Funny what a little heat and humidity will do to people, isn't it?
Remember winter? You know, the season that makes you shiver uncontrollably as the chill freezes the marrow in your bones? Sounds refreshing, doesn’t it? In no way does that describe Saturday’s Fun Fourth Freedom Run 10K.
MadMayosians present for this drippy furnace of a race were Iris, Blair, Jack, and Nathan (he’s one of us whether he admits it or not), plus Christine from MadMayo: Asheville Division. And me, Josh. We all finished a few pounds of sweat lighter, and the general mood around the tables of bananas and Krispy Kremes was, well, cranky.
“That was hard. Hot.”
“Yes, hot.”
“And that hill at the end? Uncivilized.”
“I agree, hot and uncivilized.”
“I don’t feel I did as well as I could have, but it was so hot.”
“And uncivilized.”
“Yes, I was going to say that. Hot and uncivilized.”
“Did anyone place? No? Let’s go home. I need a gin and tonic.”
And so forth.
The organizers, who were not responsible for the climate, did an excellent job. The volunteers were skilled in the art of the water hand-off, and there were plenty of post-race goodies like the aforementioned doughnuts and bananas, as well as bagels, oranges, Gatorade, and some kind of tasty apple bread.
While the course was hillier than I thought it would be (although the heat might have made the hills bigger and steeper), it was nice running through some of the prettier neighborhoods of Greensboro. Most of the course was in the shade, which was certainly appreciated. Thanks, trees!
We did bring the camera; however, would you believe those things still require batteries in this day and age? Crazy, right? I should have brought some paper and a pencil. I could have drawn us. Or maybe not, as sweat and graphite are not artistically compatible.
“I guess I understand why there aren’t many races in July and August,” Iris said as she stopped, dropped, and rolled, thinking she was on fire. “Yup,” was all Christine could say in response, struggling to open a fire hydrant with her bare hands. Sniffing, Blair asked, “Is something cooking?” “We are,” answered Jack from underneath his fancy parasol. “Air conditioning and couch. Vamos, amigos,” I said, hopping from foot to foot, toes smoking a little.
With no further ado we drove off to our respective homes, soon to forget the trials of the day and start looking forward to the next race—next Saturday’s Kernersville Rotary Club Fourth of July 5K.
Despite the heat and hills, commend yourselves for just finishing. That was a tough race. Keep up the good work, fall will be here soon, along with cooler weather.
Yes! Autumn. Surely this heat won’t last forever.
See you at the next one, Brian.