Reaching Goals - Vinings Downhill 5K Recap

First I have to say I do not know what is up with our weather.  Today was the third of our three races in a row and the one we had been waiting for, not burning ourselves out the last two weeks.  I can't believe this is Georgia in August! It was 63 degrees for the race this AM.  It feels like fall here and it is kind of freaky.  Made for surprising race conditions!

Hubby and I love this race because it starts virtually across the street from where we live and it has like an overall loss of elevation of 280 ft.  There are some uphills but there are a lot of downhills.  We got to enjoy all of the amenities of home before heading to the starting line, meaning my own bathroom, my energy drink, no port-a-potties or lines for us.  We had picked up our numbers last night so we were good to go and headed from home straight to the finish line.

The cooler weather made folks excited.  This race attracts some first time runners and some really fast runners.  The first timers are always disappointed when that first uphill occurs and they feel lied to, but this was our third time and if you run around Atlanta you already understand uphill happens.  The first 1/2 mile is the steepest descent.  Since we had had some light rain the oil on the road made it pretty slick.  I really could feel the plank a day working, as I slowed my pace and felt my core hold me steady on the slick terrain.  Then immediately following the steepest descent is the longest ascent, a little more than a quarter mile.  I decided this is where I could make up a little time.  I guess I was doing pretty well since a guy that I passed said to his wife or girlfriend "look at that girl in white.  She is flying up here.  I don't think her feet are touching the ground."  I love running uphill so I burned a little energy to make up for a slower start.

The rest of the course was pretty dry so up and downhill I was able to push a little.  After mile 2 and another sprint uphill felt my breathing a little too much.  Tried to settle down, slow deep breaths in through the nose and out through the mouth.  It worked and I settled down.  The rest of the race felt pretty good.  As we turned toward the private school where the finish line is, a girl that was just ahead of me pulled off and was vomiting in the grass.  That is leaving it all on the course!  The worst thing about this race is the finish.  There are several short turns, and speed bumps and ironically it finishes uphill.  I had heard what I needed at mile 2.  The timer said 16 minutes and I knew my goal of 25 minutes was very doable.  So pedal to the metal and a mental check in!  "Hey girl it ends uphill but so does your run every morning.  You've got this."  Crossed the line and it said 25:14.  Official chip time was 24:52.

I was aiming for my Peachtree qualifier to move from E to D and I ended up in C.  Also it was the first time I ever ran an average sub 8 pace for a 5K.  In March of 2011 I ran my first 5K in 38 minutes.  I was proud of myself, because honestly I expected to be picked up by the sweeper or the ambulance in that race.  Today felt like all the hard work and training paid off.  Below 25 minutes isn't front of the pack by any means, but it is a goal I could not even imagine 3 years ago!  Of course hubby was a blur to me after we left the start.  Found him at the water station he had finished with a chip time of 23:22 exactly 1:30 faster than me!

In other news I am so excited to be a Sweat Pink Ambassador!  More about that in an upcoming blog!  Hope you had a successful race if you were racing this weekend or at least had some fun running!