Friends, family, food, finishing strong ...

... The fireworks have just finished popping away in Congress Park and my crew has long gone in their various directions home. I considered walking downtown to watch them on my own, but then I realized I am too wasted from the activity and heat of the last three days to move my butt any farther than absolutely necessary -- like from the couch to the kitchen to get a fresh ice pack or glass of water.

Anyway, whoever says you need fireworks to celebrate the Fourth of July (or a parade or barbecue, or spandex flag shorts, for that matter) is wrong. My weekend was absent all those things but it was as fabulous as you can get.

Carbo-loading before a race is fun, especially when you do it
with chocolate chip banana pancakes made from scratch!

The Firecracker 4 went off this morning with around 2,300 runners (or more, by some accounts) -- either way, it was totally a feat for the race organizers who told me they were hoping for 2,000. It obviously went beyond the scope they were prepared for, seeing as how they ran out of water at the water stations, goody bags and most adult-sized T-shirts. (Fortunately I am "youth" sized so I got a shirt that I can actually wear, not as a nightgown!) I think it was a good lesson for next year -- it cleared any doubts that may have existed that the race will continue growing in popularity and fundraising power -- and I expect the organizers will plan for participants to exceed 3,000 next year.

Heather caught me in the glare of the sun!

At the start line, I almost got a little teary-eyed as I stood under the sun with some blogger friends, Heather, Alicia and Cynthia, listening to the Star Spangled Banner before the gun went off. The thought that surfaced was "How fortunate we all are to live in a country where we can freely speak our minds, celebrate our passions -- and now, our partnerships -- in any way we choose."

I learned a good lesson too -- start closer to the front of the pack! The first 1.5-2 miles was a nice relaxed shuffle as I got warm and weaved my way up Broadway and down Circular Street, dodging the 13-minute milers, stroller-pushers, children and the people dressed up in furry animal suits. (It was nearly 80 degrees. Why?!)

New Asics, with lots of heel support.
A strong new rival to the comfort
of my now-worn Mizunos.  

So enjoying the scenery and saying hi to friends/spectators was quite fun for a little bit, but as we moved into mile 2 and I was continually hindered as I tried to pick up my pace as I'd planned, I got the sinking sensation that I had inadvertently set myself up to ruin my splits unless I immediately and aggressively pushed forward through the clumps of joggers.

A bib with my name on it. That's about as badass as it gets.

So I did the best I could without running anyone down. My strategy of making up time with a slightly more speedy second half of the race included:

a power stretch down the Caroline Street-Salem Drive straightaways,
holding back down the massive hill on Excelsior Spring Avenue to avoid whiny knees (success!),
and gradually giving the last mile and its final hill all the remaining gas in my tank.

I finished four miles in 36:40  -- neither my A goal or my B goal, unfortunately, but not in the range of unacceptable timing, considering the heat, the crowds, and my priority to run a pain-free race.

Me and Mom.

The best part was the people who, once again, woke up early and waited in the crowd (or sprinted to get there just in time) to see me cross the finish line. And they were willing to hug my sweaty, sticky self too, and put up with my photo shoot. Muchos gracias!