Being a complete klutz, I fell down less than 1K into the race — a full on somersault. The footing was very slippery and being a middle-of-the-pack runner, the trail was very greasy from all of the feet before me. And of course, I was wearing my favourite white running skirt — but I didn’t care because it was the most fun I’d ever had running. And for the rest of the race I had a blast — stopping to take pictures, talk to other runners and volunteers or jump into the mud at the bottom of a part of the course called The Valley (I threatened to do a cannonball). Of course the hills themselves were hard (there are four major climbs), but instead of beating myself up for not doing the hill repeats in training that I should have done, I walked and talked with other runners. In fact, my least favourite part of the course was a flat stretch in the middle and, lucky for me, there were very few flat sections. And when it came to a part of the course that I knew I was good at — rocky downhills and water crossings — I ran as fast as I could because it made me laugh and feel like a kid.