Things I Like: Runner's High coffee from JustCoffee.coop

I'm a big podcast guy. In terms of running podcasts, my favorite is the House of Run podcast, and on the comedy front, I love Sklarbro Country, featuring the Sklar Brothers, Mohr Stories, featuring Jay Mohr, and the WTF podcast, featuring Marc Maron. WTF is where I found out about JustCoffee.coop. Thanks Maron!

JustCoffee.coop (aka Just Coffee) is a 100% fair trade coffee roaster out of Madison, WI that has some of the best coffee I've ever tasted (and at excellent prices for the quality of bean). Shockingly, my favorite blend is the "Runner's High" blend, which is a medium roasted blend of beans from Mexico, Columbia and Ethiopia. A 12 ounce bag of this excellent coffee is only $11.05 (and the nice folks at Just Coffee gave me a promo code below that will get you another 10% off).

You can get the coffee in whole bean form or ground course, medium, or fine. Personally, I like the whole bean, so I can grind them myself for optimal freshness (and it makes my house smell awesome). Here's a link to a great $20 coffee grinder on Amazon.com if you don't have one already. The coffee comes shipped via UPS and are in vacuum-sealed bags to lock in the flavor.

Vacuum-sealed beans are the way to go!

Aside from the "Runner's High" blend, Just Coffee has plenty of other great blends and even offers their customers the opportunity to go on international trips to meet with other coops. I highly suggest checking out their site as it's very informative about the coffee trade in general.

And use the coupon code: writingaboutrunning (sorry folks, the code has expired) when checking out to get 10% off your next order at JustCoffee.coop! An excellent holiday gift for running friends and family alike!

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The Run Down: Brie Felnagle and Jon Grey win USATF National Club Cross Country Championships

Former Tar Heel (and current Adidas runner), Brie Felnagle, ran a very strong last 2k yesterday to win the 2011 USATF National Club Cross Country Women's Championship in Seattle, Washington. Felnagle, who now trains with her former high school coach, Matt Ellis, in nearby Tacoma, WA, broke away from a strong group that contained runner-up and Division II national champion, Neely Spence, Brooks' Katie Follett and NYAC's Julie Culley. Her time for the 6k course was 19:54, 4 seconds ahead of Spence. Team Rogue Elite, out of Austin, TX, won the Women's club championship.

On the Men's side, former William and Mary standout (and now Team USA Minnesota member), Jon Grey, ran away from the field early to take the 10k title in 29:38. Last year's winner, Aaron Braun, was the runner-up in 29:48, and led McMillan Elite, out of Flagstaff, AZ, to a repeat club championship. A surprise late entry was new pro, Matt Centrowitz, who ran a very strong fourth. In his post-race interview, Centro said he'll be transitioning out of base training to getting ready for the indoor season soon. Also somewhat of a surprise was Trevor Dunbar, who recently transferred to the University of Oregon (from Portland). He finished fifth, just behind Centro, but didn't mention anything about his transfer in his post-race interview. Touchy subject? He ran with his former state championship team from his sophomore year of high school. Pretty cool.

Full men's results are here and watch the men's race by clicking here.

Full women's results are here and watch the women's race by clicking here.

More information (including Masters results) is located at the USATF page here

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The Run Down: Edward Cheserek and Molly Seidel win epic battles at Foot Locker, while controversy keeps Mark Blackmon from starting line

Seidel take the W

It wasn't easy for either victor, but the Midwest's Molly Seidel and the Northeast's Edward Cheserek came away with victories at the Foot Locker Cross Country Championship finals in San Diego, CA today. Seidel finished two seconds ahead of fellow Midwesterner in 17:22, while Cheserek finished one second ahead of Midwesterner, Futsum Zeinasellassie, in 14:52.

In the girls race, Erin Finn took it out hard very early and was not passed until about 2.5 miles in. Even after Seidel passed her going up the hill the second time, Finn fought back and took the lead going down the final hill with 600 meters to go. Seidel's kick was too strong over the last 300 meters, but Finn will have a shot at the title next year, as she is only a junior.

The boys race was one of the best ever, with Edward Cheserek and Futsum Zeinasellassie playing cat and mouse the whole way. Many surges were dropped and there was a fight for every tangent. Cheserek didn't pull away until the last 100 meters, and even then it seemed like Zeinasellassie may come back. It was the first race of the year where Cheserek didn't get a course record, but being that he's only a junior, he has already said that he's taking a shot at it next year.

On the local (North Carolina) front, on the girls side, Millbrook senior, Sammy George, finished 29th in 18:19 and freshman wunderkind Alana Hadley finished 34th, but will have a few more years to better today's performance. On the boys side, Cary Academy's Thomas Graham ran an excellent race and was in third for much of the way, until getting out-kicked down the stretch, but still finishing an excellent ninth (3 seconds separated 3-9). His finish was good enough for second team All American. Graham was also part of the boys South team that won their first team title in, well forever? I can't recall the last time the South boys won, or if they ever have for that matter. One South team member that wasn't in attendance was West Charlotte's Mark Blackmon. Blackmon's sister, and former NC State standout and Foot Locker national qualifier, Angelina Blackmon, stated over at NCRunners.com that "his basketball coach (was) threatening to keep him from starting on his championship team and his father (was) in his ear about not going." It should be known that Blackmon is a very good basketball player, playing for the team the won the state championship last year, but Angelina had "never heard him more excited about an actual race, and he was honored to have achieved such high distinction in the cross country world." It's a real shame he couldn't make it, as he earned it and had an excellent year, winning the state 4A championship and qualifed for the event with a 15:01 at McAlpine Park. Blackmon also won the state Cross Country championship in South Carolina previously, a feat that has never been done before.

Full boys results are here and watch the boys race by clicking here.

Full girls results are here and watch the girls race by clicking here.

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Running with Mother Earth Brewing

Post-run beer, anyone?

About six months ago, I was visiting my family in Charlotte, NC and happened to stop into the Earth Fare at South Park to pick up some food and drinks for a party. I was very surprised to see what I did in the beer aisle. The beer that caught my eye was Second Wind Pale Ale from Mother Earth Brewing. Of course, as a runner and beer enthusiast, I had to check it out.

Luckily, the beer was excellent and I started picking it up around Raleigh and Winston-Salem. I started introducing fellow runners to this great can of "runner beer" and wanted to know a little bit more about the brewery.

Turns out Mother Earth was founded in 2008 and resides about 30 miles from where I attended grad school, in the eastern North Carolina town of Kinston. I was lucky enough to catch up with co-founder, Trent Mooring, and get some information about the inspiration for the cool can in the craft beer section and about his life, living about everyone's dream job!

5 Questions with Mother Earth Brewing's Trent Mooring
(the first interview in the 5 Questions with series)

1. Writing About Running: Can you give us a little background about Mother Earth?

Trent Mooring: All Mother Earth names and labels come from the minds of my father in law, Stephen Hill, and myself. We both founded the brewery together and we have created the brand around our lifestyle and things that are important to us. All our art is done by a local artist named Dinah Sylivant from Snow Hill, NC. Usually we decide on a beer style we like and want to release, then we come up with the name, and then we meet with Dinah and she pulls painting from the head of Stephen and I. She is really good at capturing what is in our head!

2. Writing About Running: What led to putting the runner on the can?

Trent Mooring: For Second Wind, Stephen and I are both avid runners. We normally run every day at lunch to give us a break from the brewery and to keep our endorphins going. So, we actually came up with this name one day when we were running. Actually, I am getting ready to run as soon as I finish this!

3. Writing About Running: What effect has running had on your life?

Trent Mooring: Running has had a huge effect on my life because it is the time when I really get some peace and quiet and can really think and drift off. Like I said, a lot of the beer names have come to us from running. We call it our therapy!

"All I want to do is drink beer and train like
 an animal" - Rod Dixon, 1983 New York
City Marathon Champion

4. Writing About Running: Why is it that most runners love beer?

Trent Mooring: I am really not sure why runners like beer! I guess beer gives you a sense of relaxation as running does? I don’t really know the answer to that. Hopefully, everyone loves beer!

5. Writing About Running: Where are your favorite places to run?

Trent Mooring: One of my favorite places to run are the trails beside the brewery along the Neuse River. The Second Wind painting was painted of Stephen, I, and one of my best friends running on the trails beside the brewery. One of my best childhood friends comes and runs with us at lunch as well and the painting is an image of the three of us running. My friend actually owns the local Piggly Wiggly in Kinston, which just so happens to be one of the first Mother Earth accounts. That is usually where we run 80% of the time. Another favorite place was, about 4 years ago, we took a family trip through the country side of England and Stephen and I spent a great amount of time running trails in different small towns through Europe! Now, that was awesome!

You can find Second Wind Pale Ale and many other Mother Earth beers throughout grocery stores, restaurants and bars, all over North Carolina. Check out their website here: http://MotherEarthBrewing.com If you're lucky, you may get your hands on their very popular winter seasonal, Silent Night Imperial Stout, which is as good as they come!

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Battle Royale: Futsum Zeinasellassie vs. Edward Cheserek at Foot Locker Nationals

Futsum won NXN, can he double back at Foot Locker?

Last year, they were both runner-ups. Edward Cheserek finished just behind Lukas Verzbicas at Nike Cross Nationals and Futsum Zeinasellassie finished just behind Verzbicas at Foot Locker, two years after finishing seventh in his freshman season. This Saturday, they'll fight for that number one spot over what could be the most competitive Foot Locker race since 2007, when Michael Fout dug deep to overtake Chris Derrick, Luke Puskedra, Colby Lowe and German Fernandez.

Cheserek has had an absolutely perfect season. Eight course records in eight tries, on difficult and storied courses, going as low as 14:20 for 5k. He also ran 14:02.33 for 5000 meters on the track this spring (in a college meet) and took home the New Balance Nationals 5000 Championship as well. He'll be ready to complete his perfect season this Saturday, but he'll have to go through the new NXN course record holder to do it.

Cheserek has one more course record in mind

Like Cheserek,  Futsum Zeinasellassie is also undefeated this season, with his most impressive win this past weekend in Portland at Nike Cross Nationals. What impressed me most about Zeinasellassie's win was his patience. This will be key Saturday at Balboa Park; a tough course whose hills will swallow those up that get too aggressive early on the first loop. If Cheserek tries to go out in 4:20 and drop Zeinasellassie, expect Zeinasellassie to reel him in by the top of the second hill. Otherwise, we'll have to wait and see what's in store!

The chase pack will be led by a nice group from the South. Expect Craig Nowak, Daniel Vertiz and Thomas Graham to make it a fast race behind the lightning duo with the Midwest's Tony Smoragieweicz looking to make a strong case for First Team All American, after his strong performance last year. Other top ten contenders will be West winner Darren Fahy, Virginia's Ahmed Bile, Washington's Nathan Weitz and anyone out of the always strong Midwest Region.

Karlie Garcia, downhill master

On the girls side, the Midwest's Molly Seidel and Julia Bos have to be the favorites, after their strong performances at the regional. The rest of the group of girls from the Midwest looks strong, as does the South team, who ran some quick times at the always fast McAlpine Park. I'm particularly fascinated to see what 1:16:58 Half Marathoner, Alana Hadley, can do in a smaller field and the ability to run a more paced race. Finally, watch out for West winner Karlie Garcia, who really broke it open on the downhill at Mt. Sac last weekend to win big. Balboa Park will play to her strengths if she uses the long downhills the same way.

Here's a link to the entire field of participants, with a little more info on their state and regional finish.

The event will be streamed live at 12:00 eastern, this Saturday, December 10th at http://footlockercc.com

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My 2 Spikes Worth: Why Foot Locker and Nike Cross Nationals can coexist

Facing the choice, Edward Cheserek chose Foot Locker 

For years, I've been a staunch supporter of the Foot Locker Cross Country Championships. Being from Charlotte, I grew up around Foot Locker South. I ran it, my dad was the announcer and I even did my high school senior project on "the only true national championship in high school sports." When Nike came in, I wasn't sure what to think, but I didn't like the idea of watering down a unique event like Foot Locker.

At first, when Nike branded their new championship, "Nike Team Nationals," I didn't think twice. Cool, a national team championship. Being on a high school team that finished top five in the state three times in my four years, I liked the idea. Then Nike changed their tune. "Nike Cross Nationals" was the new name and they wanted it all. Why wouldn't they? Cross Country is the third most participated sport in high school sports (behind swimming and track), and that's a lot of consumers. It seemed like just last year that they may take over what Foot Locker had built, but after attending the Nike Cross Southeast Regional this weekend in Cary, NC, I see that Foot Locker is alive and well, but that Nike has indeed carved out a cool niche that is indeed their team factor.

There are a few major differences that I have observed from comparing the two championships that give both a great deal of viability and show why both can exist:

1. Multiple Locations
Having multiple venues caters to (almost) everyone that wants to participate in a post-season meet. Nike is set up more like the NCAA system, with eight regional championships (plus auto qualifiers from the California state meet). This particularly serves runners in areas like Texas, who host the Nike Cross South Regional, but would have to travel all the way to Charlotte to compete at Foot Locker. That's certainly not in everyone's budget and it's nice that Nike Cross Regionals are more spread out. Foot Locker only has four. Aside from New York (which hosts Foot Locker Northeast, Nike Cross Northeast and Nike Cross New York) and North Carolina (which hosts Nike Cross Southeast and Foot Locker South), the regional meets are held in different states, to make travel as easy and as affordable as possible.

2. Nike is a true team championship, qualifying for the regional alone is impressive
At the Nike Cross Southeast Regional, I saw some the best teams I've ever seen in person. Having to qualify as a top 20 team is not something to be taken lightly. Like winning a state championship, this is an accomplishment in itself. The team that won the meet on the boys side, Belen Jesuit (aka the Miami Magis), is by far the most impressive high school team I've ever seen. Their top five went 14:58, 15:32, 15:50, 15:52 and 15:56 on the honest Wake Med course. The winning girls team, Tatnall (aka Wilmington XC Club), went 17:11, 17:53, 18:16, 18:16, 18:31. Unreal! The fifth girls individual qualifier ran 18:22, which tells you all you need to know about how good Tatnall is and how much of a team competition, and not an individual competition Nike is. Also, their were only five races and the meet was much, much smaller than the Foot Locker meet 150 miles west. What lacked in quantity (with all of Foot Locker's grade races), was made up with the quality of the teams participating in the championship race.

3. Foot Locker is the true individual championship
It seems that the top preps were going back and forth for a few years, but it looks now that the best of the best (not affiliated with high performing teams), are choosing Foot Locker again. Why? Foot Locker is a true individual championship. 40 of the best boys and girls in the nation compete every year at historic Balboa Park in front of the top collegiate coaches in America, as well as their families, friends and rabid running fans. The course is excellent for sorting out the best of the best and the presentation is second to none. On the regional level, there are freshman races, sophomore races, middle school races, etc. It's all about the individual, and it gives everyone a chance to shine that may have been tucked back on their team all season. Here in North Carolina, two time Foot Locker National Qualifier, Thomas Graham, has chosen to forego racing in his hometown of Cary, NC, where Nike Cross Southeast is held, to race at Foot Locker South. That dream of making it to San Diego drives many individuals to Foot Locker; to follow in the footsteps of Chris Solinsky, Meb Keflezighi, Jordan Hasay and the many others that have stayed at the Hotel Del Coronado en route to prep glory.

Whichever your preference... both will be broadcast free online over the next few weeks. Nike Cross Nationals will be broadcast at 12:30 eastern, this Saturday, December 3rd, at NikeXC.com. Foot Locker will be live at 12:00 eastern, next Saturday, December 10th at http://footlockercc.com

I'll be excited to watch both!

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Web Runner: Some Thanksgiving week articles worth a read

Turkey Trot Clip Art is always good

It's been an exciting week in the running world, and judging by the increased traffic to the site, there are some bored people out there. Sitting around at work, waiting to go home for the Thanksgiving holiday or waiting for NFL games to get cranked up?

Personally, there will be no turkey trotting for me this year, but I will get to run by the North Fork Reservoir in Black Mountain, NC, where the Hunger Games was recently filmed.

Whethere you're running or not tomorrow, here are a few articles I've tweeted out over the past few days, with a few more new ones, for good measure. If there's a good running story, please email it to me or tweet it at me! I'll be adding stuff all week long...

• Coach Jason Vigilante has left the University of Virginia. Former Cavalier, Ryan Collins, who transferred to Wisconsin (and won the NCAA team title Monday), has a very poignant quote, possibly about the situation. "I was planning on staying but then a bunch of different stuff happened, and I was able to graduate," Collins told a Madison reporter. "I just kind of needed a new place, new environment (and) some new experiences." While nothing has been set straight yet, the situation is extremely intriguing, as Vig currenly coaches Alan Webb, as well as Robby Andrews, and UVA is in the process of getting a brand new track facility. (Richmond Time-Dispatch link / Let's Run thread)

• UPDATE: Per Track and Field News, via Webb's agent, Ray Flynn, "Vigilante will likely continue to coach Webb." (link)

• Alan Webb talking about his training and future. Says he's ready to compete and is fascinated with longer distances, but has no immediate plans to move up, as he's not 30 yet. Says Bernard Lagat is his template (of sorts) and that he was inspired this summer by Jenny Simpson's and Matt Centrowitz's performances at Worlds. Nothing on the Vig situation though (Running Maryland link). Webb will also be the Nike Running athlete at NXN Southeast this Saturday in Cary, NC.

• Kenya won the 2011 International Chiba Ekiden. The Athlete's Foot Cameron Village's Bobby Mack led Team USA to a 5th place finish with a 28:55 10k split. (Full results and splits)

• Oh yeah, the NCAA Cross Country Championships were Monday. The Wisconsin Men and the Georgetown Women took the team titles, while Arizona's Lawi Lalang and Villanova's Sheila Reid took the individual crowns (Men's Race Video / Women's Race Video / Mens' Individual Results / Men's Team Results / Women's Individual Results / Women's Team Results). Meanwhile, I took third in the men, fifth in the women, and fourth overall in our fantasy challenge.

• House of Run recapped said NCAA Championships as well as the rest of the week in running. (link)

• Dathan Ritzenhein continues his Olympic build up tomorrow at the very popular Silicon Valley Turkey Trot. (Silicon Valley Mercury News link)

• Sadly, doctors had to amputate the frostbitten feet of Marko Cheseto, the All-American runner from the University of Alaska Anchorage, who suffered severe frostbite during a two-day disappearance earlier this month. (Anchorage Daily News link)

• Toni Reavis thinks distance racing has hit the wall. Outside Magazine's Peter Vigneron thinks otherwise. Both make some salient points and Reavis in particular takes The Competitor Group to task for running a race series that's anything but competitive. I couldn't agree more. (Reavis link / Vigneron link)

• Have you seen "Marathon Boy" yet on HBO? My review is all spoilers (link)

• Tim Jeffreys is following the McMillan Elite team as they train for the Olympic Trials Marathon. He is posting a documentary series of videos on Vimeo. The second episode just dropped. (Jeffreys' Vimeo page)

I hope everyone has a happy Thanksgiving! Happy Turkey Trotting!

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