July Fourth is a freedom-filled day of patriotic remembrances of independence from our history. We remember those who fought to defend and protect freedom as Americans. Wearing and waving red-white-and-blue. And occasionally for running an independent race. Almost all of us have some red, white, and blue to wear. And as someone who runs/walks for Team Red, White, and Blue for Charity Miles, running it would support and reinforce my team colors. So I traveled to Omaha, excited for this first running of the Sweaty Sparkler 5k. I realized I hadn’t raced in Omaha in a long time, for years. There’s always a little extra excitement if a race is being run for the first time. And it levels the playing field a bit as no one knows really what to expect. I did expect a little heat and humidity and that did happen.
As we gathered in Ak-Sar-Ben Village (that’s Nebraska backwards if you didn’t know), we gathered to pick up our bibs and wait for race instructions. I learned that the course was a 3-loops of roughly a mile on each loop, partly in sun, partly in shade. There was a water stop about 1/2 a mile into the course that we passed three times for those who needed water.
I didn’t train for this race. My only goal was to run it as fast as possible, not wilting in the heat/humidity.
At 8:30 a.m., the race began. Roughly 350 of us competed that day, some were runners, some run-walkers, and some seemed to walk the whole course. We were all wearing as much red, white and blue as possible. Some had special costumes. One was in an (American) eagle suit. There was a Statute of Liberty person too. I didn’t have a special costume but made sure to wear my red, white, and blue Fleet Feet hat (co-sponsored the race along with CHI Health).
I was impressed with the social media integration for the race, they had a Snapchat special-event geofilter and sharing was encouraged on Facebook and Instagram.
At the beginning, I was aiming for a sub-7:00 split but the humidity caused me to hold back a little bit. As we rounded the first loop, I was glad I was wearing my hat, scarf (moved to headband later), and arm and calf/sleeves as the sun was intense. The trees providing shade were helpful. The shady spots seemed to be on the corners of the loop for the most part. Even though there was a water stop, I brought my OrangeMud vest and bottle so I could just drink my own when I needed it.
The first mile split was 6:43, good clip. Right on target. Due to heat/humidity, I decided to slow down and just run 7:00 pace or higher, trying to keep the pace sub-8:00. I had to reserve some energy for the end of the race.
As far as walk breaks, I think I used three :30 breaks and drank water during all three of those.
As the second loop began, I thought about removing my hat but thought I would need a sun shield for at least one more lap. I knew I could rotate my scarf to a headband pretty easily. I noticed the loops were slightly longer than a mile as the mile splits seemed to happen before turning the last corner for the chip mats/start/finish area.
Before the race, I ran a very slow mile with the dog at home. I was a little concerned at my Garmin telling me my heart rate was fair during the warmup run. But I didn’t sleep well the night before (fireworks + dog reacting to them). So fatigue was a little bit of a factor during the race. However, during the race, my Garmin said +7 into good range (compared with -5 from baseline into fair range during warmup) so I had a green light to push the pace as much as possible.
During the second mile, I was very thirsty. I drained about 1/2 my OrangeMud water and wondered if I should stop for water at the water stop too. But I continued. The second mile split was slower, 7:40, slower than I wanted it to be. (Whenever possible, I aim for my “birthday splits” 7:21).
Reaching the chip mat again for lap 3, the crowd seemed to be spreading out a little bit. People had settled into their paces. And meanwhile, the sun continued to blaze. The road was getting warm and toasty and so were we.
For the third lap, I removed my hat, rotated my scarf into a headband. I had to allow some heat and sweat to evaporate from my head. I was overheated and beginning to get a little dehydrated. I kept drinking water and pretty much drained what I had with me. The last water stop was too clogged with everyone wanting water at once so I decided to skip it. I kept trying to push the pace a tiny bit faster. Realizing my last mile split was going to be slowest, I accelerated a little and reached that split in 7:59 (just barely under the 8:00 too slow target I set).
For the final stretch, I zipped for 7:14/mile pace. At the last moment, I noticed someone passing me just as we were reaching the chip mats. But in a chip race, who knows who won? He looked younger than me. I just wish I knew he was coming, I might have given him a little more of a speedier zip at the end.
After we crossed the mats, I stopped my watch. 24:08. 7:27 pace for 3.24 miles (course was measured at 3.17, slightly longer than a 5k but close enough). I had no idea who else was in my age group so didn’t know if I placed or not. I suspected I hadn’t since I was slightly slower than I anticipated in the last 2 miles or so.
We cheered on the remaining 5k runners, I grabbed some water, a banana, and some food to eat as waited for the 1 mile start. Mainly this was a lot of parents with kids it seemed but some kids ran independently and some adults ran it alone.
After the 1 mile was finished, we gathered for the awards ceremony. I waited to see if I heard my name for my age group (40-49) but I didn’t (I heard the 3rd place winner beat me by :30). So I started walking away, but as I did I heard my name called as the 2nd place AG winner for 50-59 (I don’t turn 50 for 2 weeks). As I walked up, I told them: But I’m still 49. But they said “close enough”. Going by birthmonth, apparently. That’s OK. We do celebrate our birthdays all month in my family. So I was happy to receive a $15 gift certificate from Fleet Feet Nebraska and a free entry to a 5k race in Omaha in August.
Oops I almost forgot to tell you we all received beautiful finisher medals just for finishing the race with a fireworks theme. Very cool. Red white and blue too.
It was a very enjoyable family-friendly experience for all of us. It was well-run and well-supported. There was a lot of energy and enthusiasm among participants and their families/friends. And we appreciate new races starting in our communities to unite us. Thank you to Fleet Feet and CHI Health for allowing us to share in this fun-filled race experience together on a special unique American holiday, July 4th, America’s birthday.
To further reinforce me approaching me 50th birthday this month, my VO2 max jumped to 50 (a new all-time high) on July 4, 2018. Some days it’s not just about winning, it’s about enjoying the experience and efficiency, even when we are a little fatigued. I was entertained by the coincidence with my very-soon age-group 50+. It must be nifty to be 50.
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