Last weekend I ran my 2nd race of the season; the Cherry Blossom 10 miler in Washington DC. My first race was two weeks prior doing the Kutztown Fools Run (another 10 mile race). That was a tough one as the hills were intense. However I am using the Cherry Blossom race as my pre-season lets-see-how-out-of-shape-I'm-in test. The weather was beautiful and even saw some cherry blossoms along the course. The only factor was my bio-needs. Pre-race bathroom access is always a challenge. There are never enough port-o-potties to go around. Needless to say the first 6 miles were a bit distracting for me. After trying to get in one at mile 2 and the line being too long to wait, I trudged on. Finally I found relief at mile 6. By this time I was at the back of the pack trying to stay ahead of the pace bus.
Finishing the race with an 11:40 pace is probably one of my worst times. Blame it on being ill-prepared. Lesson learned...get there early in plenty of time to get on that bathroom line.
I got some nice shots of the course though:
At the starting line..bright and early
Arlington National Cemetery
Over the bridge...Jefferson Memorial across the river
At mile 7 and see there are some cherry trees in bloom!
At the finish with one of my loyal fans
Great photo"s..I was so into the race the only thing I saw was the Cherry Blossom trees.My wife and I also got caught up in the potty lines at the start and I arrived at the start at 7:10 without too much warm up.I did have fun and it was a good course.My first three races of this year were training runs and the last three are the first real races that I've competed in so I know how you feel..good luck and keep pushing onward.
ReplyDelete