A *FREE* 5K Next Weekend!

This will be in 3 quick parts:

• ONE: a FREE 5K!
• TWO: my weekly plan leading up to it.
• THREE: racing withOUT a watch?!?

• ONE: a FREE 5K!

An admin from the Minnesota Distance Running Association posted on Facebook that they had a free entry into the Twin Cities in Motion "Hot Dash" 5K or 10 Mile.

It was posted on a "Grand Prix" page, and I'm not signed up to do the Grand Prix series this year, so I commented that I'd take it if I wasn't disqualified for not being in the series. I was told that didn't matter, and I got a free entry! I'm not in 10 mile shape right now, and I NEED to be working on my speed, so I signed up for the 5K as a "tempo workout" day.

Hoping to be JUST under 18. I ran a 17:39 5K last spring, but I've been bleeding speed this winter.


I like the "No" and the more kinder "No Thank You" options. Where's the "Hell Yes" option?


One of the first "free codes" that I've used online that was TRUELY free! Usually,
I have to pay some sort of $2-$5 fee. Thanks TC in Motion and imATHLETE!

• TWO: my weekly plan leading up to it.

I usually run on Wed, Fri, and Sundays. Except for last weekend's race which was on a Saturday, I've ONLY ran on a Wed, Fri, or Sun since October! But since my legs are feeling OK post-race, I think I'll mix that up this next week. I think I'll run Tues, Thurs, and then race on Saturday. Then I still get my 3 runs in for the week. (And I did a similar thing at the end of October as I led up to the Minneapolis Halloween Half Marathon - my last T or Th run in 5 months!)

I'll treat the lead-up to the race like it was a hard tempo run - I won't take the day off before the race (I think I'll swim), but I MIGHT take the day off after it. Maybe I'll just spin my legs a little on the bike. We'll see.


• THREE: racing withOUT a watch?!?

"Favorite trainer Laurie" and I were talking at the gym on Wednesday about last weekend's race. She said she ran that race without looking at her watch; totally by feel. She was HOPING to finish under 46 minutes, and was going to be pretty bummed if she couldn't hit that. So she was THRILLED when she came to the line seeing sub-44 on the clock! She told me I should try that sometime.

I REEEEEEALLY thought about it, but I decided against it for this race. For 2 reasons. First, I went out hard last weekend and had my fastest mile as the first mile of the race AS I WAS CONSIDERING GOING HARDER at that point. Nope. That would have killed me. I still would be laying at mile 3.5 of that 5 mile race had I tried going harder at that point. And second, this is going to be a slower race field, so I'll be running near the front. (A just barely sub-18 finishing time would have been good for 3rd in 2017, 6th in 2016 [possibly able to hit 3rd as 4th and 5th were both just under 18:00], and 2nd in 2015.) So that means if I don't have my Garmin showing me my first 2 half-mile splits, I could EASILY go out WAAAAAAY too hard and die during that race. I tend to go out extra hard if I could be at the front (or near the front) of a race. And I know what some of you are thinking... "Steve, it could be good for you to try going out REALLY hard in a 5K!" But not now. Maybe If I'm able to race a bit this summer, I'll try that by mid- to late-summer.

Well, it's supposed to be above freezing for the few days leading up to the race, with some possible rain on race morning. We'll see how this goes!