2016 Cherry Blossom 10 Miler

Scroll all the way down to the end of the post for the tl;dr version.

Prologue

Going into the race, I was in the final weeks of training for the 2016 Boston Marathon.  I ran the 2016 Rock ‘n’ Roll DC Half Marathon last month as my first “tune up” race, finishing in 1:38:01 (7:29 pace).  The Cherry Blossom 10 Miler would be my second race of this marathon training cycle.  However, I wasn’t optimistic about the outcome.  First, I took a bad fall last Sunday and had been running with severe pain all week.  Second, the weather forecast called for cold temperatures and winds gusting close to 50 mph, which caused the race to make some adjustments.

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Training

I’ve been following the training philosophy and plan from Brad Hudson and Matt Fitzgerald’s book, Run Faster.  I’ve been very happy with how my training has been going.  I’ve been running 70+ miles/week pretty consistently.  The program has a nice mix of endurance and interval training.  I started the sharpening phase two weeks ago which featured workouts aimed at becoming more comfortable with marathon pace.

Last week, I had a pretty bad setback.  During my long run on Sunday, I took a hard fall.   My left knee had two pretty gnarly wounds and started swelling almost immediately.  I took Monday off because I could barely walk but willed myself through an interval workout on Tuesday.  On Wednesday and Thursday, I settled for moderate paced runs.  Friday and Saturday were easy days as I attempted to nurse my knee and mini taper for the race.

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Goals

My PR for the 10 miler is 1:08:26 (6:51 pace) at the 2014 Cherry Blossom 10 Miler.  I ran this race last year, but it was re-routed.  My Garmin measured the route I ran as 9.45 miles in 1:10:45, which was 7:26 pace.  (I stopped to take a picture and paused my watch.  My official time was 1:10:22.)

Based on my result at the 2016 Rock ‘n’ Roll DC Half Marathon, 7:29 pace, I thought my 10 mile pace would be about 10 seconds/mile faster than that.  However, with a busted knee and severe weather in the forecast, I decided to just run by effort.  My goals were to finish the race without my knee feeling worse and not get blown into the Potomac River.

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The Course

The course is fast.  It starts at the Washington Monument, then heads across Independence Avenue for a trip over the 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 via Independence Avenue before doing a loop through East Potomac Park/Hains Point and finishing back at the Washington Monument.  There are no hills worth noting – just little bumps in the road here and there.

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The Playlist

At the start of the race, I realized I put the songs in reverse order, so I put the playlist on shuffle.

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The Weather

Temperature/Wind Chill (National Airport): 37/25 at 6:50am, 37/28 at 7:50am, 38/29 at 8:50am.  Winds were 15-25 mph out of the NW with 35-39 mph gusts!

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Pre-race

Thursday

On Thursday evening, I went to an event at a local running store where runners got to hear Meb Keflezighi talk about his life and running.  He was a very motivational speaker and despite my bum knee, I felt inspired to fight through it for a few more days.  I couldn’t help but think about the 2014 Boston Marathon and the sign I saw in Newton: “Meb Won.  No really”.  It really helped me power up those final hills.

After the talk, we got to take pictures!  I was so nervous.  I told him it was an honor to meet him and that I’m from San Diego, as well.  He asked me where I went to high school and upon some reflection, remarked how we were in the same league.

 

Friday

I went to the expo, which was at the National Building Museum, after work on Friday.  I probably got there a little after 6pm.  Getting my bib and t-shirt was a breeze.  I walked around the exhibitor booths but managed to leave without buying anything! I don’t need any more running stuff, so I was proud of myself.

Saturday

I did an easy run late in the morning and had a big pasta dinner.  I tried to stay off my feet and let my knee do some healing.  The race put out an announcement about changes to the race due to high wind gusts.  I wasn’t particularly concerned, though.  It’s just wind.

Race Day

The race started the same time as RnR DC so I followed the same schedule – up at 4:30am and out the door by 6am.  I had a half bagel and coffee for breakfast.  I checked the weather readings and decided to wear a long-sleeve under my running club singlet.  I wore capris as bottoms but was a little worried them rubbing the sores on my knee since they hadn’t scabbed over, yet.

At the Pentagon, I took my time boarding a downtown train.  I wasn’t in any hurry to get to the National Mall and freeze.

I eventually made my way downtown and exit at the Smithsonian Station.  I did a short warm-up around the Washington Monument to test my knee. It hurt a little but should be good to go.

With just 15 minutes to race start, I checked my bag and then jogged to the starting line.  I got in my corral in time to hear the National Anthem.  I did some leg lifts to get my knee ready to bend.  As we were walking to the start, someone stepped on the back of my heel!  I fixed my shoe but it rattled me a little.  What if this happens during the race and I fall?  A few seconds later, I cross the mat and start the race!

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Miles 1 to 5 (The National Mall, Memorial Bridge, the Kennedy Center, and the Tidal Basin).

The course starts with an immediate right turn onto Independence Ave.  It was crowded at the start and after the shoe incident, I tried to watch my space in the field making sure I wasn’t too close to anyone.  I also scanned the ground for tripping hazards the entire race.  My knee hurt a little at the start but wasn’t really a factor.  The winds were coming out of the northwest and I knew I’d be running into it for the first mile or so.  I was in a good place, though – not having to pass a lot of people but not being passed either.  There were lots of people lining the streets, which was good to see.  Since the winds were so strong, there weren’t any mile markers.  The auto-lap went off on my Garmin just before the right turn leading to the Lincoln Memorial – 7:44 pace.  I was a bit disappointed but my effort felt right on for a 10 miler.

At Memorial Bridge, I saw some of my running club teammates and waved at them!  On the bridge, I looked for Meb or any other runners I knew.  Coming off the circle, I sped up a little bit after seeing my teammates again.  The first water stop was on the downhill towards the Kennedy Center.  I didn’t drink anything during the race.  The course narrowed and I tucked behind a guy in shorts who I could follow through the crowd.  I wasn’t content with his pace for long, though, so I swung out left and passed the log jam.  I saw my next split and was relieved to see I was running faster.  By the Lincoln Memorial, I see my teammates again and sped up yet again.  Next thing I know, I see 6:59 pace on my Garmin!  I need to reign this in a little.

Sure enough, by the time I reached Ohio Drive, I felt a little tired and wondered if I went out too hard.  Back on Independence and my legs were turning over again.  As I approached the Kutz Bridge, there were lots of people but they weren’t cheering very loudly.  I think they were trying to keep warm.  Still, I was running strong now and cruising past lots of racers.  My Garmin ticked off another split – 5 miles.  I was half way finished!

Splits (GPS Auto Lap): 7:44, 7:41, 7:17, 6:59, 7:14.

Miles 6 to 10 (East Potomac Park, the Tidal Basin, and the National Mall).

At the 5.5 mile point, I ran by the location on the Tidal Basin where I sat down and cried over my busted knee last Sunday.  I ran faster.  But almost immediately slowed again as I headed into the wind next to the Jefferson Memorial.  The road curved to the left and now the wind was at my back going into East Potomac Park/Hains Point.  I opened up my stride a bit and let the wind carry me a bit.

The 6 mile mark came a little bit into East Potomac Park.  This section can be soul sucking but since my training for CIM last fall where I did goal marathon pace runs every week, it doesn’t intimidate me as much.  This was also the location of the second water stop.  I stayed to the left of the road and skip it.

I hit a bit of a bad patch.  I remembered how I was running for my team, too, and knew they wee running their hardest so I needed to do my part.  I locked my sights on a woman in a black running shirt and fancy arm warmers.  I told myself, You need to catch her!  I could tell my leg turnover was faster than hers and it would just be a matter of time before I reeled her in.  I finally passed her just before the turn at Hains Point.  Around that same time, I hear someone say my name.  It’s an elite masters runner I know!  I’m sucking wind but not wanting to be rude, asked how he was doing.  He said he was good and then passed me by.

On normal days, the back part of Hains Point can be miserable because the winds tend to come from this direction.  On this day, it was even worse.  I slowed down and started to feel content with how I’d raced.  Fancy Arm Warmers passed me again.  I decided to just tuck behind her for a while.  I don’t particularly like drafting off of people, though, so I surged ahead and went off to the opposite side of the road after a minute or so.  It was a shame the cherry blossoms weren’t out.  Here’s a picture I took last Sunday during peak bloom.

From then on, I willed myself to just run as hard as I could, picking off as many runners as I could.  Next, I locked eyes on a woman in an Oiselle singlet.  I tucked behind her for a while – matching her pace and admiring her easy running style.  When I felt strong enough, I passed her.  I felt like I should slow again but kept pressing.  At the final water stop, I think I see her out of the corner of my eye.  She’s not done racing.

I ran past the spot where I fell last week.  I looked for the exact spot where I fell.  In my mind, it was such an obvious hazard but I couldn’t see it.

It felt great exiting East Potomac Park.  Less than a mile to go!  I ran pretty strong on the first bump in the road on Ohio Drive, passing another female runner as I went.  In my head, the “hill” was larger.  Still, I felt like I was completely spent.  I was barely running by the time I got to the second bump in the road, on Raoul Wallenberg Place.  Next thing I know, Oiselle passed me again!  She’s feisty.  It’s okay, I told myself.  You don’t have anything to prove.  Then, “Fight Song” came on my iPod…  Nah, that’s not going to happen.  I sprinted to the finish, blowing by Oiselle and soaking in the cheers of the finish line crowds.

Splits (GPS Auto Lap): 7:13, 7:06, 7:10, 7:23, 7:22, 0:23.

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Post Race

After crossing the finish line, I got in a long line to retrieve my bag.  I hadn’t grabbed a heat shield at the finish line but a nice gentleman gave me his since he had changed into warm clothes.  I met up with my teammates.  We talked about the race and took pictures in the shadow of the Washington Monument.  Knowing I planned to run long the next day, I left the party a little early and walked back to the Metro.  Realizing I hadn’t eaten anything, I stopped at the grocery store for some frozen waffles.  Once I was home, I took a hot bath and cleaned my knee.  I wanted to nap but decided to keep myself awake so I could sleep well before my 20 miler the next day.

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Result

I finished in 1:13:25 (7:21 pace).  I was the 1,028th finisher.  I beat my bib number!  I was also 212th woman and 16th in my age group.  Here is the RunPix with more analysis.  The video of my finish is here.  (Fast forward to the 4:00 mark.)

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Epilogue

It was a good result considering my knee and the weather conditions.  It’s a little sad to see how far off I am from my PR but I have to accept where I am now and just work harder to get faster.

Plugging my time into the McMillan Calculator, it still estimates a 7:52 pace for a marathon – the same as it did for my 2016 RnR DC Half Marathon time.  This course was pancake flat, though, and Boston has some hills.  Still, it gives me confidence that I can run about 8:00 pace at Boston in two weeks.

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Abridged Version

I fell last week and the weather forecast was terrible so I had very low expectations for this race.  Before the race, I got to meet Meb Keflezighi on Thursday and breezed through the expo on Friday.  On race day, the temperatures were in the 30s with 20+ mph winds and 30+ mph gusts.  My knee hurt a little at the start but that was it.  I ran a strong race using motivation from my running club teammates and passing as many runners as I could through Hains Point.  I finished in 1:13:25 (7:21 pace), including 16th in my age group.