The first of many lasts.

Today I ran a 10K with some friends.  This is the 4th year I have run this race with one of these friends.  

They changed the course this year and the last 1/2 a mile, was all uphill.  

This was not a nice change to the course.  

I was also less than prepared.

Two of my friends have been training together and were clipping along at a pretty fast pace for me. Thankfully I am a little competitive, so as long as I could see them I tried to and did keep up.  

On the last 100 yards of the hill S. had a burst of energy and decided to sprint ahead.  A and I just tried to make it up the hill.  We were almost there when I came upon the realization that this was the last time we would run this race together and probably the last time we probably even run together.  I had to say it and then I started to cry.  I could barely breathe, but we managed to get to the top of the hill.  We turn the corner, where we assume the finish line is going to be, but WTH it is not there,  Whose friggin idea of funny is this.  We had to then run around the school to the finish line.  That was just adding insult to injury.

As we rounded the last corner and could see the finish line, A yells, "sprint, sprint" and we did.

We finished with our best time ever.  I would tell you what it was, but you would probably laugh.  I came in 40th in my age group.  Yee Ha.

We had some chocolate cherry bread and then eventually headed back to the car and said goodbye.  

Thankfully I had a another friend to ride home with or I probably would have bawled the whole way home.

THANKS A.   It was a great run.