Rim-to-Rim-to-Rim Adventure

It's been a few weeks now since our double crossing of the Grand Canyon.  Since then, I've been on a couple other trips and haven't found the time to write up a report.  I did want to write up some of the trip logistics, if for no other purpose than to aid me in preparing for the next time I run this route, since it was so amazing!

The Run
Our group met around 3:30am on Friday, May 16.  We planned the run for Friday, so that in case the weather didn't cooperate on Friday, we could still do it Saturday before going home on Sunday.  Our friends shuttled us from the Maswik Lodge to the South Rim trail.

We started down the South Rim trail around 4:00am.  I hiked pretty much the whole way down, to save my quads for the rest of the 48-mile trip.  Later on, I was very glad that I did this.  I had no issues other than sore calves the day after.

We crossed the black bridge over the Colorado River and headed to Phantom Ranch.  For fun, we each weighed our packs.  Mine was the heaviest in our group, at 15 pounds.  Our next water stop was at Cottonwood Campground; then the Pump House shortly after.  The trip from there up to Supai Tunnel felt like a long one.  We had to make our way past a ranger who did her best to encourage us to stop on the North Rim.  Fortunately, we managed to resist her.  From Supai Tunnel to the North Rim was quite steep.

We spent a long time resting at the North Rim.  Running back down, through Supai Tunnel, past the Pump House and Cottonwood, was really fun.  We took a detour to Ribbon Falls, which was surreal.  To see a beautiful waterfall, moss-covered rocks, and croaking frogs at the bottom of the Grand Canyon was unexpected.  I continued to feel good running to Phantom Ranch and then to the Bright Angel trail.  I mostly ran separately from my group and waited for them every couple miles.  We crossed the silver bridge over the Colorado and headed up towards the South Rim.

Ribbon Falls

Darkness fell as Chris and I, now separate from the rest of our foursome, headed toward Indian Gardens.  We waited at Indian Gardens for the rest of our group (which was down to two other people by this time), and then we decided to go in pairs the rest of the way.  It seemed incredibly steep, but I followed the old adage of "relentless forward progress" and remained a couple minutes behind Chris until we neared the top.  He waited for me so we could run in the final few yards.  Jeannie was there at the top to meet us and see us back safely to the lodge.

The goal of our trip was to enjoy the experience and successfully complete the run.  We definitely accomplished that.  My goal for next time will be to see how quickly I can do it.  This time around, we spent a lot of time at rest stops or waiting for other people.  That was fun for the first time, but now I'm already excited to go back again.

Me and Chris celebrating our finish

Packing

Before our Rim-to-Rim-to-Rim trip, I tried to do some research online to find out what food and gear others had found helpful.  I didn't find much out there in terms of packing lists, so I'll include mine here in case it's helpful to others.  My post-run thoughts are in blue.

In Large Solomon Pack:

• Bladder
• 2 x H20 bottles (Since the pumps were turned on, I had more than enough water. I would've been fine with just my bladder and one bottle.)
• Clif bars -- 5
• gels -- 5 (I ended up not eating any of my gels -- but I did donate them to a friend who was going through his calories more quickly than anticipated.)
• chocolate-covered pretzels (These were probably my favorite food during the run, because they were both sweet and salty.)
• Medjool dates
• Nuun -- 2 bottles (I used Nuun in my water bottles, but not in my bladder. I think using Nuun and drinking to thirst helped me avoid hyponatremia.)
• yogurt-covered raisins (These, along with two Clif bars and a couple gels, were the only foods I had left going up the South Rim. They tasted gross in the middle of the night, but I force-fed them to myself anyway.)
• Bobo bars (These tasted good but were a little dry.)
• dried mangos
• trail mix (I wish I had packed more trail mix. It tasted great.)
• sunscreen (I re-applied frequently, and didn't get burned!)
• shades
• trekking poles, tied with bungee to pack (I used these on the way down South Rim, and I think they helped -- just because they provided some stability in the darkness on the rutted, uneven trail. I also used them on the way up North Rim, and they helped there with all the big step-ups.)
• tylenol, ibuprofin, Tums (I ended up using two Tylenol during the run.)
• camera and extra batteries

Wear:

• Headlamp (new batteries)
• buff (Once it got hot, I started soaking my buff in creeks and under water pumps every chance I got; I wore it around my neck.)
• Outdoor Research Sombriolet hat
• New Balance shorts
• two pair socks (injinji, Wigwam)
• sports bra
• Captn Karl's shirt (cotton/poly blend)
• hairtie
• vasoline
• sunscreen
• Garmin (charged)
• light jacket (It turned out to be so warm that I really didn't need to start with a jacket. But I felt good having it just in case. And by the time we finished, it was really cold and windy up on the South Rim, so I was glad to have the jacket while we waited for our friends to finish.)
• trail Hokas
• Dirty Girl gaitors
• fitness gloves, to prevent blisters when using poles

During the run, I don't think there was anything I missed and wished I had brought.  I didn't bring my cell phone, because there are only a few places where you can get reception, anyway.

All in all, the trip was a resounding success.  Praise be to God for good weather, good health, and great friends!

Warning! Don't try to hike to the river and back in one day!

Bandera 100K

Usually after a race, I just jot some bullet points about the highlights, but this time I'm going to try to actually write a short narrative about yesterday's race.  It always amazes me how some people write such detailed accounts of their races.  Like, "As I approached McGillicutty Aid Station for the third time, around mile 17.85, I burped twice and readjusted my hydration pack." I don't know how these people do it.  I have such a terrible memory, races are just one big blur to me.  But here's what I remember from the 2014 Bandera 100K:

The morning of the race, temps were in the 40s.  I had slept in my car, so it was a short walk to the start.  It was great to see lots Rockhoppers there: Elizabeth, Fumi, Jean, Michelle, Tanya, Jason, Cara, Joe T, Liza, and Lorenzo.  I also enjoyed seeing some of the Alamo Running Buddies -- Doug, Jazzy, Emmett -- who were running the Lodge aid station.

The first highlight of the race came during the conga line up to Sky Island.  Runners were starting to thin out a bit, but there were still several of us running in the same pack on the singletrack.  A guy behind me asked, "So you must be Julie?" I said yes, although I have no idea how he knew who I was -- I had no identification on my back.  He said, "So you got 3rd place at Cactus Rose?"  I laughed, and thought to myself, "Enjoy this moment, because the 5 seconds this conversation lasts, will be your only moment of running fame."  :)  That was fun.  The next highlight was getting to Nachos aid station and seeing all the welcoming Rockhoppers -- especially Tom in his Nacho Libre ensemble.

Once the sun came up, it warmed up into the 70s. With the sun on us, it felt quite hot.  As I lumbered up a fairly steep hill, Michelle caught up to me and asked, "Julie, are you doing all right?" I hadn't realized it until she said that, but I must have been struggling and not looking great.  Michelle is so wonderful -- so kind and generous.  It was great to finish that Sisters loop in conversation with her.

Other than that brief low-energy point, I really feel like I nailed my nutrition at this race.  I've never been able to say that before.  I didn't eat any real food during the race -- just 2 gels per hour and 2 sips of EFS slurry per hour -- plus a cup or so of Coke at aid stations.  It's not that the gels tasted any more palatable this time around, or that I never felt queasy, but I just told myself I was going to take the gels, and that's that, no excuses.  I used my SJ Ultimate Direction pack (I saw a bunch of those packs at the race!) with one bottle of plain water and one bottle of EFS slurry.  I originally started with a bladder, as well, but I took it out and asked Claudette to throw it away at the first aid station -- I wasn't getting any suction from it, and it annoyed me.

At the Lodge, after the first loop, the thought crossed my mind that I still had 31 miles left to go.  I thought to myself, that is insane; so many miles!  Right after leaving the Lodge, as I started the second loop, I caught myself worrying about how many miles were left, and how many aid stations, and how many hours left of running . . . and then for some reason I thought of the final scene in Fargo, when the murderer is in the back seat of the squad car, and Margie the cop tells him she doesn't understand why he did such terrible things . . . "And it's a beautiful day."  The scene is darkly humorous, because the landscape is a bleak Northern Minnesota whiteout.  But thinking about that scene, I realized that I could have a negative attitude, like I was doing, or a positive one, like Margie.  And it was a beautiful day, truly -- sunshine, hills, cactus, warmth.  So I chose to be positive.

The sunset was absolutely gorgeous, outlining the hills with yellows, oranges and reds.  Once the sun was gone, the temps dropped pretty precipitously, probably down to 40s again. I felt cold until my sweat dried. Thankfully I had armwarmers in my drop bag at Crossroads, and I was able to pick them up just before the sun set.  Around this time, my throat became sore and my lungs started hurting whenever I took a deep breath.  I thought I was getting sick from the cold/hot/cold changes during the race, but maybe it's a Mountain Cedar allergy, as Elizabeth thinks.

In the darkness, heading towards Boyle's aid station, a coyote pack began howling to beat the band.  I don't worry about running into a coyote or two, but from the sounds I was hearing, I pictured a band of two dozen bloodthirsty coyotes anxious to prey on any lonely runner who crossed their path. :) Okay, I wasn't that worried, just a little bit.

After I made the choice to have a positive attitude, early on in that second loop, I acknowledged that the outcome of the race was in God's hands, and I should leave it there and not worry about it.  I felt confident that He would take care of me every moment of the race, if I just gave Him my best effort at each moment. And I really tried to do that, and be mindful of that for the rest of the race.  Every so often, I would catch myself thinking about the miles and hours ahead, but then He would reel me back to the present and I would just ask, "Am I doing my very best right now?"  And I was amazed at how strong I was able to run.  I really think, at least on that 2nd and final loop, that I gave it my best effort at every moment.

I was happy to see the really fast people already in the tent at the finish line -- Jason C, Liza, Brian, Tanya (who kicked butt!), as well as Claudette, Stefan, and Emmett, who had been volunteering.  And I was very happy that -- unlike after the Capt'n Karl's races or Cactus Rose -- I got to go home and sleep in my own bed that night.

I hope that not just in my future runs, but also in everyday life, I can remember what I learned during this race and live in the present moment, not worrying about the future or the past, just giving my best effort right now.
Congratulations to all runners, and thank you to all the volunteers!

Fargo clip -- the quote is around 1:10

Cactus Rose 100 -- Favorite Memories

Although I love reading other runners' race reports, I don't really feel like putting one together for all the world to read.  But I would love to share some of my favorite times from this weekend's Cactus Rose 100M.

In no particular order, these happy times include:

1. Squirting a jet of Mountain Dew right into my eyeball.




2. My amazing pacer, Travis, negotiating with me to get me to eat something.




3. My amazing pacer, Rachel, agreeing with me that I'm bad at peeing.




4. Travis reminding me occasionally that I'd now run farther than I'd ever run before.  (And using the term "run" very loosely and generously.  At that stage, I was mostly power-hiking.)

5. Seeing Emmett out on the course (and Liza!), and running with Chris, Michelle, Jason, Fumi, and Jean for awhile.  It really felt like a Rockhoppers Saturday morning training run at Bandera.

6.  Being helped by Ernest, Asma, Rich, and Jeannie throughout the race at the Equestrian aid station.  Many thanks!

7. Seeing tarantulas, a scorpion, and a fox out on the course.

Photo during the race by Nikki Davis

8. The beautiful sunset.  (It was so overcast in the mornings that the sunrises weren't spectacular.  But both mornings I was happy to get rid of my headlamp.)

9. Hanging out with friends at the finish line.  They took such great care of me (chair! food! warm clothes!), and it was great hearing about their adventures during the race.  I'm so thankful to know such amazing people!

10. Going straight to Sunday Mass with Ernest after the race -- with dirty, sotol-scraped legs, sweat-plastered hair, urine-soaked shorts (see #3), and a pronounced hobble.  The second reading was from St. Paul's 2nd letter to Timothy: "I have competed well; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith."  Way to make me teary-eyed, God!

Overall, my biggest takeaway from this amazing experience -- the hardest thing I've ever done in my life, for sure -- is my total dependence on God. During that 4th loop, every footstep was ridiculously painful, due to huge blisters all over my feet. Every step I was able to take seemed like a small miracle.  As Liza told me once, the pain during an ultra can give us empathy for those who are in constant pain -- and they don't have the option to quit.  I'm thankful I was able to keep the faith and finish the race.

Running together

Running brings people together.  At least that's what I've found.  I've talked in a previous blog post about how running has led me to new friendships; but I also believe that running strengthens my existing friendships and relationships.

For the past week, I've been blessed by a visit from my wonderful parents (you can look for the family resemblance in the photo below).  Lucky for me, they're both runners.  I love being able to go for a run with them -- and especially to travel with one or both of them to destination races. 

Me and my dad before the Minneapolis Half Marathon

Me and my mom before the Walt Disney World 5K

For some reason, when you're running with someone, the walls that typically constrain conversations come tumbling down, and you're able to talk about things you normally wouldn't.  Maybe that's why so many runners' conversations involve descriptions of gastrointestinal problems.  Think about it: if you were talking with a friend in a cafe or grocery store aisle, and the words "bloody nipples," "peeing on the trail," or "inner thigh chafing" came up in the conversation, it would be pretty weird.  But no one will flinch if they come up in a conversation while running. 

And it's not just these cringe-worthy topics that come up while running; some conversations are deep and personal.  Because of this phenomenon, you can get to know someone and become close to them very quickly when you run together.  Being able to run with family members and friends is a blessing, because you can have these conversations and strengthen those bonds in a short time.  That's especially important when you don't see your loved ones in person too frequently.

Even though my parents have flown back home and I won't get to run with them again for a few months now, we'll still talk about runs and keep updating our shared training log online.  So, in a way, running is still bringing us closer together even though we're far apart.  Or, I should really say, God is using running as an instrument to bring us closer together.  And I'm very thankful for that.