5k and 10k's

Here we are again, another Thursday! You know what that means! It's Runners' Lounge Take It and Run Thursday with this week's theme being "5k and 10k's"! I have this to share on that topic:

For me the 5k and 10k races serve three purposes:

1. To stay true to myself on why I love to run, it's important that my suite of yearly races includes some fun runs. The fun ones tend to be the 5k and 10k distances.
2. The 5k and 10k runs are stepping stones along my journey to a half or full marathon. After a few weeks where my long runs are really long, a weekend 10k is much appreciated and my result will always be a faster time which tells me my training is working.
3. On the weekend before the big race, I like to find a 5k or 10k race and use that as my short, easy taper run. I savour the excitement that fills the air at these runs, knowing that in a week's time, for the big one, excitement will be tenfold!

Two of my favourite 10k's would be the St. Patrick's Day 10k and the Mother's Day 10k. They both also have a 5k, support great causes and are unique in their own way. The St. Patrick's Day Race is my first race of the year with a few hundred runners participating and I am able to place well in my age category. This race is where I earned my one and only placement medal. The Mother's Day Race on the other hand, is as grand as they get in Calgary, with well over 10,000 participants. Even though I am not a mother, any reason to celebrate Moms is A-1 with me!

How appropriate on this Take It and Run Thursday to blog about 5k and 10k's when I just got home from an almost 5k:
Distance: 4.74 km
Time: 30:56
Pace: 6:31 min/km