Grand Canyon Rim2Rim2Rim 11/6/2010

Grand Canyon 11/6/2010

Photo album available here

Shane, Brad, and I headed down to the Grand Canyon for a rim2rim2rim adventure on Saturday. This would be my fifth double crossing but the first for both Brad and Shane. Being able to share this experience with them made this extra special for me. 

The sign basically says you're going to die if you go to the river and back in a day

We started about 4:30 am and descended the South Kaibab Trail via headlamp. This trail is pretty steep and it may have been a good thing we weren't taking our eyes off of it site seeing. We got to Phantom Ranch just as the Sun began to come up and the guys got their first views of their surroundings.

North Kaibab Trail parallels Bright Angel Creek

The canyon is narrow here due to the hard schist rock

We kept a pretty good pace the first 5 miles after leaving Phantom Ranch due to the gradual grade of the trail. There are no steep climbs on this section but we soon left the inner gorge and the scale of Grand Canyon left us all in awe.

We stopped often and took pictures to take in the experience

Grand Canyon is far from the desolate landscape often depicted in photos

Looking back to where we started just a few hours before

Before we knew it we had arrived at the ranger residence before the big climb up the North Rim. The trail steepens quite a bit after the ranger residence and we were switching between running the flatter sections and hiking the steep inclines.

[caption id="attachment_343" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="I swear it's not what it looks like"][/caption]

Colors changing in valley below the trail

Lookout just below North Rim

After the never ending climb we were all feeling good and in good spirits at the half way point.

North Rim

We saw four other runners on the North Rim doing their own double crossings. As we descending back down the trail I was blown away by how many were out there. Seems every time I do this run more and more runners are out there.

Brad on the descent

Typical view about half way between rim and residence

[caption id="attachment_344" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Bridge crossing Bright Angel Canyon on North Kaibab Trail"][/caption]

This bridge made for a great photo opportunity

Shane and Brad at the ranger residence

We flew down the trail back to the rangers' residence. What had taken us about two hours on the way up only took about 50 minutes on the way down. For me, the stretch from the back to Phantom Ranch is the crux of the day. The toll of miles of downhill pounding really take their toll despite the moderate grade of the trail. I started having some stomach problems and had to rest a few times to let it settle.

One of four bridges that cross Bright Angel Creek in inner gorge

By some miracle we made it back to Phantom Ranch and we were all happy the descent was over. All we had to do now was climb 5000' in 7 miles to the finish.

Black Bridge crosses the Colorado River

Looking down at Bright Angel Campground from South Kaibab Trail

Going up the South Kaibab Trail can most accurately be described as a slog. Only a handful of flattish sections justify the energy expenditure of running. The trail is steep and relentless. However, we chatted it up and we treated to the expansive views of Grand Canyon that we missed earlier.

The round trip was about 43 miles including the 1/2 mile from the parking lot to the trailhead with +/- 11,000 ft of elevation change. We made it car to car in about 12 hours. This was a pretty good time considering all the breaks and photos we took. Our actual moving time was probably closer to 10 hours. Both Shane and Brad were awesome partners on this run. If anything, I was the whinny baby and held them up. It was special to share an experience that it so dear to me. It was a perfect day. The weather couldn't have been better and everything seemed to go our way.

Typical view heading up S. Kaibab Trail

Finished

Post Script,
On the way home Shane and I stopped for a burger and a beer to celebrate and fill our hungry bellies. In a show of endurance that pales the double crossing, Shane put down a 1/2 pound bacon cheeseburger and onion rings and promptly ordered another and crushed the second burger without flinching. Very impressive indeed sir. I also have to give a shout out to Brad's show of endurance by putting up with mine and Shane's ridiculous banter all day. In a word, it was SMUTty and Brad took it like a champ.

Pine to Palm 100 2010

Last year I finished my first 100 mile race, Leadville 100, and was left conflicted on whether I enjoyed the distance or not. On one hand, I was proud to finish the race and had many fond memories of the event. While on the other, I didn't like the extended recovery after the event or the amount of walking a mid-packer like me does. In the end, however, one feels some pressure to attempt a 100 miler if you do enough 50k and 50 mile races. For good or bad, 100 mile races are largely considered the ultimate in ultramarathon distances. 

Hope Pass Leadville 2009

Several factors contributed to me signing up for the Pine to Palm 100. First, I've become a much stronger runner working with Ian Torrence for the last 7 months. I was sure I could handle the distance better than last year. Second, I wanted to experience the trails that draw top ultrarunners to Southern Oregon like a siren's call. Finally, and most importantly, I was pretty buzzed one night and got on ultrasignup.com and registered for the event.

My kit set out the night before

I felt pretty confident in my training leading up to the event. The 69 mile loop I did in the Evolution Valley of the Sierra Nevada last month was a huge confidence booster. My main goal was to finish the race despite how bad I felt or how crummy the weather got. Driving out to the start, however, Josh Brimhall gave me a little pep talk just in case I would have any thoughts of dropping. While I can't quote him directly, the phrases "just think about going back and telling all the other SMUT (Saturday Morning Ultra Team) members you quit" and "I won't even pick you up if you drop, you'll have to wait hours in the rain so you may as well keep going" have a certain countenance to the tone. Because of the deep respect I have for Josh these words certainly stuck in my mind throughout the race.

Minutes before the start

 Suddenly, Hal Koerner (elite runner and race director) was yelling go at the Williams Grange and we were off. The field seemed to spread pretty quickly and, despite being towards the back, I felt I was keeping the right pace. We had about 6 miles of road before hitting the single track just after dusk. About 30 minutes into the race it started raining. The rain continued almost non-stop until the race cut off 34 hours later. Because of this I didn't get to see many of the beautiful sweeping views the Siskiyous offer. Ian Torrence did a lot of trail work getting the course ready and took pictures which can be seen on his blog.

The Start Line-Williams Grange

The next 25 miles or so I just slid into a comfortable pace. I wasn't feeling very strong, possibly due to not taking in enough calories early on. These hours passed by quickly due to the excellent company I shared along the way. We had some deep and personal conversations despite not even being formally introduced in some cases. The bonds that occur with total strangers sharing an undertaking such as running 100 miles is hard to explain yet a profound and intriguing aspect of ultras.  










At mile 31 aid station I had a drop bag and picked up an EFS gel flask, put a Starbucks Via in my bottle, and had some chips. I sipped on the flask for about 5 miles and felt a boost in energy. I decided to pick up the pace at mile 37 and was able to continue to suck down gels with impunity. At this point many of my contemporaries were walking almost all the uphills while I tried to run them all except when the grade made the exertion too taxing. In turn, I picked up several positions over the next 28 miles.


I still felt strong coming into the 65 mile aid station, Dutchman's Peak. An aid station volunteer said a lot of people were dropping relatively few continued on. I sat by a propane heater for a minute to warm up and have some soup. At first I decided to forgo a heavier jacket in my drop bag until another runner sat down next to me. He had just come down from the peak and was visibly shaking and muttering "it's so f..ing cold". About .68 seconds later I was asking for my drop bag back to put on that jacket and some calf sleeves. The wind was howling along the ridge to the peak and the rain stung. The climb was short, however, and soon enough I was heading back down out of the worst of the weather.

Road to Dutchman's Peak-Gives an idea of the conditions

Leaving the chaos of Dutchman I got another boost to my spirits when Hal called out some encouraging words as I passed the vehicle of broken down runners he was driving. Perhaps it was Josh's speech, pride in continuing on where so many quit, or just that I was having a good time in the deprived ultrarunner way, but I didn't really even consider getting into one of those vehicles at Dutchman.

About 2 am I was having a bit of a rough patch. I convinced myself that I missed a turn and started back uphill only to see some headlights coming the other way just when I reached the top. This cost me about 20 minutes, but at least I wasn't lost. The course was extremely well marked and there weren't that many crossing roads or trails to diverge on. 

About an hour later I was jogging down a forest road swerving side to side like a drunk. I was just so tired I was almost falling asleep running. At the next aid station I had a hard time communicating with the volunteers and finally muttered something like "I just want to sit here for and close my eyes". Even in my stupor I could sense they were thinking that I was a goner. However, after about 5 minutes I pepped up, had some soup and a quesadilla and headed out. 

The next few hours are mostly a blur. As the sun started to come up the rain came down more relentless than ever. I was heading up the 4 mile out and back to Wagner Butte. Once at the top we had to climb some fairly precarious rocks to reach our flags. Normally this wouldn't have been too challenging, but after 24 hours, 88 miles, and the weather this definitely got your attention. Getting the flag was a nice boost. From there it was 12 miles downhill to the finish. Not too say that it was easy though. We dropped over 5000' in those 12 miles.

I took a bit of a detour after the mile 93 aid station which cost me about 20 minutes. Again the course was extremely well marked, I just totally geeked it. Maybe I was still distracted by the three beautiful ladies manning the aid station. Eventually, I found myself making the final turn to the finish coming in at 28:10.

Happy to be done

I am really happy with my performance at the P2P. It's a challenging course but isn't hard just to be hard like some courses. My recovery is already going much better than last year after Leadville. I had a better run 3 days after the race than I was having 3 weeks after Leadville. Although the rain was miserable during the event I have to admit it's kind of cool that years from now I'll be able to say I ran the P2P the "rain" year.

Evolution Valley Loop

The Evolution Valley 100k is not well known outside the running community of the Owens Valley. I first heard of it when I did the Bishop High Sierra 50k, my first race, a few years ago. 55 miles self supported through some of the most beautiful areas of the Sierras sounded right up my alley, although well out of my league at the time. This summer I felt I had the experience and endurance to complete it. Usually this route is done in a horseshoe, but I decided to make it a true loop leaving and ending from my campsite. This ended up adding about 14 miles to the round trip totaling a convenient 69 miles. I left with the following items in my small pack:

arms sleeves, windbreaker, long sleeved shirt, gloves, warm hat, visor, 14 gels, salt pills, iodine and neutralizer, Nuun, a couple packs of Starbucks Via, a large cookie, and 3 cheesy rolls.

I left my campsite at 4am August Friday the 13th. Returned at about 4:30 Saturday the 14th. I was on the traditional route for about 20.5 hours with 4 miserable hours along the roads linking the trails. This was a great adventure and I tried to take my time and enjoyed it very much. Most hikers I ran into couldn't believe how I got so far out there with so little. Many were doing to the same loop, but in 5-7 days. On the final decent just after midnight from Bishop Pass I ran into a group of people just starting the same loop but in the opposite direction. Amazingly I knew one of them, the ever lovely Catra Corbett who in addition to her sexy punk look, is a hard core ultrarunner/thru hiker. It was pretty funny seeing them close to the end of my adventure and the beginning of theirs.

I took quite a few photos and there are too many to insert so here is a link to album.

http://picasaweb.google.com/tradshad/EvolutionLoop?authkey=Gv1sRgCNzLupuajNbWWw&feat=directlink

[caption id="attachment_271" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Map of Loop"][/caption]

DEVA April 3rd, 2010

Last night I decided to take a day trip over to Death Valley for a little trail running and some sightseeing. I've been through DEVA a few times and hiked Telescope Peak once, but not much besides that. I figured this would be a nice getaway without spending much money and better than sticking around home all day. Upon entering the park I pulled into Zabriskie Point. I grabbed the camera and did a short 3 mile loop.



This strange contraption ended up being for a music video shoot



Typical view to the south of Zabriskie Point



View across Badwater to the Panamint Mtns. Telescope and Wildrose Peaks in Background



Salt deposits embedded in mudstone.

After Zabriskie Point I went to the Furnace Creek Visitors Center and walked around a little bit before heading North to Titus Canyon. I was unsure of travelling the 3 mile gravel road leading up to the mouth of the canyon so I just ran it. I decided against running up the slot canyon because it is a popular 4x4 road. There was a hiking path headed along the escarpment so I took that instead and found some pretty flowers and rock formations.



Mouth of Titus Canyon



I couldn't believe this dead ass looking plant was still blooming



Small but pretty purple flowers growing out of the gravel



Cool Caves



Natural Throne



I just liked this rock and plant



Lizard



I thought this plant growing right out of the crack was pretty cool too.

After travelling a little over a mile my stomach started to growl so I ran the 4+ miles back to the car and headed up to Beatty. There is a pretty good Mexican joint in Beatty and I was craving their fajitas. Additionally, there is this wicked hot Romanian girl that was working there last summer so I was hoping she would be there as an extra treat. On the way out of DEVA I passed a bunch of bicyclists on both sides of the road. Apparently there was a 100 mile bike race, Hell's Gate Hundred, going on today. There were a lot of...well relatively large for spandex cyclists riding the race. There were quite of few people on those low rider recliner bikes too. Just before getting to Beatty I saw one of those eliptical bikes with no other than Dean Karnazes riding it. I have to say I was actually embarrassed for Dean. I'm all for someone whoring a product to make money, but it was sad to see. Luckily the hot Romanian was working that day so the fajitas tasted all the better. After packing down enough shrimp, chicken, and steak for two I had an ice cream just so I could look at her a little longer. All in all, not a bad day.

2010 Update

Things have been going pretty well lately. I haven't updated this site in quite some time because, frankly, I was bored with it. I have preferred to microblog on Twitter and Facebook which is quicker and easier. Having said that, microblogging has its limitations. In particular, one can't really say much in 140 characters and this doesn't go very far in describing an experience. So I'm going to try to do a better job at keeping this site up to date.

So here is a quick update on what's been going on lately. In the beginning of January I ran the Red Rock Fat Ass 50k. This year only six people entered the RRFA although all finished the race. Unfortunately, this is quite different from years passed when turn out was high and the race attracted elite runners like Josh Brimhall and Ian Torrence. Fortunately for me, no elite runners showed up so I ended up winning the race. More importantly, I bested my time from last year by 20 minutes.

In February I ran the Pemberton 50k for the second consecutive year. I ran faster than last year; however, I was a bit dissapointed in this performance. At the time I was still dealing with some plantar fasciitis issues which slowed me down, but I couldn't help be feel a bit unsatisfied. A couple weeks before this race I started working with Ian Torrence as a running coach. Not coming from a running background I didn't really feel I had a good training plan and usually decided on my daily run about 10 minutes before I started.  Ian has run over 150 ultramarathons, 49 wins, and is extremely well regarded in the community. So far this has been going great. It's nice to have a plan in place and the varying workouts have been paying off.

Last week I ran a local 50k in Bootleg Canyon which is about 15 minutes outside of Las Vegas. I was a bit apprehensive about paying to run where I run every weekend, but it was also difficult to pass up a race where I didn't have to travel. At least I didn't have to worry about getting lost. This race ended up being my first DNF, did not finish. Everything was going pretty well. I had completed two 12.5 mile loops and only had another 6 mile loop to go. I was actually feeling pretty good and was making decent time, 4h 25min for 25 miles, but I just didn't feel like running any more that day. I didn't see any moral victory in covering the same ground for the third time that day and I was bored. For me, this race was more of a training run in getting ready for a 50 mile race, Zane Grey, later this month so it wasn't any big loss anyway.

Besides that there isn't too much to report. I think I'll be taking a day trip to either Zion or Death Valley pretty soon so I'm going to force myself to keep my promise to updating more regularly.