Cherry Blossom Ten Miler

In my last post, I mentioned knee woes. It seems a healthy dosage of Vitamin I, lots of foam rolling, stretching, and resting did the trick. Thursday's run was a big success due to terrific weather and a beautiful spring setting (ie. Central Park). I cruised through eight miles in 1hr12 and loved every minute! Friday was another enjoyable run of six miles--same setting--at 8:45 pace. Saturday was a rest day because I was traveling to Washington DC to run the Cherry Blossom Tenner. I haven't participated in a lot of "away" races lately, but they never seem to disappoint. We had some sweet Flyer representation, which always makes these trips fun ;)

The night before we did the pasta thing, only we shared dishes with cream sauce and all sorts of spicy accouterments. For dessert (dessert!), we shared a giant ice cream sundae! I don't think I've ever eaten ice cream the night before a race (though I can't be totally sure..). In any case, I've been less concerned about my pre-race chow these days. For example, the morning of the race, I downed a starbux frappucino drink (ie. sugar & caffeine) and ate instant oatmeal out of a paper cup. All good stuff.

I have to applaud the DC metro--those trains were on time, clean, and quite economical. It was easy to get to the start! When I came out of the subway, I immediately saw the Washington Monument. It was lovely!
The start thing was hassle-free, though I did have to squeeze between some bars to get into my corral. No biggie. Here are my thoughts on the race..

1. The weather was absolutely perfect! It could not possibly have been more perfect!
2. The course was pancake-flat (though Lam might say otherwise..) and beautiful with trees, a river, and some cherry blossoms!
3. It was too crowded -- I spent the first six miles weaving between people and wishing things would open up (this is my only complaint).
4. I could not have felt better during this race. I kept waiting for fatigue to set in or my knee to blow out or a cramp, blister, or water bubble to debilitate. None of the above occurred. Instead I ran the strongest I've ever run in my life.
5. Splittage according to the garmin: 8:40 (soooo many runners..soooo little space), 8:28, 8:24, 8:23, 8:15, 8:17, 8:02, 7:43, 8:10, and 7:44)
6. My garmin read 1:22.13, but my official time is 1:22.30. Perhaps I am rusty with my garmin? In any case, my average pace was 8:15.
7. This is now my new PR for the ten miler.

A Flyer friend took this picture of some cherry blossoms on the course. Obviously, he sacrificed some minutes to snap this shot, but it captures the beauty of the day.
And I took this pic of the finish line as a spectator might see it. After the race it was time to celebrate. I met up with a close friend of mine's family and we really partied it up! There was champagne all around. Ice cold bubbly is the perfect way to toast to a new Personal Record!
Cheers ;)Later on, the Flyers brunched it up at a fun little restaurant near Dupont Circle. Then we enjoyed what we could of the beautiful weather before heading back to nyc. It was a great trip, and I'm glad I got the chance to run an out-of-town race in beautiful Washington DC.

Today, I recovered with a slow fiver. I feel absolutely fine with no soreness or aches. With less than three weeks to go til NJ, this is a good thing.