Running commentary

I celebrated my 50th birthday May 17 with an early morning run out through the woods behind Tollgate. The deluge from the thunderstorm the previous night had left the forest with that fresh sagey, pine fragrance so familiar to our area.

I had just finished the book "Born to Run," which is a great account of ultra-runners from America interacting with the nearly mythical Tarahumara Indian runners from the Copper Canyon area of Mexico, so I was practicing running lighter (though not barefoot or in homemade sandals), which is hard for a guy still carrying too much weight.

Regardless, I had one of the most satisfying runs in a long time, thankful to be running at 50 and taking to heart the notion that to maintain health I better keep moving into my 60s and 70s!

The week prior to my birthday run, I had an equally good running experience that might make me the envy of every other male runner in Sisters. My wife and I were invited to a Saturday morning 10-miler by Donna Marshall, which ended up being part of one runner's 20-mile training run as preparation for the Yaquina Bay

Marathon.

Just after we pulled into a parking spot near U.S. Bank, six women appeared, and by the time we got to the Brooks-Scanlon Road, two more women had joined in, so I found myself as the sole male in a flock of nine happy, talkative women runners.

I wouldn't say that I couldn't get a word in edgewise, because for the most part I chose to become an observer and marveled at the friendliness and goodwill of these females.

The run was very

comfortable and casual. The group sometimes got strung out in a line, but always with two or three runners together. At corners, the leaders would pause and everyone would re-group. I found it a perfect model of how a group should do a long run together.

Speaking of group runs, the cross country team will be hosting community runs during the summer that are open to all age groups. Please check The Nugget in the upcoming weeks for specific times and places.

The team captains have a team goal to offer three or four different opportunities each week on a schedule to get together. A new race to Sisters is being planned for the Fourth of July as a benefit for Habitat for Humanity. Look for more information next week after race director and former Outlaws runner Jena Rickards gets back in town from college.

More information about the following events scheduled in Central Oregon can be found on the FootZone Web site at http://www.footzone

bend.com. I look forward to seeing you out on the trail this summer. If you have questions or ideas for me to share, please write to me at [email protected]

6/5/10 Prineville Hotshot Run;

6/6/10 Heaven Can Wait 5K Walk/Run;

6/13/10 Dirty Half;

6/19/10 Redmond Dry Canyon 5K & 10K Walk/Run;

6/25/10 Pacific Crest Sports Weekend;

7/4/10 Spark Your Heart 5K;

7/10/10 Sunrise Summer Classic;

7/18/10 Deschutes Dash Sports Festival;

7/24/10 Blood, Sweat & Cheers 5-mile Run/Walk;

7/30/10 Cascade Lakes Relay;

8/8/10 Haulin' Aspen.