It's always a big question: how fast should I run? Running just a bit faster seems to require a lot more energy. I can run a mile in 8:30 or 8:40 quite comfortably. I can do that at least for 3-4 miles, and I feel I can do it much longer, except I haven't tested it yet. (I don't want to fall into the trap of the terrible too's: too much, too hard, too soon.) If I run 8 min/mile, it seems easy first, but I do get somewhat tired after about 3 miles. 5K is only 3.1 miles, and my absolutely minimal goal is to do it 24 minutes on February 7th. That's only a little faster than 8 min/mile, and since I was able to run 8-minute miles in the middle of December, I thought it would be trivial to run just a little more then 3 miles in 3*8 minutes.

I'm not so sure any more. 0.1 mile is like 0.8 minute, which is 48 seconds. That's a lot! Running faster then 8 min/mile is definitely tiring for me, even if it is just a little faster. Add the fact that I have to travel more than 2 hours for the race, and that I have to be at the start line at around 8am (that is when I normally get up!), and it turns out that 24 minutes may not be that trivial after all! One thing is sure: if I can't do it in 24 minutes, then I will be terribly, TERRIBLY, T E R R I B L Y disappointed.