If you recall, last year I ran the Go Commando 5k in my hometown of Clarksville, which was a lot of fun. The 5k course was great. Flat and scenic (from what I could tell in the rain) and completely contained inside Liberty Park. The 5k was the shorter of the two race distances they offered with the half marathon being the other distance.

This year, in addition to the 5k and the half, they are introducing a 10k. While they haven’t revealed the course yet, when I asked on their Facebook page, they said it would start in the park (as all three races do), then continue on an out-and-back along River Road. I checked out the elevation map along River Road, and it looked a little hilly but not too bad. But reading race reports from the half marathoners (who run down that road as well) said it was the hilliest part of a very hilly half, yet also the prettiest. Hmm…

The question is: do I run the 5k or the 10k this year?

5k Pros

• I know the course, having run it before.
• I can directly compare my race effort to last year’s, since the course is the same.
• It’s flat.
• It’s $10 cheaper.

5k Cons

• I’m already running (or have run) four 5ks this year. I’m only currently scheduled for one 10k.

10k Pros

• New courses are fun.
• It’s the first year for the distance, so I’d get to be a part of the inaugural race.
• If I have a bad race at the Franklin Classic 10k, I can try to better my time here, since I’ll have an extra month and a half to train.

10k Cons

• Hills.
• It starts half an hour earlier than the 5k. (I’m not a morning person.)

The first price increase happens at the end of June, so I have some time to decide (as long as the 5k doesn’t sell out and make my decision for me). I could, theoretically, wait until after the Franklin Classic 10k in September and see how that goes, as the price increase is only $5 and doesn’t go up again until the end of September.

What should I do?