I went into this treating it as a training run for the main event, Sunmart, in Dec. My rational was I needed to do the distance, it was in the same park, and it was an excuse for a 3 day weekend. I never did find a partner to go with me, so Mike agreed to drive with me. 5 minutes into the trip he announces he has a cold and spends the rest of the time coughing and sneezing.

The drive to Huntsville isn't so bad. We leave about 1200 on Friday. When we arrive we immediately to check into the Motel 6. It's pretty sparse. I suspect its rooms are similar to the prison's across the street. There's no tub, just a really small, prisonesque shower. It's also a Rita evacuee FEMA motel, so at night there are tons of people hanging out in the parking lot drinking. Where's a Farimont when you need one?

We went to the state park to pick up my packet. It's really pretty with tons of pines and a nice lake. Lots of watch out for alligator signs. We are both hungry and assume we'll be eating a subway, or Wendy's (there's not much in Huntsville). A drive to the university area led us to an awesome little restaurant in an old cabin called the Homestead. It was a terrific dinner in a really nice, charming setting. Homemade rolls, fresh seafood just trucked in, and homemade desserts. It was really a treat to sit down to an unexpected nice meal. After dinner it was back to the motel, watch a movie, and then a fairly unrestful sleep due to a super cruddy mattress and a paper-thin pillow.

The race started at 700. There were about 350 people registered with more registered for the 25K at 800. I was loaded with GU, salt tabs (they were in the race packet), and the new ipod Nano. I felt fine and ready to roll. Things got under way......

The trail was under a complete canopy of trees and covered with soft pine needles. It was very runnable...no rocks at all. It consisted of 2 15.5 mile loops. Each loop had a couple out and back sections and about 4 water stops per loop. I started off feeling fine; the first water stop was at 4 miles. It was strange to think how much more mileage I had to go!!! It was here I decided to try out the ipod. I decided loop 1 would be my entire Smiths collection (an 80's band); loop 2 would be all my Bjork. I was running along feeling good when all of a sudden,,,BAM!!...down I go. The soft pine needles obscure a lot of the tree roots and they are just treacherous. I went down on my knee and hip, by this point we were already spread out enough that I was alone, so no embarrassment, just pain. I do not bounce back well from falls. I hobbled along to the next aid station with dirt in my water bottle, watch, hands, you name it. The people at aid station 2 were so nice....they helped me clean up, filled my Gatorade bottle, and asked me how I was enjoying the new Nano. I tried to get positive again, and I think I got my rhythm back. The next aid station was 5 miles away. In this section I got uncomfortable. My long sleeve shirt was hot. I really had to pee, but was scared of gators, poison ivy, or worse, so I was determined to hold out for a porta potty. I was all alone for at least 5 miles. There were a series of long plank bridges over a swamp that I really liked. I really wanted to see an alligator, but I was scared to take my eyes off the trail. I finally get to aid station 3. These people were amazing. They simply would not let me do a thing for myself and insisted on taking my bottle filling it up, storing my long sleeve shirt for me, they had a porta potty (with toilet paper), and best of all they told me 2.7 miles until the lodge at the start and the beginning of loop 2. I was feeling positive again, and cranked up the ipod. After what felt like forever, I hit the lodge and decided not to stop. Onto loop 2. I had run the whole way so far and despite my previous "issues", I felt good

Early into loop 2 I hit a low spot mentally. I was all alone again, and I felt like I had a really long way to go. My knee hurt from the fall, and I was feeling a little sorry for myself. I decided to use the strategy of running aid station to aid station and not to think about the overall distance. I hit the first one at 4 miles in and thought "this isn't so bad first aid station down...only 2 to go before the finish"...I cranked the ipod I had switched over to bjork and got into a rhythm again, until...BAM!!...down again. Same knee and hip, but harder this time, there was a guy behind me who stopped to help me and check that I was ok. I went on and on that I was fine, but I swear if he hadn't been there I would have cried. I completely sunk mentally. My knee hurt, my hip hurt and I simply couldn't imagine running another 10 miles like this. This was an out and back section so I sucked it up to not look like a big baby as a ton of people who saw me go down run by. By this time the ipod was pretty much ruined. It had two skid-across-the -dirt falls, and some how I think I landed on it on the last fall. I decided it was to blame for zoning me out or something, and stuffed it into my sticky GU filled pocket. I had a long, long very lonely 5 mile stretch were I did not see another soul. Hmmm, what would make me feel better? I know.. salt tabs!! As I take them out of my pocket, half of them fall into the dirt. I stuffed 3 into my mouth and hope they have some magical effect to get me through this total low mental spot. The five miles alone was harder than any race I've done. I had all kinds of negative thoughts about the 50 miler. Everytime I stubbed my toe on a root, my heart just stopped...I couldn't bear the thought of falling again. I hit the plank bridge swamp section and knew the third aid station was near. Bless them, they were soooo nice. They had my long sleeve waiting for me, kept telling me I looked good, filled my bottle, etc. I knew 2.7 miles and I'm done. It was an eternity, but finally I hit the home stretch. I saw Mike, who I knew had waiting way too long for me. I finished in 5:18 according to my watch. I believe I was 4th woman. . There was food and what not at the end, but I was ready to go home. I was filthy beyond what the small little bathroom there could handle, but I didn't care, I was too lazy to shower. We hit the one starbucks in town, and I tired my best to clean up there. A big latte washed away my misery.

Well, lessons learned are either don't fall or learn to cope with it better. The falls mentally destroyed me. Also, I am glad I'll have a buddy for Sunmart. I ran by myself almost the whole way. The good news is, there is shade almost the whole way. The sun was never an issue. The park is really nice. I am terrified of the hidden roots and of falling at sunmart, but I'll have to work on getting over it. Motel 6 may need some rethinking as the sunmart motel . I am happy and proud I completed this, and the whole last few miles I made my mantra "a hard training run is a good training run". I had to really tough it out on this one like I never have. I hope it pays off for the big event. I'm not sure why I struggled so much, but they can't all be good days I suppose. I ran the whole time (when I managed to stay upright) , and although slow, I finished.

Thanks for reading about all my whining!!!

Clea