Desert RATS Trail Running Festival

About a week and a half ago, April 17th, I was in Fruita, CO to run the 25 mile trail race of the Desert RATS (Race Across The Sands) Trail Running Festival with Peter Nerothin of InsulInDependence.

If you pay any attention to the chart of my running log on the left hand side of this blog, then you know I didn't prepare for this at all. A while back Peter had been talking about this race, specifically the 50 mile race at this event, and I said, "I'll do it if you will."

Famous last words.

Anyway, with next to zero miles in the bank, after driving most of the previous day and arriving after midnight, I managed to convince Peter we should switch to the 25 mile race, which is an option allowed by the race director.

The 25 miler was so tough, and I am so out of shape, that I wasn't able to finish 25 miles before the cut-off time for continuing on the 50 mile course anyway.

I'm not sure what to say about the run. I definitely felt the altitude. My blood sugar was a little high in the first few miles, then when I got it down, it was bouncing, over 200 to under 70. It was 70 at the finish. I was cramping on and off for much of the run. I walked all of the uphills. The sad story you would expect to hear about someone doing something like this with no training.

Other than that, it was great weather and beautiful geography. Without further ado, here are some pictures:

Oh, yeah. I forgot to mention I fell down in the first 5 miles. I had superficial scrapes on my legs, right forearm, and hands, with bruises under each scrape. I took a pretty good Superman dive. I hurt my pride as much as anything, as there were still lots of other runners around.

Peter striking a pose I have seen in other pictures of him. Apparently he thinks this is his best look. He calls it "Blue Steel."
Note the guy in the background rethinking his breakfast.

Peter hung with me all day in spite of the fact that I was going tediously slow. I much appreciate it.

I'm sure it sounds terrible from my description, but I hope the pictures tell a better story. As I said to another runner on the trail, "The worst day running is better than the best day at work."
I wouldn't have wanted to be anywhere else.