Many of my weekend running friends used to run this race every year.

I had never joined them because it was always hot, the race is crowded and I’d prefer to head up to the lake early.

Then in 2021,  I decided to do the race for the first time. And I loved it

So I signed up in 2022 and more of my running friends joined me

Three years ago, I convinced a few more friends to join me.

And 2 years ago, I also had company:

We lost a few runners but added a few walkers last year.

I was hoping that they would sign up again this year but if not, I knew there would be many others there whom I knew.

Pre-Race Activities and Preparations:

If you’ve been reading my blog, you know that since late May, my Achilles has been bothering me.

I’ve done little running but some races and trying to rest and heal it as much as (mentally) possible.

After a race, it seems to be very sore and if I don’t run, the soreness pretty much goes away.  My last race was a 5k on June 20.

To get ready for this race, I ran/walked 2-3 miles conservatively on Saturday, Monday and Wednesday.

It’s not 100% pain-free but much improved. So I decided to give this 4 miler a go.

To save time on race day, I picked up my race packet at Fleet Feet on Wednesday

Well, I wasn’t successful in getting many of the friends above to race but one did agree to come and I knew I would see many others that I knew from races.

The weather forecast:

Yup, not ideal. Too bad, the race didn’t start earlier.

As I’ve said in most of race recaps, my goal in racing these days is to do my best but more importantly, have fun and not be in pain after.

Race Day:

I ate my usual oatmeal and coffee breakfast and checked the weather – warm and muggy, as forecasted.

I planned on a similar race outfit since I wanted to wear red, white and blue but the RD emailed this:

A special favor if we might. The event shirts this year are white. That was done on purpose, inspired by white out days at sporting events. Our goal is to “white out” Broadway. So, this year we ask, if you are comfortable, please wear the white tee on race day so we can capture the amazing picture it will create.

I wanted to wear a blue tank top but instead, I cut off the sleeves of the race shirt and wore that.

The past few years, I carpooled with Heidi and she knew exactly where to park.  I was thrilled when she again offered.

We used to look for parking on the street but as the race got more and more crowded, it was easier to park in the parking garage (though not free.)

Then we walked toward the finish…

Heidi’s friend Laurie’s daughter works for Fleet Feet and got on the list to be able hang out in their tent.

Then of course, we took our obligatory pre-race photos…

Eventually we headed tot the  start line…

And we made plans on where to meet here after the race. It was cool to see how creatively everyone was dressed for this July 4th holiday race (even though they asked us to wear white…)

I was happy to see so many people racing… even more than last year (although I think they still offered a virtual option.)

There was so much excitement in the air. Live racing rocks!!

Eventually it was time for the race to the start line (9 am).

Heidi headed toward the back. I stayed toward in the middle and chatted with some runners whom  I knew. It was very warm and humid.  I took 2 salt chews hoping that it would help.

Though I had run this race 5 times already, the only thing I remembered was that there was a BIG hill during mile 4.

Mile 1:

As I mentioned, this was a crowded race.

The bottleneck at the beginning slowed me down which was probably a good thing as I always start out too fast (and still did.).

We began running down Broadway which was a slight downhill but eventually we did hit a hill before we turned left and ran past Congress Park. I already felt the need to walk… I started thinking that this wasn’t going to be a good race…

And it seemed like everyone was passing me.

Then I remembered that I wanted to treat this only as a training run for my September half marathon.  I needed to baby my Achilles and not make things worse.

Mile 2:

I was surrounded by runners the whole race. Several times I bumped into runners or they bumped into me.  Then again, it was a big local race with over 3000 finishers.

As we ran through neighborhoods, spectators enthusiastically cheered us on. There were musicians or bands throughout. (I borrowed some photos from FB).

The best part was that there were many folks spraying the runners with water as well as sprinklers set up.  I made sure that I ran through each one.

There was a water stop during this mile.  I did stop and walked for a bit to catch my breath.

I did feel a little stronger during this mile (but that was short-lived.)

Mile 3:

We ran into a few rolling hills during this mile but none too bad. As I mentioned above, there were many different groups playing music. That was a nice distraction.

Saratoga is such a pretty town. I enjoyed running through its streets.

But I started tiring and decided to just walk if I needed to.

I was surprised that there was a second water stop since the race was only 4 miles. I did appreciate it and I stopped again.

In addition to the official water stops, there seemed to be many spectators giving out bottles of water.  I did not stop at any of those since I didn’t want to carry a bottle of water or waste it.

Mile 4:

I think there was one more water stop… I was getting dizzy so I don’t really remember. I even at this point decided to eat a Gu.

I was expecting the steep hill in the last mile. And it did not disappoint. I was wishfully thinking that I could run up the whole thing and finish strong (for once.)

Nope! I had to walk many many times.

Again this year, they gave out ice pops. I remember that it made me nauseous and I threw it away so this year I didn’t even take one.

I continued to run/walk up the hill very slowly.

Finally, I spotted that big American flag which meant we were approaching the finish line.

I sprinted as fast as I could at this point.

I saw 46:xx on the clock as I crossed the finish line and was a little disappointed. I knew that I was running a lot slower than the previous years but I hoped to at least finish closer to 40 minutes (No biggie.).

Post Race:

I grabbed a water.  I missed the bananas but for the first time since it was the 20th anniversary of this race, they gave out medals.

Laurie and her daughter had already left, I wanted to catch Heidi finishing but I didn’t. I headed back to the Fleet Feet tent.

At this point I was feeling kinda shaky from the heat.. I had 2 more salt chews and was thrilled to see watermelon in the tent.

I didn’t check the website to see if I won an age group award. Three years ago, I came in 2nd. The past two years, in my new age group, I came in 5th (no surprise since I had slowed down…) And this year, I knew that I was even slower…

Heidi and I finally re-united.  She was happy with her race.

Like the past few years, instead of fighting the traffic getting out of the parking garage and the city, we decided to stay in Saratoga to have brunch.  First we walked back to our cars to change into dry shirts. We also knew from previous years that the restaurants would be crowded.  So on Monday, I had made a reservation at the same one as last year for 10:45 am.

We had drinks while waiting for an our outside table.

Worth the wait… Brunch was excellent!

Additional Race Reflections:

I felt that I could have done better if I hadn’t had problems before the race with my Achilles.  I was very nervous about even running it.

Yes, it was sore after and walking was not pleasant but no worse than after previous races.

But probably the most important factors why I enjoy running this race are connecting with friends, challenging myself and the feeling of normalcy on this national holiday!

Win. Win. Win.

Positives:

• Ample parking (parking garage and street parking, if you get there early)
• Well marked course.
• Lots of familiar faces.
• Interesting course.
• Friendly volunteers.
• Music entertainment along the course.
• Enthusiastic spectators (sprinklers and ice pops)
• Easy and organized packet pick-up on Wed-Fri and race day
• Gender-specific tech shirt
• Real restrooms before and after and ample number of port-potties
• Third water stop added this year.
• Additional unofficial water tables.
• Awards (3 deep) for 5 year age group awards
• Photo Booth
• 20th anniversary medal

Negatives:

• Steep hill at mile 4
• Late start – 9 am for a July race!
• Hot humid conditions
• My foot!
• $ for photos

Would I recommend this race?

Yes. I enjoyed it.  I hope that I can make it work and run it again next year. Maybe I can be healthier and better prepared.

Final Stats:

2021: 36:26 (PR)
2022: 36:37
2023: 38:49
2024: 40:09
2025: 40:04
2026: 46:24 (PW)

It’s the year of the PW (even before my injury.)

So my time was not a shock.  I am happy to be out there doing what gives me pleasure.

Next Up:

 

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and tomorrow:

I’m also linking up with: co-hosts Coach Debbie Runs, Confessions of a Mother Runner, Mile by Mile, and Runs with Pugs