My first mountain run and my first 50 miler. Lots of firsts. This is the first official running report that I’ve ever written too. I probably wouldn’t be writing one if I hadn’t been prompted to by my fellow runners. So here’s to you, Robert & Diana Heynen, Allen Wrinkle, Mariela Botella, and any one else who’s interested. I don’t know if there’s an etiquette book on writing a running report but if there is I haven’t read it. Nor do I plan to. This experience for me was like no other. Those who know me, know that I’ve never taken a trip like this before in my life! My sister lives in Wyoming so I guess that’s kind of what prompted me to do GTR. Plus it was just time. Several of the HCTR members had signed up for Big Horn and I guess I was a little jealous. I wanted a mountain run under my belt. Guess what? Texas Hills don’t compare to Mountains. So all you HCTR folks that I was running with must have been getting a good laugh when I asked what to expect. Well I guess the biggest difference is that the mountain just doesn’t end. When you run hills, you look up for a bit…..run a bit…..and next thing you know you’re at the top of the hill. With a mountain, you run up hill for…..as Joe P would put it ….A Long Damn Time! Training: I called Joe shortly before this run and asked if he’d train me. All he said was, “Janice, you have very little time to train”. Go out and find the biggest honkin hills you can find and run em. So I did. Joe also told me to do 7-10 mile hill repeats to train during the week. There are no hills in Houston, but we do have bleachers. Luckily I have a stadium a few hundred yards from where I work. So I had “bleacher nights”…2 hours a pop. I spent almost every weekend in June, July and August finding any trail I could, even if it meant driving a long damn way. When I got to Wyoming I think I was more focused on the beauty of my surroundings rather than my big run. THE RACE: Extremely well organized - But we wouldn’t expect any less from world class runner Lisa Smith-Batchen and her husband Jay. A 5 Star by hotel standards Course Markings: The course was marked so well that even the blind could find their way. I really like how they break the course up into section A, section B and section C. It makes it easier to follow. Aid Stations: Although it has all the goodies that Bandera has, Sammy definitely has em beat with his breakfast buffet. All the folks at the aid stations were very knowledgeable and helpful. At every aid station, I had one or more volunteers taking my water bottle out of my hands and simply asking what to fill it with. Heed and Nuun were the main sources of electrolyte replacement at the stations. First time I ever used Nuun….and I like it. It’s a great product and kept me going just as well as Ecaps. At the Aid station at the top of Fred’s mountain there was a stretch expert who told me what to do to keep my legs from being so tight. It really helped. Altitude: I guess it wasn’t a problem. I never got a headache. Was I short of breath because of altitude? Or was it because I just got through climbing 4,573 feet ….basically 2.8 miles straight up Fred’s mountain? Strategy: Power Walking the up hills and screaming the down hills with my ipod shuffle. Turned some toenails black and even lost the one on my big toe completely. But at least I don’t have “Joe Toes”. For those that don’t know ….you don’t wanna know. No pain no glory. It paid off. I figured it’d take me 14 hours so I was pleasantly surprised when the sun was still shining as I crossed the finish line 12 hours and 39 minutes later. What does Texas have that Wyoming doesn’t? : Sharp ankle twisting rock!! Our Hill Country Rock is much harder to run on. Wyoming has nice smooth pebble rock. Texas rock will cut your shoes!! Would I do this run again? I plan on it, but I have so many others that I want to do first. So many runs…so little time. And by the way, I have a whole new respect for all you 100 mile veterans out there. THANK YOU to all those who helped me prepare for this event through giving your advice, encouragement and support. I would not have had the courage to take on such a goal without all the knowledge that you have shared.