Tucson - Day 4

Day 4, everyone is typically a bit tired and emotions can run high when you are tired. It's easy to overanalyze and over dramatize. I was suprised at, given the fact that many were quite tired, attitudes were still excellent. So we decided to be adventerous and start the day with one of my favorite places to run which is back at Sabino Canyon and this time we would tackle Bear Canyon/Seven Falls. I knew that with the wet winter Tucson had and the snow melting from the mountain caps, the river would be flowing, so I told everyone to prepare to get wet.

This trails follows against the river, go up the canyon. it's a constant elevation gain on the way out and you have to cross the river six or seven times to stay on the trail. the water crossings were deep and most had fun spplashing through the cold water as though they were kids again.

I'm always interested at these camps to see who responds well to some of the training I throw at them. Running these trails takes an adventerous heart. Many endurance athletes are to focused on numbers. Their pace per mile, their heart rate, their distance, ... But in March, when most arent racing for awhile, the benefits of a run like this far surpass any other type of training run they could be doing. Why? because it builds aerobic fitness, strength, agility and lateral stability, and most importantly, it's a blast and something you will remember. I reminded those with me that soon they will be back at home running there same old routes and that they should cherish this experience. Gus, Brad, and Brian took it all in, and the huge grins on their face was enough to let me know they were loving this trail run. They all commented that it was the best run they have ever done, and you know what? I have to agree.