TC Valentine 5K

I don't sign up for a lot of 5Ks. I have a host of races I love to do every year and after registering for those and others that tempt me (fie upon you, cute swag!), I just don't have the budget to add a bunch of extra races to the mix. But I signed up for the Twin Cities Valentine's Day 5K for the best of reasons, to run with a dear friend who recently started running.

The organizers can't be faulted for the weather. The negative wind chills were unpleasant, but as Minnesotans we really should know better than to pay good money to play outside in early February.  Weather aside, I thought the race was wonderfully well-organized, a reasonable size, and most importantly, provided plenty of volunteer support to cheer on the crazies who signed up.  Keeping with the cheesy Valentine theme, everyone was encouraged to wear tags on their backs indicating their relationship status (single, taken, it's complicated, and a few unique write-your-owns). We didn't end up with dates but somebody winked at me (or had ice in his eye), so I'll call that a win.

5Ks are a great starter distance for new runners, so I feel like every 5K should recognize that.  Not everyone has done a million of these or understands how a sweats check works. But the TCM crew was helpful, happy (a large feat given the chill), and energized by the crowd.  The newbie runner, Molly, was already brainstorming her next race when we sat down later for brunch, and that's a big kudos to the TCM team for making her first experience so positive.

Hot chocolate and coffee were served at the start, hallelujah, and that took a bit of the edge off.  Molly was excited for her first starting line so we got to there a little earlier than necessary.  But enthusiasm is awesome and I won't tease her too much for my near frostbite. Importantly, the race started on time and despite the usual Lake Harriet parking nightmare, I didn't feel like the off-street parking was that arduous. We got there a bit early but I also think the not-huge size of the crowd helped, too. The shirt and pint glass were cute (still, sucker for the swag), and the post-race Valentine cookies were a sweet touch.

Cold or no, I'd recommend this race for anyone who wants to take a crack at their first 5K or run a pretty winter race that isn't overly crowded. I enjoy a lot of TCM's races, and I'd be happy to add this one to the yearly roster. Hopefully, next year we'll break into the double digits.

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