It's around 2 pm of a much-awaited Saturday in the woods of Tennessee.

I'm bleeding from scratches on my right leg, the toe of my right shoe is crushed and I barely have a few ounces of water left in my blue hydration pack. The last I saw any course marking was over an hour ago, but I'm still running as hard as I can. This is the Barkley Fall Classic. [caption id="attachment_9321" align="aligncenter" width="1280"] Photo © SusanTypert[/caption] No Course Markings In Sight There are more than twenty runners following me as I run down the hill on a winding technical trail - my biggest weakness. But today, I'm running fast.