I really wanted to race this weekend, especially Saturday with all those 5Ks to choose from, but I had to do some driving Saturday leaving only Sunday to work with.  In the end, it worked out perfectly.  I took a chance last night and asked momma for a favor so I could run this one.  I banked on the early start allowing me to  leave the kids and the stroller at home.  Momma said yes. Since I've only just started to run consistently again in the past couple weeks, I went for the 10K, but I was really thinking about the 30K.  In the end, the 10K was the right choice for now.  30K, I've got my sights on you. I went out too fast letting the pack suck me in, and letting the adrenaline of a race day get the best of me.  Its amazing that I didn't catch a root, rock, or rut in the first mile because of the single file running.  It can be difficult to see where you are putting your feet at times.  After a mile it thinned and it became much easier to navigate.  For the first half of the race, it was so easy to glide across the terrain.  But I went too hard and by the midpoint my left quad was cutting me down to 3/4 speed.  It sneaks up on you.  I think I managed to hold this pace the the rest of the way. It was a real treat to get out there with out the stroller.  Even more to get off the roads and run on a course like this.  The ups and downs, the footing, the switch backs, the water crossings (I imagine we caught a real break this year!), the trees, perfect weather, etc.  It was also cool to run a race without a watch and not really knowing how much farther to the finish. Great race.  I've been trying to get to one of these for years.  I'll be back. I joined HCTR because of my experience at this race.