Outside Guide

Jeff Browning started trail running competitively in 2001 and is one of the premier endurance trail runners in the country. With gold, pirate-style earrings dangling from both ears and a tattoo on his forearm, Browning doesn't fit the image you might have of the stereotypical “jogger,” but then again, what Browning does bears little resemblance to the leisurely runs that most of us associate with the sport. He has finished 11 of the sport’s ultimate tests – the 100-mile trail run – and won seven of those races. He sat with the Source recently to discuss his thoughts on the science and the spirituality of endurance running.

How did you get into running?
I played traditional sports growing up – football, baseball and track. I got into mountain biking in college and started running to cross train for mountain biking… When I moved west and started climbing in Colorado, I had some extra pounds and started running again to lose a little bit around my waist.
I was a big mountain biker the first year I was here and then started hanging out with a good friend of mine, Rod Bien, and he had just gotten into ultra marathons and had just run a 150k. He said, “Hey, there is this thing called a hundred miler.” I was intrigued, coming from a mountain biking background and backpacking so I just started going on some trail runs with him. I was trying to get him into mountain biking and he was trying to get me into trail running and he won.

I am a runner. Or at least I run. I'm not sure what exactly makes one a runner as opposed to someone who runs. Maybe it's the super tiny shorts or sexy calves. I'm not sure, but what I do know is that for the past six years, I have been running.
I've also been not running. And I've been drinking. Then, I've also been not drinking. Expressed mathematically, the amount of miles I log in a given week is the inverse of how many beers I'll drink in that same week. If that equation doesn't pencil out, I apologize. I've taken exactly zero math classes over these six years.

I admit it; I've always been a slow runner. A few years ago in the Dual in the Desert duathalon, I was beaten by every man, woman and child who showed up that day except for two women that were chatting as they walked the final leg of the course. And they were gaining on me.
I've made some improvements since that day, thankfully. I often run the river trails and Shevlin Park, enjoying the solitude and the challenge of running on trails. Recently I saw a man running at Shevlin with shoes that looked like chimpanzee feet. They were big, brown and had five toes. As he passed (OK, I'm still pretty slow) I asked about the shoes.

Bend is still an undiscovered runner's paradise. From sprinting up Pilot Butte to exploring the Deschutes River Trail, there are hundreds, if not thousands, of exciting options. Whether you are training for a marathon or simply jogging for fun, here are some locally available gear choices that will keep you looking and feeling good.

Craft PR Shorts
Craft, the venerable Swedish apparel company with a reputation for design and quality, has designed the perfect running short. The PR short, with its three-inch inseam, provides fashionable coverage without impeding movement. The surprisingly soft synthetic fabric is both windproof and breathable. Perfect for hot days on High Desert trails, the short has airy mesh panels to ventilate sweat zones, reflective mesh striping and a key pocket. SRP $39.99; Foot Zone, 845 NW Wall St., Bend; 541.317.3568; www.craft-usa.com.