Hi everyone!!! I'm looking for some advice. I workout regularly (usually 3-4 times a week, 45minutes - 1 hour of cardio, usually running or cross trainer and 2 times a week weight training 30 minutes each time). Plus I do tons of walking each day (about 40 minutes today).

Anyway, I've always wanted to enter a race!! My chance has come! It's the Race for Cure in Tokyo. Before I started losing weight and wanted to start running, I said I wanted to do this race when I was able to.

I've never done a race. I realize this is for charity, so it won't be as hardcore as others. I can run 5k no problem. Usually when I run, I run 5k or 6k (best 5k time is 32mins... slow? but good for me!) then with rest of time I walk fast at a very steep incline (8%-13%).

Now that my chance for a race has come, I don't know what race to do---the 5k or the 10k. I know I'm safe in the 5k and can run no problems, but I've never ran a total of 10k at once! But part of me wants to do the challenge and just do the 10k. Since it's a charity race, let's say if I can't run the whole time, at least I can still walk what I can't run, right?

What do you think? Should I play it safe and just go for the 5k race? Or make a challenge and go for the 10k race?

By the way, it's only a few weeks away... October 20th!!!

Hey, if you want to give the 10k a shot, sign up for the 10k!! The worst that can happen is that you'll wind up walking towards the end, or you'll be really slow--big deal. I think you should do it!

R4tC in the US is focused on participation, not speed. I'd expect that you'd see actual runners in the 10K half only because the 5K option is there for walkers.

I'd strongly suggest that if you're doing all your running on a treadmill, you try running outdoors before the event.

Thanks for the advice!

Sometime this week I'm going to go run outside and see since I do most of my running on the treadmill. I might even go to where the race will be just to see if it's hilly or not. I don't think it's hilly though, which is a good thing!!!

The race has a 5k walk, 5k run and 10k run. I'm just a slow runner though, so that worries me!