I have a very fast nephew.
He lives in an area where no one is faster than him, so he came into town to get a workout done and wanted to have people to chase. My fast friends (including my coach) that are training for big things had us join, and my nephew crushed the workout with them.
I cannot wait to see where he goes with his running.
At his age, I was on the couch watching Oprah reruns all day and dreading the timed mile in PE… I definitely did not have his drive and determination.
I did the w/u and c/d with them and then ran around the area while they did the workout.
10.75 miles @ 8:06 average.
My nephew forgot his speed shoes for the workout, and luckily I have big feet, so he had a great time wearing my Vaporflys.
Afterward, I apologized to my brother (his dad) for the future expense of all of the Vaporflys he will want from here on out.
Back home for Core Power, crepes, and foam rolling.
Andrew has started training again because we have decided to do Rim to Rim (at the Grand Canyon).
I’ve wanted to do this for years and can’t wait.
The only other big event from the day was school supply shopping with Skye. I don’t like this growing-up thing.
With marathon training comes the intense need for delicious food all day long, so I thought I would share my top two as of today.
If you live near a Harmons (our fancy grocery store in Utah), please get this salsa the next time you leave your residence.
Indeed, all of their salsas are the best. Especially when eaten in the hot tub.
We also found It’s-It at Harmons. I haven’t had one of these since I lived in California, and I am so happy to have them in my life again.
One last food thought, our house is very divided. Half think blueberries are best with banana muffins and the other half believes chocolate chips to be the best in them.
————————————————————
I would love to hear about a delicious food in your life right now.
Who has done Rim to Rim? Please give me the details!
Have a bucket list trail?
Were you a motivated teenager with sports?
49 comments
Lee
There is no delicious food in my life right now. It’s really quite sad. We are in a food rut at my house. I need some ideas.
I wasn’t super motivated in high school. I did the sports my dad said to do which were usually those that didn’t have enough participants to field a team. At one point, me and five siblings were in the band because there weren’t enough people. After there weren’t enough of us to fill out the band, we ran cross country. the running is what stuck with us. none of us play our band instruments anymore but we run. Dad knew what he was doing.
School doesn’t start until Monday for us. You all go back early.
Have a great Wednesday!
The Hungry Runner Girl
I need to send you a package of delicious food right now! You must have been in a small school! And I am so happy he got you into runni8ng and you still love it. Happy first day to everyone in your area. I agree, way too early. Thanks Lee, you too!
emily l
Delicious food from right now- chocolate zucchini muffins- there is an abundance of zucchini in the produce dept! SO EXCITED y’all are doing Rim to Rim! I can’t wait to hear about your training journey and the event itself! That is definitely on my trail bucket list! Happy Wednesday Janae!
The Hungry Runner Girl
Send me your favorite recipe for those, they sound amazing. Thank you, Emily! Come with us! Wouldn’t that be fun?!?!
Racharl
Janae, have you ever had Joe Bandido’s (in Springville) chips and salsa? Legit the best I’ve ever had ever ever. For our family reunion this year, somebody drove down there and bought an entire trash bag full of chips & all the salsa they had!! Soooo good, my mouth is watering just thinking about it. I’ll be in Utah this weekend moving my daughter into her dorm at BYU and that is for sure going to be a stop for me!!!
The Hungry Runner Girl
Rachael. I need to send you a thank you note for reminding me of how good Joe Bandido’s is… I haven’t been there in forever and now I might have to go today. You bought an entire trash bag full… I would get along with your family so well. SO excited about your daughter. I hope you are doing okay and it all goes so smoothly.
Deidre
I’ve never heard of Rim to Rim. Is it a hike or run?
Trader Joe’s has coconut cashews that are delicious! I also love hummus, there’s a few great middle eastern places by me that make some of the best I’ve tasted.
No sports for me as a teenager. We used to go and watch the guys on the baseball team play :)
The Hungry Runner Girl
It is either! We are going to try and run as much as we can but will definitely be power hiking too. I will be getting those cashews and that restaurant sounds amazing. Hope your morning is off to a great start, Deidre.
Jenny
Have you tried the Pineapple Habanero Dip and Spread from Costco?? SO GOOD!
The Hungry Runner Girl
Ummmm no. But I will go today to get it. I’m drooling. Thanks Jenny, have a great day!
Kristine
I have not done rim to rim but is on my list. I have heard it is amazing! Have so much fun.
Haha.
Well my girlfriend did the UTMB course this past week. I think the course goes through France and Italy. They booked huts and ran 33 kmish each day and I slept at a different hut each night. They ran 100 miles over the course of a week. She had invited me to go but it conflicted with our family vacay but would love to make it happen. The views were unreal bases on her photos and so many animals.
Have a fantastic day Janae!
The Hungry Runner Girl
Come do it with us, Kristine! Wouldn’t that be fun? CONGRATS TO HER! That is incredible. I am so jealous… I’ll go with you when you are doing it:). Thanks friend, you too!
Wendy
Wow your nephew is amazing! No way was I motivated that much at his age, ha.
Rim to Rim, awesome! When is it? I’m now going to have to check out all the details. Destination runs are very appealing to me right now. And what a truly beautiful place to run.
I think I said this before, but I sort of miss school supply shopping. But I completely understand the feeling that time is going by way too fast.
Hope your Wednesday is great!
The Hungry Runner Girl
Right?! To wake up so early and get out there and do the crazy workout they did… I couldn’t believe it! We are going to try for November! Come with us next year to buy school supplies. It is such a special time. Thanks Wendy, you too!
Courtney
Delicious food… well it’s kind of a condiment but I love spicy food and the chili oil with crunchy garlic and onion is going on everything lately (they have it in Asian restaurants and TJs sells a killer dupe!).
I was such a motivated teen, in sports and in life. Student-body president, three varsity sports (soccer, downhill skiing, softball), and pretty much every extracurricular I could fit in. I still have a tendency to take on too much, ha!
You’re such a good mom and aunt. I hope you know how special you are to so many people– they’re lucky to have an adult like you in their lives <3
The Hungry Runner Girl
Off to get that at TJs, that sounds amazing! Ummm you were incredibly motivated and did alllll of the things. Wow. Thank you, that means the world to me. I sure love these kids a whole lot.
Ida
AHHH- Rim to Rim will be epic. I really want to do that too. I follow a Facebook group for R2R that has a lot of great info (Grand Canyon R2R2R Run!), if you’re looking for resources. The logistics with transportation from one side of the canyon to the other is probably the hardest part to sort out. Mt. Whitney in one day is also on my list.
The Hungry Runner Girl
Totally going to join that group. THANK YOU so much. Ummm can we come do Mt Whitney with you too?! Thanks for the help and I hope you have a great day, Ida!
Sara
I was not a motivated teenager in sports but life is different now and I am going to look up the rim to rim race now because it sounds amazing! Also, can you tell me where you got the green swimsuit you are wearing in the hot tub?? That color green is my absolute favorite!
The Hungry Runner Girl
Come with us to do rim-to-rim. Wouldn’t it be so fun to have a huge group do it together? I love this top so much, I hope you do too! https://www.nordstrom.com/s/good-american-always-fits-scoop-neck-bikini-top-regular-plus-size/7172097?origin=category-personalizedsort&breadcrumb=Home%2FWomen%2FClothing%2FSwimsuits%20%26%20Cover-Ups%2FBikinis%20and%20Tankinis&fashioncolor=Green&color=301
Have a beautiful day, Sara!
Allison J
I want to do Rim to Rim so badly !! My friends did Rim to Rim to Rim for their honeymoon. Join the fb group – so much info there !
The Hungry Runner Girl
FOR THEIR HONEYMOON?!? Okay, I love that so much. Come with us! Off to join the group, thank you SO much!
Mary
You’re hiking or running rim to rim? That’s amazing!! When are you doing it?
The Hungry Runner Girl
We are going to try and run as much of it as we can and we haven’t pinned down an exact weekend yet. So excited though! Have a beautiful day, Mary!
Molly S
I have never related more to the Oprah watching and feeding the high school mile!!
Love that your nephew joined the group. Running is so accepting!
Delicious food…chopped salad and sourdough have been my jam for a few weeks.
I can’t wait for the rim to rim prep and experience! But first St George. Ha
The Hungry Runner Girl
Hahah did Oprah get us through our high school years? Stop it. I need your food right now. Sometimes I have to skip your story if I am hungry and wait until I have eaten to view it because I know I will drool over whatever you are eating. Thank you… look at us just adding on to our list when we should probably just do one thing at a time. How is your marathon training going?
Tess
I feel like the mile in school is just not designed to make kids like running. Like it’s a punishment, it’s not fun for whatever reason!
Also, I LOVE seeing Skye’s beginning love for school supplies. All the heart eye emojis! It’s now how I feel about office supplies. ;) Side note – I’m on a waitlist for St. George half – fingers crossed!
The Hungry Runner Girl
Right?! I remember being SO stressed leading up to the mile each time. It was cruel. YOU ARE ON THE WAITLIST?? Oh Tess, I hope so so bad that you get in. You will crush it. Keep me updated and I hope you have a beautiful day!
Beth R.
Hey Janae. I did Rim to Rim to Rim in October 2021. It was so amazing. I am excited for you guys. If you want any advice, tips, etc for gear and all those things, let me know.
The Hungry Runner Girl
Oh you better believe I’m calling you for help. I AM SO EXCITED!! Do you think November is too late?
Jennifer
Nope, November isn’t too late. We did rim to rim to rim the first week of November in 2021. It was amazing. 30s at the rim and 80s at the bottom. The worst part was getting back up to the south run at the end (we went South to north and back to south). The main thing to keep in mind is that the north rim closes for the winter, so if you are only doing rim to rim, you have to have a way planned to get back. The water can also be shut off but we had plenty between the river and the couple places where it was still on. just carry a filter.
Beth R.
We did it mid October and while at the top of the south rim it was about 35 degrees at the start, the bottom by the river got close to 90. There was some snow and ice at the north rim. November should be fine – but just pack for all kinds of weather. I had a down coat at the top and a tank and shorts at the bottom. Poles were a lifesaver too.
Betsy
I did rim2rim (south to north) the last weekend of September. Definitely hot at the bottom of the canyon but we chose that weekend so we could stay at the Grand Canyon Lodge on the north rim and they had a shuttle service that we bought tickets for to shuttle us back to the south rim. That was the last weekend the GCL was open for the year. We naively thought we’d do r2r2r and wouldn’t need the shuttle service. Silly us! Rookie thinking on our part.
Cassandra
Hi Janae,
I’ve been a long time reader of your blog (before Brooke days) and I really appreciate your topics! I did the Rim to Rim to Rim two summers ago with a good of friends. It was my first time ever going to the Grand Canyon. It was amazing and challenging! We left from the South Kaibab trail at 4am, went down down down down and down some more to phantom ranch and up the north side. Then we turned around, went back to phantom ranch but went up the bright anchor trail back to the top of the south side. It took us almost 15 hours but there were plenty of water breaks and power hiking. All the water areas were working and turned on while we were there (end of April). It was incredibly hot in the bottom of the canyon on the way back. Lots of little lizards and flowers. The whole thing was breathtaking! I could talk about it forever so let me know if you have any questions. It will be such a great adventure for you guys to do together!
The Hungry Runner Girl
I want to call you on the phone right now and ask for every detail. It sounds absolutely amazing. So how many miles was that going back down again and then up on the south side? You are amazing. Thanks for the help, Cassandra! And I cannot believe we have been friends for so long, I am so lucky!
Cassandra
We’re both lucky! I have four kids, I LOVE running, and am divorced so I have related to a lot of your posts. Back to the Grand Canyon, It was about 46 to 47 miles round trip from south to north and back to the south again. GPS doesn’t work very well down there. We camped the night before but I would probably not recommend camping the night afterwards because it’s so exhausting and you’ll be covered in red dirt. I didn’t wear gators and didn’t have too many issues with rocks in my shoes. I loved watching the layers of rock change as you climb and descend. It helps give reference to how far you have left to climb. If the shop is open at phantom ranch you might be able to buy lemonade or ice which is amazing! The dips in the stairs on the Kaibab trail from the mules can feel tricky if you’re running them quickly in the dark. Watching the sky lighten from black to blue to light blue and the way it changes colors in and over the canyon is humbling and brilliant. I don’t have the words to do it justice. There are lots of fun bridges to cross. If you take the Kaibab trail from the south, it’s shorter by a few miles and you go through a little tunnel before crossing the Colorado River at the bottom. Once the sun is out, be prepared for heat! Hats, sunblock, fluids, electrolytes, food, etc. I also completely covered my feet in body glide and I didn’t get a single blister. Just an idea. Do you have someone picking you up on the side you’re not starting on? It’s a long drive around. Gotta get to work but I love talking about this stuff. Feel free to ask more questions. :)
The Hungry Runner Girl
Well, we are just meant to be best friends. Wow, 47 miles, that is incredible. I cannot thank you enough for this help and reading your descriptions made me even more excited. We haven’t figured out all of the logistics yet but we cannot wait. Thank you for the body glide tip too!
Kathy McElhaney
I’m all about homemade ice cream right now. I also made lasagna this week with homemade pasta – 10000% better than store bought noodles.
Les and his brother are training for Rim to Rim in October! I’m training with Les but have no plans to do the hike, I’ll let the brothers do their thing together. We did 5 miles today and he killed me on the climbs, but I crushed him on the downhills ;)
I was not at all into sports as a teenager. I’m not competitive by nature, so team sports aren’t a good fit.
Elizabeth
I’ve done R2R2R twice and am happy to chat anytime! The only thing is that because I went there and back in one shot, I haven’t navigated transportation from one rim to the other… but I have camped at both rims and while the North rim is less populated, I prefer the South rim. Super excited for you two to share the experience, it’s an unbelievable adventure!
kelly
The banana muffin division is tricky! I LOVE chocolate chips in banana bread but blueberries sound so moist. I’d say blueberries for morning muffin and chocolate chip in the afternoon with coffee or nighttime snack.
My brother has done Rim to Rim and Rim to Rim to Rim many times. He has spreadsheets on it ;) My parents did the pick up on the other side and it’s amazing how many hours it takes to get from drop off to pick up. I think I’d be too scared because some of the trails sound dicey (he told me “you just can’t think about it or look down.”). I’m sure he’d share any data and tips if you want. He’s a detail guy.
I live in Europe so my dream trails are Mont Blanc. I want to go on a run vacation in Chamonix and just run around!
Erica
Rim to rim.
Going to google search it now………..meet you there ;)
Jackie
Ahh this is so exciting!! I’m doing R2R with a girlfriend in late May. When are y’all going? Will you share logistics? We may actually use my step brother’s home in Lehigh (spelling?) as our launching place because I’d have my parents there to help with the kids.
Kim
I’ve done R2R twice, North to South and South to North. I would recommend doing North to South first cause it’s “easier”, but I think South to North was my favorite cause of the views coming out of the North rim during daylight are incredible. You can’t go wrong either way!
Hope
We keep making brownies everyday! It needs to stop for the sake of my waistline!!! Hahaha. But definitely delicious!
Alexandra
Rim to run is the best!!! We’re doing it again this October and I’m so excited. Last time we did it in September and had to start at 3am because of a heat wave and getting out of phantom ranch before it was 100+ so needless to say, I’m excited for October.
One thing to note tho is if you do November, most likely the north rim will be closed by then which will make logistics hard as well as the water will be shut down!
Liz Ferguson
I did R2R in May (with my husband and kids driving around the canyon and picking us up on the North Rim ) and going back for R2R2R this fall! It was amazing! Happy to answer any and all questions. Definitely start early 4am if its a hotter month and it helps to stay the national park hotels b/c we ran from our room right to the trail head (might have been .75 of a mile?)
When are you going and can I join LOL! Also random but I preferred all the running and hiking up not the downs !
Rebekah
I’ve done R2R three times. It’s amazing and incredible and majestic and difficult! Feel free to email me for details!
A couple of big points to make: You cannot do R2R in November as the road to the north rim shuts down after a certain date…somewhere between Oct 15 and Nov 1…meaning that you have no way for someone to pick you up. You would literally have to walk back across the canyon which would then be an R2R2R! =)
In terms of running it, be aware that most of the trail is not graded. It consists of HUGE step downs or steps ups. Lots of runners have passed me but man you gotta be light & nimble while not worrying about the exposure you’ll encounter too.
Email me and follow that Facebook group. This is not something to go into without having done your research! 🤓
Kayde Anderson
The rim to rim is awesome!
We did the rim-to-rim-to-rim back in November 2021. We had a great time.
Definitely bring a water filter. Even though there is water from hydrants, I think it’s a little gross and would’ve been better if we had used a LifeStraw, BeFree, or Salomon soft flask filter.
Here are some pics:
https://www.instagram.com/p/CWnt2tJrA6x
https://www.instagram.com/p/CWnu9ayLW3O
Here’s the route that we did. We started at South Kaibab Trail and went over to North Kaibab Trail and back. The South Kaibab Trail is the trail that the mules go up/down – so it’s a bit rutted up and some traffic due to the tourists. But it’s still a great experience. I highly recommend this trail versus the one that is closer to the Grand Canyon Village.
https://www.strava.com/activities/6290803715
Enjoy!!! (Take lots of pics!)
Betsy
I commented above but wanted to add to everyone’s comments……The park ranger at the Grand Canyon told our group expect it to take you 2 times as long to get out of the canyon as it took you to get to the bottom of the canyon. We had dinner reservations at the Grand Canyon Lodge at the north rim at 7pm and thought we’d make it. The ranger was exactly spot on and we missed our reservation by hours. My tip: start very, very early and go fast (power hiking). Don’t stop at every spot to sight see and take pictures. Stay within eye sight of each other. Don’t spread out too far. Don’t spend too much time at Phantom Ranch. Have a towel or cooling rag to dip in the water that runs along the bottom of the canyon. Use hiking sticks. The steps on south kaibab and north kaibab are deep steps. Pretzels and caffeine jelly beans were got me and my mom out of the canyon. Have a really really good light source. It is pitch black. I swore I’d never do it again and that was a few years ago and now all I really want to do is hike it again.