Shelby Y Sprint 5k

I headed for Shelby, NC Saturday morning for the Shelby Sprint 5k at the YMCA. I was looking through my race log, and I believe that this was my first race in the city. 

I got there about an hour before the race, so I got a chance to preview the course on my warmup. The course had plenty of rolling hills. Nothing was very long but some were rather steep. 

Lots of young kids crowded the start. One went down as everyone launched off the starting line. He didn't look to be too hurt. Most of the kids lasted maybe 50 yards before nearly all of them came to the realization that even a 5k called a sprint isn't really a sprint. 

We a.k.a. adult runners fell into a single file line. I was attempted to stay with a couple of teenagers that were may be 20 yards in front of me. However, I felt like I was really struggling. My legs just didn't have any zip to them. They just felt lethargic. 

I settled into 8th place and stayed there until the finish. 

I ran 20:26 and won my age group. 

As far as the race, I have only good things to say. Started on time. Marked course. Miles were marked. Lead car. Good water stop. 

Maybe the only negative was that the course wasn't closed to cars. For what I thought was sleepy little Shelby on a Saturday morning, there did seem to be quite a few cars. 

Oh, and their race shirt was grape colored. At first, I thought that this was an unusual color, but I liked it, but as I thought more about it, I think the Y colors are that same color purple.  

The Cool Down Runner