Time For A Little Race?

So... I'm thinking of doing a local 5K this weekend (The Fox 4 Love Fund 5K). Maybe it'll get me out of my sorry funk. When I think about actually racing this weekend, I get a strange little butterfly-like thrill. I think it will either give me a much needed confidence boost, or give me a kick in the pants if I perform terribly. Either way, nothing will sharpen me for a goal race more than a race during the journey.

I asked Vince if it were a good idea... or if I should just stick with my training plans. And besides the fact I am in the middle of training for the opposite distance at just about peak mileage, I am really in no way shape or form ready to actually race a 5K. But, silly me, I still want to do it. (I've never been one to do the sensible thing.)

Vince's words of advice were cautionary: "... I want you to start out on the conservative side. Also consider that you have not prepped or tapered for this race, so you will likely be running on tired legs (all the more reason to start out on the conservative side)."

So, I'm typing that to remind myself if I really don't do that well.. eh, it's probably because this race didn't pop up on my radar screen until roughly 36 hours before race start. I'm looking forward to it anyway, and I'll run as hard as I can (starting conservatively, of course)!

My "official" 5K PR is 25:18 in early January this year. I was trying to break 25 minutes, but failed. My fastest 5K split in a 10K was actually 23:40 (about a month later, and that was a double loop). I'm not sure which qualifies as my PR, but I'd certainly like to be under 25 minutes. However, I couldn't find a word about the course, so I have no idea what to expect. If there hills and such, I'll do well to break 26. We'll see...