« Part Two: The First Crossing | Main | Bryce Canyon, Briefly »
December 2, 2007
Part Three: The Second Crossing and Aftermath
After that big push to the North Rim, the first 7 miles of descent from there are akin to a floating, free ride. I find it amusing that, at 25+ miles into a run, I feel daisy fresh. Ok, maybe not daisy fresh. How about dandelion fresh? In any case, thanks to the Earth's gravitational forces, the running was smooth and easy.
So, in lieu of having to concentrate on working hard, I let my mind wander around my various body pieces, taking stock of my physical situation. First, I noticed my ankle. I was feeling decent discomfort when my foot landed on surfaces that caused it to evert (Note: I think I had a minor eversion sprain in that ankle. It would later become fairly bruised and swollen. Today, 8 days later, it isn't inhibiting any activity, but I still feel light discomfort.). Second, I noticed that something was going on with my right toe. Nothing specifically hurt, but I could feel pressure building underneath the toenail. You know what I'm talking about, don't you? In all, though, nothing was dire.
(T’s foto again.)
After that initial nosedive descent from the North Rim, the trail again evened out for 7 miles of lovely, almost flatlander running. This portion of the trail is called The Box, for its somewhat box-y characteristics that are shown in the above photo. I can’t quite describe how much I enjoy this portion of the trail, except to say that I really enjoy this portion of the trail.
When we arrived back to the Phantom Ranch area at the Colorado River, we crossed the bizarre silver suspension bridge and began the ascent to the South Rim. Let the games begin! From here, it’s just 5000 feet and 10 miles up to the South Rim, the end of our run, and all the luxuries of civilization. At this point, I was feeling good, so I began the ascent by pushing. Well, as much as this little engine could push this late in the game. It was great fun and hugely motivating to catch the smattering of day hikers still in the canyon. And, when darkness descended upon us, I had even more fun chasing down folks with flashlights on the trail.
Everything was going great until my toe exploded (T coined that phrase and I like it.). Suddenly, that moderate pressurized feeling was replaced by a gush of fluid. Obviously, whatever had built up under the nail had just released. This gushing wasn't painful, but the resulting deflated toe was. Without the "padding" of the fluid build-up, the nail was loose, shifty, and grating itself over exposed nerve endings (Note: Even today, the toenail is still hanging on by threads!). Fortunately, the body has a built-in series of physiological responses to traumatic moments like these, and my toe soon went happily numb. For the rest of the climb, I could feel the nail shifting around, but it was no longer painful.
(Photo by T.)
A rising full moon also helped distract me from the toe explosion (And, hopefully, the photo above will help distract you as well.). In the midnight black sky, the moon was huge and white, almost blinding. The moonrise over the canyon walls was a spectacular sight that I won't soon forget.
With the distractions of my toe and the moon, we were suddenly just a few switchbacks from the South Rim, which you could distinctly see in the moonlight. Those last switchbacks might have taken almost forever to climb, I'm not sure. Then, we were again standing on the South Rim. It was all over, and time had simultaneously passed too quickly and too slowly. I couldn’t fathom that, so I didn’t try.
After finishing last year, I was a wreck. I collapsed into a hotel bed, writhed around in pain all night, and was fully handicapped the following day. This year, we wandered around the South Rim, found our hotel, showered, and went out to dinner. The next day, we walked around the South Rim with only a light stagger. What a difference a year makes!
(One more photo by T.)
Here’s a unique photo of the trash can after we emptied our pockets!
Alone, I consumed:
8 vanilla Power Gels = 880 kcal
9 vanilla Gus = 900 kcal
3 packages of Sharkies = 450 kcal
2 packages of salted cashews = 500 kcal
1 (delicious!) oatmeal raisin cookie = 130 kcal
8 S-caps
approximately 180 oz of Nuun water
This is the kicker: My stomach was content all day long! Several months of deductive reasoning had led me to suspect that a certain Hammer product, Sustained Energy, was causing my stomach ails. For the first time in a long time, I did a long run sans Sustained Energy, and I had no belly aches. Go figure! I added in cashews for protein, and they seemed to work fine. I’m sticking with the above combination!
Stay tuned for a little more! Next I'll have an entry with photos about a day we spent exploring Bryce Canyon National Park.
Posted by Meghan at December 2, 2007 8:15 PM
Comments
Meghan,
The Department of Homeland Security regrets to inform you that you have been banned from commercial travel of any kind. Exploding toes are considered terrorist devices. We feel it is extraordinarily cruel to have nails on the devices. Please understand our reasoning for our actions.
What a great Thanksgiving tradition! Sounds like you really learned how to run trials over the past year. I gotta say that it looks like one trip in the wrong direction could result in a free fall and a thud. Oh well, boogie till ya bounce.
Thanks for sharing your event. I liked the multiple entries. I've been a bad blogger by just skimming and not replying but things seem to be settling down a bit.
Take care!
Eric
Posted by: Eric at December 2, 2007 10:41 PM
Stumbled into your blog from another blog link. Very interesting and definitely makes me want to hit the trails and explore new places when I get back. Awesome pictures too!
Posted by: Wayne at December 3, 2007 12:13 AM
Megahn the Intrepid: a science question. Why not eat more oatmeal cookies? Wouldn't the delicious part be a good variable in these trying moments? Too hard to digest?
Posted by: corrado giambalvo at December 3, 2007 1:56 AM
Interesting about Hammer Sustained Energy.
I've been using Endorox R4 for ultras. It's hyped for recovery but I think the slower speeds and distances warrant the protein in R4. And I know other ultra runners who swear by it. But recently, Miles K from Leadville told me R4 is what's responsible for my severe cramping at the Boulder100. He swears the worst cramping of his life was caused by R4.
So I guess I'll have to explorer that possibility.
"The Box" looks like trail-runner-heaven. OK - next year - it's on the schedule.
Posted by: JeffO at December 3, 2007 11:24 AM
I was a wreck. I collapsed into a hotel bed, writhed around in pain all night, and was fully handicapped the following day.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GRRRRRRRR those words gave me an instant flashback to my GTR night & the next day :-(
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
So glad u didnt re-live that and I know have something to look forward to--haha
I too love that Box pic...looks amazing to run through that...u are creating a lot of fans to run "Da Rims" hmmm that would be a cool T-SHirt with DO Da Rims if U Dare!
Posted by: Bob Gentile at December 3, 2007 1:50 PM
I know, of course, that the moon picture is spectacular but the trash picture really makes my heart sing. You carry your trash out with you and you're rewarded with a work of art.
The run sounds great. You really inspire me--though not necessarily to run ultradistance--and I enjoy your blog enormously. Thanks.
Posted by: Roslyn at December 3, 2007 5:54 PM
Ah! I have so many comments I don't no where to start!!
1) What is a "sharkies"?
2) Awesome pictures
3) I am just so amazed at your ability to do this type of thing! It's just craziness - not only for the distance but obviously for the terrain and elements and altitude, etc... You are so amazing!
4) I think your quicker recovery and how the run affected you as a whole (or how it didn't wreak you I should say) is a really great sign for your 100 miler this upcoming year!
5) I hope your toe feels better!! I was getting a little queasy reading about that...
Awesome Meghan - really awesome! :)
Posted by: Beth at December 3, 2007 6:04 PM
Thank you all for the nice comments! You're all so-danged sweet!
Eric- I so agree! Why do we still have toenails anyways? I realize our tree-dwelling predecessors needed them to hang on and stuff, but geez, that's been like 3.5 million years!
Wayne- Thanks for the comment, and thanks for visiting!
Corrado- I don't really have a definitive answer for you. Foods with significant sugar and/or fat are challenging for the stomach to digest while in motion, as they require a large diversion of blood to the gut to do the work. I find I have the most trouble digesting sugary and/or fatty foods when either the ambient air temps are high or my body is hot from higher output levels. With that, I think the blood in my body is being used to keep me cool and doesn't divert to my stomach. I can sometimes eat those foods when it's cool or cold out, or when I'm powerwalking/hiking. But then, go figure, T ate about 1300 kcal worth of oatmeal raisin cookies all day long, and loved them! Everyone's so different, I suppose. You are right, there is something to be said about the delicious-factor. That oatmeal raisin cookie was wonderful!
JeffO- Hmmn, on the R4. Seems like you have a little research to do. You MUST run the Grand Canyon, and you will love The Box! And, you should invite me! :)
Bob- I saw you at the Teton Races the next day and you were not that handicapped! You were sore, yes, but also mobile!
Beth-
1) See here, http://www.sharkiesinc.com/index2.cfm. They taste and chew a bit like gummi candy, but are designed to be endurance activities fuel. Caution, if it's cold out, keep them close to your body or they will be too cold to chew!
2 and 3) Thanks so much! You know that I'm in awe of you, too!
4)You're so right!
5)Thanks! I can run/do everything on it, it just looks disgusting!
Posted by: Meghan at December 3, 2007 6:58 PM
Roslyn- Somehow I missed you, so sorry! You've been a long time reader, and I'm so glad that you enjoy my blog. T deserves a lot of credit for his trash photo! I, too, think it's gorgeous!
Posted by: Meghan at December 3, 2007 7:04 PM
Meghan,
Sorry to be dense - 48 miles rim to rim, 96 miles total? How long did it take you? I would so like to try it, but I'm so slow. Poor Eric would go nuts trying to go my pokey speed.
Thanks for sharing - it seems epic and beautiful and kind of surreal to me.
Posted by: backofpack at December 3, 2007 7:32 PM
Michelle- Sorry to be confusing! 24 miles one-way via the Bright Angel and North Kaibab trails. Then repeat for a 48 mile double crossing total. You so could do it! I know you could!
Posted by: Meghan at December 3, 2007 8:09 PM
Meghan the intrepid: you getting many compliments and rightfully so. You shine. To this effect, if I may just write that I found Roslyn's cause-and-effect interpretation of the moon vis-a-vis garbage photos just wonderful and inspiring...
Posted by: corrado giambalvo at December 4, 2007 4:53 AM
Ack! I've never had a toe explode on the run! Yucko!
I am so jealous of all that natural beauty. And you running more in a day that it seems I run in a week lately. Heh.
Oh, and what a lovely meal!
Posted by: Salty at December 4, 2007 8:46 AM