How would you folks suggest approaching informal 5k road races during the period of building up into serious summer training?
I just finished a pretty satisfying track season with some solid improvements, going from 4:37 (1500m) at the beginning of the season to 4:25 (1500m) at the end. My last race, a 1500m, was towards the beginning of May. After that, I trained normally for a week, then did a week of 30 minute runs. The last three weeks have been a gradual buildup into the 70 mpw I'll be doing over the summer. I've just been doing straight mileage and then plenty of pushups and ab stuff. Workouts will come later.
Tomorrow I've got this casual 5k that will be pretty laid back and just a recreational jog for most people. I'm eager to see how fast I can get my 5k, since the last time I raced a similar distance was two years ago (I ran 17:43). I've improved a bunch since then, which is why I really want to hammer the 5k. Still, I'm conflicted given the point in the summer.
Would it be wise to go all out at a point in the summer where I've finished my season a month ago and have three months training left before my first XC race? I'm considering just tempoing it, considering I haven't done anything fast in a month. If you do think I ought to race it, what could I run? McMillan says 16:29. In the event that I do go 100%, whoever gets closest will receive my praise on these forums as an excellent predictor of times.