Old Man Still running

12 hours of sleep did wonders.  I did fall asleep listening to the World Series on the radio and ended up dreaming about baseball all night.   With 24 hours passed since my JJ100 finish, I can check for any damage. Muscles came out OK.  I can go downstairs without grabbing the rail.  Just a little quad soreness.  I noticed a bruised left heel.  No blisters.   Some soreness in the knees and hips, but that is normal.   Looks like I will recover very fast.

Well, the racing season is over for me.   It has been a good year.   I set PRs at these distances: 5K, 10K, marathon, and 100-mile. I broke course PRs at these 100s: Tahoe Rim, Wasatch, Bear, and Pony Express.    Seven 100-mile finishes for 29 career finishes.

I had very restless sleep last night with strange running dreams out on the Javelina course.  I published my race report and I guess included too many of my grouchy feelings that I kept to myself during the race.  Some runner I've never personally met from Idaho sent me a blasting email this morning.  He wasn't at the race but blasted me, telling me I should have got 1st place for rudeness that I discourage other runners, and am rude to pacers, volunteers, and other runners.  Wow, that was strange.  Despite all my grouchy internal feelings during those tough hours, I never said a rude thing to anyone, (unless you count the "shhh...I'm resting" when a runner wouldn't be quiet as I was trying to take a quick nap.)   Well, a good lesson.  You never know what people think when they read your stuff.   I don't like to sugar-coat my race reports.  I tell it as it happened and try to learn from it.  

I do constantly worry about being grouchy to my pacers.  I think I appologized ten times Saturday night for not being happy to be around.   But my pacers are always my friends, many times my closest friends in the world.  They know what to expect.  Good times and bad.   I try very hard to treat them well during the bad times.   But still, I will try to "drop then like a bad penny" if they turn their back to get a head start.  He, he.

The runner told me to get out of the sport if I didn't enjoy it.   Well, if it was easy and didn't have these tough times, I wouldn't enjoy it.   That is what life is about.  You learn from the tough times, make mistakes, evaluate behavior, and then try to do better next time.  So, I won't let it bug me, and move on. 

But....if you are working an aid station and run out of gels when I need one, watch out, I might not smile.

Feeling a ton better this morning.  I keep forgetting that it has only been three days since I finished the 100-miler.  Calves still a little sore.  Both little toes came out with crushed toe nails.  Didn't notice that during the race.  Oh well, toe nails are over-rated.

Came across the picture below again.  This cracks me up everytime I see it.  This is a picture of me and my older brother, Bob (also an ultrarunner), and sister.   Taken in 1960.   I'd like to see my brother run in those boots.

I travelled up to Logan, UT, to again run in the First Dam 10k to help celebrate Jim Kern's first running anniversary.  A year ago, by chance I met my childhood buddy at this race and he embarked in getting fit and starting to run.  He's had a good year and made amazing progress.  His health is now much better.  It was great to spend the morning with him.

I love coming up to Cache Valley.  It is really an amazing place and the people are so friendly.  The race is put on very well and I was impressed to see how many people stayed around for the awards.  Ribbons six deep in the age groups helped that.  They help encourage kids to be race and it was nice to see so many happy youth involved in running.  Well done!

As for my race, I had not run a step in six days since finishing my 100-mile race.  So this was an interesting experience to do a 10K as a recovery run.   It had been a few months since I have even run a sub-7-minute mile.  

This course is somewhat challenging because the first three miles are uphill.  My lungs really get a workout.  I was breathing hard the entire race.  I really need to do more tempo runs as part of my workouts.

One thing I really enjoy about this race is that it runs down Crockett Ave.  I am able to run by my ancestral home, my great-great grandfather's house.

My mile splits were: 6:38, 7:27, 7:24, 7:01, 7:05, 7:10, and 1:28 bringing it in for a 44:11 18th overall out of 112 starters.  This was my third fastest career 10k.   I beat my last year's time on this course by 18 seconds and won the old-man's division, 50-59 (11 guys).

It was a fun morning, ideal temperatures, and nice to be running again.  I noticed that for my last five races including this 10k and four 100-milers that I finished in the top 17% or better overall.  Good consistancy.

Davy Crockett, Jim Kern, Spencer Francis, Laura Francis

No motivation to go out and train.  No upcomming races.  So why not be a slacker?  Actually my thoughts are turning more toward doing adventure runs.   In addition to my Grand Canyon run in a couple weeks, I would love to get back out to Capitol Reef National Park and run some more in that unknown treasure. It is a good winter run.

I set out my warm running clothes, but that is as far as I got.  I never even set the alarm to get up.   For some reason in the evening I just feel run down and lose my motivation to make running plans for the early morning.  So, I continue to rest and get nine hours of sleep per night, very unusual for me.   I only feel a little guilty about being a slacker.  I've already regained the five pounds I lost during the JJ100 run when I was running on empty for six hours or more.

I was out the door at 4 a.m. intending to hit the trails, but the wind was fierce as the front is coming in so I wimped out and went to the rec center and ran on the tread mill.  After ten miles, I couldn't take it anymore so headed out in the wind for the last couple miles.  It fees good to be working out again.

The trails were wet, snow down to about 5,500 feet, so I went and punished myself on the treadmill.   I attempted one of my 10x10x10s, 10 miles, 10:00 pace, with 10% incline.  With Grand Canyon R2R2R coming up in a week, I'm concerned that I haven't done any serious hills since Bear 100.   The workout went OK, plenty of step-offs along the way and I hold onto the handle in the front, but I got it done.  For long periods, I like to run with the eyes closed, holding on lightly with one hand and then the nother.  I belive this eyes closed running helps with improving balance, which is important when running in the dark.   I also did a bunch of spurts up to 30% incline.  Those are really punishing.   I was surprised that the quads held up just fine and felt good.   I guess the couple 100-milers I ran in the past month, even though pretty flat, still helped with the quad conditioning.

Healing going well from the grueling running season.   My problem knee still has minor pain now and then.  My right index finger is still spained from my faceplant at the Bear 100.  The balls of the feet and toes still have numbness (that is typical).  The left ankle still has minor soreness when I rotate it.  This is left over from the serious sprain back in April.  So all minor stuff.  Another pretty lucky year considering my age and the punishment of running 7 100s, 3 50s, 2 50Ks, and 3 road marathons.

Not really a race, but it was a 50k run where I was racing against my PR and course record.   This is an amazing run all the way around Lake Mountain, the mountain west of Utah Lake.  The loop is almost exactly 50k (31 miles).  I wanted to get my mileage up to 50 miles this week, so thought it would be appropriate to do this 50K loop near my home.  It was the seventh time I have run this loop.

The rules for this loop is simple.  You just need to cross on the north at a ridge above Reformation Canyon, and to the south at Soldiers Pass.  You start the loop at the northwest corner and go clockwise.   I've done counter-clockwise before, but it seems tougher.  You want to pass through the east side at least by 8 a.m. to avoid shooters who may be camping nearby and after breakfast it seems like they start shooting at everything that moves.  

The elevation gain is about 3,000 feet along the loop.   There are some fairly technical sections on the east side as it rolls up and down along some rocky 4WD roads.   The west side is easier, just a long flat dirt road in Cedar Valley.

I got up very, very early and was out of the house around 1:30 a.m.   I first drove down to mile 16.4 of the loop to drop off some Ensure, Gatoraid,and candy.   I was amused to discover that the water jug and garbage I left there back on July 2, was still there, undisturbed.  I'll need to go retrieve everything later.

I next drove to the starting point, on the northwest corner of the loop, made final preparations and was on my way about 2:45 a.m.  The temperature at the start was 23 degrees, colder than expected, but I also realized that the start location traps cold air and is probably the coldest point of the course.  Sure enough within five minutes of running, I stripped off my jacket and changed my heavy gloves to lighter ones.  That was much better.   My starting pace was quick.    My goal was to finish in under 5:29.  I knew this would be very challenging doing a solo run, because I wouldn't have anyone to race against.   I usually get lazy running solo.  But so far, so good.  My legs felt great and I think the treadmill run yesterday helped wake them up.

It was pretty dark, no moon, just a glow over the hills from the populated valley.   the first 2.7 miles is a steady climb.  I arrived at the ridge over Reformation Canyon (mile 2.7) at 0:27.  Not bad.  I now had a stunning view of northern Utah country.  The lights are incredible.   I now had a nice fast run down the small canyon and then ran on an access road next to the Church welfare farm until I reached the power lines.  From there I turned south, started climbing again, and ran past the explosives plant.  Running by that place always gives me the willies.   I crossed Lott Canyon Rd (mile 5.1) at 0:51.  Still a great pace. 

From there the powerline road rolls up and down.  But the views off the the left are amazing.  The lights of Provo/Orem are an amazing show to see across the lake.  I love running in the foothills of Lake Mountain before sunrise.   I crossed Israel Canyon road (mile 6.5) at 1:05.

From that point, I lost a little focus, lost my racing speed and ran a little lazy.  But I sure was enjoying the early morning.   The road weaves around drainages and eventually makes a long climb.   There are many side roads that can make the route confusing, but you just stay close to the powerlines, usually to the east of them.   I reached the high point of the course, Enoch Pass (mile 11.3) at 2:05.   I believe that was about the same split time as my PR.  I was losing steam.

Next up is my favorite long section of the course, a nice five mile downhill to the low-point of the course.   As I started the downhill, I saw some specks reflecting in my green light.  Snow!  The cold front was arriving.  Thankfully the wind wasn't a problem.  The snow started as flurries, but would later come down a little harder.  It was fun to shine my lights up to the powerlines and see all the snowflakes reflecting in my light.

I arrived at Redwood Road (mile 16.4) at 2:59.  I knew that I was a little behind schedule.  I had not run that downhill hard enough.  At this point, I stopped the watch and took about ten minutes at my aid station, eating and refilling.  I would turn out my light as a couple cars drove by.  I didn't want them to freak out seeing a dude sitting my the side of the road out in the middle of no where.

On my way again, I ran on the Redwood Road pavement for about a mile until I reached the dirt road to take me to Soldiers Pass.   This would be the last tough climb.  I knew my PR goal could be won or lost on this climb.  I was determined to run the entire way up at a fast pace.  I mostly suceeded.   I was able to turn out my light after a mile because the glow of dawn had arrived.   I reached Soldiers Pass (mile 20.5) at 3:48.   Darn, I knew I was about ten minutes late.

I ran down the other side of the pass and had fun widing my way through a little valley the includes a fun single-track motorcycle trail.   I reached Lake Mt. Road (mile 23.1) at 4:15.  I had wanted to arrive there at 4:00, so was disappointed.   I now had eight miles to go in under 1:29.   This still could be done, but I knew I had to run about 11-minute miles the rest of the way along a mentally tough flat, straight dirt road.

I had a good pace going.  I finally noticed the road was white, not brown.  Snow.  The clouds were low as the snow fell and I couldn't even see the mountain I was running around.  As I continued the snow gradually got deeper, a quarter inch.  That was nice.  It made the road even softer.  But once it reached about a half inch, the footting became more challenging as my feet would slip on rocks hidden my the snow.  Up ahead I noticed a small deer in the road watching me. It eventually pranced away and headed up into the foothills.

I started to lose motivation.  With about four miles to go, I could see that my pace was falling off, probably 13-minute miles.   With three miles to go, I gave up the goal.  Running solo, it was just too mentally tough to push myself on this grinding section.  So, I backed off, found a comfortable finishing pace and just enjoyed the morning run in the snow.

I finished my 50k in 5:41, 12 minutes off my goal.  The finishing temperature was 32 degrees. Still, that was the fasted I had run this loop solo.  I average 11-minute miles over the entire tough course. It had been a wounderful morning run.  I arrived home by 9:30 a.m.

 

Start
Reformation Ridge	2.7	0:27
Lott Canyon Rd	5.1	0:51
Israel Canyon Rd	6.5	1:05
Enoch Pass	11.3	2:05
Redwood Road	16.4	2:59
Soldiers Pass	20.5	3:48
Lake Mt Rd	23.1	4:15
Finish	31.0	5:41

The quads were a little sore from Saturday's run so I took the morning off.   Looking at the rest of the year, if I want to beat last year's PR for mile, 3,148, I'll need to average 70-mile weeks the rest of the year.  I'm ahead of last year's miles at this point, but it isn't going to happen.  What was I thinking last December running 400 miles?

I was lazy again this morning and slept in.  What a slacker.  

I'm discouraged that my La Sportiva Wildcats are already shot after 200 miles.  They are so nice to run in but just don't last.  The heels get soft and they cause me to over pronate.  So, I ordered the next model up that they claim is more durable.   That got me thinking about shoe weight.  So, I decided to get the food scale out and weigh my shoes.  It was very revealing

Mitzuno Wave Elixer (road shoes) 10.1 oz.

La Sportiva Fireblade 12.7 oz

La Sportiva Wildcat  12.9 oz

Montrail Wildwood 13.1 oz

Vasque Velocity 13.6 oz

La Sportiva Imogene 13.5 oz.

Vasque Velocity XCR 16.3 oz.

I was surprised that the Fireblades are not much lighter than Wildcats.  Karl Melzer runs in Fireblades and told me the Wildcats feel like boots to him.  But they are almost the same weight.

I was also surprised to discover the Vasque Velocity were so heavy. I've run most of my 100s in them.   I actually ran Plain 100 in those heavy Goretex XCR's.  Wow.   I didn't realized how heavy they are.

So, I ordered La Sportiva Imogene to try and will test them out in the Grand Canyon on Saturday.   If they work out, I sure hope they last more than 200 miles.

Wimped out and did the treadmill again.  I wanted to get some tough hills in to send a signal to my legs that they will be climbing on Saturday.   I ran on the treadmill at 21% incline at 13:00-minute pace, holding on to the front.  I did a few tough spurts not holding on to get the quads burning.   My workout was almost 90 minutes. The machine said I climbed 7,000 feet.  But it felt more like 2,500-3,000.

Alarm went off, but I turned it off and slept. Thats OK. Found an amazing ultra results database that captures about 80% of the races I've finished: http://realendurance.com/AllTimeList-test.php?a=C518

I also see that for 2009, I'm tied for 3rd place in the world for most 100s finished during 2009.   The most is Dan Brendan who I alway see.  He has finished 11.  Mike Smith has finished 8.  And there are 5 of us who have finished 7.

I'm listed in 54th for the career finishes. Hans-Dieter is at the top of the list of course.   Monica Scholz is second and I hear she is planning on trying to finish 30 100s next year.

I had great fun guiding three others on a Grand Canyon double crossing (R2R2R).   I’ve completed the  full GC double-cross 11 times previously using various trailheads.  (Another time I stopped short of the other rim during a 78-mile adventure run).  For this adventure, we would start at the North Rim and cross over to the South Rim using Bright Angel Trail and then turn around and come back, about 48 miles.

Coming along with me was my brother Bob, (who did a 19-hour double-cross with me 2005), brother-in-law Ed, and running buddy Jon.  Ed and Jon were both Grand Canyon rookies.  

Ed is in great shape and has gone to triathlon nationals several times, almost qualifying for world this year.   Jon is a local-elite marathon runner, finishing 6th this year at Top of Utah.  He is now turning his attention to ultras, winning the Ogden Valley 50 a couple of weeks ago.   Bob has finished about seven ultras including some 50-milers.

We spent the night at Jacobs Lake and headed down the North Kaibab trailhead at about 4:40 a.m. in the dark.   Immediately, I was in my element.   I just love pounding down steep trails in the dark.   I took the lead and quickly put some big distance on the others.   I let out some whoops that echoed off the canyon walls.   My legs were feeling stronger than they ever have coming down this trail.   At times I really pushed the speed.

I reached Supai Tunnel (mile 2) in about 16 minutes, which is the fastest I had ever run that section.   The others arrived within about five minutes and we stashed some warm clothes to be used in the evening on the return chilly final climb.  We had descended about 2,000 feet already and the temperature was now comfortable, around 40 degrees.

I continued to blast down the trail with Bob following closely behind.   The next section is a bunch of switch-backs carved into the steep slope of Roaring Spring Canyon.  With the moonless light, we couldn’t even see the canyon wall on the other side.

We stopped at the bridge over Roaring Canyon to take some pictures.    On our way again, I pointed out the steep drop-offs on the side to watch out for.   At one point when I was about a quarter-mile ahead, I looked back up and was amazed at the sight.  I could see the three others with their lights illuminating the steep trail carved into the side of a cliff.   Wow, it was incredible to see.   I waited for the others at our first major stop, at the Roaring Springs ranger cabin.   If I cut out my stops to wait, I reached there in only 55 minutes, by far the fastest that I had ever reached this point.

The water was on in the front yard of the cabin, so we filled up.  There would be no more water until Phantom Ranch.   I stashed the water filter we brought to use if the water was off here.  We were now finished with steep downhills and I knew Jon would kick his fast legs into gear on the more gentle downhill over the next 7.1 miles.   Sure enough, he started to cruise.   I worked hard to keep up with him and we left Bob and Ed behind.   Everyone was having a blast as we ran very hard along Bright Angel Creek. We could see the lights of the South Rim high up in the sky far away.   “That is where we are headed,” I announced.   I was pleased to see that they had put in a new bridge through the beaver pond area so there would be no need to get our feet wet.  

Before entering “The Box” (a slot canyon that leads 4 miles to Phantom Ranch), we waited for the others to catch up.   Ed was complaining about cramps in his legs and talking about turning back soon.   We had him take more electrolytes and within 15 minutes he was running fast again. The light of dawn arrived with just a mile to go before the Ranch.   At a moment when I was doing too much sight-seeing, I tripped and down I went.  I had a nice bloody elbow, but was able to pick myself up and get going again before Bob caught up.   Soon we came into Phantom Ranch.  My run time (not counting stops) to Phantom Ranch was 2:15.   We filled up our bottles in front of the Canteen and could see the tourists eating a wonderful breakfast inside.

After a long break we were on our way again.  The guys wanted to stash more of their stuff so I encouraged them to do it further away from Phantom Ranch.  I wish I would have paid more attention to what they were leaving behind (more on that later.)

We crossed over the Colorado River on the Silver Bridge.  The guys got a great kick out of running over that powerful river.   We ran about a mile on the River Trail and then turned the corner into Pipe Canyon to start the huge climb up to the South Rim.   Once we arrived at the base of Devil’s Corkscrew, a series of steep switch-backs, Ed and Jon teamed up and took the lead, chatting away.  We were now passing many backpackers moving slowly up the trail and a few day hikers coming down.  We would crank up the pace when we came near others.

We reached Indian Garden, a beautiful green camping area at about 9:30 a.m.  Jon wasn’t shy about telling others about what we were doing.  It was fun to see their reactions and tell them about our adventure.   We again took a pretty long stop and unfortunately a mule train took off ahead of us.   Once on our way again, within a mile we caught up with the mules and were allowed to pass.  Then we had the task of keeping ahead of them.   Jon and Ed pushed on strongly ahead.  I fell behind taking pictures and audio (all my audio was lost because of a busted recorder).   Bob fell far behind but when I stopped for several minutes to fix a foot problem, I could see him below making good progress.  We kept a steady pace going up the very steep switch-backs and ran into more and more people coming down.   I watched a family climbing off the trail to play with some icicles hanging off a cliff.

Jon and Ed arrived at the top of the South Rim at about 11:00 a.m.   I arrived about 10 minutes later followed by Bob in another five minutes.   We all found our way to Bright Angel Lodge and a nice warm fire in the lobby.  We chowed down on hot dogs, candy and soft-drinks.  Bob was feeling pretty thrashed, with a nauseous stomach.  We had a very long rest and talked to some French Canadians around the fire.    

Finally, after a 50-minute stop, feeling much better we started our return trip back to the North Rim.   I fell behind taking pictures but soon kicked it into gear, catching up and passing the guys.  I was really flying down the trail. So fast, that a man sitting, taking a rest, chewed me out for running, that I was endangering others.  I assured him that I would be very careful around the hikers, but he was not happy at all seeing us run.  I made it a special point the rest of the way to greet every hiker with smiles and encouragement.  Almost everyone else was happy to see us and watch us go.   Jon caught up and we enjoyed pushing the pace together.   I started to have some bad blister problems so Jon pushed on ahead and arrived at Indian Garden a few minutes ahead of me.  We made it there in under an hour.  Ed arrived and wanted to get a head start on us.  Jon decided to fix a foot and wait for Bob.   I ran on, caught up with Ed, but once at Devil’s Corkscrew worried about Jon and Bob behind so decided to
wait for them to catch up.    I ended up waiting for about twenty minutes before I could see them up on top of a ridge, making their way down.   Looking at my watch, I knew we were seriously behind schedule and now had no hope to finish before sunset as we planned.

Jon caught up with me in Pipe Canyon while I was playing around, taking pictures.   I told him to go on and I waited for Bob at the River Trail junction.   Bob soon arrived and was doing fine, just slowing down.   We made our way along the river, again ran over Silver Bridge and approached Phantom Ranch.  Jon and Ed were at the ranger station.  They announced that the stuff we stashed was gone.   In the lost stuff was all their lights and they were very worried.   But the ranger located a maintenance guy who radioed that he had the stuff and would get it for us.   We were relieved but I lectured the guys that they should never stash all their lights or emergency gear on adventure runs.   You never know what can happen.  It was a great lesson learned.

Bob and I went to the Canteen while Jon and Ed went to get the stuff.  It was a little after 2:30 p.m.  I bought us some wonderful lemonade, the best I had ever tasted (or it seemed) and we waited and waited.  I guessed right, that the maintenance guy was taking his time.   I finally told Bob to go on ahead, that we would all catch up.  The delay was very worrisome because I knew now we would finish several hours after sunset.   With a cold front coming in, the cold temperatures were my biggest worry about getting these guys out of the canyon.

Finally Ed and Jon returned.  The maintenance guy really chewed them out and even hesitated to give them back their stuff.  I guess the rim-to-rim runners always leave stuff around Phantom Ranch causing him more work.   They also leave trash in the restrooms.  Not good.  I can understand why he was cranky.  Runners need to do much better to not disturb Phantom Ranch and not leave behind trash.  If you want to leave stuff at the bottom for the return trip, don’t stash it at Phantom Ranch.

On our way again, we caught up with Bob in about a mile or so.  He was moving at a good 4 mph pace.   He no longer had a running gear but was power hiking at a good pace.    We discussed what we should do to help him and decided that one of us should stick with him.  Ed was also hurting so for the next six miles he stayed with Bob.    I predicted that we probably wouldn’t finish until 9 p.m.   If it would get very cold, I planned to run hard ahead and bring back down our warm clothes stashed at Supai Tunnel.

Jon and I fell behind just enjoying the late afternoon, taking pictures and looking at all the sights.  As the sun set, the canyon glowed and was beautiful.   The tops of the rims, still glowing in the sun threw down light on the canyon below.   As we fell behind further, we would kick up the pace, run hard and catch up.  

As we approached Ribbon Falls, Bob and Ed started the tough up and down at that point.  I decided to instead stay at river level.  This required me to wade Bright Angel Creek, and do some route finding until I found the main trail that goes to Ribbon Falls.  I continued up stream and crossed back over on the Ribbon Falls bridge, joining back up with Bob and Ed.   I avoided the big climb and descent.   Bob and Ed had watched my progress high above me.

For long periods, I couldn’t see Jon behind and when he later caught up, I noticed blood on this chin.   He told me he had rolled off the trail and fell down a four-foot drop.  I was glad to hear he wasn’t seriously hurt.

It got dark right before Roaring Spring cabin, but I managed to make it there without getting out my light.   This would be our last water stop.   The water filter I stashed here was gone.   I went to the cabin and found a large group of backpackers getting ready to stay the night.  One of them remembered seeing my stuff hanging up from a tree and he pointed it out to me.

On our way again, we only had about 4,000 feet more feet to climb in about six miles.   I told myself that this was just about like a Mount Timpanogos climb, no sweat.   Ed and I started attacking the climb.  I was thrilled to discover that I still had a very strong uphill gear and could even run pretty fast up the trail if I wanted.   But once I reached the Roaring Spring trail junction, I felt guilty about being ahead of the others so stopped to wait.  Ed caught up and I explained I would wait for Bob.    When Bob arrived about five minutes later, he assured me he was doing great.   Jon was with him so I decided to just press on hard and stay warm.   I could see some other lights high up ahead and wondered if I could catch up with them.   I soon caught up with Ed and he wished me well as I passed.

The rest of the run was a lots of fun.  Usually it is a death march, but I was thrilled to find plenty of energy in the tank.  I pushed higher and higher.   I enjoyed flashing my light down below at the others making their way slower down in the darkness.    It soon became very cold.   I arrived at Supai Tunnel (two miles to go), and found our stuff undisturbed.  I put on a warm coat and hat and was ready for the final 2,000 foot climb in two miles.   It had only taken me 16 minutes to get down to this point in the morning but I knew it would take about 40 minutes to make it back up.  

I soon caught up to the lights that were ahead. It was an older couple who had gone clear to the river and were returning.  They were very tired but were still moving fine.  I asked if they were warm and if they needed anything.  They talked to each other and assured me that they would be fine.   I pushed on.  Since this was the 13th time I had made this climb, I knew every turn.  But I was surprised when I quickly came to the last switchback.   I was on the home stretch!!

I finished my 12th complete R2R2R at 8:42 p.m.   I quickly turned on the car to make sure it was nice and warm when the others arrived.   They reached the rim at 9:00 p.m., all cold, but doing well.  We made it!   Our adventure had taken about 16:20.   My running time was probably close to 13 hours.  We were all in great spirits, but pretty tired.  I drove us to Kanab, where we grabbed a room, and got some good sleep before driving home the next morning.

Slide show will be uploaded to YouTube on Tuesday.

Well, believe it or not, I'm planning on returning to the Grand Canyon again this weekend.  This time I plan to do an 83-mile double crossing - North Kaibab to Grandview TH and back.   If things sour, I can hitch a ride to S Kaibab and do a normal return from there, cutting out about 20 miles.   I'm picking up a Sat phone today for safety.   I've accomplished this double crossing before.  It took me 34:07.  I believe I can significantly improve on that time. The challenge is that there is a 17-mile stretch without water, so you have to carry a bunch which slows you down.  Also, the Tonto Trail along that stretch isn't traveled as much as the section down river, so it is hard to run fast because of route-finding.   Should be fun.   The quads are still just a little sore, but should be fine.   There are always backpackers in the area Thanksgiving weekend, so I will see a few humans, but it will have plenty of solitude.

Davy on the Tonto Trail near Grapevine Canyon

Note: I will be producing a video/slide show of this adventure later this week.  Please check back.

The spectacular beauty of the Grand Canyon called me back.   With the long Thanksgiving weekend, I decided to again do an extended double crossing (R2R2R) in a non-traditional way.   I would descend down the North Kaibab, from the North Rim, but instead of going up the South Rim using the usual trails, I would run 20 miles upriver along the primitive Tonto Trail and ascend up the unmaintained Grandview Trail to the South Rim.   Then I would head back the same way.   The total distance would be about 83 miles.  I had accomplished this double crossing back in October 2007 and knew it was a very tough challenge.   If you look at the hiking guides and total up the recommended time to take for all these segments, it should be a ten-day adventure.   I hoped to accomplish it in about 28 hours.   Last time it took me 34:07 with plenty of sight-seeing along the way.

The risks are high for a solo adventure like this but I tried to take some reasonable precautions.   The weather would be cool about 35-45 degrees for most of the adventure.  This double-crossing would require obtaining water in two springs (in addition to faucets at Roaring Spring and Phantom Ranch), and I would have to carry all of my food.  I wore a waist pack and a 10-pound pack with all my food and electronics.   Adding on water and I would be carrying quite a bit of weight.

Included in the pack would be some emergency items:  A satellite phone and a Spot tracking device.   Friends would be able to track my progress online throughout the adventure.  I would take food/powder/gel enough to intake about 6,000 calories.   My food sources would be:  three burittos, two Hot Pockets, lots of Instant Breakfast, Hammer Gel, and Resses cups.    I did bring more water containers than usual.  Three water bottles and a 2-liter camel back.  There would be a 17-mile stretch without any water sources.  The number of electronics I brought was silly; Camera, MP3, GPS, mini recorder, satellite phone, and Spot Tracker.

I worry that some unprepared readers may want to attempt this route too.  This adventure requires rugged 100-mile ultra-level fitness and advanced experience in the Grand Canyon.  Timing is critical.  I would never attempt a long run on the Tonto trail in the heat.   Springs and creeks need to be flowing.   November would be the safest time.   Attempting it in May-August would be foolish and deadly.

After eating a wonderful Thankgiving dinner with extended family, I headed down toward the North Rim.  The Spot device worked great.  My wife was able to track me as I drove.  When I called at Kanab, she already knew where I was.

I started my run a little after 11:00 p.m.   It was a frigid 18 degrees at the trailhead.  It had only been five days since I complete my last R2R2R.   My quads were still a little sore, but loosened up fast.  However, all the weight I was carrying could be felt right away and slowed my pace down.  There was a half-moon in the sky and it cast a nice eerie glow on the cliffs above as I descended quickly.   I stopped several times on the way down to make adjustments with my gear.    I really enjoy running down into the canyon during the night.   There was no one on the trail.

I reached Phantom Ranch (mile 14), at the bottom of the Canyon, at 2:14 a.m.   There wasn’t anyone around.   I filled up all my water containers, preparing for no more water until Grapevine Spring, 17 miles and 7 hours away. 

I ran along the Colorado River, crossed over Black Bridge and then started the steep climb up South Kaibab trail.   My legs really appreciated the uphill after the long downhill run into the canyon.   Before I knew it, I was at the “Tip off” (mile 16.7) where the Tonto Trail crosses the South Kaibab trail, 1,500 feet above the Colorado River.  I arrived there at 3:42 a.m.   Looking up, I could not see anyone’s lights coming down South Kaibab Trail yet. I was all alone.

Huge trail markers

I now left “civilization.”   I started to run on the East Tonto Trail.   The Tonto Trail is the longest continuous stretch of trail in the Grand Canyon. It runs some 70 miles or more from its eastern terminus at the Red Canyon/New Hance Trail to its western terminus at Elves Chasm near the Royal Arch Route.  I’ve run on about 45 miles of this trail.  This unmaintained trail is at times difficult to see, just a trail worn my occasional backpackers.   It rolls up and down and in and out of numerous side canyons.   The East Tonto Trail is more rugged then West Tonto Trail and has more prickly brush to contend with.  This year I came prepared.  I wore long tights and long sleeves.  By the time I completed my run on this trail, my shirt and pants would be snagged all over.   They really protected my skin and made it possible for me to ignore the prickly branches reaching out for me.   The trail is never straight as it weaves through all the brush. 

I reached Cremation Canyon (mile 19.3) at about 4:30 a.m.   In this canyon, the trail is very rugged and challenging because instead of over going around, it dives nearly straight down and up three drainages, each several hundred feet deep.

As I ran through this area, I thought about several people who had lost their lives here.   In particular, I thought about a Marathon runner, Margret Bradley. This 24-year-old University of Chicago medical student attempted a 27-mile run down Grandview Trail, across Tonto Trail, and up South Kaibab.  A few months earlier Bradley had run the Boston Marathon in 3:04:54.  She was ill-prepared and attempted it on July 9, 2004, in the heat of the summer.  She only took with her two water bottles, some fruit, and three protein bars.  Temperatures in the Cremation Creek Drainage likely reached 120 degrees.  Halfway into the run, she and her companion, Brian, ran low on water and decided to separate.  Brian stayed in some shade and Margaret went on to get help.  Apparently when she reached Cremation Creek, she decided to hike down the drainage toward the river instead continuing up the trail just a couple more miles to South Kaibab.   After 14 hours, Brian made it out of the canyon, but Margaret, far off the trail was found dead two days later.

My next destination would be Lonetree Canyon (mile 22.3).  As the trail climbs back up onto the Tonto Plateau, it fades because the ground is harder.  I knew this section would be a navigation challenge so instead of getting frustrated, I made it into a fun challenge.   It required good concentration.  At the speed I was trying to run, it couldn’t be avoided, I lost the trail 2-3 times.   I had my GPS running and before the run had marked many waypoints for just this reason.  Each time, using my GPS, I would find the trail again within 2-3 minutes.  Even though it was still dark, I didn’t stress out about it.  However, without the GPS in the dark, this would have been a major challenge.

I reached Lonetree Canyon (mile 22.3) at 5:49 a.m.   I saw a tent set up and did my best to stay quiet, but I could hear someone stirring inside, probably wondering what some guy with a green light was doing running by during the night out in such a remote area. 

I next wanted to reach Boulder Creek (mile 25.3) before light and almost made it.   I reached there at 6:50 a.m.  Gee, my first marathon today was taking over 7 hours.  It felt like I was going very fast, but with all the zig-zagging, steep climbs, and stops to adjust things, the time ticked away.   I doubt the published distance for the Tonto Trail.  It seems much further.  GPSes lose signals and can’t measure it right.   The weaving around brush certainly adds miles.

The Grand Canyon, the wonder of the world, came to life!   The dawn arrived and my eyes were treated with a scene very few people have experienced.   In the depths of this massive canyon, I was able to watch the effects of the sunrise.  

My pace slowed even more as I had to stop over and over again to take pictures.   It was spectacular to watch the effects of the morning sunlight reflect off of the cliffs all around me from the Tonto Trail. I was filled with feelings of gratitude, knowing that I was experiencing something very rare.

I eventually reached Grapevine Creek (mile 31) at about 8:45 a.m.  I took a very long break there to fix hot spots on a foot and to call home.   It gave me a very comforting feeling to hear my wife’s voice on the other end of the Satellite phone.  I knew that I now was in a very remote area.   On the trail again, I soon arrived at Grapevine Spring.  During the past seven hours I had only drank three liters because of the chilly temperatures in the 30s.   I was always warm if moving, but not dressed too warm.   I still had a jacket wrapped around my waist.

The next 5.5 miles were very runnable, much less rugged.  I was able to find a nice pace but still delayed because of the beauty to look at. I decided that it was more important to try to capture the wonder of this adventure. That was more important than finding speed.

When I reached Cottonwood Creek (mile 36.5), I ran into the first humans on the trail. I would now see many backpackers and hikers during my climb up to the South Rim.  Some would ask me where I was coming from.  I would try to explain but would just get blank expressions back.  They had no idea where the North Rim was. One guy looked across the canyon and asked, “How did you get across the river?”   I pointed far away from where he was looking and explained I used the bridge near Phantom Ranch.  “So you ran all the way here on the Tonto Trail?”  “Yes, I started at the North Rim a little before midnight.”  I should have recorded these conversations because they were pretty funny.

I next attacked the Grandview Trail, 3,700 more feet to climb to reach the South Rim. The Grandview Trail was originally constructed by a prospector by the name of Peter Berry. Berry operated a copper mine called the “Last Chance Mine” at the end of the trail, out on Horseshoe Mesa starting in 1890.  The cost of packing ore to the rim, then shipping it to be refined, doomed the operation.   Berry and his partners sold the mine in 1901.  Berry used some of the profits from the mine to build the Grandview Hotel in 1897 out on Grandview Point. He operated this for some years and since it was the only lodging available in the area, it proved to be a very successful venture. That is until the Santa Fe Railroad extended its reach up into the Canyon which sparked construction of what is now Grand Canyon Village.

The trail was much steeper than I remembered.  There were long sections without switchbacks that reminded me of climbing up Jacobs Ladder to Lone Peak in Utah.  Up on Horseshoe Mesa, I visited the Last Chance Mine (gated) and then continued the very tough push to the top.  Some of the cobble stone, now over 100 years old was still in place.  I became discouraged at my pace, but I was still climbing faster than the hikers and backpackers.

I finally reached the top of the South Rim, Grandview Point (mile 41.6) at 1:40 p.m.   I had hoped to arrive by noon.    The viewing area was filled with tourists.   I knew that I probably looked like a mess, and smelled terrible, so I kept to myself.   One family asked me to take their picture.  I knew that I could at this point take a slacker’s choice and hitch a ride to South Kaibab trailhead to cut out 25 miles from my return journey.  But I pushed those thoughts from my head.

After a short rest I was on my way again.  I received many puzzled looks from hikers who had seen me before as I was going up.   “How many times are you going up and down?”   I tried to explain that I was running back to the North Rim.   I would usually leave by saying that my run would be 83 miles.  I knew that would give them something interesting to talk about.   I realized that I was probably the only person ever to do this, and this was the second time I would accomplish this.  

Once I returned to Cottonwood Creek (mile 46.7) at 3:30 p.m. I knew there was no turning back.  I now had really no other choice but to continue on back to my car, parked at the North Rim.   The afternoon was a little warmer, but not much.  However, I was going through my water at a much faster pace.  By the time I reached the creek, I was nearly empty.   I filled back up at the creek.

I decided there would be no more time spent on photo shoots and audio recordings.  I needed to shift my attention to my pace.   I saw my last humans on the trail a couple miles later as the trail swings out above the Colorado River.  The young backpacking couple was surprised to see me and asked where I was headed.   I explained and they were all smiles as they wished me luck.

I bypassed Grapevine Spring because I still had plenty of water and returned back to Grapevine Creek (mile 52.2) at about 5:15 p.m.   On the trail there, I found my warm hat sitting undisturbed right in the middle of the trail that I had lost it on my outbound trip.  It was evidence that no humans were in the area during the day.  I was glad I found it because it was starting to get chilly.   I called my wife again from the exact spot that I had called her in the morning.   That day sure went by fast.

The next six hours (and 15 miles) running in the dark on the Tonto Trail were pretty uneventful and lonely.   I didn’t see any tents along the way.  I was alone.   When the trail was distinct, it was rugged.  In many places, it was very feint.  It required intense concentration to follow the boot prints winding around the brush.  I was proud of myself, because I was getting very good at it, better than the early morning before.   However, as I became drowsy, my concentration declined and near Cremation Creek, I had to use the GPS several times in order to get back on the trail.

It had now been nearly 40 hours within any sleep.   I didn’t have any bad hallucinations, but my mind started to get mushy and I started to sleep dream as I ran along.   This was a very strange experience.   I was awake, but my mind was going to sleep.   As I was going down a very steep section into Cremation Creek, I had some sort of dream where I became upset because someone I knew had purposely constructed this trail without switchbacks just to torment me.  Eventually, I fully woke up again and it felt like waking up from a dream.  I laughed at myself and tried hard to remember the dream, but as with a real dream, it quickly faded.   This happened to me several times and I had to keep laughing at myself because of the silly dream-like thoughts coming into my head.

I really struggled on the ups and down through Cremation Canyon, losing the trail despite the numerous trail markers in the area.   I could see high up in the darkness to my left, lights of hikers coming down into the canyon.   They would flash their lights toward me and I would flash back. 

I finally reached South Kaibab trail (mile 66.5), at the “Tip Off”, at 11:18 p.m.   It felt good to be off the Tonto Trail and back to “civilization.”   My pace was discouraging, but I really had no idea how many miles I had traveled.   The steep decent on the switchbacks to the river were very tough.  My feet were becoming very sore and I started to stumble because of lack of sleep.  I had no other choice but to take rests along the way.   I didn’t want to sleepwalk off a cliff. 

I finally returned to Phantom Ranch (mile 69.2) at about 12:20 a.m.   I had wanted to get back by midnight, so I did pretty well.  All was quiet again as the tourists were asleep for the night.  Oh, how I wished for sleep!   I pulled out my remaining food to stuff in my pockets, filled my bottles, and rested my feet.  After a long stop I was on the way.   This would be my 14th tough climb up this trail.  I knew what to expect and tried hard not to think about the 14 miles ahead.

I now really struggled with drowsiness.   I recalled how last weekend, buddy Jon had rolled off the trail down four feet.  As I started to stumble around, I shined my light down off the trail to the creek below and decided it would be very stupid to fall off because I was sleeping.  I found a nice smooth place on the side of the trail and lay down.   It felt wonderful.  As I was drifting off to sleep, it happened again, just like at Javelina 100 last month!   Four hikers arrived and woke me up, concerned that I was having problems.  I assured them that I was just resting.  I was too tired to try to explain that I had been awake for 41 hours and had run over 70 miles.

Now fully awake again, I decided to jump up and get moving again.  These fast-paced hikers would give me something to chase.  They had a great pace and I kept their lights in my sights for several miles.  It turned out that they had been camping up ahead at Cottonwood Campground.  I suspect that they did a two-day R2R2R with a base camp at the campground.   I took a few more catnaps before arriving at the campground.  I arrived there (mile 76.3) at 3:50 a.m.   My watch showed 5:00 a.m.   That really puzzled me.  I concluded that I had actually slept a long time during one of my cat naps (On my way home, I discovered that actually with my head lying on my arm, I somehow made my watch jump in time).  

I was supposed to call into a KSL radio outdoor program at 6:00 a.m.   My Sat phone had a good signal, so I decided since it was after 5:00 (it wasn’t), I would just try to snooze at the campground for an hour and wait.   The hikers came by me and invited me to return to the North Rim with them.  That was nice, but I was too tired to explain about the radio call.  I declined their invitation.  But soon the Sat phone signal faded and I was getting chilled.  Waiting would be stupid.  I decided to get back to work and start the grueling climb.    As the canyon walls got higher, I knew there would be no hope in getting a signal to call the radio program, so I didn’t worry about it anymore.  

The final six miles were tough and very slow.   Everything started to hurt and I was so sleepy.   I stopped to rest about a dozen times.   At 7:00 a.m., I was very puzzled that it was still very dark.  What was going on?  This was very strange.  (My watch was wrong).   Finally the light came and day hikers started to come down.  The first two had ultrarunning shirts on, but I didn’t want to stop their fast pace to talk.   One knowledgeable hiker stopped me, asked where I came from.  He understood immediately where Grandview was and just how far I had come.  He was flabbergasted and offered me any help.   I assured him that I was fine, just moving slowly.  

Looking down toward the bridge over Roaring Spring Canyon

With daylight on the North Kaibab trail, I could peer down the steep cliffs.   It boggled my mind and scared me.  I hiked carefully, hugging the walls. Wow, last week I ran down this trail almost at full speed in the dark.  That is crazy.  If I could have seen what was off to the left, I would have slowed way down.

I finally reached Supai Tunnel (mile 81.2) with just two miles and 2,000 feet to go.   That seems so very far, and I tried not to dwell upon it.   With each 100 feet up, I would think, “That is now behind me, look how far up I am!”    I noticed that I could beat my 34:07 PR for this route if I really pushed it hard.  It was really painful, but I did it.   I finished in 33:58 at 8:53 a.m.

Why was I so slow?   Looking back, I realize that a Grandview R2R2R is about as difficult as a quad-crossing of the Grand Canyon.  It felt like I had just finished a 100-mile race.  Overall, there was about 19,000 feet of climbing over that 83+ miles.    I did this without two nights of sleep.   I saw two sunrises during my run.

Spot trackers from Boulder Creek to Grandview and back

Why did I torture myself like that?   The reward was watching both a sunrise and a sunset down on the Tonto Trail deep in the canyon.  I also greatly enjoyed the navigation challenge on the trail. Will do this route again?  Unlikely.   I’m getting old and this is tough.   But this I do know, 100-mile races help me get in shape for the true reward, adventure runs like this.

How did hold up?   I consumed about 5,000 of the 6,000 calories I carried.   Not enough, but it got me through.   My feet took a beating because of the extra pounds I carried.  With all my gear, clothes, and water, I had about 200 pounds on my feet.  But, no serious blisters resulted.  My problem ankle acted up, but a day later feels OK.   The big surprise is, that a day later my legs aren’t sore at all.  The slow pace was kind on my muscles.