2022 Cherry Blossom 10 Miler
Prologue
The Cherry Blossom 10 Miler is the premier racing event in Washington, D.C. I was excited about its post-COVID 19 return!
Since November, I’d been training for the 2022 Rock ‘n’ Roll DC Half Marathon the week before. I ran 1:53:23 (8:40 pace) there.
Because I was still recovering from the half marathon, I didn’t run much the week before the race. I ran 6 miles on Thursday, 5 miles on Friday, and 3 miles the day before.
Goals
Achievable: Sub-1:23:00 (8:18 pace). The RnR DC Half Marathon course was harder, so I could run a little faster. It’s also slightly faster than my time from the McMillan Running calculator.
Strategy
The course would be crowded in the early miles, so I would bide my time early and surge mid-race.
Personal records
Grandmaster:
- 10 Miler PR: 1:24:38 (8:28 pace), 2022 Reston 10 Miler
Master:
- 10 Miler and Course PR: 1:08:26 (6:51 pace), 2014 Cherry Blossom 10 Miler
Course
This course is fast. It starts at the Washington Monument, then heads across Independence Avenue for a trip over the Arlington Memorial Bridge. Then, it goes up to the Kennedy Center on Rock Creek Parkway. From there, the course heads south to Ohio Drive for a short loop. Next, it’s back to the National Mall before entering East Potomac Park (“Hains Point”) and finishing back at the Washington Monument.
There are four water stops and good crowd support along most of the course.
Playlist
Once again, I hadn’t created a new playlist, so I just re-used the playlist from the 2022 Reston 10 Miler and put the music on shuffle.
Pre-race
Saturday
My boyfriend and I went to the National Building Museum together. I picked up my bib quickly, and we looked around at the vendors. He bought some socks, but I didn’t purchase anything.
Race Day
I woke up at around 5 am. I drank some water, coffee, and peanut butter toast while getting ready for the race. My boyfriend would be driving me to the race site, so I didn’t have to worry about packing a bag. It would be chilly, so I wore a light long sleeve shirt and shorts. We left the house a little after 6 am and found a great spot downtown on E Street.
I did a short jog to the Washington Monument and immediately went to the port-a-potties. The lines were long! I saw a field hockey friend who I hadn’t seen in ages. I asked her permission for a hug, and she agreed. We caught up, and then she went off to get ready for her race. Soon after that, a runner said the queue was shorter on the other side. Many of us went but immediately saw it was a mistake – the line was just as long. I chatted with the other runners in line about being dupped.
Shortly after the singing of the National Anthem, I headed towards the start. This year, I was in the second corral, “Red.” I elbowed my way to its front and noticed the 8:00 pacer was at the back of the front corral, “Yellow.”
Without much waiting, we were off!
Weather
The weather was near perfect! The temperature was in the upper 40s at the start.
The Race
Miles 0 to 5 (The National Mall, Arlington Memorial Bridge, the Kennedy Center, and the Tidal Basin).
The start wasn’t as packed with runners as I thought. The course
took a sharp right turn just a few meters out, but I didn’t have any trouble
steering clear of anyone. I felt a sense of trepidation along Independence
Avenue when the 8:30 pacer passed me. I thought This was a no-excuses course. If I didn’t run well today, I wasn’t in shape.
My boyfriend said he would cheer for me at the Arlington Memorial Bridge, so I
started looking for him when the course turned left at the Lincoln Memorial. I
saw him, but he was on the opposite side of the road from me! I yelled his name, but he didn’t hear me.
Running next to the front runners on the opposite side of the bridge, I felt competitive jealously bubbling to the surface. I wanted to run faster! I passed the 8:30 pacer and wondered if that was a good idea.
On the Rock Creek Parkway, I finally settled into a comfortable pace. Underneath the Kennedy Center, I saw some runners from the Yellow Corral and felt proud that some of us Red Corral runners were reeling them in.
On Ohio Drive, I saw my boyfriend again, and this time, I waved. The course turned right onto Independence Ave, and I hit a little bit of a lull, and I wondered if I went out too hard.
The course turned right back onto Independence Avenue, and I settled into a steady pace. At the halfway mark, I felt confident that I would meet my goal time.
Splits: 8:30, 8:06, 8:08, 8:11, 8:15.
Miles 5 to 10 (The Tidal Basin, East Potomac Park, and the National Mall.)
There was a huge cheering section on the median next to the Jefferson Memorial. I couldn’t help smiling. I wasn’t expecting to see my boyfriend again, but heading into East Potomac Park (“Hains Point”), I saw this figure dash across the racecourse! He asked how I was doing, but I didn’t feel like expending the energy to respond.
Coming into Mile 7, I could hear the chatter of the 8:30 pace group behind me. I couldn’t believe they’d caught up to me again! I also thought This pacer is horrible! I’ve been running 8:15 splits, and they’re passing me?! Soon, they passed me and effectively clogged the road. To get around them, I ran on the grass and sprinted ahead.
After I reached the tip of Hains Point, I was happy to see that I hadn’t lost much time. I could relax. I looked at the cherry blossom trees and tried to enjoy the scenery.
But by Mile 9, I felt nauseous and slowed down a bit. I saw my boyfriend again in the median. He was talking to a fellow spectator and didn’t pay me much attention.
Exiting Hains Point, the crowds were cheering so loudly that I found a second wind. I sped up a bit before the final incline on Raoul Wallenberg Place leading to the finish line, but my legs couldn’t pull the hill. In the last 100 meters, I saw the Drab Green runner from the 2022 Rock ‘n’ Roll DC Half Marathon! But I couldn’t catch her.
Splits: 16:35, 8:14, 8:20, 8:21.
Result
I was the 3,358th finisher out of 14,671 (top 23%), 1,104th woman (top 13%), and 54th in my age group (top 11%).
The winners were Nicholas Kosimbei in 45:15 (4:32 pace) and local Susanna Sullivan in 52:32 (5:16 pace).
Post-race
I crossed the finish line and felt spent. It looked a while to get a mylar wrapper, and I felt chilled. I also grabbed some water. I exited onto the Washington Monument grounds and eventually met up with my boyfriend. Walking to the car, it was great seeing so many runners. My boyfriend wanted to stop for coffee, but I just wanted to sit down in the warm car.
I crossed the finish line and felt spent. It looked a while to get a mylar wrapper, and I felt chilled. I also grabbed some water. I exited onto the Washington Monument grounds and eventually met up with my boyfriend. Walking to the car, it was great seeing so many runners. My boyfriend wanted to stop for coffee, but I just wanted to sit down in the warm car.
Epilogue
If the 2022 Rock ‘n’ Roll DC Half Marathon felt like a return to normal, this race made me hungry to be faster.
My boyfriend and I are going on a two-week trans-Atlantic cruise, and when I get back, I’ll start preparing for a marathon in the fall.
