Vinings Downhill 5K AND a new PR!

I had been really looking forward to this race because I was pretty confident I was going to be able to get a PR! Sometimes when you go awhile with a few bad races or so so you start to lose the motivation. Saturday morning in Atlanta it was 63 degrees. Yes 63 in the middle of August in “Hot-Lanta”! I felt great in the morning and knew this had to be a good race day and I needed a good race! Took a photo with the Chick Fil A cow… The boyfriend was too good for a picture but I myself love pictures with large animals call me 5 but it was a great way to start.

The race was very well organized and beside the crazy amount of people rushing to start in the very front it was a good race and I enjoyed myself. We went to downtown Vinings after the race for some good snacks and after race swag. Picked up my shirt and listened to the insane finish times. How does somebody finish a 5k in 15:29???

 I had a PR of 28:18 and was pretty excited crossing the finish. I wish I would have started closer to the start so I would not of had to pass so many people! Goal for this race was to get a better start wave for the Peachtree next year and I believe that was accomplished.

Busy looking at the race schedule for the end of the year I need a ½ marathon stat! Any recommendations from fellow friends in the Southeast? 

A Trip To The North Georgia Wineries

Living in Atlanta makes it so easy to do so many fun day trips and this was a perfect Saturday adventure! First some of the friends went to celebrate another friend’s birthday.

Stop #1:

Wolf Mountain Vineyards

They had two tasting options #1 was $10 and included samples of 6 I believe and #2 was $20 and included a few more samples but mostly champagne. I really could care less about champagne so I chose option #1.

Let me start by saying I have a very particular wine taste. I enjoy a dry white wine in the summer time from time to time and hate Chardonnay (do not like the oak/butter taste). I would say I am more of a reds fan love the Malbec and Cabernet. Oh and I really do not care for Merlot. Wow glad I got that all out there I feel better. Wine is fantastic because there is such a wide range of taste and price points. I myself am always on a mission to find the best $20/bottle I can find for an everyday drinker.

Wolf Mountain had beautiful views as I am sure you can see and it did not rain! Loved the inside area with a wood feel and they even had a café. It was a Saturday so of course it was crowded but overall a good first stop. I thought the prices were great however I did not care for really any of the wines other than a couple of the reds. If you like champagne however this is your place!

Stop #2:

Frogtown Cellars

I believe this winery has the best tasting wines in north Georgia from my limited experience. My boyfriend is a member here so the tasting is always free so I do not really remember the cost. I would say I enjoy the majority of the wines here even some of the whites. They will not blow your socks off but a delicious reasonably prices bottle of vino.

Disclaimer: I have been to many MANY wineries and the majority being California (Napa/Sanoma) region. I have recently created a love for the Malbec mostly made in South America. Bucket List trip is on the list to Argentina no worries there. Georgia wines I do not think you can even compare the two because they have a very different taste but being pretty close I would say good bang for your buck. 

Before rain...It poured for like 10 min but then there was a rainbow!

Two Humbling Races

Middle of July I feel like I finally took part in what it really means to be a runner. I was really excited about the first race Summer Steamer 10k because it was a 2^nd part to a 4 part race series. (5k,10k,15k,Half). I think I had really big plans on doing well in this race since I ran the Peachtree with a PR a short week before this race. Lets be honest I didn't rest enough, my hip wasn't 100%, and I was tired for this race.

Race morning I had my usual mix together and felt ready until my tummy was not 100%. I was anxious and had eaten a lot of vegetables this week because I really wanted to lose some weight and feel lighter. I do not think I got enough carbs and did not get the fuel I needed.  

About mile 2/3 I started to feel like I was feeling very uneasy. I realized I needed a bathroom STAT guess what there was none. The humbling moment happened where me and nature had a special moment and probably delayed my race by about 5 minutes. This was my first outdoor bathroom experience as a runner and feel like it will not be the last. After that special stop around mile 4 (yes I should have stopped much sooner) I felt pretty good I paced myself the last couple miles and slowed down because I knew there would be no PR. So I focused on the real goal trying to catch a GOOD race photo…mission impossible. As you can tell by the lack of photos it did not happen with rain, humidity, and ugly faces.

Race #2:

 This past weekend I ran in my first Atlanta Track Club Event the Jog Days of Summer 5k. I made the boyfriend join ATC because this was something I had been meaning to do for about a year. This was one of their free events and was around a park that was close to the house so I really wanted to go. WOW unexpected hills but hey welcome to Atlanta! I purchased some new shoes on Friday and was feeling spunky so I had a slow run of 3 miles to see if I could wear them on Saturday and decided it was a good idea. 

What I did not expect was how flippin’ HOT it was on Friday!!! Needed to say I was really dehydrated and didn't really notice until my run on Saturday morning. I feel like I did pretty good considering the course, hill, another upset tummy, and HUMIDITY!

In summary to feel better about 2 rough races I spent some time on Google trying to read other peoples embarrassing stories of being a runner. It did make me feel better in the moment but I need a good race soon!

Please tell me there are more embarrassing stories out there! Reach out to me on the social media I would love to hear them!