Racing. Easy as 1, 2, 3...and 4?

[caption id="attachment_42" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="The beginning of the 8-mile loop at Saguaro National Monument"][/caption]

 Training runs begin July 30, 2011 and run each Saturday until race weekend.  Group leaves at 6 a.m.

The fall racing season begins in a few weeks with the running of the 42nd Annual Saguaro National Monument Road Race on September 5th.  Following the paved, 8-mile loop around the historic landscape, the course will take runners through some of the most beautiful parts of the Sonoran desert, lined with majestic saguaros and breathtaking views of the Rincon Mountains.  Oh yeah, runners will also climb and descend more than 1,700 feet of elevation during the race. 

In anticipation of the big day, we'll gather as a group to run the course every Saturday during August (the 1st training this year is July 30, 2011). Each year the formula is the same - a  few straggle out in the beginning, with larger and larger groups showing up each week as runners cram in their last few miles of hill workouts.  It’s funny the way people prepare for this race, with distinct personalities emerging when it comes to running Saguaro.  Some hit the road fast, intent to get it over, with little or no care how they finish. Others gain strength running with a crowd; as if the pain can be shared collectively across the group.  Then there are the iPod people, gaining inspiration (and distraction) in their music. Last are the loners, preferring to face the challenge alone and with their own thoughts. Regardless of your type, a group of us think we have it figured out.  Look at the course as a whole and then divide the race into fourths.  Have a strategy for each segment and set yourself up for the next. 

[caption id="attachment_40" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Runners will climb and descend nearly 1,750 feet of hills"][/caption]

 Saguaro starts off with 2 miles of rolling inclines, steep and short, and the tendency for most runners is to go out fast and get ahead of the group.  Our philosophy is to go nice and steady to start the race, let the rabbits get out fast.  We’ll have plenty of opportunity to catch them soon enough.  We’ll glide into segment two, a relatively flat portion of the race.  This is a great time to check your breathing, get into a rhythm, and mentally prepare for “The Hill”. 

“The Hill”, a 1.5 mile, seemingly vertical climb, in the middle of the race, is one the main reasons Saguaro was a featured race in Runner’s World in 2002.  This middle portion of the race is a gut wrenching, quad exploding climb that will exhaust both mental and physical reserves if you are not ready.  It is the time most likely where the mind will often overrule the body and say ‘enough’.   But because this is segment three, focus on your strength, overcoming this challenge by getting to the top. 

The fourth portion of the race features rolling hills to the finish.  Stride out on the downhill, good form on the uphill, find your center and get control of your breathing all the while getting stronger as your quads recover.  It’s time to steadily pass those that have wasted their reserves on “The Hill”. Your confidence will soar with each person and hill you conquer.  Now is the time to let the spectator’s cheers inspire you and soak in the accolades of your accomplishments. 

Thinking about this philosophy, it’s not a bad way to approach any run really.  Most tasks are easier to accomplish if you break them down into easily managed segments.  On your next run, whether it's a one-hour long run or a 30-minute jog around the neighborhood, give this theory a try and break your run into fourths.  Easily managed segments will make your run easier to finish and allow you to focus on the task at hand.  As you complete each portion, you'll gain strength and confidence for the next. 

Now if I could just convince my group to 'share' a little more of my pain…

Running Time?

[caption id="attachment_36" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Time is fast. "][/caption]

 Time has been a constant theme in my world the past few weeks, and it has me thinking about the influence Time plays in our running lives.

I recently reconnected with an old high school teammate, and after compressing some 20+ years of life into a few minutes, we got down to the real question – “How is your running these days?”  My friend lamented the fact that we could no longer hit the road and rattle off 5:00 miles. I consoled him that those 8:00 miles will suit his knees just fine.  Plus, it doesn’t hurt to get into the mindset of the ‘used to’ and ‘now’.  As in, I used to run 5:00 miles, now I run 8:00 miles.  Time has that effect.

Running is a physical challenge at any age. Although things we could do without a thought when we were young, now require a 20-minute warm-up, stretching and a large dose of Vitamin I (ibuprofen). We haven’t lost the desire to be competitive, but as our priorities change - marriage, family, children, mortgages and car payments – we can add Time as a challenge as well.  Finding Time to hit the trails or run with a group can be elusive for even the most organizationally gifted among us.

[caption id="attachment_37" align="alignright" width="135" caption="Don't let Time win."][/caption]

Don’t get me wrong, I still have the desire to be competitive, but that takes Time.  And while it took me some time to overcome what my friend is going through, I am now comfortable with the ‘used to’ and ‘now’. Time provides the wisdom to savor the glow of completing a run, finishing a workout or competing in a race.  Time has value - time spent with family, loved ones, and time spent running are all important. So is the insight to not worry so much about running times, but more importantly making time to run.

I’m proud of my ‘used to’ but more proud of my ‘now’. I hope you are too.  So if you’ll excuse me, it’s time for some more Vitamin I.

Cool Running on the Rillito

Our group of runners has recently discovered a desert oasis nestled right here in the heart of Tucson.  Well positioned along the Rillito River Path, the Brandi Fenton Memorial Park features chilled drinking fountains, shaded ramadas, bathrooms and get this – a free water park!  Featuring water cannons, tipping water buckets and in-ground geysers, the park is a perfect way to ‘cool down’ after a nice run. At the junction of Dodge, Alvernon and River, the park is a hidden gem for runners, walkers and bikers looking for a respite along the path.

This fits nicely into our thoughts about running during the hot summer months in southern Arizona. Many of you have asked about training tips during the summer and I think that I have found an option for those aching to get outside and off the treadmill. The Rillito River Path provides more than 10 miles of paved and dirt paths along the Rillito River as part of the Pima County Loop System. During a recent run on the Rillito, I found an abundant amount of shade along the mesquite lined path early in the day.  Along with the Brandi Fenton Park, strategically placed drinking fountains along the path mean you’ll never have to go more than 10 – 15 minutes without a drink. Hit the trail at 6 a.m. and you are bound to have temperatures in the mid 70s.

It's important to realize that many others have found the path as well, so there is a certain etiquette for being a 'cool' runner on the Rillito.  A sort of ‘Rules of the Path’, if you will:

• The path is like the road – running/walking/riding is done on the right side of the path.


• Runners, yield to walkers; bikers & rollerbladers yield to both runners and walkers. 


• Pass on the left.  If you are passing someone from behind (especially you bikers), a simple “on your left” as you approach is helpful.  Yield where appropriate.


• If you are getting passed from behind, hold your line, let the person passing you determine the best way around you.  A quick movement may lead to an accident.


• iPods/mp3s are OK, but YOU are now required to be fully aware of your surroundings and others on the path.


• Dogs OK, but on a leash (and please, please take advantage of the well positioned dog scoopers and clean up after your dog).


• There are plenty of designated parking lots along the path.  The Craycroft parking lot on the Rillito, St. Phillip's Plaza and the La Cholla trail head are good spots to park. Trader Joe's on Campbell opens at 9:00 a.m., so the lot tends to be empty early in the day.  Brandi Fenton Park also has plenty of parking.

Mileage along the Rillito is much better marked than in the past.  Pima County has designated the system of paths and trails around Tucson as The Loop.  It seems that almost weekly new distance and mileage markers are posted.

Campbell Avenue and the bridge that crosses the Rillito River Path is  the ‘Zero Point'.  East or West bound, you are sure to be pleasantly surprised about what you’ll find.  From ‘Stonehenge’, a solar viewing circle at the end of the mesquite grove, about four miles west of Campbell, to the pleasant rest area at Craycroft trail head about five miles east of Campbell, there is always something 'cool' around the next bend.  My friends and I are looking forward to exploring new portions of The Loop, looking for 'cool' spots along the way!


So get out early, follow the rules and you’ll get your miles in while avoiding the heat. Oh, and one last piece of etiquette to remember: it is perfectly acceptable to return fire with the blue water cannon at Brandi Fenton Park.

Getting Lost and Found with the Tucson Orienteers

I recently ran a race that had no set distance, no set course and no set starting time, but still was instructed to complete the race as fast as I possibly could.  Oh and along the way I had to find and identify 8 – 12 markers along the course.  Welcome to competitive orienteering.

My friends in the Tucson Orienteering Club recently hosted a “Street O’, an orienteering race designed to introduce the sport to us non-orienteers.  Combining map reading, racing, logistics and planning, Orienteering can be enjoyed at a leisurely pace or as a competitive, fast race.  My friends and I were just about to find out how fast.

The object of the race is to travel to 8 (short course) or 12 (long course) of the 15 pre-determined markers laid out on a map.  Starting from the Palo Verde Park just south of Broadway, we were handed a map at our designated starting time.  The map showed streets, alleys, washes but no street names or other identifications.  Laid out on the map were the 15 markers, with 15 corresponding questions for each. The idea is to get to a marker as quickly as possible, answer the question and move on to the next marker (hopefully in a logical, well-thought out manner. Yeah, right).

The map and route that Tim took
during the orienteering event

The first thing I learned is that running and a reading a map is one of the hardest things to do.  Thank goodness I wasn’t chewing gum.  I quickly identified the first few items and was confident things were going my way until I got stuck.  Marker # 2: “Utility pole # at wash junction?” threw us for a loop (my friend and fellow Soggy Wogger, Steve Outridge was at this marker too).  There were four poles at this junction, but none matched.  Here is where I realized that orienteers are good – they are required to find pinpoint markers with just a map and old fashioned compass.  We literally had to get in the wash to see the pole.  Steve attempted to follow me to the next few markers, but I ditched him through the wash and on to the next marker.

I’ve selected the short course, 8 markers, and quickly get through the next 5 - 6 markers.  I’m on a roll.  Cactus on the wrought iron door?  Saguaro - Check.  Yellow sign on street corner? Speed Humps – check. Each marker, although sometimes small or intricate was easy to locate once you learned to read the map.  I finally come to my last marker – “What are the blue things”? I’m racking my brain looking for something small in the junction of two back alleys.  I run up and down the

The 'blue things'. Duh.

alleys, fearing that time is ticking away, frantically looking for something blue.  Finally it dawns on me that I’m surrounded by ‘blue things’ – about 150 blue recycling bins. Duh.

My map is a crumpled sweaty mess as I’m blazing down a back alley towards the finish. I have no idea where my fellow competitors are, as I’ve only seen two out on the ‘course’.  I cross the line in 29:00 and later map it out to be a little over three miles – 9:40 per mile, with stops, turns, backtracks and a few zigzags.  The top orienteer that day is Mark Everett, he was an overachiever and went to all 15 (of the 12 required for the long course) markers in 33:54, and I figure that to be just under 6:00 per mile pace.  Times like that would place Mark in the upper tier of many of the local road races.  That is fast, people, and not only was he reading a map and answering questions at that pace, he was probably chewing gum too…

Our friend Cristina Luis organized the event.  She recently qualified for the United States National Orienteering team and travels to Hungary in August to take on the best teams in the world.  Read a great article about her here , and support the Orienteering Club here.

Sabino Canyon Splashing

[caption id="attachment_6" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Tim Bentley runs through the water at Sabino Canyon last year."][/caption]

 Updated January 12, 2011: President Obama referenced Christina Taylor Green in his speech this evening in Tucson.  He noted that she had been given this advice as a baby featured in a 9/11 book: 'I hope you jump in rain puddles'.  I wholeheartedly agree. 

July 2009

Runners in Tucson and southern Arizona are blessed with one of the most beautiful areas in the world to run and train.  Sabino Canyon is undoubtedly the tops in the area, if not one of the Top 10 places in the country.  This 7.4 mile, round-trip, paved road meanders its way up rolling hills and across eight bridges affording you great views of Tucson and foothills of the Catalina Mountains.  In the high monsoon season these bridges will be overflowing with water, making for a nice evaporative cooler effect.  

Running through the water on Sabino’s bridges not only cools you down, but it’ll take you back to your childhood when puddle splashing was pure joy.  In high school we used to run the Canyon, literally racing from bridge to bridge, vying to be the 1st in line to splash those behind us. Looking back it was a great fartlek workout, literally ‘speed play’ in Swedish.  Who knew that playing in the water would work wonders come race day?  

 There are many things you can do to ‘play’ and cover a lot of miles while you are running.  When running in a group, run single file with the last person in line moving up to first and taking the lead at their desired pace. Each subsequent runner does the same in 2 – 4 minute intervals. Running by yourself, or with a friend? Count the number of red convertibles that you see, or on a trail run, see if you can spot our desert neighbors such as rabbits, lizards or the elusive roadrunner.  Keep score in a journal or log and before you know it, you’ve run the miles and had a great time along the way. Hopefully a mountain lion doesn't make your scorecard...  

[caption id="attachment_20" align="alignright" width="150" caption="Running Man doesn't know whether to be scared or feed the 'high' mountain lions in Sabino Canyon."][/caption]

Unfortunately, the water wasn’t flowing this past Saturday, so I couldn’t surprise my fellow runners with a splash off.  Although, water must’ve been on the mind of fellow Soggy Wogger, Pete McNellis.  About a mile from the Visitor Center he broke into ‘Beach Baby” by The First Class.  While not quite the speed variation Gösta Holmér intended when he invented Fartlek, Pete’s singing (or lack thereof) provided us with plenty of reasons to pick up the pace and vie to be 1st to the finish.  

 Another way to make the miles go by...  

Looking for different ways to make your running go by easier and mean something at the same time?  How about this group I see in the Canyon almost every time I’m there – Team In Training.  A dedicated group of 25 runners are training to raise money and awareness for The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.  Preparing for the October Nike Marathon in San Francisco and the January PF Chang's Marathon in Phoenix, they were doing 8-10 miles in the canyon, meaning that some were running parts of the hilly road twice. Coaches Ashley Fitzharris and Rick Karl have successfully guided many groups to a successful first marathon, oh and they’ll raise about $100,000 along the way. Check them out at their website.

Running's Summer Essentials

The Broadway trailhead leading into the Saguaro National Monument is the gateway to a multitude of beautiful runs. Well-marked horse trails zigzag their way through the desert leading to various destinations around and within the park. Typically we run single file to the paved loop road in the park and then run the back half of the road (with the big hill). We'll then cut back on the Cactus Forest for a nice 10 miler.

One of my running partners, and fellow Soggy Wogger, Steve "Blackett's" Hughes (because he runs Blackett's Ridge in Sabino, sometimes twice a day. For fun.) suggested an out and back on the Cactus Forest. In my mind it was great because we'd get rid of the hill, but still get the benefits of the miles. Boy was I wrong. "The Hill" was still evident, just dispersed throughout the run as smaller, steep inclines. If that wasn't enough, it was going to be 110° by mid-day, meaning about 80° at the start of our run.  I'm not complaining. We all know it's hot in Tucson in the summer and we put up with it because it will be 75° during the winter. So to make summer running enjoyable in the desert, keep in mind a few guidelines:

• Staying hydrated is important. You want to hydrate prior to your run, but it's important that your body is USED to hydrating. We all know the adage of 8 full glasses (8 oz.) of water a day, but it can approach 12-14 glasses depending on your weight and exercise levels. Therefore for runners, be diligent about consistent hydrating throughout the day, every day, and you won't have that ‘sloshing' feeling prior to your run.

• Take water with you on your run. I carried 20 oz. of water for the run through the Cactus Forest. It wasn't enough and I had to bum some off Blacketts. My fellow runners carried 40+ oz. There are many options for carrying water including fuel belts (an elastic waist band with multiple, small, clip-on containers that can hold water or other drinks), water backpacks with a hose mouthpiece and the traditional fanny pack designed for water bottles.

• In addition to water, be sure to hydrate with an electrolyte replacement drink at the end of your run.

• A visor or hat made of a moisture wicking material and can help keep the sun (and sweat) out of your eyes. Most hats and visors are machine washable.

• Many runners like to wear sunglasses to protect their eyes from the sun. An active-wear sunscreen is also recommended - apply before your run and at stops for water during your run.

• Run with a group or partner

• Frequent stops for hydrating are not only recommended, they are essential to evaluate for fatigue, and keeping the group together.

Our run turned out to be a good one, although my knees were actively recruiting my quadriceps to revolt. We had a good mix of runners, conversation and even some random singing of Glen Campbell and Linda Ronstadt songs. Hmmm, maybe we need to be checked for sunstroke?

What are your secrets to training in the summer? Midnight runs? Mt. Lemmon? Let us know.

Why We Run

I recently played golf with my friend Mike, which is ironic, because Mike is the reason I run today and the irony is that golf played a major role.

Mike and I tried out as freshman for the Sabino High School golf team, (ahem), many years ago. We hacked it around, practicing on the links all summer and gave it our best shot on a hot, monsoony Tucson August afternoon. We weren’t really that good, but thought we maybe had a chance. But in our young naiveté, we missed one thing: the Sabino golf team was perennially tops in the state and had future pro Willie Wood leading the charge. Needless to say, we did not make the team. Back then, after school sports substituted for Phys Ed and we were petrified that we would have to take P.E. and shower after 3rd period. So we did what any scared 14-year-old kid would do - signed up for Cross Country, a no cut sport!

Twenty-eight years later I am reminded of this story as I ran at the Tucson City Parks Track & Field Meet at the UA open track meets. Alongside me for the mile race were two recently graduated kids from Sabino, one the state high school champ in the mile and half-mile, and the other a close runner up. After the race they were full of questions. They wanted to know times, records and how fast we were back in the day. My memory was fuzzy and I couldn’t remember much except some ugly uniforms and the golf story.

Mike and I remain friends to this day because of our love of running, respect for our cross country coach Mr. Brooks and the ability to look the other way after the other suffers a bad golf shot. We had some great teams back then, but oddly all Mike and I could remember that day were the great times we had along with our teammates. No times, no course records, just laughing and running. I hope that’s what running is for you, laughing, running and pursuing your dreams. Luckily we were able to realize ours.

I finished a distant third to my much younger Sabino brethren that night (the state champ even lapped me). But, needless to say, I'm on the team.

FYI - Mike was there for another 1st.  The first time I went for a run after chemotherapy treatment for Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma.