Move

Moving

This will be the last post to this site - have my own little web address now:  www.torunlong.com.

Time to Fly?

Call me a sucker for marketing or having a lot of faith in one renowned ultra-runner's opinion of his new shoe sponsor.  To that end I located a pair of Hoka One One shoes at Wasatch Running Center.  Have tried on two sizes and have one that fits well now.

The "science" behind them makes sense although they look a bit (okay a lot) like clown shoes.  Tested them on the treadmill and there is a comfy, bubbly feeling to them that is nice.  What matters most to me is the performance on rocks and trails.  Will have more on this after a nice, long run tomorrow around Mt. Elden.

These are the new rides

 

Rim to Rim to Rim

It has been 2.5 weeks since completing the Grand Canyon R2R2R run (and it took at least 7 of those days to recover).  I have decided our minds are also very good at purging painful experiences (the final 6 mile hike up &out that day).  I just know that while I was hiking back out I kept thinking, "what the hell are we doing" but the next day I was already thinking about doing another R2R2R in the fall.  There are many accounts of the this adventure on the Internet and this is mine.

There are many challenging runs in the Grand Canyon:  Rim to River and back; Rim to Rim; S. Kaibab to phantom ranch to Bright Angel.   Another, the one we chose, was South Rim to North Rim and back in a single day.  This is challenging for a number of reasons... 42 miles in length, limited water, heat, and about 12000 feet gain/loss.  The key points (one way) are listed in this table:

We left Flagstaff at roughly 3:30 a.m. and had a fairly uneventful trip but not without noticing a lot of glowing eyes in the darkness on the road.   I must admit that I take for granted that in 1:15 I can be at the GC - how lucky am I.  I should mention that when I say "we" I mean that I ran this with Scott Bajer - his first run over 26.2 and certainly a tough one.  He recently ran a sub 3:00 marathon in Boston so his fitness could not be questioned :)

We arrived at the South Kaibab trail head a few minutes before 5:00 a.m. and started our descent into the big hole.  The sunlight was just beginning to show and within 15 minutes or so we no longer needed headlamps.   It's difficult to appreciate the steepness of the S. Kaibab trail until you are pounding down.  I was so concerned about thrashing my quads that I tried to focus on forefoot landing the whole way down; however, I realized the next day that while I saved my quads, I thrashed my calves and shins.  Hopefully the pictures below illustrate my point (#1 I try to balance between good downhill pace and runaway train #2 Looking over the edge toward where we are headed - Nice Drop). 

  

Somewhere between two or three miles from the bottom of the canyon we hit the Tonto Trail.  This trail runs parallel to the Colorado River, is quite exposed, and does not have access to amenities along the way.  Would like to try my hand at this self supported run some day.

The descent ends at the Colorado River and we were required to cross the suspension bridge at the bottom to reach Bright Angel Campground and Phantom Ranch.  I did a poor job of keeping track of time but would estimate it took us about 1:10 minutes to reach the river.  

The run breaks up nicely in to roughly three segments:  S. Kaibab Trail head to Bright Angel Campground; B.A. to Cottonwood Campground; CW to N. Kaibab Trail head.  Essentially every area that has access to water.  Outbound (South to North) elevation profile below.

 

 After filling our water at the Bright Angel campground we took off for Cottonwood.  This section (~miles 6.5 to 14) is a long gradual uphill and provides some beautiful views. 

Looking back toward the South Rim                         Had to ask Scott to slow down so I could get in front for pic

Wet winter had streams rushing.  1/8" rope provided us with "support".  The cold water actually felt pretty good on the feet at that time.  We had been running between 13-14 miles. 

The CW campground is a fairly primitive campground and certainly isolated from both the North and South rims.  We hit CW and filled up both our bottles and packs with water.  The water was to be off between CW and the North Kaibab trail head which meant going 16 miles and +/- 6000 feet round trip from CW without a potable water source.  We did some eating and Scott grabbed a picture of the thermometer to compare to the temps on the return trip.



Miles 14-18 are primarily a continued gradual ascent with a bit of steep ground here and there.  A nice treat just prior to the big ascent was Roaring Springs which was flowing mightily.  The enormous green pastures to the sides of the Springs was beautiful.  The rocks were oozing water here as well as from many places on the North Kaibab which will dry up shortly if they haven't already.

The last 4 miles (17-21) were killer (I'll speak only for myself).  The map (to the right) from my Garmin illustrates the sudden increase in grade - the distance between mile markers decreases as the distance was achieved going up rather than ahead.   Scott fared better than I hence his ability to get a bird's eye shot of me just shy of mile 20 on the last of many bridges we'd used to zig-zag over streams and huge crevasses.   



I had heard the mantra, "constant forward motion" from some folks who have more experience running ultra distances.  I understand why after my two "ultra" outings.  I certainly practiced this to the best of my ability on this day.  With about 2 miles to go we hit Coconino overlook which provided a superb view of the canyon we had just traversed.


In the final 2 miles up N. Kaibab, a number of runners coming back down shouted encouragement having just suffered the same hike up.  I must say it kept seeming as though I was darn near the top.  Yet every switchback yielded a switchback in the opposite direction.

I can't say with certainty but my quads were aching terribly already and I have to believe some of this was due to incomplete recovery from ZG50 two weeks prior.  To make matters worse I had no ibuprofen (yes, it was sitting on the counter at home where I'd left it that morning).   and I was running out of water having not made certain the pack was 100% full.  I ultimately decided to fill me bottles with Spring water... if I was to get sick, at least it would be the next day or so before I would feel the effects.  I can report now that the water tasted great and I never became ill.

Scott reached the North Rim trail head (right) before I did and greeted me with great news when I arrived - the water was on a week earlier than advertised.  He also gave me the best advice of the day in response to me saying "How the eff am I going to make it back up the South side..."  "One step at a time" he said.

The view was incredible.  We could see back to Flagstaff and the San Francisco peaks in the town we call home (left).  After a 10-15 minute reprieve and snack break we headed back.

 The return trip was quite enjoyable.  The trip was made better after scoring some Ibuprofen from a couple of NATRA folks who were making the climb to the north trail head.  Regardless, we were essentially running downhill until we hit the Colorado river at the base of the South rim. 

The return trip was fairly uneventful.  A lot of chatter on the steep descent down North Kaibab and all business once the grade lessened and we started running south rather than down.  Scott snapped the picture (right) of the Cottonwood thermometer on the way back.   Quite a bit warmer but we did luck into a good number of clouds on the way back.  I was really looking forward to a stop at the "beach" near Bright Angel campground.

We hit the beach and the water was freezing but exactly what our legs needed.  An ice bath sans ice/  We hung out here for 30-45 minutes and waded, snacked, and mentally regrouped before the 6 mile hike up and out.

The hike up must have taken 2 - 2.5 hours.  My butt was kicked.  I don't think either one of us took many pictures.  Scott took the picture which is one of my favorite canyon pics of all time.

This story is best told with pictures and frankly, thinking about the climb out is tiring.  I do recall a lot of thinking about what sounded good to eat - surprised at some of the odd things that popped to mind.  Anyhow, we made it back and that's what matters.  We reached the South Kaibab trail head at 7:00 PM, a 14-hour round trip.

The highlight of the return home was a stop at a "We Cook Pizza and Pasta"in Tusayan just outside of the park.  Pizza, fries, and real coke for me....Pizza, wings, and real coke for Scott.  A nice reward for hard day of work.  A bed in the parking lot was the only thing missing.

The adventure was well worth the aches and pains.  As I said at the top, the I am becoming more convinced after these long runs that our minds are great at purging the memories of pain.  Perhaps our hunting ancestors developed this ability so there was no loss of motivation necessary to feed the tribe (couldn't resist a tangential reference to the book, Born to Run).

Until next time....


(Some most excellent pics taken by Scott and his new camera!)

Incredible

Just wanted to share this.  Over a 24 hour period, Scott Jurek of the U.S. ran > 165 miles.  For those of you calculating in your head, that is about 8:40 pace for that distance.

Even harder to fathom is that he did this running around a single loop (1.25 km) repeatedly.

STORY Here

Scott's Twitter Page here with video & Pics during the race

Zane Grey 50 - My first 50 mile race

The Zane Grey Highline Trail Race is the most mentally challenging thing I've ever done.  Yes, it was painful, but if one can manage one's mind, the body can be pushed to literal exhaustion.  My time was 13 hours 37 minutes 22 seconds.  Good enough for 50th place of 94 starters and 74 finisher.   There were many times during the run that I swore I would never do anything like this again (details below).  The next day I was Googling "50 mile run" to find another.


The recap:

On the way from Flagstaff to the motel in Strawberry, AZ on Friday, it was snowing.  This was a good thing as it meant we would likely enjoy cool temps on Saturday.  I had heard that a few years previous the temps were hot and forces many people to drop out.  Of course, anything could cause a DNF when you are out on a trail for half the day - dehydration, electrolyte imbalance, fall, off-course, etc.  This video was shot a couple of weeks in advance.  I had a nutrition plan good for 13 hours but which I modified 5 hours into my day.

The Pine Trailhead was packed by the time I arrived at 4:25 Saturday morning.  Those that camp-out the night before get an extra star for roughing it the night before.

Pine to Camp Geronimo (Miles 0 to 8)
The first 8 miles was fairly uneventful.  While the run started in the dark, it only remained so for about 25 minutes.  With a nearly full moon I could have probably run with the light provided by others' headlamps.  I was pleasantly surprised that I had run the wrong starting route for this section the previous weekend.  This ultimately would save me about 10 minutes.  I stuck to the plan of walking the uphills and running the flats and downhills.  Regardless, the first ascent was still challenging.  I had surveyed the course profile and decided that the first two ascents must be the toughest.  One down, one to go.  We had a wet stream crossing just prior to Camp Geronimo.  Having never had to deal with this I was not sure what to expect.  I can say I was very happy with my DryMax socks.  Other than slogging the extra weight along for a while, my feet did not suffer.


Camp Geronimo to Washington Park (Miles 8 to 17)
For some reason I don't recall much about this section.  I do know at the time I was motivated "knowing" this was the second of the two big climbs I had identified and I felt good.  The brush on this section was overgrown and left me somewhat tattooed given the thorns on these things.  So either my mind is intentionally purging something or this really was an uneventful leg of the race for me.

Washington Park to Hell's Gate Canyon (Miles 17 to 25 23)

Video: Leaving the Aid Station

This section of the course featured very overgrown trail (see video link above) which made for challenging running (could not see footing) and opportunities to get off trail.  I must say, the trail was marked very well.  Yellow surveyor's tape was well placed but still easy to miss when you are staring at rocks on the ground rather than looking up.  And there were two times during this section where I was off course along with the rest of the pack I was following right over the cliff.  Easy to do and a good lesson learned. 

I had been using a Nathan pack to hold both essentials (gels, band-aids) and non-essentials (camera, phone, TP).  At this point, I no longer cared to take pictures.  The novelty had worn off and the course was kicking my butt.  I dumped everything except my phone and two gels in an effort to lighten the load.  I had wondered why in this day there were so few videos and pictures on the Internet from past participants.  Guess I had my answer.

I am usually also glued to my Garmin for HR and mileage tracking.  Today I chose to use the Garmin so that I could check it out later but did not rely on it for anything other than to gauge pace periodically.  I was well in the aerobic zone most of the day - the only exception being at the race start where adrenalin is not real conducive to a low heart rate.  The reason I mention the use of the GPS watch was that what was supposed to be the Mile 25 aid station ended up being Mile 23.  Only I didn't realize it until I was leaving and someone said "10 miles to the next station!"

Hell's Gate Canyon to Fish Hatchery (Miles 23 - 33)

I knew I was in bad shape when I heard the that I was leaving the Mile 23 station - I had been drinking 40 oz of water with Perpetuem/hour and knew that on this course the extra 2 miles without water could put me in a bad place given that I often ran out of water before the previous stations.  I also believe I was overdoing the salt intake the first 4-5 hours and was making myself thirstier.  I cut the salt tabs and drank only my Perpetuem.  After the race I realized I was ingesting about 500-600 mg/hour for the first 5 hours.  Given the low temps I don't think this was necessary.  My fear of cramping up or hyponatremia resulted in a bit of overcompensation.

Fortunately for this portion of the course there was a group of three people 1/10th of a mile ahead of me and "voices" periodically behind me.  The pulling and pushing kept me moving but as predicted I was running out of water.  Out of nowhere a guy I had passed at 5 miles earlier comes trekking by me... "You okay?"  "Not bad but running out of water".   He says "stick with me, we'll get some stream water - I have purification tabs."  Problem was, I was already starting to drag and I couldn't "stick with him."  He was gone.  About a mile later, I lucked out... really lucked out.  With about 4 miles to go in the section I arrived at an emergency water station on the course - this oasis was not in the ZG50 race guide (I assume so that people do not rely on this for water).  I sincerely believe that I would have been S-O-L had this not been available.

I eventually arrived at the Fish Hatchery aid station to the sound of cow bells and cheers.  Man that sounded good.  I haven't mentioned yet but the organization of this event and the volunteers on the course and aid stations were amazing.  From the minute I arrived at a station to the time I left I was being helped, fed, watered, and otherwise checked on.  It is amazing how much those simple tasks alleviate brain strain when you are becoming fatigued.  I had stashed an extra water bottle for what was advertised as the longest section and I dropped my pack which felt so heavy now.  Three bottles of straight water and gels were all I took with me.  I continued to avoid salt tabs as I was concerned I had overdone it and really wanted to prove to myself I was getting enough water... it had been 8 hours and I hadn't "gone" even though I was pounding water on a cool day.

Fish Hatchery to See Canyon (Miles 33 to 44)

This section started off with a water crossing and another uphill.  I had now learned that the wonderful downhills to each aid station located on a forest service road was accompanied by an uphill climb (see picture below) after leaving the aid station.  And while I thought I had eyeballed the hardest sections of the course via the elevation profile, I was wrong.

This section nearly did me in.  At about the 36 mile point (judging from that same elevation profile below), you are challenged with what seems to be a 45-60 degree climb.  For the first time I really had started to tell myself, "44 miles is not bad.  This is insane, this was the wrong course to run for your first 50.  You've only been training again for 10 weeks.  Just get through this section and to the next station and call the family for an early pick up."

Doubt.  It sucks but it was owning my mind.  I cannot recall a time recently where I was in such a bad state of mind.  I was alone, no voices, no sounds except those in my head and of my panting.  It seemed as if when I wasn't on a steep uphill pitch, I was climbing over a downed tree or on a downhill point that was too steep and rocky to run.  And by the way, the downhills were hurting just as bad as the uphill climbs.

At some point, thinking it was near mile 40, life turned good again just as quickly as it had turned bad 4 miles earlier.  I had hit a nice steady downhill grade, the GU chomps were sitting well in my stomach, and I had seen a sign that said on the ground that led me to believe I was getting close to the next aid station.  It was, of course, wrong but the false optimism drove me through next 4 miles.  The crazy thing was that I was realizing that I was looking forward to the running sections as a means to recover from the uphill walking sections.  Never would have imagined that at this point the running would feel better than the uphill walking.

See Canyon to Finish (Miles 44 to 50)

At the Mile 44 aid station I was good.  I knew I was going to finish barring a broken bone, concussion, or wild animal attack :) . I probably spent more time than needed at the aid station but I was enjoying the chatter and human interaction.  Miles 33-44 had been quite lonely.

A hundred yards after leaving the aid station we had a final water crossing.  Remember the guy I mentioned passed me between 23 and 33?  He ended up badly dehydrated and ultimately had to take some time to recuperate and was now standing on the creek bank with me – ended up that we spent the final leg of the race together.  I must say this made the final 6 (okay, realistically I think closer to 7) miles somewhat enjoyable.  Thanks, Jeff!  Some accountability to get this thing done and push through. 

After a couple of miles of climbing back up to the ridge, we were able to run quite a bit.  The sun was due west and the temps were cooling.  When I finally reached the finish, I was greeted by my wonderful, supportive (patient) family – Suzette, Nathaniel, and Nicholas.  What a sight for sore eyes and legs.  I’ll say it again, the most mentally challenging thing I've ever done.

Video:  Finish Line

Lessons Learned:

1)  Gotta spend more time hiking uphill.  My walking legs were shot but running legs felt good.  Different muscles used and I need to develop both.

2) Listen to my body - I think the decision to stop the salt tabs and perpetuem even though it was in my plan was what I needed.  I need more water than previously planned and the calories I had about right (250/hour).

3) Don't listen to my mind - At least when in a bad place.  Keep moving as long as physically able regardless.  A good quote I heard recently, "Know your limits and then ignore them."

4) Hard work pays off.  I've stuck to my training plan fairly well and am seeing good results in a short time.  I have no doubt, if I can convince myself to do this race next year, that I will be in shape to pull a sub 12 hour time.

5) You can never be too light.  I battle weight all the time and think I must find a way to lose and keep off about 10 pounds.  That is like carrying a little more than a gallon of water around for 13+ hours.

6) Calf sleeves (compression) work.  Not a twinge of pain.

7)  Be thankful that I can do this type of thing and don't take it for granted.  I have no desire to ease in to old age.  In 30 years I want to be sore and worn out, knowing I used this body for all it's worth.

Race Prep compliments of The Office

One of my favorite Office episodes involves a fun run to raise money for the rabbid.  Some great running advice included:

Running for a Cause is great motivation


Carb Loading 5 minutes pre-race


Proper Precautions and Attire




And of course, race strategy