Running The Loop: Away Toward Home

Running The Loop: Away Toward Home

This blog documents  my runs on The Loop in Tucson. The 54 or so mile path is used by people on foot, bikes, skates, and even horses on some parts of it. In addition to the paved path, there are many gravel segments for those who prefer them. I ran it first in 2014, when it was announced, but was not yet completed. I had to run parts of it on streets or in a wash. The final stretch of the Loop was completed in January 2018. Below are the dates of my runs thus far. 

1-    12/ 27/2014     55 miles

2-    5/9/2015          Night version  

3-    1/22/2016        55 miles

4-    3/15/2016        More than 46 miles and tired

5-    1/13/18            54.14

6-    1/26/2020        53.55 miles (PR)

7-    11/20/2020      Planning to run with a group of friends for the first time

The Loop looks new every time I run it. In addition, each time, I see someone or something that makes it more memorable. See two of my notes/reports attached.

A history of mapping my runs around The Loop

In 2013, I did not have a map. Starting in 2014, I could create maps with somewhat accurate mileage to follow. Then, Pima County Printed excellent maps and created an interactive map on the internet here: https://pimamaps.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=6621892ce6474ba79c51a736a212c6d9

Over the years, I made these maps for mileage purposes (with slightly different starting points).

https://www.mapmyrun.com/routes/view/3648810061  
https://www.strava.com/activities/3043561089  
https://legacy.usatf.org/routes/view.asp?rID=573102  
https://legacy.usatf.org/routes/view.asp?rID=555782  
https://legacy.usatf.org/routes/view.asp?rID=555678  
https://legacy.usatf.org/routes/view.asp?rID=555350
https://legacy.usatf.org/routes/view.asp?rID=555470  

 Short Writings About My Experiences 

Away Toward Home: Why I Ran The Loop

By Kamran Talattof

This is a short article about the first time I ran the 55 mile path around Tucson known as The Loop. When I read the auspicious announcement of the project for the construction of a bike path loop around Tucson a few years ago, I, perhaps like many other runners, secretly thought of running it for training purposes or otherwise. More recently, I strived to find out how much of The Loop was ready done and where the detours were. I asked my knowledgeable running fellows Chris Fall and Steve Felde for information, and I used online tools to come up with a workable map and fairly accurate mileage. I ran the approximately 55-mile course on Saturday, December 27, 2014. I might have been the first to run the entire loop, which explains the collegial invitation I received to write about my experience. 

put entire article here

This article was first published in The Roadrunner: The Southern Arizona Roadrunners Newsletter:

http://azroadrunners.org/uploads/newsletters/SARNewsletterMarch2015.pdf

The Loop: Sixth Edition

On running my sixth edition of The Loop around Tucson, I saw a rattlesnake who seemed to have been coming back from an all you can eat buffet, a coyote who synced her moves with me in the wash, and a bobcat who was too fast to be photographed. The latter did not surprise me because earlier in the week, I saw one sitting outside my window at home. See photos.

Cherish the distance, embrace your pain, and do not let obstacles hinder your love for running, nature, and community for these too lead to happiness. Posted on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/kamran.talattof.7 

Note: I recommend Athlinks where you can document all of your official running race results of the past several years: https://www.athlinks.com/athletes/106633017

Note: Strava documents all of your runs including races (I had to reset my account on Wed, 12/23/2015): https://www.strava.com/dashboard 

                             

The Loop: Seventh Edition With Friends

I look forward to this so very much.