17 mile hill

This morning started early, I woke up at 3am then again at 5am and decided to get out of bed and start repacking my backpack for the day. We met in the hallway at 7:30 and set out in search of coffee for the morning. We found it, plus bocadillos with Serrano ham and cheese, they were so big that we saved half for later down the road. It’s not every day that you get an entire loaf of bread for your sandwich.

It was cold and still not fully light out even though it was past 8am when we started walking. We started through fields, villages, and farms which was really nice even as we noticed the frost on the ground and the way our breath spilled out into the air. 

 Before too long we had hit the 4 mile mark and it was time to look for second coffee, but we were either in rural villages or industrial areas and there were no cafes to be found. Eventually we turned back into the woods and headed up the beginning of brutal hills that would continue all day. Before we left I told everyone fondly about the ancient Roman roads that we would be walking. It seemed so romantic to think of stones laid thousands of years ago that millions of people have traversed. I’ve come to know these historical wonders as torture roads. Rocks sticking out of the hills that you’re desperately trying to breathe through as your friends chat and climb are significantly less inspiring than I thought they would be.

Fortunately at the top of several torture roads was a corner coffee stop that would have felt at home in San Diego. Açaí bowls, avocado toast, and happy music were all inside. We sat outside to shamelessly eat our avocado toast (which was delicious) and drink coffee number 2 for the day. 

We left feeling good, but it didn’t take long to start climbing again and I was struggling a little by the time we got to the 10k mark, although keeping a better pace than I usually do. 

If you’ve read from the beginning you’ll remember that a failed 10k is part of what got me here, and it was a good feeling to know that I was going to finish this without a doubt. 

We got a reprieve on the way into the city and enjoyed a nice cat break before going up more hills.