Sundown Series - July Edition

 The Fort Mill Road Runners held their July race of the Sundown Series in what was a really hot day. I pulled into the Lake Haigler entrance, and my car showed the temperature to be 98 degrees. Getting out of the air conditioning has never been so hard. 

I grabbed a few miles before the start of the race. Although, warming up was more akin to being covered in a sweaty, dripping lather. Sweat was running off of me. 

With a few minutes before the start, I headed for the bathroom so I could douse my head in some cold water. Anything to help avert the heat. 

We pushed off the starting line, and we headed for the woods. Things were going well for about the first mile but in the woods, there was no air stirring.  Breathing in hot is just no fun. My pace dropped a little as I mixed it up with a few other guys. I tried but just could hold on to them. My legs just didn't want to turn over any faster. 

To say the least, I was happy when Lake Haigler came into sight. I knew roughly how much that I had left to run. 

I made the last climb and ran around the grassy field to the finish. My legs hated me. 

I finished 4th overall in 30:59. I walked away happy. The heat made it just too hot to run let alone race. But I am looking forward to the August race and the wrap up to their series. Kudos to the Fort Mill Runners for giving us an opportunity to test ourselves in this summer heat wave. 

The Cool Down Runner