I thought I’d signed up for a 10K. However, it seems like this was more along the lines of an introductory course to hiking Mt. Everest!!! 6.5 miles of steep hiking trails! Many of the veteran runners were surprised by the terrain! And the HEAT! MY GAWD THE HEAT!! Should have been called The Seventh Circle of Hell 10K! It was well in the 90s by the time the race ended! And they didn’t start it until 9, which seems awfully late to me. Especially given the heat there this time of year! OUCH! I honestly did not think I was going to make it, not even close. There were no mile markers and the water stations weren’t at the points they said they’d be. For my first real race, this one was a toughy! But I finished it, and THAT is what matters. Even when I thought it would never end, I kept moving forward. My knees gave me some trouble, but surprisingly little. The steep downhill descents were the WORST. Oh, my poor knees just screamed! But as soon as it leveled out, they stopped and all was well.

I am so glad that I have another 10K in two weeks. I’ll be much better prepared. And Napa is MUCH cooler!! Also, I think we’re running through vineyards up there, and it should be a lot more level. At least I sure hope so!!

So, that was my 10K. I am exhausted!! It doesn’t help that afterwards (we went back to my sister’s place to shower and change) my sister and I hit the Galleria mall and shopped for about 5 hours!! That may have been more grueling than the 10K!