Firecracker 5K Race Report (2015)
Doing an Independence Day race isn’t a tradition for me. We’re always* in Guttenberg, Iowa for the holiday, and the neighboring town of Garnavillo has been putting on this race for 28 years, but this is only my third time running it! I ran it for the first time in 2009 (and it was my PR for a few years!) and last year with my dad, and that’s it! Oops!
Do you usually do an Independence Day race?
This year, my epic plan for the race was to ride our bikes to and from it. Which doesn’t seem like a big deal since it’s just over 12 miles each way. But then you consider that the race starts at 7:00 am and you need to leave the house at 5:30 am, and, oh yeah, go up this big hill to get out of town:
Ha! That was fun! I actually didn’t have to switch out to my smaller gear until I stopped to take this photo at the overlook:
Then realized, duh, it’s really hard to clip back in and get going UP A HILL on your bike. Lesson learned – don’t stop on a hill!
But the rest of the ride went great. It was early in the morning so there was hardly any traffic, and the highway had a very wide, smooth shoulder for us to ride on! There was no wind and it was in the high 50s! Great riding temps!
When we got to the race I told my dad I’d be happy to run it in 25 or 26 minutes. I was still having breathing issues because of my cold, and the course is kind of hilly. And… I just biked 12 miles to get there. Ha.
This race is SMALL! Maybe 40 participants?
When we started though, I didn’t feel like that pace was possible.
It wasn’t my legs that felt trashed, but yeah, my lungs. I watched quite a few people get ahead of me and felt dumb for starting in the front!
But something crazy happened. As I focused on running the tangents, having good form, and pumping my arms, my pace started to get faster. My watch said I was running 8:30s at the start but my first mile clicked off in 7:58. I was surprised to see a split under 8 minutes!
There was a lady in front of me for the first mile, and I managed to pass her and two other people in the beginning of mile two. Not wanting to get passed again, I tried to keep the pace going, even on the uphills, and ran my second mile in 7:47!
After that, I had my eyes on the only other woman I could see. She had been quite a bit ahead of me for most of the race, but I was gaining on her. I didn’t think I had a chance of passing her though – this course has a loop in it you run twice, and the end of the loop is an uphill I was sure would slow me down. But I caught up to her on the uphill, and passed her on the last downhill, running the third mile in 7:37.
The last bit of the course is uphill. After passing that lady I didn’t want to look like a total idiot and get passed in the last tenth of a mile, so I booked it and ran the last tenth at a 6:47 pace.
I finished in 24:02 (which is a course PR for me!) and she finished right behind me in 24:03! Eek! After the race, I thanked her for being my rabbit and keeping me on pace**. The lady I passed at the beginning of mile 2 came up to me and said something similar when she finished.
Ha, immediately when I finished though, I stopped and went over to my dad, gasping for air. He laughed and said “Why’d you run so fast?!” I told him I really didn’t know. I never know how competitive I am going to feel at a 5K! Since I could see that woman in front of me for most of the race, and knew the race was so small, I wanted to see if I could pass her.
Passing her didn’t really mean much though (since we are in different age groups… this year). They only do age group awards*** for this race (not, overall awards) and the age groups are kind of big – mine was 19-30! And I was first of four in the group. Small, small race. That lady was first in the 31-45 age group. I was second overall (a 10 year-old girl ran it in 22:54)!
They put the names on the wrong certificates – ha ha
I was truthfully very surprised to run the race in this overall time, and ESPECIALLY with negative splits. I am not someone who negative splits 5Ks. EVER. My first mile is usually the fastest, and my last, the slowest.
Dad and I hung around after the race, talking to other runners, then listening to the awards ceremony. I think it’s so fantastic they use the money that this race brings in for the Sheriff’s K9 program! The race shirt logo reflected that:
We had an easy ride back. Riding in the beautiful Iowa countryside got me really stoked for the two days we are doing of RAGBRAI this year! And we had a blast going down that huge hill to get back to town. We were going 30 mph… and that was with using the brakes! Crazy!
I really cherish this time I get to spend with my dad… and am happy he goes along with my crazy ideas!
*Except those two summers I missed it and it felt so very wrong
**Which sounds like a jerky thing to say, but I didn’t mean it like that – she was hundreds of feet ahead of me for most of the race – I wasn’t using her as a rabbit to block the wind
***The awards are a free pancake breakfast. Three other people gave me their awards cause they didn’t plan on using them, so we gave them to our family and they used them when they went to Garnavillo for the parade at 10:00 am.
Themocracy
Thats an awesome time and to do that off the bike..maybe you should start looking for some triathlons..juat sayin!
Thanks 🙂 A lot of people have told me I should try a tri lately, but I just don’t have an interest in it right now. Maybe someday! 🙂
I just think it is so neat you are sharing these experiences with your Dad. I do a workout in the summer where I bike to a trail, run, and bike home. I always find I run faster off the bike, even though I feel like I am running more slowly because my legs feel weird. Congrats on the awesome time!
Thanks! I really enjoy spending these times with him 🙂
That is awesome your legs feel speedy off the bike! Do you get that numb, bottom of the foot feeling?
I get numb feet and a numb butt!
That sounds like a great experience with your dad. And way to go on those negative splits plus the age group win 🙂 I don’t think I’ve ever done a race anywhere close to that small.
Thanks! You know… I think I have done another, different race in this town that was smaller! Those are probably the smallest races I’ve done though!
Congrats on the AG award and course PR, but most importantly the impressive negative splits (despite your breathing issues). Way to use that woman ahead of you as a rabbit and pull way ahead at the end! That photo of you “in flight” for your final sprint is very cool. I find that I am initially intimidated by hills in a race, but my “race day adrenaline” helps me crest them with relative ease. Did running negative splits feel better than positive splits especially near the end of the race?
Thank you! I was excited when I saw my dad got that pic 🙂
Last year, I bet I slowed down on these hills, but this year, I just reminded myself of all the hill training I did in May and powered up them! That training really boosted my hill confidence!
Ha ha, I actually felt SO out of breath, much more so, than finishing with positive splits. But I will take it. I mentally felt better 😉
Last year you ran with me when my knee was marginal, you probably didn’t even notice there were hills at last years pace.
I still bitched about them in my race report! http://www.ilaxstudio.com/blog/2014/07/07/garnavillo-firecracker-5k-race-report/
Yes, I think one of the keys to tackling hills is to have confidence that you can race up them. I usually feel stronger/better at the finish when I run negative splits, but Saturday I had to lay down on the grass I was so out of breath after the finish of my 4 miler. In any case, you’re right that it mentally feels better to be gradually speeding up instead of slowing down over the course of a race.
Awesome, chick! And ESPECIALLY being sick!!!
Thanks!
No mention of the third bicyclist who couldn’t get out of bed to join you?! 😉
Good job on the race!!! That’s awesome you were going so fast!! Can’t believe that 10 year old ran it in just under 23 min.. holy cow!!!!
LOL! I didn’t want to make him look bad to the internets 😉 It was an easy mistake to make and I feel bad I didn’t bother you guys. I figured he just decided he needed the rest 🙂
Thank you! I hope that 10 yo keeps running! 🙂
Man you killed that run, even with the bike ride and all the hills. Small race or not, those are strong times. Great race and Great recap.
Thanks! 🙂
Congratulations! That is a fantastic time 🙂 I like how the competitive spirit made you forget about breathing…hehe, it’s just air.
Thanks! Ha ha “I can breathe when this is over!” LOL
Nice job!!! I bet that bike ride really helped your legs warm-up.
Thanks! Maybe it did! 🙂
Awesome race, Kim! Glad you had a great time and experience at the race. When I lived in South Carolina I did the Peachtree Road Race in Atlanta for a couple of years, but haven’t run a 4th of July race since. (Probably because I’ve worked retail ever since and always have to work on the holiday.) Hope you enjoyed the rest of your stay back in Iowa! 🙂
Thanks! Oh geesh, isn’t that the biggest 10K in the world or something?!
Whoa! Way to go, Kim! Including biking yourself to the race! I am glad for you that the ride home was downhill…
Being part of such a small race sounds like it would be a neat experience!
Thanks!
Yeah, it’s so fun when the race is a small community one and you can connect with most people. I think they actually had everything wrapped up by the time we were headed out on our bikes – very efficient, ha ha!
That is a GREAT time! Maybe you need a 12-mile bike warm-up before all of your 5k’s! 🙂 I always think it’s interesting how you never really can tell how you’ll feel during a run until you’re actually running. I was all gung ho about my 5k Friday night and then it was horrible. Sunday night, I felt horrible, but my run went great. Go figure.
Glad you had such a great time w/ your dad!
Thanks! I usually mean to warm up with a run, but maybe the bike works too, lol!
Ugh, sorry your 5K went so poorly! You don’t ever really know with running… isn’t that weird?!
Congrats on the speedy race! And I love your bike jerseys. Way to bike to and from the race – your own duathlon. Can’t wait to hear about your RAGRBAI experience – way to go for two days this year!
Thank you! We got so many fun comments on those jerseys when we wore them last year for RAGBRAI! I am so stoked for this year! SO SOOOOOOOON YAY!!!!!
Congrats on a great race and finish time!!!
Thanks!
Somehow missed this post! Congrats on your awesome race!!!
Thanks!