2024 PNC Parkway Classic
Prologue
Training
After learning that I would miss out on the 2024 Boston Marathon by 5 seconds, I decided to run the 2024 Ottawa Marathon in May. I started training in late January following a plan in Advanced Marathoning by Pete Pfitzinger (aka “Pfitz”).
I missed multiple workouts during the first two weeks of the training cycle due to bad weather or not getting up early enough.
In February, my boss asked me to take on two special projects at work, one of which required attending a daily meeting at 9 a.m. I scrambled to rearrange my schedule to fit with my training schedule. The next disruption came at the end of the month when work on the W&OD Trail caused me to change most of my running routes.
In March, my training started coming together. My overall mileage hit over 60 miles/week, and the paces for my runs were falling.
In Week 11, I raced the 2024 Cherry Blossom 5K and 2024 Cherry Blossom 10 Miler – the “Double Blossom”. So, I had a good sense of my ability at the distance.
This race came at the beginning of Week 15 of the training cycle. The Sunday before, I ran a 20-miler, an interval workout on Wednesday, and a 14-miler that Thursday.
Cost
The cost for the race was $60.00.
Goals
Achievable
Sub-1:22:00 (8:16 pace). The course was harder than the 2024 Cherry Blossom 10 Miler, but I wasn’t running a 5K the day before.
Stretch
Sub-1:20:00 (8:06 pace). Maybe I’m slightly more rested than I was two weeks ago and could eke out a few another minute.
Personal Records
Grandmaster
PR and Most Recent 10 Miler: 1:22:39 (8:16 pace), 2024 Cherry Blossom 10 Miler
Master
10 Miler and Course PR: 1:08:26 (6:51 pace), 2014 Cherry Blossom 10 Miler
Course
The course isn’t fast, but it’s fair. It’s a point-to-point from the Mount Vernon estate to Oronoco Bay Park in Old Town Alexandria. For almost 9 miles, the course stays on the Parkway. At Franklin Street in Old Town, it does a few blocks before heading up Union Street to finish on the north side of Oronoco Bay Park.
There were four water stops on the course. Crowd support was highest in the Old Town Alexandria area.
Strategy
My goal was to go out at 8:10 pace from the start.
Playlist
I forgot my headphones at home! But I planned to listen to the playlist I created for the 2024 Cherry Blossom 10 Miler.
Pre-race
Bib Pick-up
The race organizer, Pacers Running, provided multiple locations, dates, and times to pick up a packet. My boyfriend kindly picked up my packet on Friday at their Alexandria location. In addition to the shirt, the race packet came with a 40th-anniversary pin.
Race Day
I woke up at 5:15 and rushed to get ready for the race. I had coffee and then got dressed for the race. I wore the Saucony Stopwatch Singlet, which I thought I might wear for the Ottawa Marathon. There was a bag drop, but I decided not to take advantage, even though I knew it would be nice to have warm, dry clothes after the race.
My boyfriend and I left the house promptly at 6. He drove so I could put new laces on my shoes. I recently purchased a pair of Saucony Endorphin Elites and wanted to see if I might wear them for Ottawa.
We parked on the street in Old Town instead of the race garage and walked towards the buses. We hadn’t checked the bus’s exact location but followed the other runners. The last bus would depart at 7 a.m., and we boarded ours at 6:30.
When we got to Mount Vernon, we looked for the porta-potties. We eventually found them, but the line was long. But we passed the time chatting with the woman ahead of us. I also caught up with a coworker who walked by.
With about 20 minutes until race time, I did a quick warm-up on the Mount Vernon Trail. Then, I jogged over to the start area. I lined up ahead of the 7:00 pacer, who seemed to be holding back. I tried cueing up the music for my headphones, but the event music was so loud that I couldn’t tell whether my music was playing! After a few minutes, a woman rang the National Anthem and made a few announcements, and we were off at 8 a.m.!
Weather
At 8 a.m., the race’s start time, the air temperature was about 59 degrees with calm winds. However, the humidity was well over 80%.
The Race
Miles 0-3 (Mount Vernon to Fort Hunt)
We exited the turnabout in front of the Mount Vernon estate and took a right turn onto the George Washington Memorial Parkway, and I could tell my music wasn’t playing. While watching my footing, I managed to get the playlist to shuffle. I wouldn’t have music in the order I planned, but at least I would have something to listen to.
At Mile 2, I noticed someone I used to run with. She was wearing a Dojo Running Club singlet and a few other runners. We exchanged a few words – she wasn’t running marathons anymore but invited me to run with them. I told her I would think about it – which was sincere. They slowed a little to get water at the first water stop, about 2.5 miles into the race. I wanted to avoid the chaos and told them I would take off.
Splits: 7:57, 7:52, 8:56.
Miles 3-7 (Fort Hunt to Belle Haven)
In the Fort Hunt neighborhood, I admired the views of the Maryland shoreline across the Potomac River.
At Mile 3, the 1:20 pacer passed me with about a dozen runners surrounding him. I panicked a bit and looked at my Garmin. When it said I was running a 7:43 pace, I thought, “He’s going to cook these runners.”
The next water stop was after Mile 4, and I decided to get some water. It was a humid day, so I knew I needed to stay ahead of hydration.
Around Mile 6, I heard someone say something to me and realized it was a neighbor from a few doors down! I replied, but I moved to the right of the course because I thought I was following the tangent. Soon, I returned to his side of the road but stayed a little behind him.
At the water stop, one of the Dojo runners came alongside me. Was I slowing down, or did she speed up? I grabbed a Gatorade, sipped it, and sped up through the water stop.
Splits: 6:49, 7:59, 7:46.
Miles 7-10 (Belle Haven to Oronoco Bay Park)
When I reached the Belle Haven Marina area, I knew the course would rise slightly uphill, so I needed to run harder.
I ran next to my neighbor and his running buddy for about a half-mile. I didn’t say much, but figured it was better than staying a few steps behind. By Mile 8, I could tell they were slowing down—I had my first mile over 8:00 pace—so I decided to pull ahead. Besides, I was about to run past the apartment I lived in after I broke up with a severe boyfriend many years ago, and I wanted to think about how far I’ve come since then and how much happier I am now.
The course turned right onto Union Street. I felt like I was having trouble breathing, so I eased off the pace. I took some time to soak in the atmosphere. After that long break-up, I took up running, and there are so many cathartic runs on these streets. I thought about how far I’ve come since then and how happy I am now. It was also great seeing so many people out.
Soon, the finish line was in sight, but I cruised instead of sprinting.
Splits: 7:58, 8:09, 8:05, 7:53.
Post-race
Result
| Time: 1:19:23 | Pace: 7:57 | Log Details |
My time was just two seconds slower than the 2024 Cherry Blossom 10 Miler. I was the 524th out of 3,431 (top 16%) and the 123rd woman out of 1,789 (top 7%). I was also third in my age group out of 141 (top 3%), which should result in an award if they mail one.
On the elite side, Ashennafi Berhana won in 51:53 (5:12 pace). On the female side, Ayisha Horo finished in 58:30 (5:51 pace.)
Finish
After the race, I got a metal and grabbed a banana, potato chips, and pretzels. Somehow, I missed the water, though. I saw my neighbor and the person he was running with. They both finished under 1:20, as well.
I was tired but not exhausted, so I returned to the car for dry clothes. When I returned to the finish area, my boyfriend finished his race, and I met him. Together, we walked to Oronoco Bay Park for a great post-race festival with music. We stood in line to get carded for beer, but there was no line for a free Port City beer. They were out of Celius Energy Drink, so I just had Smart Water. We hung out for about a half hour, enjoying the atmosphere before heading home.
Epilogue
As the name states, this race is a classic. It’s a rare opportunity to run on the George Washington Memorial Parkway, and the post-race festival was fantastic!
I didn’t think I ran remarkably well, but it’s another confirmation that the 2024 Cherry Blossom 10 Miler wasn’t a fluke. If the McMillan Calculator is correct, I should be able to run something like sub-3:43 (8:31 pace) at the 2024 Ottawa Marathon in a few weeks.
Next Race
2024 Ottawa Marathon on Sunday, May 26th!
Abridged Version
As the name states, this race is a classic. It’s a rare opportunity to run on the George Washington Memorial Parkway, and the post-race festival was fantastic!
The start was rocky because I couldn’t get my music to play, but I eventually got the music to shuffle. I was prepared for the rolling hills, having run the 2023 George Washington Patriot Run, so I ran a pretty smart race. I saw several running friends along the way, making the event feel extra special.
I finished in 1:19:23 (7:57 pace), which confirms that the 2024 Cherry Blossom 10 Miler wasn’t a fluke. In a few weeks, I should be able to run something like sub-3:43 (8:31 pace) at the 2024 Ottawa Marathon!