Stacey 2.0

On Sunday I ran my first long-distance trail race  - the Dam Good Run 40k - where I actually had to traverse the distance.  I say it that way because I've ran races of this length before, even trail ones; but they were timed races, running the same 1-4 mi loop over and over again ( Soulmates CYA 6 hour race , Soulmates Tryptophun Rhuns 6 hour, and Across The Years).  But The Dam Good Run would require me to run what was essentially an out-and-back course consisting of 40k in total length - lots of ground to cover.  For awhile now, I had been wanting to do a trail marathon, and locally this was as close as I could find.  Plus with my volunteer credits, it was a free race entry for me.  If things didn't go well, I could back out and not be out a ton of cash for an expensive race registration. Come race day, I was pretty nervous, mostly due to fears of getting lost or seeing a rattlesnake.  I felt confident that I would finish, though, and had hoped for a time between 6-6.5 hou