Ultra Star Micah True Missing

UPDATE:
If you haven't already heard the bad news, Micah True was found dead today. Cause of death is not yet known.

Story here.

Weird story out of New Mexico. Micah True, famous from "Born to Run" as well as numerous ultras, has gone missing after leaving for a 12-mile run near New Mexico's Gila National Forest.

Check the whole story here.

After four days, it's not looking good, but I hope True somehow turns up and is OK.

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Urige Buta - the Running Janitor

Looking for a little inspiration for your running? You've come to the right place.

Clicky-click right here to read the amazing tale of Urige Buta, a refugee from Ethiopia, now living in Norway, who runs through mile-long sewer tunnels in between shifts as a janitor.

All of a sudden, your eight mile training run doesn't look quite so difficult, does it?

Let's race!

RACES FOR WEEK OF APRIL 16th TO APRIL 22nd

April 20th / Twilight 5k / Lewiston, ID (Friday Night Race!)

April 21st / Falcon 15k, 10k and 5k / Hillsboro, OR

April 21st / Earth Day Run 10k and 5k / Tigard, OR

April 21st / Run with the Dawgs 8k and 5k / Creswell, OR

April 21st / Monument Peak Trail Run 10m / Gates, OR

April 21st / Discover Spring 10k and 5k / McMinnville, OR

April 21st / Walk Your Paws Off 5k / Pendleton, OR

April 21st / Run the Ridge 10k and 5k / Lebanon, OR

April 21st / Yakima Skyline Rim 50k and 25k / Ellensburg, WA

April 21st / Pioneer Lions Race for Juvenile Diabetes Half Marathon, 10k and 5k / Kelso, WA

April 21st / Trout Lake Half Marathon, 10k and 5k / Trout Lake, WA

April 21st / Ruston Way 5k / Tacoma, WA

April 21st / Liz Duncan Memorial Run 10k and 5k / Richland, WA

April 21st / Wenatchee Marathon, Half Marathon and 10k / Wenatchee, WA

April 21st / ARC Community Fun Run 5k / Spokane Valley, WA

April 21st / Fun with the Fuzz 5k / Bellingham, WA

April 21st / Lumberjack Endurance Runs 100m, 100k and 50m / Port Gamble, WA

April 22nd / Mt. Si Ultra 50m and 50k / Snoqualmie, WA

April 22nd / Boys and Girls Club Sammamish 10k and 5k / Sammamish, WA

April 22nd / Komen Race for the Cure Spokane 5k / Spokane, WA

April 22nd / WWU Earth Day 5k / Bellingham, WA

April 22nd / King Estate Wine Country 5k / Eugene, OR

April 22nd / Red Lizard 5m / Lake Oswego, OR

April 22nd / Race to Cure Ovarian Cancer 5k / Bellingham, WA

April 22nd / CASA Light of Hope 10k and 5k / Bend, OR

April 22nd / Spokane River Run 50k, 25k, 10k and 5k / Spokane, WA

April 22nd / Cowpie Classic Kids Run 3k / Turner, OR

April 22nd / Albany Sprint Triathlon and Duathlon / Albany, OR

April 22nd / Ice Breaker Road Race 5m and 3m / Great Falls, MT

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New RaceCenter NW Magazine Article is Out!

And it's about streaking!

Keep your pants on, it's not about that kind of streaking. No really, keep your pants on. This is a family blog here! Well...sometimes....

Anyway, let's start at the beginning. I've got a new article in the April/May issue of RaceCenter NW. If you're heading to your local running store soon, pick one up. If you're one of those people that likes to get all techie on us, then head over here for the fully digital version. And over here for all the digital versions of issues from the last year or so.

So let's flip through the pages here and see if there's anything to see.

OK, on the cover, we've got the Eugene Marathon. "Track Town." Sure, I guess. Then the Editor's Note. Brook talks about "humble pie," and how runners love to get a serving, or not. I'm not sure, I was sort of hungry when I read it and he kept talking about pie, and...

Next, we've got the News Briefs: Foot Traffic opens another store in Portland, ClubSport has new tech and Warrior Dash has three events in the NW in 2012. Good, good.

Oh wait, there are more Briefs: Vancouver USA Marathon news, Heaven Can Wait 5k rolls into Bend, Spokane to Sandpoint Relay, and the Germans Love Them Some Portland Marathon. Also good and very nice.

Holy smokes, more Briefs: Marathon keeps growing in the US, and Cherry Blossom Fitness Festival debuts in The Dalles....and I turned the page and there's still more...Blue Lake Tri hits 29 years, Bike MS hits Willamette Valley, and Baker City gets a Cycling Classic. Whew.

Then we've got an article from my boy Max King. Max, who recently missed a turn in the Chuckanut 50k, talks Acclimation 101 on heat and altitude. Good stuff.

Donna Marlor, who has all sorts of initials and stuff after her name, writes about Fluids, Electrolytes and Optimal Race Performance. See, if you've got the RD and the CSSD and the MD and the PhD and things like that, you get to use four-syllable words in your article title. I, personally, try to stick to one syllable: Go. Streak. Yay! I don't like to confuse people right off the bat.

Then we've got USATF stuff.

Then a good article from Jeff Browning on running your first trail 50k. And it's got a big picture of R's Fav Jenn Shelton right at the front, so you know it's got to be good reading.

Next is an article from tri stud Chris Bagg about not feeling bad when you're a loser. I've seen that guy race and I'm not sure he's the right guy to write that article - he's faster than hell. When you title an article "Surviving Disappointment," you probably should hire me to write it.

Then Teague Hatfield talks about the "offset" of running shoes. This is a touchy subject for me because I like shoes with a decent sized offset between the heel and toe, but this whole minimalism craze is driving the shoe makers to shrink the offset down. It's the reason I no longer run in the Nike Max Moto.

Then, THEN, we've got a great article from the R's about Streaking and Running. In other words, running lots of consecutive days or consecutive races. Fantastical article - you'll love it, I'm sure.

After that, an article with two of my favorite Oregon runners featured, Lauren Fleshman and Kara Goucher, talking about their Olympic plans.

Brian Burk talks about swimming in open water - one of my favorite activities, but still something that stops plenty of people from even trying outdoor tris.

Then Event Calendar and Ads and we're done. All in all, a very good issue. Quite a few articles that I'd read all the way through in this one, and trust me, with my attention span, that's saying something.

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Running and Triathlon Links Monday!

I love this OSU promo, showing the incredible Laura Carlyle running...and selling shoes at Five Star Sports in Corvallis. Hey, that's where I buy my shoes!

Here's what happened last week:

Oregon's Shalane Flanagan wins Lisbon Half Marathon - and against a very strong field

Good photo gallery of the Lisbon Half - at Let's Run

Meb Keflezighi talking about training in Mammoth Lakes, CA - it's the new hot spot

Craig Alexander wins Ironman Asia-Pacific World Championships - Caroline Steffen takes women's title

Australia's Erin Densham wins the Mooloolaba ITU World Cup Triathlon - I just wanted to say "Mooloolaba!"

Emma Snowsill gets sick before Mooloolaba - now has only one shot to get on Aussie Olympic Triathlon team

Great article and video on OSU miler and cross country star Laura Carlyle - only been running for a couple years and is already the best OSU has ever had

How long does it take to recover from a marathon? - Good article from the New York Times; the commonly held theories may be wrong

We all get old, even Olympic swimming hero Ian Thorp and running legend Haile Gebrselassie - but not everyone handles aging, and retirement, in the same way

Fantastic article on Eugene's Lauren Fleshman and the trials of distance running and injuries - she's so open and honest; I love her

Another great Running Times article on another great Oregon runner - this one is about Ashland's Timothy Olson, a rising star in the Ultra world

Maybe barefoot running isn't the way to go - if you know my views on barefoot running, you know I've got to link to this

McKenzie River Half Marathon Results - direct from Eugene, OR

Mercer Island Rotary Half Marathon Results - up yet?


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Running a Half as a Test for the Marathon

And here it is, the Corvallis Half Marathon. So soon...

Ready or not, I'm looking forward to the Corvallis Half for a number of reasons:

1) It's my Streak Race.
I ran my first Corvallis Half last year, which was the inaugural running. I plan to keep running it every year until I can be one of those annoying people that says things like, "I've run this race every year for the last 26 years! I was running this race in short-shorts back when your momma was still powdering your backside! I could run this race blindfolded with my shorts on my head like Chevy Chase in Vacation...and still beat you to the finish line!" You know...one of those guys.

2) It's my test for the Newport Marathon.
If I can run the Corvallis Half, which is much more up and down than Newport, in anything resembling the pace I need to keep at Newport, I'll feel pretty good. On the other hand, if I have trouble keeping my Boston pace for a half marathon, I'm probably in serious trouble at the full six weeks later.

3) It starts about two miles from my own home and bed and about 100 yards from my office at OSU.
I can hide in my warm office, with a real bathroom just down the hall, until close to start time. If it's a cold, rainy day (and why wouldn't it be?) this will be a clear advantage.

Let's race!

RACES FOR WEEK OF APRIL 9th TO APRIL 15th

April 13th and 14th / Snake River Sprint Triathlon / Lewiston, ID (2nd week in a row for a split-day tri!)

April 14th / Whidbey Island Marathon, Half Marathon and 5k / Oak Harbor, WA

April 14th / Run for Your Life 5k / Yakima, WA

April 14th / Beat Coach Pete Scholarship 5k / Boise, ID

April 14th / Camp Quest 5k / Happy Valley, OR

April 14th / Y Run for Kids 5k / Tacoma, WA

April 14th / Pear Blossom Run 10m and 5k / Medford, OR

April 14th / Newberg Camellia Run 10k and 5k / Newberg, OR

April 14th / Running for Risa 10k and 5k / Tigard, OR

April 14th / Rage in the Sage Mtn. Duathlon / Benton City, WA

April 14th / Squak Mtn. Trail 50k, Half Marathon and 12k / Issaquah, WA

April 14th / Rotary Run for the Kids 5k / Veneta, OR

April 14th / YFC Run for Youth 5k / Seattle, WA

April 15th / Corvallis Half Marathon / Corvallis, OR

April 15th / Captain Jack's 8k Treasure Run / Kirkland, WA

April 15th / Bridge to Brews 10k and 8k / Portland, OR

April 15th / Bridgeway Run for Autism 8k and 5k / Eugene, OR

April 15th / Peterson Ridge Rumble Trail Run 40m and 20m / Sisters, OR

April 15th / Hope Run 5k / Spokane, WA

April 15th / ORRC Vernonia Marathon and Half Marathon / Vernonia, OR

April 15th / Vancouver Half Marathon / Vancouver, WA

April 15th / Alger Alp Trail 50k, 25k and 5m / Alger, WA

April 15th / Spring Fling Half Marathon, 10m, 10k, 5k, Triathlon and Duathlon / Elma, WA

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Mental Toughness and Willpower in the Marathon

That's what I've been pondering lately.

Well, to be more exact, I've been wondering about the mental toughness and willpower needed just to get to the marathon.

I'm on my eighth week of the Pete Pfitzinger Marathon Training Plan. I have 10 more weeks to go. It's hard.

Before I started the Pfitzinger Plan, I went through an eight week Intermediate Half-Marathon Training Plan, just to try to get my body into some kind of shape that could handle the rigors of serious Marathon Training.

And of course, before that, I did 26 races in one year...which you'd think might help one get into shape.

So quit whining and suck it up, right? Well, that's sort of my point. To date, I have. And I imagine I will continue to keep training hard. But it wears on you. I'm a pretty positive guy, especially when it comes to my running, but I'm going on six months of training now for a singular event...with a very singular goal. And negative thoughts creep in.

To wit, "there's no way I'm going to be able to keep this pace for 26.2," and "I really, really could use a week off right now," and "I'm way too old to be doing 50 miles a week," and "Am I insane?"

I keep telling myself, "of course it's hard, if it was easy, it wouldn't be Boston, right?" And that works. Usually.

Ten weeks to go.

Amazingly enough, I think I even wrote an article on Mental Toughness way back when. Can't seem to find my copy of it.

I need to look harder.

I think I can, I think I can, I think I can...

Running and Triathlon Links Monday!

Here's the latest and greatest on running from the last week:

Shamrock Run Portland Results! - Did you run?

Fatuma Sado wins LA Marathon, Gender Challenge, New Car, $155,000 - not a bad day's work

Peter Kirui and Firehiwot Dada take NYC Half Marathon - Oregon's Kara Goucher takes 3rd in pre-Olympic tuneup

Canadians take the win at Chuckanut 50k in Bellingham - Oregonian Max King was in the lead but took a wrong turn late

Another take on the Chuckanut 50k, from the Bellingham Herald

And a very nice article on Bellingham's Chuckanut 50k from Running Times

Kenyan 10,000m Olympic Trials to take place at Prefontaine Classic in Eugene...probably - the Kenyan Governing body, Athletics Kenya, seems to put out new, confusing information on this daily

London Olympic Organizers will supply 150,000 condoms to the athletes in the Olympic village - for 16,000 beds - let's see, the Games last for about two weeks, so that's about one and a half condoms per night for every "pair" of athletes in the village...wow - busy, busy, busy

Interesting new Reebok ad - what's your call? Degrading to women? Degrading to men? Sexist? Funny?

A review of Tyr's new $1200 wetsuit - sometimes I hate triathlon

Hot, sexy pictures of tricked-out tri bikes - if you're into that kind of thing

Ironman Champ Chrissie Wellington is going on a book tour - she doesn't even come close to the NW, so if you want her to sign your book, you'll have to travel a bit

Photo by Andy Bronson of the Bellingham Herald

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Triathlon with an Indoor Swim!

Well, in the Northwest, that's not really unusual. In fact, there are multiple triathlons just in this week that have indoor swims. However, the YMCA Spring Sprint Triathlon in Boise has another odd twist. In fact, it has to be the strangest thing I've ever seen in a triathlon!

Get this...they swim the 750 yard leg on Friday night...then do the bike and run legs...on Saturday morning!

Just consider that for a second. You could absolutely go all-out on your swim. Just crush it. Then go home and go to bed! Wake up the next morning and be fresh as a daisy for the bike.

If nothing else, this "split-day" triathlon would lead to some super-fast times. Although it seems to almost take the toughness and endurance aspect out of the race completely.

Let's race!

RACES FOR WEEK OF APRIL 2nd TO APRIL 8th

April 6th and 7th / YMCA Spring Sprint Triathlon / Boise, ID

April 7th / Spring Classic Sprint Duathlon / Portland, OR

April 7th / Horse Butte Trail Run 10m / Bend, OR

April 7th / Beaver Freezer Sprint Triathlon / Corvallis, OR

April 7th / ShotGun Trail Blast Trail Run 50k, 25k and 10k / Marcola, OR

April 7th / Relief Run 10k and 5k / Ontario, OR

April 7th / Tulip Run 5m / Burlington, WA

April 7th / Easter Marathon, Half Marathon, 10m, 10k, 5k, and Duathlon / Longview, WA

April 7th / The 4k-7k on 4-7 / Maple Valley, WA

April 7th / Mud & Chocolate 4.5m / Redmond, WA

April 7th / Apple Capital Spring Duathlon / Wenatchee, WA

April 7th / Lynch Creek 5k / Eatonville, WA

April 7th / Miles for Meso Memorial 5k / Federal Way, WA

April 8th / Spring Run 10k and 5k / Stevenson, WA

April 8th / Mud & Chocolate Half Marathon / Redmond, OR

On the photos: I entered in "Crush the Swim" to Google and liked the first shot, but then I saw the photo of Dara Torres (age 44, born exactly a week after me) and thought "Holy Guacamole! I've got to post that! Look at those freaking 44-year-old abs!"

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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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