Getting Ready For The Hot Chocolate 15K

Now that it’s November, I can no longer ignore the next race on my calendar:
the Hot Chocolate 15K on December 3.

I actually signed up this summer, when Lisa (@workoutmommy) posted a link on Facebook. The timing seemed right–long enough after the Army Ten Miler–the location is convenient–only a few miles from my house–and yes, I will run for chocolate!

I know I am in shape for a 15K (~10 mile) race, and I have been feeling pretty good since the Army Ten Miler (knock-on-wood), so I am not too concerned with following a strict training program. On the other hand, I checked out the course map, and it looks like the route is going to be hilly. I don’t usually drive on these roads, but I’m pretty sure those first two miles are a steady climb, so I have decided to focus my training on getting ready for those hills.

I can’t do all hills all the time, but every week I will do one hilly outdoor run and some kind of hill workout on the treadmill (intervals or steady incline).  I’m also adding back the lower body strength training that I cut back on before the Army Ten Miler, at least for a few weeks.

My main goal for this race is to eat as much chocolate as I can at the post race party. This means finishing early enough before the supplies are depleted (hopefully they won’t let the 5K finishers drain the chocolate fountains!) but also not running so hard that my stomach is complaining.

As you can tell, this race is being promoted as a fun race, and I am toying with the idea of setting “have fun” as my race goal.  (While I managed to cross the finish line smiling at the Army Ten Miler, I was not having fun for the last 2-3 miles.) This type of goal is not as easy as at sounds–at least not for me. It means not pushing my pace, and I’m not sure that I can let go of that race mentality once I’ve got my race bib pinned on!

Have you ever really run a race just for fun?

Have you ever set a goal to run at a slower pace?