Lately, I've been spending a lot of time in the Rillito "river" behind my condo.
Okay, so it's not a river. Currently. It's really just a wash. But you know, sometimes Tucson has rivers. Sometimes.It's true. There's something called monsoon season. And the water usually comes in a form we like to call flash floods.
Not my photo, but this is from late July 2006. That's a bridge I usually run under.
See? A river, is it not?
See? A river, is it not?
Okay, but yes, most of the time it looks like this:
Dry. Peaceful. Empty.
and a great place to run! That's a photo of me and my dog Sookie enjoying the freedom of the "river"!
That's why I've been trying to be out there as much as I can! What's also nice is that I can run during hotter parts of the day. The riverbed is usually cooler and the high walls and the bushes give some shade if I need it.
I really love running here. Since I don't live that close to a lot of trails, this is sort of similar to a trail. It sucks running in sand but I can see a difference in my strength after running in it for awhile. When I ran the Catalina State Park Trail Race, there was a small section of a wash we had to run through and I seriously thought I was going to die. It was awful! Partly because I had never run in sand before and it was such a surprise when I first stepped into it.
What's also great is that the Rillito River Path is just above the wash. So, if I get tired of sand, I can switch to a hard surface easily. And it's not street sidewalk or running down a road or anything like that. It's a beautiful path, made for walkers, runners and bicyclists. There is also a little side trail, not paved, so that horses and their owners can use it too.
It is paved from Craycroft Road all the way to the I-10. That's hella far. I've only run up to Stone.
You can still go farther than Craycroft, I think. But at that point it's only a dirt trail, which is fine by me.
One day I'll run all of it. But for now I'm content with my "river" running. :)
Do you have a favorite place to run in your town?
OMG I would LOVE to have something like this within range here in the Mitten. Thanks for sharing and enjoy!!!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful! I haven't found a place I love to run yet. My fave so far is around the state capitol on a Friday or Saturday night. Super fun people watching. ;)
ReplyDeleteWow, what gorgeous pics! I would love to run in a place like this!
ReplyDeletegreat pics. looks like a really cool place to run
ReplyDeletehow awesome! sand running with the option to switch to road at any point you want to? perfection!
ReplyDeletehope it stays dry down there so you can keep running the river :)
Great pics, beautiful!!
ReplyDeleteKat ( http://pedalfastergo.blogspot.com/ ) is doing sit ups as part of her Secret Office workout. Her post today includes sit up pictures. So, yes, join us, and you'll have a fitness partner.
ReplyDelete