Veteran's Day 5k / Poulsbo, WA

November 10th / Columbia River Classic 10k / Richland, WA

November 11th / National Veterans Day Run 11k and 5k / Clarkston, WA

Life and Death in the Chicago Marathon

Well, ESPN is rarely the place to go for decent coverage of running events, but once in a while they do surprise you.

They just recently posted a very well done and moving article about the lives of two runners in the 2011 Chicago Marathon. One of those strange twists of fate found Will Caviness and Amber Miller end their race day in the same hospital, but their fates were as different as could possibly be.

A great read. Take a few minutes and check it out.

The Marathon of Their Lives by David Fleming.

Kona Underpants Run 2013! Ironman World Championships!

Yes, it's that moment you've waited all triathlon season for...the Kona Underpants Run of 2013!

And another gallery!

Nothing wrong with showing off your body if you're in good enough shape to make the Ironman World Championships, right?

I know it's hard to believe...well, maybe not...but there's a website just for the Underpants Run. It's right here and it's all for charity, so it's all good.

Be sure to note the many shots of Eugene resident and tri superstar Jesse Thomas. Yeah, he's the guy with the fuzzy hair and the old school $2.99 aviator sunglasses. Go Jesse!

It's Ironman Championship Week in Kona, Hawaii

And the athletes are using their swim practice time to head out to the boat and pick up some Kona Coffee!

from Triathlete.com

More Hill Work on the Trails

Still getting ready for the McDonald Forest Trail 15k. And the wife and I found a new route into McDonald Forest. If you're a Corvallisite (Corvallisian?), just head north on 29th until you run out of road and then park. Pow, there's the Forest.

As you can see from the map above, I wasn't too familiar with the trails in that section, so I've got a few dead ends where I turned around and headed back the way I had just been. I also spent a little bit longer standing and looking at trail signs than I usually do, but it was all good.

Had some good ups and downs for race prep.



Ran into a little bit of mud, but not bad really. And the sun was out and the day was gorgeous, so it was nice to be able to enjoy that at least one more time before the rains really come.

See you on the 27th.

Northwest Running and Triathlon Calendar - November 2013

I have to admit, I'm not a huge fan of a lot of these new "theme" runs. You know, your colored dye runs, your mud runs, your foam runs, your neon runs, your obstacle runs...and so on and so on.

But this chocolate run thing? Yeah, I can support that. Run a race, get some chocolate.

That works for me.

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 28th to NOVEMBER 3rd

November 2nd / Silver Falls Trail Marathon and Half Marathon / Silverton, OR

November 2nd / Happy Girls Sisters Trail Half Marathon and 5k / Sisters, OR

November 2nd / Mud and Chocolate Trail Run 4.5m / Redmond, WA

November 2nd / Muscle Milk Woodsy Trail 10m and 5m / Snohomish, WA

November 2nd / Klickitat Trail Half Marathon and 5k / Klickitat, WA

November 2nd / Lithia Loop Trail Marathon / Ashland, OR

November 3rd / Padden Mudfest Trail Run 6m / Bellingham, WA

November 3rd / Mud and Chocolate Trail Half Marathon / Redmond, WA

November 2nd / Zeitgeist Half Marathon / Boise, ID

November 2nd / In Unity We Run Marathon and Half Marathon / Kent, WA

November 2nd / LC Valley Marathon, Half Marathon and 5k / Asotin, WA

November 2nd / Just Cuz Half Marathon and 10k / Pocatello, ID

November 2nd / Splash and Dash Indoor Triathlon Sprint / Sandy, OR

November 2nd / Veteran's Day 10k and 5k / Soap Lake, WA

November 2nd / Chocoholic Frolic 5k / Spokane, WA

November 2nd / Puddle Jump 10k and 5k / Olympia, WA

November 2nd / Step Forward 5k / Seattle, WA

November 2nd / Run for the Health of It 5k / Missoula, MT

November 3rd / Turn Back the Clock 10k and 5k / Lacey, WA

November 3rd / Purple Stride 5k / Seattle, WA

November 3rd / Get Your Rear in Gear 5k / Redmond, WA

November 3rd / Mock the Clock 5k / Seattle, WA

November 3rd / Run for the Hole 5k / Portland, OR

November 3rd / Civil War Rivalry Clash 10k and 5k / Portland, OR

1000 Posts and 5000 Kilometers

Well, we've come to 1000 posts here at the R's. Hard to believe I could say so much about so little, but there you go.

I thought I'd celebrate the occasion by showing off the fact that I finally made it to the "black" level at Nike+.

There was a time, back in the day, when I wanted to get to the black level of Nike+ so bad. You fly through the first few levels, then the green and the blue are a bit of a slog. I thought I'd never get to purple. I finally did, but then purchased a Garmin and...well, so long Nike+. I would be at the purple level forever. Or so I thought. Now, of course, you can buy an iPod and the Nike+ is just there. Nothing to buy, so I figured "why not?" I started using the system again (it's so pretty! look at those colors!) whenever I ran with my iPod, though I'm not nearly so fanatic about it as I was long ago.

Even so! When I hit the black level a couple of weeks ago, I couldn't help but think, "I finally made it, Ma! I'm on the top of the world!" Yes, I was at the very top of the Nike+ mountain. None could best me now.

Wait. What?



Why, those little Nike bastards. They went and added another level after the black level while my back was turned. Unbelievable.

And not a cool level like purple or black. Damn, those are real colors. Something a king would be proud to wear. No, they added the "volt" level. For god's sake, that's not even a color. That's something the Oregon Ducks thought up to sell more t-shirts! Volt? Really?

Damn you, Nike...

Sort-of Hill Work Prep for McDonald Forest 15k - Week Three

Still prepping for the McDonald Forest Trail 15k on October 27th. The plan is to do a good, hilly trail workout every weekend until we hit the race date.

Unfortunately, the huge storm that Washington and Oregon have been fighting through made that difficult for me today. Basically, there are no trails right now. There are barely roads. We've had a lot of rain over the past few days. A LOT of rain. Read all about it here.

So that meant I was on the roads today instead of the trails. And man, was it ugly. Driving rain, 20-30 mph winds, massive puddles every 10 feet. I was one drowned rat by the end of this one.

Still, the run was pretty good. Definitely not hilly enough.



I wanted to get it slightly over the 15k distance and I was fine there, measuring in at 10 miles exactly. My pace was even pretty good, after I got warmed up a bit in the first mile or so.



And miles three and four were during the only decent hill of the day, so I'm pretty happy that I kept a nice pace through that section.



We're supposed to dry out a bit by the middle of the week, which would be very nice so I can get back on the trails next weekend.

So you out there.

Northwest Running and Triathlon Calendar - October 2013 - Halloween Races!

Hey, one of the best events in Corvallis is coming up: McDonald Forest Trail Run. This is my next race and it should be yours too. It's a great course and a fun race. Check out my race review of the 2011 race right here.

Another great choice for the week would be the ORRC Autumn Leaves Ultra 50m and 50k. Why? Well, they have perhaps the greatest swag in trail racing history: one person will have THEIR VERY OWN HONEY BUCKET ON THE COURSE!!

Yes, you heard me correctly. If you sign up early for this race, you have a chance to win your very own portable rest room on the side of the course...that no one else can use but you! Man, it's like Christmas and your birthday all wrapped up in one!

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 21st to OCTOBER 27th

October 26th / Halloween at Hells Gate Trail Half Marathon / Lewiston, ID

October 26th / ORRC Autumn Leaves Ultra 50m and 50k / Champoeg Park, OR

October 26th / Trail of Terror Trail Run Half Marathon and 5k / Athol, ID

October 26th / Dawn of the Dead Dash 5k / Portland, OR

October 26th / A Very Poplar Run 10k and 5k / Boardman, OR

October 26th / Red Lizard Stumptown Cross Country Race 8k and 5k / Portland, OR

October 26th / Pumpkin Trail 5m / North Bonneville, WA

October 26th / Pumpkin Run XC 6k / Leavenworth, WA

October 27th / Lutherwood, Wouldn't You? Trail Run 10k and 5k / Bellingham, WA

October 27th / McDonald Forest Trail Run 15k and 5k / Corvallis, OR

October 27th / Spooky Trail Run 12k / Port Gamble, WA

October 27th / Cougar Mtn Trail Run 50k and 20m / Bellevue, WA

October 27th / Run Wild Whatcom 10k / Bellingham, WA

October 26th / Grants Pass Half Marathon, 10k and 5k / Grants Pass, OR

October 26th / Rush Creek Stampede Half Marathon and 5k / Cambridge, ID

October 27th / Tri-Cities Marathon / Richland, WA

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

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

October 26th / Issaquah Highlands Green Halloween 5k / Issaquah, WA

October 26th / Halloweenathon 15k, 10k and 5k / Aloha, OR

October 26th / Monster Dash Run for Education 10k and 5k / Ashland, OR

October 26th / North Plains Pumpkin Run 10k / North Plains, OR

October 26th / Fall Classic Fun Run 5k / Monroe, WA

October 26th / Halloween Run 5k / Boise, ID

October 26th / Magnuson Series Halloween Run 15k, 10k and 5k / Seattle, WA

October 26th / Pumpkin Push 5k / Seattle, WA

October 26th / Freaky Zombie Run 5k / Federal Way, WA

October 26th / Haunted Hoquiam 10k and 5k / Hoquiam, WA

October 26th / Run the Logger 5k / Tacoma, WA

October 26th / Monster Dash 4m / Bellingham, WA

October 26th / Pumpkin Pacer 5k / Deer Park, WA

October 26th / Monster Mash Dash 10k and 5k / Nampa, ID

October 26th / Run for Project PINK 5k / Kirkland, WA

October 26th / Skagit Valley Zombie 5k / La Conner, WA

October 26th / The Farm Man Challenge 5k / Meridian, ID

October 26th / West Seattle Monster Dash 5k / Seattle, WA

October 27th / Woodland Park Zoo Pumpkin Dash 5k / Seattle, WA

October 27th / Monster Mash 5k / Eugene, OR

October 27th / Monster Dash 5k / Spokane, WA

October 27th / Run Scared 5k / Seattle, WA

October 27th / Monster Dash 5k / Bend, OR

Best Running Song for September - Daft Punk - Get Lucky

Yes, I know everyone in the world has already heard it...but I couldn't NOT pick it as a Best Running Song of the Month! I mean, it's funky fresh! The song, in case you've been in a coma the last six months, is "Get Lucky" from Daft Punk.

Of course, the youngsters out there don't realize how much this song "borrows" from the great disco hits of the 70's and 80's. It doesn't hurt that the guitar track is laid down by none other than disco god Nile Rodgers. The song is also driven by the smooth disco-style vocals from Pharrell Williams. Pharrell, of course, has had a Best Running Song here on the R's before.

If you're ready for some other great disco hits to run to, step right up!

Here's Chic with Le Freak...and yes, that's Nile Rodgers in that song as well!



Need more? How about some Kool and the Gang? And Celebration...obviously.



Still need to boogie?! One more...Earth, Wind and Fire, with September.



Rock that run!

Past Best Running Songs: August: Pogo / "SquareBob SpongeMix" July: Fitz and the Tantrums / "Out of My League" June: Atlas Genius / "Trojans" May: The Mowgli's / "San Francisco" April: Spacehog / "In the Meantime" March: Youngblood Hawke / "We Come Running" February: Yolanda Be Cool / "We No Speak Americano" January: The Naked and Famous / "Young Blood" December: Of Monsters and Men / "Little Talks" November: The Black Keys / "Little Black Submarines" October: Cold War Kids / "Hospital Beds" September: Bloc Party / "Octopus" August: Matt and Kim / "Let's Go" July: Gemini / "Blue" June: Joe Jackson / "Got the Time" May: Tiesto vs. Diplo / "C'mon!" April: Grouplove / "Tongue Tied" March: Foxy Shazam / "I Like It" 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"