Waxhaw 5K 4.24.09

Friday arrived and I was still debating about running the Waxhaw 5k. Even the morning of I was not sure that I would go, but then around lunch time I decided to make the trip. It was a TrySports sponsored event and I felt I need to go out and put in a good showing for our team.

Because of the Friday traffic, I left shortly after 4pm. It took me about an hour and half to make the trip down from Huntersville. The traffic actually was not bad until I hit 485. It was pretty much a crawl between the entrance to 485 and Johnston road.

Three years had passed since I last did the Waxhaw race and I was surprised at how things had changed. Driving down Providence Rd. there were a ton of new strip malls between 485 and Waxhaw. The entire area appears to be growing like crazy.

I arrived about 5:30 which is a little early for me to get to a race. But I needed the extra time to sign up for the race.

Getting out of my car, the heat hit me a like the ton of bricks. This was the first really hot day that we have had in Charlotte this year. I don’t check the exact temperature other than knowing that it was somewhere in the upper 80s.

I saw a few people that I knew and spent a few minutes chatting. Also Cody and Rob arrived to setup our TrySports booth. I helped out for a few minutes before heading back to the car.

Changing over to my running stuff, I headed out for a prerun of the course. The Waxhaw is a touch little course with a steep hill in the last mile.

The course has a very tight start on Main Street. It is one of those situations that leaves you asking “What were they thinking”.

My first mile was fast 5:12 and slowed a little in the 2nd mile - 5:28. I had blended in with a pack of runners from Wingate. Just after the 1st mile I started to catch the 2nd place runner from Wingate. He was the same runner that battled me at the Shamrock 4 miler. But today, he let me go. :)

At each of the water stops I dumped H20 over my head. I could really feel the heat and this seemed to help.

I was slowing in the last mile. The heat monkey had jumped on my back and seemed to be gaining weight with every step that I took.

It felt good crossing the finish line. I ran 17:22. It was slower than my last Waxhaw 5k but then the heat was not this bad.

After race Cody and I did a cool down over the course. I was tired but felt pretty good. Cody was bouncing along like a kid in a candy store. He looked ready for his big duathlon race Sunday.

After the race, I hung out for the awards and talked to a few runners. Then, it was time to head home and rest because I had another race the next morning.

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