The morning was humid which is normal for August in Atlanta, however we had a beautiful sunrise that greeted me as I got out of my car in the parking garage. I was hoping that this was a sign of a great morning ahead.
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.
I will admit it, I was a little frazzled when I didn't get to start the way that I wanted to, but looking back I think it was better. The humidity was getting the best of my breathing at mile 2.5 and I started to hit a little wall. It was probably a good thing that I had a slower start.
I made the turn at 2.9 to head up to the finish line and I knew I was close to my goal. I had a A, B, and C goal for the day. I will go ahead and say that my A goal was a rather lofty goal that would have had me getting a 2 minute 5K PR. I missed my B goal by 3 seconds.....3 SECONDS! I did get my C goal though which involved a PR by over 20 seconds having me shave a minute off of my 5K time in the past month. Not too shabby. I guess my hard work is paying off. :)