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#SackLunch at the 2015 Bend Beer Chase

Welcoming Committee
The 2015 Bend Beer Chase. Seventy miles of Bend’s most beautiful high-trafficked roads, hopping from brewery to brewery in a magical land that, based on their lush green lawns and heavily-sprinklered sidewalks, seems not to think much of our region’s drought woes.

#SackLunch Team Start
Olin Berger (left) proposed this race awhile back and I jumped on board once I got the scheduling worked out. Derek Reiff (good beard) is always up for a good run. Brett Walton (Cochese glasses) is somewhat “choosy” when it comes to racing and didn’t want to run but said he’d drive us around, and Evan Williams was too busy planning on setting his 3rd PR in a month back in Seattle. This left the three of us to complete the 12 leg relay race, each running four legs and finishing with anywhere from 21-24 miles apiece. Not ideal (most teams had six members running two legs each) but eh, whaddya gonna do.

#SackLunch, Prerace
The team name was another matter and I don’t remember any of the story behind it, other than we’re all huge Seinfeld (read:Elaine) fans and I think Olin really wanted to get bags from Fred Meyer and make a huge “sack” for us to appear in at check points, the start+finish lines, the after party, the AirB&B driveway, and other general public areas of interest in beautiful Bend, OR.

#SackLunch Sandwich Prep
The evening before the race we stopped in Redmond and Derek finally found the $1.29 baloney needed to complete our lunch supplies for the rest of the field. We would make a bunch of brown bag lunches with actual “edible” lunch items (baloney sandwich and snack pack) and offer them our to opponents in an attempt to pysche them out bribe their friendship. The woman checker at the Grocery Outlet was named Capriola and another was named Baylea, and in case either of you are reading this, Derek is single and easy to get ahold of. We promise he did not consume (much of) the baloney you saw him purchase. Just before we entered the store, we found out Evan ran a 15:46 5k and completed his PR trifecta! Motivation levels +3!

Derek Reiff Start
The goal was to hit last year’s winning time and if last year’s winning team showed up, let’s race! Derek’s stated plan was to go with the leader for the “first few miles” of his 6.47 mile leg and see what happens.
“What if he goes out at five minute pace?”
“I haven’t thought that far ahead.”

(He went out at five minute pace.)

#SackLunch First Handoff
Handoff of the day was, not surprisingly, the very first one between Derek and Olin, when we were only two minutes down on the lead and the future still looked bright with promise. Olin took off for his 9 mile leg on the hunt at what appeared to be ~4:15 pace. It was also here that I started to worry about the heat, considering it was 9am, I hadn’t run one mile yet, and I was already moaning to Brett about how tired I was and could I just go sit in the shade over there?

[Ayn Rand Quote]
Highlight(s) of the day was whenever when you were done running your leg and sitting comfortably in the cool car while driving to the next checkpoint, seeing your running teammate suffering along the stretch of busy street, and hooting/hollering for him as you passed, oftentimes while holding out a brown sack of lunch and quoting Ayn Rand. Lowlights of the day would be when you yourself were the guy running on the road while your team drove by and away, them holding out sacks and yelling at you to “Run for your life from any man who tells you that money is evil! That sentence is the leper’s bell of an approaching looter!”

#SackLunch, Team
It was mildly amusing that our fittest-looking guy, 73 inches tall in his skin tight Adidas tank top and the shortest shorts seen in Bend all year, was actually our driver who ran zero miles. While his shorter, balder, back hairier cousin with the elephant legs ran 21.

Elephant Man
Unfortunately the majority of the race scenery looked like this. You were advised to admire the majestic Three Sisters mountain peaks, which proved difficult when you were mostly concerned with not getting hit by the oncoming Ford Excursion on the busy freeway.

Joe First Handoff to Derek

Joe First Handoff to Derek
As a team we took pride in at least *attempting* to use the snap bracelet “batons” as god intended them. This worked well and impressed the women initially at the exchanges, but as heat stroke gradually set in, we got sloppy and form broke, snap bracelets falling to the ground like tears from a frustrated child.

Joe & Olin Trade Off
Personally, my hardest leg on paper was my 2nd one (6th in the overall race), a 6.6 jaunt up highway 126 which featured up close & personal views of the many large trucks Oregonians like to drive at high rates of speed. This was probably also the high-water mark for our team on the day, as Olin ripped it and got us back to around 7 minutes off the lead. Fired up, I ran way too fast considering I would only be halfway done upon finishing the leg, and for my efforts we fell 15 seconds further behind. :\

Brett Brings Derek In
Derek's Brush With Death
Derek's Brush With Death
Derek Reiff, shown here completing his 4th and final handoff, showed tremendous courage in running himself nearly to death so that we could ultimately finish 36 minutes behind first place instead of 38. As of this writing, Derek has not run one step since this photo was taken. Worth it!

After that depressing series of photos, here’s a little extra special NSFW shot for the Derek fans, from earlier in the day when things were only just beginning to descend into hell. If the kids have been put to bed, click the image for the full UNCENSORED action! ;p
Not Our Fault If You Get Fired!

Rollin' Olin
Olin was our MVP and rock for the day. While Derek and I suffered/wilted in the heat and elevation, Olin showed a capacity to just put his head down and suffer. To this day I still do not understand how he held a 6:37 pace for his final 3pm, 6.9 mi leg. I should say that for most of the race, this was the scenery. On the shoulder of a busy road, completely exposed to the worst life has to offer.

Finish Lining

Finish Lining
Bend proved to have that lovely southern hospitality during my final 100m kick, during which a couple bros outside a bar heckled me for reasons unknown to me until I saw these finish-line pictures.

Welcoming Committee
The team that suffers together, appears to also shower together…? 2nd place in 7:26. Thirty six minutes behind the lead team, who were annoyingly 13 minutes faster than the year before.

Brett Hydrating
Brett drove us all over Bend that day, took the photo of the day (Derek/Olin handoff) paced a couple of us late in the race when life was its most dire, and was for the most part not very annoying. He doesn’t like beer though, so the least I could do for him at the after party was agree to get him a sample cup of Kombucha and then make a big deal about it.

Where's Rafe
Nice Light
Olin Holding Our Remaining Sacks
Olin was sad we didn’t win any team-themed awards during the afterparty, and that Derek’s beard not only did not win, but finished behind a guy whose “beard” wasn’t even a real beard. He medicated this sadness by standing in many beer lines and handing out our remaining sack lunches to whomever seemed most inspired and ready to party. A couple witty one-liners later and Sack Lunch are suddenly BFFs with the all-female Hot Messes team.

Derek Snaps Into a Generic Brand Slim Jim
Derek spent most of the post-race festivities throwing up in our host house’s lawn and remaining seated and stoic during the afterparty. He bought a meat stick and actually ate it on the drive back to Seattle the next day, which I thought would raise his moods but didn’t really. Sunday night he stated he has lost those last pesky 6 lbs.

Hot Tub Refueling
You can’t go to 87 degree Bend and not hot tub it up! Last order of business was achieved after a Sunday morning shakeout run with Brett and Olin. I decided blue was the best otter pop flavor.

It’s been real, Bend. Real hot. Next year we’re bringing six, and one of them has bigger calves than Max King.

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Club News Featured Race Reports

2015 #SRCBrooks Quarterly Report

2015 SRCBrooks Report

The 2015 #SRCBrooks team is off to the races! Below, read (and see) what everyone’s been up to and what’s to come in the summer (hint: lots of Cougar Mountain Series races!).

Derek Reiff

The first quarter being an SRC/Brooks team member went great! (For the most part!)

My year started with a long vacation in Europe.

In Belgium, the Netherlands, France, and Germany, I paired my favorite pair of shoes with my favorite pair of running shorts: fire-red Cascadia 9s & 5″ Sherpas. They were the only pair of shoes that I needed, and I stretched them from smooth bike trails in the Netherlands, a whole lot of cobbled sidewalks everywhere, and the German countryside—and up mountains to a castle or two.

At the Brandenburg Gate, another couple of runners ACTUALLY said “Toll schuhe.” (At least, I’m 75% confident that was the phrase. It actually might’ve been “super schuhe.” Either way, they loved my shoes.)

In Paris, I don’t think I ran past anyone that didn’t glance at my feet. I couldn’t tell if they were offended by the color, or they REALLY liked them.

Cascadias in EuropeBrandenburg Gate
In February, I picked up my mileage to the highest it’s been since college! I ran in Ghosts on the street, Cascadias & Grits on the trails.

In March, I ran my first 50k with thousands of feet of elevation.

It went so much better than I anticipated, and I wore my NEW favorite shoe for trail running and racing: Pure Grit 3. It was Type-1 fun for the first 30, followed by Type-2 fun for the last 20. (Type-1 is fun when it’s happening; type-2 is fun ONLY in retrospect.)

There were some tough spots on the Chuckanut course, but the Grits have enough traction for rocks, mud, and regular-old trail. It was a blast.

Derek at Chuckanut50k Image: Glenn Tachiyama

Now, mid-April, I’m gearing up for the Boston Marathon.

I’m really quite excited for the marathon, but have a bit of a knee issue I’m working through. With luck I’ll be finishing—and with a goal time of 2:48—but I’m preparing for some pain!

I’m optimistic, though, and will be running in T7s!

Evan Williams

Read Evan’s Multi-faceted Spring Report

Rachel Johnson

The first part of the year has gotten off to a great start. I’ve had many training runs and try to get up for Win Van Pelt’s weekend long runs at Cougar Mountain as often as possible. Saturday April 11th 2015 I completed the Squak Mountain Half Marathon 1st in my age group and 8th Overall. This was a wonderful course with many switchbacks built in, allowing for significant elevation gain throughout. The hill climbs during the first half and the winding single track to finish off the race were superb! This was a great race for me as I was well rested and felt strong throughout. It’s giving me confidence as I look forward to my upcoming marathon on the 20th.

Training has been intense and has included early morning destination runs followed by full days of climbing and/or skiing. This has
included Mazama (Methow Valley), Skaha (Penticton, British Columbia), and Frenchman Coulee (Vantage, WA) thus far this year.

I’m looking forward to the Boston Marathon on April 20th and feel very strong going into this race! Beyond that I plan to make as many of SRCs weekend and weekly workout runs as possible while also racing throughout the state this year. I’m leaps and bounds ahead of where I was this time last year so I hope to have a strong cross country season with Brooks Running and the Seattle Running Club!

Claire Giuliano

Claire GiulianoNot much of a report from me as I have been getting over an injury…but I am finally healthy! I have had a great year so far building strength (Pure Barre) and endurance through miles on road and trail. I am looking forward to the month of May in which I will race for the first time in 9 months (!) at the Women’s Snohomish Half Marathon and the Brooks Trailhead 10k.

On my training runs, the long sleeve has been my favorite piece (I have one with the screwed up logo). I have a picture attached when I decided to wear it up Granite Mountain. There was a 10 degree temperature change from bottom to top and it was the perfect material. I also like how soft it is – I don’t have to worry about any chaffing.

There will be much more to share after May!

Caroline Austin

Caroline Austin Top PotThus far in the SRC singlet I have been having a lot of fun. After a fun full racing cross country with everyone, it was time for me to hit the track. I ran my first steeplechase of the season at the Spring Break Open. Although it was not the race I wanted, I won the event and learned a lot that I will be taking forward with me as I gear up to race at the Mt Sac Relays. Training with everyone on the track at Wednesday night workouts has been a blast, not to mention the energy and support has been wonderful! I am excited to see what this team can do in each of our personal events. My favorite new gear to train in is the Brooks T9 Racer and SRC tank top; it feels comfy and fast. 🙂

Happy Running!

Katie Bates

Katie BatesThe first quarter of my year as a Brooks team member has been dedicated to increasing my base miles, improving core strength, and planning for the rest of the year. I have done many training runs at Grand Ridge, Bridle Trails and Cougar, as well as along Lake Washington, while wearing my Launch, Ravenna, and PureGrits. I have also been an active member of a moms fitness group while wearing #SRCBrooks gear and shoes. My goal is to increase the number of races I participate in throughout the year and peak in October and again in December.

What is next:
Grand Ridge Half Marathon – May 2
Cougar Mountain 14 Mile – June 13
Cougar Mountain 20 Mile – July 11
Angels Staircase 35k – Aug 9
Oregon Coast 50k – Oct 10
Deception Pass 50k – Dec 12

Olin Berger

Q1 Summary
Olin at the Mt Si 50 mileI mainly focused on training this quarter, averaging in the mid-to-high 60s for miles per week and logging my first ever +100 mile weeks. My race results include an overall win at the Bridle Trails Winter Running Festival 50k with a time of 3:33:23, a 17th overall, 5th age group finish at the Chuckanut 50k with a time of 4:21:32, and a 6:11 win at the Mt. Si 50 Mile at the end of April.

Gear Used
I have been putting my arsenal of Brooks shoes to good use, already logging +500 miles on a pair of Glycerin 12s. I have also raced in the Pure Grit 3s and train with the GTX Ghosts, Glycerin 12s, Pure Grit 3s, Cascadia 10s, and the ST Racer 5s. Other gear I use frequently are the Essential 3.5″ split short, Infiniti 3″ split short, Essential SS II top, and LSD Lite Jacket IV.

Upcoming Events
Next on my racing calendar are the Cougar Mt. Racing Series, the Brooks Trailhead 15k, the Cascade Relay’s Bend Beer Chase (with teammate Derek Reiff), and the White River 50 Mile. I may likely add another 50k in May or June.

Arthur Martineau

12-27-14: Loop the Lake Marathon – tie for first in 3:07; marathon PR; Brooks Launch
1-3-15: Tiger Mt Fat Ass 50k – 5:39, course PR, 3rd place; Brooks Cascadia 9 with screws for the ice/snow.
1-10-15: Bridle Trails 50k – course pr in 4:17, 7th place; Brooks Pure Grit 3
2-1-15: West Seattle Fat Ass (75k) – tie for 1st in 7:27; course PR; Brooks Launch 2
2-14-15: Sedro Woolley 50k – 1st place in 3:52; 50k PR; Brooks Launch 2
2-28-15: YMCA Fund Run 6HR – tied for 1st after a 20 mile jog to the start; Brooks Launch 2
3-21-15: Pacific Rim One Day – 1st place, 115 laps; Brooks Launch2, silver bullet jacket, LSD jacket
4-11-15: Rock Creek Ramble 100k – 1st place in 11:33; course record; Brooks Launch 2, compression socks, white hvac hat, SRC blue gloves, blue long sleeve SRC shirt, blue/grey SRC Pure project short sleeve, LSD jacket.
Arthur at WSFA 75kArthur at Sedro Woolley 50kArthur at Pacific RimArthur at Bridle Trails 50k

Trisha Steidl

I’ve had three focus races this winter/spring and one fun race.

Fun race first: Uli and I ran the 50k pairs relay at Bridle Trails again for the first time in 10 years! Our goal was to lower the course record we set back in 2005. Both of us were in good shape back then, so we knew it would be a pretty lofty goal. Despite me having a not-so-great day, we lowered it by 3 minutes!

Focus races: The first focus race for me was the Hillbilly Half-Marathon. This is a hilly, trail half and is the first race in the La Sportiva Mountain Series, so it brings good competition. It ended up being a beautiful sunny day with just a light breeze, so I peeled off a bunch of my layers right before the race started. I finished a solid 3rd place behind a woman who was 11th at NCAA DI XC Nationals a few years back and a woman who won the US Trail Half-Marathon Championships last year – not bad. I wore the PureGrit 3 for this race, especially because there are quite a few big mud puddles along the upper section of the course. I wanted to be sure to not have to worry about traction and the shoes pulled through!

Trisha at Gorge 50k Image: Glenn Tachiyama

The second focus race was the Gorge Waterfalls 50k. This was the main focus of my spring and I was ready to go. I knew there would be good competition and I was excited for the opportunity to compete. It was also the first ultra I have run a) outside of Washington state and b) where I didn’t know the entire course beforehand. That was a strange feeling. I held myself back at the beginning so I wouldn’t overdo it because there’s a huge hill to climb at the end of the race and I wanted to be able to make a strong push at the end. I lead the race from start to finish (minus a few minutes a few miles in where another lady went ahead briefly and then I passed her and never saw her again), winning by 11 minutes over Krissy Moehl. I wore the PureGrit 3 again for this race and those shoes felt incredible! For me to wear a pair of shoes for 5 hours and not even have a blister afterwards is a huge deal. Usually my feet hurt me during races and that ends up travelling up the chain, causing issues around my knees and/or hips. There wasn’t a chance for that to happen wearing these shoes. I love the fit, traction, support, and comfort!

My final race wasn’t as much of a focus race because I was travelling the few days before for work to California and I knew circumstances wouldn’t set me up for having a great race. With that said, I knew I could still run well and it was important to me to get the experience in. I ran the Whidbey Island Marathon, having not run a road marathon in 4 years. It was a lonely race for me as I was by myself for all but the first 3 miles. I was 2nd woman AND 2nd overall – very strange experience to not have any men finishing ahead of or around me. I beat the 1st place guy by almost 6 minutes and the 3rd place woman by almost 20 minutes. It was good to get a feel for a road marathon again, even though my body was tired from travel. I have to gush about the PureFlows. I have worn a lot of different pairs of shoes for road marathons and have always experience foot issues, painful blisters on my right, big toe, and not enough support from the shoe so other areas up the chain would hurt. My feet felt great the entire way! Turns out I got a fairly big blood blister on my right, big toe, but I hardly felt it and was surprised to see the blister when I took off my shoe. This shoe was awesome and makes me even more excited to run another road marathon. Double thumbs up!

As always, my Brooks apparel was super comfortable. I never noticed it during any of my races, which is a great thing. If you notice what you’re wearing, it’s probably not fitting you right. My favourite is the Versatile Shape bra. That thing is supportive, comfortable, and I haven’t experienced any chafing, even during a 5 hour race! Fantastic work, Brooks!

Next up for me is the Zermatt Marathon in Switzerland, which is a combination of road and trail. It starts at about 4000′ elevation and climbs almost the entire time, ending at about 8500′. Three weeks after that is the White River 50 Mile trail race where I’ll be taking on not only the women’s competition, but also some of my male SRC and SRC-Brooks teammates – I’m certainly the underdog in that race! I’m looking forward to racing 50 miles again as it’s been 12 years since I last raced that distance.

Destry Johnson

Destry Debut 5kDestry Brooks TestingMan, 1st qtr over! How time flies…

I was nervous being selected for the Brooks Seattle RC team this year as a was staring the Big 4-0 in the face. Could I still run, let alone race? I wasn’t sure, but then I remembered SRC member Uli Steidl still kicks butt and is a couple years older than me, so I got over it and kept logging miles. My updated Brooks Ravennas and PureFlows keep my feet comfy and the Brooks wet/cold weather outerwear keep me dry and warm. The effort Brooks has made in the last year on their clothing line really shows now and the quality is immediately noticeable. My first race came in early March where I went back to my Alma mater to race a 5k. I’ve been running my season opener there almost every year since 1994 with time ranging from 15:20 to 15:50. This year turned out to be no different when I completed the race in 4th place with a 15:38…take THAT, 40! This was my first race with the new bright yellow T7 racers and they were awesome! In late March I had the opportunity to assist Brooks with shoe development testing at the new headquarters building in Seattle. The folks working at Brooks are dedicated to making the best running shoes on the market and I was pleased to help. Next I’ll be racing at the Earth Day 10k in Magnuson Park as I prepare for the worlds best 12k in Spokane: Bloomsday!

Eric Bone

I started off 2015 injured, and I’ve done no running races–and not a whole lot of training–since receiving my SRC Brooks Team gear.

Most recently on the racing front, I ran unofficially in my own trail run, the “Spring Run for Fun @ Redmond Watershed” on March 8, finishing the 5-mile race in 30:06. I wore my royal blue Brooks Seattle Running Club racing singlet for that race.

Eric Bone's Mach 16 on FacebookBeing eager to use the new gear, I’ve been going for training runs around the neighborhood in the Adrenaline GTS 15 or the Adrenaline ASR, and I took the Mach 16 XC spikes for a track workout, after which I wowed my Facebook friends with a photo of the bold shoe design.

In the off-road and off-trail department, I took a silver and a bronze medal at the U.S. Orienteering Championships and Team Trials the last weekend of March, and I earned a spot on the U.S. Team racing at the World Orienteering Championships in August in Scotland.

I’m looking forward to jumping into some local races, maybe Earth Day 5k at Magnuson on 4/18, Spring Eagle Trail Run on 4/26, and the Cougar Mountain 5k on 6/13. I don’t have any big goal runs on the horizon, as I’m primarily focused on building my training up.

Matt Hong

I’ve had a busy first quarter of the year running for the #SRCBrooks team. My first race of the year was the Bridle Trails 10M on January 10 where I took 3rd place. I used February as a heavy training month and spent a lot of time running trails in my new Pure Grit 3s, roads in the awesome Ravenna 6, and getting used to my first pair of racing flats – the Racer ST5. In March I had two big races. First was the Lake Sammamish Half Marathon on the 7th where my first race in flats paid off in a 3 minute PR (1:18:25) and 12th place out of over 1800 finishers. On March 21 I ran my first 50k at the classic Chuckanut 50k and learned some good lessons – taking 36th place in 4:45:07.
Brooks Team at Chuckanut
Super stoked for next quarter where things begin with a bang on April 20 with the Boston Marathon which I hope to run in about 2:45. Training has been going well and I love marathon time in Boston. In May I’ll begin my goal to show well in the Cougar Mountain Long Trail Running Series by running the Cougar 10. I plan to put some serious mileage on my Pure Grit 3s this summer. Then I’ll run the Brooks Trailhead 15k on May 30 – which will be my first 15k. June will bring the Cougar 14. You can read all about my running adventures on http://whatsnextmatt.wordpess.com.

Lance Thompson

The first part of this year in running has been about getting back in shape. I was out from October to late January with a strained Achilles. It’s always humbling how long it takes for the top fitness level to return, but it is awesome to be back running again. I started with regular runs, then started doing a workout one day a week. From there I progressed to two while slowly building up the mileage.

Rotating several pairs of Brooks shoes has been a big help building the strength and flexibility back into my Achilles and calf. I’ve been rotating between a pair of Ravennas, Ghosts, Glycerins, Launches, Racer STs, T7s, and Pure Flows. The early morning run commute to work was never too cold with the Essential top.

I gave back some volunteer time for all the hundreds of events & races I’ve done in the past by helping at the Arnie Young High School Track & Field meet. As a distance runner who has never had any hops, it was impressive to see great performances in the High Jump while officiating it.

I plan on running Beat the Bridge as my return to racing, then look forward to a great summer and 2015.

Martin Criminale

This year has mostly been an exercise in patience and frustration for me but there was a bright spot.

I came into the year nursing an injury that was extremely hard to shake but slowly building fitness. My goal this year was to run some ‘warm-up’ 50k events to get stronger and then to run the UW Sky Running Series races in August and September.

My first race was the Bridle Trails Winter Running Festival.
http://martin.criminale.com/2015/01/bridle-trails-winter-running-festival.html

I was going slower than I wanted but paced myself well for my current level of fitness. Unfortunately my back gave out after five laps and I had to drop with one lap left. I wore the Brooks PureGrit 3 and it was fantastic. Light, not too light, and very comfortable.
Here are some pictures.
12
14

I followed Bridle Trails with a snow race and my first time running almost an entire event in the snow. Hard! But also a really cool (literally and figuratively) experience. And I got second in my age group.
Here are some pictures.
P1010780
DSC_4412

I wore my Brooks Cascadia 10 shoes for this race and they were fine but it probably didn’t much matter what you wore… 🙂

My next race was the Orcas Island 50k.
http://martin.criminale.com/2015/02/orcas-island-50k.html

Conditions for this race were WET! Based on the reports of others it was the worst it has been in years with rain all during the previous night and right from the start. And I had fun. 🙂 Again, my pace was a bit slower than normal due to my fitness level but I paced myself really well and never slowed down. I wore the Brooks PureGrit 3 again and where everyone else was sliding around I either had traction or at least felt in control. I was skiing down descents with a big smile on my face.

On the flats and climbs my fitness was my limiter but on the descents i was able to pass lots of people and this along with the fact that I didn’t slow down at the end meant I still won my age division.
Here are some pictures:
IMG_0952-X3
P1010810

After Orcas my injury flared up again and I had to take some time off. Just as I was coming back a second time I was halted by a hernia and had to withdraw from both the Chuckanut 50k and the Yakima Skyline Rim 50k.
http://martin.criminale.com/2015/03/laparoscopic-inguinal-hernia-surgery.html

I will hopefully be able to start running again soon and I am guardedly optimistic that if I go slow, I will still be able to achieve my primary goals for this year which are the US Sky Running races starting in August.

Being part of this team is fantastic and the camaraderie is awesome! I really miss the group runs and the Wednesday night track workouts but for the next few months I’m going to be living vicariously through everyone else.

Keith Laverty

The first three months of 2015 were jam-packed full of new challenges in trail racing, six to be exact. From a humid, jungle run in Nicaragua to my debut ultra in the Columbia River Gorge, I could always rely on Brooks shoes and gear to get me through. I logged most of my mileage in the Brooks Ravenna 5 and 6, often beginning runs at my neighboring Ravenna Park while still finding time in the mountains to train and race with the Brooks PureGrit 3. It’s a great feeling to know I can mindlessly throw on my Brooks shoes without needing to worry about anything going wrong. I’ve been able to rely on the gear which allows me to focus on my training.
Keith at the Hillbilly Half
I spent about five total weeks of this first quarter fighting colds and sore throats (I suppose that taught me to not skip the flu shot next time) which forced my training plan to rely more on the key runs each week and less on building a stronger base. Despite this challenge, I was able to still exceed my goal race plans. The biggest highlight was winning my debut ultra at the Gorge Waterfalls 50K. Taking the advice of my peers proved to pay off: eating a lot at the aid stations and not really “racing” until more toward the second half of the race. Other race accomplishments included taking a very close 2nd place at the Fuego y Agua “25K” (it’s a 33K) on a volcanic, lake island of Nicaragua (Fuego y Agua race report) and a 4th place finish in the very competitive Hillbilly Half Marathon near Olympia. The remaining three races in my schedule all included 1st place finishes at the Fragrance Lake Half, the Capitol Peak Mega Fat Ass 26K and the Bridle Trails Winter Running Festival 5 Mile.

My spring/summer schedule is far from being set in stone but I plan to continue competing in trail and mountain races. A few races I have tentatively planned are the Armstrong Redwoods 30K near Napa, a Cougar Mountain series race and the Angels Staircase 35K. Thanks again to Seattle Running Club and Brooks Running for the amazing support!

Categories
Featured Race Reports

Evan Williams’ Spring of Extracurriculars

Flying Lion Brewing Community Run

My family’s brewing business is really taking off, and so is the FLB5 (mi or km option) group run on Fridays. Attendance is consistently between 15 to 20 peopleeven on rainy days and the camaraderie is great! Theroute is posted to the SRC Meetup page, as well as Strava. Leading this run is often the highlight of my week as it is a perfect combination of my running and brewing passions. Conversations about stride length and cadence segue, via our bike-powered barley mill, to aroma hop profiles and fermentation temperature control. Because of the social training aspect, I get to talk about my Brooks gear and shoes even more than in race scenarios!
FLB 5 Group RunFLB Group Run Route
Evan Williams - Bridle Trails Image: Runners.Photos

Bridle Trails

I raced the 10 mi version of SRC’s Bridle Trails Winter Running Festival in January. Despite a week of tough life circumstances and very little sleep, I easily beat my time from two years ago and got second (to teammate Joe Creighton, who set a course record that day). It was a beautiful event, celebrating drizzly winter training with other like-minded runners on a Saturday evening. This was one of the first races following the #SRCBrooks team announcement and it was wonderful to bond with each other. We shared training plans and goals during warm-up and cool-down, set up running dates, and made our presence known in the final standings!

Olympic Hot Springs Training Run

Evan Williams - Olympic Hot Springs
Among several long runs in the mountains, this was particularly notable. My long climbing training really started to click after this and I felt more confident than ever in the decision to sign up for the Chuckanut 50k. On top of that, what’s cooler than taking a 30 min mid-run break in back-country
hot springs? From there, we only had a couple easy miles on a gentle downhill back to the car. Rubbery legs! http://guanderer.weebly.com/run/happy-lake-ridge-gt-olympic-hot-springs-gt-fat-smittys

Chuckanut 50k

Evan at the 2015 Chuckanut 50k Image: Glenn Tachiyama
This was the highlight of the year for me so far. Four SRC-Brooks members (Olin Berger, Matt Hong, Derek Reiff, and myself) drove up to Bellingham in March and all placed very well. We had our struggles and learned some valuable lessons about race-day nutrition, but even without perfect splits, I was very pleased with an 8th place finish and ceramic plate award from a local potter. I now eat my pre-run toast and jam from it everyday. Perhaps it will remind me of the most important lesson I learned…eat more than 300 calories during the race. Seriously. That was the difference between 5th and 8th! I loved this experience and can’t wait for next year. http://guanderer.weebly.com/run/chuckanut-50k-2015
SRCBrooks at 2015 Chuckanut50kSRCBrooks at 2015 Chuckanut50k

Eugene Marathon (Training)

Post Chuckanut, I have returned to the flat pavement of Seattle’s coastlines to tune up for the Eugene Marathon. It has been difficult to move away from (nearly) daily trail miles, but this is a temporary and good mental break to work on pure speed. The spring is always a busy time anyway, thus city training is easier for my schedule. My workouts are looking good. I’m significantly faster than last year, I know the course, and I have a real nutrition plan that will make a big difference. It all starts with my recent habit of eating a breakfast sandwich and sipping on flat Coca Cola at the start line. I’m lucky to have a strong stomach. I truly believe 2:40 is within range…maybe even faster. After road shenanigans like a “week of half marathons,” I’ll get back to training in the mountains in May.
Half Marathon Shenanigans

Pure Grit 3 / Biomechanical Engineering Grad School

The Pure Grit 3 trail shoes get a special mention in this summary. They are that wonderful. I have one pair designated for mixed surfaces (pavement, trails, gravel) and one that I only use on dirt and for trail races. I find that my stride is smoother in the Grits than any other shoe and that the traction is good even on cement. Last year, I ran Eugene in a pair of Pure Grit 2 and loved it. This year, I’m deciding between Pure Cadence (the shoe I like to wear for track repeats) and Grit 3. Both are good choices, with the Cadence being the better option for weight and flat roads. I’ve turned in 90% of my Biomechanical Engineering thesis and am waiting for edits from the review committee. I’ll soon be the most available biomech engineer on the market! And, with miles upon miles of thinking about gait and human motion, I’m excited to contribute to the field of movement and health. I know Brooks cares about the same things! Run Happy. Work Happy.
Evan Williams Feet Stuff

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Featured Race Reports

2015 Stewart Mountain Half Marathon Race Report

Rachel Johnson Stewart Mountain

I arrived at the North Lake Whatcom trailhead in Bellingham, WA to find rain that was bordering on a hailstorm. No one considered cancelling of course…runners being as stubborn as they are. The race preparation resumed as scheduled. The starting line was full of stoked runners happy to be outside and about to embark on an epic trail run. The race began with the faster runners breaking away early on the waterfront stretch. We then pushed upwards through the trees heading to the top of Stewart Mountain. Many runners were surprised by the hill climb that was awaiting and the lead pack quickly gained distance on the field.

I maintained lead for the women throughout the race and finished as I started. Congratulations to Nichole Braun who maintained 2nd for women throughout the race. The pace this year was considerably slower than last year due to very tough conditions. The rain and cold temperatures worsened as we neared the top of the mountain and the view of Lake Whatcom was nowhere to be seen. One lead male runner began to feel the effects of the effort and conditions and was forced to ease into the finish at half his pace.

Despite this there was much celebration at the finish…and plenty of pizza for those who’s diet allows for such delicacies. Much conversation was had regarding the conditions and all are stoked for the races to come!

2015 Stewart Mountain Half Marathon Results

Image: Ross Comer – ComerPhotos.com

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Featured Race Reports

Fuego y Agua Race Report

Fuego y Agua

Una corrida en las selvas, calles y playas de Isla de Ometepe

Before going into this race, I knew I likely had to throw out all expectations and expect the unexpected. I believe this ultimately helped me. Back in the PNW winter, I simply continued to train as I would any race: long runs, hilly trail runs, cut-down tempos, etc. The humidity? This I knew could be the X-factor. Fortunately, I had four travel days in Nicaragua to get accustomed as part of a 12-day vacation with my roommate and long-time friend, Brian Rakestraw, an avid trail runner and climber himself. If the first four days were any indication, I knew this would be warm, scratch that…hot race with a late start time of 10am. Even by 8am, the sun is in full force and the humidity strong. The Fuego y Agua is hosted appropriately by Fuego y Agua Events but they’re also known for putting on tough endurance events that include a boosted challenge such as the Widowmaker 50k and the Caballo Blanco Ultra in the Copper Canyons as portrayed in Born to Run.

Fuego y Agua - TonaI showed up one hour early to race start with a 2-mile jog from my hotel. I took in the views of Lake Nicaragua, the beach where the race actually begins and the extravagant hubbub of the start line with a giant inflatable Toña beer bottle (Toña and Victoria beers are essentially the equivalent to a Coors Light). My race gear featured the Brooks PureGrit 3, the SRC-Brooks sky blue singlet and my bright Brooks green plaid race short. It was also my first race with a hydration pack – not wanting to take a chance on the heat. Also, if you ever consider competing in this race, keep in mind that the advertised “25k” is actually good for a 33k.
Fuego y Agua Race StartFuego y Agua Volcan Maderas
Race goes off, first 10 minutes or so on beach, onto rolling roads and into the jungle set alongside Volcán Maderas. This is where the real fun began: the constant search for the next “flecha” (arrow) or señal (signal/streamer). With so many trails going off any which direction, it became a game of who could spot the next. The front pack consisting of me, two Costa Ricans and two Nicaraguans got lost at least three times. The worst of it being hiking around lost for what felt like 10 minutes with me throwing in my Spanish phrases into the conversation of where to go next. We came upon a ranch home and fortunately a local boy pointed to a nearby rock which contained the chalk arrow. The next few miles had a fun mix of technical and fast running through palm trees, big rocks and fields overlooking the water.

Eventually we made it out of the jungle and into the 3rd aid station in La Palma, the most eastern part of Ometepe. The next 15k or so was going to be rolling hills on dirt and concrete road in direct sunlight. Similar to the previous two aid stations, the other runners barely acknowledged the liquids and food provided and three of them hastily continued running. I took a bit more time and then quickly caught all three just a few minutes later. The two Nicaraguans looked beat at this point and eventually faded pretty hard. This left me and an older, experienced-looking Costa Rican to battle for the remainder of the race. Anytime I made a move, he responded right back. This guy was a fighter. I made another move and carried this lead for another 3-4 miles. It was only getting hotter and a couple buses drove by causing an awful dust storm, attempting to shield my eyes. My legs were slowly suffering and it began to feel like the last 10k of a road marathon. Heading into the final aid station, I took a quick glance behind and realized I still hadn’t shaken him. He looked to be about 15 seconds back. With under 5k to go, the sun seemed to deplete all of my remaining energy in my legs and I was finally overtaken on the final hill. The last two miles finished alongside the beach. I could see the finish way out in the distance and what seemed like the longest finish to a race ever. I ran tough all the way to the end and finished 2nd overall in 2:50:45, and the winning time of 2:49:48 set by Feliciano Davila Rodriguez. It was an unforgettable experience and learned a lot about my fitness and myself. After a clutch massage, a Toña beer, and Aleve gels being handed to me, I was presented with a volcanic rock trophy, a nice souvenir to take home. Not as nice to lug that thing around for the rest of my vacation!
Fuego y Agua y Aleve

****

Coming back to the Northwest to race the Fragrance Lake Half, hosted by Candice Burt and Bellingham Trail Running Series, was certainly a breath of fresh, cold air compared to the Nicaraguan humidity. Several runners use this race as a course preview for the Chuckanut 50k. It also felt like a shock to my lung and leg systems as I would find out later. The race went out faster than I was hoping, a Canadian runner taking the initial two flat miles out in what looked to be 5:45 pace. Fortunately I felt strong enough to put on a gap on the first, long ascent up the Cleator Road climb. From there, it was all about hanging on. Ten challenging miles later (the half had 3,300 ft. of vert), on the final suicidal downhill to the finish, I did exactly that: hang on. The second place runner made up some ground and got to a single step behind me as we were both bombing the switchbacks. One more gradual uphill was my friend and used it to snag the win by 26 seconds.
Keith Laverty at Fragrance Lake

Thanks again for the continued support by Seattle Running Club, Brooks Running, Honey Stinger and all of my friends and family. And much thanks to Brian, for coming along to Ometepe, and my work, PopCap, who have supported my running antics.

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Featured Race Reports

Three Random Guys Trying to PR in the Half Marathon: An Oral History

After an autumn spent doing Wednesday Night Workouts together, as well as finishing very near each other at a few XC & trail races, an idea was planted to add *one more* race after the XC season ended. Evan Williams (1:18:13 half marathon pr), Derek Reiff (1:18:46), and Joe Creighton (1:18:41) would each try to set a personal record at the Seattle Half Marathon. Calendar proximity defeated course flatness in importance as their three-way date with destiny approached.

PART I – BEFORE THE RACE

EvanEvan Williams
A couple months before the race, I had a feeling that I would be in town for Thanksgiving this year and wanted to go for a half marathon or 5k PR. In 2012, I accomplished PRs in both distances, three days apart. This year, there weren’t enough days after the Club XC Regional 10k to recover for a turkey trot AND the Seattle half. Thus, I picked one.

JoeJoe Creighton
Running XC loops in Lower Woodland Park or in horrendous mud at Lincoln Park can mask yourself from what shape you’re really in. The Seattle Half Marathon was ideal in that it was, conveniently, one week after our last XC race.

EvanEvan Williams
Joe, Derek, and I committed (to each other) to do the half on the Tuesday preceding the race, over pints after a regular Tuesday Fleet Feet jog.

JoeJoe Creighton
I was carded for the first time ever, and I was empty-handed. My bald scalp didn’t convince her. My white chin-hair didn’t convince her. But my “sweet laugh lines” saved the day for me, before I had to pull out the case-closing white back hair.

EvanEvan Williams
We all went home and then balked at the price.

JoeJoe Creighton
The Seattle Marathon was *not* ideal in that it was, inconveniently, $135 fucking dollars for 13.1 miles. Do you realize how many energy drinks I could have bought with that money?

EvanEvan Williams
On Thanksgiving night, Joe and I bit the bullet and then proceeded to enjoy whiskey while bombarding Derek with texts until he also pulled out his credit card.

Whiskey & Cointreau

JoeJoe Creighton
Whiskey and Cointreau, to be precise.

DerekDerek Reiff
I basically signed up under duress. But each of the three XC races I ran this year were run pretty closely with Joe and Evan, so I’d have hated to miss out on a potentially great contest.

EvanEvan Williams
I should have signed up earlier, when the cost was semi-reasonable.

DerekDerek Reiff
Tell me about it. I think all races should start cheap, like they currently do, and ramp up. But the days before, if there are spots left, race entry prices should start dropping, each hour. Fill those spots up.

JoeJoe Creighton
The half marathon is probably my best distance, which I’m at times a little discouraged by. Mostly because of the race distance’s name. Half-marathon. Who cares how good one is at a HALF marathon? If a 5k was simply referred to as “half 10k,” then who knows if I would have wasted six years of my life trying to PR for 3.1 miles, which I did, back in Jun–.

DerekDerek Reiff
The half is definitely my favorite distance. My first half I “trained” for was in Vancouver in 2011. The second half was miserable, but I signed up for another a year and a half later. I liked it because I was ready for it, and it doesn’t require speed if you don’t want it to.

EvanEvan Williams
Half marathons are excellent. You get almost all of the beauty of a long road race with much less than half of the recovery time from a full marathon.

DerekDerek Reiff
When we were discussing doing this race days before it happened, I was _extremely_ confident that I was in good enough shape to PR. Until Joe started talking about all the hills and the weather.

JoeJoe Creighton
Before the race, I was probably 50/50 that I would PR, because I lack conviction of any kind.

::THE RACE EXPO::

DerekDerek Reiff
There was a bathroom in the hotel in which the expo was held. Which was nice, as I needed one.

EvanEvan Williams
I loved the sweet potato chips at the expo, which were almost as good as connecting with teammate Justin Houck at the trail running calendar signing.

Delicious Manwich

JoeJoe Creighton
Heh, “connecting.” Seeing Justin Houck brightens any day. Aside from that, my favorite moment was probably taking a free sample of EAS whey protein powder from what looked to be a 13 year old girl. My least favorite moment was days later when I made the world’s worst Egg Cream.

World's Worst Egg Cream

::TRAINING & PREPARATION::

DerekDerek Reiff
I’ve been putting in consistent miles for a year now, so I’d say I’m in the best post-collegiate shape of my life. And team SRC cross country workouts helped considerably with getting my pace down a bit.

JoeJoe Creighton
I’d dealt with a calf injury in August that kept me out of the (very comfortable Brooks) shoes for two weeks and slowed my preparation for XC. I probably wasn’t ~100% until the last XC race on Nov 23rd. I was only topping out at about 50 miles a week but I was very consistent the past 5 weeks. Still, 50 miles a week ain’t super for half marathons, so I just focused on happy thoughts, like Evan’s ridiculous quadriceps muscles.

EvanEvan Williams
I usually have a pretty careful routine for loading up on energy before long races, but when there’s a holiday involved, the holiday wins. I ate an alarming amount on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. In order to offset food-coma grogginess, I followed up consumption with too much coffee. The one thing I kept consistent with past races was to not get stressed about pre-race plan deviations. The past is the past. Don’t let unchangeable decisions negatively affect your state of mind on race day.

DerekDerek Reiff
My friend Eric says carboloading is dumb but I don’t follow diets of any kind except for no high-fructose corn syrup so I ignored Eric. (Eric did, however, turn me on to wet wipes for the bathroom. Which is necessary if you have a nervous day like I did on Saturday.)

And don’t wet wipes just make sense? I won’t go into details, but they make sense. Right?

JoeJoe Creighton
You are a monster.

EvanEvan Williams
I never felt the need to have a detailed race plan. The three of us are so similar in ability right now that it was going to be impossible to “drop” one another early without dearly paying for it later. Thus, stick together for a while, get faster in the second half if you feel good. Simple.

DerekDerek Reiff
In this group’s recent XC past, I never pulled off a win against these guys, so I figured I’d tuck in behind Joe’s broad shoulders and Evan’s massive quads for wind resistance.

But seriously no, not that. I know that I wanted a PR and that these guys were in great shape and wanted a similar PR, so we should stick together and stay below 6:00/mile pace.

JoeJoe Creighton
I had no concerns about running/racing with Evan and Derek, aside from Evan’s threats to be blowing ass all race and inviting us to “run in his slipstream.” Visually we likely appear to Joe Public as three very different runners, but we actually couldn’t be more alike, ability-wise.

EvanEvan Williams
I went through extensive clothing research the night before, including weighing various shirt options as a joke to Joe/Derek and refreshing weather forecasts constantly. In 2012, I was way too warm in long sleeves and 36F. But, this year was drier and colder. Ultimately, I laid out my trusty pair of green judo shorts, gloves, sunglasses, and a black long sleeve Brooks-SRC shirt.

Evan Fashion

DerekDerek Reiff
I’d like to solicit Brooks to make a cold-weather racing singlet. I paired two of their jerseys up for a nice little ‘duo-core singlet’ and boy was my upper body (core) warm.
No, it wasn’t at all actually. But it did make me feel more secure out there. Like a thundershirt.

::RACE MORNING::

JoeJoe Creighton
It was really cold that morning. I wore gloves and covered my ears, but I run pretty hot so I figured I’d ditch them by mile 1.5. I never ditched any article of clothing though. And idoit liberal atheists still think global warming isn’t a hoax lmao

DerekDerek Reiff
I assume complete failure will happen each and every morning of my life, so I like to map things out in order, in 15 minute blocks. 6:00-6:45 am was “Sit and wait.”

JoeJoe Creighton
I just eat cereal and try to poop.

EvanEvan Williams
When morning came around, I laid in bed as long as possible, called my mom, my wife, and checked texts to see if Joe and Derek were already at the start (Derek was). I skipped coffee, ate three clementines, and put on old sweatpants and an ugly sweater to bike 4 mi to the Space Needle. I felt barely warmed up and then jogged about 3/4 mi with Joe until my body was a little closer to proper operating temperature. Usually, I eat more before racing for 60+ minutes, but I didn’t have time and trusted my previous feasting to have saturated my glycogen stores.

JoeJoe Creighton
I live out in the middle of nowhere so I had to get up at 5am and wanted to be on the road to lower Queen Anne by 6:30. I was also California-raised, and getting out of bed at 5am when it’s 25 degrees outside is literally the worst thing in the world.

Pre Race

DerekDerek Reiff
After we miscommunicated and jogged to and from Evan’s bike for absolutely no reason, we got ourselves back to the start line with 1.5 minutes to spare. So at 7:29 I was thinking “I can’t believe Joe is just wearing a t-shirt.” Occasionally I’m self-conscious standing next to Rockstar-cap Joe. But so far it’s a 50/50 split between this and another hat. Turns out he wore it to the race.

JoeJoe Creighton
I actually have two Rockstar hats and I’m not comfortable admitting how many minutes I spent deciding between the two.

EvanEvan Williams
After a few last moment strides, I appreciated how easy it was to get to the front of the chute (excellent start layout), and bodied up with Joe and Derek to await the gun.

JoeJoe Creighton
In my mind, the best-case scenario was all three of us running together en route to what we thought at the time was Evan’s PR (1:17:30), and then sprinting the final tenth of a mile on our own and letting the chips fall where they may. Which likely would have led to a finish order of Evan, Derek, and then myself, dry-heaving. :\

EvanEvan Williams
I kept myself distracted from the impending pain by making a series of terrible jokes. And, several “don’t try to beat that guy” pointers in the direction of a handful of really in-shape specimens who had tights or shorts sculpted to their muscles. We would soon find out what kind of internal engines they had. Lastly, I located all the orange Club Northwest jerseys and tried to size up our rival competition.

JoeJoe Creighton
I felt the typical “half marathon anxiety” on the start line. It’s gonna hurt, but I had about 30 minutes of painless running to ease me into it. I do remember around 7:27am Evan letting us know that he found out the night before his PR was actually only 1:18:13, which calmed me more, though I did wonder why he thought it was in the 1:17s to begin with. I probably farted at some point.

PART II – THE RACE

DerekDerek Reiff
The end of mile 1 was about a half mile after I noted “Isn’t this so much easier than cross country?” We were just moving right along and we’re barely at 5:55 pace!

EvanEvan Williams
I missed the first mile marker entirely. After my watch showed 7:45, I got concerned and asked Joe for the first split…5:55 I think, which was perfect.

DerekDerek Reiff
“This is going to be a perfect race,” I thought to myself.

“Why does my left shoe suddenly feel a bit less secure?”

“Don’t look down. Don’t look down.”

(Look down)

“Ah shit.”

“How fast can I tie this shoe?”

“There should be professional shoe tiers on the course at aid stations, especially when it’s only 28° outside.”

“If I take a full 30 seconds to tie my shoes with my gloves off, can I catch up with these bozos? Would they wait for me if I asked nicely?”

JoeJoe Creighton
“Oh geez look, Derek’s shoelace is untied on one of his shoes. What a noob! lol. So, wait…do we have to stop and wait for him if and when he decides to tie his shoe?”

DerekDerek Reiff
“No, no way. Joe would never wait. His whole online persona is dedicated to being shoeless. What a jerk.”

“All right. This is where my expert stubbornness comes into play. No shoe tying. Maybe I’ll even rip it off at the end. Now my pre-race routine will incorporate triple knots.”

EvanEvan Williams
Into the express lanes around mile 3, Joe, Derek, and I took turns leading through the headwind and tucked behind some fellow racers for a moment. These other guys weren’t too pleased about our drafting and dropped off pace.

JoeJoe Creighton
That guy really didn’t want us to be drafting off of him. We were less than 1/4 into this race, on a 20-person wide road, and he’s cutting me off while I followed Derek into the lead of our pack.

EvanEvan Williams
The tunnel mile was warmer (nice!) and as soon as we pulled away from the others in our pack, they charged back to catch us again. We couldn’t figure out what their strategy was, but the three of us kept steady and eventually chatted and jostled our way to isolation, about 20 seconds ahead.

Our lone group shotJoeJoe Creighton
Shortly after Mile 4, in the I-90 tunnel, Evan exclaimed “this feels fast!” I tried to ignore him. I figured Evan would feel strongest in this race while Derek and I slaughtered ourselves trying to keep up with him. I didn’t want to hear him suffering so early. Shutup, Evan.

EvanEvan Williams
I had been suggesting a slightly slower pace for a while. Derek agreed, but Joe seemed full of energy and pushed on. Derek yells out, “5:35 pace, if you care!” I cared.

JoeJoe Creighton
I’m self-taught to just go off the mile markers and cross my fingers that they’re accurate. I heard “5:35 pace” but right after Derek said that, we passed the mile 5 marker in 29:40. So I maintained my effort.

DerekDerek Reiff
“Hey look, it’s lifetime members Uli and Trisha Steidl! I didn’t know they had a dog. Why don’t they bring the dog to practices? I love dogs. Not a bad place for a house either. Uli seems too happy to be outside in 28° weather.

EvanEvan Williams
Trisha and Uli Steidl gave us some hollers. I felt like a champ, having been encouraged by our SRC teammates, and VERY accomplished Seattle runners.

JoeJoe Creighton
“38:50” was what I saw on my watch when I crossed the half marker during this interminably-boring stretch of course. “Hmm, that works out to a 1:17:40 finish time, assuming I pull a rabbit out of my ass and even-split this course.” My confidence dropped from 60% to 30% upon doing this math.

EvanEvan Williams
The rolling hills started near here, which caused moments of separation between us three. Ups have been tough for me all season, but I came back on the downs in order to keep everyone together for a few more minutes. The half-way split was a little terrifying when I realized I needed to even split the tough second half in order to PR. I had a little rhythm going, but was almost completely certain that my legs didn’t have enough gas.

DerekDerek Reiff
“I wonder if Uli has any recommendations for my upcoming Germany trip. My god, it’s cold outside.”

JoeJoe Creighton
As expected on the Galer+Madison hill, I felt like ass and I was probably down to about 20% confident I could PR. And I was pulling away from Derek and Evan?! We’re all gonna fail. This sucks. 135 bucks!?!?

DerekDerek Reiff
“Oh my god. Dammit.”

EvanEvan Williams
Joe and Derek put a gap on me up the Madison hill. No choice, I had to let them go in order to save my own race. It was bittersweet, knowing that all three of us were comfortable enough to be okay with the inevitable split. We shifted into our personal mental spaces and end-game strategy.

DerekDerek Reiff
“Mother.”

EvanEvan Williams
I recovered a lot of time on the downhill, post-Madison. Not enough to catch Joe or Derek, but sufficient to keep on PR pace.

JoeJoe Creighton
Shortly after mile 9, the Interlaken hill settled down a bit and I cratered in confidence. Call it 10%. And I was leading us! And I couldn’t even hear Evan or Derek behind me! I really needed to see a cute woman around this point. Or a particularly happy dog.

Derek mid-raceDerekDerek Reiff
“I’m so tired of seeing Joe’s back get further and further away. I can’t feel my legs. Are my legs actually kicking? Let’s do some high knees.” Nope, high knees are not possible. Too afraid to kick my butt for a few strides in fear of legs snapping.

EvanEvan Williams
I increased my pain tolerance in order to maintain pace, but wasn’t sure it was sustainable. Things were looking dire. To beat 1:18:13, I needed to be at least 30 seconds ahead for the last 0.1 mi. I only had 20 to spare at this point. I had previously caught a guy named Phil, wearing a 7 Hills shirt, but he went into finish-mode and clocked some impressive late-race miles. I decided to refer to him as 7 Phills. He was not catchable, but I had to find some motivation. The thought of Derek and Joe ahead of me, reaching their PRs left me fearing the chance of being the odd-man-out. I could see myself regretting a missed opportunity and resolved right then to redline my aerobic capacity to the finish.

Joe, mid-raceJoeJoe Creighton
Coming out of Interlaken, slightly past mile 10, I knew I had moved well up that relatively hilly section, but I was still wary from prior races of the ~2 mile stretch before the downhills come around mile 12. Then I reminded myself that if anything, I would have a slight tailwind for that stretch, and I would say my confidence rose to about 80%. By the time I made the turn onto Republican (mile 12) and saw all that downhill in front of me, I was up to about 95%.

DerekDerek Reiff
Mile 11.5/12 brought my soon-to-be-last attempt at catching Joe. Little bit of road ice here. Got into my recent habit of doing raspberries in the air to relieve race-stress. (It helps, try it. A bit weird when passing, though.)

But since I was upping my pace to try and catch Joe, I started doing it every breath. Spittle started flying. Started thinking “Is this the mindset those crazy people are in when they cross the finish line with spit all over their faces? I’d better stop.” /wipes mouth off.

I think it helped, though.

EvanEvan Williams
Red lining is paying off! 40 seconds to spare for the final 0.1 and some downhill ahead. Finally felt like I might complete the PR trifecta. My hamstrings had moved from painful to numb. A Club Northwest guy was closing on me fast, but I was flat out already and he told me to hang tough as he passed…a rival, but a gentleman.

DerekDerek Reiff
The final mile-ish is almost entirely downhill. Super hard on the legs at this point. Joe’s really putting me away now.

EvanEvan Williams
The final mile was the toughest mile. There are a few surprisingly hard rises in the last full mile that just about caused me to DNF. It felt like some external being was marching my feet up and down to hold as close to pace as possible. I was fading, but my watch showed 46 seconds in the bank for 0.1 mi.

DerekDerek Reiff
“Is it possible that I could get top 10 at this race? I have no idea how many people are ahead of me, but it can’t be too many now…

“You’re 11 and 12!” says the guy as we enter the stadium. “Shit. Way to go, Joe!”

JoeJoe Creighton
I entered the stadium knowing I wasn’t only going to PR, I was gonna come in under 1:17. For a brief moment I tried to think of a clever way to draw attention to myself as I crossed the finish line in victory. Raising your arms doesn’t really make sense unless you outright won…I can’t do a back flip. At least I don’t think I can. Eh, I’ll settle for a subtle fist pump in my head. I turned around and immediately saw Derek coming in right behind me. We squeezed in a quick photo but I admit I kept glancing at the clock, not knowing if Evan would make it and not feeling particularly confident.

DerekDerek Reiff
One last guy. Passed right before I hit the stadium. Sprinted the grass in. Announcer said “These guys got up very early this morning to be here. Great athletes.”

JoeJoe Creighton
It felt like we dropped Evan really quickly on the Madison hill around mile 8, which is a brutal point in the course to lose contact. I was merely hopeful, doubting he was gonna make it, as I saw the clock tick towards 1:18. If anyone could somehow rally though, I knew he had the stones.

Evan's Finish & AdmirerEvanEvan Williams
Made it! Ten seconds to spare and badly needing to descend from the world of suffering experienced in the final 5k. I got a little emotional as Derek and Joe went nuts…they weren’t sure where I was and knew the PR would be really close.

PART III – POST RACE

Pumped

JoeJoe Creighton
I’m at a loss on how the race could have gone better. I suppose all of us finishing together (me perhaps a second ahead of both of them and with someone handing me a cheeseburger immediately upon finishing, that would have been pretty sweet.) But outside of that scenario…

DerekDerek Reiff
Why didn’t the race director postpone a week? It’s supposed to be 50+ next Sunday!

EvanEvan Williams
With a little more care in preparation, I would have liked to be a bit slimmer and better on hill repeats. But, those are both minor critiques. XC season is a great training plan for nearly ANY distance!

DerekDerek Reiff
I was really expecting to see something hot in the recovery area afterward. Did I miss it?

EvanEvan Williams
I’m sure the post-race spread was tremendous, but I was hurting too much to consume anything more than a bottle of chocolate milk. I remember the days of eating everything in sight post-race. I think I am now better at pushing myself further during the race, such that all my systems need some freak-out time before I can think about digesting solid food.

JoeJoe Creighton
As I now expect from running this race a few times and pacing a few times, the post-race spread was fairly dismal. I did do the full marathoners a solid and (politely) requested the Darigold chocolate milk ladies set aside enough bottles for the 26.2ers, so if any full marathoners want to reach out and thank me, I can be reached at jayaresea69420@skaforever.biz.

EvanEvan Williams
After finishing something like this, I: find family/friends, drink water, walk around, try to jog a little, and then make a plan that gets me to a horizontal resting state as fast as possible.

Mimosa Hydrating

JoeJoe Creighton
We enjoyed a post-race breakfast at Roxy’s Diner near Derek’s house since he was low on bus money and needed a ride home. My notes state we split about six mimosas and Evan made some joke about diuretics that I don’t remember.

DerekDerek Reiff
I added about 3 pounds after the race, from 11AM to my last 1/2 pizza at 11PM. No joke there.

JoeJoe Creighton
When I got home, I announced my accomplishment to my lovely girlfriend, who then asked me if I got any milk from the grocery store on the way home.

EvanEvan Williams
Succeeding at the Seattle Half has given me confidence that I’m doing something right with training. In some sense, that also means my other job and hobby responsibilities haven’t distracted too much from running. Thus, I can now say that I’ve improved my life across the board in a very busy 2014. That’s pretty cool.

DerekDerek Reiff
These legs aren’t going to massage themselves. Man, I’m going to take it easy for a good month.

EvanEvan Williams
Next up is a month long break of more casual running, with hopefully higher mileage. Then, I’ll race 10 mi at the Bridle Trails Winter Running Festival in January and start thinking about a spring marathon. The Escarpment Trail 30k in NY state is on my summer calendar already. It will be a vacation race to see my running friends from the east coast. Oh! I almost forgot, the Mercer Island Half on March 22nd. I’ve wanted to do it for years, as it’s the perfect warm up distance from my house.

JoeJoe Creighton
Evan is bandying about the idea of doing something at Bridle Trails in mid-January, and as I said earlier, I have no conviction so I’ll probably do whatever he tells me I’m doing that day. Maybe run the 10 mile, maybe form a mediocre relay team, we’ll see.

DerekDerek Reiff
Can I ask again, why does this race cost so much? Can’t top 20 get a partial refund? Frequent racers club?

JoeJoe Creighton
It’s gonna be a bleak Christmas for a few important people in my life.

EvanEvan Williams
My last thought on this experience is that it is extraordinarily refreshing to place in the top percentages of a community race after being a back-of-the-pack regular for the club XC season. When all-out efforts and PRs put you 10 places from last, you know your competition is a formidable subset of Seattle’s running population. 17th place at the Seattle half feels really nice.

pr

Categories
Featured Misc

Marathons with Meaning

Peter Kline
It took SRC club member Peter Kline until the age of 53 before he finally ran his first marathon. In no time he was thinking of ways to allow a disabled person to complete that distance as well, and born from that idea is Marathons with Meaning.

On Nov 15 and 16, Peter headed down to Las Vegas and completed his first Marathons with Meaning Ultra 100, which was 100 miles in 24 hours. He pushed a series of disabled children on a track for the first 74 miles and then ran the Las Vegas Marathon, completing 102 miles in those 24 hours.

Next up for our esteemed club member: of course, the Seattle Marathon on November 30th. If you’d like to see more about Peter’s charity and possibly learn how you too can get involved, please visit MarathonsWithMeaning.com.

Also be sure to check out the great feature Brooks Running did on Peter’s Las Vegas 102 miler.

Thank you Peter for all you do!

(And if that’s not enough for you, Peter also selflessly hosts our annual Fat Glass 50k. The man does it all!)

Categories
Featured Interviews Media

Shoeless Joe Interview #8 I Think – Justin Houck

It’s almost the end of the year, so it must be time for another really long Shoeless Joe interview! I met Justin Houck awhile back (read: May) and was enamored by his thoughtful intelligence, sparkling wit, and, I’ll just come right out and say it, his elegance. This is a handsome man. I knew he’d be perfect for this interview format, and I think you’ll all agree!

********

Shoeless Joe: Hi everybody! I’m so excited to be back with my new favorite runner, Justin Houck (mispronounced)! And I’m not just saying that because I tower over him! I’m a big fan because he has the best house of anyone I’ve interviewed and who also let me into their home. A gorgeous spread overlooking Lake Washington, I admit I was mostly distracted during the interview which is the reason if you think this interview is terrible. But most importantly, Justin is an SRC member and wore an SRC shirt too, so maybe now I won’t be lectured at the next board meeting! Justin Houck (mispronounced), welcome! And thank you for sitting here with me, in person!
Justin Houck: Thanks for having me Joe. That’s a great stab at pronouncing my name and sitting with you is an honor. Let the interview begin!

SJ: I’m honored that you are honored! To be honest though I don’t know much about you. All I know is you were a teammate of Uli Steidl at the University of Portland.
JH: Well, you’re right in saying that Uli and I went to the same alma mater but he preceded me by quite a few years…eight years, to be exact (Sorry Uli).

SJ: Oh I see. In my defense, I didn’t have any time this morning to do any research. What is your earliest running memory and how did you get enveloped by the sport?
JH: I won’t take it personally that you don’t know me, Joe. Even if you did do the research, I’m fairly certain there isn’t too much stuff out there. As to my earliest running memory, I have to go way back in preschool where as a class we were running a 400 meter race.

Justin Houck won a 400m race in preschool

SJ: Where did you go to preschool?
JH: I attended the prestigious North Central Preschool.

SJ: Never heard of it. Go on.
JH: I made a tactical error that day by wearing my nicest dress shoes rather than some sneakers. As we rounded the first bend on the track, I was way back and losing ground. My preschool mentor saw this and picked me up on his shoulders and passed all the kids to give me my first track race win. This may have technically been cheating but I basked in the glory of winning and since have never turned back.

SJ: Never?
JH: Well maybe a couple times, but I’m still going strong.

SJ: Wait a minute, I’m going to have to back you up a bit and ask you what in the world a “preschool mentor” is.
JH: You didn’t have a preschool mentor? Well…that explains a lot.

SJ: Thank you! But did your mentor also happen to be married to your mom? My dad helped me cheat a few times back when I was a kid.
JH: My dad wasn’t my preschool mentor in particular, but I definitely looked up to him. He’s not a runner per se, but he had moments that showed he could have been a good runner. I don’t know if my dad helped me cheat, but it’s always a possibility…

SJ: I hear that. Has your dad or your mom or maybe both or maybe other relatives seemed disappointed at your wanting to be a competitive runner?
JH: I can’t think of anyone that has been disappointed. At least they haven’t told me to my face. On the flip side, my family closest to me have been overwhelmingly supportive, especially my wife. Although some may get tired of the non-stop conversations about everything running-related. I just can’t help but to bring up another running story.

Justin Houck's parents are not disappointed in him

SJ: Well, it could be worse. My uncle actually left the room the last time I started talking about running. In his defense though it was a pretty dumb story and I don’t know why I brought it up. Got any good recent running stories for us?
JH: Recent running stories, hmm…What comes to mind is my father-in-law, who ran the White River 50 mile.

SJ: I’ve run that race!
JH: Anyway, during the race, he had several hard falls, but in the end he finished. A truly inspirational story with him completing chemotherapy only months beforehand and then finishing an absolutely epic race. I hope to be just running at age 63!

SJ: Wow, that is intense. I hope to merely be alive at 63. But that reminds me of a question I have…well, let me preface; you’re 33 years old, right?
JH: I’m honored you think I’m that mature. I’m actually 28.

SJ: Oh right, 28. You’re welcome! Well my question is regarding running style. Would you say *you* have a running style? Your dad has that…63 year-old, post-chemo ultra style. High schoolers have that eyes-glazed-over, can-barely-dress-themselves-but-think-they-know-everything-cause-they-can-finally-drive-to-the-mall style. College guys think they’re so hip with their tattoos, girlfriends, and cool haircuts. How would you describe your running style? Has it developed and changed over the years? Can you envision your style, say, 20 years from now, when you’re….however old you’ll be?
JH: Haha. You’ve totally pegged the high schooler style. I wouldn’t say I have any particular style. As you know styles change and that goes for my running as well. I used to be a peppy toe runner but my body over the years has molded a more efficient gait. More midfoot strike and less back kick. Perfectly suited for some speedy ultramarathoning.

Old Crow is not Justin Houck's go-to whiskey Old Crow is not Justin Houck's go-to whiskey But he'll toast with it anyway

SJ: Well, speaking of speedy, I think you know what it’s time for!
JH: I can only imagine.

SJ: Epic FKT thrown down there on the speed round Justin! I have just a few more things I wanted to ask you. Speaking of FKT’s, the one and only Joe Gray is on record stating that those known for them are “no bueno” and “Real athletes r known for competing, not practice(sic) My question is: do you think you could beat Joe Gray in a beer mile?
JH: Hmmm I don’t really see how FKTs and a beer mile throw-down with Joe relate, but yeah I think I could take him.

SJ: Nice! Would you be willing to be our spokesman and challenge Club Northwest to an intergendered Beer Mile to Determine Local Club Dominance at Beer Miling?
JH: Most certainly!
Justin Houck Challenges Club Northwest to a Beer Mile

SJ: You used to work with the world-famous Joe Grant at Portland Running Company. Any dirt you can share?
JH: I don’t remember too much dirt. What I can remember is that he was a cool dude and he told me he was friends with the guy in the movie we kept playing in the store on repeat. The guy I later learned was Anton Krupicka.

SJ: So you’re saying Joe’s a name-dropper. That’s ok though, my name’s also Joe and I’m already doing that with your name! Is his hair real? I admit I’m a little jealous of it.
JH: I’m a little jealous of the Amish hat he’s been rocking. Instead of hair, you should rock the hat.

SJ: Before we go, I figured I’d be remiss if I didn’t ask you about White River. That was an incredible performance. Your 6:26 was the fastest Washingtonian time ever, and you still only have 52 twitter followers. At what point during the race did you stop worrying about leading your first-ever 50 miler versus some stout names and start thinking “you know, I can win this and in a pretty damn fast time too!”?
JH: To be honest, I came into the race thinking that I could win and with a pretty darn fast time. I projected myself at 6:30 and left Sage’s record for an ultimate goal. During the race I didn’t think much about time until about a few miles left. I did a quick calculation and realized Sage’s time was impossible. I didn’t know Anton’s time but if I did I probably would of gone a little harder at the end…oh well.

One More Selfie Time Justin Houck and Shoeless Joe Get to 1st Base

SJ: Any plans on increasing that twitter following?
JH: Well yeah, as for twitter followers, I thought 52 was good. No plans yet but you definitely have instilled some embarrassment on only having 52–

SJ: I have 132.
JH:

SJ:You handily won the Crystal Mountain Sky Marathon, you placed 4th at the hotly-contested USATF Trail Half Marathon National Championships, and most recently you cake-walked your way to the PNTF XC 10k title at Lower Woodland Park. Where do you predict we’ll be seeing Hawkeye in the months and years to come?
JH: If you mean races, I’ll be at the The North Face 50 Mile Endurance Run in San Francisco in December. Maybe a beer mile in January? Boston Marathon? The 2015 Sky Running Ultra Series? Western States and/or UTMB someday. Other than that, you can probably find me running around Seattle.

SJ: Is there anything you’ve always wanted to ask me?
JH: I was recently asked on a run if I was completing an FKT. I was a little frustrated by this and told the guy “No, I’m just trying to run up and down the mountain safely.” What do you think of FKTs and Strava? Do you think someone will die from trying to complete an FKT?

SJ: What is Strava?

One More Selfie Time Justin Houck and Shoeless Joe Get to 1st Base Justin Houck and Shoeless Joe Discuss Board Games

Call for Comments

  • Which is your favorite whiskey?
  • Do you want to take part in our beer mile?
  • Do you think someone will die trying to complete an FKT?
  • Do you have Twitter? If so, follow Justin! And me!

Call for Support

  • Did you enjoy this? Are you already a club member? If not, consider becoming a member! Our partner stores (Balanced Athlete and Fleet Feet) also accept cash and most major credit cards and are fully stocked with excellent Thanksgiving or Veteran’s Day gift ideas!
  • Did you not enjoy this? 🙁

Prior Episodes

All photos & video: Terry Creighton

Categories
Cross Country Featured Media

PNTF XC 2014 Images

Seattle Running Club had a great day on the always-challenging Lower Woodland Park course. The rain held back until just after all the races were complete. To top it off, the men’s open team came away victorious in a close battle with Club Northwest, 28-33. Here’s to more races and more success!

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Categories
Featured Race Reports

The Race Trance

Marlene FarrellImage courtesy Takao Suzuki

A race can be very similar to a training run with a friend. If you don’t take it too seriously, the main differences are wearing a bib number and friendly volunteers handing out cups of Gatorade.

For me, however, a race is a performance, even if no one is watching me. I’m watching myself and will know if I executed well. It is not a casual endeavor.

I am reminded of a running shoe model I used to wear. It was called the “Trance.” It fits the state of mind required for a great race performance.

I don’t mean the kind of trance that is a hypnotic daze, in which one is less aware or in control. Rather, my racing trance is a hyper awareness and focus.

I just ran the USATF Trail Half Marathon National Championship at Lake Padden in Bellingham. Before the start, I felt a tinge of reluctance because I knew my fitness didn’t match my ambitions. But still I wanted to test myself with a hard effort.

The starting line was a wide grassy field, and we took off, cross-country style. I was swept up in the tide of elite runners as we swished through the grass and funneled onto a flat trail, the gravel crunching under our thudding footsteps.

I ran smoothly, but faster than I have in awhile. I wasn’t trying to keep up with the champions at the front, but I was pulled along, somewhere close to tenth place, where I wanted to be. We went around Lake Padden and began the first climb. The hills weren’t long, but they were steep and frequent. The trail shrank to a winding single track, twisting around tree trunks, traversing big rocks, swooping up and down with the terrain.

For those first miles I was living through my muscles, feeling the strain and burn and reacting to it. I’m sure my face wore a hardened expression as I swallowed the discomfort and tried to not think of the many miles to go.

Around the five-mile mark a trance fell over me. The unpleasant strain was still there, but I was detached from it. I inhabited my mind, elevated above my body, which ran with graceful precision. I adapted technique to trail changes without thinking. My trained muscles took over so I could feel the thrill.

I started noticing the other racers. Hungry to overtake them, I hurtled downhill and ticked off the uphills with steps that hardly touched the ground.

Some sections of trail were splattered with fallen leaves over hidden rocks. It was an optical illusion of shifting patterns. In the trance I could mute the over-stimulation and pick a perfect path. The low clouds made some forested sections feel like dark tunnels. Then the light would brighten as we broke out into open patches, but I wasn’t distracted.

At the top of each climb I would feel a lactic build-up so strong I could taste its bitterness. Each time there would be a second or two of slower running, a stooped recovery. Then my shoulders would rise and I would feel a surge to bolt again. What had made me weak in the knees actually made me stronger and more determined.

A smile had replaced the grimace on my face. I ran that way all the way to the finish line, which was uphill after a long flat mile. My surges put me four minutes ahead of the women who were near me at mile five and edged me closer to my faster competitors, though I never caught them.

Afterward, the trance slowly faded away. I was left with a feeling of transformation and cleansing. No matter my finishing place, if I can race like that, facing fear and getting to the other side, it is a powerful experience. I just can’t simulate that in a training run. Now I remember why I love to race.