tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-45743984944985429002024-03-14T00:51:17.938-06:00Sean and Sascha's Adventuressaschasdadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06920379008380900505noreply@blogger.comBlogger110125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4574398494498542900.post-43904207543886865662019-02-19T09:00:00.000-07:002019-02-19T22:19:57.018-07:00Ch-ch-ch-changesGarmin. Suunto. Strava. Two of those three words barely existed a decade ago (well, as running-specific uses, anyway), while the third wasn't even a twinkle in its parent's eyes.<br />
<br />
My, my how times have changed in 10 years. Now it seems like just about all runners have some sort of running-specific GPS device. Runners ramble on and on about them like they're these magical bands and if worn properly, they will run the exact number of miles that their schedule calls for, because, of course, their GPS device is 100% accurate. Even if you and your friend run the exact same route and your devices show different mileage totals, you'll both swear that yours is correct.<br />
<br />
My favorite part of the distance discrepancy is when runners compare their GPS distance with their online training website distance (i.e., Strava, Moves Count, Garmin Connect, etc) vs the advertised course distance of an event. If a race course is certified, then it really doesn't matter what your GPS device and online training website show for your distance; the distance is the race distance and that's what everyone officially gets credit for (and when we go off course for a couple of miles, well, those are just freebie miles). No one is perfect at running exact tangents, and unless a course is certified, then advertised distances are usually "ish", anyway, and the steeper, twistier, and bumpier the course is, the more "ish" the advertised course distance, and a GPS device, is. As long as we're all running the same course, that's really what should matter.<br />
<br />
I digress...<br />
<br />
Another thing that I find funny about GPS devices in races is when people refer to their "Garmin time". What? Garmin time? What about just, simply, your time? Apparently "Garmin time" is sometimes different than "official time" or "chip time", and often, by more than a few seconds. I love it when I hear "Well, the race had my time as 5:02, but my Garmin time was 4:54, so I'm going with that". Um, okay. I'm guessing that usually means the runner's Garmin was set to auto-pause so the stopwatch would automatically stop timing when the runner stops moving. As a race director, every year I receive emails from finishers telling me that their time is wrong in the official results and they can, and sometimes do, show me their Garmin as proof.<br />
<br />
That's just silly.<br />
<br />
Maybe you're wondering "what kind of GPS does that old fuddy duddy curmudgeon use?" Well, my watch is a Timex Ironman. As far as figuring out my mileage, sometimes I'll use a map to plot routes and get mileage estimates, sometimes I'll use mileage markers on roads, trails, etc, but usually I'll just use my built-in GPS earned from over 35 years of running. If I'm off by a bit here and there, oh well. I'll glance at my watch when I start and then again when I finish and some quick math tells me how long, time-wise, I was running.<br />
<br />
Now, I'm not saying all of this because I think GPS devices are useless, because they aren't. In addition to being fun gadgets to play with, they can help runners learn pacing, tell them about how far they've run at just a quick glance, and can even help getting un-lost in unfortunate situations. Just don't get so obsessed with your GPS that you lose the essence of just running. Running is supposed to be one of the easiest and logistically simple forms of exercise there is. And that's pretty cool.<br />
<br />
Time may change me<br />
But I can't trace time<br />
<br />
See what my fellow synchrobloggers, including our newest addition Wyatt Hornsby, have to say about the changes in ultrarunning over the past decade:<br />
<a href="http://www.atrailrunnersblog.com/2019/02/my-how-weve-grown-examining-growth-of.html" target="_blank">Scott</a><br />
<a href="http://conductthejuices.com/2019/02/19/remembering-the-scales/" target="_blank">Craig</a><br />
<a href="https://ajwstaproom.blogspot.com/2019/02/then-and-now-whats-changed-in.html" target="_blank">Andy</a><br />
<a href="http://nolimitsever.blogspot.com/2019/02/then-and-now-whats-changed-in.html" target="_blank">Wyatt</a>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4574398494498542900.post-30547732419676135112019-01-15T05:00:00.000-07:002019-01-15T20:58:40.277-07:00What the last 10 years of Western States have meant to meZero score and 10 years ago, back in the days when blogging was, well, much bigger in the ultrarunning community than it is now, a motley crew of five geeky ultrarunners took the U.S. ultrarunning blog scene by storm. Scott, Craig, Andy, Bryon, and I (SCABS - haha!) launched the first <a href="https://www.wser.org/" target="_blank">Western States</a> synchroblog. Basically, we had fun in rousing a little controversy, creating some humor, and making good memories along the way. It was pretty cool.<br />
<br />
Now, a decade later, four of the original five of us (SCAS) are taking another shot at this with the idea to tell what the last 10 years of Western States have meant to us. Wow - that's going to take a bit of rolling back in the memory bank for me, as well as reviving my thought-to-be-dead blog (I'm amazed I remembered my password and how to actually post this thing, likely with some formatting errors).<br />
<br />
If you want to know what I thought about 10 years ago, here are my five posts from that original synchroblog project:<br />
<a href="http://sascharuns.blogspot.com/2009/01/suggestion-to-western-states-board-of.html">http://sascharuns.blogspot.com/2009/01/suggestion-to-western-states-board-of.html</a><br />
<a href="http://sascharuns.blogspot.com/2009/02/western-states-memories.html">http://sascharuns.blogspot.com/2009/02/western-states-memories.html</a><br />
<a href="http://sascharuns.blogspot.com/2009/04/mandatory-buckles.html">http://sascharuns.blogspot.com/2009/04/mandatory-buckles.html</a><br />
<a href="http://sascharuns.blogspot.com/2009/05/western-states-finish-line.html">http://sascharuns.blogspot.com/2009/05/western-states-finish-line.html</a><br />
<a href="http://sascharuns.blogspot.com/2009/06/my-western-states-teammates.html">http://sascharuns.blogspot.com/2009/06/my-western-states-teammates.html</a><br />
<br />
Ten years ago, WS was just getting warmed up for what was yet to come. 2009 saw <a href="https://roguevalleyrunners.com/" target="_blank">Hal</a> win for his second consecutive time, Anita broke into the overall top-10 to win for the women, and Andy out-paced <a href="http://victorysportdesign.com/" target="_blank">Victor</a> perfectly to barely nab M10.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6n3hRClQRqU/XD2tKrIKiqI/AAAAAAAAAS0/ssp2crMV_KosGKNPYnV4YX4vFTO4-ESVgCLcBGAs/s1600/WS%2B2009.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="415" data-original-width="230" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6n3hRClQRqU/XD2tKrIKiqI/AAAAAAAAAS0/ssp2crMV_KosGKNPYnV4YX4vFTO4-ESVgCLcBGAs/s320/WS%2B2009.jpg" width="177" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Enjoying some trail time with Krissy and Scott approaching Duncan Canyon in 2009.</div>
<br />
2010 brought us incredibly exciting match ups for both the girls and boys. Tracy finished first for the girls, and was the first of six to run 19:xx. I can't remember exactly what the boys race was dubbed as, but it was something exciting with Kilian vs <a href="http://akultracamp.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Geoff</a> vs Tony vs Hal, with Geoff pulling himself out from his non-happy place to chase down the boys ahead and pull off a pretty amazing W in course record time. Of note, this was also the beginning of the <a href="http://www.sharmanultra.com/" target="_blank">Sharmantor's</a> string of 9, top-10 finishes (will he get #10 this year?).<br />
<br />
2011 brought Kilian back for revenge and another Canadian (resident) win for the women, with <a href="https://elliegreenwood.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Ellie</a> coming within 18 minutes of Ann's course record set 17 years prior (and shooting a glob of blister goo into Kristin's eye in the process!). This was also the year that <a href="http://kamisemick.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Kami</a> and Nikki had an exciting 2-mile sprint to the finish after dodging a bear on the way up to Robie.<br />
<br />
A big turning point for WS, administration-wise, took place in late-2011 or early-2012 (I can't remember the exact date and am too lazy to look it up), as that's when Greg announced he was retiring as Race Director, and with this announcement, one of the most prestigious RD'ing gigs in our sport immediately opened up. I gave serious consideration to applying for it, even asking Craig to be one of my references. After not hearing back from my never-at-a-loss-for-words friend for a couple of days, it dawned on me that Craig was applying for it. Duh!! Once I made that realization, I emailed him back to give my apologies for putting him in an awkward position and offer my best wishes to him in applying for his dream job. I also immediately decided to not apply, as I knew that there was no one who would be a better RD for Western States than Craig. Clearly, the board knew that, too.<br />
<br />
2012 was a year for exceptionally cool weather (runners were hypothermic coming into Duncan Canyon) and course records. Ellie crushed <a href="http://www.trasonrunning.com/" target="_blank">Ann's</a> course record by 50 minutes, and won by 1hr 20min, and Tim brought the cougar back to Ashland with a men's course record, becoming the first man to break 15 hrs for 100 miles at WS (Jim King ran sub-15 in 1984, but on a short course). 2012 also marked the last time I would make my annual pilgrimage to WS since 2004. Living in Sisters, OR, it was a pretty easy drive down to the Tahoe / Squaw / Auburn area for the weekend, but a big move to Durango, CO, turned Hardrock into my new WS.<br />
<br />
2013 brought two cougars to OR, with Tim edging out new-kid-on-the-block Rob to repeat, and <a href="http://theturtlepath.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Pam</a> making a huge comeback from her almost-fighting-cutoffs-in-2012 to excelling in the heat wearing her cotton t-shirt and fueling with orange pop on her way to a top-10 overall and women's win by almost 45 minutes.<br />
<br />
2014 saw new faces up front. <a href="http://www.stephaniehoweviolett.com/" target="_blank">Steph</a> kept the girl's cougar in OR in winning her first 100-miler, while <a href="https://robkrar.com/" target="_blank">Rob</a> stamped his first W and sub-15 in taking the boy's cougar to Flagstaff, starting its reign and first step in challenging Ashland for town with most WS victories. I also made the long trip up from Flag for the weekend (where I was living for a couple of years) to cheerlead and help my buddy Ian in his fifth straight top-10. Eight men ran sub-16 that day. Eight!<br />
<br />
2015 saw Rob take another cougar back to Flagstaff with him, while Seth defended his runner-up title. An Olympic marathoner won for the girls, with <a href="https://www.magdaboulet.com/" target="_blank">Magda's</a> excellent performance in her debut 100-miler. Also, <a href="http://findingtractionfilm.com/" target="_blank">Nikki</a> finished her 10th time, all in the girl's top-10, with 3 victories and 3 top-10s overall.<br />
<br />
2016 was just the 4th time a girl broke 18 hrs, with <a href="http://pixieninjarunning.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Kaci</a> smiling her way to a big win. For the boys, this was the year of crazy-insane running up front for 90+ miles, followed by a big missed turn, resulting in one of my Flagstaff buddies walking it in to the finish and another Flagstaff buddy, Andrew, running strong and steady all day long for a very deserving victory. Also, <a href="https://www.gobroncobilly.com/" target="_blank">Jeff</a> surprised a whole lot of people in grabbing a podium spot.<br />
<br />
2017 was a big snow year, but that didn't stop <a href="https://www.walmsleyruns.com/" target="_blank">Jim</a> from racing like it wasn't. It also didn't stop <a href="http://ryansandes.com/" target="_blank">Ryan</a> from becoming just the second non-American boy's champ. Cat ran a perfectly executed race, similar to Andrew's 2016 race, quietly and steadily working her way through the field all day for a much deserved win (btw, I coached her back in the day when she was still in college, just trying to figure out this whole ultra thing!). At age 56, <a href="http://coachmeghan.com/" target="_blank">Meghan</a> finished her 10th WS in the girl's top-10 (11th finish overall). Also, I got married two weeks after 2017's WS, so that was pretty cool.<br />
<br />
2018. Courtney and Jim. They both crushed the field, each winning by well over an hour. That's a lot. Along the way, Courtney ran the second fastest girl's time and Jim ran a boy's course record, bringing the cougar back to Flagstaff to tie Ashland with four cougars each.<br />
<br />
Sooooooo...what <i>have </i>the last 10 years of Western States meant to me? Memories. It's fun for me to look back on the last 10 years of the iconic event of our sport and think about what happened in each of those individual years, as well as the decade as a whole. Sure, there have been changes and people will argue the good and bad of these changes, but it's still a super exciting event that brings together 369 (mostly) really cool people every June for a fun run from Squaw to Auburn.<br />
<br />
I think that's pretty cool.<br />
<br />
Read what Western States has meant over the past 10 years to my fellow synchrobloggers:<br />
<a href="http://www.atrailrunnersblog.com/2019/01/a-decade-later-how-western-states.html" target="_blank">Scott</a><br />
<a href="http://conductthejuices.com/2019/01/15/ten-years-later/" target="_blank">Craig</a><br />
<a href="https://ajwstaproom.blogspot.com/2019/01/10-years-later-what-western-states.html" target="_blank">Andy</a>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4574398494498542900.post-5188577487329932402011-03-19T01:43:00.000-06:002011-03-19T10:40:08.020-06:00Runnin' kicks<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>I don’t make a particular habit of talking too much about my running gear on this blog, as I figure most runners already know what works best for them, so don’t really need recommendations from me. Well, I’ve recently been asked quite a bit what I think about <a href="http://www.montrail.com/">Montrail’s</a> new line-up of shoes, what I like, what I think needs improvement, and most of all, what I’m wearing on my feet.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkxDIamhb4f_rYqjNrz6jWPj9w3YoRFPtwmnALvtgu4MTJiVy7VhaRpT4-qhmndmpYT2bpEskIOPG3aR9rZ08JHfWbSGOmU_a_AKikU3oUaDRtYaVgUfGNqiKSYWRrl87benB99V3XH1uf/s1600/Vitesse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkxDIamhb4f_rYqjNrz6jWPj9w3YoRFPtwmnALvtgu4MTJiVy7VhaRpT4-qhmndmpYT2bpEskIOPG3aR9rZ08JHfWbSGOmU_a_AKikU3oUaDRtYaVgUfGNqiKSYWRrl87benB99V3XH1uf/s200/Vitesse.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vitesse - the original Montrail, and basically, the original trail runner in the US.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>First, I’ll give you a (hopefully) brief history of my Montrails. Like many trail runners in the late-90s/early-2000s looking to buy a “real” trail shoe, my first purchase was a <a href="http://www.trailspace.com/gear/montrail/vitesse/">Vitesse</a>. I don’t have stats on this, but I’m quite certain this is Montrail’s all-time best seller, and possibly even the all-time best seller of all trail running shoes. My Vitesse arrived mail order, were too small, so I sent them back, and never owned another pair. In 2002, I tried the <a href="http://www.trailspace.com/gear/montrail/melee/">Melee</a>. I figured if it could help propel <a href="http://scottjurek.com/#/home/">Scott</a> to victory at <a href="http://ws100.com/home.html">Western States</a>, it had to be a great shoe. I loved that it was light and very flexible, however, I didn’t love that it chewed up my ankles. <a href="http://web.mac.com/krissymoehl/Krissy_Moehl/Welcome.html">Krissy</a> noticed this fact at <a href="http://cleelumridge.blogspot.com/">Cle Elum 50 km</a> and recommended I contact <a href="http://www.montrail.com/">Montrail</a> customer service about swapping. I was super impressed with Montrail’s customer service, as they sent me a pair of <a href="http://www.trailspace.com/gear/montrail/diablo/">Diablos</a> even before I sent them back my bloody-around-the-ankles Melee. I also started working at <a href="http://www.footzonebend.com/">FootZone</a> in Bend about this time and was finally able to try the rugged favorite of many, the <a href="http://www.backcountry.com/store/review/2219/Leona-running-shoes.html">Leona Divide</a> (a shoe which I'm quite sure <a href="http://iantorrence.blogspot.com/">Ian</a> logged more miles in than almost all other Leona-wearers combined).<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwfObhHU5lWIGoEOZxezY198xmTizHUlRCZbYYvoD1UCBP8ZV0DouEwdYmkrnfkStRKTUiaOA5CXmqEf0IkftNgTTe3N3E7pRmsByj6ivrwMREqtR-RYJrw6TTBLoaX7tNxF2MWivYAaze/s1600/L%2526R+004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwfObhHU5lWIGoEOZxezY198xmTizHUlRCZbYYvoD1UCBP8ZV0DouEwdYmkrnfkStRKTUiaOA5CXmqEf0IkftNgTTe3N3E7pRmsByj6ivrwMREqtR-RYJrw6TTBLoaX7tNxF2MWivYAaze/s200/L%2526R+004.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> My last pair of Leona Divides - I've been milking 'em for a few years, only using them in the winter as they're retro-fitted with screws ala-Bronco Billy style.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>I tried hard to like the Diablo, as it was a favorite of <a href="http://www.ontherunevents.com/news/0276/WR_NateMcDowellWinner.jpg">Nate’s</a>, and <a href="http://www.gobroncobilly.com/">Bronco</a> really talked highly of his, but I just didn’t love it. However, I immediately fell in love with the Leona! It fit my foot so well, it was relatively light for its era, I could literally take a brand new pair out of the box and run a 50k in them without issue, and the part that I thought was the coolest was the rugged, sawtooth traction was absolutely the best (in fact it still ranks as my favorite snow tread, and combined with the goretex upper of the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Hurricane-Ridge-GTX-Womens-Montrail/dp/B000O5734C">Hurricane Ridge</a>, was a sweet winter running shoe).<br />
<br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Others came and went over the years: <a href="http://www.epinions.com/pr-Running-Montrail_Men_and_Women_Wasatch_II/display_~latest_prices">Wasatch</a> (very rugged, never tried it), <a href="http://www.outdoorgearsite.com/4001.html">Diez Vista</a> (Diabloesque, but I never tried it), <a href="http://www.trailspace.com/gear/montrail/masai/">Masai</a> (was a great shoe - light, fast, and highly breathable, but some durability issues), <a href="http://www.trailspace.com/gear/montrail/susitna-xcr/">Susitna</a> (goretex version of Masai, the goretex was more like a softshell which worked really well; great for snowshoeing), <a href="http://www.trailspace.com/gear/montrail/kinabalu/">Kinabulu</a> (<a href="http://www.pbase.com/gtach/image/39432397">Brandon</a>-inspired, was made for desert running on slickrock and sandstone), <a href="http://www.runnersworld.com/cda/shoefinder_detail/1,,s6-240-325-329-0-0-0-0-1064,00.html">Continental Divide</a> (Leona’s overly-stiff successor), <a href="http://www.backcountry.com/montrail-hardrock-trail-running-shoe-mens-mon0021">Hardrock</a> (I never tried any of the 3 or 4 versionas of this beefy shoe, but it was a huge hit with some of the bigger runners, as well as with hikers), <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Montrail-Highline-Shoe-Womens/dp/B003T2GFXW">Highline</a> (basically a neutral, cushy Hardrock; I remember <a href="http://web.mac.com/krissymoehl/Krissy_Moehl/Welcome.html">Krissy</a> being quoted as saying they were like running on pillows), <a href="http://www.getoutdoorgear.com/152/%EF%BB%BFmontrail-mountain-mist-xcr-trail-runner/">Mountain Mist</a> (goretex verison of the Highline), <a href="http://www.trailspace.com/gear/montrail/nitrus/">Nitrus</a> (fast-looking, great for multiple surfaces, had outsole nub issues), <a href="http://www.trailspace.com/gear/montrail/odyssey/">Odyssey</a> (weak attempt at a Masai replacement, although <a href="http://blog.coachingendurance.com/">Hart</a>, <a href="http://explorefatigue.blogspot.com/">Grossman</a>, and <a href="http://www.pbase.com/gtach/image/87721153">Chris</a> really liked it; I still use an old pair for mowing the lawn), <a href="http://www.trailspace.com/gear/montrail/wildwood-tr/">Wildwood</a> (urban trail runner for both trails and roads, I never tried them), <a href="http://www.trailspace.com/gear/montrail/highlander/">Highlander</a> (narrow fit with big lugs, good in the mud), <a href="http://www.irunfar.com/2008/02/montrail-streak-review.html">Streak</a> (Montrail’s first big change to a lighter, lower, more flexible shoe; also, the first <a href="http://www.montrail.com/">Montrail</a> I got to wear-test).</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe8SZ-TuijWzKXTcyN_2NR-93WF6WKHEC15ZUD78OH2v0vgE5QcoW3sKVWb1fBpliaU66AVfb5zHUE59NDGT9NuIQjo41aO2EFEX3b_GcpamFP-a55ba1TvTNwOFbFhhPJ91GbTYP6TR-5/s1600/Leonaprint.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe8SZ-TuijWzKXTcyN_2NR-93WF6WKHEC15ZUD78OH2v0vgE5QcoW3sKVWb1fBpliaU66AVfb5zHUE59NDGT9NuIQjo41aO2EFEX3b_GcpamFP-a55ba1TvTNwOFbFhhPJ91GbTYP6TR-5/s200/Leonaprint.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Quite possibly the most recognizable trail running shoe outsole pattern in history. Photo courtesy Glenn Tachiyama</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Currently in the line, but not new: <a href="http://www.montrail.com/Women%27s-Mountain-Masochist%E2%84%A2/GL2077,default,pd.html?ICID=HP_MONTRAIL_TOPSELLERS">Masochist</a> (modified Streak w/slight medial post and narrower toe box, Montrail's best seller the past few years; also holds the <a href="http://ws100.com/recordholders.htm">c.r. at WS</a>; goretex version available), <a href="http://www.montrail.com/Men%27s-Rockridge%E2%84%A2/GM2098,default,pd.html?ICID=HP_MONTRAIL_TOPSELLERS">Rockridge</a> (neutral shoe w/great lateral stability and good lugs for snow and mud; I was fortunate to be able to do lots of wear-testing for this), <a href="http://www.montrail.com/Men%27s-Sabino-Trail%E2%84%A2/GM2101,default,pd.html">Sabino Trail</a> (beefiest current shoe; goretex version available).<br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Newest Montrails: <a href="http://www.montrail.com/Women%27s-Badrock%E2%84%A2/GL2123,default,pd.html">Badrock</a> (<a href="http://www.montrail.com/Technologies-%3E-FLUIDPOST/technology_fluidpost,default,pg.html">Fluidpost</a> version of the Rockridge), <a href="http://www.montrail.com/Women%27s-Fairhaven%E2%84%A2/GL2122,default,pd.html">Fairhaven</a> (great fitting, fairly plush, road/trail hybrid, it's currently my go-to road shoe for lunch runs; another shoe I got to wear-test), <a href="http://www.montrail.com/Men%27s-Rogue-Racer%E2%84%A2/GM2124,default,pd.html">Rogue Racer</a> (I was very fortunate to wear-test this very extensively and see my input included in the production model). The Rogue is basically a racing flat, and thus, by far the biggest change from a traditional Montrail. And this is a good thing. A very good thing. It's light (official specs say 8.8 oz, but my food scale says 7.7 oz), definitely low-profile, extremely breathable (i.e., it drains well), highly flexible, great little grippy nubs, has a flexible rubber rock plate, and, well, it just looks cool. Plus, it's fast!</div><br />
Future Montrails: okay, I really can't say anything specific here, but I can say the Rogue was just a start in the new wave of lighter and faster Montrails.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">So, this all brings me back to my current Montrail kicks. By far, most of my miles are in the <a href="http://www.montrail.com/Men%27s-Rogue-Racer%E2%84%A2/GM2124,default,pd.html">Rogue Racer</a>. When I first started testing them over a year ago, I figured they would be good for up to 20-25 miles maximum. Well, last weekend I wore a pair for all 3 days of the <a href="http://syllamo.org/3days/Default.aspx">3 Days of Syllamo</a> stage race (50k, 50mi, 20k). I was a bit concerned by the ruggedness of the trails and sheer distance, but I'm excited to report that my legs and feet were very happy with my choice. I had absolutely zero issues. Sure, my legs are now tired, but I expected that after the race. So now I know I would wear them for most trail races up to 100k (and they would be great for varied-terrain races such as <a href="http://www.ar50mile.com/">American River</a> and <a href="http://www.jfk50mile.org/">JFK</a>), however, I'm still unsure if they would be my 100-miler shoe. Of course, if you know me and how good of a 100 miler I am, that obviously isn't an issue.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8mJIpebfblJ8_dHInFrh155EJLSCmozgBLx8atqMj9QVJlAvxinXEGqpzEVk06Pc7RnbmK6MH7cYqVc2TwGjLyoSeHHLI8tt5ptGjldf1EQ6sAbH6Yg1AraTcvaDTrMWqrw9oB7zoSWMe/s1600/L%2526R+002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8mJIpebfblJ8_dHInFrh155EJLSCmozgBLx8atqMj9QVJlAvxinXEGqpzEVk06Pc7RnbmK6MH7cYqVc2TwGjLyoSeHHLI8tt5ptGjldf1EQ6sAbH6Yg1AraTcvaDTrMWqrw9oB7zoSWMe/s200/L%2526R+002.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My current favorite Rogue Racer, complete with knee and shin blood around the collar thanks to Syllamo!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">As I mentioned above, the <a href="http://www.montrail.com/Men%27s-Fairhaven%E2%84%A2/GM2122,default,pd.html">Fairhaven</a> is my current go-to shoe for my daily lunch runs. It's cushy on the roads and has great nubby traction for a little snow and mud that's currently on my trails. The <a href="http://www.montrail.com/Men%27s-Rockridge%E2%84%A2/GM2098,default,pd.html">Rockridge</a> is what I consider my 4x4 shoe - the one I can wear for any conditions. If I'm not comfortable with the Rogue for a trail run, the Rockridge is the one I use. It's great for <a href="http://www.oregonstateparks.org/park_51.php">Smith Rock State Park's</a> ruggedness and big vert, is comfortable, runs great on the flats as well as big elevation changes, has good lugs for mud and snow, and it is the one pair of shoes I took with me to Chile for 12 days last October (which included the mountainous <a href="http://www.ultramaratondelosandes.cl/2010/index_en.html">Ultramaraton de los Andes 80 km</a> race, plus lots and lots of hiking).</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">So, there you have it. <a href="http://www.montrail.com/">Montrails</a>. Lots of Montrails. Old and new. What running models did I miss (I'm excluding Montrail's many hiking, mountaineering, climbing, casual, and sandals they've made over the years)? What's your favorite?</div></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">One final note: If this post got you excited about Montrails and your favorite local running store doesn't carry them, you can now order a pair directly from Montrail's <a href="http://www.montrail.com/">fancy new website</a> (the website even <a href="http://www.montrail.com/on/demandware.store/Sites-Montrail_US-Site/default/FindAFit-Start?null">helps you determine</a> which pair should best suit your needs).</div></div>saschasdadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06920379008380900505noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4574398494498542900.post-41157322816841357502011-02-02T01:35:00.000-07:002011-02-02T01:35:25.136-07:00Team Montrail 2011I am extremely humbled to be a Montrailian for the 9th straight year. Not only do we have an extremely stacked team talent-wise, we really have a bunch of really cool and fun to be around guys and girls who just love to run! Press release below:<br />
<br />
<br />
Montrail Announces 2011 Trail Running Team<br />
<br />
Richmond, CA (February 1, 2011) – Montrail, the leader in trail-inspired running and recovery footwear, is thrilled to announce its 2011 trail running team. Comprised of top trail and ultra runners from around North America, the 2011 edition of Team Montrail will have the difficult task of improving upon its successes in 2010. <br />
<br />
"At Montrail, we look to align the brand with athletes who are pushing the limits, achieving success and helping to shape the future of trail and ultrarunning,” said Montrail Athlete Manager Jesse Malman. “For 2011, we’ve compiled a group of individuals who are at the top of their sport, and committed to helping the sport to grow in popularity and in participation.” <br />
<br />
In 2010, Montrail athletes had several notable wins and achievements, including: Ultrarunning Magazine’s 2010 Ultrarunner of the Year (Geoff Roes), 2010 Female Ultrarunning Performance of the Year (Ellie Greenwood) and 2010 Male Ultrarunning Performance of the Year (Geoff Roes). Max King had a stellar year winning the Xterra Trail Running World Championship, USATF Trail Half Marathon and Trail Marathon Championship, while Annette Bednosky topped the podium at the USATF 100 Mile Trail Championship. With several other first place finishes, course records and major speed records in 2010, Team Montrail has set a high bar for 2011.<br />
<br />
This year, top runners Geoff Roes, Max King, Dakota Jones, Ellie Greenwood and Joelle Vaught will be back along with the majority of the 2010 team, as well as four new additions:<br />
<br />
Megan Lund: This Aspen, Colorado native is a 2-time Olympic marathon trials qualifier and 2-time USA Mountain Running team member. She’s the winner of the 2010 Sierre Zinal Mountain Race in Switzerland. Megan looks to run many high-profile mountain races in Europe this summer, along with the Pikes Peak Ascent and USATF Trail Half Marathon Championship.<br />
<br />
Amy Sproston: Amy lives in Portland, Oregon and is a 2-time Massanutten 100 winner, winner of the 2010 JFK 50 and the 2010 Pine to Palm 100. Her focus for the first half of 2011 will be Western States 100.<br />
<br />
Ryan Burch: Ryan is a native of Colorado and is a force in the mountains. 2010 highlights include wins at the Antelope Island 50, Leadville Marathon and Grand Mesa 100. This year, look for Ryan to compete near the front at Western States 100 and Leadville 100.<br />
<br />
Andy Henshaw: Andy lives in Steilacoom, Washington and at the young age of 25 is just beginning to find his groove. In 2011, he’ll focus on the 50 mile and 100k distances and will look to qualify for the USA 100k Team.<br />
<br />
“This talented team of runners is also a group of active and influential members of the running community,” continued Jesse. “They are a strong group of race directors, coaches, trainers, and running addicts...we couldn't be more excited about the year ahead for Team Montrail."<br />
<br />
With great excitement and anticipation, here’s your 2011 Montrail Trail Running Team:<br />
Annette Bednosky – Jefferson, NC<br />
Ryan Burch – Ft. Collins, CO<br />
Luis Escobar – Santa Maria, CA<br />
Ellie Greenwood – Banff, AB<br />
Matt Hart – Salt Lake City, UT<br />
Andy Henshaw – Steilacoom, WA<br />
David Horton – Lynchburg, VA<br />
Dakota Jones – Ft. Collins, CO<br />
Max King – Bend, OR<br />
Megan Lund – Basalt, CO<br />
Ryne Melcher – Vancouver, BC<br />
Sean Meissner – Sisters, OR<br />
Luanne Park – Redding, CA<br />
Jill Perry – Manlius, NY<br />
Geoff Roes – Nederland, CO<br />
Gary Robbins – North Vancouver, BC<br />
Erik Skaden – Sacramento, CA<br />
Amy Sproston – Portland, OR<br />
Joelle Vaught – Boise, ID<br />
<br />
Follow along throughout the year on the <a href="http://blog.montrail.com/">Team Montrail blog</a> to keep current on race schedules and outcomes.<br />
<br />
About Montrail:<br />
Montrail is a premium outdoor brand known for its high performance trail-specific and recovery footwear. Serving as the trail running authority since 1993, Montrail is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Columbia Sportswear Company based in Richmond, Calif. Montrail distributes its products through specialty outdoor, running and sporting goods retailers throughout the United States and over 30 countries worldwide. Montrail is committed to delivering innovative performance footwear with outstanding runability for the New Breed of Runner. To learn more about Montrail, please visit: www.montrail.com.<br />
<br />
Erin Brosterhous<br />
Mountain Hardwear and Montrail Public Relations<br />
US mail: PO Box 775772<br />
Shipping: 729 Oak Street<br />
Steamboat Springs, CO 80477<br />
970.871.1308 (office)<br />
970.846.1684 (cell)<br />
Personal email: <a href="mailto:erinbroster@gmail.com">erinbroster@gmail.com</a><br />
<a href="http://www.mountainhardwear.com/">http://www.mountainhardwear.com/</a><br />
<a href="http://www.montrail.com/">http://www.montrail.com/</a>saschasdadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06920379008380900505noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4574398494498542900.post-59502131019600767372010-12-12T23:54:00.000-07:002010-12-13T00:46:36.797-07:00168 hours of Whole FoodsSaturday, Dec. 4: <br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">So for many years now I take an annual running sabbatical about this time of year. It's a nice time of year to do it - at the end of a long season of running and racing, my body is tired and needs a break, the days are short and cold, and it's the holiday season so that means I'll be eating lots of holiday snacky foods.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Well, this year I'm doing something different. I'm still taking the sabbatical, which entails one week of no physical activity, then maybe if my body feels like it I'll start hiking and snowshoeing a bit the second week. Usually at the end of week 2 I'm ready to start jogging a bit again, but occasionally I'll take 3 or 4 weeks off, and one year it was even 6 weeks off (that was the year I mapped out the original long course of the <a href="http://www.gobroncobilly.com/rumble/">Rumble</a>). It's really nice to give my body a much needed complete rest for however long it takes.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi78sLvbumuCfq2VGbrKBaQScEr_Uwg85b6D59kM_ILuhy7xP8a5sM55emwfoxVTD_VhgUlCG5kkuyJVjgZGcDVRelg7wU3vBkCuA4QtBjQOwyp_Gmy9r8eTIL-NFvoprFF3Qit4l3cfOYJ/s1600/Fall+Frolicing+029.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi78sLvbumuCfq2VGbrKBaQScEr_Uwg85b6D59kM_ILuhy7xP8a5sM55emwfoxVTD_VhgUlCG5kkuyJVjgZGcDVRelg7wU3vBkCuA4QtBjQOwyp_Gmy9r8eTIL-NFvoprFF3Qit4l3cfOYJ/s320/Fall+Frolicing+029.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shellburg Falls Trail Run, enroute to the Civil War!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>So in addition to my running sabbatical, which started at 9:50 a.m. this morning when I finished the <a href="http://runwildadventures.com/index.php?p=1_13_Shellburg-Falls-Trail-Run">Shellburg Falls 7 mile trail race</a>, I'm also going to eat and drink a 100% whole foods diet for exactly one week. That started tonight at 6:29 p.m. at the conclusion of a nice Mexican restaurant meal, complete with a blue margarita (the last thing was actually a cinnamon candy they put with the check).<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1YiOJH9QGnWEgK5b-to6WbzlO3_AzHkxrA4RGUOLnyGXw9YBCDSZUqC1JajIWbN5Za1hbkaC7Z9lwTSB6gYQz-3TRuxJ-zF1-R_4ChBRkFZABYEyl_7c5VBZOIeZ4LAJvhFZ9VcAVXbG6/s1600/prewholefoodsdinner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1YiOJH9QGnWEgK5b-to6WbzlO3_AzHkxrA4RGUOLnyGXw9YBCDSZUqC1JajIWbN5Za1hbkaC7Z9lwTSB6gYQz-3TRuxJ-zF1-R_4ChBRkFZABYEyl_7c5VBZOIeZ4LAJvhFZ9VcAVXbG6/s320/prewholefoodsdinner.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Post-Civil War / pre-whole foods blue margaritas.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><a href="http://montrail.com/AthleteDetails.aspx?id=198&sport=2">Hart</a> kinda planted the idea in my head in March with his <a href="http://blog.coachingendurance.com/2010/03/whole-food-for-day-challenge.html">Whole Foods for a Day Challenge blog post</a>. I didn't take him up on the challenge then, or ever, but have occasionally thought about it. Then in late October, after getting home from Chile, I decided I was going for the challenge. But a day is just way too short; I can do anything for a day - that's easy. So I decided to not make any drastic diet changes while I was still training and racing, but instead wait until my season was over.<br />
<br />
Well, it's over and the 168 hours of whole foods has begun. I'm going to update this blog daily for a week, with plans to put exactly everything I eat and drink each day, plus how I'm feeling. Despite what Newman-O's <a href="http://joshnordell.blogspot.com/">Nordell</a> thinks, I actually do eat a fairly good diet. I just want it to be healthier for a week and see what happens. Oh, and I'm only telling <a href="http://carpedherdiem.blogspot.com/">one person</a> about this so I don't get any unsolicited advice from anyone. I'm doing it my way, and I'm doing it for me.<br />
<br />
So, my diet so far for the last 3:50 has been 24 oz of water. Let the next 164:10 begin.<br />
<br />
Sunday, Dec. 5:<br />
I know I made the correct decision in not doing this whole foods diet for just 24 hours, as I didn't really even think about it. Of course I didn't eat much, either, but not because of the type of food, but just because I had a lazy day.<br />
<br />
Number one on my agenda today was to go grocery shopping. I spent $67.75 on nothing but whole foods. It looks like I bought a lot, so I'm hoping this will last me the week. Here's a list of what I bought: 2.4# round roast, 2 chicken breasts, 4 broccoli crowns, 8 bananas, 4 avocados, 4 cucumbers, 4 green peppers, 1.75# of green beans, 2 green onions, 5 mushrooms, 1 red pepper, 4 bunches of radishes, 1 yellow onion, 3 grapefruits, 1# sunflower seeds, 1 white onion, 1 jalapeno pepper, 1.5# almonds, spinach, 4# granny smith apples, 5# carrots, 3 containers grape tomatoes, 6 sprouted bagels.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9jSZQNPmEIkpozwOPb26q99-sDAh6fL6kat884n3FlvzskdZivsb29B1j6zeOTStxtK2roeY3ypj3avL174_VHe6Y5Q-jFPdlrbJe94pskGoO6gAon-0y7-iBzv3NAPM19tDNvfnZkJID/s1600/Fall+Frolicing+031.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9jSZQNPmEIkpozwOPb26q99-sDAh6fL6kat884n3FlvzskdZivsb29B1j6zeOTStxtK2roeY3ypj3avL174_VHe6Y5Q-jFPdlrbJe94pskGoO6gAon-0y7-iBzv3NAPM19tDNvfnZkJID/s320/Fall+Frolicing+031.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These are all of the goodies I bought for the week.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>I have other food at home already that I'll also be using, including almond butter, potatoes, pepper (but the sea salt I have unfortunately doesn't make the whole foods cut), eggs, garlic, olive oil. I forgot to get jam, and as I eat ab&j pretty much every day for lunch at work, I'll be getting some whole foods approved jam tomorrow.<br />
<br />
My menu today consisted of: banana, grapefruit, a few little carrots and celery, avocado, sprouted bagel with almond butter, tiny orange, 2 big bowls of beef stew, a couple cups of hot lemon water, and about 60 oz. of water. Not a lot, but I wasn't very active today, so I wasn't very hungry. No cravings for anything.<br />
<br />
Monday, Dec. 6:<br />
I was curious as to what my first "real" day on the diet would bring (real = work day). There always seems to be a candy jar full of chocolates, and people often bring in tasty baked goodies, so I wanted to see how my self-control was. In anticipation of said non-whole foods, I packed lots and lots of food for work.<br />
<br />
Breakfast, lunch, and snacks (all at work) - 1 banana, lots of carrots, lots of celery, 1 broccoli crown, lots of grape tomatoes, 1 bunch of radishes, 1 apple, 1 orange, 100 oz. water. I usually drink a gallon+ of water every day at work, but I noticed I didn't need or want to drink as much today, yet was peeing more than usual. I attribute this to the natural water found in all the food I was eating.<br />
<br />
Dinner - big bowl of beef stew, avocado, a few carrots and green pepper slices, hot lemon water.<br />
<br />
I didn't have any cravings at work, maybe because I was shoveling food in my mouth almost the whole day, but I did have a slight and short-lived sugar craving after dinner. It went away, though, when I started slicing and dicing tomorrow's work food.<br />
<br />
Tuesday, Dec. 7:<br />
If I thought like I was eating all day at work yesterday, that was nothing compared to today. Good thing it was slow so I could eat all of the tasty goodness I took with me.<br />
<br />
Breakfast - sprouted bagel with almond butter, banana<br />
<br />
Lunch, snacks - apple, handful of almonds, (sometime in the a.m. the boss gave us all a baggie full of chex mix; everyone else tore right into theirs, but mine went in a drawer), green beans, green pepper, grape tomatoes, cucumber, huge salad (3.3 liters worth of huge consisting of spinach, onion, radishes, green pepper, green beans, grape tomatoes, broccoli, sunflower seeds, olive oil, pepper), grapefruit. All of the individual veggies were in addition to the veggies that were also in the mega salad (many duplicates).<br />
<br />
Dinner - spinach, garlic, onion, and pepper all lightly cooked in olive oil, with 3 eggs over-easy over the spinach mixture. This was really good!<br />
<br />
Dessert - apple<br />
<br />
Water - 1 gallon today. In addition to the increased pee breaks, I've also been pretty gassy the past couple days. I thought it was processed foods that were supposed to do this to people, not whole foods.<br />
<br />
It sure does take a lot longer to prepare all of this food than I'm used to. My cutting boards, knives, and tupperware are all definitely working overtime. I had a little bit of a craving for something more substantial not long after dinner, but it didn't last long. I was planning on chicken and rice for dinner, but since I changed my mind on that, today ended up being a vegetarian day (and if not for the 3 eggs, it would have been a vegan day).<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiebL_yQQVLxJB63yncFTTxFSGl4EalCEUvSQq-ELBOLo0oMkRAQizlBaLN9Kv0EwKGt9KQMqat_FMTXwwIMcJCFwS3eE-fGpYozzg2m9lmbmN-oEkNib5PGxZzLW4gn_zhsLjct-SAhaHk/s1600/Fall+Frolicing+005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiebL_yQQVLxJB63yncFTTxFSGl4EalCEUvSQq-ELBOLo0oMkRAQizlBaLN9Kv0EwKGt9KQMqat_FMTXwwIMcJCFwS3eE-fGpYozzg2m9lmbmN-oEkNib5PGxZzLW4gn_zhsLjct-SAhaHk/s320/Fall+Frolicing+005.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I just thought another picture needed to be added in the middle of this post. Sascha and Lucie taking the scenic route down Black Butte.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Wednesday, Dec. 8:<br />
Okay, I'm definitely o.d.ing on veggies here. After once again eating a gigantic salad at work, I decided I haven't been eating enough fruit and animal protein. That changed tonight with a big chicken breast and super tasty sweet potato. I decided that tomorrow I won't be taking another 3.3 liters worth of salad to work; instead more fruit, sprouted bagels, and almond butter, in addition to just some veggies to snack on.<br />
<br />
Breakfast - sprouted bagel with almond butter, banana.<br />
<br />
Lunch, snacks - handful of almonds, handful of sunflower seeds, fat salad (consisting of spinach, onion, radishes, green pepper, green beans, grape tomatoes, broccoli, sunflower seeds, olive oil, pepper), apple. Once again my boss brought goodies to work, this time in the form of fudge. I'm seeing a trend here. Despite uncharacteristically not eating any of the treats, nobody at work has noticed and thus, haven't quizzed me about my eating habits this week (they have, however, stared in amazement as I chow down on the huge salads).<br />
<br />
Dinner - chicken breast, sweet potato with cinnamon (super tasty!), strawberries.<br />
<br />
Unlike the last 2 nights, I didn't have any cravings tonight after dinner, which I believe is due to the more substantial animal protein dinner I had (the chicken breast was pretty big). After dinner I felt pretty bloated. I contribute that partially to my dinner, but more to all of the water I ate via the veggies in addition to the 150 oz of water I drank.<br />
<br />
Less than 3 days to go and everything is good. It might be a little tougher tomorrow night as I'm going out to dinner at Jackson's Corner for Darla's birthday. I've never really noticed if this "healthy" restarant has much in the way of whole foods. Guess I'll find out soon enough (they do, however, have super good cookies and cinnamon rolls!).<br />
<br />
Thursday, Dec. 9:<br />
Since I'm working 4-10s at work right now, today was the last day of work this week, so although that will help take away some of the temptations (today 2 girls brought in rice krisy treats for an office taste test), I won't have the eating structure the next couple of days that I do on work days.<br />
<br />
Breakfast - sprouted bagel with almond butter, banana.<br />
<br />
Lunch, snacks - apple, sprouted bagel with almond butter, orange, handful of almonds, avocado with sunflower sprinkled on top.<br />
<br />
Dinner - Jackson's Corner for Darla's birthday and it was great. Andrea made sure everything I ordered was within my guidelines. Thai salad (modified dressing from the usual), cucumbers, beef. This was sooooooo good (although I think it could have used some salt) and filling. Andrea was nice enough to bring 6 fancy cupcakes for Darla, and Darla graciously shared with the crew for dessert. Yes, I was a little bummed to have not been enjoying the chocolate/peanut butter chip cupcake, but I didn't have any huge cravings for it.<br />
<br />
Today was a good day. My lunch and snacks at work were a nice change from the overdose of veggies the past few days, and the beef in the Thai salad really hit the spot. I drank about 140 oz of water, so about normal for me. Also, I wasn't nearly as gassy as the past few days, which I think is a mixture of my body adapting to more veggies than it's used to, plus just not eating as many veggies today. I had a mild headache at work for about an hour. At first I thought it was probably a no-sugar headache, but that didn't make a lot of sense to me because if that was going to happen, it would have on Sunday or Monday (this was my first headache in a loooooooooong time). Andrea thought it was probably from lower calories than I'm used to (probably even lack-of calories). That theory sounds more plausible.<br />
<br />
Friday, Dec. 10:<br />
Day off from work, so I slept in then went for a long walk around town with Sascha, which including stopping at the grocery store so I could buy ingredients to make Chocolate Revel Bars for the CORK Christmas Party tomorrow night. I noticed I was feeling a little weak and had a stuffy nose. Blah. As is typical on days off, my eating was sporadic.<br />
<br />
Breakfast, lunch, snacks - banana, grapefruit, apple, cucumber, radishes, grape tomatoes, green beans, green pepper, broccoli (thankfully I was able to eat some veggies again today)<br />
<br />
Dinner - 2 big bowls of big fat tasty stew again with round roast, white onion, green onion, green pepper, red pepper, garlic, potatoes, carrots, radishes, fresh ground pepper. While tasty, it was definitely a little bland. Usually I would put a can of <a href="http://www.thefind.com/food/browse-el-pato-tomato-sauce">El Pato</a> Mexican tomato sauce in stew to add spice.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHW0NWIvyv5oXfF1uKSPqhA-PhW6J6ZyWUWNUmeX1wcnZ14Ds6XFtuvaRMLAT1VWQnIa0vtWJex4ro54M7P93TRYR6saFBEHX8wB9uPYchI2680pcpdZGWo3PrQlOyVFnUNFVM-ysEYf2P/s1600/Fall+Frolicing+052.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHW0NWIvyv5oXfF1uKSPqhA-PhW6J6ZyWUWNUmeX1wcnZ14Ds6XFtuvaRMLAT1VWQnIa0vtWJex4ro54M7P93TRYR6saFBEHX8wB9uPYchI2680pcpdZGWo3PrQlOyVFnUNFVM-ysEYf2P/s320/Fall+Frolicing+052.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The second of 2 beef stews I made this week. Both were really good and hearty, but slightly bland.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Dessert - banana<br />
<br />
The most difficult part of today was baking the Chocolate Revel bars. Not so much because I craved a bar (I didn't), but moreso because when cooking or baking I usually snack on the ingredients. I had to conscientiously tell myself a few times that I couldn't have those chocolate chips, or lick the beaters when I was done mixing it. I made it through the experience unscathed.<br />
<br />
I only drank about 60-70 oz of water today. Less than 24 hours to go - easy schmeasy. On a side note, Andrea and I started watching the entire Lost series tonight. After 6 hours we had made it through 8 episodes.<br />
<br />
Saturday, Dec. 11:<br />
This last day really was pretty easy. When I woke up I felt light, so decided to weigh myself. I was down 3 lbs for the week. I definitely attribute it to the diet, especially since there was no running. After another couple Lost episodes, we took the dogs for a nice walk around Suttle Lake in super heavy, wet snow where I finished feeling like a popsicle. I'm not going to lie - a nice cup of hot cocoa in front of the big fire would have really hit the spot, but that wasn't an option. Instead I went home and finished off the stew.<br />
<br />
Breakfast - 5-grain hot cereal with almond butter<br />
<br />
Lunch - stew<br />
<br />
The 168 hours ended in fine style at the <a href="http://www.lavacityrollerdolls.com/">Lava City Roller Dolls</a> roller derby match. Anticipating the moment, I took a few chocolate revel bars in with me, and few minutes before the time was up, I bought a PBR (that fit nicely in the PBR beer koozy I had just won). 6:29 came and the first thing in my mouth was a drink of PBR followed closely by a revel bar. They both tasted good (okay, the revel bars tasted really good), but I didn't get a noticable sugar buzz or anything like that. After roller derby I went to a Christmas party and feasted on more non-whole food, including ham, pizza, and Pepsi, as well as Darla's delicious salad that I'm pretty sure was whole foods compliant. Anyway, again there was no noticable sugar buzz, and nothing tasted over-the-top awesome, nor did I feel sick from it.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU1oYbL2iUNv7QPvpz7v4UU73r4a4Jl8CO4MP4FLmWyn279GKd7gaa2srz2yN325pN_amj1iMCIKSjMY7vUHn5PSxTfxI1ZNT_o2NO4HAQ9xZSQ-p8qmDfhyqMmanmquPrdAsoQ-DQzzTH/s1600/postwholefoodspbr.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU1oYbL2iUNv7QPvpz7v4UU73r4a4Jl8CO4MP4FLmWyn279GKd7gaa2srz2yN325pN_amj1iMCIKSjMY7vUHn5PSxTfxI1ZNT_o2NO4HAQ9xZSQ-p8qmDfhyqMmanmquPrdAsoQ-DQzzTH/s200/postwholefoodspbr.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First the PBR...</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJjB_Pqf8XY0c8fFjT2o6LrpegIh_19c0ULmu6xjuBXg1EA1CdZ8i-ErJ66774Xb3UdDYLUB2HP-4X0k3dsMf_tZ1rggEa5ksPB0o-uOB-mCW0FwOI4NIv-DryEcbEgQa4_ofgKkYM533J/s1600/postwholefoodscrb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJjB_Pqf8XY0c8fFjT2o6LrpegIh_19c0ULmu6xjuBXg1EA1CdZ8i-ErJ66774Xb3UdDYLUB2HP-4X0k3dsMf_tZ1rggEa5ksPB0o-uOB-mCW0FwOI4NIv-DryEcbEgQa4_ofgKkYM533J/s200/postwholefoodscrb.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">....then the chocolate revel bar.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">So, what did I learn? Well, I didn't have any big epiphanies, nor do I feel like I'm now going to save the world or anything like that. It definitely takes a bit more time to prepare whole foods, especially all of the veggies I took to work vs. the few veggies I usually take along with a Clif bar. Making fat salads also takes longer to make than an almond butter and jam sandwich, plus the huge salads also take a lot longer to eat than the ab&j. But aside from the veggie o.d. earlier in the week, I enjoyed the whole foods week. </div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">I definitely don't think I'll ever go 100% whole foods. For me that's just not realistic, as I really enjoy things like <a href="http://nuun.com/">nuun</a>, cookies, cinnamon rolls, and cheese fries. I don't want to give up those treats. But I do believe I will now be generally more conscientious about the food I buy and eat. I could see myself going to 80-90% whole foods; I think that is reasonable. I'm also glad I did this for a week as opposed to a day, as I really do think a day doesn't prove anything, nor would it allow me to get into any sort of routine. I'll definitely do this diet again, and I think 2 weeks would be an even better experiment (just not this time of year with all of the Christmas treats coming my way).</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYRejya0GP06eW74DEyku9DxlCpVhQSTeIbQuYKG1U1yjyv6ZQpSKNvo83JhZC2L8nmX1cvQVmxZcXaLubMmRZU6m-KaLXd7-oXRcxT7H54emvtu3XaJKaWSezUeoyJewYwhieE7aPC4OD/s1600/postwholefoodsbf.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYRejya0GP06eW74DEyku9DxlCpVhQSTeIbQuYKG1U1yjyv6ZQpSKNvo83JhZC2L8nmX1cvQVmxZcXaLubMmRZU6m-KaLXd7-oXRcxT7H54emvtu3XaJKaWSezUeoyJewYwhieE7aPC4OD/s320/postwholefoodsbf.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Post-whole foods breakfast at Chow. That's a breakfast sandwich filled with eggs, bratwurst, avocado and tomato with 2 pancakes used as the bread! I washed it down with a bloody mary.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><img height="72" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJjB_Pqf8XY0c8fFjT2o6LrpegIh_19c0ULmu6xjuBXg1EA1CdZ8i-ErJ66774Xb3UdDYLUB2HP-4X0k3dsMf_tZ1rggEa5ksPB0o-uOB-mCW0FwOI4NIv-DryEcbEgQa4_ofgKkYM533J/s200/postwholefoodscrb.jpg" style="filter: alpha(opacity=30); left: 153px; mozopacity: 0.3; opacity: 0.3; position: absolute; top: 110px; visibility: hidden;" width="96" />saschasdadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06920379008380900505noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4574398494498542900.post-40636320453772677362010-10-14T18:04:00.000-06:002010-10-16T14:07:38.118-06:00CHI! CHI! CHI! LE! LE! LE!That's the chant I've been hearing the last 14 hours as I watch the Chilean miners get pulled up to safety, one by one. It's really very emotional to watch each one come up. I can't imagine the excitement the entire country of Chile must be feeling now...but tomorrow, I'll be amongst them. I'm currently sitting in the Salt Lake City airport on my way to Santiago to run the <a href="http://www.ultramaratondelosandes.cl/2010/index_en.html">Ultramaraton de los Andes</a>. I've been anxiously awaiting this trip ever since winning the Canadian Death Race last year, as this trip is my prize. I never imagined I would be traveling to Chile at such an historic time. Very exciting indeed!<br />
<br />
So, as my last blog post was over 5 months ago now, I've definitely been quite the slacker. I decided this year that I was going to run fewer ultras and fewer weekly miles, concentrating more on the shorter mountain stuff for races and a bit more speed during the week.<br />
<br />
Fewer mileage definitely doesn't equate to less playing, as I've been playing a whole heckuva lot, running and racing up and down the west coast and out to the Colorado rockies multiple times. I've basically had a dream summer. I'll try to list my adventure highlights since then just by memory.<br />
<br />
May:<br />
-<a href="http://www.silverstatestriders.com/Results.aspx?id=1">Silver State 50k</a>, roadtrip with Ashley, Bronco, and Yassine<br />
-<a href="http://pocatello50.com/">Pocatello 50 mi</a>-turned-50k; absolutely epic snowy/windy/rainy/sleety/white-out adventure; roadtrip with Amy<br />
June:<br />
-<a href="http://www.geminiadventures.com/new/?page_id=130">Desert RATS 148 mi stage race</a>; incredible event, fun hanging out with Fatboy and Rob. I even got the W.<br />
-<a href="http://ws100.com/home.html">Western States</a> paced and crewed Jill.<br />
July:<br />
-<a href="http://www.leadvilletrail100.com/lt100races/LeadvilleTrailMarathon/overview.aspx">Leadville Trail Marathon</a>, plus 2 14ers (Torreys and Grays) the day before w/Hart and another 14er (Elbert) the day after w/Hart and Jenny.<br />
-<a href="http://badwater.com/">Badwater</a>, paced and crewed Jamie, where she got another W and CR, plus 3rd overall..<br />
-<a href="http://steensmrc.net/">Steens Mountain Running Camp</a>, high school xc camp, attended as a coach w/8 <a href="http://www.athletic.net/CrossCountry/School.aspx?SchoolID=202">Sisters Outlaws harriers</a>.<br />
-<a href="http://cascadelakesrelay.com/">Cascade Lakes Relay</a>, part of the super fun Team FootZone/Rebound/Mountain Hardwear; overall W and CR.<br />
August:<br />
-<a href="http://www.mtashlandrun.com/">Mt. Ashland Hill Climb</a>; this 1/2 marathon w/5,600' vertical has been on my list for quite a few years. Cool race.<br />
-<a href="http://www.pikespeakmarathon.org/">Pikes Peak Marathon</a>; another classic race that's been on my list for a long time. It's hard.<br />
-<a href="http://www.hoodtocoast.com/">Hood to Coast Relay</a>; part of another super fun team, Willamette Dental; division W and 9th overall. I love relays!<br />
September:<br />
-<a href="http://www.mbsef.org/events/sunrise2summit/">Sunrise to Summit</a>; I really suck at this race that goes straight up Mt. Bachelor, but I did it so I could meet one of my goals this year - complete all 4 of the <a href="http://usatf-oregon.org/node/322">Oregon MUT Series</a> races. If Erik Skaggs wasn't so fast, I would have won the series.<br />
-<a href="http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/centraloregon/geology/info/volcanoes/middlesister-photo02.shtml">Middle Sister</a> summit w/Chris and Lori (approx. 22 mi.). It was fun passing the mountaineering group on the glacier with their helmets, ice axes, boots, crampons, etc, in our shorts, running shoes, and small hydration packs. I think they hated us.<br />
-Spokane trip to meet up with 5 cousins to surprise Grandma; fun, fun, fun weekend!<br />
-<a href="http://www.xterraplanet.com/xduro/nationals.html">XTerra 1/2 Marathon</a>; fun race, but I had a tough day, including a really hard crash with 3/4 mile to go. Ouch.<br />
-<a href="http://www.superfitproductions.com/?page_id=70">Flagline 50k</a> was a week later, and I really wanted to support Super Dave in his ultra-r.d.ing debut, but I DNS'd because I still hurt from my XTerra crash.<br />
-<a href="http://www.runwildadventures.com/">Run Wild Adventures</a> wedding; Gary and Shandi tied the knot and invited me to their special day.<br />
October:<br />
-<a href="http://www.superfitproductions.com/?page_id=69">Dirty 2nd Half</a>, another great Super Dave production.<br />
-<a href="http://vulcan.wr.usgs.gov/Volcanoes/ThreeFingeredJack/description_three_fingered_jack.html">Three Fingered Jack</a> 23ish mile loop w/William and Trevor. I'm not sure Trevor ever wants to run with the 2 of us again!<br />
<br />
There were also many other adventures in the central Oregon mountains, i.e. Black Crater, Black Butte, Obsidian, Belknap Crater, Green Lakes, Tam McArthur, Tumalo Falls Watershed area, etc. Definitely an epic summer!<br />
<br />
Sascha has been joining the fun on as much as she can handle, which unfortunately for me isn't as much as she used to do. It's a bit hard for me to watch her get older, but she seems content to be more of a hiker, walker, and sniffer now, but definitely still a sand bagger, as a trail-crossing squirrel brings back her younger reflexes in a heartbeat.<br />
<br />
Now here I am, almost in Chile, awaiting yet another adventure. I'll be in Santiago this weekend (staying at the swanky <a href="http://www.starwoodhotels.com/whotels/property/overview/index.html?propertyID=1979">W Hotel</a>, courtesty TNF), running <a href="http://www.ultramaratondelosandes.cl/2010/index_en.html">the race</a> and checking out the big city. On Monday I fly to Calama in northern Chile, then bus to <a href="http://www.sanpedrochile.com/index.php?lang=en">San Pedro de Atacama</a>, where I get to play in the Atacama desert for the week (original thoughts of trekking in Torres del Paine National Park in southern Chile changed after learning this is rainy season there). From what I've read, the Atacama is the driest desert in the world, so rain shouldn't be an issue. I'm planning on staying in a hostel, renting a bike, climbing some volcanoes, and doing whatever other fun opportunity comes my way. There are a few peaks in the 6,000 meter range (19,685'), so it would be sweet to get up that high!<br />
<br />
Anyway, that's kinda what I've been up to the past 5 months. I have also had the pleasure of wear-testing a few of the Spring 2011 <a href="http://montrail.com/">Montrail</a> line-up. Being sample size is pretty sweet, especially when Montrail takes the feedback from wear testers seriously and makes the necessary improvements before final production. Exciting stuff is ahead!<br />
<br />
I have about 1/2 dozen blogs started that are hanging out in my drafts folder, some running related, some not (an op-ed or 2 in there!). Who knows, maybe you'll get to read what I really think about something sometime; this is election season...saschasdadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06920379008380900505noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4574398494498542900.post-60120857547709037482010-05-06T23:43:00.000-06:002010-05-07T23:46:42.799-06:00Addiction<div align="left">Hi, my name is Sean, and I'm addicted to <a href="http://www.flotrack.org/">flotrack.org</a>, Haile Gebrselassie <a href="http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=haile+gebrselassie&aq=0">videos</a>, Chris Solinsky <a href="http://www.flotrack.org/videos/coverage/view_video/236854-2010-payton-jordan-cardinal-invitational/331184-m-10k-f01-chris-solinsky-american-record-2659-video-2010-payton-jordan">videos</a>, and pretty much any and all other videos that show fast runners running really fast.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />And then I found running videos. I dare you to watch the Chris Solinsky <a href="http://www.flotrack.org/videos/coverage/view_video/236854-2010-payton-jordan-cardinal-invitational/331184-m-10k-f01-chris-solinsky-american-record-2659-video-2010-payton-jordan">video</a> 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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />Since Hagg, I've...<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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!<br /><br />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.</div><div align="left"></div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5468435681960171074" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgooPxSyTZWRt0__0UerPj3gqq2yWkg8AwcrYXBxOl4fS2C1DlEBYUpgARR_79a0gDnjpmPNls_x-KelUtAUEHd0k8cfPG7aLG0tI0b5wqPTygjxN3T_52C9iqkCe9ksaeCKbq69maJIl0B/s320/Yakima+River+Canyon+Marathon+516.JPG" /> <p align="left"><em>Autographing my first pair of shoes!</em><br /><br />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!</p><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 123px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 160px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5468434668825132850" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOERBa4r_BZXy2kZIMJ89baYiuL2AlqsxMUDdoWEcm7E-M_T-f_a8mZtbZ5tZKhKK16gQx6CyV-baNYXIr9nWdtkwNuZezdilhn0pIYI6xUsrR5_zw2fOGqxd5IMK5o5tUn5BHjjE_7YER/s400/YakNWRunnerCover.jpg" /> <p align="left"><em>Winning the Yakima River Canyon Marathon. I never saw all of that writing surrounding me during the race.</em><br /><br />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.<br /><br />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!</p><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 243px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5468433755459855026" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbdwZaHkxZh6aEIc0yTd9iGgHWYAwzyHrIW4-JV3jWNEaKdxARiTKnw2R2lXgrTDoUS8rG1F4VRW9e1yj-yPfaG2Thv5b1g2qXjEKSR_5rpkg3mXAs6T9C5aXt-bGRm1rAV7u-AG_a_MwL/s320/IMG_8703.jpg" /> <p align="left"><em>Jerry Duncan and Nancy MacInnis sportin' some stylish retro Rumble socks!</em><br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />And that, my friends, is what's up in Sean-land.<br /><br />Now I gotta go back and watch some more fast videos.</p>saschasdadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06920379008380900505noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4574398494498542900.post-54081503035047184042010-03-03T22:57:00.001-07:002010-03-03T23:32:49.467-07:00The Rumble is FULL!!Yeah baby, the 8th Annual <a href="http://gobroncobilly.com/rumble">Peterson Ridge Rumble</a> 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!<br /><br />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.<br /><br />If enough runners drop in the next few weeks, I may open registration again for a bit, but don't count on it.<br /><br />A few other options for Rumble Day:<br />-Volunteer at the Rumble!<br />-<a href="http://www.race4theroses.org/">Race for the Roses 1/2 Marathon, 10k, 5k</a> in Portland<br />-<a href="http://www.mtsirelay.com/">Mt. Si 50k / 50 mi Ultra and Relay</a> in Snoqualmie, WA<br />-<a href="http://www.whidbeyislandmarathon.com/">Whidbey Island Marathon</a> in Oak Harbor, WA<br /><br />A little course condition update:<br />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!).saschasdadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06920379008380900505noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4574398494498542900.post-81591962397193995232010-02-24T21:54:00.000-07:002010-02-25T02:17:07.162-07:00Hagg Lake 25 km<div align="left">After running the <a href="http://haggmud.com/">Hagg Lake</a> 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.<br /><br />I carpooled to Hagg with Bend fast-guys <a href="http://andygmartin.blogspot.com/">Andy Martin</a> and fellow Montrailian <a href="http://montrail.com/AthleteDetails.aspx?id=205&sport=2">Max King</a>. 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.<br /><br />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 <a href="http://orcasisland50k.blogspot.com/">Orcas Island 50k</a> vest for the out and back in support of 25k'er Mandy Giblin.<br /><br />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 <a href="http://resultsdb.com/individual_results.aspx?FirstName=Jeremy&LastName=Mcwilliams">Jeremy McWilliams</a> 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.</div><div align="center"><br /></div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 180px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5442103112982548818" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZMOblPQpVvu8YhEpCWmDjbzL3N0MoqQ2bwqilJN0j5u_Cf0WbywRI6oGQUL-TROKRCmZtWgtU3ehhmITKw6AKZ5kpV24wC3d7q_l2wIP2Sf7xrRnHRcmEXjhOdEiIfq3cMersFZP_KUOX/s320/haggcreek.jpg" /> <p align="center"><em>That's me navigating a creek crossing that eliminated a road section from previous years - a very cool improvement!</em></p><p align="left">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, <a href="http://resultsdb.com/individual_results.aspx?FirstName=Aaron&LastName=Ladd">Aaron Ladd</a>. 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!<br /><br />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 <a href="http://nuun.com/">nuun</a>. 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 <a href="http://usatforegonmut.blogspot.com/">Richard Bolt</a> 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!<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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 (<a href="http://nessski.blogspot.com/">Ness</a> 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 <a href="http://resultsdb.com/race_results.aspx?RACE_Code=HAGG2510">1:46:10 for 4th place</a>. 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.</p><p align="left"></p><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5442086222049091938" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-CVs7_sL0fTwxGE1sCIfSmFy4w1gKxGNB8j_Yp_ni8qUwUmimYdHLOc5-8PTGeuYzWL-RuCeuZNJk3cY0JsPcPk5GLToh4qX7Ty1sCUI6BecOStd14Bi260k07YgNXgE7c0-0XmxQYP1X/s320/haggfinish.jpg" /> <p align="center"><em>Soaking the legs and cleaning up. It sure doesn't look like February in western Oregon!</em></p><p align="left">As for the 50k, Max <a href="http://resultsdb.com/race_results.aspx?RACE_Code=HAGG5010">crushed it in 3:26:54</a>, 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. <a href="http://resultsdb.com/individual_results.aspx?FirstName=Ruben&LastName=Galbraith">Ruben Galbraith</a> ran solid for 3rd and almost reeled in Andy with his 3:42:00 finish, his 3rd straight podium at Hagg. <a href="http://theturtlepath.blogspot.com/">Pam Smith</a> continued her fast running as part of her WS build-up, winning the girl's race in 4:18:34, comfortably ahead of <a href="http://resultsdb.com/individual_results.aspx?FirstName=Shari&LastName=White">Shari White</a> in 4:34:18. <a href="http://ayarella.blogspot.com/">Abi Stephens</a> finished a strong 3rd in 4:37:01. Winning the fat-guy division was <a href="http://wswint.blogspot.com/">William Swint</a>, surprising everyone with a speedy 4:04:11 (are you sure you didn't run the j.v. race, William?).</p><p align="left">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.</p>saschasdadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06920379008380900505noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4574398494498542900.post-57721115645554406852010-02-07T23:07:00.001-07:002010-02-07T23:45:22.064-07:00Matt: 1, Sean: 0<div align="left">The quick and dirty: <a href="http://coachingendurance.com/index.shtml">Matt</a> kicked my butt yesterday at the <a href="http://orcasisland50k.blogspot.com/">Orcas Island 50 km</a>!<br /></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"><br /></div><div align="left">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.</div><div align="left"><br /></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left">Matt: 4:47</div><div align="left">Me: 5:10</div><div align="left"><br /></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left">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 <a href="http://pocatello50.com/">May 29th</a>.</div><div align="center"><br /></div><div align="center"></div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5435752952349365890" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjojBoAKPlxDVEAfaZdQqtRpWsuitFNB2RjZ1b7DDlMlCohtFTIIsLt7qEHF5jxRpV6l8sslFYFK6BAVTKjs66SJ2oSUHTIHCv41wxQlwEPnMDeNuV-IwvBaAKZF7SbP6dbcRQyO9vhzaIO/s400/orcasloser'svest.jpg" /> <div align="center"><em>I'm sporting the loser's vest at the post-race party (yes, that's a nuuntini in the cup!).</em></div><div align="left"><em></em></div><div align="left"><br />Congratulations, <a href="http://coachingendurance.com/index.shtml">buddy</a>. Enjoy your few months of glory.</div>saschasdadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06920379008380900505noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4574398494498542900.post-37097603776003911582010-02-04T00:55:00.000-07:002010-02-05T12:53:01.584-07:00Matt 'n Me<div align="left"><a href="http://coachingendurance.com/index.shtml/">Matt</a> and I first met at <a href="http://www.ww100k.org/">Where's Waldo 100 km</a> in Aug., 2006, where he was pacing <a href="http://www.ww100k.org/stats/2006/results.php">Krissy to the overall victory</a>, and I played along the way trying to win the Wet Waldo award (I didn't). It was a short, brief meeting.<br /></div><div align="left"><br /></div><div align="left"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5434312249129163362" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEbFOCl_Fb6t-9PaL5U0Z1g5UbaCTLTpJj4rm0KewrQJ1MimY5YJEX_rTV3ZkAAQLQzlQlV1JHhoXWGgd2ZDnpSkHEuYJq3SicwYoETZPOCDUyDtbpWZI-7xOZl325R7oDVeOw4ktccJDt/s320/matt&meleadville" /></div><div align="center"><em>Matt and Me finishing Stage 2 of <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">TransRockies</span> 2008 (photo by <a href="http://www.irunfar.com/"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-error">iRunFar</span></a>).</em><br /><br /></div><div align="left">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 <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-error">WS</span>. We decided to join forces, and somewhere between Spokane and the Tetons, a friendship was born.</div><div align="left"><br />Since then, we have had many epic adventures together: Tetons, Colonel's Summer Boot Camp, Colonel's Winter Boot Camp, Olympic Natl. Park, <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-error">WS</span>, Bighorn, and, of course, the most epic of running adventures ever, <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_4" class="blsp-spelling-error">TransRockies</span>.</div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"><br /><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_5" class="blsp-spelling-error">TransRockies</span> 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.</div><div align="center"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 128px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 96px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5434313845016473490" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNhCSY1NzMTmJuiYZHJGyv26OSqepjlQwMxCUbohPaBkoQ5yjxDvAwf9G_4IBC43vSoPrpOcAFFe4G45N6G6WylY0lJSaR4vCQV6P81xsJxgSUtPIU_ae-qCS19N-ehdGT2kyvaPJS2gfK/s400/matt&mecamphale" /><em>Me and Matt all cozy at Camp Hale (photo by <a href="http://www.irunfar.com/"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_6" class="blsp-spelling-error">iRunFar</span></a>).</em><br /></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"><br />We have never raced head-to-head. This year, that's going to change. We're signed up for two of the same races.</div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"><br />This weekend we'll get our first grudge match at the <a href="http://orcasisland50k.blogspot.com/"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_7" class="blsp-spelling-error">Orcas</span> Island 50 km</a>. Matt is a <a href="http://orcasisland50k.blogspot.com/2009/10/2008-50k-results_11.html">former winner</a> at <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_8" class="blsp-spelling-error">Orcas</span>. 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.</div><div align="left"><br />Epic duel / grudge match / battle <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_9" class="blsp-spelling-error">royale</span> #2 comes on May 29 at the <a href="http://pocatello50.com/"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_10" class="blsp-spelling-error">Pocatello</span> 50 m</a>. 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.</div><div align="left"><br />So my dear friend <a href="http://coachingendurance.com/index.shtml/">Matt</a>, here we have it: You and Me, man-o/man-o, <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_11" class="blsp-spelling-error">Orcas</span> and <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_12" class="blsp-spelling-error">Pocatello</span>, battle <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_13" class="blsp-spelling-error">royale</span>, survival of the fittest (fattest), death to the weak, winners rule/losers drool, etc, etc.</div><div align="left"><br /></div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5434313154281764178" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6Ho1tWoftKxyf2XaWxKt5Q5PPAeRq7Q9xBjHWQ-LSh238uFdUtO27VYBy6z7GKTRJ4OQHa1pJdvsBiTwCF8NwLsJ8ZWV-kw-jdgdJ0_0ENNvYKaq7nisqHAOmS3B1ZxPc61JSY9vI_YUd/s320/matt&memuscles" /> <p align="center"><em><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_14" class="blsp-spelling-error">Whaddaya</span> say, Matt...let's see who really has the biggest muscles! (photo by <a href="http://www.irunfar.com/"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_15" class="blsp-spelling-error">iRunFar</span></a>)</em><br /></p><p align="left">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.</p><p align="left">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.</p><p>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.</p><p>Added Feb. 5 - <a href="http://coachingendurance.com/blog/2010/02/sean-n-me.shtml">Hart's response</a>.</p>saschasdadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06920379008380900505noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4574398494498542900.post-84507327343277295882010-01-31T22:43:00.000-07:002010-02-01T13:11:01.595-07:00January...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.<br /><br /><div align="center"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5433201038316482770" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDMbL-5tuKnD0A3956hDKFglNWVYlDmBEDdlswklCEeW3C-cyI6836HIjfF8PX8YtIFck6GZaPrDKI5cA3g9xfSndwlW1zZwUMvSZaU4cgmfsAKtLCh3awwPhgUVis2GGwuV21zscTqJGi/s320/BadAss+014.JPG" border="0" /><em>Sascha was content to hang out at the car during the BadAss.<br /></em><div align="left"></div><br /><div align="left">For the fourth year in a row, the new year started off with the <a href="http://www.gobroncobilly.com/badass/">BadAss</a> near the Badlands Rec. Area east of Bend. Overall participation was down a bit this year with about 60 total, but with <a href="http://www.gobroncobilly.com/badass/results.html">14 finishers, the 50k</a> had its most ever finishers. Thanks so much to everyone who came out and played in the desert with <a href="http://www.gobroncobilly.com/">Bronco</a> and me, and congratulations to <a href="http://www.teampearlizumi-smith.com/athletes/ashley-nordell/">Ashley</a> and <a href="http://montrail.com/AthleteDetails.aspx?id=205&sport=2">Max</a> for setting new course records. <img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5433195183887475314" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwtAT2ZlxUoWDlwvTiJMwa4SgL9TOcBAKTX1KKSKMYaqPi6kvhgMRqIM4imrgaIb3QNztFVVuAwYsDNoo3MIpzXZASx7TmvA2IVeiBrovdGUUTp8tSWN9li0WfP4OTSWfdEMl8NzOgrWev/s320/BadAss+016.JPG" border="0" /><em></em></div><div align="center"><em></em></div><div align="center"><em>Chillin' out in the Badlands post-run, BadAss style!</em><br /></div><br /><div align="left">The secon<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiddxXciNE0jN2jw0i044-UV5doxMiX40O3wsJONUDKNVN-tNYyZa6hiVtBSGVD7044M7WQWjP2gqgkvqfyjGrKOB52BQ32a-j9jdGkFjWRpZq4ZebrvYh2qn8L5vBKLRDZOuH66MrI-fIv/s1600-h/Banderarocks.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5433193362353802178" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 150px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiddxXciNE0jN2jw0i044-UV5doxMiX40O3wsJONUDKNVN-tNYyZa6hiVtBSGVD7044M7WQWjP2gqgkvqfyjGrKOB52BQ32a-j9jdGkFjWRpZq4ZebrvYh2qn8L5vBKLRDZOuH66MrI-fIv/s200/Banderarocks.jpg" border="0" /></a>d weekend took me to Bandera, TX, for the <a href="http://www.tejastrails.com/Bandera.html">Bandera 100k/50k</a>, as the <a href="http://blog.montrail.com/">Montrail</a> respresentative. I had such a blast meeting a whole bunch of new people and answering lots of questions about <a href="http://montrail.com/">Montrail</a>, <a href="http://mountainhardwear.com/">Mountain Hardwear</a>, and just running in general. (I gotta get myself a job where that is part of the routine!) The race was <strong>cold</strong> (10 degrees at the start), but sunny most of the day. Although my 50k wasn't quite the race I hoped for (<a href="http://www.tejastrails.com/docs/Bandera_res_2010.html">4:42, hoping for 4:15-4:20</a>), 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 <a href="http://theturtlepath.blogspot.com/">Pam Smith</a> 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 <a href="http://ws100.com/home.html">Western States</a> this year through the <a href="http://ultracup.montrail.com/overview.aspx">Montrail Ultra Cup</a>! 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.</div><div align="center"></div><p align="center"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5433193825840910418" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV8H4X2zLZim2fapNtckpxkfG1IvFF45evOs5j7orrSyelCPH3gb3VtL9JqU0wEdsYJYAninzD3IRRkJeAiLbFM6FUfLO0dTwR1lxZHIU5VvClX58QpD1uRQHuA-had18H2EV6F8f9aMdC/s320/Bandera+100k+%26+50k+011.JPG" border="0" /><em>Minutes after Pam (left) finished 3rd in 10:36 and Jill (center) tied for 1st in 10:33. Very close race!</em></p><p align="left">The <a href="http://www.wvroadrunners.org/cascadehalf/">Cascade 1/2 Marathon</a> on Jan. 17 took me to Turner, OR, to try to lower my <a href="http://sascharuns.blogspot.com/2009/01/another-pr.html">p.r. of 1:15:57</a>, 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, <a href="http://www.wvroadrunners.org/cascadehalf/half10.shtml">finishing in 1:16:11</a>. Next time, definitely red. After the 1/2, <a href="http://wswint.blogspot.com/">William</a> 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 <a href="http://runwildadventures.com/index.php?p=1_16_Santiam-Canyon-Scramble">Santiam Canyon Scramble</a>. It's a very cool area that I look forward to exploring more on my trips to the west side of the mountains.</p><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5433192526162348258" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0anGj5NsYFWPvNQND0KwzB3fkhAxh1qaBNGX3I-BIahIdgglQ5MBeN8Z3GY5HeyPyafrIGUwFlOD883tN_kbU9lKsSuP0cQRLaU4XsleZjy93gkDD8hV76k6-Yt52ueQv7XcR49VbscRy/s320/CascadeHalf+Jan+%2710.jpg" border="0" /> <em>Those slow blue shorts!</em><br /><p align="left"><a href="http://roguevalleyrunners.blogspot.com/2010/01/2010-sofa-50k-doesnt-disappoint.html">SOFA</a> (Southern Oregon FatAss) was Jan. 24, and four of my main training buddies (Chris, Darla, <a href="http://www.teampearlizumi-smith.com/athletes/ashley-nordell/">Ashley</a>, 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 <a href="http://www.oregonstateparks.org/park_51.php">Smith</a> in preparation for <a href="http://orcasisland50k.blogspot.com/">Orcas Island</a>. Well, they couldn't bare the thought of leaving me, so they decided to join me at Smith, as well as Peter and <a href="http://www2.thenorthface.com/na/athletes/athletes-KS.html">Kami</a>. 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!</p><div align="center"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5433191820010975810" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEIpkeTdxB9D6-zWWj6sUr_TeYtJtmxbkY_AKB0uwLuCR0IJaynZciOkvZvEu1cLci8DF5vNbL75YU603Q2IMuOz2XLxCi_IyozWrsyhfabG-JR6AoyXHyJ8NHp9JGpVHSTqyAoJI59MFO/s320/Smith+Rock+Area+007.JPG" border="0" /><em>The Smith 20 mile crew atop Grey Butte.</em></div><p align="left">Five weekends this month means five mini-adventures. Thus, this weekend kicked off with the <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/madass2010/home">5th annual MadAss</a> in Madras, OR. The MUTs, Stan and Maura, really know how to host a kick-ass fatass! There were about <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/madass2010/home/results">45 runners</a>, 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 <a href="http://lakesimtustus.com/">Lake Simtustus</a>. 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!</p><div align="left">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, <a href="http://amysproston.blogspot.com/">Amy</a> 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 <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/sisters-bakery-sisters">Sisters Bakery</a>. Supposedly it was for Callie's birthday, but really, I didn't need an excuse to devour a couple slices!</div><div align="left"> </div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left">And thus, January came to a happy end...</div></div>saschasdadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06920379008380900505noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4574398494498542900.post-43643716456866429512010-01-19T23:50:00.000-07:002010-01-20T01:19:59.594-07:00Save Oregon HS XC Team Championships<div align="left"> If you are a registered voter in Oregon, I strongly urge you to read and sign this <a href="http://www.petitiononline.com/OSAAXC10/petition.html">petition</a>. Basically, the <a href="http://www.osaa.org/crosscountry/">OSAA</a> (Oregon School Activities Association), which is the prep sports governing body in Oregon, is contemplating dropping the <a href="http://www.osaa.org/crosscountry/2009/4abresults.asp">team scoring</a> aspect of the State Cross Country Championships. This would effectively make State an individual meet.<br /></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"><br /></div><div align="center"></div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5428723845331952786" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5289A0cRJV2O_X3ZIS1uoITRJqBfxSUQTOC6BC6Gyg9Gv5IKmLgNffJHN5hLcaXBdtrTRQmtzYla9Pv1fxCvPAhXWZVMbFgue2_G5FvgwO8Rs4xagNBQCLXdNj-ghYK9rGA4eR1TvlHDK/s320/SistersXCState2007.jpg" /> <p align="center"><em>Sisters Outlaws XC celebrates their girls 2nd place trophy and boys 4th place trophy at the 2007 State Meet.</em><br /></p><p align="left">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 <a href="http://www.osaa.org/governance/committees/statechampionship/111minutes.pdf">found the minutes</a> from their Jan. 11 meeting. Specifically, read page 1, "The committe is investigating:", the second bullet point.</p><p align="left">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.</p> <img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5428731079816006146" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhieoKQXMXYngKsfY_B0zrislTMwN565UserhbvecxigFpy_nD5eXWP0uktYOCvn-ocWV5iPg3DvwOKpkR726As_LYDdobBzwXLLM8wreEUU-Yx56DZxcXBMBGm_NCHMCK7H16pDXcT9K9a/s320/SistersXCP2C07.jpg" /> <p align="center"><em>Sisters Outlaws celebrate 17 straight hours of running at <a href="http://hoodtocoast.com/index_ptchsc.php?i=ptchsc">Portland to Coast</a>.</em></p><p align="left">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.</p><p align="left">Please go <a href="http://www.petitiononline.com/OSAAXC10/petition.html">here to read and sign</a> the petition.</p>saschasdadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06920379008380900505noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4574398494498542900.post-49065738601145626562010-01-16T23:05:00.000-07:002010-01-17T20:13:31.699-07:00For Meghan<div align="left">Ok, since <a href="http://meghanscrookedtrails.blogspot.com/">someone</a> finally noted that Christmas has long-since passed, I figure it's time to put up a post. I was actually hoping to do my <a href="http://www.tejastrails.com/Bandera.html">Bandera</a> write-up today, but I ended up playing in the BLM Grasslands north of Grey Butte with some buddies at their annual Rabbit Camp.<br /></div><div align="left"><br />Now it's almost bed time, and I'm going to bed early tonight because I'm getting up extra early tomorrow to drive to the bustling town of Turner to run the <a href="http://www.wvroadrunners.org/cascadehalf/">Cascade 1/2 Marathon</a>. I ran it <a href="http://sascharuns.blogspot.com/2009/01/another-pr.html">last year</a> and surprised myself with a <a href="http://www.wvroadrunners.org/cascadehalf/half09.shtml">1:15:57 p.r</a>. This year I feel faster and have better leg speed than I did last January, thanks in large part to <a href="http://montrail.com/AthleteDetails.aspx?id=205&sport=2">Max's</a> <a href="http://www.reboundspl.com/rebound_classes.html">Tuesday night workouts</a>. So naturally, I'm going for another p.r. Low-1:15s would be cool, but 1:14:xx doesn't sound too bad, either.</div><div align="center"><br /></div><div align="center"></div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 138px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5427595034280504882" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjcQziDgd3jaogcS4yWPnQAePsk6TJ5GYxhJzUp3r-yuRXHWwd7w76-4WRq9mXcQxPlfjpSLw-1S5n119y22CSxvF-eXo1MqoHyNa5xu3CGIPOxmr3GdImYPniQSj6Fan4jGg-Hv8VbGLP/s400/CacadehalfstartJan09.jpg" /> <p align="center"><em>This picture of last year's race made it into this month's </em><a href="http://runnersworld.com/"><em>Runner's World</em></a><em>. I'm the cool guy in the middle with the red shorts and black Outlaws singlet.</em><br /></p><div align="left"></div><div align="left">As has become normal in Salem-area races, I'm looking forward to seeing <a href="http://www.mysuperbadrunningblog.blogspot.com/">Luvin's</a> outfit, courtesy of losing yet another bet to <a href="http://wswint.blogspot.com/">William</a>. As always, it will be fun to run with <a href="http://twitter.com/ryan_ness">Ness</a>. And I'm expecting nothing less than a p.r. from <a href="http://www.roosterruns.blogspot.com/">Rooster</a>!</div>saschasdadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06920379008380900505noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4574398494498542900.post-16057438242235479312009-12-25T09:10:00.000-07:002009-12-26T22:08:44.470-07:00Merry Christmas!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrsJfYAuGnyPeujVRQH0jcx1SPcyqmo6Bjy_cbOC5iiknpX80f39Pe17xkwbwOVno4UPbqEx5ITPwo4oO4zwIBC51QVIJM_043frZNG5W4-7R7jS_F7AcULemxOPlzyjxIhiK0TFUGgsQA/s1600-h/Black+Butte+fun+008.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5419763637704927250" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrsJfYAuGnyPeujVRQH0jcx1SPcyqmo6Bjy_cbOC5iiknpX80f39Pe17xkwbwOVno4UPbqEx5ITPwo4oO4zwIBC51QVIJM_043frZNG5W4-7R7jS_F7AcULemxOPlzyjxIhiK0TFUGgsQA/s400/Black+Butte+fun+008.JPG" /></a><br /><div>Sascha and I would like to wish all of sascharuns' readers a very Merry Christmas! May you all enjoy the peace and happiness that makes this wonderful season so special! </div><div> </div><div>To all dogs out there, from Sascha "bark, bark, woof, bark, woof, woof, hooowwwwl, pant, howl, woofity, woof, woof, BARK!"</div>saschasdadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06920379008380900505noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4574398494498542900.post-1448493793519713502009-12-17T02:10:00.000-07:002009-12-17T14:08:20.263-07:00End of 2009 and Looking ahead to 2010I've put off writing about my race at <a href="http://www2.thenorthface.com/endurancechallenge/races/2009/ca/index.html">The North Face Endurance Challenge 50 miler</a> in the Headlands. For most of my ultra history, I tend to pick a big race at the end of the year to really focus on and peak for. The past couple years, I've done it at <a href="http://sascharuns.blogspot.com/2007/12/jfk.html">JFK in '07</a> (plus <a href="http://sascharuns.blogspot.com/2007/12/gate-of-hell.html">Hellgate</a> that year, too), and CIM in '08, all with good results. This year, I planned to kick butt in the Headlands. In short, I was in very good shape, I had big expectations, some good speed in my legs, and I was very rested, fresh, and anxious to race...and I cracked!<br /><br />Basically I ran very easy with <a href="http://wcaitlinsmith.blogspot.com/">Caitlin</a> and <a href="http://montrail.com/AthleteDetails.aspx?id=162&sport=2">Joelle</a> to Pan Toll at mile 18. My plan was to refuel there then really start racing. But when I went to get my drop bag, it wasn't there. A couple volunteers, <a href="http://meghanscrookedtrails.blogspot.com/">Meghan</a>, and I looked around for a few minutes...nothing. So instead of just sucking it up, grabbing some Accel gel at the aid station, and rolling with it like a veteran ultrarunner of 108 ultras would do, I decided to pout, be cranky, and continue running with just my one remaining gel. Oops.<br /><br />The rest of the race was spent alternating between feeling great for about 15 minutes out of each a.s. after chugging a couple cups of Coke, followed by big bonks...a 32 mile long roller coaster ride. It was also a very lonely final 20 miles. After <a href="http://ajwsblog.blogspot.com/">AJW</a> flew by me on the descent out of Pan Toll 2 at mile 30 ("my breaks aren't working" he hollered as he flew by), I didn't see a single 50 miler the rest of the race (I did, however see some 50 k'ers). I eventually jogged across the finish line in 8:25:26, a lot slower than I had hoped. I have good days and I have bad days. That's the way it goes.<br /><br />Precisely 1 second after I finished, my yearly running sabbatical commenced. When I take a break from running, I really take a break from running. As in, no running. I've been running ultras for 8 1/2 years and I didn't take a break after only one of those seasons. As a result, I was very sluggish early the next year. I really do look forward to this break. Up to a point, it lets me evaluate my year and put together a tentative schedule for the coming year, but more importantly, it just lets me clear my mind and body of running and racing. It's a much needed rest!<br /><br />In thinking ahead about my 2010 running and racing ideas, I'm going to ease off from ultras a bit. A big ultramarathoning goal of mine was to finish 100 ultras, which I did at <a href="http://www.virr.com/races/run2sun/">Run to the Sun</a> in March. Now with 108 finishes (115 starts), I'm anxious to get back to some shorter stuff. When I lived in the Tetons and Steamboat, I ran a lot of mountain races and I loved it! I'm going to do more of those next year. A few classics I'm definitely planning on are <a href="http://robiecreek.com/">Race to Robie Creek</a>, <a href="http://mtashlandrun.com/">Mt. Ashland Hill Climb</a> or <a href="http://www.steensrimrun.com/Steens_Rim_Run/Welcome.html">Steens Rim Run 10 km</a>, and <a href="http://www.pikespeakmarathon.org/">Pikes Peak Marathon</a>.<br /><br />I also want to set more p.r.s in road races - 10 km, currently <a href="http://sascharuns.blogspot.com/2008/09/thirty-three-forty-four.html">33:44</a>, would like low-33; 1/2 marathon, currently <a href="http://sascharuns.blogspot.com/2009/01/another-pr.html">1:15:57</a>, would like low-1:14; and marathon, currently <a href="http://sascharuns.blogspot.com/2008/12/pring-at-cim.html">2:39:06</a>, would like 2:35, sub-6 pace (possibly <a href="http://eugenemarathon.com/">Eugene</a>). Suggestions on races??<br /><br />Although I'm cutting back on my ultras, I'm not cutting them out. In January, I get to play in the Texas hills at the <a href="http://www.tejastrails.com/Bandera.html">Bandera 50 km</a>, and in February, I'm headed to the San Juan Islands for a weekend of ultrarunning camp at the <a href="http://orcasisland50k.blogspot.com/">Orcas Island 50 km</a>. I'm signed up for the <a href="http://geminiadventures.com/DesertRATS.html">Desert RATS</a> stage race in June. This is a 6-day stage race covering the 148 mile Kokopelli Trail from Grand Junction, CO to Moab, UT. In October, I get to go to Chile for the <a href="http://www.ultramaratondelosandes.cl/english/index_english.html">Ultramaraton de los Andes 80 km</a>. That's gonna be awesome!<br /><br />Of course, I'll be r.d.'ing the 8th annual <a href="http://gobroncobilly.com/rumble/">Peterson Ridge Rumble 30k/60k</a> on April 11. Because I live in such a cool town with such a cool <a href="http://www.sisterstrails.com/">trail committee</a>, the course will once again be slightly different, replacing some old double track with sweet, new singletrack.<br /><br />I'm hoping to run a couple of the cool runs that the new race organization, <a href="http://www.runwildadventures.com/index.php">Run Wild</a>, is holding in the woods outside of Salem. If I break out the snowshoes a few times in the next month, I may even run a <a href="http://www.xdogevents.com/whiteriverss.php">snowshoe race</a> (another type of race I loved doing in CO and WY). In the summer, I'm planning to run a few races in the <a href="http://usatf-oregon.org/MUT">Oregon MUT Series</a>, too.<br /><br />If I'm really lucky, I'll get to pace my good friends <a href="http://altitudeultrarunner.blogspot.com/">Jamie</a> and <a href="http://kilianjornet.blogspot.com/">Kilian</a> again, as they each have some pretty lofty goals set for themselves in 2010.<br /><br />I'm also excited that Sisters Little Ultra Team has doubled in size. <a href="http://fatboycanrun.com/">Fatboy</a> and I will be joined by new Sisters residents, and my very good friends, <a href="http://www.teampearlizumi-smith.com/?page_id=124">Ashley</a> and <a href="http://twitter.com/jcnordell">Josh</a>.<br /><br /><a href="http://sascharuns.blogspot.com/2007/12/sascha.html">Sascha</a>. She's the one I'm really looking forward to hitting the trails with in 2010!saschasdadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06920379008380900505noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4574398494498542900.post-55369164848515959942009-12-07T15:12:00.000-07:002009-12-07T15:29:13.932-07:00MathOn both my drive down to and home from the Headlands over the weekend, I heard a lot on the radio about Tiger Woods. Tiger, blah, golf club, blah, SUV, blah, fire hydrant, blah, mistresses, blah, upset wife, blah, Nike, blah, $130 million, bl...what? One hundred and thirty million what? Dollars? As in $130,000,000!? Being a math / numbers guy, that very quickly caught my attention. Apparently, that's how much money Tiger made last year - $20 million in golf winnings and $110 million in endorsements.<br /><br />Since I'm geeky and I enjoy doing math in my head when I'm bored, I kinda enjoyed all of the free time for some simple math.<br /><br />I started by cutting out zeroes. Let's cut out 3 zeroes, down to $130,000. For most normal people, that's an extremely healthy salary. It's also one-tenth of one percent of Tiger's salary. One-tenth of one percent!<br /><br />Let's break it down further. $130,000,000, 365 days per year...quick math says he made $356,164 per DAY, each and every day last year.<br /><br />Hourly rate, you say? A cool $14,840, each and every hour of each and every day. Sleeping, awake, golfing, eating, watching football, having affairs, whatever. Makes your attorney's hourly rate not seem so bad, afterall!<br /><br />Yep, I even did his per-minute rate: $247. Hm, this has taken me about 10 minutes to write. Tiger made $2473 in that same time.<br /><br />Pretty disgusting.saschasdadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06920379008380900505noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4574398494498542900.post-15248063639060304682009-12-02T01:30:00.000-07:002009-12-03T01:43:15.311-07:00Late Season Running<div align="center"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5410925167860221586" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqQPOXYyTRH-g1BZhLo5OJn7kPs7B6Nd8DxxuLUU_i0RzKbxqa8cBJCbVvjsMgoFAGTCtl_laswNXYPhdjeDXT9lyftwVJx-PCFbVxfNgQge4WsNoDp0_DmyjIJYrS_upeekcH8_b8F9YB/s320/Lithia+Loop+Marathon+042.JPG" /> <em>My running buddy and me after a frosty morning run.</em><br /></div><br />About this time of year, my running starts to wind down. I figure I've put in lots and lots and lots of miles, so my body looks forward to some much needed rest. Looking back at my running and racing year, as usual, I ran A LOT this year all the way through September, especially April through September. I don't log my mileage, as I tend to get too competitive with myself, but I always have a rough idea and I figure that by the end of September, I easily had over 3,000 miles in the legs for the year.<br /><br />Through June, I had run 9 ultras, 2 marathons, 4 short races (short = anything shorter than a marathon), and lots of cool, long adventure runs (<a href="http://sascharuns.blogspot.com/2009/06/great-times-on-road.html">R2R2R</a> being the coolest and longest); in other words, lots of miles. In July, I only ran one 10k; in August I started 2 ultras, <a href="http://sascharuns.blogspot.com/2009_08_01_archive.html">finishing one</a>, and raced <a href="http://sascharuns.blogspot.com/2009/09/hood-to-coast.html">Hood to Coast</a> (super fun race!); on the first weekend of September, I ran an ultra. Now here it is, three months later, and I haven't run an ultra since. Although that's pretty much a lifetime for me, I did it on purpose and I've enjoyed it.<br /><br />After a week of playing in the Tetons in Sept., including running the Grand Teton 50 miler, I decided my body was tired so it was time to slash my mileage, bump up the intensity, and race some shorter stuff. No ultras for at least a few months!<br /><br />Volunteering with the <a href="http://www.athletic.net/CrossCountry/School.aspx?SchoolID=202">Sisters Cross Country</a> team has definitely helped me work on the intensity part of my plan, as has Max King's <a href="http://footzonebend.com/events/weekly_runs">Tuesday night speed</a> workouts. I've only been averaging 80ish mpw, as opposed to 100-120 from April through September. And I've been enjoying racing lots of short races! Since late-September, I've raced: xc 5k, <a href="http://sascharuns.blogspot.com/2009/11/columbia-gorge-marathon-and-pilot-butte.html">road 5k</a>, <a href="http://sascharuns.blogspot.com/2009/11/xc-running.html">xc 8k</a>, <a href="http://sascharuns.blogspot.com/2009/11/running-fun-in-willamette-valley.html">road 1/2 marathon</a>, road 3 1/2 mi, and 2 road marathons (<a href="http://sascharuns.blogspot.com/2009/10/tahoepart-1.html">Tahoe</a> and <a href="http://sascharuns.blogspot.com/2009/11/columbia-gorge-marathon-and-pilot-butte.html">Columbia Gorge</a>). It's been a blast! I'm still getting my racing fix, recovery is super quick, and these short races are great speedwork. Plus, I even got a new max heart rate p.r. at a 5k!<br /><br />Anyway, about a month ago, I decided my legs were feeling fresh and spunky enough again to run an ultra, so I signed up for <a href="http://www2.thenorthface.com/endurancechallenge/races/2009/ca/index.html">The North Face 50 miler</a>. It's this weekend in the Marin Headlands. Right after I signed up, just because I'm me, I ran one 95 mile week (forcing myself to not hit 100) that included a 4 hour, 25 miler with 6,600' of vertical at Smith Rock. That run and the 2 marathons are my 3 long runs since the beginning of September. I'm hopeful that those runs plus all of my shorter, faster stuff (including plenty of Pilot Butte repeats) works for me. It's a strategy I've never tried before for a 50 miler. I'm excited to see how it works out, but most of all, I'm just excited to get out there and race 50 miles again!<br /><br />And then, it will be time for a real break.saschasdadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06920379008380900505noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4574398494498542900.post-64621445526176120672009-11-29T17:09:00.000-07:002009-11-29T17:46:29.083-07:00Running Fun in the Willamette ValleyThe shorter, crisper days we're experiencing now in Central Oregon are a fun time of year. The high trails are now all settled in for the winter with a few feet of snow, forcing Sascha and me back down on the tamer slopes of Peterson Ridge. The whole Peterson Ridge trail complex is sweet! In the last 18 months, the <a href="http://www.sisterstrails.com/">Sisters Trail Committee</a> has built about 30 miles of new trails around Sisters, mostly part of the Peterson Ridge trails. So Sascha and I have been enjoying some play time a little closer to home the past few weeks.<br /><br />I spent the weekend of Nov. 21-22 in the Willamette Valley playing, running, and hanging out with friends. After a stupidly slow drive to Eugene on Friday night through a snow storm, I got to Tate and Mike's house, where a good meal and conversation awaited. The next morning I was going to run the EWEB Run to Stay Warm 1/2 marathon. I love road halves!<br /><br />The morning was much different than overnight - it was clear and sunny, and a bit on the chilly side. Perfect for a 1/2 marathon. My <a href="http://sascharuns.blogspot.com/2009/01/another-pr.html">1/2 p.r. is 1:15:57</a> and I was really hoping to beat that. So after a good 3-mile warm up, I put on my trusty fast shoes, Nike Lunaracers. I had worn those shoes in only 2 other races - <a href="http://sascharuns.blogspot.com/2008/09/thirty-three-forty-four.html">my 10k p.r</a>. and my 1/2 marathon p.r - so I knew they were fast!<br /><br />Eugene didn't bring out it's big guns for this 1/2, but after finding myself in 12th place at the first mile, I knew there was some good competition. After a 17:43 three-mile split, I decided to change gears and ran the miles 4 and 5 in the mid 5:30s, easily passing some guys who had clearly gone out too fast. I even got a few shout-outs about my attire for the day, my trusty Oultaws singlet. By mile 6 (34:51), I was firmly in 6th place, cruising along and keeping my heartrate in the mid-170s. It was a beautiful day to be running.<br /><br />I was trying to keep a kid with an Oregon singlet ahead of me in my sights. I made it my goal to slowly reel him in over the next 3-4 miles, running steady 5:45s and inching my h.r. up to 180. I think I startled him a bit around 9 1/2 when crossing the Willamette, he heard something behind him, looked back, and saw me 20 meters back. He threw in a little surge, which I didn't counter.<br /><br />Across the river, we turned back toward the finish line and into a noticable and chilly headwind. Mile 10 came in 57:40, giving me 18:16 for the final 5k to p.r. Quick math told me 5:50 pace would get me there, but the headwind told me it wouldn't be easy. I easily passed Oregon kid, surging as I went by, then also quickly caught up to single-compression sock guy (he was wearing one compression sock and one regular sock). He matched my surge for a couple minutes before falling back. Now I was in 4th, on the hunt for a podium finish.<br /><br />The closer I got to the finish, the harder I ran as my h.r. was now in the low-180s, but my pace had slowed to 5:54, 5:50, and 5:51 for miles 11-13. Just before 13, I ran into 3rd place and glanced at my watch to see 1:15:16 at mile 13. 40 seconds for .1 miles, no problem. I sprinted to the finish in <a href="http://www.eclecticedgeracing2.com/uploads/2009_EWEB_RUN_TO_STAY_WARM_RESULTS.pdf">3rd place with a time of 1:16:19</a>. Huh?! The last ".1" took me 1:03. Hm, perhaps it was a bit long...but, that's the way it goes. I was happy with my effort and place. I figure any time I can crack the podium in a Eugene race, I'm doing something right.<br /><br />After a good lunch with Tonya and Scott, I was off to Salem for a fun night with Ryan and Michele. When I got to their house, nobody was home, so I decided to hang out in their backyard hottub until they got home - very nice. We all enjoyed A fun night of Wii Fit and the movie Bruno, while eating a variety of good, fatty snacks. I always love going to their house - they really are two of my closest friends.<br /><br />On Sunday I drove up to Portland to watch <a href="http://www.athletic.net/CrossCountry/Athlete.aspx?AID=94272#tT1">Parker</a> run in the <a href="http://runnerspace.com/nikeborderclash">Nike Border Clash</a>. Border Clash is a cross country race between the top-40 Washington prep harriers against the top-40 Oregon prep harriers. Parker ran a great race, <a href="http://runnerspace.com/eprofile.php?do=title&title_id=423&event_id=22">finishing in 18th overall</a>, 4th for Team Oregon, beating all of the Oregon state champs from the different classifications. He was excited, and it was fun to see him finish his high school harrier career on a high note.<br /><br />The weekend finished with a run on the Wildwood in Portland with my good buddy <a href="http://nessski.blogspot.com/">Ryan</a> (Portland Ryan, not to be confused with Salem Ryan). I always enjoy running with Ryan. We've had some pretty fun battles in races, and some great adventures - we even skied to and snowshoed up South Sister in February for his bachelor party in 2005. So it was fun to kick up some mud on the Wildwood with him for a bit.<br /><br />And, of course, a trip home from the Valley isn't complete without a stop at <a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/276/1217487/restaurant/Salem/Rosies-Mountain-Coffee-House-Mill-City">Rosie's Cafe</a> in Mill City for a smoothie and to-die-for cinnamon roll. Outlaws head coach Charlie and his son were there doing the same, and we were both glad that Parker had saved us a cinnamon roll.saschasdadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06920379008380900505noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4574398494498542900.post-6537883168573444322009-11-17T20:34:00.000-07:002009-11-17T20:55:54.297-07:00XC RunningAfter running, and loving, the <a href="http://sascharuns.blogspot.com/2008/11/lithia-loop-trail-marathon.html">Lithia Loop Trail Marathon</a> last year, I was excited to run it again this year. It was going to be the USATF National Trail Marathon Championships, so I knew it would bring some great competition and no doubt, some faster times. However, something really cool happened 9 days before the race that made me not run it - the <a href="http://www.athletic.net/CrossCountry/Results/Meet.aspx?Meet=19420#202">Sky-Em League Championship</a> Cross Country Meet.<br /><br />See, I thought only 3 individual guys from the <a href="http://www.athletic.net/CrossCountry/School.aspx?SchoolID=202">Sisters Outlaws</a> were going to qualify for State. I was wrong! The boys team not only qualified, they narrowly missed victory by only 5 points. The #4-6 runners all ran big p.r.'s to seal the team's berth to State. The girls teams also finished second, thus, sending 14 Outlaws harriers to the State meet. Since state was the same day as Lithia, my choice really wasn't a choice at all - there was no way I was going to miss out on State!<br /><br />The day of the State meet started off early for us Outlaws. With fresh snow on the pass, we left the school in the very uncrowded bus at 6:15 for the 2.5+ hour drive to Lane Comm. College in Eugene. Although maybe not the most fun course to run, it sure is very spectator friendly.<br /><br />The girls were racing first. All seven of them (<a href="http://www.athletic.net/CrossCountry/Athlete.aspx?AID=93640#tT1">Emi</a>, <a href="http://www.athletic.net/CrossCountry/Athlete.aspx?AID=246553#tT1">Hayley</a>, <a href="http://www.athletic.net/CrossCountry/Athlete.aspx?AID=1440733#tT1">Katie</a>, <a href="http://www.athletic.net/CrossCountry/Athlete.aspx?AID=269438#tT1">Jordan</a>, <a href="http://www.athletic.net/CrossCountry/Athlete.aspx?AID=246555#tT1">Tia</a>, <a href="http://www.athletic.net/CrossCountry/Athlete.aspx?AID=540348#tT1">Fabi</a>, and <a href="http://www.athletic.net/CrossCountry/Athlete.aspx?AID=1440729#tT1">Taylor</a>) ran strong. We really didn't think a trophy was in the cards (top-4), but thought that with a solid day, top-10 was within reach. The girls stepped up and finished a <a href="http://www.athletic.net/CrossCountry/Results/Meet.aspx?Meet=18761#202">strong 8th</a>.<br /><br />Next it was time for the boys. Undefeated on the season coming into the meet, <a href="http://www.athletic.net/CrossCountry/Athlete.aspx?AID=94272#tT1">Parker</a> put a lot of pressure on himself. The other coaches and I tried to mellow him out on the bus ride. When the gun went off, Parker, <a href="http://www.athletic.net/CrossCountry/Athlete.aspx?AID=246549#tT1">Taylor</a>, and <a href="http://www.athletic.net/CrossCountry/Athlete.aspx?AID=257874#tT1">Seth S.</a> went out strong, while <a href="http://www.athletic.net/CrossCountry/Athlete.aspx?AID=833092#tT1">Jeff</a>, <a href="http://www.athletic.net/CrossCountry/Athlete.aspx?AID=837514#tT1">Easton</a>, <a href="http://www.athletic.net/CrossCountry/Athlete.aspx?AID=246548#tT1">Seth F., </a>and <a href="http://www.athletic.net/CrossCountry/Athlete.aspx?AID=513260#tT1">Mason</a> went with the main pack. Parker ran very strong in the lead pack of 3 for 2 1/2 miles, leading the whole way, at which point the other 2 guys made a move on him and he couldn't respond. They had bided their time well and had the kicks to show it. Parker pushed hard to the finish and made all the Outlaws proud with his 3rd place. Of course, he has since run that race in his head at least 100 times, and will at least that many more...he definitely learned a good lesson that day.<br /><br />Taylor and Seth both steadily moved up within the lead pack throughout the race, finishing 8th and 12th, respectively. Taylor is going to be a solid team leader next year. Thanks to Mason's mid-race surge, he, Jeff, Easton, and Seth F. all moved up big-time throughout the race. And as per usual, once Jeff and Easton hit the track with 300 meters to go, they <em>flew</em> by guys! Thanks to Easton's, Seth F's, and Mason's p.r.'s, and Jeff's big finish, the boys podiumed in a very solid <a href="http://www.athletic.net/CrossCountry/Results/Meet.aspx?Meet=18761#202">3rd place</a> and earned a trophy.<br /><br />That night, we rented a big house on the beach in Waldport, had a great seafood dinner, played a bunch of silly games, looked at all of the pictures Zander and Chris took, watched movies, played in the sand, and just generally celebrated a great cross country season by being together. A sweet way to end a fun year!<br /><br />This past Saturday, just a week after State, there was a USATF cross country race in Sandy that I thought would be fun to run and get a few Outlaws to go with me. I was only able to get Taylor and Parker to go, but we had a great time!<br /><br />Taylor ran the <a href="http://www.usatf.org/events/2009/USATFJuniorOlympicXCChampionships/results/association/37.asp">Junior Olympic</a> portion of the meet, finishing 5th in his 5k race in 17:39. He outkicked two guys on the track, beating one by .3 seconds! I got Parker to run the <a href="http://usatf-oregon.org/09O+M+XC+Nov14">Open 8 k race</a> with me...um, or at in the same race with me. He was excited to just run a race for fun with no pressure on him, and it showed. In a small, but very strong, field of 30, Parker ran his first 8 km xc race in 27:18 for 5th place. He smoked lots of 20 & 30 year old dudes - it was sweet! I overheard more than a few guys after the race comment about Parker. As for me, I was reminded that, although I love xc, I really suck at it. Although I never got passed the entire race, and ended up passing 10 harriers, I still couldn't even pull of a sub-30, finishing in 30:02 for 14th place.<br /><br />I thought about cross country running and what makes a good cross country runner a bit on the drive home. I concluded there are 3, maybe 4, general runner classifications: power, strength, speed, and endurance. I got the endurance down. And crazy as it sounds, I think I even have a little speed (relative to the other categories). Power is pretty much reserved for sprinters and that's definitely not me. But I think it's really strength that makes a good xc runner. I am not a strength runner. To be a good xc runner, you have to be able to muscle up short, steep climbs, and be able to accelerate fast around corners. I'm just not good at that kind of stuff. I enjoy getting in a good groove, then slowly increasing my effort and pace throughout a race...no big bursts for me. And thus, I think that's why I've always sucked as a harrier. But I'll always love it!saschasdadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06920379008380900505noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4574398494498542900.post-64867348694069483812009-11-02T20:31:00.000-07:002009-11-02T20:57:35.585-07:00Columbia Gorge Marathon and Pilot Butte 5kThe weekend of Oct. 24-25 was one of those really cool weekends that don't come around often, but when they do, I cherish them greatly.<br /><br />On Saturday, I ran the 2nd annual <a href="http://www.bend.k12.or.us/education/school/school.php?sectionid=97">Pilot Butte Giants Gallop 5k</a> in Bend. I love running PBRs (Pilot Butte Repeats), and I love this little race. The first .7 miles are flatish, then 1 mile up gaining 500', .8 miles down losing 500', and .6 miles flatish to the finish on the track. There was a small group of us, but we had a great time. I wore my heartrate monitor, hoping I would set a new max-h.r. p.r. I wasn't disappointed.<br /><br />I took the lead from the start, ran strong up the road, tried to just cruise down the trail with thoughts of Sunday's marathon, then while making a sharp left at the bottom, my feet slid from under me and I went down. A bit embarrassed and with bloody knees, I quickly got up and tried to shake myself out and kick to the finish. I could feel and hear Paul quickly gaining on me. On the track with 200 to go I went all out. Paul was right behind me, my h.r. monitor was beeping like crazy, and the finish couldn't come quick enough. Finally I crossed the line, barely squeaking out the W by a foot. I didn't break my c.r. from last year of 19:18, but I was happy with the win, my time of 19:33, and new heartrate p.r. of 201 (I was most excited about the 201)! Unfortunately for the marathon the next day, my quads were pretty sore, so I slowly ran a mile cool down around the track.<br /><br />That evening I made the drive to The Dalles to stay with my college buddy / cross country teammate, Chad Sperry, who is the race director for the <a href="http://columbiagorgemarathon.com/">Columbia Gorge Marathon</a>. Chad and his wife were in Hood River doing race stuff and their kids were all at grandparent's houses, so it was just Dixie the dog and me hanging out. After 15 minutes of fiddling with the remote, I figured out how to operate the t.v. and I was happy to watch <em>Perfect Storm </em>while stretching my sore quads. Lori got home and we chatted for a while, then Chad came in and I caught up with him for a few minutes before bed.<br /><br />A good night of sleep found me excited to get up and run this cool course. As per usual Sean-style, I arrived an hour early, jogged a 3 mile warm-up, and got to the start with 10 minutes to go. There I saw my good buddy <a href="http://nessski.blogspot.com/">Ryan</a>, recovering from a painful crash on the Wildwood a few weeks ago that left his ribs on the sore side. I also got to catch up with fellow <a href="http://www.spokaneschools.org/shadle/site/default.asp">Shadle Park Highlander</a> Stan (cheerleading today), his wife Esther (running the marathon), Win, Joel, Kurt, Kelly, and a few others. Then soon enough, Chad said "go," so we went!<br /><br />Joel took it out a bit harder than I wanted to go, so I enjoyed the two mile climb up to the <a href="http://www.oregonstateparks.org/park_155.php">Historic Columbia River Highway State Trail</a> with Ryan and Win. Joel continued to pull away from us on the very scenic trail, which took us through the twin tunnels a couple miles west of Mosier. Ryan recalled how cool, and scary, it was to be time trialing on his bike through those tunnels in the <a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.mthoodcyclingclassic.com">Mount Hood Cycling Classic</a>, another race that Chad directs.<br /><br />Getting off of the paved bike path / old highway, we passed Stan, who generously gave me a small baggie of S-caps (I had forgotten mine and although it wasn't hot, I wanted a few just in case). After a nice downhill to Mosier, we quickly caught Joel and ran through an aid station where I was able to grab a Gu. Then with Joel right there, my competitive instincts took over and I instinctually took the lead. I knew we had a nice, long, grinder climb for the next 6 1/2 miles, so I took that opportunity to put a gap on Joel, Ryan, and Win.<br /><br />At 12.5 miles, the course turns onto a gravel road and we run on that for 1.5 miles This was a nice break for the legs from the pavement before the steep, 4-mile descent back into Mosier. There was an a.s. right at the turn onto the gravel, where I called out I wanted a Gu. The volunteer not only got me the Gu, but he even opened it for me - first class service! That was just the little boost I needed to get me over the gravel to the fast downhill. On the way down to Mosier, a helicopter did more than a couple fly-overs; I'm still not sure if they were covering the race or what, but I waived.<br /><br />Back in Mosier, around mile 18, I decided it was finally time to re-fill my bottle. Hm, only 20 oz. so far in 18 miles, but the weather was perfectly cool, I hydrated up on nuun before the race, and I felt great, so all was good. A steep 1.5 mile climb got me back up to the old highway and out of traffic again (although traffic really wasn't an issue at all anywhere on the course), and I knew I had a mostly downhill final 6.5 miles.<br /><br />Passing the 1/2 marathoners in this stretch was great for the confidence. Obviously they were moving slower than me, but passing people, especially towards the end of a marathon, helps keep the fire burning. At mile 21, I grabbed my third, and last, Gu of the day. Then before long I was out of the park, passing mile 23, and getting rah-rah'd by Stan again. Smiling and feeling really good, I leaned into the downhill and let my legs run a couple 5:45s - life was good. After winding through Hood River, while crossing a pedestrian bridge with about a mile to go, I went down...aagghh! A guy was walking across going the other way and he didn't really know what to do. I got up quickly, shook myself out while jogging for about 30 seconds, then got back into my rhythm. I happily looped around the marina and very soon finished the inaugual Columbia Gorge Marathon in 2:45:29. Although about 1/2 mile short (about 3 min.), I was stoked to go sub-2:50 on this hilly course (2,000' of vertical), and I was excited to get the win. In 4 marathons this year, I have 3 victories (<a href="http://sascharuns.blogspot.com/2009/01/redding-marathon.html">Redding</a> and <a href="http://sascharuns.blogspot.com/2009/10/tahoepart-1.html">Tahoe</a>) and one 3rd place (<a href="http://waynejoseph.wordpress.com/2009/03/23/results-2009-big-island-international-marathon/">Hilo</a>). A good marathoning year for me.<br /><br />After getting a big congrats from Chad and Lori, I anxiously watched the foot bridge to see who would be finishing next - Ryan or Joel? Well, it turns out there was a good little battle for second, and Joel got it in 2:53, with Ryan less than a minute back. Joel lives in Bend, and if Ryan still did, it would have been a central Oregon podium sweep. But, he doesn't. So, it wasn't.<br /><br />After feasting on some super-tasty veggie soup, bread, and chips, I was axious to see how Laura was going to finish. At 4:21 she crossed the finish line, I gave her a big hug, and in between a few happy tears, she said "Sean, you told me this wasn't a p.r. course." She had just p.r.ed by 26 minutes!!<br /><br />This was such a great race! I loved the course, the hills, the scenery (leaves, waterfalls, river, farms), the volunteers, the aid stations, the other runners, the weather (high-40s, no wind - crazy for in the Gorge, overcast), the post-race food, the cool finisher's medal, the low-key atmosphere, the organization. Seriously, a great race.<br /><br />On my drive home past all the fruit orchards south of Hood River, I stopped at an orchard that just so happen to be having a hard cider tasting that weekend from <a href="http://www.bluemountaincider.com/">Blue Mountain Cider Company</a> out of Milton-Freewater from eastern Oregon.. I LOVE hard cider. After tasting 6 or 7, maybe 8, I picked out my 3 favorites to buy - a sweet cider, a dry cider, and raspberry cider. Mmmm...tasty way to finish a great weekend of running!saschasdadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06920379008380900505noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4574398494498542900.post-43943356830919563232009-10-23T13:29:00.000-06:002009-10-23T13:31:06.711-06:00Marathon Elitists......note I didn't title this "Marathon Elites". Big difference.<br /><br />Read the following article and see if you agree with me:<br /><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/23/sports/23marathon.html?_r=1">http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/23/sports/23marathon.html?_r=1</a>saschasdadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06920379008380900505noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4574398494498542900.post-50268138085250755792009-10-21T13:29:00.000-06:002009-10-21T14:13:45.540-06:00Columbia Gorge MarathonThere's a sweet new marathon happening in the Columbia Gorge near Hood River, OR, this Sunday, October 25th called, well, the <a href="http://www.columbiagorgemarathon.com/">Columbia Gorge Marathon</a>. Don't confuse this with the old Gorge Marathon from a few years back. This is a totally and completely new and different event.<br /><br />A good buddy of mine from the <a href="http://www.govandals.com/SportSelect.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=17100&SPID=10989&KEY=">cross country team</a> at <a href="http://uidaho.edu/">University of Idaho</a>, Chad Sperry, is the race director for the marathon. He has a lot of event planning experience under his belt. As the owner of <a href="http://www.breakawaypromotions.com/">Breakaway Promotions</a>, he is the race director for these really cool cycling races: <a href="http://www.mbsef.org/CascadeCyclingClassic/">Cascade Cycling Classic</a> in Bend, <a href="http://www.mthoodcyclingclassic.com/">Mt. Hood Cycling Classic</a>, and <a href="http://www.tourofutah.com/">Tour of Utah</a>. This year, Breakaway even hosted the <a href="http://www.breakawaypromotions.com/breakaway-to-put-on-u23-elite-road-nationals-2/">Road Cycling National Championships</a>. He is a top-notch organizer/planner/promoter, and he has a good thing slated for this weekend. A very good thing.<br /><br />Chad was kind enough to bike the course with me last week (it was my second time riding in less than a week!). It is a <a href="http://www.columbiagorgemarathon.com/course-info/">beautiful, scenic, rural</a>, quiet, and <a href="http://www.columbiagorgemarathon.com/course-info/marathon-course/">hilly</a> course. With almost 2,000' vertical in this lollipop loop - on the closed-to-traffic Old Columbia Highway and a loop through the rural countryside around Mosier - it's definitely not a p.r. course, but I promise it's a great one!<br /><br />If you're not quite feeling up to the full marathon, there is also a <a href="http://www.columbiagorgemarathon.com/course-info/half-marathon-course/">1/2 marathon</a>, which is an out-and-back on the Old Columbia Highway. Also, there is a 2-person 1/2 marathon relay, where each team member runs 6.55 miles. Both the full and 1/2 courses also go through the famous Mosier Twin Tunnels.<br /><br />In making sure this is a quality event, aid stations are located every 2-3 miles and will have water, Gu2O, and Gu. Very few small marathons actually stock their aid stations with Gu, so I'm impressed by that. Also, the aid stations will be staffed by high school cross country and track runners, so there's sure to be lots of cheerleading for runners.<br /><br />I'm really excited to run in this inaugural event. Come out and join me.saschasdadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06920379008380900505noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4574398494498542900.post-41440214505476059202009-10-11T17:05:00.000-06:002009-10-12T18:29:37.849-06:00Tahoe!...part 1September turned out to be a month of spending a week in each of my two favorite running spots. I played in the Tetons the first week of September, and then enjoyed another week of fun in Tahoe the last week of the month! My Tahoe trip was just supposed to be a weekend trip to run the <a href="http://laketahoemarathon.com/">Lake Tahoe Marathon</a>, but it turned into one of the best running weeks of my life!<br /><br />This being my 9th year of running an event at the Lake Tahoe Marathon, I have come to really enjoy my yearly vacation there in late September. It's always so beautiful - and this year, even more so! The temps were in the mid-80s from Thursday - Monday; perfect for laying on the beach and jetskiing in Incline Village with <a href="http://thomasreiss.com/">Thomas</a> and family, but perhaps a bit warm for the marathon.<br /><br />After 5 years of running the Tahoe Triple and 3 years of running the Tahoe 72 (make that 2, since last year was a dnf), I decided to run the signature event this year, just the regular marathon. I had wanted to run it for quite a few years, but those other races kept getting in my way. So this was my year for the single and I really wanted a sub-2:50, hopefully close to 2:45 if things went well.<br /><br />Things went hot. After a 2 minute detour at 1.5 miles into the race, I found myself in the lead. I ran with Tripler Lynyrd Skynrod for a couple miles, then opened up a bit of a gap until mile 9. That's when Lynyrd's surge had brought him back up to me, but he was breathing hard. I just cruised along with him through mile 11, then in the 12th mile, there's a good uphill. I knew it and that's where I planned to put a little hurt on Lynyrd. By the top of the hill, only my friend Prudence was with me. She had volunteered to come out on her bike and ride with me from 10 until the end. <a href="http://thomasreiss.com/">Thomas</a> was waiting for us at the top of the hill in his car and told me that no one was in sight.<br /><br />As I cruised along the next few flat miles, getting ready for the crux of the course from miles 15-20, I noticed that my time was a bit slower than I hoped. I hit mile 15 and began the long 2-mile climb up past DL Bliss State Park. It's definitely a heckuva climb. At the top still in the lead, but now way off my sub-2:50 goal, I decided to stop worrying about my time and just go for the W. I was pretty tired so it took me a few minutes to get into a rythm for the 2-mile descent down to Vikingsholm parking area. My quads were hurting, so I wasn't able to fly, but got to the bottom and looked forward to the final climb up to Inspiration Point. With some welcome encouragement from Prudence and Thomas, and an increasingly bloating stomach, I crested the hill and found out I had a 4 1/2 minute lead with 10k to go. Unless some catastrophe happened, I now knew I was going to win. Whether that was good or not, I don't know.<br /><br />The first mile down is steep and this didn't sit well for my aforementioned bloated stomach. Precisely at the 21 mile mark, a lot of vomit exited my mouth. I don't think I really felt better, but my tummy was a bit smaller. A minuted later I came to an aid station of high school girls who were all screaming my name! <a href="http://blog.irunfar.com/">Bryon</a> had run back from the finish, waited there for me, and got the girls to make-believe they were my fans. That was cool.<br /><br />With Bryon joining the entourage, I felt a bit like a celebrity with body guards all around me. I tried to enjoy my the company of my 3 friends, but my tummy just wasn't right. A few more pukes later and we were on the bike path for the final 3 rolling miles. Those 3 miles seemed to take forever, but eventually we ran through Camp Richardson and into the home stretch to Pope Beach.<br /><br />I was excited to win the 2009 Lake Tahoe Marathon. At <a href="http://www.laketahoemarathon.com/2009%20LTM%20results/OVERALL%20MARATHON2.TXT">2:58:02</a>, definitely not my finest marathoning hour, but I was happy. I became the first person to win the Tahoe Triple, Tahoe 72, and Lake Tahoe Marathon. I thought that was pretty cool. And to make it an ultrarunner and past Triple Champion sweep, my friend <a href="http://dailyadventuresgretch.blogspot.com/">Gretchen Brugman</a> won the girl's race!<br /><br />Thanks to Les for organizing a fun-filled weekend of events. And a huge thanks to Prudence, <a href="http://thomasreiss.com/">Thomas</a>, and <a href="http://blog.irunfar.com/">Bryon</a> for helping me along my route. I appreciate each of you very much.saschasdadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06920379008380900505noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4574398494498542900.post-77667399515976592162009-09-29T09:42:00.001-06:002009-09-29T09:42:56.738-06:00Kilian's QuestIf you haven't been following this, you're missing out. I'm on the pacer team...and it's incredible!<br /><a href="http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.salomonrunning.com%2Fsp%2Fkilian-quest-videos.aspx%3Fep%3D07&h=83085a6d14438f6c507be91577be365c" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" __untrusted="true">http://www.salomonrunning.com/sp/kilian-quest-videos.aspx?ep=07</a>saschasdadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06920379008380900505noreply@blogger.com5