Why, I was running in the world’s largest 10k, of course!  I learned from a friend on Sunday afternoon that she didn’t need her number, so I used it.  That gave me 5 days to train.  I tried to run 5 miles Sunday afternoon and was able to do it without vomiting or passing out.  Then I did 3 miles on Tuesday evening and walked about 1.5 miles Wednesday evening, pausing to get a picture taken in front of the graffiti-covered underpass near our home for the new custom header.  I’m exhausted.  I ran it in just over an hour; I’d hoped for <60 minutes, but the hills caused a good bit of congestion (and fatigue) that slowed me down.  The heat and hills were worse than I’d expected, but the enthusiasm and encouragement from approximately 1,000,000 onlookers were much better than I’d imagined.

After a shower and my donning the free t-shirt I’d just earned, we went out for BBQ.

My only concern was that my heartrate monitor showed I was at 197 beats/minute during the last couple tenths of a mile, as I tried to finish within an hour while snaking through the walkers up the last hill who ignored the instructions to “walk on the right, run to the left.”  My max heartrate should be 187, applying the 220-age formula.  Maybe if I have any fitness enthusiasts or medical professionals as readers, they can advise me on whether this should be “examined further.”

In any event, Happy Independence Day, Internet!