Running commentary

I have discovered that putting my personal athletic goals for 2010 in the newspaper is one way to be held accountable. Ever since I wrote about my daughter giving me a running calendar for Christmas and my subsequent plan to actually use it, area people have been inquiring about my progress.

I am happy to report that I ran 27 of the 31 days of January, and while the weight loss has not been particularly significant, I feel healthier than I have been in a few years. While a number of those runs have only been a couple of miles, I did make it up to nine miles as my furthest venture. Three of the four days that I missed were due to an untimely chest cold late in the month that afflicted most of my family.

I hope that I have inspired others to hit the roads and trails as well.

Upcoming events: This Saturday, February 13, my daughter Claire, the very one who inspired my running renaissance in the first place, is helping to host the Baby, I Love You Run and Walk, beginning at 9:30 a.m. at Sisters High School, as part of the fundraising for the St. Charles Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. The low-key event includes a suggested donation of $10 and will include an eight-kilometer course (4.98 miles) on back roads adjacent to the McKenzie Highway. Coffee, hot chocolate, and a few raffle prizes will be available to finishers.

Quite a few locals have already signed up for the Buck Mountain Mudslinger Run at Silver Falls State Park, scheduled for February 27. Registration is only $10, and it would be great to get a few more Sisters folks involved. It always helps me stay motivated in the winter if I sign up well in advance for a race. Registration is available online at http://www.runwildadventures.com.

The Grin and Bear It Run, benefitting Healthy Beginnings, is set for March 13 at the Les Schwab Amphitheater in Bend. Distances include 10 kilometers, five kilometers and one mile. Race information can be obtained at FootZone and Fleet Feet of Bend or at the High Desert Education Service District Web site at http://www.hdesd.org.

Speaking of FootZone, this running store on Wall Street in Bend has enjoyed an overwhelming response to its Learn to Run program, which offers guidelines and coaching on how to run. A new group is slated to begin Sunday, February 28, with a focus on preparing for the annual Dirty Half half-marathon (13.1 miles) on June 13.

Cost is $125, which includes entry into the Dirty Half, a health-oriented 15-week training program, Dirty Half training log, a goody bag with T-shirt, socks and extras for training, and coaching support. Contact Connie Austin at [email protected]

Information on the Dirty Half, which normally attracts a crowd of Sisters runners, is available on the FootZone Web site at http://www.footzonebend.com, under the events header.

Informal training runs will be posted in this column from time to time in the upcoming months.

If you have ideas for new local events, a desire to lead a training run, or comments about anything having to do with running locally, please e-mail me at [email protected] and I will add it to my next column.