I started in Victor at 6:50 am. The weather was in the mid-20s so I had to throw on some arm sleeves and mittens to stay warm. The first few miles were uneventful as I found my groove. I took some water at mile 3, a lemonade Huma gel at 6, and Nuun Endurance at 9. I slowed some around 12-13 as I ate a Honey Stinger and the road went slightly uphill. There were a few cars that passed me at this point of the road, but ultimately I was by myself for most of it. I made the turn off the main road and went around the gate just after mile 20 where I missed the turn on my previous attempt. I drank some more Nuun at 15, took a Raspberry Huma gel at 18, and more Nuun at 21. I was walking occasionally after 21, my legs feeling the distance. I hit 21 miles right around 3 hours and sent my wife a text letting her know I'd prob be another hour and 45 mins so she could pick me up at the finish. At 24, I took another Honey Stinger and pushed so I could PR for the marathon. I hit the marathon at 3:46:51 and continued on. I shed my arm sleeves and mittens around this point because it had warmed up sufficiently. There were several hikers and mountain bikers on the no-car portion of Gold Camp. I saw some mountain lion prints in the tunnels. I took my last gel right at mile 30 as I was hitting the parking lot for Seven Bridges. There, cars joined back up, and it was a bit of a cluster as I started to push to make sub-5hours. I hit a 7:55 mile for mile 31 but it took a lot out of me. The final stretch on the asphalt was rough, but I kept pushing to finish in under 5 hours. I round the final turn to see my wife and friends waiting to see me finish. I jumped up, slapped the stop sign, and stopped my watch to finish out the run. It was a great run, and I think I'll definitely try it again.