Be sure to read previous random thoughts about a race you’ve run to remember important tips, like rock counts. Grapevine Lake trails offer good training, except for running with rocks. Fallen leaves blanketing the hills along the lake’s edge are beautiful until you realize they are covering all the rocks. Beware the descents as much as the climbs when running with rocks. Rich, green moss does not make rocks softer. Here is the difference between several years of training leading up to a race compared to several months: when you hit the smooth concrete trail after all the rocks, you can really haul. Oh, and paramedics are really good at erasing most of the evidence of confrontations with rocks.