Firecracker 4

Tomorrow is the 4th of July and that means the Erie Firecracker 4k/4mile race.  I ran the 4k a couple years ago (which you would know if you have been reading my posts since the beginning!) which was my first race.  This will be my second race.  In that 4k I ended up walking for 45 seconds before the big hill at then end and still finished the 2.48 mile race in just over 20 minutes.  I was shocked that I averaged an 8 minute pace (including the short walk) when all of my training runs had been around 9 minutes/mile.  I guess I didn't realize how fast the pace is at the start of a race and how hard it is to avoid starting fast.  Since I'm doing the 4 mile race tomorrow I need to make a point of starting at my own pace and not try to keep up with the youngsters that will finish in 25 minutes.  As I mentioned in a previous pace I'm aiming for 37 minutes.

Angie is going to be pushing the little monkeys in the 4k race in a 2-kid stroller.  If I finish before them I will head back on the course to finish with them.  If they finish before me then I get my three favorite people to cheer me on.  Win-win situation.  What I am most excited for is the kids 40-yard dash that Lauren is going to run after the adult races are done.  Lauren loves running so much I hope she doesn't get shy at the start and decide not to do it.

I've got a lot of my Minnesota family coming into town this afternoon for Morgan's wedding this weekend so we've got a busy next 5 days coming up.

Off to the hand doctor in a few minutes to see how bad my hand is.  I really hope nothing is broken because having a hard cast on my hand/arm would definitely make training more difficult especially in the hot weather.

Happy 4th of July to all and I'll update next week with my results.