After accepting how crazy hot and humid it has been lately, I decided to re-evaluate my goals right now. I have been carrying a faster pace for the first two miles but with a 8am start time, I knew that it was not going to be pretty come mile 3. A few weeks ago I decided to commit myself to an actual training plan for my 5K goals. This is my first training plan EVER that I am following and things are going great a few weeks into it. With my goal race coming up this fall, I knew I had would change exactly what that goal was for this year's Vinings Down Hill.
While the race is named Vinings Downhill 5K, don't let that fool you. Yes it is a point-to-point race, however you still encounter a number of long yet fairly gradual uphill portions. You have to quickly switch gears from running downhill to going uphill. Those not familiar with the course are surprised when they start the uphill portions.
The humidity was getting the best of my breathing at mile two and I started to feel a bit frustrated but I channeled that energy into my run. I was so proud of myself, I remained positive and just enjoyed the run today. I didn't worry about pace or splits - it was just about the run. As I crossed the finish line I saw that I finished about 45 seconds slower than my PR and I was totally fine with that.