Firecracker 5K

Five months was the last time I raced a 5K. And until last week, it had been 2 months since I had done a speed workout. Perfect time to jump into a 5K in blistering heat and humidity, right?

The idea of the Firecracker 5K started as the idea that I would take a few runners from my team and just run with some of them. Then the kids slowly backed out until only one girl remained. She originally wanted me to pace her in the race, as she's had difficultly running even splits in workouts. A few days before the race, she informed me that she wanted to see what she could do without me. Okay, then. So, I guess I would race it and use the results as baseline data for a POSSIBLE upcoming marathon training cycle.

Hindsight, I started back too far from the start line. I had to do a LOT of weaving in the first mile. My friend Lizzie was also running, and I knew about what she would run, as she's a pretty consistent 5Ker. I settled in a bit behind her, feeling our times would be similar. Due to all the weaving, my first mile split on the Garmin was WAY before the mark. (This course is certified; so I know it's legit distance.) And this right here is why I hate the Garmin. I seriously have worn the thing less than 10 times since getting it in January.

Mile 1: 6:31 (but I think really around 6:38)
I felt pretty decent and decided to pick it up a bit to catch a girl I haven't seen in awhile that I wanted to say hello to. I talked to her for a bit and then passed her. We were in straight sun at this point, and I was cooking.

Mile 2: 6:37
Even though I was dying, I passed a LOT of people. I guess everyone else was dying more than me. LOL. In fact, the entire race, only ONE person passed me, a teenage boy. WIN for that!

Mile 3: 6:42
Straight ahead the final mile before the final turn/hill to finish. I felt like I was fading, I just told myself to try to hold on. I did get some motivation as I saw a fairly large pack of ladies in front of me, and I was gaining on them. (Spoiler: didn't catch them.)

Final 0.18: 1:06
TIME: 20:57

Unfortunately, the official times for this race are the clock times, not chip time; so my official time was 21:01, due to me starting a bit back from the start line.  EDITED: They corrected the results, giving me my 20:57 and I finished 2nd in the AG (instead of 3rd) and 6th OA (instead of 8th). Woot woot for chip timing!


My high schooler ran okay. She faded a lot, but the heat was pretty intense. We have been running at 6 a.m. when it's in the lower 70s. This was in full sun at close to mid 80s.

As for my time, I'm okay with it. I know better than to expect spectacular results on un-spectacular training. AND… BIG NEWS… I'm writing myself a marathon training plan! Yep, coach is coaching herself for an upcoming marathon.  My plan is going to be more of a goal list. Each week, I will have certain goals for myself regarding workout(s) and the long run. I'm not going to set any of the workouts on a calendar, but just keep them "open" in a week. This will allow me flexibility for all that I have going on with motherhood and coaching. I'm still in the final research phases of making my plan.

Here are some pics from the race.

Daddy & Squishy waiting for awards

Lizzie and I with our awards. I was 3rd AG and she was 2nd (different age groups, though).

We really enjoyed the rest of our day with hubby's family. Squishy had a big time swimming with her cousins, and I actually BAKED. LOL. Enjoy some highlight pics from our 4th celebration!

Run Happy, friends!