I must say that this was by far, the best 5k I have ever run. The course was very challenging and it was not my personal best, but it was worth it. If I had the chance to run it over again, I wouldn’t change a thing (except to go a little faster 
). The race took place on a golf course call Highlands Falls Country Club. I’m not a golf fan, but I could appreciate the beauty of the course. All funds raised were to help the American Cancer Society.
I made it just in time for the race to start. I misread the instructions and thought that race started at 8:30am when it really started at 8am. It’s a good thing I like to be at the starting line early. For a September morning, it was cold outside, but the chill in the air is exciting because Fall is almost here.
Since the race started at 8am, I didn’t get a chance to warm up. That may have slowed me down a bit. We were all warned before we started that this race is not for a PR and he was right! There was hill after hill after hill! As we were climbing the first hill, there was a sign that said “Don’t swear at me, swear at cancer!” I got through every hill without stopping. I refused to stop and it didn’t matter how long it took me to reach the top, I was not stopping.
I finished the race with an official time of 30:40. That’s not my best by a long shot, but considering the hills that is a good time. You could tell how cold it was outside because the heat was flowing from my body like smoke. What I appreciated the most was that the host waited until the last person was finished before starting the award ceremony. Some bigger races don’t do that and I can understand that. But show a little respect to those that are still running.
For the second year in a row, this race has prepared me mentally for the Asheville Citizen-Times half marathon. There are only 6 days until the race! I would like to keep the same time frame of 2:25:06, but if I can shaved a minute or two off my time, that would be awesome!
