Run vs Ride: In Hot Water



photo by Jonathan Buchanan

Agua Caliente sits maybe 3000 feet above Tucson, a prominent high-point between the Catalina and Rincon Mountains. The trail to the top is only 4.5 miles long, so it’s steep. And like all good trails in Tucson, it’s full of chunk and rubble.

As such, it’s a brilliant place to pit feet against wheels. Which is better, which is faster, which is safer, which is more fun?



Ez and I ran up to the summit a couple weeks ago. This weekend I joined J-bake for a ride on the trail. It had been far too long since I’d pedaled up it. It used to be a go-to ride for me when I lived a little closer, but for various (weak) reasons it’s been years.



excellent skipping form by J-bake

The comparisons that ran in my head were interesting. On foot the trail felt loose, overgrown and so difficult. I wondered how I had ever ridden up or down any of this! And yet somehow it had been a favorite trail.

Maybe I’ve just lost it — whatever appetite and ability to ride this stuff I used to have.



enduro style

Perhaps a better comparison for the uphill would be “hike vs hike-a-bike” rather than “run vs ride”. I can’t really envision being fit enough to run up this entire mountain, though I bet the most fit could come close. I certainly can’t envision riding it all — no way, no how.



We ran into Eszter on the way up. She had already tagged the summit. No doubt about it, going up, feet win for speed. You can just keep going and slog it out — it’s a slog that feels good.

But, oh, how I love trying to climb this trail on a bike. The bike forces anaerobic fits, light headedness and the seeing of stars. Deep breaths of life. Then you get stopped, regain composure and try the next section. Or walk your bike slowly up it. It’s harder, and easier, but definitely slower.



Notice J-bake’s patented hike-with-loppers-technique. We were slowed by some pruning and general tom foolery, both up and down.



Reward at the top — the kind of beer that tastes good. 🙂



j-bake smooths one of the trickiest spots on the top descent

The downhill is, of course, a different beast altogether. I used to fear downhill running because it tears my legs up. My weak cyclist legs can’t handle it, and I can end up with delayed onset muscle soreness that DOMinates the following weeks if not months.

Running adaptation has been taking place since mid-Sept with hikes and runs. I’ve gotten to the point where running downhill is extremely fun, and doesn’t cripple me. I can finally see it as easier than uphill running — whereas I used to think uphill was the easy part.

But coming down the top of Agua Caliente is … not runnable to me. I came to a stop in a few places, the hands came down, and I generally fumbled. I just can’t get over having only one point of contact with the ground at times. If that point of contact slips… boom! Running down the top was pretty scary, and I could only think how impossible and crazy it must be to ride.

Indeed, in previous bike runs, I’d never tried to ride the top portion. I dismissed J-bake’s enthusiasm over the top section as both misguided and based on better conditions — surely the summer rains have made the trail sketchier than it’s ever been.



Truth is, Agua Caliente is just low-down dirty riding. Rutted, grassed in, filled with rubble. There’s no dirt, no transitions, no lead-ins. If you need time to get set up or grab your composure before the next drop or the next chunky roll, too bad for you. There’s nothing pretty or well done about it. But there is something beautiful about it — rough, rowdy and scrappy. Some people are never going to get it, others love it. It’s worth the push to the top — even better if you can enjoy some of the climbing.



photo by Jonathan Buchanan

I rode a lot of the top section, with J-bake as inspiration. But also it just didn’t seem that bad. As I rolled to the lip of the steepest rocks, I felt in control. Green lights were going off in my head. On foot, it was all red! Perhaps the comparison was part of what made it easier to ride when I got there with a bike.

Sure, I’m anything but an experienced trail runner. I have no idea how fast or good I am, which most likely means I completely suck.

But on the bike I liked having two points of contact with the ground when it got loose and steep. Even though these are nutty trails to be trying to ride, it sure felt a lot safer to me.



More fun? When you factor in the rapid fire manualing session at the bottom, for sure. But I do have to admit that picking lines through the chunk on the lower stuff was super fun on feet, too. I know the lower stuff pretty well and could really let is go, both on foot and bike.

Easier? I couldn’t coast downhill for more than 2 minutes without my quads burning and giving out on me. Turns out they are the same muscles you use to run downhill. Mine are weak! And tired. Running downhill, while slower, actually seemed easier to me than absorbing all the shock this trail dishes out.



In the end, Eszter also beat us downhill, both in actual time and total downhill time. Sure, we goofed around some, trimmed a little more catclaw and threw sticks for Nana in the pond, but, still….

For now, all I know is both running and riding trails are silly fun, and that I really enjoy trails where feet and bikes are closely matched — especially when those trails are open to bikes… making the comparison possible.

3 comments to Run vs Ride: In Hot Water

  • I love that you hate beer and love root beer. Me too! I feel like we’re a strong minority in the over-21 outdoor enthusiast crowd. People get so annoyed with me when I refuse beer. “What are you a Mormon?” Ha … well …

    For some reason I’d think that solid technical skill would transfer somewhat between riding and running. I suck at both so can’t really speak to this, but the ability to read a line and react quickly seems key. I do know that at a certain level of steepness and technicality — a level that’s lower than even I’d expect — I will nearly always beat my biking self when I’m on foot. I have Strava to make these comparisons.

    • Scott

      Hey Jill, I remember you mentioning run v. ride comparisons on your blog. I can’t remember if you found you were faster running both up and downhill?

      This trail is definitely an interesting one because it’s so full of rubble. I can’t say I’ve run much in places that actually have dirt (imagining the Wasatch as a good, steep, example).

      Re: Beer. Being raised Mormon might have had something to do it…. it’s definitely an acquired taste that most people seem to have developed earlier in life. I don’t feel like I’m missing out, that’s for sure.

  • There’s a definite correlation between technical skills on a bike and on foot. I feel like I can hold my own with Scott on any trail that’s relatively smooth, running or riding, but the moment some rocks get thrown into the mix…I’m toast, on foot or on the bike. The more rocks, the faster he’s out of sight. It can be…annoying.

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