TIaRT -- 5K and 10K races

I've recently joined the on-line running community Runners' Lounge. One of the many cool things that they do is Take It and Run Thursday, where the moderators throw out a topic, and different members of the community post about it on their own blogs. I can't wait to join in.

One problem is that this week's topic, "Tips for 5K and 10K Races," isn't exactly my area of expertise*. I have run, in my life, four organized 5K races, one 8K, and one 10K. For some of these guys, that's a good month. But, if I were the type not to post something just because I don't have anything interesting to say, this blog would certainly be a lot shorter.

So, here's my advice for all runners of 5K and 10K races, especially those new to racing: Don't forget to enjoy.

My best races -- the ones that are most memorable -- are not always the ones where I ran the best times. My best races are the ones where I remembered that I run for fun. They are the races where I took to time to schmooze with my fellow runners. They are the races where I remembered to look at the scenery. They are the races where I forgot about the clock and just ran for the heck of it. Sometimes that coincided with a PR, sometimes not.

*My area of expertise, in case anyone is interested, is Virtually Running Across the Country, Even Though You are Old, Slow, and Fat. Amy, if you want to do a TIaRT on that topic, I'll be all over it.