Damn them hills! This was an amazing course... the first 13 miles were dreamlike, with a long, constant but relaxing uphill slow run, followed by some breathtaking downhill bombing and a gradual coast back to the start area. The second half of the race, however, was lungbusting, calf burning uphill slogs, quad bursting, toe tripping, technical downs that allowed you to open up full throttle when you felt safe.
In short, it was a damn fine race that taxed my body, revived my mind and set my heart into random spastic spasms!