Celebrate the Fourth with a Five K
Fireworks have long been an Independence Day tradition. We will celebrate tonight in Kewaunee. A friend of ours is in charge of setting them off. It is a small town and everyone seems to know each other. As for Roxanne and I we will be taking the pontoon boat downtown and watching from the boat. Most of our neighbors will be down there as well. It is a great way to celebrate the night.
First though we will do what we can to “earn” it by running a 5k. It will be the first annual Lakefront Firecracker 5k and we will run it on the local trail. I looked at the map of the route and have a strong suspicion that the course is closer to 4 miles than 3.1. We will know soon enough, and it really does not matter. We are there to kick off the holiday by doing something healthy.
Holiday runs are a great start to – well the less healthy things that we will be doing the rest of the day. Green 
Bay has a local Turkey Trot 5 miler that attracts around 10,000 participants (including me) every year. In addition to the T shirts we also receive a small pumpkin pie. They are only about 5” and I like to consider it an individual serving. So far that pie has never made it all the way home. I'd like to think that it is not my fault. Anyway, I would appreciate it if no one told my wife that we get a pie.
Back to the fourth 5ks. One of my favorite on the road events was a 5k in Perry UT a few years ago. I was out riding my bike. There were a lot of people-looked like runners gathering at a local park. I asked if I could enter. They asked if I had $20. I did and I entered. It was a blast visiting with all of my new friends. They were a little surprised that an OTR trucker had joined them. They thought that it was great.
Immediately after the race I called my wife and asked her to guess what I just did. She was clueless. I proudly informed her that I had just run a local 5k in Perry UT. Then about 5 minutes later, I called her again and asked her to guess what I had just done. She said that I had just run a local 5k in Perry, UT and that I might want to sit down and drink something. That was a good idea. It was nearly 90 degrees and I was definitely not adapted to the altitude. Fortunately, the $20 entry fee included a post race buffet breakfast complete with all of the fixings, including orange juice.
This year consider starting the day with a local run/walk event. Be careful – if you haven't done anything in a while. Keep yourself hydrated and have fun.