Time: 1:16:49 | Pace: 7:41
I was excited for this race because I was doing it with my sister, who’s 2.5 years older than me. We’ve done two other runs together before, but both times I was not near in as good of shape as I am now. Since I joined the running group in January and have been running races on a regular basis, my times have been dramatically improving and I was excited to see the change in time from the last race Cherry Blossom race that we did 2 years ago.
This is a love/hate race for me. I love it once my feet start hitting the pavement, it’s a very pretty course, but getting to that point is rough. The DC metro is absolutely packed the morning of the race and the lines for the bag drop-off and bathrooms are crazy. But enough about the hate. I’ll talk about why I love it.
The hoards of people running and the spectator-friendly course give the course an energy in itself. Add to that a scenic run with views of the monuments and endless roads lined with cherry blossom trees and it makes for a great race. I really enjoyed the run, and my sister and I talked the whole time (mostly to each other, but from time to time we’d pick up conversations with other runners around us).
The finish for my sis ended up being a little rough. The last 800 meters were a steep incline (go figure) and the heat had broken out around mile 7. I am all about a big finish, so I started to come down the big chute to the finish line with my hands up. I noticed that she wasn’t staying with me and kept trying to get her to join me, but she had had it. I crossed the finish in front of her and immediately turned around to look for her and finally saw her cross about 6 seconds after I crossed. She was a little green, almost fell over, but we got her some water and shade and as typical runners go, she regained composure quickly.
I was very happy with my finishing time. My last time two years ago was a 1:23:46 with an 8:16 pace. This time, I held onto a 7:41 pace.
Next race…Sun Fun Run 5K in Murrells Inlet
That's me crossing the finish (that's the clock time, not my chip time)
Ron said,
June 10, 2009 @ 4:41 pm
Nice pace! So far, my best pace for a 10-miler was 8:30 and I was on fire that day. You have a really nice blog and I enjoyed reading your reports.
All the best!