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If you go
● The Diet Rite Saguaro National Park Labor Day Run
• What: An eight-mile competitive run and a two-mile run and fun walk.
• Cost: Eight-mile is $30, $35 on race day. Two-mile run and fun walk is $20.
* The park service asks that all participants pay the standard $5 entry fee to the park. This amount will go directly to the park service.
• Where: Saguaro National Park East, 3693 S. Old Spanish Trail Road.
• Register: Go to azroadrunners.org for a link to register online. Register in person at Fleet Feet, 6538 E. Tanque Verde Road, until 5 p.m. Saturday.
Packet pickup is noon-5 p.m. Saturday at Fleet Feet.
Call 886-7800 for questions about registration or packet pickup.
Training tips
If you're training for El Tour de Tucson, here's a tip from Better Than Ever cycling coach Martha Lemen:
Start slowly. For the first couple of weeks, especially if it's been a while since you've ridden, ride two to three times a week at a conversational pace. Two of the rides aim for 30 minutes, and the third aim for 60 minutes. This builds fitness without burnout and minimizes injury.
If you're training for the Tucson Marathon, running coach and retired doctor Ron Grant wants to warn you about one of distance running's most common ailments: patellofemoral syndrome. Otherwise known as" runner's knee," this injury is a misalignment of the patellar (kneecap) tracking mechanism often caused by trauma to the joint, running on irregular surfaces and worn shoes. While ice massage (5-10 minutes twice daily) is necessary to relieve inflammation (misalignment of the patella causes friction along the edges of the bone), rehabilitation of the vastus medialis (the muscle responsible for keeping the patella aligned) is the cornerstone of therapy.
Using a leg-extension machine and a small amount of weight, extend the leg (one at a time) to full extension, dropping the foot only 15 degrees or so with each repetition. Do two sets of 30 reps on each side twice daily and continue for a week past the disappearance of the pain. Reserve the use of ibuprofen for severe inflammation only.

Accent

On Pace Opinion by Jennifer Duffy : Get set to pound the pavement, er, dirt at Labor Day run

On Pace Opinion by Jennifer Duffy
Arizona Daily Star
Tucson, Arizona | Published: 08.29.2006
This year's Saguaro National Park Labor Day Run will be down and dirty.
That's because the repaving of the eight-mile Cactus Forest Drive loop won't be complete until mid-October.
The race is in its 37th year, and the lack of a road isn't going to stop tradition.
Runners will run — even if it is on a dirt path instead of smooth black asphalt.
"It's a Tucson institution and a neat course for a road run," said Ross Zimmerman, the organizer of Tucson Trail Runners.
"I'm seriously considering running it and I haven't run the thing in years," he said, adding that he hasn't done many road races lately, either.
"It's never been a dirt road before and it probably won't be one again. It's a nice hilly course, and this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," he said.
For those of you who haven't experienced the joy of running, walking or shuffling along this eight-mile loop, I highly recommend it. The hills are challenging and break up the monotony of the distance. The views of the mountains are breathtaking, and the surrounding desert should be green — perhaps even wet.
In fact, we should consider the construction delay a stroke of luck. Running on a dirt road is much easier on knees and joints than running on pavement.
Angie Lyons, a runner who sticks solely to trails and dirt roads, wouldn't dare run the race any other way — "those hills on pavement, yuck!" she said in an e-mail after hearing the news of the course change.
Even runners without injuries who give roads, tracks and trails all a fair chance are thrilled about the new surface.
"It's a great thing. Dirt is a lot easier on your body, and it's more challenging because you don't have that nice, firm feel on the pavement with every footstrike. You have to be ready for loose dirt and soft gravel," said John Norris, a seasoned runner who organizes the East Side Track and Altitude running group.
"Runners might sacrifice a little speed," he added, although he may or may not be right.
Other runners, like Southern Arizona Roadrunners member Stephanie Wenneborg, say the dirt won't slow people down.
"If anything, it may help," said Wenneborg, who's run the race before. "The dirt is always a more forgiving surface to run on than asphalt. And it may keep runners a degree or two cooler than black asphalt."
Whether the new surface slows you down or speeds you up seems to be a minor detail. The real draw to this event is the novelty.
Go out and revel in the scenery and this opportunity.
● Contact reporter Jennifer Duffy at 573-4357 or at jduffy@azstarnet.com. Look for health and fitness coverage each Tuesday in Accent and find more of Duffy's columns online at www.azstarnet.com/sn/health.
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