It’s been a little over 3 months since I last blogged. In those 3+ months, nothing much has happened because nothing much is going on. The world is still in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic and, as a result, much of normal life has been suspended, such as going out to restaurants, meeting people in large groups, and working in offices. Instead of going out to eat, you could order takeaway. Instead of meeting people in large groups, you may socialize with your immediate family or restrict yourself to gathering with a handful of your friends at least 6 feet apart. Instead of working in your normal place of work, you may be working from home. There is a “sameness” to life, a monotony that covers each day, making you wonder “what is the point to all of this???”

In an attempt to stave off boredom and to salvage my mental health, a friend and I decided to tackle an ambitious hiking challenge: the Grand Canyon “Rim to Rim” (R2R) hike. We both enjoy hiking and are both suffering from a lack of purpose during this pandemic. R2R is something we both wanted to do in the past, but never got around to doing because of schedules, lack of fitness, etc. Well, we’re tired of not doing anything big or fun or challenging! So, we’re planning on doing R2R starting at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon and ending at the South Rim. We want to do this hike in 1 day and we are fully aware that we will be in pain because total mileage is about 25 miles (40 km). You lose about 5300 feet (1615 m) in elevation when you hike from the top of the North Rim down to the canyon floor….then you have about 4400 feet (1341 m) to climb on the way up to the South Rim. Yes, pain. BUT….I’m choosing to think about the bragging rights and all the fries I can eat without guilt!

We scheduled our R2R attempt for mid-October, which only gives us about 6 weeks of training time (note: I started my training on September 1, which gives me a total of 6 weeks). Last week, my goal was to hike my 3.5 mile fitness loop near my house every morning before work. Goal accomplished. Side note: it’s STILL really hot here in Phoenix. The high temperatures last week hit 46C (115F). Gross.

This week, I scheduled a few longer hikes for my morning workout, with a 10 mile hike for Saturday to end the week. I’ll gradually increase my mileage over the next couple of weeks until I hit my longest training hike at the end of September, then taper off the week leading up to the actual R2R hike.

So…yay? I have a plan? I mean, I have a plan! 😉 Wish me luck (and good weather)!