Concord Street Light 5K Recap
Concord Park and Rec. Dept organized their Street Light 5k for
last Friday night in downtown Concord. Similar to previous years, the
temperature hovered near 100 degrees around the starting time, and the humidity
created a lather of sweat on my skin that just would not go away.
Again, similar to last year, the start of race unfolded much
the same way. Lots of people made use of the downhill first mile for a fast
start. Even with the coolness of the greenway, their legs must have grown heavy
from the heat and humidity and by the first mile, I grabbed the lead.
Back along the greenway and through the park, my legs too
were feeling the heat and humidity. The first couple of miles on this course
are pretty nice but the 3rd mile is a bit of a bear as it climbs
back up into downtown Concord. It is gradual at first, but it then gets
steeper. This is followed by a set of switch backs. And, when you think you are
over the top, you turn on to the street only to realize there is yet more
climbing to do.
Once I reached the top of the hill, my legs were done. There
wasn’t even a sprint to the finish. My time was 18:31. Considering the course,
the temperature, and the humidity, this race went about as expected. Although the
win was an unexpected surprise.
The shirt was nice. The duffle bag was even nicer, and the
awards were better than last year.
I ducked out right after the awards and right before the
rain hit to head home. At least I thought I was. After making good time through
the pouring rain to the interstate, I was just passing by Concord where the
road widening is taking place.
Here’s where everything came to a halt. Traffic was at a
standstill. After 20 minutes, I just turned my car off and took a nap. About an
hour and half later, I heard the cars around me start up. Within a few minutes,
we were moving again.
A tree had fallen into the road which caused all of I-85 to
come to a halt.
The sad part of all this, when I was pulling out of the
parking lot after the race, I decided to head for I-85 because I thought it
would have been faster than 29 on my way home.
Food for thought, every decision no matter how big or small
has consequences. Choose wisely.
The Cool Down
Runner
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