Running the White Rim-Day 4...Airport to Shafer Trail and Done!

Day 4 started earlier than any other day, seeing us up and out of camp by 7am. We had a wonderful crew to send us off!

The wonderful Marc and Judi!

Mom and Dad!

After three full days of running side by side, Hal and I took a bit of a break, while he ran ahead just enough to create some space. This meant that we played the 'Quiet Game' for almost an hour, which is almost impossible for me, as anyone who's ever been around me for even a little bit knows ;)

 

Solitude (or the illusion of it!)



 A few hours into our run, Marc and Judi passed us in the Jeep, prompting us to make a last minute food stop before the final push up Shafer Trail.

Too much food...ugh!

Turns out our eyes were bigger than our stomachs, leaving us with bellyaches as we trudged back to the trail!
Since it was the final day of our big run, we chose to implement a system that had previously worked well for Hal on the Kokopelli Trail-run a set distance, then take a short break and bend down to stretch or walk for a set distance. We decided on running 2.5 miles and walking 0.5 miles, giving us 3 mile segments. Before we knew it, we were looking up at the ascent up Shafer Trail!
 

Marc's shot looking down Shafer-we ran/hiked up this!



Breaking our day into smaller, bite sized chunks was mentally refreshing and much less monotonous than trying to think about the whole 16 miles in one piece. By the time we were ascending our final climb, we had a renewed spring in our step and were feeling almost as good as Day 1.

It's amazing to experience the ups and downs, highs and lows, as you put your body through something like this. Sometimes it varies day by day, other times my mood would swing minute by minute. Quite the roller-coaster! I'm told by those more experienced (mainly Hal) that it gets easier the more we do. Goodie... :)

Crazy viewpoint of Shafer Trail!

Marc and Judi were cheering for us the entire way up Shafer, making it that much more fun and exciting! It also renewed my theory that having people there to support and cheer you on makes anything easier, whether it's your own crazy run or a race.

Final seconds of running-note that Hal is already unbuckling his pack!

We completed our final stretch of the White Rim Trail in four hours, covering 16.5 miles and 2,857 feet of climbing.
Of course, any good Moab adventure must end at Milt's Diner, where Marc and Judi graciously treated us to burgers and root beer floats-yum yum!

It was a wonderful adventure, thanks to all who helped us out there, we could not have done it without your support-Mom and Dad and Marc and Judi!

And thanks for reading, it was fun to re-live it in the comfort of our home :)
Our next epic escapade will be thru-hiking the Colorado Trail sometime late summer.
Let us know if you're in the area for some fun between now and then!