My trips always start with an adventure and this was no exception. This run calls for camping and I couldn’t find either of my two small tents. I do have a super huge one, but with the low temperatures that they were calling for, it’s too cold in that tent for one person. I searched and searched and there are not many places for a tent to hide in my house, let alone two tents. No tent. So, off to Wal-Mart I trekked to purchase a $25 tent and I did find an acceptable one for $27. Car loaded up and off I went! 20 miles down the road and I’m trying to remember if I put the sleeping bag in the car - think so, but don’t remember any blankets. I stopped, opened the trunk and no sleeping bag!!! Back home I turned, called Al and he said I should have just stopped at another Wal-Mart to buy a cheap sleeping bag. Well, I was almost home, so I just continued on. Threw two sleeping bags in the trunk (later was thankful for that!) and some blankets and off I went again!! The trip took longer than expected and north of Durant got stopped on the freeway for 20 minutes, not slowed, actually stopped and when we took off again, I could see no reason for the delay. Hate when that happens! I think they should blast with a loudspeaker and tell everyone what is going on! So, it took me 4 hrs. to get to Stringtown, past Muddy Boggy River, North Boggy Creek, Coal Creek Church, and the Junkyard of course, at Greasy Bend Road. Dinner was almost ready and I still had to put up the tent while it was still light. Checked in, picked up all the freebies Mary Ann had set out. Put up the tent – went up to dinner, visited with Julia and her 3 yr. old Phoebe for a while. Back down to organize and when I got in the tent, decided it was too cold to go back up the hill and visit some more. I got all organized and was actually pretty warm with all that I brought! The early start for the 50K was at 7:00 (which gives the slow runners an extra hour added on to the 7 hr. cutoff). I haven’t done a 7 hr. 50K in years, let alone on this course!! Surprise – it was only Julia and myself! This course has a 2.5 mile hilly, rocky twisty turny section, in addition to a few deer inspired, take your breath away meadows, to get to the jeep road, which T’s off to the left for somewhere around 2+ miles and the same, back, then another T for around 3 miles and the same, back. I’m not totally sure of these distances, but they are somewhat close. The course is two loops of a 25K course. Don’t let the ‘jeep road’ fool you as snickering little rocks are waiting for you just below the surface of the dirt, when you get nice and comfortable, wham, bam, down you go! So, off Julia and I go, knowing it’s an hour before any company on the trail. It was cold, cold, cold and I wore the wrong shoes, my lightweight Inov 8’s – my toes were froze, as were my fingers. It took over 50 minutes for them to warm up. My water bottles had slushy slurpies in them! Well, to my surprise, about 20 minutes before I expected any fast runners, there he was, long blond hair flowing, flying! Maybe 3 times as fast as I was ? ! And more of them right behind! Fast runners do usually not intimidate me, but they came by so quick it was frightening! Now for my falls – I had two actual falls, and several trips, on the jeep road, no less, where I was paying less attention. On the twisty turny rocky part, I was more careful. The first fall was a cartoon fall, in slow motion, like I hit the ground and came up without much ado. The second time it was bad. I landed smack down, with a full force faceplant on my left cheekbone. And for you not paying attention – faceplant, not buttplant!!! Anyway, it was a new way to fall and I heard a crack, but was not sure what cracked, then felt a severe pain in the top right cranium – serious headache! I popped 3 ibuprofens immediately, but was sure I had brain swelling and that was as good as an excuse as any to drop. I shouldn’t be running with a swelled brain, should I? Well, I’d see how it goes, and the headache went away, I brushed most of the dirt off, but took my time and was more careful. But, I was getting further and further behind Julia and the new 50Kers were getting closer and closer to me, with most already passing me. I told myself if I got back to the start in 3 hrs. and 45 min. that would give me 4 hrs. and 15 minutes to finish and I’d be good to go! I had to get over the negativity as that was not going to help me finish Umstead in four weeks! I made it back and out in 3:43. Off I went with a new plan. Well, to be honest, my first plan was to get to the first T, run it and run back to the start, take a DNF. My second plan was to set my interval watch for 7 minute runs and 3 minute forced walks. I opted for the second plan and was excited as I could see this was working well. My running was strong and the walks were strong. I was keeping the distances about the same between everyone, usually I’m falling further and further behind. At the second T turnaround I caught up to Julia, which I never have done before. I felt good and knew I would finish in less than 8 hrs., now hoping for 7:45. I was half expecting John Hargrove, who was between 10 and 15 minutes behind me to catch up, but to make a long story short, I headed down the rocky hilly part and got to the area where you see the finish and see the finish again – this messes with my mind, and around again and finished in 7:25!!! How excited I was! This course is way more difficult for me than Sunmart and 7:25 has been my Sunmart time, add a little now and then. I still had to take my tent down, but wanted to see Julia finish and she did, about 10 minutes after I did, then as I was heading down the hill to take down the tent and go for the into the sun long drive home, I heard the shouting for John to finish. I felt super and was so glad I finished. It was truly a mental thing and when I had caught up to Julia earlier, she enforced than you need to keep out the negative thoughts – even if it means not thinking anything! There was lots of dark beer going around when I finished, I had grabbed a good see-through drop bag as a finisher’s prize, looked for lunch, but it was all but gone, grabbed a Pepsi for the ride home (to keep me awake), took down the tent, basically threw everything in the car and headed home, tired, a bit sore in the feet from all the rocks and into the sun I went for a full 3 and a half hours. This run is a good little ‘family’ event. Bring the kids! Bring the dogs! Camp and visit with Mary Ann and her son on her gorgeous acreage way out in the sticks and run on the wonderful course that is both challenging and runable. This was the third time I’ve been there and even though the bad part is that it’s on a Sunday, I’ll try to make it every year that Mary Ann continues to have it. Several of the same people come each year as sort of a reunion. It’s somewhat of a long drive for me, but one of my favorites!