18 Miler Done!

Started with some early morning stank face. Who gets up at 4:30 to go run?? Facing another 100+ degree day......we do.

More serious stank face. Seriously, who does this? It's already hot. Gotta get my head in the game or this is gonna be miserable.
(eventually I did)

That's Karen R. and Pat C. coming at us, out for their early morning 9 miler.

I break this run into 3rds, we have now finished the first out and back and have turned right on the Iron Horse heading towards Walnut Creek, thus starting the 2cd of 3 parts.
Where there's a dirt option over paved...I am on it!

Emma powering up and over the ped bridge over Ygnacio. It's not just Brian and my legs that have to cover 18 miles....that's a lot of pedaling when you're 9 and 7.

We are now done with the first 2/3 and starting the last section. This is at Chevron at Ygnacio and San Carlos. Cooling the kids down, as well as myself. When I start to overheat, my heart gets wonky. Tends to lose its rhythm, so I am careful to ease up and get cooled down quickly.

I had my big gulp size cup of ice, I ate it....and stuffed it into a lot of unmentionable places. This was one of my funnest parts of this run, pretending I was in Kona running on Alii Drive stuffing ice down my shirt heading for the Ironman finish line.....yeah, I make up stuff when I run.....but it keeps me moving!

Almost done, maybe 2/3 or a mile to go. Heading into the tunnel that goes under Ygnacio.

This is one of my favorite sections to run, I am nearly always able to focus and push hard through here, it's gravel, next to cows, slightly uphill.....but the end is really close. You see this section a lot in our 8 miler pictures.

And.....we did it! No more stank face. Funny how if you just get up, get your booty out the door and moving....the stank just goes away!

The best news of the day...I had enough left in the tank to finish strong after a hot and long 18.
San Fran......we're coming for you!!