RIM TO RIM GRAND CANYON RUN (south rim to north rim)

This was my most crazy adventure yet with Rhett and I owe the adventure to my buddy Rhett.  I really enjoy pushing my body to limits it has never been to before and to see how much I can take.  I learned about how much I can take with this run.  It is intersting how much you learn about yourself when you do things like this.  That being said, here is the report:

We got to the Grand Canyon on Thursday around 5, took a few pictures, had dinner, and headed to the hotel to get everything prepared for the next day.  We woke up at 5 and headed to the Grand Canyon.  It was a little chilly, but that is coming from someone who does not like the cold and lives in the desert.  It was a beautiful morning and the views were amazing.  About sunrise (6:15) we headed out on our adventure.  We started down Bright Angel Trailhead and it was all downhill with a lot of steps to hammer your quads.  At mile 3 Rhett and I took of our long shirts because it was already getting warm.  We continued down the trail until we hit Phantom Ranch, about 10 miles into the run.  At Phantom Ranch we stopped, filled up our water bottles, and took in some food.  From what I had read about the course, I thought that we would be running on some pretty flat terrains with wider paths and packed dirt.  Boy was I suprised to see that most of the remaining course we uphill (some much more than others) and fairly technical.  We had streams to cross, mud to get through, and beach sand to run through.  At about mile 14 I could feel that my achillies I had injured a couple weeks ago was starting to act up.  At this point I took some ibuprofen to help with the inflammation and hopefully keep my going through the next 10 miles.  It worked and I did not have any further issues with my achillies. 

By about mile 18 or 19 my body was starting to scream at me to stop.  At this point I was developing pretty signifigant cramping in my quads.  Most likely due to the pounding they took running down the South Rim.  I had been taking in as much water as I could, but at this point nothing other than stopping was going to keep the evil beasts from cramping.  At one point I tried to run with Rhett and both quads siezed up and I was not able to hardly move.  Rhett told a group of hikers that he passed that he was running from the south rim with a buddy and they asked where his buddy was at. I was tring to figure out how to use my legs.  At this point the trail was very steep and un-runable for someone like me.  Rhett and I power hiked the trail, stopping a couple of times to fill up our water bottles.  With about 2 miles left to climb up the north rim we stopped, rested, filled the water bottles, and headed out.  The last 2 miles were amazingly difficult.  By this point my hamstrings were cramping and my calves were cramping if I walked on them the right (or wrong) way.  Not to mention the constant pain I was having with my quads cramping the past 3-4 miles.  After 6 1/2 hours we finally made it to the top of the north rim.  It was an amazing site.  There was just 1 problem, we had to take shuttle back to the south rim and the shuttle was picking us up at the north rim lodge almost 2 miles away.  After crying a little (I would have cried if I had any fluid to develop tears) we started walking to the lodge. 

When we got to the lodge we got cleaned up a little and treated ourselves to some coke and pizza.  I could hardly eat anything and it ended up taking me over an hour to eat a piece of pizza.  To be honest, I had a hard time eating the day after the run also.  I think my body took a pretty good beating.  We took the shuttle back to the south rim and met up with my brothers were were hiking the canyon that day also.  We went out the dinner with them and I headed back to Phoenix with them to watch my little girl in a rowing competitiion. 

It was a very difficult experience, but I had a great time doing it.  There is something to be said for the enjoyment you get from accomplishing something like this, despite the pain you feel at the time you are trying to accomplish.  I don't know how to explain it other than that there is sometimes pleasure and personal fulfillment in suffering.  I love to have these experiences and I am thankful that I have the physical ability to do these types of things.  It makes me feel alive and happy.  Rhett and I have already talked about a rim to rim to rim experience next year.  Thankfully I will know exactly what to expect with regard to the course and I will be able to train more and a little different for the adventure.