I have been itching to run a 5K lately.  Which means it must be way too long since I've run one and I don't remember how much they hurt.

I work on Saturday mornings, though, so it can be hard to find one that I can do.  And I have been taking quite a few Saturdays off for travel lately, otherwise I would just take the day off.

I just got an email reminder for a 5K that I ran last year.  The thing is, I'm pretty sure the course was short, maybe as much as .2.  I'm kind of thinking that it would be silly to run it, since I wouldn't be able to count the time as my PR anyway.  But I could wear my watch and at least get a sense of what my "PR" pace seems to be these days.  That asterisk might just drive me nuts, though, because I'm silly like that.

So- would you run the race?  Or wait for another one to come along?  There is also a 5K at noon on labor day, but school starts the next day, so I am usually working that day to get ready.  But maybe it would be fun to run that instead?

If you ran it last year, I say do it again, but look at the year to year improvement. Don't look at the PR part.

Well that's just it.  My 5K PR is from last December.  That's ages ago for a beginner.

I have one race I run every year. In all the years I've run this race beginning in 1994 I think it has been an accurate 5K only twice. Last year I couldn't even find anyone before the race who knew where the course went so I was running blind. I run it because it is convenient, small, and fun. I also developed a personal connection with the race and helped in an advisory capacity for a number of years because the confusing and inaccurate courses they had were only a part of the issue with the inaugural race. It's put on by a student group at the university where I do most of my training runs so I also train on the roads and sidewalks used for the course. It also means there is annual turnover with the race organizers which partially explains why it's so disorganized: they effectively start from scratch every year.

Knowing it is short going in is a helluva lot different than finding out afterwards so yes, if I needed the work, absolutely I would.

As LTH opined, the bling don't care what distance you have run.  I got a write up in a newspaper on a short course, and yeah no, there was no way I was going to tell the reporter "Well thanks but the course was short." lol.

You can also project what your real finishing time would have been so there is that.

This is a small race, looks like I was 13/67 last year.  No AG awards, just OA man and woman I believe.  And (to my knowledge) nobody talked to the RD about the short course.  Most of the focus, honestly, is on the trail HM and 10K races of the event.  The 5K is there just for fun.  Plus since it is on trails, nobody 100% trusts their GPS.

I didn't have GPS on for most of the race, but those who did said the course showed short.  And of course there's no way I ran the time that they gave me last year.

A course PR, on the other hand, is an option.  And I could still get pace info if I wore the watch.

If you are in the mood to race, just go and run.  You can either compare your time to last year, or set a new baseline for next year.

I routinely run a small "5K" that is about 1/4 mile too long.  I keep track of my race time on that course and don't worry that it's not a true 5K.

(I suspect that the only 10K I've raced was a short course.  I'm using the PR time, but I know it's going to make it harder to beat that PR on a course of the correct distance)

I suppose if you wear your garmin you can keep running past the finish line and then hit STOP at the 3.1 mark!