Transform Yourself

I'm a little behind on telling you about the Transform Yourself race last Saturday. Who knows - maybe I'm behind because of the blood sugar spikes from one too many cinnamon rolls during the week.

It was a 10 mile race on the Diamond Ranch Academy dirt road. I wanted to get in a few extra miles so I got there an hour before the rest of the group. It was pouring rain but the group was no less ambitious at the starting line:

This was an Underground Runner race - which makes it less of a "race" and more of a fun run with a medal at the end. I was really happy to run this one because I'd be running with by brother-in-law Cody - this was his first race ever. Also joining the gang were his wife (my sis in law) Rach, my awesome wife Mel, her sister Heather, and Heather's support crew of Shannon and Taylor.

Within a mile we started up a slog of a hill with really slick mud. It was literally one foot forward and two feet back. If runners were able to detach from themselves, the absurdity of the scene was quite comical.

Despite the rain and shoes weighing an extra seven pounds because of the mud, our gaggle of runners was doing great. This is Cody, Polli, Micah, Rach, and Mel who I ran with the whole time. Cody is downright funny and made the miles pass easily. He has been training hard and did awesome.

The course was an out-and-back. This mud was similar to running on a sheet of Crisco (but much less delicious).

With some miles beforehand and a few miles afterward, I was able to stretch the 10 mile race into a 20 miler. This was the scene afterward. You will notice three things: 1) Some tread-less Hoka shoes, 2) Some dirt-covered pants, and 3) my gaiters which could make you feel like you're on an acid trip.

I've done lots and lots of races but never received a two-sided medal like we earned from the Transform Yourself run. I also brought home a bonus souvenir of lots of mud on the bottoms of my shoes. (Sorry about that mess in the car Mel.)