After last week's mentally tough 5K, I decided to re-evaluate my goals right now. I need to focus on confidence in myself as well as my pace. I have been carrying a faster pace for the first two miles but mentally lose it in the last mile recently. While originally this was a goal race for me, I decided to change exactly what that goal was for this year's Vinings Downhill. Right now I will work on finding my mojo and confidence and circle a 5K later this fall as a goal race.
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. I would say though that the uphills are pretty mild - not too steep, but can be fairly long at times.
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. I was over a minute faster than last year and truly enjoyed the run today.