Credit Union Cherry Blossom Ten Mile Run - Run10 Mile

Solid run, for the most part. I met my goal of going under 1:35, which is all I wanted. The first few miles were really crowded, so I spent a lot of time trying to get around people. Certain other parts got a little congested as well. It got pretty warm, which we haven't had yet, so I stopped at more water stops than I normally would in a 10-mile course. Didn't see any BT'ers (though I may have seen Slake), but saw some Team Z'ers, got several shouts of 'Go Team Z' from people in the crowd, and saw Coach Ed towards the end, so he took my pic as I ran by. Overall my pacing was pretty good, minus the hiccups of people in my way. Towards the end, I started to feel a little drained - maybe the unexpected heat, combined with my lack of great sleep this week. But I pushed through and finished strong.

Not a whole lot - maybe could have paced it a bit better - oh, I should have started myself in a different corral - I think I really lowballed my time when I registered. Might have helped a teeny bit with the crowd. The slightly overly warm temps coupled with my lack of great sleep the past few nights may have cost me a few extra minutes, but not by much.

Pushed my way through the crowd to the water table - the setup of that was poor, compared to last year. Couldn't even see where the food was, so I got my bag, slipped on my Crocs and went to the metro. Then met up with BT'ers at Crystal City Sports Pub for lots of brunch :)


I got a little bit warm, and could have used some better sleep and less stress over the past few days.


Overall, still a fun race - a bit crowded, though. I guess I didn't notice last year, since I was pretty slow. I am happy with this run - paced it consistently given the crowd, and met my goal time.
I need to add though, that compared to my time last year, I was over 10 minutes faster, and dropped my pace by over a minute per mile. So I am pleased :)