Tuesday, July 5, 2022

Sully Freedom Fun Run 2022 Recap


I guess it was just one of those days...

You know...when things kind of just fall into place, albeit a rocky start and questionable weather. 

This was the 27th annual running of the Sully Freedom Fun Run, and it was my seventh time making an appearance on the race course.  What can I say? I'm a sucker for repeating a fun race that supports a great cause.

The Sully Freedom Fun Run is an event that benefits the Lynnville-Sully High School's track and cross country teams and is held in conjunction with Sully Freedom Days, every year on July 4th.

As mentioned, I've done this race numerous times before, in 20142015201620182020 and 2021I had to skip in 2017 (I was enjoying luxury accommodations, via a hospital bed, recovering from surgery) and in 2019 (when I elected to run a different race).

As you could expect, the weather was hot and muggy. This year, we also had rain (and potential thunder and lightning) in the forecast (don't be jealous). We (Barb, Allison and myself) were running the 5K, but there also was a 1-mile kids' run. 


Upon arriving in Sully, the rain was coming down hard. It was announced the start of the kids' run was delayed to 8:10 (originally scheduled for 8:00), and the 5K would follow at 8:25 (instead of 8:20). Momma N wasn't being especially accommodating (there was some lightning dancing around overhead as well), but the radar was showing a slight break in the severe weather and the race director was optimistic the race could get squeezed in before things turned crazy again. We grabbed our packets, took shelter in our car for a little longer, and headed towards the start line around 8:15.

Admittedly, I wasn't as optimistic as the RD. The downpour had lightened to a light sprinkling, but we could still hear some thunder rumbles. 


We lined up, not knowing if we'd be allowed to go or not. We heard the RD giving instructions, but it was difficult to understand his muffled words over the voices of the other people lining up beside us. Suddenly, the starter's pistol went off...and we took that as a cue to get moving.

coming around the first corner, just past the start line...can you spot me? (pic from event FB page)

The start line is on the west side of the town square, and the route takes us on two loops around the small town of Sully. We pass the south side of the town square, leading us to the eastern edge of town. The route then turns right (going south for several blocks) before we loop back (running to the northern edge of town). Eventually, there are a couple more left turns, and we find ourselves running alongside the south side of the town square as we begin the second loop of the race.

As is typical, the first mile is a cluster of runners. We also had numerous puddles and several corners to cruise around, via slick streets from all the rain. I try to run by feel, but that first mile usually ends up being much faster than it feels (or should be, LOL). My bad.

near the halfway point, running the south length of the town square (pic from event FB page)

Going into this race, I'd been having some weird hip wonkiness. Nothing painful, but definitely things were feeling off. I'd taken a few days off of running and had been doing a lot of cycling to keep my legs loosened-up and my endurance strong. Overall, my hip was feeling good, but it still wasn't feeling great. That said, I didn't notice anything painful on race day.

By the second mile, I felt like I had (kind of) found my groove and tried to just keep running steady. I wasn't feeling tired, but I didn't have any desire to push myself either. The air was very muggy, I was feeling thirsty, and I was very much looking forward to finishing.

Barb and Allison had sprinted out ahead of me, just after the start line, but I had managed to keep an eye on them. By the time we were in the third (and final) mile, though, they had spread out even further. Up until that final mile, the rain had stayed very light. I could feel the rain gradually creeping back (though, given the muggy conditions, the rain actually felt refreshing).

entering the finish line chute (pic from event FB page)

I think the final jaunt around the town square, is the most difficult part of the race but also the most exciting. It's tough "bringing it in for a strong finish" with the four remaining turns in such a short space. But, there's always tons of awesome crowd support on that final stretch. But, whew! Done!                     


It took me awhile to find Allison and Barb, but there were others from my hometown there as well to chat with (over post-race Gatorades). The results were slow coming in for my age group. They started the awards presentation quickly, so everyone would be free to leave (because the rain had started  coming down pretty steady again).


This is a pretty small event, so the competition isn't crazy tough. I was happy to snag a 1st place AG, ironically wearing the same outfit as I did in 2018. That year was significant because not only was it my first-1st place AG for this event, but also a rally-back milestone in my recovery from my knee surgery (a year prior). 

2022

2018

Barb and Allison also placed, both earning 2nd-place AG medals. So, yes, it was a good day for all of us!


The swag was very nice, considering the early registration was only $15! Yes, another cotton shirt...but this one features a Top Gun tribute.


All in all, I'm really happy with how this race went. I wasn't looking for a PR, but I would have liked to have run this about a minute faster (Oh well, LOL). We really got lucky with the weather, too. With all the other events of the Sully Freedom Days on the morning's calendar, there wasn't a big window of opportunity had there been a need to postpone the start time much later. 


Did you run a 4th of July race? If so, did you dress in red, white and blue? Have you ever mistakenly worn the same outfit to a race you've run before?

 I'm linking this with Kim and Zenaida for the Tuesday Topics Link-Up


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26 comments:

  1. Congratulations on placing 1st in your AG, Kim! Well done for braving the horrible weather, too.
    This looks like a fun little event - a 5k on a public holiday is perfect.
    Now you will ALWAYS need to wear the same outfit for that race, haha!

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    1. Ha ha! When the 2018 pic popped up on my Facebook memories, I had to laugh out loud, literally! I have several red and blue tops & shorts, so it was funny that this particular combo happened a second time.

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  2. Ha, well I guess that's your 4th of July outfit! Congrats on a great race and AG win! Sounds like you guys were lucky to get that race in. Kudos to the RD for making it happen. I hope the weather cleared so you could enjoy the rest of the day!

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    1. The rain eventually cleared by lunch time, but that just gave way to extremely high temps and humidity. Oh well...at least it wasn't snowing ;-)

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  3. Congratulations to all of you speedsters! It is fun to do the same hometown race yearly. Nice job

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    1. This event really is a lot of fun! Sully is a very small, quaint town and a lot of people turn out for the celebration. This race also attracts a lot of area high school runners, so the "young ones" have some really fast finish times!

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  4. Congrats #kimtwin! Sounds like you rocked this race, despite the crappy weather.

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    1. Thanks, #KimTwin ;-) My finish time was decent considering the extreme conditions (and my somewhat compromised body parts)...but I've posted better times in previous years. But, it's all relative to the race day circumstances, right? And, it's not like I'm getting paid for my performance, LOL

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  5. Congrats on your AG win! I also like that top even if it is cotton. I like to wear them as a pajama top during the Summer. I noticed your watch - did you get a new one? I like it!

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    1. Yes, my other Garmin seems to have crossed the rainbow bridge (for lack of a better metaphor). This is a Forerunner 255...I'm still a work-in-progress in figuring out all the buttons.

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  6. Oh well done all of you on your AG placings! Running round the town square at the end must have been cool, corners notwithstanding.

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    1. Yes, all those tight turns are tough, especially on wet pavement.

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  7. Nice job Kim! Congrats! Unfortunately unable to run a race since spending the day with my mom (well, really driving back & forth from). Too bad, the weather was pretty good here! Warm, but to be expected in July.

    I don't think I've ever unknowingly worn the same race outfit. But pretty sure I have worn the same outfit on purpose because it worked!

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    1. I'm pretty good at coming up with different outfits, especially for repeat races. When I saw the 2018 pic, I almost face-palmed myself ;-)

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  8. Not only have I worn the same thing to a race more than once, but there was a time when I had a "PR outfit" which is what I was wearing the time that I got my huge 10k PR. I wore my "PR outfit" to almost every summer race for a good while there.

    It must have been tough to get in the groove with the chance of the whole thing being called off, but you made it happen! First race with the new Garmin too;-) The shirt is cute and the water bottle looks really nice. I always say that I don't race for swag but I don't mind getting it either.

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    1. Oops it's me! For some reason I keep getting signed out of my google profile.

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    2. I agree...the swag is a nice perk ;-) I kind of skipped a thorough warm-up because I didn't think the race would actually happen. I did manage a few squats and butt kicks, etc...but too little, too late, LOL

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  9. Congrats on your race and award! That sounds like a stressful start. For holidays I've problem worn the same running outfits before!

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    1. I have several red/blue tops/shorts, so I was surprised to see I'd paired up this particular combo before. Oh well...at least I had the "head gear" switched up a bit.

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  10. I actually did run a 4th of July race, on Sunday. Even though it was fairly large, there was no finishers medals or photos. That's just fine by me--I did manage to snag an AG award--a pint glass, which is always something i like!

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    1. I have a few pint glasses, too. They are a nice alternative and make for a great keepsake.

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  11. I can see why you've worn that outfit twice for a race - it's awesome! Well done on that AG 1st place award and to Barb and Allison too! It was well worth battling it out in the muggy and rainy conditions!

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    1. We always have muggy weather for this one, but this is the first time we actually had rain. It made the morning interesting!

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  12. Fantastic job Kim! Congrats to all of you on your AGs!

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    1. Thanks, Michelle ;-) It's always fun bringing home some hardware ;-)

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  13. congrats you did great. In the summer, sometimes rain is the best medicine.

    I had a race the on the 4th andf I did purposely wear a different outfit than last year.

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