Saturday morning was hot and humid – and sunny, the trifecta of running suck. Astronaut Sunita Williams was also running the race – on her birthday, no less – and provided some opening remarks.
And then the gun went off. I started off strong, and I clocked my first mile at 8:04.33. And then… the bridge. Oh my God, the Kemah Bridge is a nightmare. I thought the Holyoke St. Patrick’s 10K was bad… nope. My first half marathon in Westfield, Mass.? Piece of friggin’ cake. At least it wasn’t tropical heat running that thing. Embrace the suck, embrace the suck:
Mile 1: Flying!
Mile 2: Ok, this bridge is steep, but yay, there’s a downhill! I’m flying on the downhill!
Mile 3: Aw, crap, I have to go back up that bridge.
Miles 4-5: Rinse, repeat, oh my God I’m going to die.
Mile 6-finish: My legs are toast.

After: Breakfast tacos!

The Toughest 10K is definitely for tough people; you’re not going to make it if you don’t have something that keeps you going (even if it’s just the humiliation of having to walk). I knew that if I stopped to walk, especially uphill, I was a goner.

Note: I ran this in October 2015, before it was moved to February.

As for the course itself, it was reasonably flat. The start and finish was at University of Houston – Clear Lake, and we ran through the Armand Bayou and Taylor Lake Village and along the perimeter of the Johnson Space Center. There were some really nice views of Clear Lake and the luxury high rise where it’s purported that Matthew McConaghey lives. I was pushing myself pretty hard (which is why I didn’t have negative splits), sweat in my eyes, anxious about getting home in time for church. An older gentleman, about halfway through, congratulated me on maintaining a steady pace. Then he fell behind me.

I crossed the finish line at 1:23:52 (8:23 pace). There were just enough aid stations, and at the end, there were breakfast tacos. Great race.