Wasn't sure what to make of my fitness for the Firecracker this year. I'm definitely not fully recovered from Newport yet. I've had some good runs since then, and two interval sessions of 200s have gone OK, but the legs have not recovered their snap, for lack of a better term.
Firecracker is a big net downhill course, although there about about two or three small uphills and one fairly major one at about 2.6 miles by the zoo. Last time, the zoo hill got me and I gave in to the walk monster. I decided this year to run conservatively, not blast the big downhill on Van Buren, and try to have something left to attack the uphill by the zoo.
Started out on the downhill on University and probably went a tad too fast, but once I got on Kavanaugh I settled in at just a smidge over 7:00 pace. Second mile, which has another little uphill going to Mount St. Mary's, I was a little slower, maybe 7:10 pace. Get to MSM, turn on to Van Buren, and except for a bump in the middle, it's straight downhill for the next three-fourths of a mile. I extended my stride a little to take advantage of the hill, but I would not say I pushed the downhill. Still, I was hurting pretty good when I crossed Markham into War Memorial Park, and I knew the zoo hill was coming. Just tried to maintain pace at that point. It helped that a bunch of people who went out too fast were slowing or walking, and I was able to pass some of those. Passing people always gives you a boost.
I told myself I absolutely was not going to walk, and I tried to shorten my stride and attack the uphill as best I could given that I was pretty gassed. Again, I was passing people. Then to the top of the hill on Monroe, maybe a quarter-mile left, and I could see the 3-mile marker and the finish beyond it, and I put the hammer down and started passing some more people. The clock read 22:19, I think, when I crossed the line. I had started maybe five seconds after the gun due to the crowd (no chip timing here) and I think the Garmin said 22:14, but my attempt to stop it at the line failed. So I'm gonna have to take the official time for lack of other evidence. But I am pretty sure it will be a PR when the official time is posted. Definitely a victory for running smart over being in shape. I was in much better shape last July but went out too fast and didn't have the discipline to fight up the zoo hill. If I'd run a little smarter last year, with fresh legs, I'd have broken 22 easily. So I'll take a couple more cracks at sub-22 this summer.
Had jogged about 1.2 miles to warm up, and I'd started the jog up the hill to retrieve my car when fellow Crackhead Robert offered me a ride. I took it. I can get in my slow cheap miles later, after I have my Fourth of July allotment of fat, grease and ice cream at Dad's house. | 