Running commentary

I just wrapped up what I believe counted as my 30th year of coaching high school cross-country. Now I have time to think about my own running again before heading into another season of track coaching in late February.

Despite a commitment to myself to run at least every other day during cross-country, the realities of my slow pace and the demands of keeping track of 45-50 runners caused me to continually compromise by riding my mountain bike during practice.

In the week since the season ended, I have run four times with my wife and I am already beginning to reconnect with my inner runner. I find it marvelously refreshing to get out into the woods, even at my turtle-like pace, and feel my mind renewing. I wonder to myself how I allow myself to miss out on this when it is clearly so good for me in every way.

I think the key for me to run more often is to go in the morning before the busy-ness of the school day and the other demands of life bog me down. So I have put new batteries in my head-lamp and have a date picked out to go to FootZone in Bend to get some new shoes so that all I have to really do is put my feet on the floor at 5:15 most mornings and scoot around the Tollgate loops. I may not be training like a Kenyan, but even a little running will put me in position to run some of the local races coming this winter.

There are low-key holiday runs coming up between now and New Year's to consider.

Up first is the traditional COCC Turkey Trot 5k on Saturday, November 17, at 10 a.m. Registration on site opens at 9 a.m. at the Mazama Gym on campus. Entry is free for COCC and OSU-Cascades students and $10 for non-students. This race includes great refreshments and prizes. Proceeds benefit the COCC Foundation, which offers numerous scholarships to local students.

The "I Like Pie" run takes place on Thanksgiving Day at 9 a.m. from FootZone on Wall Street, right next to the Tower Theatre. Entry fee is a suggested $5 donation to NeighborImpact or five cans of food. Last year's event collected over a ton of food. In addition, entrants are encouraged to bring a pie for enjoying after the run. A pie-baking contest is optional if you want to enter. Running courses include options for 2k, 5k, 10k, and an untimed 10-mile. Commemorative T-shirts will be available for purchase as well. More information for this and other events is available at http://www.footzonebend.com.

The inaugural 5k Sisters Turkey Trot takes place on Saturday, November 24, at 11 a.m. from the Village Green Park. This event is free with suggested donation of non-perishable food. Check the Smith Rock Race Group website for more information, www.bendturkeytrot.com.

The always-popular Jingle Bell Run is scheduled for Saturday, December 1, at noon in downtown Bend and kicks off the Christmas Parade. Costumes are encouraged. This 5k run supports the Arthritis Foundation, so teams of people are encouraged to sign up together and gather donations beyond the entry fee money. It is one of Central Oregon's biggest running events. Connect to the website via the FootZone site.

Sisters Multi-Sport will offer the third annual Resolution Run/Walk at 10 a.m. on New Year's Day. Courses of five miles, five kilometers, and one mile will be offered. Check http://www.sistersmultisport.com for updated information.

In years past, I have taken part in each of these annual races and hope to hit most of them this year as I get into winter running. In the next column I will include brief reviews of some of my favorite running-related books in time for Christmas.