I'm looking ahead at my racing schedule and am trying to decide on a race for January 1: I've got a local 5k and a 5-miler as possibilities. On paper, the 5-miler seems obviously better. I did that race last year, and it's only $20 (the 5k is $33), they give out long-sleeve tech shirts, they've been holding that race for over 30 years which I think is kinda awesome, I'd have a very clear time goal to shoot for (my last time racing this distance I got 40:04) and it's an unusual distance. That last one is the key one; I feel like because it's so hard to find anything that's not 5k or HM, that that alone means I should do it. The 5 mile distance is fine, but 5k is my favorite, so that's the one I really want to do. But like I said, I can't shake the feeling that I *should* be doing the 5 mile race.
I guess it doesn't really matter though. Either would be fun and would give me a good indication of where my fitness is as I work toward my April half marathon. Just thinking out loud here. :P I guess I don't have a question really, but I'd be happy to hear any thoughts.
PRs:
5k - 22:53 (May 2015)
10k - 50:00 (unofficial; part of 20k race, March 2015); 50:33 (official; July 2016)
HM - 1:48:40 (Apr. 2015)
Makes sense. I would do the 5 miler for the reason given. It would be [assuming] an automatic PB but more importantly it would give you another benchmark to measure your progress. When you plug in your 5k PB into the calculators it projects a 47:46 10k. Your current 10k suggests you lack strength or endurance to carry that speed. The 5 mile race would be an interesting experiment to see where you're at on that curve. Your 5k has you easily getting a sub-40 whereas the 10k projects 40:41.
Youth Has No Age. ~ Picasso / 1st road race: Charleston Distance Run 15 Miler - 1974 / profile
Are we there, yet?
This is a personal preference for me, but for some reason I do not like the 5 mile distance. I don't know why and it's irrelevant for you. There are a few races I've felt like I should do, mostly because they were popular and lots of my running friends were running them. I've found that is not always a good reason to run a race. You seem to have a good rationale for running the 5-mile race, but your final thoughts seem to indicate the 5K is what you really want to run. Go with your head or your heart?
2024 Races:
03/09 - Livingston Oval Ultra 6-Hour, 22.88 miles
05/11 - D3 50K 05/25 - What the Duck 12-Hour
06/17 - 6 Days in the Dome 12-Hour.
Moth, you raise a good point about getting an additional data point. My 10k PR is a little funny, because when I ran that race, it was actually a replacement for a fall HM I was going to run that got cancelled at the last second (because of the gov. shutdown; it went through a national rec. area). So although I was in good shape from my training, 10k was not my intended distance at that point in time, and I was not very familiar with what pace I should run for that distance. And I was pretty grouchy about the whole situation which also might have had at least a little bit of an effect on my race.
George, oh yeah, I really love 5ks. I seriously bounce out of bed when my alarm goes off on the day of a 5k race because I find them to be so much fun. It is my long-term goal (next 3-5 years) to lower my 5k time as much as I can. But I can still see the value to my development as a runner in doing other distances, even though 5k is my main focus. Heck, that's the reason I'm doing a half in April; for overall improvement as a runner.
I will keep thinking about it. My training for the rest of 2014 won't be different either way, so I guess I've still got some time to decide.
All the time, but more often it's other people who tell me what races I should run.
When laying out my season schedule I have races that are must run events for different reasons, mostly due to a favorable course or conditions or where it falls on the calendar, but sometimes because I know the race director or it is put on by an organization that is close to me.
So to answer your question yes, I do feel obligated to run certain events and sometimes sacrifice the event that I would prefer to run to do so.
Oh, and I have never run a 5 miler. That would be like a 5k on steroids. lol
I vote for the 8k for the reasons you stated plus in my metro area, it's rare you see a 8k race but there are numerous 5K races every weekend. I like to run a 8K just because it's an uncommon distance nowadays.
“Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.” - T.S. Eliot
I feel like I should run the races that benefit various programs where I work. I also feel like I should do the ones that are really close to home, to make sure they continue to hold them
I've got 2 8ks on the schedule for the winter. My current 8k PR pace is the same as my marathon PR pace, so at least one of those should be a PR.
Is that what a 5 miler is more or less? Michigan is weird in that there are not many 4 or 5 mile events like in other states. We have only one 10 mile run that I know of and one 25 k. The majority of the rest is the traditional 5 and 10k distances and the half marathon and marathon.
Pretty close, but a few 1/100s of a km short. I can only think of 4 notable 8ks in the entire province. Other than that, the rest is the traditional stuff as well.
I like doing races of an unusual distance because they force me to think about how I'm going to approach the race and I enjoy the challenge of not quite knowing what to do.
Short term goal: 17:59 5K
Mid term goal: 2:54:59 marathon
Long term goal: To say I've been a runner half my life. (I started running at age 45).
LRB, yeah, like B-Plus said, the difference between 5 miles and 8k is imperceptibly small: 8k is 4.97 miles. I have run one race of each but consider them the same distance and I only count one PR between them.
Half Crazy, that is a good point, it is nice to support local races for sure!
Dang B-Plus, you are going to annihilate your 8k PR this winter!!
Love the Half, good point about the challenge. I have run one 5 miler and one 8k before, and I definitely do not have the pacing down...yet?
A difference of 12-15 seconds isn't what I would call imperceptibly small, but then I'm probably a lot more conscious of my PBs than many runners.