Take Three: Cherry Blossom 10 Miler Recap
On Sunday, I ran the Cherry Blossom 10 Miler for the third year in a row and walked away feeling like a million bucks and with a new PR! I love the strategy of running a half marathon a week or two before a 10 mile race because the 10 miler feels really good after you’ve done 13.1. I remember two weeks ago seeing the 10 mile marker when I was running the Rock n Roll Half and thinking “In two weeks, seeing that means I’M DONE!”
I know a lot of areas don’t have many 10 mile races, but it’s my favorite distance and I’ve run quite a few!
- Cherry Blossom 10 Miler 2010 – 1:41:02 (10:06 pace)
- Cherry Blossom 10 Miler 2011 – 1:34:32 (9:27 pace)
- Army Navy 10 Miler – 1:35:29 (9:32 pace)
The Cherry Blossom 10 Miler also holds a special place for me because it’s the first double digit race I ever did, and the course is flat which is never a bad thing.
I woke up at 6am on Sunday and had all my gear laid out the night before.
That “9:00” bib in the middle is a tag for the Gold’s Gym pace groups, but I didn’t end up wearing it. My approach for this race was just to run at a pace that felt good and enjoy it. The race is SUPER crowded (20,000 runners!), so it’s pretty tough to go as fast as you want, especially during some of the narrower parts of the course and the turnarounds.
After getting geared up, I made my go-to prerace breakfast:
A blueberry bagel thin with peanut butter (regular creamy Jif this time!) and a smashed banana. It never disappoints.
After that, I got all geared up:
And once again did another race no-no. I just bought those arm sleeves at the expo the day before the race and wore them for the first time on Sunday. That said, I LOVED them and want to get at least one more pair. They are great because they keep you semi warm, but are airy enough since your shoulders are out. I also think they look cool, though that may be a stretch.
I ended up biking to the race start since it was just 1.5 miles from my apartment, and that definitely turned out to be a great decision because it was easy to get in and out. I immediately got in line for the porta potty, because the lines were insane.
I was so glad I did, because shortly after I got in line they basically doubled in length and I was able to get to my corral just in time, which was even more crowded than outside the porta potties.
Before I knew it, we were off! I’ve been using this new app I got called Runmeter GPS for my iPhone, and I LOVE it. You can see a link to my race course with paces here, but the app is really great because I always have my iPhone with me anyways when I run, and it seems relatively accurate. I ended up eating two GUs – one at Mile 5 and one at Mile 8 – and also got water at every single water station. I walked through the last water station, but kept running through all the rest.
Around Mile 6, I started to struggle mentally. I was having a battle with myself because I wanted to stop and walk, but I knew physically I was able to keep running. And then I remembered something Caitlin said to me after she rocked the hell out of the Rock n Roll Half two weekends ago. She started off around my pace when she started running (10 min/miles) and just ran the half two weeks ago in 1:53! I asked her what her secret was, and she said she was working on being more comfortable with being uncomfortable.
I honestly never thought of that before, and it obviously depends on your goals for running, but if you want to get faster, you have to make yourself realize that sometimes you won’t be comfortable when you are running. I have always wanted to be faster, but also wanted to make sure I felt good/not pushing it during runs. Saying that over and over to myself really helped me to dig deep and be able to push through.
And I am not going to lie – the last mile was HARD. Once I passed the 9 mile marker, there was a 15k marker that felt like it was at least a mile later (but was obviously only .3 after that). Then there were 1200, 800, and 400 meters to go signs, and each one felt further away than the last. I actually slowed down a bit because I was feeling totally depleted, but as soon as I got a glimpse of the finish line, I booked it for the strong finish.
I didn’t know what my exact time was, but knew I’d finished close to last year but perhaps a little quicker. I headed home and made myself food to eat immediately.
Chicken + Apple Sausage, Scrambled eggs, 2 kiwis, and a bunch of mini bell peppers. Seem too healthy for a post run meal? Don’t worry, that was meal 2 of 4 that day. I also went on to have this:
Reese’s Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake Cheesecake (from The Cheesecake Factory), which was TO DIE FOR. Layers of regular cheesecake mixed with pb cups, gooey caramel, and chocolate fudge cake, all topped with a delicious fudge icing, plus peanut butter icing on top, and chocolate shavings pressed into the crust. Holy deliciousness.
And then I found out my official time:
1:34:19 – a 9:26 pace and 13 seconds faster than last year.
But hey, a PR is a PR, even if it’s only a few seconds! Woohoo!
Amy B @ Second City Randomness
April 3, 2012 at 8:51 am (414 days ago)Nice work on the run, Beth! That is awesome!
And I do have to say something silly and shallow- the medals you get for the Cherry Blossom are so preeeeettttyyyyy…
Sarah
April 3, 2012 at 9:01 am (414 days ago)Great job!! I got a medal too this year b/c I regreted not getting one last year. Soo worth it!! I also loved the 800, 400, 200 meter signs, they really helped me at the end!
Lauren @ Oatmeal after Spinning
April 3, 2012 at 9:29 am (414 days ago)That is a freaking AWESOME time!! Whoa! Congrats!! I’ve done a 1/2 marathon and some 10Ks, but never a 10-miler…
And I was thinking the same thing as Sarah above- the medal is really pretty! I think I’d have to run it just for that (if I could get in- I know that race is one that you have to register for the second it opens!)
Jessica D
April 3, 2012 at 9:36 am (414 days ago)The arms sleeves DO look cool! Congrats on your PR!!!
Kim
April 3, 2012 at 9:42 am (414 days ago)Congratulations Beth!!! That cheesecake looks AMAZING!
Evan Thomas
April 3, 2012 at 10:10 am (414 days ago)Congrats, Beth!
Kelly @ No Sugar Sweet Life
April 3, 2012 at 10:42 am (414 days ago)Congrats Beth, that’s awesome!!! And I DO think those arm sleeves look pretty cool on you
Lauren
April 3, 2012 at 11:43 am (414 days ago)Good stuff! I set a PR too!
I took 16 minutes off of last year’s time, though I am by no means a fast runner…yet!
Beth
April 3, 2012 at 11:43 am (414 days ago)16 minutes!?!?! Holy crap!! Congratulations!
Samantha
April 3, 2012 at 11:46 am (414 days ago)Does Gold’s Gym have a running group?
Beth
April 3, 2012 at 12:01 pm (414 days ago)Hi Samantha! I am honestly not sure if they have a running group, but I know they sponsored the pace groups for the Cherry Blossom Run. I know they were trying to get people to join the gym, but I’m not sure about a running group. Sorry!
Elaina
April 3, 2012 at 12:31 pm (414 days ago)Love what you said about getting more comfortable with being uncomfortable while running! I think I’ve been trying to work on this too but hadn’t figured out how to verbalize it until you did!
Way to go on the new PR!
Hilary
April 3, 2012 at 4:42 pm (413 days ago)Congratulations….and thats my fav cheesecake factory selection too…LOVE that stuff!
Caitlin
April 4, 2012 at 12:38 am (413 days ago)Ah thanks for the shoutout and CONGRATS lady – a PR is a PR, no matter the difference! You are a rockstar.
Roz@weightingfor50
April 4, 2012 at 1:31 pm (413 days ago)Woo Hoo. BIG contrats on your run and the PB!!!
Jenn@slim-shoppin
April 4, 2012 at 2:02 pm (413 days ago)I too, love the 10 mile races. I’ve done one in the Chicago area called the Park Forest Scenic 10 miler, but they stopped doing that one a few years ago
Great job on the PR, whether its seconds of minutes, it still counts. I’m running a half marathon at the end of April at U of I in Champaign – can’t wait! My goal is after finishing that find another event so I keep going!
Hilary @ The Big Weight
April 9, 2012 at 10:56 am (408 days ago)that cheesecake looks bangin! I get a choc/peanut butter cheesecake from there too, but not the Reese’s! I definitely know what I’ll be getting next time I go! Congrats on the PR for this run!
Stephanie
April 10, 2012 at 12:11 am (407 days ago)Hey, you haven’t posted in a while. We miss you!
Beth
April 10, 2012 at 7:06 pm (406 days ago)Hi Stephanie! I know it’s been a while!! I’m actually on vacation right now in st. Maarten but will be back to regular posting next week once I’m back. Thanks for your note!
Life's a Bowl
April 12, 2012 at 12:13 pm (405 days ago)Congrats on the PR! After that piece of cheesecake I bet you were having such a rush- speedy run and sugar
JILL
April 12, 2012 at 2:30 pm (405 days ago)GLAD I CAME TO CHECK OUT THE COMMENTS… I WAS STARTING TO WONDER IF YOU WERE OKAY ITS BEEN SO LONG SINCE I HAVE READ A POST!
ENJOY VACATION!
Beth
April 15, 2012 at 7:06 pm (401 days ago)I’ll be back up and running tomorrow!