The old sports saying, "It's not a sprint, it's a marathon" doesn't apply in the WNBA. With 32 games in 10 weeks, no tortoises need apply.

	Ruthie and the Monarchs have seven back-to-back games. There are 103 back-to-back games on the WNBA schedule this season.

But in truth, it's no more a 100-yard dash than it was a year ago.

Because of the Olympic Games, the season is ending sooner, but it's also started sooner. What has changed is the pace, the mandate to be more places in the same amount of time.

Four new teams mean four more road trips, while the mandate to maintain interest and attendance and accommodate its television partners has pushed the league to schedule more back-to-back games for teams -- especially on the weekends.

It's a tough grind for players, who face the constant challenge of staying healthy, for any minor injury can put an end to a short season. It's also difficult for coaches trying to prepare game plans while sitting in an airport lounge with no chance to practice before the next game.

There are 103 back-to-back games on the WNBA schedule this season, an increase from 62 games in 1999. While the addition of the expansion teams makes up for some of that difference, they don't account for all of it.

New York and Washington lead the league in back-to-back games with eight each. The low number is five for Phoenix, Portland and Cleveland. Everyone else falls somewhere in between.

"It seems very similar to what we've always had," said Washington Mystics coach Nancy Darsch.

In her case, it almost is. Washington was also among the league leaders least year with six back-to-back games.

Sacramento has gone from four last year to seven this year. It's a significant jump considering the short season.

"It's a long haul," acknowledged Monarchs coach Sonny Allen. "I think we are probably doing more of it now than we were last year. But I try to downplay it with the team. I tell them it's the schedule we have to play and I don't want to hear about it."

Minnesota opened the season with a back-to-back, playing at home against Cleveland before heading to Utah.

"Last year it was a big shock to my system," said Katie Smith, the league's leading scorer and reigning Player of the Week. "The younger players are adjusting to it right now. It's not like a normal season where you play preseason games for a month and have time to jell. For myself, having that year under my belt has really helped me. But it's a tough schedule for everybody, not just for one team. Everybody is fighting through it."

Allen, whose team opened the season with nine of its first 12 games on the road, believes it's tougher mentally on the players than physically.

"These players are in tip-top shape, they are tough, young professional athletes," Allen said. "But it is tough mentally, especially when you lose."

Darsch agreed.

"It's a lot easier when you are winning," Darsch said. "But that's why I think it's so important to keep practices short and make sure that as a team you do things that are fun and different on the road."

In addition to schedule challenges, there have been more than a few cases of traveling nightmares as well. Almost every team has at least one.

WNBA teams fly commercial airlines, in contrast to their NBA counterparts who fly on charter planes. (It should be noted, however, NBA teams didn't start flying on charters until the early 1990s.)

A June 15 game between Washington and Indiana was cancelled when the Mystics couldn't get to Indianapolis because of weather-related flight cancellations. It was the first cancellation of a game in league history and it will be made up on Aug. 3.

The night before, the Charlotte Sting spent the night at the Denver Airport when their flight to Salt Lake City was cancelled.

Allen said his team has managed to get through the regular-season without too much trouble, but had a lot of problems getting to Indianapolis for a preseason game last month.

"We had a 10:30 flight in the morning the day before the game, but it got cancelled," recalled Allen. "We ended up on a 9:30 p.m. flight that didn't take off until midnight. We were supposed to make a connection in Chicago at 7, but we missed that and couldn't get another one until 8:30.

"We landed at 10:30 and played at noon. We won that day and we actually played pretty well."

Allen said he doesn't see this changing any time soon.

"They will never charter because it's too expensive," he said. "And even charters get cancelled. The players and the coaches know all this going in. It's just part of the deal."

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