Ha, that's sweet. All sorts of cool stuff going on I have no idea about.

Craig, Im kinda surprised you arent doing both it AND the marathon tho. Just sayin.

Believe me, it crossed my mind. Actually, I'm a little bummed I didn't plan better for it. But at $165 to enter, it's not going to happen right now.

Running the LA Marathon in 2009 cost me $90. It's getting close to double that in only 3 years...Ouch. Unless I were going for an official time or PR or something, I can run 26.2 through the city whenever I want for free...and make the finish line at a restaurant or bar of my choice!

looks like the Canyon is getting a good dump today and into tomorrow, snow making it as low as 3000'- guessing it's probably short lived

YES! we have snows! I got to shovel it for 4 hrs strait this morning at work. Which is cool cause shoveling snow at a good pace is a full body workout, sorta feels like my Kettlebell workouts, my legs actually feel more tired than my arms! Anyway- The snow should end tonight and then it'll be sunny n 50 degrees all week..itll melt.

Got a writeup of the crash race on my blog:

http://sweepingthegarden.wordpress.com/2012/03/18/wolfpackhustle-marathon-crash-race-2012/

Absolute blast, great training as well. Ended up riding 50 miles by the time the night was over, with almost 30 of it at high intensity.

I forgot how slow running is...

Craig - nice write up! glad you came out unscathed, I can just about guarantee you I would have been the guy fumbling w/ his bottle :)

Last week I managed to get an hour of pool running almost every day. Yuck. Also managed about a 20 minute run every day or so without any issues. Every other day I added onto this another 40 minutes of cardio, cycling or whatever. Hoping all of that adds up to some decent stuff, just trying not to lose too much ground while my legs heal up a bit.

This week, I' ll start shifting a little of that time to actual running. Today I sat in the hot tub for 30 minutes and stretched thoroughly, focusing on IT band and calves. Then some slow work on the foam roller and a 40 min run. Worked great, haven't felt that loose in at least a couple weeks. I'll alternate this kind of easy, slow stretching and running with hard cross-training days in between.

Really hoping as I ease back into the 4-8 mile runs next week that I have no issues. Getting a couple 15-18 milers pain-free would be nice before I can think about attempting the canyon. All in all, really glad to have the challenge. Getting really excited. Either way, I'm gonna go for it and let my legs tell me whether I turn back at the river or go balls out.

@mike, super glad to see things coming together for you.
@greg, haven't heard from you, I hope no news is good news.

I finally got off the skiis onto solid ground (flew 2,600 miles south to Maui).

45-pound pack, 7 miles, -2,500 feet
40-pound pack, 6 miles, +500/-1000
35-pound pack, 8 miles, -500/+2000

Yes, I'd normally do more miles with less weight, but I was carrying most of the kids' stuff. Started at 10,000 feet, 38F, blowing 50 mph. Ended at 8,000 feet. Wished I could have done it each of the next 4 weeks - then I'd have decent vertical and some nice altitude work prior to R2R2R.

Then we, er, "cross-trained" for 3 days in the surf.

I'm back at 60N, doing stairs at home, stationary bike in the garage and doing laps at Walmart.

And now I'll brag on my kids - ages 7 and 12. Let me repeat: Started at 10,000 feet, 38F, blowing 50 mph, in a cloud, and my wife was ready to bag it. I argued "They're Alaskan kids and we have chocolate along." They did great in 4 days of drizzle. Endangered nene geese, cinder cones, weird plants in the moonscape setting, sandy scree trails, went caving in some nasty little lava tubes - I was proud of them.

>"Which is cool cause shoveling snow at a good pace is a full body workout"

Torrey: I joke that "I could join a gym for $1000 and buy a snowblower for $1000, or do neither." 400' long, 15-25' wide, and we've had about 5 feet total this year. I like the workout, but sometimes it comes at the most inconvenient times!

Just like in a Bacon and egg breakfast where the chicken is involved and the pig committed...... I just became a pig. Flights are now booked, training winding down and the excitement is growing. So while we in peak of training I thought this would be a great opportunity for folks to share their biggest ah-ha from their training. I'll start:

I have been quite surprised on how important rest has been in my training. I tend to be very driven so I will push myself a bit too hard at times so it's hard for me to think moderation. But I also know from mt PCT training last year how terrifying it is to have an event treatening injury strike right before show time. So I have really listened to my body, pushed when it felt right and took extra down days when needed. It seems that I need a bit longer to recover as I get older.

What have you learned?

David- sounds like a great trip, bet is was nice to get a little break from the cold :)

Greg- I think what really hit me was the sheer time involved to get into long distance "shape"; I'm no where near where I wanted to be at this juncture and after hearing from the folks who have been at it a awhile- not an overly big surprise. I was thinking weeks and months, when it actually sounds more like years. I did figure out that I really enjoy trail running though, better late then never :)

Mike

-Having a running partner is fun. I've always trained and run solo until Adan came around. Thanks my friend.

-I have learned not to trust Adan with cars keys. You will end up hitch hiking. (Though he can usually be counted on for Fritos)

-I have learned to call a Ranger District for trail conditions/closures before embarking on 30+ mile runs. You will end up hitch hiking.

-After all the years I've run, this is the first season I feel like I'm really starting to get it. Not that I'm very fast or becoming an elite, but I feel like I've got myself pretty well figured out. Stretching, recovery, footwear, food/hydration, etc. I guess you could say I'm beginning to feel like a "seasoned" distance runner. Keep it simple, trust myself. For example: Despite the fact I've been injury-free for a while now, I'll start wondering if I have the "right" shoe and obsessing over new options. But I've learned to leave good enough alone. Same with diet all the talk here about it (no offense meant to anyone). It gets me wondering about Perpetuem and HEED and maltodextrin and etc, etc,...But when I back up and trust myself, I realize my own system has got me through the years just fine.

-None of this would be possible were it not for the support of my wife.

-While this is all supposed to be culminating in the big run, I've started to appreciate the journey more and more, to the point that I'm feeling no pressure. Regardless of what happens, this (and all of you) have motivated me to get out more and do a whole lot of great training runs I've always wanted to do. So it's almost more about the journey. Running the R2R2R is the bonus.

- Striking out for a morning run without purpose will usually result in me discovering some sense of purpose along the way, even if the purpose gained is illusory or transient. I say sense specifically- more often than not I have no clue what the hell I'm searching for in my running, or if in my searching I run. This upcoming R2R2R has given me something to point my arrows at.

- Balance! I'm pretty terrible at it and training for this R2R2R has revealed this character flaw in me. I need to apply similar discipline that I have for my running towards the other vastly more valuable areas of my life (family, faith, purpose, art). I can wake up at 5am off of 5 hrs sleep and go run for 2 hours, but can hardly stay awake spending time in the evening with my wife. I get things ass backwards somedays! My training hasn't been as consistently focused as it could have been, considering the time we've had. Will it be adequate? I hope so, but honestly, I should not be asking myself that question, the fact that I am is evidence that I should have done a better job managing my time and efforts.

- I've learned that my body responds to both rigidity and flexibility in training, both are fruitful, but the latter seems to be producing an overall healthier runner in me even though the obsessive nature in me desires the former. Fatherhood and family life has changed my expectations to some degree, if anything how often I get to run- this is a good thing. I'm not as fast or as lean as I was three years ago, but I am currently without injury and find joy in my running.

- Ritual and repetition. Lacing up shoes and taking first strides out onto the trail feels so right, right enough to repeat the cycle over and over again. Burnout has been evaded.

- People can connect under the most bizarre of circumstances, our upcoming gathering is proof of this.

- warmup, warmup, warmup : my first long run of the year, way back on a cold mid January morning, running with friends, psyched to get the season started, took off too quickly after a holiday filled with everything but running, yup, strained a hamstring and its been an issue ever since. won't be an issue regarding finishing, but it impacts what little speed I have.

- ditto something Craig said : it is more fun to do the long runs with company. all of them this year have been with friends, which is a change from previous years where most long runs were solo, simply because the logistics were simpler.

- ditto something Eugene said : an unlikely gathering, from a broad spectrum in one sense, yet sharing a kindred spirit in another.

- yes, its the journey, but ... : at one level the R2R2R is just a training run, on the journey to other things, but on another level its a special point along that journey.

a couple R2R2R motivational/trail scouting videos for those who haven't already watched everything utube has to offer :

RRR video 1

RRR video 2

Edited by asandh on 03/21/2012 12:32:18 MDT.

"People can connect under the most bizarre of circumstances"

Or "Circumstances can connect the most bizarre people."?

I learned/relearned:

Success breeds success - and the exercise gets easier the more routine it becomes.

These northern winters can throw me for a loop. R2R2R has been a helpful motivator to kick off my exercise and outdoors time earlier than I would have otherwise. Thanks to Eugene and the other instigators for that!

Even half an hour of workout makes the rest of my day go better.

When I'm most behind on paperwork is when I most need to just take a break, break a sweat, not sweat the details for an hour, and then get back to work (and be much less distracted and much more productive for it).

If I really want to drop weight, I've got to log what I eat (and hence eat less). There's an App for that. I use LoseIt on my iPhone and (1) entering in every calorie really makes me conscious of where the calories come from and (2) makes the food / exercise balance like a video game - finish at or under my goal each day and I DO lose weight quite predictably.

Okay my turn on the cheesy-go-round...

I've learned more than I wanted to know about running injuries.

I've learned to let Wisner handle the car keys, because nobody has to hitchhike if I forget the Fritos. Besides, car keys get you home but Fritos get you friends!

I've learned I have a gut, an instinct. It talks to me quietly and constantly, and it's very wise, wiser than knowledge. This instinct is heard clearest in the mountains.

I've learned that running is powerful juju. It changes everything, the way you live, the way you see yourself. Running makes me a better version of myself. It's like the normal, clumsy, forgetful me, only with a cape! Dashing through the mountains like a superhero, with nobody to save but myself.

"- warmup, warmup, warmup : my first long run of the year, way back on a cold mid January morning, running with friends, psyched to get the season started, took off too quickly after a holiday filled with everything but running, yup, strained a hamstring and its been an issue ever since. won't be an issue regarding finishing, but it impacts what little speed I have."

Let me guess, you immediately ran up a hill? If so we are twins.

I check in on this guy's blog everyone once and a while, his consistent running below the Rim makes me jealous. Next week he sets out for a FKT on the Tonto Trail.

http://jasonhenrie.blogspot.com/2012/03/tonto-traverse-fkt-attempt-next-week.html

Cool! Thanx for posting that!! I found him on facebook! Maybe ill have now someone to run the canyon with more often. I go down there once or twice a month, but always hafta go alone cause i dont know any trailrunners out here :(