Addiction

Hi, my name is Sean, and I'm addicted to flotrack.org, Haile Gebrselassie videos, Chris Solinsky videos, and pretty much any and all other videos that show fast runners running really fast.

When I finally bought a computer in November, I thought that I'd be blogging at least twice a week. No more computer cramming sessions at the library where I could just barely get my internet to-do list crossed off, let alone blog. One post was going to be committed to running (shocker), and one post a bit more controversial - throwing some issues out there to see what you think and why. I could just chill out while surfing and blogging away in the comfort of my home.

And then I found running videos. I dare you to watch the Chris Solinsky video and not get excited. Seriously. In fact while writing this post I'm replaying that video for the 10th time or so, going back and forth between writing and watching.

So in addition to my running and racing, of which there has been plenty of both, I've been spending many evenings, sometimes very late into the evenings, with my newest form of crack. And thus, the blogging has suffered. I am determined, however, to at least try to get caught back up.

Since Hagg, I've...

Had a sweet weekend of 2 trail races, Buck Mtn. Mudslinger 6.5 miler (organized by the very cool Gary and Shandi at Run Wild Adventures) and Tumor Shooter 7 miler, with the Newport Seafood and Wine Festival squeezed in between the races. Although the festival ended up being really crowded so my friends and I ate seafood, drank wine and beer, and played games in a really cool condo on the beach instead. The races were both super fun. Buck Mtn. lived up to its Mudslinger name, while the Tumor Shooter helped raise some money to shoot Johanna's tumor. A good group of runners ran this double, one of whom I whooped in a bet and will pay up soon.

The first weekend of March I ran the Napa Valley Marathon with high hopes of sub-2:37 for a sub-6 pace. I never got into a good groove, feeling like I was pushing too hard for the pace I was running, then ultimately blew up the last 3 miles, finishing in 2:50.

Then after 7 races over the previous 6 weekends, I decided to take a break from racing and help out at the local 5k/10k, Grin and Bear It run. Despite whacking a deer on the way to the race, I really enjoyed marking the course and just helping out in general. Volunteering is awesome!

The following weekend was the Santiam Canyon Scramble, another Run Wild Adventures production. This was a classic scramble and true to form, I got whooped! I just don't do well at runs that include bushwhacking off trail, hiking up super steep climbs, arms-flailing descents, and where shin guards wouldn't have been weird. I was so beat up after this and I had a complete blast! As a bonus, I got to autograph a pair of Montrail Streaks for the very enthusiastic Ryan Krol.

Autographing my first pair of shoes!

What better way to finish the first quarter of the year than by running a marathon? Well, I couldn't answer that question, so I ran, and ended up winning, the Yakima River Canyon Marathon in 2:45:14, complete with a nice 2 min. negative split on the tougher second half (getting a little Napa redemption in the process). My good friend Annie won the women's race. The post-race party Annie, Steve, Chris, and I created was one of the best ones I've ever gone to, complete with wine tasting, pool, beer, darts, wing-eating contest, karaoke, bowling, talk of a beer mile (next time)...truly epic!

Winning the Yakima River Canyon Marathon. I never saw all of that writing surrounding me during the race.

Helping Super Dave with the Horse Butte 10 miler was another fun volunteering opportunity. It really is fun to help out at races then cheerlead for everyone as they're closing in on the finish.

Of course my biggest adventure of the year so far was the Peterson Ridge Rumble. Once again it was awesome! There were about 350 registered runners, 290 finishers, 1 lost kid (who was found!), 1 broken bone, 10 people and 2 dogs at my house, fantastic timers (Run Wild Adventures), and some of the best post-race food ever. I decided to do away with the burgers and hotdogs, instead splurging a bit and hiring Long Board Louies for a burrito bar. This was one of the single most popular decisions I've ever made regarding the Rumble, and as such, Louies is already booked for next year. And as always, Nancy P's provided the to-die-for Peanut Butter Fudge Bars, Brownies, and Wonder Bars! Thanks so much to all who Rumbled!

Jerry Duncan and Nancy MacInnis sportin' some stylish retro Rumble socks!

Post-Rumble I always like to treat myself to something fun, so finally after years of wanting to run the Race to Robie Creek 1/2 marathon in Boise, I did it. It's mostly a dirt/gravel road, gaining about 2,000' in the first 8.4 miles, then bombing down the final 4.7 miles while losing 2,500'. It was the first warm day of the year for me, plus having the race start at noon and running in a canyon where the heat was trapped, made for a little extra suffering foe me. I averaged a heart rate of 185 (maxed at 197) and was happy to just nab a top-10 finish (out of 2,500). This is a classic, fun event.

After being beat-up from Robie for a week, I didn't really have much time to fine-tune for my next race 2 weeks later: Bloomsday in Spokane. Bloomsday is a great event. There are 50,000 runners and probably that many spectators and volunteers, too. I grew up running Bloomsday every year from 1983-1995, with a p.r. of 42:40 in 1994. It's a 12 km and I had a goal of 41:00, which is 5:30 pace. From the gun I went out like it was a 1/2 marathon instead of 12 km, as my first mile was 5:43. That's pretty much the pace I stayed at then the entire race. I think the key to running well at short races is to go out aggressively, as there just isn't much distance to make up lost time. I finished in 43:17, a 5:48 pace, and surprisingly good enough for 86th (I was hoping for top-100, but thought it would take my original goal of 41 for that). Although not quite the time I hoped for, or even a p.r., I really enjoyed Bloomsdaying for the first time in 15 years.

Next up I have a fun little race this weekend, the Larison Rock Hill Climb 4.5 mile in Oakridge. The next weekend is Silver State 50 km in Reno, then Pocatello 50 mile on Memorial Day Weekend. All of this, plus a few solid 120-130 mile weeks and sauna sessions, will hopefully get me ready for my first "A" race of the year, Desert RATS Stage Race. It's 150 miles, 5 stages on Kokopelli's Trail from Fruita, CO to Moab, UT.

And that, my friends, is what's up in Sean-land.

Now I gotta go back and watch some more fast videos.

The Rumble is FULL!!

Yeah baby, the 8th Annual Peterson Ridge Rumble just filled up a couple hours ago, a full 5 1/2 weeks before race day! As any fellow race director knows, this is awesome!

If you want to run and you're in, thank you for registering early. If you want to run and you're not in, well...I've already accepted 330 runners and there's a 300-person limit. So, basically what I'm saying here is that there isn't a waitlist.

If enough runners drop in the next few weeks, I may open registration again for a bit, but don't count on it.

A few other options for Rumble Day:
-Volunteer at the Rumble!
-Race for the Roses 1/2 Marathon, 10k, 5k in Portland
-Mt. Si 50k / 50 mi Ultra and Relay in Snoqualmie, WA
-Whidbey Island Marathon in Oak Harbor, WA

A little course condition update:
It looks like for the first time since 2007 that the 60k will, in fact, be 60k! I ran the full Grunt loop a week and a half ago to check snow/ice conditions and it was pretty darn good. Only a little bit of the slippery stuff, which I'm pretty confident will be gone by race day. So, if you're signed up for the 60k, be prepared to go the full distance this year (or maybe even a km or two extra!).

Hagg Lake 25 km

After running the Hagg Lake 50k for 6 out of the last 7 years and volunteering the 7th, I figured I pretty much have that 2-lap race down. Sure I still want to go back and run sub-4, but not yet. This year I decided to run the 25k, i.e., the j.v. race. Although I'm running fewer ultras this year, the 25k was a great way for me to still get my racing social-fix while seeing how fast I could run one lap around the lake.

I carpooled to Hagg with Bend fast-guys Andy Martin and fellow Montrailian Max King. Both very fast, competitive, and undefeated in the few ultras they've run, I was hoping they would beat each other up for the W. We stayed at the Grand Lodge in Forest Grove on Saturday night and enjoyed our beverages of choice (me - hard cider, Max - whiskey, Andy - water) while watching a women's curling match between Canada and some Denmark hotties. Wild night.

The next morning, as all the varsity runners took off at 8 for the 50k, I had fun cheering for many of my friends on their way back through the starting area after their 3 mile out and back. I also did a pretty good warm-up as I wanted to be prepared to go hard from the start. At 9, I joined 250 others on my first Hagg one-lapper. I was excited, and I was also slow. My warm-up was long, but not quick enough, and the lead group of 4 easily dropped me immediately. Dang! But I was happy to be sportin' my pink Orcas Island 50k vest for the out and back in support of 25k'er Mandy Giblin.

Once I got back down to lake level, I picked up my tempo with hopes of catching at least 2 of the 4 ahead of me. I like having someone behind me in faster races as it helps keep me honest with my pace, and Jeremy McWilliams provided that role for me until a bit past the first a.s. We hit a.s. 1 at 10k right about 42:00, a bit behind pace for my sub-1:45 goal. As the day was sunny but comfortably cool, I opted to run sans bottle and I loved it, but I did stop really quick to actually take a gel and drink a whole cup of water instead of just trying to run through and choke on a few drops.

That's me navigating a creek crossing that eliminated a road section from previous years - a very cool improvement!

I felt good so decided to increase my effort, catching back up to, and then passing, Jeremy. Soon after I caught one of the 4 guys from the lead pack, Aaron Ladd. Upon seeing me, Aaron noticably picked up his pace, which was great as it gave me someone to run with again. A couple miles later, I decided to throw in a little surge and passed him. This section also started getting warmer and muddier. I was pushing hard and having a blast!

I hit a.s. 2, 11.2 miles, in 1:16. Again I quickly stopped to suck down a gel and drink 2 cups of nuun. Fellow Christmas Campers and all-around cool people Steve, Liz, and Kamm were working there and they got me in and out quick while hooting and hollering for me, and letting me know 3rd place Richard Bolt was almost 2 min. ahead. I know Richard is fast and so taking back 30 sec./mile for the last 4.3 miles was going to be tough, so what else could I do but just go for it!

I was cruising along pretty well, dodging past 50k'ers, speeding up on the fast sections, slowing down considerably on the goopy muddy sections, of which there were a lot in the last section, and really trying to open it up on the short paved stretches. With 2 miles to go I noticed I was quickly gaining on a red shirt, and convinced it was Richard, I pushed hard to catch him. Well, turns out a 50k'er was also wearing a red shirt and black shorts.

I passed the one mile to go sign in 1:38:54. Could I finish with a 6-flat to reach my sub-1:45 goal? I didn't think, I just ran hard...for a couple minutes until the best/worst sticky, goopy mud of the day became the trail for a 1/2 mile (Ness even lost a shoe in it and decided to finish sans shoes!). I knew I wasn't going to glide across this, so I slowed down, shortened my stride, and just got through it without pulling my groin or going down. I finished in 1:46:10 for 4th place. I was happy with my effort and time. As for my place, well, in 7 Haggs, I have now finished 4th four times; just call me Mr. One-Off-the-Podium.

Soaking the legs and cleaning up. It sure doesn't look like February in western Oregon!

As for the 50k, Max crushed it in 3:26:54, breaking the course record by almost 17 minutes. (One of my goals for Hagg was to average the same pace as Max; I figured since I was going half the distance, I had a decent shot. Nope, it wasn't to be as I averaged 6:51 to Max's 6:40. This could explain why he has an assortment of Team USA singlets while I have my Sisters Outlaws singlet.) Andy also beat the old 50k c.r., finishing in 3:41:53 for 2nd. Ruben Galbraith ran solid for 3rd and almost reeled in Andy with his 3:42:00 finish, his 3rd straight podium at Hagg. Pam Smith continued her fast running as part of her WS build-up, winning the girl's race in 4:18:34, comfortably ahead of Shari White in 4:34:18. Abi Stephens finished a strong 3rd in 4:37:01. Winning the fat-guy division was William Swint, surprising everyone with a speedy 4:04:11 (are you sure you didn't run the j.v. race, William?).

Thanks to Todd, Kelly, and Fuzz for putting on a great race in there rookie year as r.d.'s. I'm impressed. And I really like the finisher's socks! Great idea - you must have gotten the idea from a really cool race.

Matt: 1, Sean: 0

The quick and dirty: Matt kicked my butt yesterday at the Orcas Island 50 km!

Yes, I wanted to kick his butt, however, Matt had a great run. It was his first ultra in a year and a half, and so I am super, duper, pooper, stoked for him to have run well.

Matt: 4:47

Me: 5:10

23 minutes is a lot to give up in a 50 km. No excuses. Matt won. I lost. I have a bit of a hole to dig out of on May 29th.

I'm sporting the loser's vest at the post-race party (yes, that's a nuuntini in the cup!).

Congratulations, buddy. Enjoy your few months of glory.

Matt 'n Me

Matt and I first met at Where's Waldo 100 km in Aug., 2006, where he was pacing Krissy to the overall victory, and I played along the way trying to win the Wet Waldo award (I didn't). It was a short, brief meeting.

Matt and Me finishing Stage 2 of TransRockies 2008 (photo by iRunFar).

In 2007, Matt and I both had the same idea for a solo June road trip - drive to WY to run Bighorn (Matt in the 50 km, me in the 50 mi), play in the Tetons for a few days, then head to Tahoe to pace at WS. We decided to join forces, and somewhere between Spokane and the Tetons, a friendship was born.

Since then, we have had many epic adventures together: Tetons, Colonel's Summer Boot Camp, Colonel's Winter Boot Camp, Olympic Natl. Park, WS, Bighorn, and, of course, the most epic of running adventures ever, TransRockies.

TransRockies is the only race Matt and I have ever competed in together. But we were teammates, so we were (quite literally) pushing and pulling each other along there.

Me and Matt all cozy at Camp Hale (photo by iRunFar).

We have never raced head-to-head. This year, that's going to change. We're signed up for two of the same races.

This weekend we'll get our first grudge match at the Orcas Island 50 km. Matt is a former winner at Orcas. I've never run it. From past reports, it sounds like it's more of a Hart-friendly race. Plus, he has the course knowledge.

Epic duel / grudge match / battle royale #2 comes on May 29 at the Pocatello 50 m. I was third there last year. Matt has never run it. This course has very long ups and downs; most of the ups are runnable, which generally favors me.

So my dear friend Matt, here we have it: You and Me, man-o/man-o, Orcas and Pocatello, battle royale, survival of the fittest (fattest), death to the weak, winners rule/losers drool, etc, etc.

Whaddaya say, Matt...let's see who really has the biggest muscles! (photo by iRunFar)

I propose a friendly wager of sorts, my friend. No, that's not right. I propose a bet! Winner is the one with the lowest combined time of these two races.

The winnings? Let's leave it up to our blog readers to come up with something. And it can't be something lame like money; besides the fact that neither of us has very much of that, money is just so impersonal. The loser of this bet needs to hurt. Embarrassment is a plus.

So dear readers (hopefully of both of our blogs, if Hart takes the bait), we leave it up to you; please comment with who you think will win, and what the bet should be.

Added Feb. 5 - Hart's response.

January...Whoosh!

Well, yes, I've been a blogging slacker this month. I have a few written posts started, and a few more in my head. I realized today that none of those are going to get finished. So I'll just write a little summary of my month, hopefully keeping each little adventure down to a paragraph.

Sascha was content to hang out at the car during the BadAss.

For the fourth year in a row, the new year started off with the BadAss near the Badlands Rec. Area east of Bend. Overall participation was down a bit this year with about 60 total, but with 14 finishers, the 50k had its most ever finishers. Thanks so much to everyone who came out and played in the desert with Bronco and me, and congratulations to Ashley and Max for setting new course records.

Chillin' out in the Badlands post-run, BadAss style!

The second weekend took me to Bandera, TX, for the Bandera 100k/50k, as the Montrail respresentative. I had such a blast meeting a whole bunch of new people and answering lots of questions about Montrail, Mountain Hardwear, and just running in general. (I gotta get myself a job where that is part of the routine!) The race was cold (10 degrees at the start), but sunny most of the day. Although my 50k wasn't quite the race I hoped for (4:42, hoping for 4:15-4:20), I truly enjoyed the rockiness and ruggedness of the course. I got to help crew quite a few 100 k'ers once I finished, and I even paced Pam Smith the last 6 miles of the 100 km. A very competitive race, the top-4 women 100 k'ers crushed the course record, as did the top-2 guys; plus the top 2 men and women each earned a spot in Western States this year through the Montrail Ultra Cup! The day ended with a fun group at a local eatery with good food, margs, and hours of story swapping that only trail runners can understand! Thanks to Joe for hosting a great event.

Minutes after Pam (left) finished 3rd in 10:36 and Jill (center) tied for 1st in 10:33. Very close race!

The Cascade 1/2 Marathon on Jan. 17 took me to Turner, OR, to try to lower my p.r. of 1:15:57, set at the same race unexpectedly last year. Although outfitted in my trusty Outlaws singlet, I absent-mindedly wore my blue shorts (blue=mellow=slow) as opposed to my red shorts (red=fast), and as a result, I didn't p.r. I was happy with my effort, though, on this blustery day, battling the elements solo for much of the race, finishing in 1:16:11. Next time, definitely red. After the 1/2, William was nice enough to take Sascha and me on a hike of the Shellburg Falls area, giving me a little lay-out of the land for the Santiam Canyon Scramble. It's a very cool area that I look forward to exploring more on my trips to the west side of the mountains.

Those slow blue shorts!

SOFA (Southern Oregon FatAss) was Jan. 24, and four of my main training buddies (Chris, Darla, Ashley, and Josh) were headed down to the Rogue to run that, while I decided to stay local and get in a solo hilly 20 at Smith in preparation for Orcas Island. Well, they couldn't bare the thought of leaving me, so they decided to join me at Smith, as well as Peter and Kami. We had a beautiful day running in a couple inches of fresh snow under sun and blue sky and views that extended to Mt. Adams in WA. I even got a little sunburned! The next day Sascha and I played in the snow for a nice 6 mile snowshoe at Three Creeks Snowpark. Although crummy weather, it's always so much fun for me to watch Sascha excel in her element!

The Smith 20 mile crew atop Grey Butte.

Five weekends this month means five mini-adventures. Thus, this weekend kicked off with the 5th annual MadAss in Madras, OR. The MUTs, Stan and Maura, really know how to host a kick-ass fatass! There were about 45 runners, 10 of which ran 50 k'ish, and the other 35 ran various shorter distances. I opted for the 16.5 mile option, through a beautiful canyon to Lake Simtustus. The post-run potluck was, as always, a scrumptious treat, complete with two kegs of Maura's homebrew, one of which was Chocolate-Coffee Stout - now that's some good drinking!

Today's beautifully sunny day started with a little run out to Josh and Ashley's super cool new house; I'm voting for them to keep the orange and yellow walls! Then it was time to hit the snowshoeing trails at Three Creek Snowpark again.! This week, Amy and Callie joined Sascha and me for the 6 mile loop. Great conversation, cool snow angels, and good workout on the trail, then quite possibly the best-ever pie awaited us at the car - raspberry rhubarb from Sisters Bakery. Supposedly it was for Callie's birthday, but really, I didn't need an excuse to devour a couple slices!

And thus, January came to a happy end...

Save Oregon HS XC Team Championships

If you are a registered voter in Oregon, I strongly urge you to read and sign this petition. Basically, the OSAA (Oregon School Activities Association), which is the prep sports governing body in Oregon, is contemplating dropping the team scoring aspect of the State Cross Country Championships. This would effectively make State an individual meet.

Sisters Outlaws XC celebrates their girls 2nd place trophy and boys 4th place trophy at the 2007 State Meet.

When I first heard this, I thought it was a complete internet hoax that we've all grown used to seeing. But I dug around on the OSAA website and found the minutes from their Jan. 11 meeting. Specifically, read page 1, "The committe is investigating:", the second bullet point.

Anyone who has ever run cross country, watched a meet, had a kid on a team, or coached a team, knows that, first and foremost, cross country is very much a team sport. To take the team scoring out of State is just plain ludicrous.

Sisters Outlaws celebrate 17 straight hours of running at Portland to Coast.

The family-like atmosphere of most xc teams is something really special that I've never experienced with any other sport. When harriers are running for the greater good, in this case, their team, they're more likely to really dig deep down from within to give their best. And the friendships and bonds created truly are deep and often times, are life-long.

Please go here to read and sign the petition.