Freedom Four Miler and Firecracker 5K
Scroll all the way down to the end of the post for the tl;dr version.
I ran two races this week! I was already planning to run the Firecracker 5K on the Fourth of July. But, at the last minute, I realized I needed to run another race to stay in the mix for the Run Washington Runner Rankings. I didn’t run well in the beginning of the year so I have my doubts about whether I’ll make the list, but a girl can’t give up that easily.
Freedom Four Miler
“If this was a 5K, I’d be doing great!”
Training & Goals
I’ve been following a Hanson’s 10K program. It’s going pretty well but it’s also been a bit boring. Lots of 6 or 8 mile easy runs.
I didn’t know what to expect going into the race. My overall fitness isn’t where it was earlier in the year. My speed workouts have been all over the place due to the heat or fatigue, so I wasn’t quite sure what 5K or 10K pace might be. And, I haven’t run this course before. So, I didn’t set a time goal.
The last 4 miler I raced was the Fairfax Four Miler on New Year’s Eve. I finished that in 27:54 (6:59 pace). My PR was at that same event back in 2010 and just a nudge faster than that – 27:48 (6:57 pace).
The Course
I would consider this a hard course. It starts with a pretty steep downhill that allows you to build speed. (Yaaaay!) But, it’s an out-and-back, which means you have to run back up that hill. (Boooo!)
The Weather
Temperature/Dew Point: 70/62 at 7:50am, 71/63 at 8:50am. It was a little warm but not terrible.
Pre-Race
I got to the race site with plenty of time and found a parking spot only two blocks from the start line. Race day registration was smooth. The woman assisting with registration asked me what number I would like and I chose 43 since this would be my last race at that age. My birthday was only a few days away.
The premium was a nice beach towel. I love using these to sit on or wipe myself down post-run.
I wanted to run 16 miles total for the day, so my plan was to do a 2 mile warm-up, run the race, and then do another 10 miles.
The Race
The course started with a major downhill on Wilson Boulevard. I had a hard time figuring out if I was going too fast or not. My hamstring felt pretty good so I didn’t try to slow myself down. I was blowing by other runners but didn’t feel like I was exerting too much energy. There was nice crowd support from the volunteers at the start.
At the end of the first mile, the course leveled out. I still felt pretty good and my form was holding up pretty well. I was still gaining on other runners and passing them. I thought to myself, “If this was a 5K, I’d be doing great!”
Shortly after the turn-around, my legs started to feel tired and I started to slow down a little.
At about mile 3.25, the uphill back started. It hits me like a wall. I felt like I was barely moving. I get passed by a few runners but notice a little down the road, they start walking. A half mile or so later, the course leveled out again. It was still uphill but not as steep. With some encouragement from some other runners, I managed something like a kick at the end.
Splits (by Garmin): 6:29, 6:50, 7:29, 8:39, 0:12. Garmin measured 4.03 miles.
Result & Post-Race
My time was 29:35 (7:24 pace). I was 12th woman overall, 3rd female master, and 1st in my age group. It’s about a minute and a half slower than 7 months ago.
I went back to my car after the race to sit down for a few minutes and rest a little. Then, I did 10 miles easy (9:15 pace) to get close to 16 miles on the day.
Firecracker 5K
“If this was a 2.5 miler, I’d be doing great!”
Training & Goals
I didn’t change my training plan much this week. I switched the interval workout from Tuesday to Wednesday to give myself a little more rest but that was it.
I hadn’t run a 5K since April 2013! How was that possible? My 5K PR is 20:43 (6:49 pace) achieved in April 2013. My course PR is 21:23 (6:54 pace) from the 2012 race.
The Course
The course is pretty flat and fast. There are a couple of slight uphills but they are counter-balanced with some downhills. Unfortunately, one of those uphills comes at the end of the race but it isn’t very long.
The Weather
Temperature/Dew Point: 74/68 at 7:50am, 75/68 at 8:50am. It was also overcast. The conditions were pretty good for this time of year.
Pre-Race
I didn’t sleep well. I woke up at 3am and couldn’t go back to sleep. It was a rough start to the morning but I managed to leave the house at 6:30am and get to the race site by 7am. I parked across the street from the starting line. I didn’t eat at home so, I grabbed a coffee and bagel before heading to race registration.
Registration was quick. In fact, the race day registration line was shorter than the pre-registered line. I got the number 1977. Shoot! If I’d only been a little quicker, I could have had 1971 – my birth year.
The shirt was kinda nice:
There was a presentation of the colors and then an absolutely beautiful rendition of the national anthem. (Seriously – I was on the verge of tears. Hey, it’s the fourth of July!) A few moments later, we were off!
The Race
I started well. The last time I ran this race, there was so much gosling at the start that a runner tripped and took a pretty hard fall. I handled the first slight uphill well. My left leg was feeling okay and I had a nice stride.
After about a mile, the course went downhill. There were two guys in my vicinity that seemed to be running my speed and turnover. I tucked behind both of them for the next half mile or so. But, they slowed on the downhill just before mile 2, so I sped up and ran on my own. Remember my race last weekend, I think, “If this was a 2.5 miler, I’d be doing great!”
The course was slightly uphill after the 2 mile mark and I started to fade. A few runners I passed on the downhill were passing me back, which is always a little demoralizing. I remembered the course ends with a downhill, so I slowed down to conserve a little energy. Looking back, I know I wasn’t that tired at that point. It was mental. I was afraid I couldn’t hold that pace.
With only a half mile to go, the course was a hard uphill. I tried to speed up but I couldn’t. On the home stretch, the course flattens out and I managed a kick in. It was such a massive kick that as soon as I crossed the finish line, I knew I ran the race too conservatively at the end.
Splits (Manual): 6:49, 6:29, 8.04 – missed the Mile 3 marker. Garmin measured 3.18 miles.
Result & Post-Race
My time was 21:24 (6:54 pace). I missed a course record by 2 second! I’m very happy with that time, though. I feel like I’ve been trying to find my speed again after Boston. I was 32nd woman overall, 5th female master, and 3rd in my age group.
The rain started coming down soon after I finished, so after chatting with a few friends, I drove home.
Abridged version
I ran two races this week: the Freedom Four Miler and the Firecracker 5K. My time for the Freedom Four last Sunday wasn’t great but the course was hard and my place in the field wasn’t bad. On Saturday, I ran the Firecracker 5K. I missed a course PR by 2 seconds! My left hamstring felt good. I probably didn’t run it as aggressively as I could have. Still, I placed in a competitive field.
Happy birthday, me! Happy birthday, America!
