Where do I begin? Well, I did it!! I ran my first ultramarathon and my first trail race. As soon as we walked out of the house at 5:25a.m., it started raining. It continued through the start of the race and for the first hour or so and it rained a little later. It was cold and wet so I decided to wear my jacket. It kept me warm for the first 7 or 8 miles but then it was just heavy and hot. I ended up carrying it with me for a few miles because it was too heavy to tie around my waist. I finally ditched it after our first loop. It also rained last night so the trails were a hot mess!! I mean at some points there was water and mud almost up to my knees. At other points, it was mud all the way up to my ankles and my only goal was to not lose a shoe!! It was rough!! All you could do was manage to walk through it at times!! When the mud was not horrible and there weren't any dirty puddles, the course was nice! Oh, I only fell one time and tripped a few times! = )

I managed to stay strong until about mile 27 and then my back started hurting and my legs asked for a break. I decided to walk the remaining hills and run the rest. There were times when I thought, why the heck am I doing this? Overall, I am thankful that I did it and I truly enjoyed the challenge!! My unofficial results aren't in yet, but they were keeping track of finishers and I did place 3rd in my age group and I received a really cool Woodstock Bus!!

I saw tons of Dailymilers on the course and I was able to meet Kai, Mary Beth, Cara, Becca M., and Angie L. I also saw Jocelyn A. Bob D. , Chuck, and Deloris C. I hope I am not forgetting anyone!! I also have to say that those ultramarathoners are some really sweet and friendly people. I met some cool folks along the course! I also love the fact that there is so much food at ultras!! I ate something at almost every station and I had a great veggie sandwich and a blueberry muffin afterwards.