Judy Pendergast: Inside Great Edinburgh Run

The Team USA Junior Women pose in front of the Edinburgh Castle: Devin Clark, Amy Davis, Carleen Jeffers, Judy Pendergast, Katie Rainsberger, Maryjeanne Gilbert. Pendergast reported on her experience before the squad defends their title in Saturday's 4K race at the Great Edinburgh Xcountry event.

So far, my Edinburgh trip has been awesome! Exhausting, for sure, but definitely worth the lack of sleep. My final flight got in this morning around 7 AM Scotland time and we went straight from the airport to the hotel! After throwing my bags down in my room and grabbing some breakfast, Katie (Rainsberger) and I looked up some haunted ghost tours and dungeon tours that we can hopefully go to Saturday night! There is so much to do in Scotland!!



Around noon, most of the junior girls and guys went off on our runs around the hotel and surrounding parks. Moral of the story, Scotland is incredibly beautiful. The run went by in no time and the views were amazing. After showering and eating some lunch, the junior teams decided to go check out the Royal Mile and the Castle. The shops are so cute and warm, and I will most definitely be buying a kilt sometime this weekend. :-)

The castle, however, was breathtaking. It's built right on a cliff and you can see where the man-made section meets the natural rock. It's really amazing to look down on the city of Edinburgh, even with all the rain and clouds. The city winds up and down streets, and the hustle and bustle of the people make for a unique atmosphere. After roaming around the city for another hour, we went back to the warm hotel trying to get some circulation back in our toes and fingers!

Now are playing some card games and watching some TV before our team meeting and dinner! Hopefully we can get to bed soon though because I am exhausted! I'm excited for tomorrow and seeing the course! 

Read Judy's Day 2 Blog...