Yesterday morning I ran one of my favorite races, the
Firecracker 4 Miler in Saratoga Springs.
Joe is away for work this week so I got to run this race pushing my #1
training partner Mia. Let’s just say
that it was a very hot day and the course is a great course but has 2 hills
towards the very end. Knowing all this I
just wanted to run the race and have fun.
My good friend Ryan was running it and so were some of my Strong Running
Mama friends.
Mia in her 4th of July running attire |
To prepare for the heat I armed Mia with two squirt guns for
the race. She loved it and was
practicing by squirting Ryan and I before the race. At the start we ran into some crazy runners
from the Albany Running Exchange dressed up as various animals and
snowman. They run the race like this
every year, I don’t know how they do it.
Mia loved seeing them though.
Albany Running Exchange Runners at the finish line |
There were over 3,000 runners this year for the race so the
start was crowded and hard to maneuver with the stroller but once we got going
I felt pretty good but very, very hot.
Our first mile was 8:41 which I thought was great but I wasn’t sure if I
would be able to maintain with the heat and the stroller.
This race is just a blast.
Even with the heat you can’t help but have fun. The course runs down Broadway and turns into
residential neighborhoods. Residents
have bands set up on their lawns. It’s
so much fun. Mia and I cheered loudly
for each group. Residents also set up
misting stations throughout the course.
We ran through every one and it really helped.
Approaching mile 3 there is an uphill that normally sucks
but really sucks when you are pushing a stroller. After that you get a slight reprieve until
the last half mile which is uphill again.
This is just cruel. I was really
struggling at that point but just tried to keep going since I could see the
flag that marked the finish line.
I ended up finishing in 34:37, an 8:40 pace. I am pretty proud of that time. It was a hot day and pushing Mia was hard!
Mia and I at the finish |
After the race, Mia really wanted to see the ARE animals
finish so we waited for them to come in and gave them some high 5's. Then we went and enjoyed some free Chobani
yogurt that the race provided. We
followed that up with some italian ice and met up with some of Strong Running
Mamas. Sheila won the Public Safety
Division. She rocks!
Strong Running Mamas |
After that we watched the parade and headed to my aunt’s
house for a bbq, water balloon fights, and kiddie pool swimming. My munchkin passed out too early to catch the
fireworks but it was still a great 4th of July.
Next up the Boilermaker on Sunday! Fingers crossed for
cooler temps!
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