i signed up for a 5k

YUP! And when was the last time I raced a 5k? Ohh, July, in the hot hot heat of Northern Washington. Thankfully, this time around should be a lot cooler, given that it's at the end of this month and will most likely only be about 40 degrees. It's a Halloween Run, and it actually starts at my Elementary School, which is pretty neat.

I signed up for this race 2 weeks ago, and immediately started following this plan by Sir Higdon (who else would I trust?). I almost taked myself out of not following a plan and just running when I want according to how I feel and I realized that's probably not the smartest way to dive into it. My mileage would be all over the place, I most likely wouldn't get many speed workouts in, and I would probably get injured.

The weather has been gloriously sunny this past week, which only adds to my Fall excitement. This is my absolute  favorite time of year, and nothing beats running in the chilly air under the orange-hued leaves. The outdoor temperature really seems to balance out my blazing physical temperature and makes me not sweat 10 gallons after 2 miles.

My goal for this 5k is finish in under 20 minutes. In July, I ran it in 19 minutes (I forgot to stop my watch so that's a rough estimate - it was give or take a few seconds) so I feel this is a realistic goal given that I haven't trained as much as I had before Ragnar.

When's your next race? OH! And I need ideas on how to dress up. Obviously it needs to be running-approps, but I want to get in the Halloween spirit a little. I'm terrible at this sort of thing.