Relentless Forward Progress_ A Guide to Running Ultramarathons - Bryon Powell [81]
Ultrarunners are sometimes a competitive lot. Of the folks who take on trail adventure runs, some enjoy putting down fast times, known by the community as “fastest known times” or FKTs, during those runs. The speediest of adventure runners track FKTs via a forum hosted by ultrarunner Peter Bakwin. (Find a link to the FKT forum and other afterword-related resources at www.iRunFar.com/rfp/resources.)
One particularly popular adventure run is the Grand Canyon Rim-to-Rim-to-Rim, or R2R2R. Runners start at one of the Grand Canyon’s rims, most often the South Rim, descend to the Colorado River at the canyon’s bottom, climb to the far rim, then around, and run back to the rim on which they started. Though the Grand Canyon has many trails over which you can run R2R2R, the FKT was set using the South and North Kaibab Trails by ultrarunner Dave Mackey in 2007. Mackey covered this adventure run, which spans 42 trail miles and includes 10,000 feet of both elevation gain and descent, in less than seven hours!
At heart, I’m an adventurer, feeling pretty certain that I was put on this earth to dig my heels deep in some of our planet’s wildest places. As such, I love a good adventure run. I adore this concept so much that, in 2006, my second ultradistance run was the Grand Canyon R2R2R. Running so many miles on legs that weren’t acclimated to ultradistance travel disabled me for days with muscle soreness. However, a full day of running back and forth across one of the world’s deepest canyons while observing its shifting shadows and moods made the discomfort more than worthwhile.
By Snowshoes We Endure
Most runners of our earth’s temperate latitudes have experienced the challenge of training during the frigid and slippery winter. When training on the road, we sometimes slip-slide our way through an otherwise decent workout. On the coldest of winter days, we lament the peg-legged feeling that results from never quite warming up. And trail runners tuck their tails after the first snowstorm that buries their prized possessions, the trails, until next spring.
Snowshoes open up winter wonderlands. (Photo by author)
Have no fear. If you dislike winter running or if want an addition to it, endurance snowshoeing could be your answer. In my mind, snowshoeing is a perfect winter parley. It’s superb cross training, requiring the use of little-employed-by-running muscles. Snowshoeing allows you play on snow-covered trails. And it’s ample hard work, so you’re sure to maintain, if not enhance, your fitness.
Endurance snowshoeing’s crowning jewel is its simplicity. It’s just you, your snowshoes, and the Wild West (or East, or North, or, on a stormy winter’s day, the South). That is, the wilderness is your oyster. Get to know the winter side of all those trails you use so much during the summer!
Numerous companies manufacture a multitude of snowshoe models. Some are designed for running on groomed surfaces, while others are made for floating over deep powder. My recommendation: Buy a high-quality pair of snowshoes created for versatility. Other than snowshoes, all you need is a pair of waterproof and insulating shoes or boots, as well as some knee-high, waterproof gaiters.
Fit folks who take to endurance snowshoeing will likely find it to be a bit harder than normal hiking, but easier than running. However, if you find yourself moving through powder, the workout can turn anaerobic. As an ultrarunner, you’ll quickly see what the fuss of endurance snowshoeing is all about: going as far as you’d like on top of the snow. Endurance snowshoeing is a magic-carpet ride to a whole new world of winter play.
Spend any time on a pair of snowshoes, and you’ll likely notice that your rate of forward movement decreases by one leap and a few bounds. Movement in the supranivean world is often slower, harder work. For example, last year I set out on a backcountry snowshoeing trip with another fit ultrarunner and, despite