Mountains to Main 5k Race Report

The Mountains to Main 5k race on May 18 was a blast. The race started from the Swamp Rabbit Cafe at 7AM (the same time the 1/2 Marathon started in Traveler's Rest) and ended on the TD Bank outdoor stage in downtown Greenville.

My goal was to finish in under 19 minutes. The race started on time and immediately went uphill. We ran on a slight incline for the first half mile and then it flattened out. The uphill was fine though I did not stay on the needed pace. Part of it was the uphill which naturally slowed us down; and the other part was my desire not to go too fast too soon, so I held back. That may not have been the best decision. Around mile one there was a slight downhill to get us all onto the Swamp Rabbit Trail where it was flat for the rest of the race. I stayed on pace for the next mile and appreciated the flatness of the course.

I checked my watch at mile marker two and realized it would be extremely difficult to increase the pace to finish under 19 minutes. I needed to run less than a 6-minute mile for the final mile of the race. I pushed but it was not hard enough. My finishing time was 19:37.

While I missed my goal, I was thankful to finish 1st in my 35-39 Age Group out of 23 people and 12th overall out of 400 people which is the top 3% of the entire field. Overall, it was a good time. Now to keep pushing to hit my sub-19 goal!