Cops and Joggers 5K

A race i've been eagerly waiting for and wanting us all to do is the Cops and Joggers 5K on Saturday, July 21. It's put on by the very nice folks at CLEAT, the Combined Law Enforcement Associations of Texas, and it benefits the Peace Officer Memorial Foundation.

Why this one?

• A good, challenging, but fair course through downtown (see map below). It starts on 15th, heads west to San Jacinto. you get the steep hill to 11th, but then a long, fast nine-block downhill-to-flat run to 2nd Street, where you turn right onto another flat stretch to Lavaca. We're all familiar with heading north on Lavaca, but once turning east on MLK, you get another fast, long downhill back to 15th. You revisit the hill on San Jacinto before turning into the Capitol grounds for the finish.
• Cool t-shirts. Somehow, these guys keep coming up with great, fun logos, and this year, they're on lighter-weight shirts.
• Cheap! $20 entry fee ($25 on race day)
• Saving and growing a good race - there's a lot of competition for race events in Austin. Apparently, this year is make-or-break for this race. If it doesn't get enough entries, it'll be it's last.
• The flip side of it being a small race right now - less crowding, and a shot at placing in your age group.

These guys have worked really hard to make this a great event. I'd love for Team In Exile to show up, run it, and help it survive. If you can't or don't want to run it, please consider volunteering for it.

For Amy and Chuck, who will be running the San Fran half the next weekend, I think running it competitively but not 100% is a great way to get your edge for the race next weekend. Either run a few warm-up miles, and a couple after to get your mileage in (you want 6-9 that day), or get your 6-9 in on Sunday, and have Monday be your rest day.