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by Lisa Landrum

“When you look outwards, there’s a whole wide world of beautiful things. Out There: it’s good for the soul.” – Jojo Moyes, The Giver of Stars

I’ve always been a private runner. I don’t share runs on Strava. I’m uncomfortable raving about a really good race outcome. You won’t find me giving details about my splits. Running is about as close as I get to going to church most of the time. It’s very personal and kind of sacred, so I keep the details private. Last week, I had the honor of doing an amazing run across the Grand Canyon with friends. Twice. At one time. On our own. No organized event, no timing chips, no crowds, no cheers, no medals. Few others even knew we were doing it. 

After the run, I wrote that experiences like this change you in a lot of ways – that the person who starts is not the person who finishes. 

I was asked to write about that statement, so here it goes:

This is my attempt to describe, with words, an adventure that is indescribable – and how it changed me. I’ll share pictures that mean a lot but don’t accurately show the vastness, ruggedness, depth, or beauty of the scenery. This isn’t a race or run report, because so few really care about the details anyway. This is an essay that will likely fall short for others because my take is just that: mine. It’s a different perspective from the three others that were with me, or from anyone else who has done it. These words are simply my way of trying to explain how this run turned out to be one of those things that will live in my heart and mind like a hidden personal power stone that’s now in my back pocket.

This run is known as Rim to Rim to Rim because it starts at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon and crosses to the North, then heads back across, ending again in the South. When I began training for it, I treated it like any other endurance event I’ve done in the past. Using my 50 Miler training plan since the total mileage of the crossing would be about 50 miles, I added as many hills as I could (vertical distance), and StairMaster running after my scheduled run to simulate climbing on tired legs. I built up mileage, fueled, and tapered. That part of this experience was business as usual. None of the rest of it was, in the very best of ways.

In addition to the physicality of this run, I knew that the mental piece would play a huge role. There is zero support – none, nada, zilch. No rangers walking around. No aid stations. There were water sources every now and then, but anything I needed to consume was in my pack for the duration. There were emergency phones (there is no cell service in the Canyon) every once in a while, and we would go miles and miles without seeing anyone. We made constant decisions about when to run vs. hike, when to eat, when to rest for a bit, and when to fill up water. There really wasn’t room for big mistakes during this one – we were our own contingency plan. Doing something as big as all of this with your own power is, well, empowering.

Before this trip, I had never even laid eyes on the Grand Canyon, not even as a kid. I had no concept of its massiveness. As an adult, having the sun rise and show me the vast, immense beauty is something that I will never forget. It was truly take-your-breath-away magical. Looking out and being IN it, literally, made me feel so small. Looking out and knowing that I was going to cross it and come back made me feel so big.

Being out there in nature for that long quiets me. It grounds me. For whatever amount of time, I’ve got one goal and that is to move forward. There are no outward distractions, no list of things to do, and no one needing me for other things. There are not many times in life when I’m sure I’m doing the right thing, but when I’m on a run like this one, I’m one thousand-percent positive that I’m right where I need to be, doing what I should be doing. That sense of security builds self-confidence.

People who’ve done Rim to Rim to Rim can tell you all day long about the first steps on the dark trail, the stars, the sunrise, the view of The Canyon for the very first time and how it takes your breath away, the climbs, the flowers, the bridges, the sun, the lemonade, and that final push to climb out. Until you’ve done it, you don’t really understand. Taking in views like that helps you realize just how insignificant your first-world problems are.

Experiences like this change you in so many ways. The person who finishes is not the same as the person who started. In what ways has the person changed? No one can tell you that or really describe it in words. The growth, like the run, is personal. Running is cool like that. It gives you what you need, when you need it, if you just open yourself to it. I’m so glad I did. Whether you decide to conquer a 5K, a 100 miler, or that mile or trail you’ve been thinking about running – I hope you let running do that for you, too.

Lisa Landrum is a long-time friend and contributor to RunCharlotte. Coach, motivator, and social mobilizer; she’s a real rock star here in the Charlotte running scene. But you don’t need to be any sort of luminary for running to provide you with an out-of-this-world experience. Got a story you’d like to share? We’d like to hear it! No race reports, please. We want to know how running wowed you, changed you, broke you, or built you back! Send them to ed@runcharlotte.com 

Break free from the pavement and run a race that ROCKS! RunCharlotte announces the Keffer Cares Boulder Dash on October 8, 2022 – the sixth event in the 2022 RunCharlotte Six Pack Series. Registration is now open for the one-of-a-kind race through Martin Marietta’s Charlotte Quarry on Beatties Ford Road.

“We were looking for a different kind of event,” says Six Pack Series Race Director Tim Rhodes. “And this is something different – it’s not your average road race because it’s not on a road.”

Entrants can choose from a 5k race around the quarry pit, or a 5-mile race that includes a .9 mile trek to the near-bottom of the pit and subsequent climb back out. The quarry is located just south of Sunset Road.

“This is our chance to showcase the quarry,” says Brian North, vice president of environmental and land services at Martin Marietta. “Aggregates build our communities, and Martin Marietta is part of our community. We’re excited to provide runners the opportunity to see something they’ve never seen before.”

And that they will. Runners will get a view inside of a working quarry, complete with the pit, the plants, and equipment that processes materials for roads, sidewalks, and business venues across Charlotte and the Southeast. The entire operation is surrounded by wide, natural buffers to insulate the quarry from the city and promote environmental stewardship for the earth and wildlife.

Martin Marietta has been hosting Boulder Dash events at its Georgia quarries since 2010. The Keffer Cares Boulder Dash in October will be its inaugural quarry run in the Charlotte area.

Event entrants will receive a custom stainless-steel tumbler with the Boulder Dash badge, and entries will support the race’s beneficiary, RunningWorks.

There are five events remaining in the RunCharlotte Six Pack Series:

• Hit the Brixx 5k/10k – May 21
• Park National Bank American 4 Miler – July 4
• Yiasou Greek Festival 5k – August 27
• Novant Health 5k/15k – September 25
• Keffer Cares Boulder Dash – October 8

Runners wishing to learn more, or to sign up for the Boulder Dash or remaining Six Pack Series races can do so here: https://runcharlotte.com/six-pack-series/ 

For more information or race day location access, please contact DC Lucchesi, dc@well-runmedia.com or 704-577-8459.

About Martin Marietta

A member of the S&P 500 Index, Martin Marietta is an American-based company and a leading supplier of building materials – including aggregates, cement, ready-mixed concrete, and asphalt. Through a network of operations spanning 30 states, Canada, and the Bahamas, dedicated Martin Marietta teams supply the resources necessary for building the solid foundations on which our communities thrive.

Martin Marietta’s Magnesia Specialties business produces high-purity magnesia and dolomitic lime products used worldwide in environmental, industrial, agricultural and specialty applications.

Visit www.martinmarietta.com to learn more.

As runners, most of us probably imagine our sport has little impact on the environment. It’s just us, our own two feet, taking on the elements. For runners, every day is Earth Day, right? Well, not exactly. Admittedly, running’s likely a cleaner activity than most, but once you factor in a drive to the greenway, run club, or trailhead; bars, gels, or packaged snacks; then there’s that post-run bottled water or sports drink… suddenly it’s not as “green.”

The good news is you don’t have to relegate your running to the loop around the neighborhood, slurp from your garden hose, or be a tree-hugging political activist to make a positive environmental impact. Here are a few easy, breezy ways to run a little lighter on the planet.

One piece at a time

Maybe you’re not ready for some full-on plogging, but picking up just one piece of trash along your running route is a pretty simple act. Odds are, you won’t have to hang on to it for long. Drop it into the next available trash can or recycle bin. Tuck a plastic grocery bag into your pocket or hydration vest to keep your hands clean or collect more.

New life for your old shoes

Once you’ve racked up a few hundred miles on your running shoes, they’ve still got some good left in them. If you don’t want or need a pile of perfectly-good-just-no-longer-perfectly-good-for-running shoes stacked up in your closet, your local specialty running shop will take them. Most shops collect them for nonprofits who’ll get them to folks in need.

Skip the single-use plastics

BYO water bottles to races and runs. You’ll have the convenience of drinking when and where you want, and can bypass the aid station crowds. Buy sports drinks or electrolytes in powders and mix your own. Ask your specialty running shop pros about recommendations that have a lot less sugar and are more effective than the plastic bottles of mass-marketed stuff you’ll find on the grocery store shelves.

Good as new to you (or someone else)

Before you invest in a brand-new piece of specialty gear or equipment, check with friends, online marketplaces, or local joints like Gear Goat Exchange and the Charlotte ReCyclery that sell or consign gently used gear. And if you’re sitting on gear that’s no longer in your rotation, just reverse the process and find it a new home.

Read the labels

Look for products made with recycled or reclaimed materials. These days, lots of big brands have performance or lifestyle gear that’s made with at least a portion of recycled material or manufactured in a way with less environmental impact. Others are producing product that can be more easily recycled after use. Check out how Charlotte-based Recover Brands makes technical gear and apparel from recycled plastic bottles.

Pretty simple, right? Earth Day is just one day on the calendar, but making a difference year-round is as easy as picking up a few sustainable habits. And maybe a few more pieces of trash along the way.

(Or, what to do when allergies pick your nose.)

If “nose” news is good news, you’ll be delighted to know that this year’s allergy season is forecast to be better than usual in the Charlotte area. If you suffer from spring allergies in our Tree City, USA, this is very good news!

The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America lists Charlotte at number 58 on its annual list of allergy capitals in the U.S. – much better than the Top 50 ranking it usually gets. Our northern neighbors in Greensboro and Winston-Salem, along with Greenville and Columbia, South Carolina, still rank higher than Charlotte, however. The AAFA cites warmer temperatures as a leading culprit in the length and severity of allergy seasons.

And if you’re new to Charlotte – relocating in the “great resignation,” or working remotely from our lovely landscape – welcome! You’ll notice a whole different allergy season than you’re probably used to. It can really affect your stamina on a run, too.

“Those new to town or to this part of the country may find that they have worse allergy symptoms in this area,” says Novant Health physician of sports medicine, Dr. Keith Anderson.

Our dense foliage is lovely to look at (trail run, anyone?) but is a big culprit affecting your itchy, watery eyes and nose, even if you’ve never suffered from allergies before.

“Allergies can change over time,” says Dr. Anderson. “You can develop new allergies and get rid of former allergies.” Out with the old, in with the new, eh?

In addition to grass and tree pollen, other culprits show themselves in spring – like dander from your pet shedding its winter coat, or the allergens it brings in from outside, and insect bites from being outdoors. You’re not alone – more than 50 million Americans have some type of allergy, according to Novant Health. Seasonal allergies are high on that list.

How to Keep Seasonal Allergies in Check

There are a number of things you can do to help your sniffling and sneezing this time of year. Some are habits, others are over-the-counter meds, and some require a visit to the doctor. One or a combination can possibly work for you:

Habits:

• Close your windows. We know; it’s a bummer when you’d rather get free, fresh air and limit your expenditures on a/c or heat. But if you are really suffering, this is the first step.
• Change your air filter. Keep the air circulating through your home clean and fresh – especially if you have pets, and aren’t running the heat or a/c. Run your HVAC in “fan only” mode for a few hours to clear the air if you need to.
• Run indoors. Also a bummer if you love the great outdoors, but it will help on high pollen days. Try these treadmill workouts, or run a different route with fewer trees. (treadmills: https://runcharlotte.com/treadmill-or-dreadmill/ )
• If you run outdoors, shower and change as soon as you get home. That will get pollen and other allergens off your skin, hair, and clothes. Hang up those wet towels and sweaty clothes (inside out, if necessary, or in another room) so they can dry, instead of growing moldy in the bottom of a hamper until laundry day.
• Change your linens often – especially pillow cases. Vacuum and dust often – even furniture.

Also consider your timing: Run later in the morning or in the afternoon when pollen counts are lower. Run in the rain! – or right after – because rain will knock pollen out of the trees and out of the air, too. Keep track of pollen counts with apps like WeatherBug, Plume Labs, or WebMD.

Is the sun too bright during those hours? Wear a hat and glasses (and sunscreen, of course). Some coverage will keep both sun and allergens out of your eyes and off your face.

Medical therapies:

• Nose sprays. Flonase and Nasacort are two that treat nasal tissue right at your nose, but it’s important to find the one that works best for you. It may take a couple of weeks of trying to find the right one, says Dr. Dr. Puja Rajani, a Novant Health Pediatric Allergy & Immunology Specialist, so be patient and pay attention to how you feel after trying each one.
• Allergy pills. These are enough for some people, but their effect is different for some. Allegra (Fexofenadine HCl) doesn’t cross the blood-brain barrier, but Claritin (Loratadine) and Zyrtec (Cetirizine) have been shown to cause drowsiness in 10-15% of patients, says Dr. Rajani.
• Immunotherapy. Skin tests can determine what allergens are specific to you; allergy shots can help your body build up a resistance to make those allergens more tolerable without pills and sprays. “There are also some oral tablet therapies available for grass and weed allergies that can be done at home,” says Dr. Rajani. She recommends seeing an allergist to take the guessing out of your allergy game.

Dr. Rajani adds an important piece of advice: Don’t try any new therapies the night before or the morning of a race! The time to experiment with what works for you is during training. On race day or before a key training run, use what has worked best on prior days.

“You should never let allergies stop you from doing things you want to do,” she adds. Enjoy your run!