Now that we’re outdoors expect this year to go whizzing by. June will be Championships month – NCAA, High Schools and assorted National Olympic Trials. July will be European Circuit month replete with the heart of the Diamond League. Then finally August will be Olympics month, dominated of course by the London Games.

Before we get there, however, we have to get through April and May, and this month is Relays/Invitational month. Things opened up nicely with the Texas Relays last week and should get even hotter this weekend with several more meets on tap headlined by the Florida Relays, Oregon Pepsi Team Invitational, and the Stanford Invitational – all of which will be streamed live over the Internet!

The Florida Relays, like the Texas Relays, usually has a lot of speed on display and this year will fit that mode. On the women’s side scheduled to compete are Simone Facey (JAM, 100), frosh sensation Octavious Freeman (UCF, 100), Gabby Mayo (USA, 200), Aileen Bailey (JAM, 200), and Mary Wineberg (USA, 400). There will be plenty of speed on the men’s side as well with Jeff Demps (UFL), Travis Padgett (USA) and high school sensation Marvin Bracy all scheduled to compete in the 100 meters. But the event that could steal the headlines is the men’s 110 hurdles with a field that includes Ronnie Ash (13.19), Johnny Dutch (13.46), Dexter Faulk (13.13), Antwon Hicks (13.09), David Payne (13.02), and David Oliver (12.89). That’s a quality field in any setting! Full information on the meet can be found here, including heat sheets and live results link. An added treat will be a live webcast provided by RunnerSpace.

Where the Florida Relays are known for speed the Stanford Invitational is known for some outstanding distance races. It was at Stanford two years ago that Chris Solinsky (USA) became the first American to run under 27:00 in the 10,000 meters when he cranked out a 26:59.60 victory in Palo Alto. Another solid group of distance runners is set to run this year including: Jenn Rhines (USA, 5000), Sara Vaughn (USA, 5,000), Shannon Rowbury (USA, 800), Dathan Ritzenhein (USA, 10,000), Josh McAdams (USA, Steeple), Alistair Cragg (IRL, 1500), and Lawi Lalang (KEN, 1500). Expect some good results as Palo Alto always has good distance running weather.

I also noticed while scanning through the heat sheets that Bryan Clay (USA) is scheduled to run the 110 hurdles, so we should get a glimpse of the health of Mr. Clay. If he’s healthy the US could have one of the most formidable decathlon trios in history with Clay, Tree Hardee, and Ashton Eaton. Full information on the Stanford Invitational can be found here including heat sheets and live results link. And for those that would like to watch but can’t attend, FloTrack will be providing live meet coverage.

Florida features speed, Stanford features distance, and Oregon will be highlighting some of the top collegiate teams in the country as Oregon, Texas A&M, UCLA, and Washington get together for one of the country’s top quadrangular meets. Look for a fierce competition between the women of Oregon and Texas A&M as both squads should be battling for the NCAA title later this spring. This meet could provide an early preview as both squads will want to gain a bit of a psychological advantage. Both teams have their strengths, but look for a head to head showdown between English Gardner (ORE) & Dominque Duncan (TxAM) in the 200 and their relay matchups for some great head to head action.

The two time defending national champion Aggie men could dominate the meet – especially in the sprints and hurdles- but keep an eye on the 400 meters as Michael Berry (ORE) looks to take down the vaunted Texas A&M sprint forces and the 110 hurdles where freshman Jonathon Cabral ORE) could pull off an upset. Full information on the Oregon Team Invitational can be found here including heat sheets and live results link. And as with the Florida Relays, RunnerSpace will be providing live coverage of the meet.

Finally for those that enjoy great high school competition, the Arcadia Invitational will also be on tap this weekend – featuring the best California has to offer along with a mix of top of the line talent from states across the country. It too is offering a live feed courtesy of RunnerSpace. If you’re a track junkie like me, there’s no better way to spend a weekend that with a computer or tablet and some great meets on the Internet! I’m sure there will be lots to talk about before the weekend is over.