With the sun rising at my back, the trail smooths out on a rim overlooking the Colorado River west of Fruita, and the running is easy. So I briefly relax my vigilance for toe-snagging rocks and take in the scenic vista and bright splashes of color from blooming desert flowers.

Enjoy while you can, I tell myself, knowing the running will only get harder and the sun's warmth will no longer feel so welcome by the time I traverse 50 miles of Kokopelli's Trail and adjacent paths to finish the Spring Desert Ultra.

The May 1 race marks my passage from marathoner to ultrarunner and is a test of my training as I prepare to run the Leadville Trail 100 in August.

Two weeks earlier, I had felt strong running the Moab Marathon in southern Utah and finished with my best marathon time in four years. The benefits of my training were especially evident at 20 miles, when I was able to power through the minor discomfort building in my legs instead of melting down into a limping mess, as I did in a marathon last fall.

I was limping soon after Moab, though, and for the next few days as I suffered through a bad case of DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness). Perhaps I had pushed the pace too hard (finishing in three hours, 42 minutes and 36 seconds, a pace of 8 ½ minutes per mile).

Certainly I hadn't been careful enough about my striding technique on the almost wholly downhill course, putting too much strain on the quadriceps.

The marathon was supposed to be just another long training run, from which I'd bounce back after a day of rest. But as my training chart shows, I had to take it pretty easy for a while.

I'm taking the 50-miler slower, knowing I'm not fully recovered from the marathon and that I'll be covering almost double the distance. Twenty-five miles of running brings me back to the start area in just less than 5 hours.

The pace of 12 minutes per mile is exactly what I wanted on this rocky, hilly course.

Most of the runners will stop here, completing a 25-mile race. But I'm feeling good and am only a little tempted by the respite of my pickup parked a few yards away. I eat some orange quarters and a slice of watermelon at the aid station and head out again to run the course in reverse.

Seven more miles pass, but then little things start to add up: A toe I had stubbed hurts intensely, soreness is building again in my quads, a loop that hadn't seemed so bad in the morning now seems to go on forever. When I cross a patch of soft trail with no footprints, I realize I've taken a wrong fork and have to backtrack.

On the final climb, I bonk. I'd been eating energy bars, fruit, even a baked potato, and sucked down lots of sport drink. But it wasn't enough. I can no longer keep pace with Steve Monroney, a Greeley runner who had been running close by and giving me encouragement for much of the race's second half. He's also in his first 50-miler and aiming for Leadville.

So I stop and reach into my hydration pack for the remaining slices of bread I'd brought along. It gives me energy, and I catch up with Steve, who's struggling again with leg cramps. He eagerly accepts my offer of some electrolyte capsules, and we press on to the next aid station for another round of orange quarters and watermelon.

The finish is a mere 1.5 miles away, and I can run strong again - buoyed by the certainty I'll make it and already giddy with a sense of accomplishment.

Eleven hours, 13 minutes and 53 seconds - a long time to be running. I exchange congratulations with Steve and other runners I'd met during the run, and watch a few other runners finish as I change into sandals - surprised that my stubbed toe looks normal.

With two races under my belt, it's time to assess what I've learned and apply it to the training that I hope will win me a belt buckle at Leadville.

Lesson No. 1: I made 50 miles, virtually double the distance of any previous race, so the training is working, and I plan to stick with it.

With a few adaptations, I'm following a training program for the 100-mile distance by California running coach Neil Cook, printed in the September-October 2003 edition of Peak Running Performance.

In four months of gradually increasing my weekly mileage in a base-building phase, I've worked up to a total of 50-60 miles in a typical week, with most of it in back-to-back long runs.

I'm starting to do more hill runs and up-tempo runs at marathon race pace as I move into the next phase suggested by Cook - strength building.

I'm also planning to add long weekend runs in the mountains at high altitude - not part of Cook's program but recommended by Leadville Trail 100 race president Ken Chlouber.

About every fourth week, I'll throttle back the training by about a third, as Cook suggests, to give my body a little rest and rebuilding before pushing to the next level.

The strength-building phase should help me improve on one worrisome aspect of the 50-mile run - the way I slowed down, taking an hour and a quarter longer to run the second 25 miles than the first. Better eating and hydrating strategies should also help.

Another concern is gear. As much as I liked sipping from a water bladder and tube, the backpack's bouncing left a painful bruise alongside my spine. I've already tried and rejected fanny packs for the same reason. So I either need to find a better design or resign myself to carrying water bottles in my hands.

And then there's DOMS. With the slower pace, the 50-mile run didn't beat me up as much as the marathon did, but it was still two days before my legs were willing to descend stairs again.

Cook is among those who say there's a way to eliminate that muscle soreness altogether: Immediately after a hard run, sit for 10 minutes in a tub of ice water deep enough to cover my legs.

Not to worry, Cook writes, "within a few minutes you'll become numb to the cold."

Brrrr! If I ever try it, I'll let you know how it turns out.

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