Firecracker 5K Race Report

Nothing like taking a week to write up a race report.

And normally my race reports are a little more in-depth, but I'll tell you right now. This one will not be a novel. There isn't much to say about it.

So the Firecracker 5K. It's held on the Fourth of July and this was the third year I ran it. My parents and I got to the park about 45 minutes before the race started and met up with my brother, his wife and their three kids. Then I ran into Sam, one of the coaches from my half marathon training group. There was a bunch of chatting before the race. And of course as we chatted it got hotter. And not a cloud in the sky.

After hearing a brief speech by three-time Olympian Suzy Favor Hamilton it was time to run.

Of course the start area was chaotic. People really didn't quite understand that walkers and those with strollers should start near the back. And let's not even talk about the groups that would walk 6 people wide. Needless to say there was A LOT of weaving in the first half mile. Once I got through with that it was time to go uphill. But the hill wasn't bad - it shouldn't be given the number of hills I've done this year with the Fleet Feet group and Coach Jim! The first mile came in at 10:00. Not bad.

Nothing special about the second mile either. Some homeowners were sitting out on in their driveways, cheering on the runners. And those who were offering some relief from the heat with their garden hoses? You bet I ran through the water. It was getting hot. But there was also a good chunk of downhill in this mile. I ran the downhills, didn't hold back and it paid off. The second mile was my fastest, somewhere around 9:50.

The final mile? That's where the heat started to get to me. I had my handheld water bottle with me, so instead of taking a cup of water at the water stops and drinking it, I took it and dumped it over my head. It didn't help that there was absolutely no shade in the final mile. I caved and took two short, short walk breaks. There was some more uphills in this mile, including a bridge lined with veterans. I hit the last downhill, turned the corner and booked it into the finish line.

I ended up finishing the 5K in 31:14, not a new PR for me, but it is the fastest I've run this race and course by almost 2 minutes. So I'm happy given the conditions.

After the run we all grabbed some water and headed into the park to find some shade to listen to the University of Wisconsin Band perform its 5th Quarter. Good times.