Conquering the Grind

I hiked up a mountain today. It was so, so, so painful. It was basically a 2.9 km StairMaster with the added danger of loose rocks and slippery slopes and steep climbing. Now 2.9 km might not seem a lot but trust me when you're going to uphill at an altitude of 885 m and it's a stretch of stairs --- it's hell. It took me 2 hours and 45 mins to complete it. I was sweating and and the burning in the my thighs forced me to rest every couple of minutes. The sad thing was that old people, people fatter than me, children as young as 6-7, and parents with their children strapped to their backs were passing me by. I felt sooo out of shape.

By the way...I was in a group of 4 and I was the last person to complete it. Others completed in an hour and 5 mins and hour and half.

That totally sucks.

But what made it worth it? Along with my pride at not giving up the numerous times I thought about as I trudged along was the breathtaking view at the top....