Are you planning to run the Times Colonist 10K for the first time this year?

Perhaps you’re a lapsed runner who needs motivation to get you back into the sport, or a more experienced runner looking for training tips.

We’ve got help for you.

We put out the call for people to “go public” with their training for the TC 10K on April 25 and blog about their efforts on our website. The response was terrific. In fact, it was hard to pick just five.

Among them is new runner Brooke Finnigan: “I know people say this all the time. But it’s really true in my case. If I can run, anyone can. You can.”

Meanwhile, Rumon Carter is a former member of Canada’s amateur national triathlon team and a coach who now has a medical condition that has affected his athletic goals.

Saira Waters ran her first 10K last year and like many is looking for ways to run faster while Steph Pound, a radio DJ, is wondering what songs will get her through the next 10 minutes on a run.

Finally, Chris Burdge will do a video blog. For him, running has become a family affair. His wife, eight-year-old daughter and son (aged four and in a stroller) crossed the finish line together last year. “It was a wonderful sense of accomplishment and joy.”

Each of the five runners has goals as individual as they are, but hope others can learn from and relate to their experiences

Follow along as they share their ups and downs on their way to Vancouver Island’s largest road race.

You can read their blogs here.