I came to Hog’s Hunt with one goal … to finally have a race where things went right. After Palo Duro (my first ultra) with the record heat, and Bandera where my body just fell apart on me, I just wanted run a race where I felt good. I did have a time goal in mind - to break 6 hours - but more importantly, I wanted to have fun and enjoy the day. The day started off great, with temperatures right around 50 degrees and low humidity. It would eventually get up to about 70 before I finished the race, but given the potential for heat and humidity in Huntsville, I felt pretty lucky. I had a pretty solid race plan, thanks to some advice from Noelle and Larry, who had both run the same course at the Rocky Raccoon 50k in November. I had my nutrition figured out … at least I hoped I did. This has been a problem for me in the past, and figuring out what to eat/drink and when was a big part of my training leading up to the race. I would carry two bottles, one with water and the other with Accelerade – I would refill each at the halfway point – take a Salt Stick every 1⁄2 hour, and 1 packet of Shot Blocks per loop. The first mile or so of the race was on the paved park road, before we turned onto the trail that would take us to Amy’s Crossing. I started off easy, trying not to worry about anyone else’s pace, making sure I really let myself warm up properly. With my asthma, one of the things I’ve discovered is that my warm up is critical. If I start out too fast, I’ll exhaust my lungs and be unable to fully recover. But if I give myself plenty of time to warm up, the energy I have later in the run more than makes up for my slow start. Got to Amy’s Crossing and turned onto the jeep road. Pretty soon I saw the lead racers coming toward me on their way back from the Hill Country Aid Station … I gave a big shout out to Josue and then Larry, who both looked really strong. I actually kept this up for the entire race … greeting every runner I passed on the out-and-backs. I got a great response from people, but I think it energized me more than anyone. I ran into the Hill Country aid station and without stopping said hi to Robert and Moogy and dropped my gloves on the table, asking Robert to take care of them for me for the rest of the race – it was already warm enough that I didn’t need them anymore. Hit the jeep road again, past Amy’s Crossing and back onto the single track trail. By this time I was feeling really good, picking up the pace a little bit. I came into Dam Road aid station at 1:22, 8 minutes ahead of my pace chart. I had my bottles open and ready, got some water and I was on my way as quickly as I’d come. This next section was the longest stretch between aid stations – about 5 miles. It was also a great section of trail … lots of roots to watch out for, but also lots of small ups and downs, the bridges, windy trail through the woods. I felt good, but was starting to feel some tightness in my hips. I realized that running in Huntsville is much like road running in terms of stride, and that I was going to end up sore in all the places I would after a road run. But I was still energized and just pushed forward, grooving on the playlist I’d made for the race on my iPod, past the camp 174 aid station (where I just popped in and out with a smile and a wave) and continued on to the Interpretive Center, then the last mile back in to the start/finish line. Somewhere in here the 25k winner flew past me, and I started to see folks heading out for their second loop. I got back to the car (strategically parked by Larry right on the paved section of the course) and checked my watch … 2:43! I was definitely on target to break 6 hours. And so far I was having a great time! I had my own little aid station set up next to the car, so I dropped my bottles, grabbed my inhalers, and walked over the finish line. Made a pit stop, finished my meds, back to the car to pick up two fresh bottles that I had prepared before the race, and I set off on loop 2 a mere 5 minutes after I had come in. I was starting to feel a little tired, and somewhere between the Interpretive Center and Amy’s Crossing I had my first fall. Just a minor trip, broke the fall with my bottles, brushed off some sand and kept on running. The music was still good, but I was starting to get pickier about the selections, another sure sign that I was getting tired. Came into the Hill Country aid station again, pleased to note that even though I felt like my body was slowing down, my pace really hadn’t changed at all. The familiar Hill Country faces were a welcome sight. Robert teased me that I wasn’t being very friendly just running in and out, to which I jokingly replied that I would race now and be friendly later! Kept slogging along back past Amy’s Crossing, and a few minutes later had another fall, this one even bigger than the first, a full-body tumble. Charlene even stopped to make sure I was okay. Thank goodness for the soft sandy terrain at Huntsville! I was pretty dirty, but otherwise unscathed. Made it to the Dam Road aid station for more water in my bottles and headed out with 4:15 on my watch. At this point, unless I just gave up, I was pretty certain to meet my time goal. And of course I didn’t give up... although I had moments when I wanted to. I was pretty tired by now, 23 miles into the race, and I had to give myself a little talking-to. Every time I was tempted to walk (or stop) I would just tell myself that I could rest all I wanted to … heck, I could lay down on the pavement if I wanted to … AFTER I finished the race! But until then, I had better get my butt in gear and KEEP MOVING! And so I did. Much to my surprise, I covered the 5 miles between Dam Road and Camp 174 in 55 minutes. I’m always surprised that when I’m tired, it feels like I’m doing no more than a slow shuffle, and yet I can be keeping up the same pace I’ve run all day. Now I had less than 3 miles to go, so no excuses. No slowing down, no quitting, just get it done. The stretch up to the Interpretive Center went by in a blur … not because I was moving fast, but because my brain and body were apparently on auto pilot. At last, hit the turn at the Interpretive Center, and I knew I was in the home stretch. I didn’t really have it in me to speed up much, but the excitement of knowing I was almost done at least kept me running steady. Finally, just as I hit the last stretch of trail, I ran out of water (what timing!). I took that as my cue to pick up the pace and use the little I had left to run in strong. As I headed down the pavement, I heard people shouting my name and then I was over the finish line with a big smile on my face! In the end, I finished the race in 5:42, 18 minutes ahead of my 6 hour goal. And of course I’m excited about that. But I’m actually more excited to look back and know that I would not have done anything differently, that nothing I could change would have made the race any better. Some things, like the weather, were not in my control … although certainly in my favor. But other things, like spending as little time as possible at the aid stations, and keeping up with my hydration and nutrition much better than I ever have before … those things made all the difference. And of course, as usual, the best part was the people … my friends, all the other runners out there, and of course the volunteers who work so hard to make these races successful. I’m not sure what it is that makes trail runners different from other folks. But I do know that it is a special community of people, and I count myself lucky to be one of them.