 Baaa…bum..bum.bummm….bum…bum…bum. ba ba badum ba da bum badabada bum. . We all know the Olympic theme song, but rarely do you get a chance to actually go to the Olympics. In less than a week now I am going to go to the Olympic Track and Field Trials to watch some of the top athletes in the world push their bodies to achieve dreams they have been picturing for years. In four years, I hope to actually be running IN the Olympic Trials, but I’ll just be watching them this time. July 1-10 I will be in Eugene, Oregon live tweeting about the trials, and hopefully getting a few autographs from some of the top athletes ;). Follow 605 Running Co. or the hashtag #run605 to access those tweets! Below I will highlight a few races that I am specifically looking forward to.  10,000m: Mens: July 1 8:15pm cst. Galen Rupp will be looking for the marathon, 10k Trials double. He won the marathon trials back in February and is looking at the possibility at running both the 10k and marathon in Rio at the Olympics. In Rio, the 10k is the first day of competition (Aug 5) and the marathon is the last day of competition (Aug 21). Rupp, making winning the marathon look easy, will definitely be a contender for a top three spot in the 10k. Diego Estrada, a 2013 northern Arizona grad, also competed in the marathon Trials back in February but fell short of making the team, so he will be looking for redemption in the 10k. (Currently has the 2nd fastest qualifying time). Eric Jenkins is my pick to round off the top three. Another notable athlete in the field is Bernard Lagat, who is famous for the 1500m in his prime. Now 40 years old he still put down a 27:49 qualifying time for the 10k, and a 13:14 for the 5k. He will be a contender in both of those events. Womens: July 2, 1:04pm cst. The Women’s race is going to be an AWESOME race to watch as the top 7 qualifying times are only separated by 12 seconds! In the mix of it is veteran Molly Huddle, who I believe will have the advantage because of her experience in a lot of championship races. Another popular name to mention is Jordan Hasay who sits 22 seconds back from the top seed, however she opted out of Indoor Worlds to increase her chance at making the Rio Olympics, so I imagine she is going to be racing with a lot on the line.  800m: Mens: July 4th 7:51 pm cst. Early in the year, it seemed that Nick Symmonds and Boris Berian would be the top two with little argument. However, with Donavan Brazier’s time that he ran to win NCAA’s this year as a freshmen bumped Symmonds back to the third best time only a few tenths in front of 4th and 5th’s time. I predict these three to make the olympic team, but if I was Nick Symmonds I wouldn’t sit back as long as he usually does. Duane Solomon, Mt. Sac Champion, will also be in the field with a time of 1:45.47 which is 1 second slower than third place. FUN FACT: Drew Windle (Ashland Grad) is in the field with a seed time of 1:45.65. My freshman year (2014-2015) as USF I ran against him in a DMR at NCAA DII Indoor Nationals. (He was really fast then too) Womens: July 4th 7:42 pm cst. It looks as though Ajee’ Wilson from Adidas should run away with the Women’s 800m as she is coming in with a seed time of 1:57.87 which is nearly 1 second ahead of the rest of the field (a huge margin in the 800). Brenda Martinez is signed up for the 800, 1500m double where she is ranked 3rd and 7th respectively. Brenda Martinez I believe is one of our best shots for a medal in Rio. She had an outstanding indoor season, and I don’t think we have seen her best this outdoor season yet. FUN FACT: Laura Roesler, running for Nike and Texas Elite Track Club, is ranked 9th with a 2:00.15 (1.09 seconds out of third). Laura ran at Howard Wood Relays and dominated the special 800m in 2010. I remember watching her in as an 8th grader with my mouth agape with awe.  3000m SC Mens: July 8th 7:23 pm cst. The Men’s Steeple Chase seems to be a race for second, as Evan Jagger holds the fastest qualifying time by 13 seconds. 2nd place will be fought for by Donald Cabral of Nike, Daniel Huling of Nike BTC, Andrew Bayer of Nike BTC and Bowerman Track Club, Stanley Kegenei Sr. of Nike, and Cory Leslie of Nike. All those men are seperated by only 6 seconds. FUN FACT: Tabor Stevens of Asics is ranked 8th in the event (12 seconds out of third). He was a DII powerhouse my freshman year of college (2014-2015). I ran in the same race as him at DII XC Nationals. Womens: July 7th 9:48 pm cst. The women’s steeple has been dominated by Emma Coburn lately, but a rising star, Leah O’Connor might give her a run for her money. Leah O’Connor (a 2015 MSU grad) running for adidas now is only 8 seconds behind Coburn’s time of 9:10. The real race will be for the last Olympic team spot with 3 women within 1 second of each other.  5,000m: Mens: July 9th 7:20 pm cst. This should shape up to be a great one! The top three guys Hassan Mead, Ryan Hill, and Eric Jenkins are only separated by 3 seconds. Then there is a 7 second gap and Bernard Lagat, Garrett Heath, Riley Masters, and Shadrack Kipchirchir who are only separated by 4 seconds per their qualifying times. Since there are prelims in the 5k at the Trials I imagine that the finals will be a heavy sit and kick race. That being said I would bet on Bernard Lagat to make the top 3 as his 1500m speed should carry him through. Also Riley Masters would be one to watch out for down the home stretch as he has 3:36 1500m speed. Womens: July 10th 6:28 pm cst. Molly Huddle is the face of the women’s 5k. She currently hold the top spot by 12 seconds. Also sitting 4th in the 10k, she has a legitamate shot at making the USA Rio team in two events! Emily Infeld is sitting second with a 15:00 and Abbey D’Agostino rounds out the top 3 with a 15:03. Huddle should take the title pretty easily, however you never know in the sport of track and field. Adding the pressure of the Olympic Trials, you never know.  1500m:
Mens: July 10th 7:20 pm cst. The men’s 1500m should be another race for second. Matthew Centrowitz has been untouchable this year and comes to the Trials with a qualifying time 4 seconds faster than the rest of the field! I predict that he will sit with the field and own it the last 400-500. The race for second, however, is going to be where the excitement is at! With 15 others that have ran under 3:38 it will be a dogfight just to make it out of the semi’s. Among those 15, are Robby Andrews and Leo Manzano. Both of them and kick with the best in the world. Andrews, almost ran down Centrowitz at Indoor USA’s and Leo Manzano is the king at championship racing, So I would say those two will fill the next two spots for the Olympic tream, but Kyle Merber has ran a 3:34 (1 second faster than either of Andrews or Manzano) this season and seems to be the best he has ever been thus far in his emerging career. Another dark horse in the field is Will Leer. Coming off several injuries, we haven’t seen his best this season. He may be ranked 18th coming in, but he will be a contender in the finals I’m sure. FUN FACT: I ran in the same race (not the same heat though) in Hillsdale Michigan this Spring, Obviously he beat me, but I got a picture with him afterwards. :) Womens: July 10th 7:00 pm cst. The Women’s 1500m is going to be a Jenny Simpson, Shannon Rowbury show. They have the fastest times in the field by nearly 6 seconds. Rowbury comes into the race with a faster seed time, but it will come down to the last lap for these women. The third may be more entertaining to watch then the lead because there is 8 women within 1 second of eachother fighting for that spot. I think the showdown will come down to Morgan Uceny and Brenda Martinez. Martinez has the 800 speed and Uceny has the experience! It should be fun to watch! Remember follow along on twitter @Run605! See you at the trials! Jase Kraft (AKA Jay Cheese)
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 Hello 605 Running Community!
First, let me introduce myself, as this is my first blog post for the store. My name is Grant Watley and I’m one of the owners of 605 Running Company along with my two brothers, Logan and Paul. I’ve been married for six years to my lovely wife Angela and we have three kids that keep us on our toes, Payton (4), Carter (2), and Jaxson (8 Months) plus a three-year-old golden doodle named KD. This past year marked my 12th year of coaching, six at the middle school/high school level and six at the college level. I began coaching my freshman year of college when I was 18 years old and fell in love with helping runners achieve their goals. After six years of coaching at two different high schools, I received an assistant position at the University of Nebraska. After two years there, we moved to Sioux Falls where I have spent the past four years as the Head Cross Country Coach and Associate Head Track and Field Coach at the University of Sioux Falls. With three young kids now, I had the desire to step down from my collegiate coaching responsibilities, and focus on my family and 605 Running Co. My main focus at the store is our private coaching services that we are now offering. These services will range from personal coaching plans/services, running camps/classes, and much more. The entire goal with our personal coaching plans and services are to make them as individualized as possible. I believe that every person trains differently and in order to achieve maximum success; training needs to be tailored to fit the individual. We do this by meeting before you begin your training program and then again after we have written up your training. Additionally, we want to stay in contact with you throughout the process to help make any necessary adjustments and provide you with encouragement and support while you train. These services aren’t for elite athletes only. Since we get individualized with each client, we can help devise a training plan for a wide range of runners, so whether you’re seeking to run a 5k for the first time ever, wanting help achieving a personal best, or have other running/health related goals, our private coaching plans and services are designed to help you succeed. If you have any questions about our private coaching services or want more information, please contact me at [email protected] or at 605-271-6976. Happy Running, Grant Watley Store Owner, Director of Private Coaching 605 Running Co.  Mission Statement The mission of Sioux Falls Women Run is to create a space for running excellence, community support and life balance. The Sioux Falls Women Run Training Team was developed in response to the growing Sioux Falls Women Run Facebook community as a way to expand beyond the virtual medium and onto the track. The training team is proudly sponsored by Sanford Orthopedic Sports Medicine and 605 Running Co. Registered training team members will be led by coaches Jacqui Meadors and Grant Watley through specially designed track workouts. The first workout will begin in August and has been dubbed a “Mini Track Sampler” which acts as an introduction to the track, especially for those unfamiliar with track work. The goal is to make the track approachable for runners of all abilities and has been timed to compliment a training plan that aligns with the Sioux Falls full and half marathon in September. The full track workout will follow in the Spring of 2017, just in time for spring, summer and fall races! Other benefits of the training team include 20% off Sanford Sports Science services, which include VO2 max testing, resting energy expenditure testing, comprehensive running analysis, sweat testing, body fat analysis and nutritional services – all services designed for performance enhancement. Training team members also receive a 15% discount at our favorite local running store – 605 Running Co. A discount on personal track coaching with Grant Watley is also be available for those who are looking for a more in depth, personalized approach to training. Throughout the year our training team members will have access to exclusive events developed for team building and fun! Members also share opportunities for community service with the SFWR Facebook group so that we can continue to give back locally through organized charity drives, which has been an important component to the Facebook group since its inception. The Sioux Falls Women Run training team has been developed with all runners in mind! We’re excited to bring this team to the Sioux Falls running community! Being the inaugural year of the training team, there will be a cap on the number of memberships so that we can offer the best possible experience to our runners. If you’d like more information, please visit www.siouxfallswomenrun.com. Can’t wait to see you on the track!  The Sioux Falls Women Run is organized by Sara Lefebvre and her team ambassadors Lizzie Kuckuk & Jacqui Meadors
 Hi all, Colan here! I’ve been increasing mileage and training for a half marathon this summer, which has necessitated a new pair of trainers. We’ve gotten so many new shoe offerings in at the store lately that I wasn’t even sure where to start. I’m continually dealing with the same nagging injuries every time I start training, so I was looking for a shoe with a bit more cushion to it. A long-time fan of responsive and fast running shoes with lower offsets, I had trouble finding a more protective offerinng that felt great on my foot…until I tried on the new Clayton from Hoka One One. I’ve logged about 90 miles in them so far, and I think I’ve found a winner!
The Clayton is a bit of a departure from typical Hoka shoes. Its brother the Clifton is one of the most popular shoes that we carry, but has always been too soft and squishy for my preferences, especially in the forefoot. Utilizing Hoka’s new PRO2LITE cushioning system, the Clayton aims to combine a softer, shock-absorbing heel with a firm and responsive forefoot for a cushioned yet speedy feel. Not surprisingly, Hoka succeeded. I am not finding myself bogged down by the cushioning, which is only 4mm lower than the Clifton. In fact, I felt faster than I did in my previous two shoes, the New Balance Zante v1 and Brooks Pure Connect 4, which are marketed as speedier shoes. Despite this somewhat different feel, the Clayton is true to its roots with a rockered sole and higher stack heights. There’s still a sensation of having a lot of shoe underfoot—something that kept me away from the brand in the past—but it’s responsive. In addition to a quicker feel, I’m having less issues with my usual injuries both during and after runs. In the past, I’ve dealt with some extra soreness because of my preference for quick, low-profile shoes. With the Clayton, I don’t have to do that. Like other Hoka models, the Clayton’s moderately thin upper hugs my foot without causing any extra rubbing. It has a thin tongue that doesn’t slide around much, and well placed mesh provides adequate ventilation for the high heat and humidity we’ve been having lately. The forefoot flares a bit wider than other shoes in the line that tend to rub on my pinky toes (looking at you, Clifton 2). This allowed for a bit more comfort and room for my toes to move around. I don’t have any complaints about the shoe, but I suppose I have to pick at least a couple of thing to gripe about. I’ve never been a fan of Hoka cosmetics. The chunky midsoles and borderline obnoxious colors are far from attractive. A sleeker, more subdued color scheme would be welcome; however, the undeniable performance of the shoes make this trivial. Admittedly, I’m not a fan of red and neon green combinations. Future colors look promising, though! Pros: Responsive feel and trademark cushioning combine a shoe that is light, soft, AND fast—a rare combination. Cons: Cosmetics…This really shouldn’t matter, but I feel like I have to put something here. Plus, the color for the second half of the year is a bit less in-your-face. Bottom line: The Clayton is a speedy Hoka that stays true to the brand’s mantra of providing high cushion without excess weight. I would recommend the Clayton to lovers of quicker shoes like the Vazee Pace/Zante from New Balance or Brooks’ Pure series or to long-time Clifton, Asics Nimbus, and Altra Torin devotees looking for something to pick up the pace in for uptempo training sessions or racing. I’m absolutely enamored with these shoes. Stop by the store and see why! Happy Running, Colan Surratt  It’s not winter any more, and you got all your summer kicks and gear to hit the road. Before you step outside you see the heat index soaring into the 90’s and you start to question if it’s even worth sticking to running. There’s just no good season (besides a late September through mid-October) to run in South Dakota, it’s either bitterly cold, blastedly windy, or blazing hot. However, there are people that run year round. Do they know something you don’t? Probably, actually. Here are 4 tips from people who brave the weather conditions. Like anything that you want to go well, you need to prepare for the weather before you go slam out the miles.
Just remember, if you push through it one day, but can’t run the next three, it didn’t do you a whole lot of good! Good luck out there, stay safe! Keep Cool, Jase Kraft (AKA Jay Cheese) |
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