5k Firecracker Run

We started off our 4th of July bright and early this year with a 5k run...Dan enjoyed the running while I enjoyed cheering him on and taking lots of pictures. This was the first time Dan has ran a race off base since we met. So it was really neat to be able to experience that with him. There were about 4000 participants (the biggest race of the year in the Ark-La-Tex) compared to the usual 200 or so on base. The best part was that there were lots of people there watching the race, I am used to being the only one at the races on base. Plus, Dan really liked all the competition there was. A lot of times on base he is the fastest runner so he doesn't have someone there to compete with to improve his times.

The guy to the right of Dan is a commander over one of the squadrons on base. He offers a free day of leave for anyone that beats him at the monthly 5K's on base. Last month Dan came in second right behind him. This race though Dan beat him by several seconds....which was too bad since it was off base, no free day of leave:( I tried convincing Dan to teasingly ask for a day since he beat him, but Dan was too chicken.

Dan came in 18th place with a time of 18:07. I got Dan a GPS watch for his birthday that has become his new best friend. It tells him his time, current pace at any given second, his fastest pace, the distance, calories burned, etc. Well so for this race his average pace per mile was 5:49 and his fastest pace was 3:51, which he was quite proud of. Granted, he might have only been going that fast for even a second, but still he is proud he ran that fast:)

Overall the race was a great start to celebrating our freedom and our Nation's birthday. I love being able to watch and support Dan and his races and this one was extremely special because of the day it was on. I couldn't help but get a little emotional as they started the race. I can be a boob sometimes on the 4th with being an Air Force wife an all. Sometimes I complain about the challenges the Air Force brings but on the 4th it seems to always hit me extremely strong how blessed I truly am to live in a free country. I am grateful for the service my husband gives to our country, as well as other members of our family, and the military as a whole. The 4th of July is definitely a day where the blessings of the military outweigh the sacrifices.