GPX CPCC Skyline Run

I amaze myself sometimes. I went to bed at 3:30am this morning, got back up before 7:00am to run in the CPCC Skyline 5K. With less than an hour and a half sleep, I still chose to show up and complete the course, which is listed as relatively flat. It isn't flat, but the hills are mild to moderate so that made for a good workout/morning walk.

Temps were perfect and it drizzled the entire time which did not stop 820 runners from crossing that finish line in less than an hour. Kudos to RFYL for another fabulous GPX event and congrats to CPCC for a great turnout!

CHIP TIME: 45:53

Black Mountain Greenway 5K

This run was one of those last minute decisions that turns into a wonderful surprise. I wanted to take a trip for Easter weekend, aiming for the beaches but instead re-routed to the mountains, the NC mountains to be exact and since it was Easter weekend, I didn't know what to expect in the way of 5K events.

Pisgah Brewing Company is the host for this event and it is held in Black Mountain NC, just two hours (or less) outside of Charlotte, wonderful ride near the Blue Ridge Parkway and perfect temps for an outdoor event. Every aspect of this trip turned out most pleasant; a motel room with a jacuzzi, a motel that backs up to a secluded park yet is less than 5 min from any desirable shopping or restaurant venue, thus I got to shop, shop, shop, enjoy fine dining, run through the picturesque Black Mountains, and soak in epsom salt jet infused waters! Ahhhhh... and yes, I love the mountains but admit I have a whole lot of city girl in me which leads me to another pleasant surprise.

Pisgah Brewing directions (the start and finish point of the race) stated the company is located in a business park thus as a city girl I was looking for a brick building with multiple glass doors evenly spaced one from the other, paved parking, light poles and a huge sign with a directory of businesses housed within the park. Yeah. I'm from the city and I'm blonde on top of that...

The location is actually a renovated former Drexel site. The building was altered to allow "units" for lease and the signage only states "Eastside Business Park". Yeah, I drove right by it. I have learned my lesson... won't be doing that again! *chuckle*

The race itself was a challenge, lots of hills and and two routes - one for the 5K, the other for the 10K. The two events begin and end as a group on the same sections of road but veer off for the majority of the mapped courses. 10K runners are given a 50-100 ft forward start line yet all runners start with the same gunshot.

I will add a girlie note here. This is the first event (including the Susan G. Komen) where t-shirts are not unisex. Hooray for Pisgah Brewery! The ladies t-shirt had shorter more feminine sleeves and a slimmer cut yet the logo design and color was identical for both. Kudos to Pisgah for taking the extra step :-)

I would highly recommend this event to anyone looking for a true challenge, a pleasant escape to the mountains and a smaller community oriented race. It is family friendly even though there is not a fun run as part of the proceedings.

CHIP TIME: 48:05