Read the P-I article about the evening here.

I didn’t take top honors for the evening. I have one fan out there protesting. Read Jim Moore’s P-I story here.

Congrats to Nikki Kimball for being named as female Ultrarunner of the Year and Krissy Moehl for receiving female Performance of the Year also for her course record run at Hardrock. Congratulations as well to all the other athletes receiving recognition for their great performances throughout the season.

View the complete press release here.

This year’s calendar was prepared by Glenn and Wendy Wheeler-Jacobs. Thank you both so much for your efforts! For those of you still in need of a 2008 calendar or for a trail loving friend, I’m told there are still some copies available. You don’t have to be a Northwest trail runner to enjoy the images, as many of the photos are from trails outside the area. For a peek at the images, click here. You can order the calender online from Zombie Runner or Pacific Coast Trail Runs, or check with your local running specialty shop.

Read the feature article here, or if you live in Seattle, check out today’s sports section.

The 73rd annual Sports Star of the Year awards banquet is next Tuesday, January 22 at the Westin Seattle. I’ll be introduced with the other award winners along with a video and interview. The program will conclude with the announcement of THE male and female Sports Star of the Year as chosen by the audience that evening. Tickets are $75 and can be ordered by calling 206.448.8066.

Thank you to the P-I and the Seattle community for recognizing me and congratulations to the other award winners. Looking forward to next Tuesday.

My friend, Ian Torrence, got to briefly know Ryan and trained with his wife, Alicia, while he lived in Flagstaff. He recently notified me of the Ryan Shay Memorial Fund set up by the Center for High Altitude Training at Northern Arizona University. If you can, please consider donating to this fund.

For more information, here is a video interview explaining the fund.

And an explanation, quoted from the Ryan Shay Memorial Fund website:

In honor of Ryan Shay, an integral member of the Flagstaff running community, the Center for High Altitude Training has designated its current “Running Fund” through the Northern Arizona University Foundation to be a “Ryan Shay Memorial Fund,” with the targeted purpose of serving as a source for athlete stipends. These stipends are financial allocations to eligible U.S. middle distance and distance runners that help pay for their training-related expenses while training in Flagstaff.

The topic of athlete support was very important to Ryan, who repeatedly acknowledged how difficult it is for athletes to directly benefit from dollars given to organizations in support of U.S. distance running. In response to Ryan’s concern, for the next 12 months all gifts received into the Running Fund will be tagged “In Memory of Ryan Shay” and will be used for athlete stipends and to help pay for expenditures that athletes incur while training in Flagstaff. Examples of expenditures include, but are not limited to, room, board, blood testing, physiological testing, coaching, and rehabilitative services.

Life is full of challenges, hard times, lessons. To me, these are our gifts. If we honor these times, we grow. We become stronger.

We all stumble. We all make mistakes. These can be made into our best moments. If we choose to shine on in the darkness. Weather it be a bad run, or a bad running season. Maybe a fight with a loved one, or the loss of a loved one. Or finding the courage to look deep inside during moments of personal weakness, at least long enough to find the cracks and flaws that need attention. And attend to them. This is strength. Allowing for growth.

We often take on new challenges in order to find this opportunity for growth. Many of us are looking at our upcoming 2008 running seasons, wondering which explorations to take on. I challenge you to take on something you haven’t dared in years past. A longer run, a faster time, a new trail, a new culture, or even a lifestyle change. Get out there, take it on, persevere!

Running USA, a non-profit association “dedicated to serve and facilitate the growth of all aspects and entities of running and its health and fitness benefits,” has been a much needed backbone to the development of the sport since 1999. Every year they recognize great performances. This year there were many! Of which, I’m grateful to receive an honorable mention in “The 10 Best Moments for Distance Running in 2007″ for my Spartathlon victory. (Last year I was honored with a #8 ranking for my win in the same event.)

It is an honor to be recognized as an individual, but more so for the sport of ultrarunning. This year ultrarunning saw two performances garner honorable mention. The second was the bronze medal earned by the US team at the IAU 100K World Cup. My hat goes off to the team, which included Howard Nippert, Greg Crowther and Chad Rickleffs.

Also a big congratulations to Greg Crowther for receiving USAT&F’s Ultrarunner of the Year award for 2007. Greg is a relative newcomer to ultrarunning and has posted some great results. He won both the 50K and 100K USAT&F Road Championships, PR’d at the 100K World Cup, and posted a strong result at Miwok 100K. I’ve been fortunate to train with Greg last year during my preparations for the 100K champs. Look for more to come from Greg!

Most of us don’t have the exact same biomechanics side to side, which is also true for me. I am a strong supinater on one side and a neutral pronater on the other. I alternate a bit from a neutral cushion shoe to a mild stability shoe when training on the roads. For optimal performance on the trails I feel it’s important to run with a lower profile shoe without as much consideration to pronation and supination, unless severe, as the foot and ankle are continually adjusting to the varied terrain.

Most frequently I prefer the Brooks Radius for my training road miles, a shoe I used for this type of run long before I was sponsored by Brooks. It has a medial pod which prevents a small amount of pronation. This works nicely for my neutral side, while not overcorrecting my supination. I like it because it’s relatively light for the amount of forefoot and rearfoot cushioning it provides.

Although the Radius is my go-to shoe for the majority of my training, I sometimes throw in the Brooks Glycerine to give my foot and ankle more mobility, mostly considering my supinating side. I feel it is important to break up the repetition of road running, so if one can alternate between a more and slightly less stable shoe, the repetition can be broken up and overuse minimized. Of course this may vary as some individuals may strongly prefer one model of shoe for fit, biomechanics of foot and ankle, and training demands.

For shorter, faster runs I pull out the Brooks Axiom. It has a mild medial post for controlling pronation subtly. It’s feel is lightweight and responsive; and the lower profile makes it feel like a cross between a racing flat and a lightweight trainer.

Also for these shorter, faster runs and for road racing I use the Racer ST 3. I’ve found these racing flats to be the perfect mix, being lightweight for speed, while providing ample cushioning and moderate stability for all distances. Yes, all distances. I’ve been using these racing flats for everything from half marathons to marathons to road 100K’s to ultra-long ultras. This has been my shoe of choice for both of my Spartathlon wins and both of my Badwater wins. In each of these four events I ran in the same pair from start to finish. If you have ever wondered if you could wear a racing flat for road marathons and ultras the Racer ST 3 is worth a serious try. Lightweight, but enough cushioning to get you through long miles!

My favorite terrain is the trails. I started working along side the Brooks development team a few years ago to help them design the perfect trail shoe. What developed is the Cascadia. In its latest version, the Cascadia II is a mix of the features I feel necessary in a trail shoe: excellent traction, quick water draining, lightweight and breathable upper, forefoot protection with ample flexibility. Many people have shied away from trail shoes in the past due to lack of forefoot flexibility but this shoe flexes like a road shoe in the forefoot, with a low profile and neutral posting. As featured in The Green Guide, we have also incorporated environmentally friendly components into the design, such as a natural rubber outsole. And the future Cascadia III coming out in January will include the MOGO midsole, another green feature.

So those are top choices of what to put on my feet before I head out the door. With clothes, that is.

As well as making for a great coffee table book, it’s a way to travel from the living room, gaining inspiration to explore new environments and cultures, something I value greatly. When we travel and race in “extremes,” we explore inward, the ultimate journey.