Cherry Blossom 10-Mile Race Recap

My journey to the Cherry Blossom 10-Mile race in DC began more than 3 months ago. On December 2^nd 2013, I was declined entry into the Nike Women’s Half Marathon lottery (also an April race in our nations’ capital); so on that same day, I entered the Cherry Blossom’s lottery. Two weeks later, I happily received an email stating I would run in the 42^nd Annual Cherry Blossom 10 Mile Run!

On Saturday morning, our mini-vacation to DC began. Following a yummy breakfast of “momma” eggs {read: toddler lingo}, waffles, & oranges, my hubby & I loaded up the car & began the nearly 4-hour trek north. We stopped for a quick lunch at Chili’s, then eventually landed at our hotel around 3pm. The Renaissance Washington, DC Downtown Hotel was pretty nice & in a convenient location. No complaints here! Trendy enough for young 20-somethings, yet clean & efficient enough for those of us in our 30s & 40s. After dropping off our bags, we headed to the expo. The walk to The Building Museum, where the expo was held, was great. I gushed to my hubby during all of our “hand-holding, relaxed pace, careless jaunts” in DC of how it reminded me of a simpler time, when we didn’t have all the responsibilities we are now blessed {or burdened, on some days!} with. But alas, those days will once again return when the boys are grown & my biggest worries aren’t weather the children’s food has been prepped or the cloth diapers been washed. For now, I will continue to happily embrace this mommy-runner-life!

Okay, back to the race weekend. After leaving the expo, we strolled around Chinatown a bit more & scoped out where we’d eat dinner. We settled on a place called Vapiano. It’s an Italian joint, with a modern concept regarding food ordering. It was cafeteria-style, but not your typical high school cafeteria! Waiters didn’t take your meal order & you paid with a previously given card, upon exiting the restaurant. I waited in the pasta line for a chef-inspired concoction, similar to Chicken Parmesan; while my hubby Scott waited in the pizza queue for a Calzone. I also enjoyed a side Caesar salad & some tasty homemade bread. Following dinner, we did indulge in a bit of DC fro-yo before retiring to relax in our hotel room.

Before watching a bracket-busting NCAA Final Four game (boo!), I laid out my attire for the following morning. I unfortunately packed for a much different forecast than we actually experienced! I had checked the weather while still at home in Norfolk & saw that it would be in the 50s. Boy, was I WRONG!

Race morning was a blustery 40 degrees! I had no sweatshirt to toss & for some reason I would end up leaving my gloves in the hotel room. My alarm was set for 5:50am, with plans to meet a fellow MRTT {Moms Run This Town} friend in the hotel lobby at 6:10am. I awoke almost 15 minutes before my alarm even went off. I got dressed & headed to the lobby. Holly & I chatted as we walked the 1.2 miles to the photo-op meet-up point. I ate my breakfast (Larabar Protein bar) as we made the trek over. I was bummed I didn’t have a banana, but ehh, such is life. After a few pics, we headed over to the start & corrals. By this point, I had been in the frigid temps, in a tank & shorts mind you, for close to an hour; I would have to endure another 30 minutes of cold agony before I’d cross the START mat! Brrrrrrrr!

I guess it would be good to mention here about my fellow Stroller Strides friend, Sophia. After both being accepted into the lottery, Sophia & I began chatting race day strategy. In the weeks leading up to the race, we had settled on a goal of 8 minute miles, with a goal finishing time of 1:20. I knew it would be a steep goal, with the Shamrock half just weeks prior; especially with my average pace in that race closer to 8:20/mile. But, I was up for the challenge! I should also mention here that this was my 3^rd 10-mile race. My previous 10 mile races included:

*(12/2012) Surf ’n Santa 10-miler – 1:36:06 (9:37/mile pace)

*(01/2014) Tidewater Strides Distance Series – 1:25:05 (8:30/mile pace)

At 7:34am, we started our 10 mile excursion through the heart of DC. The first three miles felt easy. It was super crowded & I was hoping it would thin out… this never happened.

Mile 1 – 8:23

Mile 2 – 7:56

Mile 3 – 7:53

After the first 5K, I knew were right on track to make the goal happen. What I didn’t expect were all the twists & turns. The Cherry Blossom was my first {hopefully of many!} traveling/non-local Hampton Roads races. I had glanced at the map but truly felt like “ignorance is bliss” in this instance. I knew it wasn’t TOO hilly, so I didn’t incorporate hill work in my training. There were subtle elevation changes & bridges, but nothing too bad. I loved that the majority of the running would be done by the water; which is my favorite!

Mile 4 – 7:48

Around mile 5, I ate a couple of Sport Beans. I should add here that my stomach began growling at mile 2. I think the 1+ hour of shivering had burned ALL of my calories. I was starving!! My tummy was also rumbling in other ways since that point too…. but I won’t go there during this recap!

Mile 5 – 7:55

At mile 6, we turned by the Jefferson Memorial to run along the Potomac River. This stretch of road was straight & would last for about 2 miles. The next mile & a half would be run the opposite way, back towards the start line.

Mile 6 – 7:58

Mile 7 – 8:04

Mile 8 – 7:59

Just before mile 9, a water stop split up Sophia & me. I consciously hung back a little to allow her to bolt forward. I knew she had the 1:20 in her. By this point, my stomach just hurt too bad. I would PR, by a lot. I needed to be happy with just that! I had decided somewhere along the Potomac River that I would be content with a 1:20:30. In my head, my 10-miler from January was 1:25:30…. so that would be an exact 5 minute PR. I realized as I looked up my old time to write this recap that my prior PR was actually 1:25:05. Regardless, I was still giving it my best, with the cards I had been dealt that day.

Mile 9 – 8:03

The “worst” hill of the day arrived in the final ½ mile of the race. Heading back towards the Washington Monument was an uphill climb. I am not a hill runner. I live at sea level. I kicked it though, as best as I could. I wanted the full 5 minute PR. But alas, thanks to weaving in & out, my total mileage would be more than the 10 miles… pushing my total distance to a tenth past the 10 mile mark.

Mile 10 – 8:01

Final 0.1 to the finish – 7:24

OFFICIAL TIME – 1:20:46 (8:04/mile overall average pace)

*Garmin Time – 1:20:51 (8:00/mile overage average page)*

Crossing the finish line was awesome! There was a ton of crowd support there; really, along the entire route! The only negatives I can say about the race were: it was slightly disorganized, over-crowded streets, the cherry blossoms hadn’t bloomed… & my silly tummy. My favorite race highlight was seeing a single leg amputee running, which of course made me push it. I thought “Hey, if he can do it, I certainly can”! I was also impressed with a young boy that was running with his daddy – so cute! Lastly, I was SUPER impressed with my dear friend Sophia; who might I add has a 5-month old. I proudly say she beat me {not that we were competing at all!}! Fantastic job lady!

Here were my official splits:  5 mile – 40:34 (8:06/mile); 10K – 50:18 (8:05/mile)

 

Up Next for The Running Blonde: J&A Racing’s Inaugural ODU Big Blue 5K on THIS Saturday!!