Run with Brian

04/09/2018

Marathon 100: It was bound to happen.

This weekend we traveled to Yakima for the Yakima Canyon River Marathon. Jason, Derek, Tom, Conrad, and Zac came with us to to run. It was great to have the Agony Racing team at my side. As a team we rallied together to increased our training. I was very motivated and can't thank them enough.

Heavy rain greeted us at the start of the race. Thank you Days Inn Ellensburg for the trash bags! I pulled the trash bag at mile 3.5 once the rain let up a little.

It wasn't long before the leader (last years winner) pulled away and by mile 7, he was out of sight. However my teammates were breathing down my neck! My run/walk strategy kept me in sight for nearly the entire race. It also helped me prepare for the final miles. After a last walk at mile 21, I pushed up the final hill with a 30 second lead. Once I hit mile 23 it was all downhill to the finish. I opened up my stride and was able to gap Derek by 3 minutes, solidifying my 2nd place finish!

Already on cloud 9 at the finish, I heard my name from the side lines. It was my Mom! She and Hienz had driven over from Tacoma to surprise me. I couldn't' have wished for a greater way to celebrate the moment.

Soooo there it is. 100 Marathons, I turn 50 next month, I got 2nd overall, tied my PR of 2:55:59, got to run with my best friends and Tiedji (also "bestest" friend), and had my Mom and Hienz there to cap it all off. I AM SOOOO BLESSED!

Made the newspaper too! https://www.yakimaherald.com/news/news_watch/rainy-repeat-okabe-wins-second-straight-yakima-river-canyon-marathon/article_ad805d1c-3ade-11e8-afa5-dfe6778a0a65.html

A couple of "thank yous". Bob & Lenore Dolphin are amazing and have assembled the best volunteer crew on the planet. There is a reason so many veteran runners return to Yakima year after year. .

Also I picked up a new pair of New Balance 890s just before the race. They were untested by me at that distance and got soaking wet, yet the performed flawlessly! !

12/31/2017

What a great week! We had traveled to LA to see my sister, and my Mom came down from Tacoma too.

We often try to squeeze a race in while traveling and found "Operation Jack" marathon in Los Angeles the day after Christmas. A nice little run along the coast to benefit Autism causes. Plus I needed marathon #99.

I wasn't feeling too spunky and ran pretty conservative. Trading places and chatting with a nice kid named Kevin. We had a pack of 4 or 5 guys about a minute behind us. I do 'run/walk' so we went back and forth a lot. At mile 18 he says to me, "not sure if I can hold on much longer." At mile 20 I gave a push and was able to pull away. Although I faded a little on pace I managed a 3+ minute gap on the field and took the win!

The best part was having my Mom, Sister and their hubby's at the finish. It's really special that they can share in my love for running.

Yes, Tiedji was there too (she's always a special part of this journey). She ran the half.

So the final time was 3:08 (again, last 3 have been exactly the same.)

Now we have 3 months to train for number 100!

10/30/2017

Thank you feet... I don't give you guys enough credit for what you do for me. I slammed you into the ground over 17,000 times today with 3x my body weight.. EACH FOOT! Marathon #98. Done.

10/09/2017

#96 and #97 Done!

Salmon Marathon was a beast this year, proving that 'racing' a marathon is much harder than running one. After going back and forth in the 1-2 position up to the hill at 14, I tried to focus on closing the gap. As I approached mile 24 I noticed the gap was in fact shrinking, and with it, the sound of conversation behind me!

That conversation was 2 brothers from Indiana, one was going for a 3:03 PR and the other (a solid sub 3:00 runner) pacing him. I was in trouble. That's when fast brother took off, crushed me and reeled in the first place guy in less than one mile! I did my best to hold of his brother, but all the pain of the marathon was coming to a head. As I got caught at 25.5, I started to stagger, get dizzy and dry heave. Lucky me! Now in 4th, I just gathered up myself and 'jogged' in for a 3:03. At which time I shut down, dry heaved and locked up for the next 30 minutes.

Sooooo, on to City of Trees Marathon, and you may be asking why I do this?!?!

#97 Was more fun. I started out at a normal 'race pace' but realized by mile 7 I really didn't have all the energy I needed to keep it up. Backing off, I let 3rd run away, and 4th and 5th passed me.

Going slower can make for a better race later.

Sure enough, at mile 15, I passed 5th who was hurting pretty bad. Soon I saw 4th and he appeared reachable. I caught him at mile 20. At mile 24 I came across third, he had stopped, unsure of the direction of the course (runner brain error, second guessing the course). I got him back on track, but he could not hold the pace. I managed to out run him by 2 minutes and took 3rd.

The City of Trees marathon has been going since 2002 and I have done every one of them. Thanks Jeff!

Now I have to recover to run #98 in just 3 weeks.

09/12/2017

09/12/2017

Congrats to Kimberly Olsen for getting her BQ +20!

08/24/2017

Shout out to "Run with Brian" athletes. Kim won the Wine Half Marathon. Dru doubled, winning the half marathon in the morning and returned for a 10k win that night. Anita placed 7th out of over 700 women in an 8k race overseas and Tiedji placed 16th in her age group at the Duathlon World Championships.

Woo Hoo! Congrats to all of you!

08/01/2017

Marathon #95 Jack & Jill Marathon through the Snoqualmie tunnel to North Bend, Wa

This is a "downhill" course, however at 1% grade it's tough to equate that to a faster time. I had a deal with Jason Hudson (Agony Racing teammate) that we would both "race" this one 'head to head' for "Personal Record" bragging rights.

I went hard and was on pace for a record time, but in the end the course won. 26.2 Miles of dirt/gravel took it's toll on my lose/flexible legs and feet. I really felt like I gave it enough effort, and 3 days later I am still sore (quads feel jello-like). Although I didn't get the time I wanted, I still ran 2:59 and got first in my age group (Old Man).

Although I am a little discouraged to have given so much and not received my reward of a PR time, I am encouraged to know I can run this hard again, on a more stable surface, and a faster time is still in reach.



Oh, and 'yes', I beat Jason :)

06/29/2017

#94 Pacific Crest Marathon. One can not expect greatness when running multiple marathons. However, I will take "5 seconds faster than last year" as a small victory! I managed to pull off 3rd OA, also one place better than last year. One month to recover, pretend I am training for a day or two and start tapering for the next one. Whew...

05/22/2017

#93 "They don't call it a marathon because it's easy."

Ran the Famous Potato Marathon this weekend. Hats off to Tim Severa, Mike Carlson and anyone else who helped pull it off! Due to river flooding the course and finish were nearly all new. They did a great job rerouting and got it certified as a Boston Qualifier too.

I only wish I ran it as well. lol. Two weeks is a short time to reload for a marathon. I have done it a few times, but I am not as young (nor naive) and don't plan on doing it again anytime soon.

The race started off okay, but it didn't take long to realize I was still recovering and my 'tanks' weren't topped off. I felt like my body was just absorbing too much energy and I didn't have any 'snap' in my step. I purposely slowed down so I wouldn't hurt myself, but then my body slowed me down a little more. I managed to hold my 7th place spot from the half on and finished in 3:10. Not bad for a guy looking to turn 50 soon.

Hopefully my memory doesn't leave me short on that promise to "not race two in two weeks." I have decided to rearrange my marathon schedule to make sure I don't hurt myself this summer. Hmmmm, what will be the new race to replace the one I dumped?

Next stop Pacific Crest....

05/09/2017

So the last post was a year ago and 'wow' has time flown. We did in fact finish the house, and I am back to coaching again.

I have a new challenge for which will culminate in 12 months. Run my 100th marathon before my 50th birthday!

Last weekend we went to Eugene for their marathon. They did a great job. A smaller town that can pull off the feel of a big city race is a rare thing. Well done Eugene Marathon!

Unfortunately a pinched nerve in my neck nearly derailed the whole goal. I could barely turn my head or move my shoulder. Turns out running was easier than not moving. I managed to finish well and accomplished a rare feat in the process. "The perfect split." The first and second halves were both 1:32:01, for a final time of 3:04:02. Not my best time, but I'm pretty proud.

Thanks to all my Agony Racing friends for being there and racing with me.

05/22/2016

Oh man... It's been forever since I last posted. Still focused on house building. However I coined a new word today at the Famous Potato Marathon "POOMA." Let's hope I get back to a normal routine because, at my age, I can only "pull one..." so many times without killing myself.

Be Well.

02/27/2016

John 'the Penguin' Bingham: March 3rd, 6:30 at Shu's! Great guy and a great speaker for runners new and seasoned.

I have had the pleasure of hearing him a couple of times and he always leaves me laughing.

See you there.

02/22/2016

Thanks Dave and Melissa for cheering us on at the LA Marathon! Great day and managed the sub 3, despite not being able to get a normal training cycle in. Life happens, but you have to race right to make the training you have work for you. Thanks to Galloway run/walk.

01/21/2016

Freezeout challenge in Emmett this weekend. Won't be frozen but it should be a great day to race!

This is one of Jeff's Blue Circ!e Sports races. I got to make the awards and they make chilli to reward all the runners. Yum!

01/02/2016

Oh wow... It's 2016. Hopefully I can do something great this year.

10/28/2015

http://www.bluecirclesports.com/EventDetail_Master.aspx?meid=2013

One of my favorite races is now open for registration! The Salmon Marathon.
Send me a message and I'll send you a discount code :)

10/25/2015

I just might have outdone myself... These are the awards for Boise VeloWomen CROOKED CROSS at Crooked Flats.

Even if you never race cyclocross, I would enter just for one of these... I'm just sayin' ;)