Greek Fest 5k

 A few years have passed since I last ran the Greek Fest 5k. The course is still the same. For some reason, I felt like it was cooler when I ran it in previous years. Maybe this is just wishful thinking on my part because the weather was both warm and humid this morning. 

From what I heard, they had 400ish runners preregister while another 300 or so signed up on race day. Hard to believe so many people would wait until the last minute. I have to sign up ahead of time or I will likely not be standing at the starting line. 

The clock counted down to 7:30, and everyone surged off the starting line. Running felt easy going down East Blvd and when we started around the Dilworth Loop. Then, the running got a little harder. The crowd was stringing out. I found myself a nice spot, and I focused on getting through the first half of the race. That back street over by Latta Park seemed hard to me. The street running behind the Greek church was not nearly as good to me as East Blvd.

I kept urging my legs forward. While I had other runners around me, I was really running against myself and focused on my own goals. 

When I made the final left turn and headed up East Blvd, I could see the tiny red lights of the finish clock in the distance. Those lights seemed so far away and would take forever to reach them. 

Passing by the 3 mile sign, I pushed my legs ever harder. I came across the line in 19:03. This was 4 seconds short of my goal, but I am getting closer. 

Kudos to Tim and crew for putting this race. I took home a bottle of Olive oil for my age group award. A company in Fort Mill produces it. I am looking forward to trying it. 

Now, I am looking forward to September and taking in a few more races some of which will be on the roads. I am switching things up and mixing in both dirt and asphalt in to my schedule. 

The Cool Down Runner