Following Ironman Arizona, I have been a bit of a slug when it comes to training.  When that happens, it usually means I have no goal to chase.  No race within the imminent future.  No reason to rise at 4:30am and/or hit the gym in the evening.  Granted, for about a month or so it isn’t the worst thing to let the body rest and repair after a season of Ironman racing.  However, at some point, you have to get back up on the horse while the horse is ready, willing and able to run.

With no 70.3 or full Ironman races that interest me until May-ish, I decided I needed a bridge event.  Something different to break up the training regimen and freshen the endurance experience.  I decided that there are always running races to enter and I can use the running training.  There are half and full marathons going on somewhere in Southern California about every weekend so it should be easy to find something.  After a few hours of surfing the usual race sites, something out of the ordinary finally caught my eye.

On March 14th, I will rise with the sun in the middle of the Anza Borrego Desert for the Old West Trails 50K Trail Run.

Starting at Stagecoach Trails Horse & RV Camp,

the 50K route will experience about 2500 feet of gain & loss through the Anza Borrego State Park.

It will be my first trail run and the first time I run farther than a marathon for a total of 33 miles.  That is if the rattlesnakes don’t get me!