Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10 Miler - Run


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Washington, DC, Virginia
United States
70F / 21C
Sunny
 		Total Time = 1h 46m 35s
Overall Rank = 4643/5213
Age Group = Open (20-39)
Age Group Rank = 2610/2879
Pre-race routine:

Walked from the car to the start...not much...
We got up at 4:45, but I was awake at 4 a.m. Daylight savings time did not help. We drove to Reston, picked up Doug and drove to the start. Found a parking spot while seeing the sites and walked to the start. Ate half a bagel, a few sips of coffee, some water and a chocolate powerbar. Checked my bag and stood around waiting for the race to start.
Event warmup:

Not much of a warmup...just tried to stay loose and relaxed...and warm.
Run
  • 1h 46m 35s
  • 10 miles
  • 10m 40s  min/mile
Comments:

Line was so long at the beginning I wasn't sure if I had time to go to the bathroom. I waited and peeled off the course around mile two to use a porta-john. There was a line, so I'm sure I ran sub-10 min/mile!! After the first mile, my brother told me we were at 9.5 and I was pretty comfortable. I walked through the aid stations..taking water and gatorade at the last few...had a Gu gel at the second one...probalby mile 5ish or so.
What would you do differently?:

maybe wear a hat or glasses...definitely try to stay more focused and relaxed at the end...the last few miles I walked a little bit, trying to get back into a groove after stopping for drinks. It seemed tough to stay loose and keep going. Shifting gears worked for a while, but then I think I just lost focus.
Post race
Warm down:

Found Dave and Doug...walked it off back to the car...back to Reston to shower and margaritas and mexican for brunch!

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Not enough speedwork...muscle endurance. Maybe a little pacing.

Event comments:

I really enjoyed the race. We didn't stick around for any post-race stuff, so I can't really comment there. I've also never been to a race of this magnitude. The others in the group seemed to comment that they like the Army 10 miler better...and possible prefer the old Cherry Blossom course?




Last updated: 2006-04-04 12:00 AM
Running
01:46:35 | 10 miles | 10m 40s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/2879
Overall: 0/5213
Performance: Good
Course: The course was beautiful..Cherry Blossoms nearly peaking. Saw the Jefferson, Lincoln Memorials, Washington Monument at sunrise. the Capitol Building...tidal basin...Kennedy Center, Watergate Hotel, etc... Rock Creek Parkway seemed long...mile seven felt like it took forever!!
Keeping cool Average Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Average
Mental exertion [1-5] 3
Physical exertion [1-5] 3
Good race? Yes
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Average
Race evaluation [1-5] 4