I'm from Austin, TX but when I was looking for some great tough courses, I found a local running store that hosts group runs and asked them.  They pointed me to some of the toughest trails I have ever run on that I would have never found on my own. 

Hi there,I know for myself training for a very hilly race can be a little boreing.So may i suggest getting your I- pod with some good motivational thrust behind it and get to a nice mountainous area,run all the straits and when you get to the hills run half and walk the other half.For me,2 to 3 hrs is usually sufficient.Good luck.....marc