2019 Firecracker 5K for the Troops
Scroll all the way down to the end of the post for the tl;dr version.
Prologue
July. The one month in the year when I’m not training for anything!
After finishing the 2019 Cleveland Marathon in early May, I took a few days off and then started running regularly again. I ran the 2019 Maryland Half Marathon in early June and then steadily increased my running mileage the next week and the week after.
Two days before the race, I returned to Washington, D.C. after spending the weekend in California for my high school reunion. I ran close to 13 miles on Tuesday morning, followed by 6 easy miles on Wednesday.
Goals
Personal Records:
- 5K PR: 20:43 (6:39 pace), at the April 12, 2013 Crystal City 5K Friday
- Course PR: 21:23 (6:54 pace) from the 2012 2019 Firecracker 5K
- Most Recent 5K: 22:44 (7:18 pace), at the October 20, 2018 Roosevelt Island DC ParkRun
Strategy: Run by feel and see what happens!
Course
It’s a pretty fair course. It starts out with a gentle uphill north of the Reston Town Center. Then, it goes downhill on the Reston Parkway before heading up again before a right turn onto Sunrise Hills Road, which is completely downhill. Another right and the course goes onto the flat Town Center Parkway. There’s a couple of right turns, and some uphill grade before the final left turn to the finish line in the heart of the Reston Town Center.
The water stop is at Mile 2 and there are crowds around the finish.
Playlist
I didn’t create a playlist, so I just put the one I made for the 2019 Rock n Roll DC Half Marathon on shuffle.
Pre-Race
On race-day morning, I was suffering from jet lag after returning from the West Coast two days before. I drank some coffee immediately and also had some water knowing it was going to be a hot and humid day. As I got dressed, I started changing my mind about racing. I kept thinking, “Why spend money on a race when I’m not in great shape and the weather is terrible?” Plus, I started a diet the day before and felt a bit depleted. I hemmed and hawed but finally left my house at around 6:45am.
I made it to the race site, the Reston Town Center, by around 7:15. I hadn’t pre-registered for the race but the process went very quickly. The line for the porta-potties were short – there was a single line for all of them, which was a bit unusual – so, I got using the bathroom out of the way. After going back to my car to drop off my wallet, I stood in line again for the porta-potties as insurance. Then, I went for a short warm-up. Lately, I’m finding it takes a mile or two of running before my knees loosen up – a sure sign of aging.
I missed the presentation of the colors but caught the end of the National Anthem just as I was finishing my warm-up. After a few announcements, we were off!
Weather
The temperature was about 78 degrees at the start of the race and the skies were overcast. The dew point and humidity were bad but not terrible for July in Washington, D.C. The winds were calm.
The Race
Mile 1 (Baron Cameron and Reston parkways)
The race starts in one lane of a two-lane road. I started the race at a pace that seemed conservative. After a right turn onto Baron Cameron Avenue, the course went uphill and I didn’t slow much. When the course went right onto the Reston Parkway, I appreciated the downhill but didn’t open up my stride at all.
Split: 7:45.
Mile 2 (Reston Parkway, Sunset Hills Road, and Town Center Parkway)
The course turned upwards onto Sunset Hills Road. I grabbed a cup of water at the aid station and poured it on my head. The course dipped downhill again before turning right again onto Town Center Parkway. Mentally, I told myself there was only one more mile to go but I just didn’t have any energy. I blamed it on my diet.
Split: 7:58.
Mile 3 to 3.12 (Town Center Parkway to Reston Town Center)
After the turn onto Cameron Glen Drive, everyone started slowing down so I actually started catching or passing other runners. The final hill on Explorer Street didn’t hit me very hard because I was already running so slowly. Finally, I took a left onto Market Street. Normally, I would kick but I just didn’t care.
Time: 9:34 (8:25 pace).
Result
My time was 25:18 (8:09 pace) [Log Details]. I was the 300th finisher out of 1,317 (top 23%), 79th woman out of 695 (top 12%), and 5th in my age group out of 76 (top 7%).
Post Race
After the race, someone handed me a medal and another volunteer gave me a flag. There were tons of snacks! I picked up a banana, fruit snacks, chocolate chip cookies, and a Gatorade. I knew my time wasn’t fast enough for an age group award so I headed home.
Epilogue
The race was well organized and went off without a hitch! I was a little disappointed with my time but given my lack of training and lack of proper fueling, it could have been worse.
Most likely, my next race will be the Crystal City Twilighter 5K on Saturday, July 20th.
Abridged Version
In the days before the race; I returned from California on Monday evening, ran close to 13 miles the next morning, followed by 6 easy miles the day before.
It was about 78 degrees at the start of the race. I started at a pace that seemed conservative but I ran out of energy around the second mile. My time was 25:18 (8:09 pace). It was disappointing but it gave me a pace to work with for my interval workouts this summer.
Most likely, my next race will be the Crystal City Twilighter 5K on Saturday, July 20th.
