Any Tucson area runners?

I'll be vacationing in Tucson from November 1st through December 9th, running in the Tucson Half Marathon on December 8th. I'm renting a condo near Ventana Canyon, on Canyon Crest Drive at the north end of Kolb.

I'm looking for some good places to do my long runs (>10 miles) and my medium length runs (4-7 miles). From my last vacation in Tucson I seem to recall Sabino Canyon and Rillito River having paved trails. Are they good for doing these runs? What is it like running on the roads near where I'm staying? Are there sidewalks (don't laugh)?

I also have some questions regarding the Tucson Half Marathon for anyone with experience. They deal mosthly with the painfully early start. Will my wife be allowed to drive me to the start, or will I be forced to take the bus? If I'm forced to take the bus, what do the runners do in the dark cold for 1 to 1.5 hours before the race as they wait at the starting line?

Oh... I might be interested in finding a running partner or two.

Great! You'll have to join the rec.running get- together, as there will be several of us that will be runnning the TM and Half.

Yes they are, particularly Sabino Canyon. Another scenic, paved run is Saguaro National Park's 8-mi loop drive. It is very hilly but a nice run. (But it costs to get in unless you run it and get out before the rangers come in in the morning). I believe there are sidewalks up there, it is a major resort after all. But don't quote me on it, I live on the far west side. If I recall, there are many paved and sidewalked areas up there that are rolling hills. Also Ventana Canyon trail if you'd like to tackle some trail running.

You'll have to take the bus. They're really dead set against people driving up there. Sit on the bus and read or sleep or talk to the other runners. They leave the busses there so there's a warm place to sit and relax, and the charter busses have bathrooms (though there's porta-potties outside too). I'm planning to take a newspaper and munchies. Last year I slept some.

My husband and I run in the evenings after work, but we're slow (9ish min/mile pace) and it's on the far west side. But you're more than welcome to come out and join us! There's also several groups that run together from the S. AZ Roadrunners group. See http://www.azroadrunners.org/, then go to Running Groups for the runs. There's an AM group run at Sabino Canyon on Fridays and a group run at Catalina State Park Tuesday mornings. And don't forget the official TM training runs, on the course, Nov 3 and 17th.

Teresa in AZ (Hope to see you there!!)

Thanks for the info. I might very well be interested.

The Ventana Canyon Trail is supposedly just steps away from the condo we (my wife and I) are renting, however, after twisting my ankle previously I might want to avoid trails with lots of roots and rocks. The Suguaro Loop drive sounds nice, but I'm not an early riser. But I'll have to be one for the race.

I'll have to investigate this further. It sounds like they are engaging in unnecessary and intentional torture, which includes starting the Half before the Full.

Thanks for all the good info.