Ten days after I completed running the Grand Canyon
rim2rim2rim I was back home in New Jersey and at the starting line for a 50k
trail run. It was probably not the smartest decision I ever made but it was
good to be back on forest trails. I overheard two runners talking about
previous trail races and one said “I learned a lesson on that race.” The
other one responded, “there are lessons on every race.” I wholeheartedly
agree with that statement.
My rim2rim2rim run in the Grand Canyon was not a race but a
run. The lessons, however, are ingrained more deeply in my soul than the
Colorado River is in the canyon. Some of these lessons are ones I have learned before
but this run reinforced them. Others are completely new. Here they are in no
particular order.
1.
Do Hard Things – We live in a society
that spends its time trying to find the easiest way to do something. Drive-up
windows for a cup of coffee. Remote controls for our TVs. I mean now we don’t
even have to get up to turn on the lights or put on music. “Siri or Alexa” will
do it for us. Yet I never felt more alive than when I was dead tired after
finishing the rim2rim2rim. The next day I relived some of the difficult and
beautiful parts of the run in my mind. This experience was what they call Type
2 Fun. Something that seems almost miserable at the time but when you look back
on it, the memory is a positive and happy one. Hard things are Type 2 fun. The
accomplishment was not a virtual one but a personal one. When you accomplish
something that pushed you to your limits it makes other difficult challenges
seem possible. It will also change your mindset and make you believe in
yourself more.
2.
It’s Okay to Feel Insignificant – As I
was running down, across, and up the canyon, there were throngs of tourists at
the top of the south rim taking selfies and photos with the Grand Canyon as a
spectacular backdrop. It isn’t one of the Seven Wonders of the World for
nothing. While they were up there frolicking, they were completely unaware that
there were people like me who were struggling on the canyon trails. They
couldn’t even see us or even most of the bottom. As for me, those people were
not of my concern. I could not even see them.
Whether we were at the top or the bottom of the canyon we seemed
insignificant. However, I would stop often in take in the spectacle of the sun
rising and setting on the canyon walls. It is hard not to be in awe of Mother
Nature wherever you are in the canyon. If you ever wanted proof of a higher
being, I cannot think of a more convincing piece of evidence than the Grand
Canyon.
3.
Do Your Homework – Yes, I said do hard things,
but it is best to be prepared to do them. That means not only training but
knowing what you are asking yourself to do. For this run, I read numerous
articles and watched more YouTube videos than I can count to see what the
experience would entail. I even watched or read accounts of people who failed
because they made a mistake. That way I could learn from their mistake. There
was a Facebook group just for this challenge which I found very useful. However, I was shocked at some of the
questions that were posted. If the poster had done even a modicum of research,
they would have known the answer. You need to be prepared for when things go
wrong and not just depend on your guts to get you through. I may be daring but
I am not reckless. It’s a good life lesson.
4. All Miles are not Created Equal – No matter how you measure it, a mile is 5,280 feet. It is the same all over the world. Yet they are not all the same, not even close. Just about a month before undertaking the Grand Canyon run, I ran the same distance with a good amount of elevation over 8,200 feet (compared to the 11,600 of the canyon) in about 11 ½ hours. So, I estimated that with the extra elevation and stops for picture-taking it should be 14 maybe 15 hours. But it was almost 17 ½ hours—a six-hour time difference from my earlier run. I still really don’t know how to completely account for the difference, but my past experience was not a good indicator of future performance. While I was running slower than usual, in my head I kept thinking I would get back to my normal pace, which was a fallacy. I should have known better. A mile is not a mile. The terrain, climate, and environment determine the difficulty just as much, if not more, than the distance. This is a lesson not just for runners but for everyone. We judge things by one factor or definition when things are not nearly as black and white as they seem.
5.
Confidence Built on Reality not Fantasy, is
Powerful – A sincere belief in yourself is so powerful. I have found that I
can do some things that I would have thought may be beyond my capacity because
of my confidence. Yet that confidence is built on a strong sense of self
awareness. You must be honest with yourself about your abilities and know what
is possible and what is not. On this run there were times when my confidence
was tested but I fell back on past successes to fuel me. I had been through
hard times before and succeeded and would do it again.
People often say you can accomplish
anything if you put your mind to it. While I have accomplished many long
distances in my running career, I did not just do it by will alone. I needed to
prepare myself for these things. There are things that are possible and things
that are impossible for all individuals. Yet there is a gap between the two
where you are not sure if they are possible or not unless you try. That is the
sweet spot where if you push yourself and prepare correctly you can accomplish
more than you think. That preparation and past successes build confidence to
expand your limits. I have watched many people who challenged themselves on
runs but did not have confidence in their ability and failed. I have also had
people who mistake bravado for real confidence and failed because that is all
they thought they needed.
6.
Great Solo Achievements are a Team Effort
– I am very proud of my rim2rim2rim accomplishment and know that many people
cannot even think of attempting such a feat especially at the age of 65. Yet I
know that while all the steps I took were under my own power, others helped me
finish this successfully. Most notably my wife and our friends Ed and Sue. They
got up at 3:30 a.m. and drove me to the trailhead which saved me a mile of
running. It also made it easier to just focus on my run and not how to find the
trail from the hotel. Most importantly, at the end of my run, they saved me
even more. They met me after 9 p.m. and had refreshments for me and drove me to
our hotel room, which really hastened my recovery. Yet there were others who
also helped me. Just reading and watching videos of total strangers’
experiences helped me prepare for this journey. I know that the American ethos
is that of rugged individualism, but we all need others whether we like to
admit it or not. My journey was solo but on the second half of the journey when
I interacted with other runners, it lifted my spirit. It was uplifting to talk
to others and motivated me. I had spent almost eight hours in silence during the
first leg of the run and was struggling, yet those interactions with other
people helped me push myself.
7.
Be in the Moment – When my wife would ask
about the rim2rim2rim she often referred to it as a race. I would admonish her
and say it was a “run” not a “race”. A race is a competition; this was not a
competition. This was not just about running, this was about taking in the
Grand Canyon and experiencing all it had to offer. I would stop often to take
in the views. This was a magnificent run
not because of the distance but because of the location and grandeur of the
Grand Canyon. Yes, I wanted to get this done as quickly as I could, but this
was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, so it was important to notice the colors
of the canyon walls changing. Despite this, when I was heading back my run felt
more like a race because time was running out. I had to force myself to stop
pushing and take in the views of the sunsetting over the canyon. Later when it
was dark I turned off my headlamp and took in the stars of a dark sky. I was in
complete darkness with the exception of the stars. I was not scared of the dark
but enjoying being in the moment.
8.
There is More in the Tank When You Have No
Other Option – After all my grueling races I know my body very well. So, as
I sat at the bottom of the canyon by the banks of the Colorado River, I knew I
had nothing left in the tank. I was not only done, but what lay before me was
the toughest climb of the day. I wanted to stop and if this was a race I would
have. This wasn’t a race, this was a journey. I was at my journey’s end. Except
that it couldn’t end there. Not unless I wanted to curl up and sleep on the
ground. My only option was to hike the six miles straight up and out. As I
started up, I was a bit nervous because I felt I may not be capable of what lay
before me. Yet even I was surprised by how the mind can take over and make you
do more than you think. It wasn’t easy but I made it out. I even ran (albeit
very slowly) the last half mile on the road. I had read and know it to be true
they say the mind quits before the body. My mind didn’t let my body quit.
This run was a journey that challenged and changed me. As
those two runners noted there are lessons to learn on every trail run.
