Distance today = 49.00 km; Total distance = 3859.54 km; Location = Grand Canyon Village – 36 03.295′ N, 112 07.069′ W; Start time = 0819, Finish time = 1555

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/160538391

A classic day at the office, starting in brilliant sunshine, and ending in brilliant sunshine at the Grand Canyon.

Just a couple of kilometres into today's run I caught up to a guy who was walking. Turns out that Jeremy, from the UK, is hiking the Arizona Trail, which is essentially a walking path from the Mexican border to Utah. He's a very interesting guy, having done many ultra races and substantive hikes in the past. The recent snow has made the trails impassable, so he has had to do a few days on the roads. It was great to talk to someone along the way – something I haven't done for some time now. If you click on the Garmin link at top of this blog and scroll down to the Pace chart, you'll see where my speed dropped during the time I was walking and talking with Jeremy.

I bid Jeremy farewell and headed off toward the GC. Just before reaching it, I began videoing my approach, as I wanted viewers to experience the same vision that I did as the panorama of the Grand Canyon unfolded before me. The video should be up soon, so please have a look.

As for the Grand Canyon, I don’t want to wax lyrical about it, as I’m sure you’ve seen and heard it all before. I think Carmel’s photos will do it more justice than my words. Make sure you have a look.

I was wrong about having reached my maximum elevation – just before the Grand Canyon I maxed out at 2,134 metres. Will this be the limit prior to reaching the Colorado Rockies, or will I go higher tomorrow?

I finished the day at our accommodation, the Yavapai Lodge in Grand Canyon Village, with a very rounded 49.00 km. Tomorrow I’ll have a bit of a shorter day along the south rim of the canyon, so that I have time to enjoy some of the other local activities as well. After all, running around the world is about more than just running, and it would be silly to pass up great experiences just for the sake of a few extra kilometres.