Friday, July 4, 2025

Firecracker 5K: Fast, Fiery, and Fun!

I ran my annual Firecracker 5K today. I have run this race almost every year since 2010, with my course PR being 20:28 from last year.

If I am in good shape, I usually try to set a course PR. It's always hot, hilly, and measures 3.17 on my watch, so it's not a good comparison to a Turkey Trot or other 5Ks I run. But it's a great year-over-year comparison. 

Background
With the move, my training took a back seat so I ran some less-than-stellar 5Ks earlier in the season. I ran a time of 21:04 in mid-May and a time of 21:02 at the evening track 5000m. After the track 5K, I knew I needed to focus on 5K-specific training if I wanted any chance at getting a course PR at Firecracker. 

My training consisted of hill repeats, track workouts, medium long runs, and Pilates classes. I was very consistent with all of these for the entire month of June. We had several heat waves in June, which made things particularly challenging, but I adjusted my expectations for paces and was able to complete all of my workouts. By contrast, we had freakishly good weather in June of 2024 with plenty of low-humidity mornings. 

Before the Race
I woke up at 4:00 naturally, having fallen asleep at 9:00. I had a few almond butter pretzels at around 5:45 and then started to get ready for the race. I got a new stars and stripes outfit for this race, even though I already have several of them, because I didn't want to wear the same thing as last year. I actually prefer last year's outfit, but it will make an appearance again in 2026. 

I decided to wear the Brooks Hyperion Elite 4 PB. I had done several track workouts in them and they had felt really fast. My paces in them had always exceeded what I thought I was running, so I figured I would try them out. I didn't want to wear the Nike Alphafly because those felt like too much "shoe" during the Track 5000m. I seriously considered the New Balance SC Pacer 2, but I had already run two 5Ks in them and I figured I would give the Brooks a chance. 

Wetting my hair pre-race
Greg and I arrived 50 minutes ahead of time. I had retrieved my bib in advance so I didn't have to worry about doing that. Our first order of business was to find the porta potties. They weren't where I expected them to be but it wasn't long before I found them. After that I began my warm up. I like to keep the warm up short for summer races so as not to get too warm before the race even starts. I poured water on my head to get my hair nice and wet. 

I took a Maurten gel 15 minutes before the start. Usually I take a caffeinated one, but I had run out of them unknowingly. So no caffeine for me! That's okay, though. I think my caffeinated gel from the Tracksmith 5000m contributed to my stomach cramp so it could be for the best.

Soon it was time to line up at the start. I lined up about 6-7 rows back because the race had a large competitive field and I thought that would be the right spot for me. In hindsight, I wish I had lined up closer to the front, but more on that later.

Goals and Strategy
My goal was to beat my 20:28 from last year. The weather was very similar - 74 degrees with lowish humidity. It could have been much worse this time of year, so I was generally grateful.

On my personal weather scale, I give this a 3 out of 10. For July, its probably closer to a 9 out of 10 but my personal race weather scale considers ALL potential weather, with low 40s being ideal. That's why this sits solidly at 3 out of 10. It might be great for July, but it's not great racing weather generally speaking. 

I had my splits memorized and I knew what I needed to do each mile to beat them. I had done a lot of mental prep to ensure that I would stay strong during that final mile and really push up the long hill.

Mile 1, photo by Cheryl Young
Mile 1
The race started and I tried not to get pulled out too quickly like I did at the track 5K. But that backfired because I think I ran the first minute at a 7:30 pace. And then I had to weave around many runners to get back on pace. I was passing people left and right for the entire first mile. Clearly I should have lined up closer to the front. My goal for this mile was 6:26 but despite how hard I ran to make up for the slow start, I couldn't get my pace below 6:30. Finally my watch beeped at 6:29, but I knew I had some major work to do for the rest of the race. 

Mile 2
I wanted this mile to be around 6:20. It's mostly downhill so it's easy pick up a lot of speed. It's also where the field starts to spread out so weaving isn't as much of an issue. I saw Greg at the beginning of this mile, and that definitely pepped me up. This is where I felt like the shoes were maybe stiffer than ideal. They have a firm ride, but I think I might have appreciated more bounce on the downhill. Usually this mile is a breeze but I felt like I worked extra hard here in comparison to previous years, but my watch wasn't necessarily reflecting that. My watch beeped at 6:24 which was nice and fast, but at that point I suspected my course PR would be unlikely. 

Approaching the finish
Mile 3
I had planned out my mental strategy in advance for mile 3. It's always the hardest mile with a killer hill. I told myself that this is where it really mattered and my job was to make it hurt. My job was to push as hard as possible no matter how hard I was hurting. I didn't think about what I wanted my split to be
because I already knew a course PR was unlikely. The best thing for me to do would be to focus on my form, stay mentally strong, and not ease up on the effort. I did not look at my watch at all during this mile. I was focused and dialed in. That hill seemed to go on forever and ever. I was happy to be passing a lot of runners during this mile, and that kept me motivated. I clocked in at 6:45 and then gunned it to the finish.

The last 0.17
According to Strava, I somehow managed to run this at an average pace of 5:49. That's kind of a long time to maintain that pace uphill! (Yes, the hill kept going). I think this is what I was most proud of. And it was faster than last year!

My official time was 20:39, which won me first place in my age group out of 81 runners! What a large age group field for a local race.

After the Race
I was very happy to be done, knowing that I had given that race everything I had. I wasn't sure if I could beat my 20:28, but I was happy to be only 11 seconds shy of that. It does make me wonder. . . how did I ever run that time!?

Laura and me - 1st and 2nd Age Group
But, given that I have been running this race since 2010 and I am now 46 years old, I am very content to have run my second fastest time. Considering I ran a time of 21:04 just six weeks ago on a flatter course, I think this is a huge accomplishment. It shows what consistent 5K training can do and it positions me well to start marathon training. 

I found Greg and a bunch of my friends and we exchanged race stories. It was really fun to see everyone and that's one of the main things I love about this race. It's a big one and so many people come out for it.

I collected my age group award and then Greg and I left the race to go have breakfast at a place near our house that we still hadn't tried. Afterwards, I decided to run home because I did not do a cool down at the race. It was a new experience to run for 13 minutes shortly after eating a full meal, but I did it!

Final Thoughts and Key Takeaways
I'm very happy with my effort at this race and the fact that I stayed mentally strong. My only regret is starting too far back (my chip time was 10 seconds slower than my gun time) and then having to run extra hard to make up for a slow start. 

I have a lot to be thankful for. I am healthy, I won first place in my age group, I got to see many of my running friends, I had Greg supporting me the whole time, and I ran my second fastest ever Firecracker 5K. Strava credits me with a time of 20:13 and even though I know it's not official, it's a confidence-boosting data point for sure. Of course Strava also told me I could have run it harder. . . 

This is one of my favorite races of the year and I am happy I was able to participate!

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