9 Myths About Training for a Rim to Rim

Training for a Rim to Rim hike is a major undertaking.  There’s a lot to focus on, and it requires a lot of effort.  But here are 9 myths that you DON’T need to stress over during your Rim to Rim training!

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9 Myths About Training for a Rim to Rim

 

 

• #1: You Need to Do Stairs

You CAN do stairs, but I’d be wary of anyone telling you you HAVE to do stairs in order to train for a Rim to Rim hike. In fact, when I coach clients, this is usually what I refer to as a “last resort” training method.  Usually, this concern comes from fellow “flatlanders” who don’t think they have the natural means to train for the elevation gain.  99% of the time, once we talk we’re able to figure out an effective plan that does not require running stadium stairs.  That’s not to say you can’t do stairs / stadium stairs if you want to. Just don’t automatically assume that’s what you have to do and what you have to work with.  In fact, that kind of repetitive motion of climbing stairs can eventually cause overuse issues, which is why I avoid them myself personally.

 

If you’re not running stairs or stadium steps, what do you do? First of all, if you feel stuck on options, don’t overlook the humble 2 mile trails near you.  A 2 mile trail with 300 feet of elevation gain can add up when you do loops.  

 

Do you know of any big hills near you?  You can do hill repeats.  This may sound boring, but you can break it up by hopefully finding big hills on portions of trails.  That way you can enjoy the entire trail, and also do hill repeats on that portion of it.  

 

Gym equipment is another alternative method I would recommend, if you have access.  Stair climbers, ellipticals, Jacobs Ladders, can all help you prep.  Plus you can enjoy a Netflix show while you train.

 

Rucking is one of my top recommendations to give your training hikes a boost, strengthen your legs, and get in some additional strength training.  It may not give you MORE elevation to climb, but it can make what you have to work with more challenging, and prepare your body better.  Rucking with my 2 year old son in my pack is one of the best things I have consistently done over the past couple years to prepare my legs for R2’s and R3’s.  If you want to get started with rucking, do so with gradual increments in weight and distance.

 

At home workouts.  Step up and step downs from the comfort of your own home, with simple at home gym equipment.  These don’t thrill me either, but I prefer this version over stadium stairs.  At least I can do it anytime from anywhere, and watch a show with my husband in the evenings while I train.  Same applies for at home strength training workouts that you can do from home, to help strengthen and prepare your legs.  Strength training should be a crucial part of training for any endurance event.  It doesn’t have to be super fancy or technical.  I’m talking about simple workouts consisting of lunges, squats, deadlifts, etc.  You can get more details about strength training for a R2R in my complete Rim to Rim training plan.

 

Cycling – I know cycling doesn’t target the exact same muscle groups, and it isn’t an exact replication of hiking the Rim to Rim.  But here’s how my version goes.  If I’m biking outside, I’ll do hill repeats on my bike on the biggest hill portions I can find.  This basically means standing up in the saddle and power cycling.  If I’m cycling inside on my Wahoo Kickr Bike, I’ll replicate this by picking out the most challenging up hill climb, which basically requires me to “climb” while standing up in the saddle the entire time.  Power cycling up virtual “Mt.Everest” (not all at once of course!) is not an exact replica of scaling a R2R, but it will definitely benefit your uphill hiking game.  Plus, cycling is low impact.  And it’s helping to build a sustained cardio base, which you need.  Again, cycling doesn’t replace my other uphill training go to’s (which for me are basically loops / hill repeats of my humble 1.7 mile long local trail with a little over 300 feet of elevation gain, plus rucking, step ups, and strength training), but they absolutely supplement it.  And I don’t feel any concern over not doing stadium steps or stairs.  

 

• #2: I’m a Flatlander, so I Can’t do a Rim to Rim

This points above in #1 pretty much summarize why this isn’t true.  There are ways to supplement for elevation gain, even in largely flat regions.  The more important question you should be asking yourself is “do I have a place to get in my training hikes, including those 15+ mile long hikes?’.  Regardless of elevation gain.  I would argue just about everyone has a way to hike / walk 15+ miles.  This is a reference to time on feet, which I’ll discuss more in point #5. 

 

For now, just trust that you absolutely CAN do a Rim to Rim as a flatlander.  I’m a flatlander myself (native north Texan), and I’ve not only done all my R2R hikes training here in flat north Texas, but other massively challenging, significant uphill, lengthy hikes like Mt. Whitney in California, 14’ers in Colorado, Mt. Hood in Oregon, and many other hikes, including rapidly closing in on summiting all of the 50 U.S. state high point hikes!  All training in North Texas.

 

• #3: The Heat is Not a Big Deal

It is, and you should be training for it!  Don’t think just because your hike’s in October this won’t be an issue for you.  If you’re hiking anytime when the North Rim is open (May 15th – October 15th), you need to account for heat training.  True, you’ll probably need to worry more if you’re hiking in August versus the middle of October, but never blow it off.  You never know what the seasons are going to be like in the Canyon, and it’ll be too late to acclimate to the heat if you find out 2 days before your hike that the forecast at Phantom Ranch is 110 degrees on your October 5th hike. 

 

If you can heat acclimate where you live, then do so gradually and in increments.  And always with enough water and a solid, tested, hydration and nutrition plan that accounts for sodium and electrolyte replacement.  Implementing heat strategies along with nutrition and hydration are a key part of my 16 week Rim to Rim training plan. 

 

If you don’t have this ability to heat acclimate naturally, like my Northern friends, you can consider the same type of gradual and incremental acclimation in a sauna.  No matter whether you have the natural ability or not, know the 8 heat strategies I include in my Rim to Rim training plan, and plan on implementing them all during your hike.

 

• #4: I Don’t Have to Worry About My Pace

I may offend a few people here, but I think pace awareness is a crucial part of training for a Rim to Rim. I respect “hike your own hike” and not overly stressing about a particular pace, but if you are hiking 1.5 miles per hour on all your training hikes, you may run into problems on your R2R.  You don’t need to hike at 4 mph, but I would make the case for a healthy hiking pace awareness. 

 

Most importantly, just KNOW what your hiking pace is on downhills, flats, and uphills before your actual R2R.  Know this info from your training hikes.  Track your progress over time. This is not to highlight a perfect hiking pace or ideal hiking pace, but you do need to know what to expect from yourself before your R2R.  You need to know what your hiking pace is in order to create the TIMELINE that is going to work best for you on R2R hike day. 

 

If you know that you are hiking no more than 2mph overall average on all your training hikes – NO BIG DEAL!  But, you are going to want to allow for more time, which means probably leave earlier.  Knowledge of your pace is going to help you know how to pace through the “obstacles” on a R2R, like “the Box”.  A hiker who knows they hike 2mph on downhills and flats, and 1 mph on uphills, should probably not leave at 7 or 8 am.  If you’ve got dozens of documented training hikes at 3mph overall average, that’ll affect your timeline in a different way. Just know your pace, because it is important.  You don’t want to find yourself “stuck” in any form due to an estimation of your pace being way off from your intended timeline.  

 

• #5: Elevation Gain is the Most Important Thing to Train For

This absolutely needs to be an important part of your training plan, but it is not the most important.  I’d argue that the most important part of a Rim to Rim training plan is TIME ON YOUR FEET.  

 

If all you do is run stadium stairs, you may feel ready to crush that final climb out, but if you don’t train for the 15+ miles to get there, you probably will struggle way before that final climb on your R2R.  Your body needs to know how to handle constant output for 12+ hours, coupled with elements and elevation gain.  This is first and foremost, even if you have very little elevation gain to train on.  Get in the time on your feet.  Get in those weekly training hikes, and get in a handful that are over 15+ miles.  Be aware of your pace while doing so.  Then supplement this with a additional focus on training for the elevation gain, either on natural terrain, or in some of the ways I mentioned earlier.  

 

You can get an idea of what time on your feet looks like with my FREE 16 week Rim to Rim Training Calendar.  Created from years of experience training for big hikes from my humble, local, flat, north Texas trails.  

 

• #6: I’ve Run Long Distances, So I Don’t Need to Worry About Training (I’ll Be Fine)

Coming from a wide and diversified background as a long distance runner myself for several decades, including half marathons, marathons, ultras, and more 5k’s and 10k’s than I can remember, I can tell you these are two different things.  It’s not an assumed, though long distance running is great prep for a R2R.  I still go for a trail run at least once a week as cross training when I’m training for a R2R or R3.  Just don’t make the assumption that just because you ran a half marathon earlier in the year you don’t need to train for a Rim to Rim.  Especially if you are a road runner on mostly flat courses.  13 flat-ish miles that you can run in 2.5 hours does not equally equate to an all day R2R.  If you’re a trail runner, you’ll have a slight edge..  But you absolutely still need to train for a R2R, and your training needs to look a little different.  

 

Speaking of runners, here’s a little “side myth” to bust.  I read all the time that people running the Rim to Rim can’t possibly be enjoying it.  That’s a myth.  Runners enjoy running.  They enjoy the challenge of a new course.  They enjoy running new and different terrain.  They enjoy setting new goals, just like anyone else.  It’s an adrenaline rush, and a different sense of accomplishment.  Just because someone’s running the Rim to Rim, doesn’t mean they are enjoying it any less.  They’re not “rushing”, they’re hiking their own hike in a sense.  That saying goes both ways!

 

• #7: I Hike Mountains, So I’ll Be Ok

Hiking a Rim to Rim is different than a typical mountain summit.  Hiking a Rim to Rim is a “reverse” canyon, where the hardest climbing comes at the end.  Unlike mountains, it’s easy to come on too strong on the initial descent into the canyon, and then run out of gas for the climb out 10 hours later.  Also, a lot of mountain climbing does not contain as much roundtrip distance as the Rim to Rim’s 21-24 miles in one day.  This is why time on feet is so important.  Hiking mountains will absolutely help train your body and legs for the climb, but you need to make sure you are training for time on feet and sustained output over 12+ hours, so that you train to be able to have gas in the tank for the climb out. 

 

If you have access to mountains, absolutely use them! You’d be silly not to.  I’m always very jealous when I talk to someone who lives in Colorado and is training for a Rim to Rim.  Having an 8 mile hike that gains 3k in elevation is incredible training.  Just make sure that you’re also training each week to gradually build up in distance, including a handful of training hikes that are over 15+ miles. Or, do that 8 mile hike with 3k in elevation twice ;).

 

• #8: Altitude is a Major Concern

I’ll preface this by saying for some people, it should be a concern.  But I would classify it as a training myth to say it’s going to be a major concern.  First off, it depends on the logistics of your hike.  If you are hiking South to North, then altitude might be a little more of a concern since you’re climbing to a higher altitude at over 8,000 feet on the North Rim.  Especially if you have no background idea of how 8,000+ feet might affect you.  But consider that it’s still only 8,000+ feet you’re climbing up to, and altitude issues likely won’t be as major a concern as if you were climbing a 14,000 foot peak.  Altitude sickness symptoms generally can start around 8,000 feet, which is just under the max you’ll be climbing to on a South to North.  However, some people can have mild issues starting around 6,000 and 7,000 feet, but again, these are generally going to be mild and treatable. 

 

If you are hiking a North to South, which is what I recommend for Rim to Rim first timers, then I would say altitude should be even less of a major worry.  Assuming you’re spending the evening prior to your hike at the North Rim, you’ll have at least that day and night before to help acclimate to any issues (if not more time if you spend an extra day or so before your hike at the North Rim).

 

 Second, you’re max altitude will be a bit over 8,000 feet at the start, and then you’re immediately descending, and rapidly.  If in the worse case you have issues, they shouldn’t last long as you’ll be descending immediately.  Just one more reason I recommend North to South for first timers, especially if you are concerned with the altitude or have a history.  Be sure to check out some of my other recommendations for Rim to Rim first timers.

 

If you have a proven history that’s leading to your concerns, then it might be wise to spend a little time acclimating to the altitude.  I think the best way to accomplish that is to do a North to South hike, and spend a day or two at the North Rim before your hike.  Also, know how to deal with mild altitude sickness if you have a history, including adequate hydration and nutrition, extra rest, and the considered use of pain relievers like Ibuprofen.

 

• #9: Walking Backwards is a New Fad

No, it’s not.  It’s been around for a while as a preventative, strengthening, and rehabilitative method for folks struggling with lower body issues in the knees, legs, feet, etc.  It’s been around long enough for extensive studies to have been conducted on the effectiveness of walking backwards.  Rest assured, it’s not a new fad, and you can trust the proven long term benefits.  I recommend it myself in my complete Rim to Rim training plan, especially for those that know ahead of time they have a background and valid reasons for concerns in this area.

 

 

There you have it, 8 myths to training for a Rim to Rim! Now it’s time to get focused on your training!

Grab your FREE 16 Week Rim to Rim Training Calendar HERE!

 

 

 

RELATED ARTICLES:

• 1st Timers Guide to Hiking the Rim to Rim
• Complete Rim to Rim Training Plan
• Complete Rim to Rim Packing List
• The Toughest Parts of a Rim to Rim
• How Long Do I Need to Train for a Rim to Rim?
• 1:1 Rim to Rim Coaching Plans and Consults
• Rim to Rim VISUAL GUIDEBOOK for 1st Timers
• Rim to Rim LANDMARKS GUIDE: North to South
• Rim to Rim LANDMARKS GUIDE: South to North
• Rim to Rim VIDEO COURSE for 1st Timers
• FREE 16 Week Rim to Rim Training Calendar

 

 

 

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