rosceaux
Well-Known Member
Your friend is a maniac.
I only have two unopened pairs.... and two active pairs in the road rotation, three active pairs in the trail rotation
Losing a summer and tossing out a fall.
- Thread starter Santapez
- Start date
Your friend is a maniac.
I only have two unopened pairs.... and two active pairs in the road rotation, three active pairs in the trail rotation
rosceaux
Well-Known Member
I had to order the racers from Altra and return until I found my size. Size 9 mens shoes were a little too loose on me, so I went with size 10.5 women's. Perfect.
Mahnken
Well-Known Member
I had to search my house for the escalante's. I was starting to think my wife must have donated them, but I eventually found them in a box out in the garage. Where in Jersey are you?
Morristown. Don't sweat it if you can't find them.
Mahnken
Well-Known Member
I found them. I'll let you know next time I'm planning on heading up that way. Probably sometime in the next few weeks.
You rock.
I typed out a huge update that I would picture @Norm reading with a dim table light and reading glasses at the end of his nose. But alas a browser restart and it's all gone.
14 months since the last update. Lots of life changes that completely upset my plans.
2022 completely got knocked around. While the first half of the year went as planned with a trip to Ray's, Kingdom Trails. Did a bunch of random trail races, with some disappointing results later in the year.
2nd half of the year we were informed by our landlord he was selling the unit we were renting. We were half-assed looking for a house in NJ without luck and realized this was the perfect time for us to just move out of NJ. Looking back this was probably the most stressful part of my life but we somehow landed a house in Brevard, NC which seemed like the unobtainable dream.
If anyone has biked down here before, we're down the street from the bike path that goes into Pisgah & into town. 15 minutes to Dupont. Life here is way different.
So with us realizing we were moving and such I stopped training for the November Marathon in Richmond and moved it to 2023. Instead all that time went into packing/cleaning/moving/trips to NC to look at apartments, look at houses, close on a house, etc etc. I did virtually nothing running/biking from September until December.
So since the beginning of the year I've been way more consistent with riding and running. Running for whatever reason has not been easy for me this year and I'd love to blame the elevation but that ain't it.
I don't think I have any plans to race a bike anytime soon. Most of the races here seem annoying epic and it's just too easy to go do a great ride, why bother paying for a race?
So far in 2023:
January/February - Mostly exploring here. Trails were pretty wet so lots of gravel, shorter/easier runs. Few easier trainer rides. Insane amount of house work.
February - 20ish mile race w/ @seanrunnette at South Mountain while in NJ. Was a slop fest but was nice to get out.
March - Weather got good. Hit Pisgah/Dupont/Townie trails more. Starting finding running loops in Pisgah. Got in some of the more popular hikes.
April - Did a race in nearby Hendersonville with an interesting format. They roll dice 10 seconds before the race start to see how many laps of the XC trail course you need to run. They rolled a 7 so 11.5 miles. Wasn't my best performance whatsoever and everybody there looked like actual runners. Felt very imposter.
Plans:
Overall keep up the running & biking in a consistent manner. Move into marathon training after June.
May - No races planned but have biking buddings staying with us for almost a week. So my legs will be fried by the middle of the month.
June - Yearly July trip to Vermont is in the plans so we'll be travelling up to NJ at some point later in the month. Then head to VT.
July - Start the month with a week in VT then make our way back to NC. Start Marathon training plan.
August - Continue marathon training.
September - Continue marathon training. Likely 8.5mile trail running race at Dupont.
October - Somehow scored the Phantom Ranch cabins at the bottom of the Grand Canyon. Again. So that's the highlight of the month. Very much want to run the canyon but not sure that makes sense.
November - Richmond Marathon. No other plans.
December - Hopefully able to walk.
As I've been going for consistency and the long-term goal of a Marathon in November, currently weekly schedule has been:
Saturday/Sunday - Mostly bike rides. Sometimes longer run or hike depending on weather. (It rains here more than Seattle)
Monday - Group MTB ride.
Tuesday - Running workout. Easing into the earlier workouts from marathon training program. Mostly trying to add in a little intensity.
Wednesday - Easy bike ride unless I move Tuesday to Wednesday to deal with fatigue.
Thursday - Run club. It's more drinking than running. Not necessarily a bad thing.
Friday - For whatever reason this always seems to end up a rest day as the work week catches up to me.
Once I leave Kingdom/Vermont in July the above schedule will move way more towards running than biking, but leaving biking in for the Mondays and weekend rides with other people. I'd love to jump in on some more trail races to work on nutrition & pacing but many of the races here are on dates that don't work out or I'm debating if I want to drive far for some.
That's my update! Way shorter than what I originally typed but still probably too detailed.
TLDR:
-We moved out of NJ
-2nd half the year plans got thrown out the window.
-Basically moved a lot of 2022 plans to 2023...
14 months since the last update. Lots of life changes that completely upset my plans.
2022 completely got knocked around. While the first half of the year went as planned with a trip to Ray's, Kingdom Trails. Did a bunch of random trail races, with some disappointing results later in the year.
2nd half of the year we were informed by our landlord he was selling the unit we were renting. We were half-assed looking for a house in NJ without luck and realized this was the perfect time for us to just move out of NJ. Looking back this was probably the most stressful part of my life but we somehow landed a house in Brevard, NC which seemed like the unobtainable dream.
If anyone has biked down here before, we're down the street from the bike path that goes into Pisgah & into town. 15 minutes to Dupont. Life here is way different.
So with us realizing we were moving and such I stopped training for the November Marathon in Richmond and moved it to 2023. Instead all that time went into packing/cleaning/moving/trips to NC to look at apartments, look at houses, close on a house, etc etc. I did virtually nothing running/biking from September until December.
So since the beginning of the year I've been way more consistent with riding and running. Running for whatever reason has not been easy for me this year and I'd love to blame the elevation but that ain't it.
I don't think I have any plans to race a bike anytime soon. Most of the races here seem annoying epic and it's just too easy to go do a great ride, why bother paying for a race?
So far in 2023:
January/February - Mostly exploring here. Trails were pretty wet so lots of gravel, shorter/easier runs. Few easier trainer rides. Insane amount of house work.
February - 20ish mile race w/ @seanrunnette at South Mountain while in NJ. Was a slop fest but was nice to get out.
March - Weather got good. Hit Pisgah/Dupont/Townie trails more. Starting finding running loops in Pisgah. Got in some of the more popular hikes.
April - Did a race in nearby Hendersonville with an interesting format. They roll dice 10 seconds before the race start to see how many laps of the XC trail course you need to run. They rolled a 7 so 11.5 miles. Wasn't my best performance whatsoever and everybody there looked like actual runners. Felt very imposter.
Plans:
Overall keep up the running & biking in a consistent manner. Move into marathon training after June.
May - No races planned but have biking buddings staying with us for almost a week. So my legs will be fried by the middle of the month.
June - Yearly July trip to Vermont is in the plans so we'll be travelling up to NJ at some point later in the month. Then head to VT.
July - Start the month with a week in VT then make our way back to NC. Start Marathon training plan.
August - Continue marathon training.
September - Continue marathon training. Likely 8.5mile trail running race at Dupont.
October - Somehow scored the Phantom Ranch cabins at the bottom of the Grand Canyon. Again. So that's the highlight of the month. Very much want to run the canyon but not sure that makes sense.
November - Richmond Marathon. No other plans.
December - Hopefully able to walk.
As I've been going for consistency and the long-term goal of a Marathon in November, currently weekly schedule has been:
Saturday/Sunday - Mostly bike rides. Sometimes longer run or hike depending on weather. (It rains here more than Seattle)
Monday - Group MTB ride.
Tuesday - Running workout. Easing into the earlier workouts from marathon training program. Mostly trying to add in a little intensity.
Wednesday - Easy bike ride unless I move Tuesday to Wednesday to deal with fatigue.
Thursday - Run club. It's more drinking than running. Not necessarily a bad thing.
Friday - For whatever reason this always seems to end up a rest day as the work week catches up to me.
Once I leave Kingdom/Vermont in July the above schedule will move way more towards running than biking, but leaving biking in for the Mondays and weekend rides with other people. I'd love to jump in on some more trail races to work on nutrition & pacing but many of the races here are on dates that don't work out or I'm debating if I want to drive far for some.
That's my update! Way shorter than what I originally typed but still probably too detailed.
TLDR:
-We moved out of NJ
-2nd half the year plans got thrown out the window.
-Basically moved a lot of 2022 plans to 2023...
i promise to post up a "she said" update soon
Financially it's a harder hit than the house. I try to forget about it sometimes...
Embrace the vinyl.
It is the way.
Now is a good time as any. Just updating my prior plans from earlier in the year. Interesting to see where my plan and reality deviate. Still have the marathon as the "big" thing on my calendar.
May - No races planned but have biking buddings staying with us for almost a week. So my legs will be fried by the middle of the month.
Legs were in fact not fried. May is when fitness started returning.
June - Yearly July trip to Vermont is in the plans so we'll be travelling up to NJ at some point later in the month. Then head to VT.
Week in NJ nearly killed me.
July - Start the month with a week in VT then make our way back to NC. Start Marathon training plan.
Staying w/ Parent's, going to the office, etc quite hectic plus it was hot. Then VT killed me with the heat. Had a great time but the heat did me in a bit. I didn't feel as fresh as the prior year by a long shot.
August - Continue marathon training.
Mixing running w/ biking and trying to find the right balance.
Did a low-key 5k in town that I took a wrong turn and it ended up being 3.66 miles. Turns out I won my age group. So then did another 5k in Highlands, NC the next week where I did a little better. So definitely finding some fitness with the consistency.
------------------------------
September - Continue marathon training. Likely 8.5mile trail running race at Dupont.
Registered for the trail race. Which is annoying as there's a huge event fundraiser now for my local town trails.
Month overall seems quite busy with a bunch of people visiting from different places. Probably taking a week off running so I can hike with one group and bike with another.
October - Somehow scored the Phantom Ranch cabins at the bottom of the Grand Canyon. Again. So that's the highlight of the month. Very much want to run the canyon but not sure that makes sense.
Grand Canyon trip still there. Just not sure what my plan there is, I still have high hopes of running the from the south to north rim.
More people visiting, more biking instead of running.
November - Richmond Marathon. No other plans.
Other plans currently:
-If I can walk the week after the marathon, planning on volunteering at the local trail race that's mind boggling crazy.
-Discussed today about possibly visiting NJ for Thanksgiving week so I can show up at work to keep my claim on my office, ride on Thanksgiving and see family.
December - Hopefully able to walk.
Sky is the limit! I'd love to fill in some trail races but nothing local here.
In general where I am:
-Definitely not putting in a full marathon running plan that may come back to bite me massively come November. But in reality it's not something I'm extremely excited about at the moment and last thing I want is to give up having fun.
-I have been more consistent with running/biking. Right now basically sticking with 6 days a week, 3 days of running, 3 days of biking. Moved my rest day from Friday to Tuesday. The fact that I'm able to ride to great trails, or at the most a 15 minute calm ride to great trails really helps. I often will either run into Pisgah from home or now that it's hot out just drive over to the parking lot near the shaded entrance.
-Cyclocross is not huge here but there's a mini weekday series on Tuesdays I'm going to probably jump into. The closest weekend cyclocross race to my house is the nearby UCI 2-day event which is just way more than I'm interested in. Most of the other racing is up near Asheville and one thing I don't miss is cyclocross sucking up an entire day/weekend for a 40 minute race.
Saturday/Sunday - Been mixing riding w/ running. Since it's been so hot been doing the trails for the running portion mostly.
Monday - Group MTB ride.
Tuesday - Been trying to make this my rest day, moving track workout day around as needed or incorporating it into another run.
Wednesday - Started running with a new pub run club and may stick with it. They only run 5 miles so I'm running to their run and then running home.
Thursday - Run club at a different brewery. It's more drinking than running. Not necessarily a bad thing but I need to get my miles in on the way there.
Friday - Has now become another running/biking day.
May - No races planned but have biking buddings staying with us for almost a week. So my legs will be fried by the middle of the month.
Legs were in fact not fried. May is when fitness started returning.
June - Yearly July trip to Vermont is in the plans so we'll be travelling up to NJ at some point later in the month. Then head to VT.
Week in NJ nearly killed me.
July - Start the month with a week in VT then make our way back to NC. Start Marathon training plan.
Staying w/ Parent's, going to the office, etc quite hectic plus it was hot. Then VT killed me with the heat. Had a great time but the heat did me in a bit. I didn't feel as fresh as the prior year by a long shot.
August - Continue marathon training.
Mixing running w/ biking and trying to find the right balance.
Did a low-key 5k in town that I took a wrong turn and it ended up being 3.66 miles. Turns out I won my age group. So then did another 5k in Highlands, NC the next week where I did a little better. So definitely finding some fitness with the consistency.
------------------------------
September - Continue marathon training. Likely 8.5mile trail running race at Dupont.
Registered for the trail race. Which is annoying as there's a huge event fundraiser now for my local town trails.
Month overall seems quite busy with a bunch of people visiting from different places. Probably taking a week off running so I can hike with one group and bike with another.
October - Somehow scored the Phantom Ranch cabins at the bottom of the Grand Canyon. Again. So that's the highlight of the month. Very much want to run the canyon but not sure that makes sense.
Grand Canyon trip still there. Just not sure what my plan there is, I still have high hopes of running the from the south to north rim.
More people visiting, more biking instead of running.
November - Richmond Marathon. No other plans.
Other plans currently:
-If I can walk the week after the marathon, planning on volunteering at the local trail race that's mind boggling crazy.
-Discussed today about possibly visiting NJ for Thanksgiving week so I can show up at work to keep my claim on my office, ride on Thanksgiving and see family.
December - Hopefully able to walk.
Sky is the limit! I'd love to fill in some trail races but nothing local here.
In general where I am:
-Definitely not putting in a full marathon running plan that may come back to bite me massively come November. But in reality it's not something I'm extremely excited about at the moment and last thing I want is to give up having fun.
-I have been more consistent with running/biking. Right now basically sticking with 6 days a week, 3 days of running, 3 days of biking. Moved my rest day from Friday to Tuesday. The fact that I'm able to ride to great trails, or at the most a 15 minute calm ride to great trails really helps. I often will either run into Pisgah from home or now that it's hot out just drive over to the parking lot near the shaded entrance.
-Cyclocross is not huge here but there's a mini weekday series on Tuesdays I'm going to probably jump into. The closest weekend cyclocross race to my house is the nearby UCI 2-day event which is just way more than I'm interested in. Most of the other racing is up near Asheville and one thing I don't miss is cyclocross sucking up an entire day/weekend for a 40 minute race.
Saturday/Sunday - Been mixing riding w/ running. Since it's been so hot been doing the trails for the running portion mostly.
Monday - Group MTB ride.
Tuesday - Been trying to make this my rest day, moving track workout day around as needed or incorporating it into another run.
Wednesday - Started running with a new pub run club and may stick with it. They only run 5 miles so I'm running to their run and then running home.
Thursday - Run club at a different brewery. It's more drinking than running. Not necessarily a bad thing but I need to get my miles in on the way there.
Friday - Has now become another running/biking day.
4hr! No joke if I can do under that and not hurt myself I'll be happy.
I was taking it easy last time and was going to be way under 4hr when my foot broke at mile 25. Walked in just past 4 hours on the clock. In fact Strava says my fastest marathon time, no joke 3:59:59.
I may aim for something faster as I get closer, all depends how I'm settling in with fitness, injuries or hopefully lack their of, etc. 3:45 may be realistic but mentally I'm now interested in the trail race 2 weeks after...
I would rather be healthy then push a fast time race I'm not totally bought into.
my toe nail decided to go "up" around mile 18 - on way to 3:4x:xx - managed 3:59:xx !!!
go get it!
Slight Updates since I'm internally on Arizona Time.
Somewhere in Mid-October I realized I have a Marathon to run at the beginning of November and have been putting in nowhere near the required mileage. It's my fault as I was sticking to 3 days of Running, 3 days of Biking a week and should have transitioned to more running. But fuck it the weather has been excellent for riding and less so for road running.
Two weeks ago I had only 46 miles of running, before that averaging around 25, way too low and without much speed work. Also the road running here is a bit lacking and hard to get in longer runs that don't feel like I'm on a treadmill. If they get more interesting they also get lots of elevation which doesn't make easy runs easy.
So basically I'm a month away from a Marathon. Schedule has 50+ mile weeks for the next 3 weeks and I'd be an idiot if I follow that plan. My interest currently in running a marathon right now is nil. Elmo Shrug.
October Grand Canyon:
Went better than I thought. Got in a Rim-to-Rim-to-Rim during the 3 days along with all the other hikes & runs. I've gone down past the rim 3 times now and have done it differently each time and it keeps getting better. If I lived in AZ I'd do it way more often. It is never short of amazing and the only downside is the time constraint and not being able to fully soak it all in.
Overall I went 55+ miles in the 3 days with god knows what actual elevation. The GC R2R2R route that I did is about 42 miles and 11,000 feet of elevation gain and elevation loss. So it was that with about 13 extra miles.
Day 1:
Hiked down via South Kaibab on the first bus. First time we did this was in a snow storm in March and we were the only ones on the bus. Second time it was 6 or 8 other people on the bus. This time the bus was completely full, mostly runners. Turns out the people down at the Phantom Ranch call it "Runner Saturday" as all the ultrarunners are showing up on Saturdays to do the R2R2R in a day and Phantom Ranch and other stops are packed.
After the hike we tried an "alternative" hike that was off trail. Hour and a Half to go 1.1 miles up to the Utah Flats and 1.1 mile down. Trail was impossible to find, completely exposed, extremely loose rock. Decided to turn around at the top even though it was a one-way up trail as I was seriously concerned about death and not joking about that. @MissJR had pretty cut up hands from sliding around on the steep shale on the way back. At one point I completely slipped out my hand/arm went into a cactus squashing it and getting at least 500 1/4" needles in my arm and palm. Would not recommend.
After chilling out with resting R2R2R runners and other hikers while sitting there with tweezers taking out the needles I was getting quite antsy. Went for a short run across the black bridge, along the river and back along the silver bridge. Dinner at the Phantom Ranch where they opened up the inside seating.
Day 2:
Previously we went to Ribbon Falls from Phantom Ranch which is a 12 mile round trip. This time we decided to go all the way to Manzanita rest area which is at the base of the Northern Rim. Mostly flat, not crazy elevation but roughly 17 miles and 2k elevation up and down.
Well, once I hit Manzanita I wanted to go up to the Northern Rim. Joy gave me the go ahead. Leave at 10am and back by 2pm. We traded food so I'd have better food options and I headed up with the plan to turn around wherever I got to at 12pm. Around 11:55 I realized I was going to go past that 12pm internal deadline of turning back as I was so close to the top. Last mile was a bitch as it was pretty steep and I was pretty tired by that point with the pace I was pushing plus all the heat/sun. Got to the top which is pretty unexciting. No race girls with flowers, ribbon to run across, spectators or anything.
Threw peanut butter and honey on a bagel and texted Joy I was at the top in case I died after that. Asked a lady if there was any bathrooms and she pointed across the parking lot about 200 feet away and said "Yeah, it's uphill" with the slightest incline. Laughed how there was no way I was going to go up any higher or further. Tossed my trash with all my other trash in the garbage and headed down the trail eating my bagel as I was behind on time.
After a pee break and finishing the bagel four R2R2R ultra runners caught up to me after the steeper section at the top. Hopped on with them and ran down the last few miles and saw Joy at 2:02PM. So I was late but not much. Hiked back in what was pretty miserable heat/sun in the section of the canyon called "The Box" as it's famous for being hot as the day goes on and the rocks are heat soaked and it's all sun exposed. Made it back with enough time to shower and catch the 6:30pm dinner we had scheduled.
Day 3:
Breakfast then hike out of the Canyon. 3rd time doing this so no real surprised. Wasn't easy, wasn't hard. With the exception of a handful of runners at the beginning of the day we didn't have a single person pass us on the way up. Steady but well paced climb with the second half having the mule train behind us coming up as a good incentive to keep moving quickly.
Two stops on the way up. One was a short walk to the Colorado River because how can we not? The second was Plateau Point which is only 3 mile excursion that has the best view in the Canyon.
Observations while doing the above:
There was two groups of people doing an ADA/Accessible electric motorized bicycle/trike ride from the South Rim to the North Rim. A male and a female group, each had two able bodied persons assisting and a disabled person riding the bike. I think the whole point was to prove it can be done, but I think they just proved it can't be done. I ran into them on the North Rim and it was a disaster for both groups.
Tons of people running the whole R2R2R run in a day. A few people were hurting out there but the worst people who were regretting their choices and thinking they were going to die out there were the unprepared families in jeans and regular sneakers or shitty boots a mile from the top.
The runners doing the whole R2R2R in a day are really missing out on all the beauty. While running down from the North Rim it was apparent to me how much I was missing. If I was able to go slower I'd have seen so much more as I did on the way up.
I grabbed a pair of trail running shoes on the way out there door I had set aside. Got into the taxi to the airport, got out and was instantly in pain with my right foot. No idea WTF was going on but the arch in my right shoe was killing my foot. Was incredibly hard to walk without pain. In Flagstaff I went to REI and tried on some other shoes and bought the newer version of the shoes. Still didn't feel right but I didn't know what options I had. Obviously doing a hike like this with a new pair of unknown shoes isn't ideal. Turns out I had almost no issues.
We thought this would be the last time there, but while there were planning out how we'd do it next time.
Physical Repercussions of the above:
My feet were extremely tender at the end of Day 2, and after 2/3 of the climb on Day 3 were much worse. I wasn't overly concerned but it wasn't great. Once we got to the top once I hit the pavement everything hurt. Ended up probably doing about 6 miles of walking around the park to get our car, checked into new hotel room, etc. Completely forgot that in prior years we used the shuttle...
The day after returning to the top I was 80%. Day we left I felt perfectly fine, no issues. Went for a run today where I felt stiff but not feeling anything from the Canyon hiking.
What's next:
Joy can attest to me looking at flights to go to a 50 mile ultra in March at Horseshoe Bend that goes through the slot canyons there... I think it's feasible...
Somewhere in Mid-October I realized I have a Marathon to run at the beginning of November and have been putting in nowhere near the required mileage. It's my fault as I was sticking to 3 days of Running, 3 days of Biking a week and should have transitioned to more running. But fuck it the weather has been excellent for riding and less so for road running.
Two weeks ago I had only 46 miles of running, before that averaging around 25, way too low and without much speed work. Also the road running here is a bit lacking and hard to get in longer runs that don't feel like I'm on a treadmill. If they get more interesting they also get lots of elevation which doesn't make easy runs easy.
So basically I'm a month away from a Marathon. Schedule has 50+ mile weeks for the next 3 weeks and I'd be an idiot if I follow that plan. My interest currently in running a marathon right now is nil. Elmo Shrug.
October Grand Canyon:
Went better than I thought. Got in a Rim-to-Rim-to-Rim during the 3 days along with all the other hikes & runs. I've gone down past the rim 3 times now and have done it differently each time and it keeps getting better. If I lived in AZ I'd do it way more often. It is never short of amazing and the only downside is the time constraint and not being able to fully soak it all in.
Overall I went 55+ miles in the 3 days with god knows what actual elevation. The GC R2R2R route that I did is about 42 miles and 11,000 feet of elevation gain and elevation loss. So it was that with about 13 extra miles.
Day 1:
Hiked down via South Kaibab on the first bus. First time we did this was in a snow storm in March and we were the only ones on the bus. Second time it was 6 or 8 other people on the bus. This time the bus was completely full, mostly runners. Turns out the people down at the Phantom Ranch call it "Runner Saturday" as all the ultrarunners are showing up on Saturdays to do the R2R2R in a day and Phantom Ranch and other stops are packed.
After the hike we tried an "alternative" hike that was off trail. Hour and a Half to go 1.1 miles up to the Utah Flats and 1.1 mile down. Trail was impossible to find, completely exposed, extremely loose rock. Decided to turn around at the top even though it was a one-way up trail as I was seriously concerned about death and not joking about that. @MissJR had pretty cut up hands from sliding around on the steep shale on the way back. At one point I completely slipped out my hand/arm went into a cactus squashing it and getting at least 500 1/4" needles in my arm and palm. Would not recommend.
After chilling out with resting R2R2R runners and other hikers while sitting there with tweezers taking out the needles I was getting quite antsy. Went for a short run across the black bridge, along the river and back along the silver bridge. Dinner at the Phantom Ranch where they opened up the inside seating.
Day 2:
Previously we went to Ribbon Falls from Phantom Ranch which is a 12 mile round trip. This time we decided to go all the way to Manzanita rest area which is at the base of the Northern Rim. Mostly flat, not crazy elevation but roughly 17 miles and 2k elevation up and down.
Well, once I hit Manzanita I wanted to go up to the Northern Rim. Joy gave me the go ahead. Leave at 10am and back by 2pm. We traded food so I'd have better food options and I headed up with the plan to turn around wherever I got to at 12pm. Around 11:55 I realized I was going to go past that 12pm internal deadline of turning back as I was so close to the top. Last mile was a bitch as it was pretty steep and I was pretty tired by that point with the pace I was pushing plus all the heat/sun. Got to the top which is pretty unexciting. No race girls with flowers, ribbon to run across, spectators or anything.
Threw peanut butter and honey on a bagel and texted Joy I was at the top in case I died after that. Asked a lady if there was any bathrooms and she pointed across the parking lot about 200 feet away and said "Yeah, it's uphill" with the slightest incline. Laughed how there was no way I was going to go up any higher or further. Tossed my trash with all my other trash in the garbage and headed down the trail eating my bagel as I was behind on time.
After a pee break and finishing the bagel four R2R2R ultra runners caught up to me after the steeper section at the top. Hopped on with them and ran down the last few miles and saw Joy at 2:02PM. So I was late but not much. Hiked back in what was pretty miserable heat/sun in the section of the canyon called "The Box" as it's famous for being hot as the day goes on and the rocks are heat soaked and it's all sun exposed. Made it back with enough time to shower and catch the 6:30pm dinner we had scheduled.
Day 3:
Breakfast then hike out of the Canyon. 3rd time doing this so no real surprised. Wasn't easy, wasn't hard. With the exception of a handful of runners at the beginning of the day we didn't have a single person pass us on the way up. Steady but well paced climb with the second half having the mule train behind us coming up as a good incentive to keep moving quickly.
Two stops on the way up. One was a short walk to the Colorado River because how can we not? The second was Plateau Point which is only 3 mile excursion that has the best view in the Canyon.
Observations while doing the above:
There was two groups of people doing an ADA/Accessible electric motorized bicycle/trike ride from the South Rim to the North Rim. A male and a female group, each had two able bodied persons assisting and a disabled person riding the bike. I think the whole point was to prove it can be done, but I think they just proved it can't be done. I ran into them on the North Rim and it was a disaster for both groups.
Tons of people running the whole R2R2R run in a day. A few people were hurting out there but the worst people who were regretting their choices and thinking they were going to die out there were the unprepared families in jeans and regular sneakers or shitty boots a mile from the top.
The runners doing the whole R2R2R in a day are really missing out on all the beauty. While running down from the North Rim it was apparent to me how much I was missing. If I was able to go slower I'd have seen so much more as I did on the way up.
I grabbed a pair of trail running shoes on the way out there door I had set aside. Got into the taxi to the airport, got out and was instantly in pain with my right foot. No idea WTF was going on but the arch in my right shoe was killing my foot. Was incredibly hard to walk without pain. In Flagstaff I went to REI and tried on some other shoes and bought the newer version of the shoes. Still didn't feel right but I didn't know what options I had. Obviously doing a hike like this with a new pair of unknown shoes isn't ideal. Turns out I had almost no issues.
We thought this would be the last time there, but while there were planning out how we'd do it next time.
Physical Repercussions of the above:
My feet were extremely tender at the end of Day 2, and after 2/3 of the climb on Day 3 were much worse. I wasn't overly concerned but it wasn't great. Once we got to the top once I hit the pavement everything hurt. Ended up probably doing about 6 miles of walking around the park to get our car, checked into new hotel room, etc. Completely forgot that in prior years we used the shuttle...
The day after returning to the top I was 80%. Day we left I felt perfectly fine, no issues. Went for a run today where I felt stiff but not feeling anything from the Canyon hiking.
What's next:
Joy can attest to me looking at flights to go to a 50 mile ultra in March at Horseshoe Bend that goes through the slot canyons there... I think it's feasible...