It’s not every year that July 4 comes on a Saturday. You know what also happens on Saturdays? My long run. So what better way to commemorate the founding of the United States of America by doing a 17.76 run on Fourth of July morning?

After watching Hamilton on Disney+ the night before, I knew I didn’t want to throw away my shot. I was joined by some of my friends from our local running club. Some of us even remembered to wear red, white and blue.

I managed to stop my Garmin at exactly the right time. My friend Susan wasn’t paying close enough attention and ended up with 17.78 miles. We can only assume she wanted to commemorate the Battle of Wyoming, when American soldiers held tough against British-aligned Iroquois raiders in Wyoming Valley, Pennsylvania, on July 3, 1778.

Or something. Anyway, we took it nice and easy, and it was fun.