Race Report
I know, I know. Many exciting, life-changing events have transpired over the past month, but I am going to ignore all of that for now and give you what you’ve been dying for: The Race Report. (I promise more to come on life changes later!)
On April 11, 2010, I had the chance to realize a (small) goal I’d had since high school: Complete the Cherry Blossom Ten Miler in Washington, D.C. I’d read about the race in Runner’s World as a high schooler, and it sounded like one of those races every serious runner must have on her resume. So I resolved to add it to mine at some point.
As luck would have it, my first six years in DC did not allow fulfillment of that goal. April 2004, I ran the Paris Marathon. April 2005, I got married. April 2006, I was 7.5 months pregnant. April 2007, I was in Germany for my Oma’s 80th birthday. April 2008, I ran the Boston Marathon. April 2009, I knew I’d be 3.5 months postpartum and not in prime running shape.
And, as luck would (again) have it, the 2010 race was, for the first time ever, entry by lottery only. . . and I never win ANY random drawing. I figured entering the lottery was almost pointless, but, SURPRISE! My “group”- which included Caleb, our friend Janel, and me- was selected!
Caleb’s friend Mickey was in town for race weekend, so we even had built in childcare (from a brave bachelor!). Caleb and I headed off early on a Sunday morning:
And took in the Mall at sunrise one last time:
And then met up with friends from church who were also running:
I was in the “red” starting wave, which was maybe the third or fourth to start, and Caleb was in the “purple,” which was the last. (I had submitted a qualifying time; he had not.) My customary pre-race port-a-potty stop caused me to be a bit late in getting to the start, and I got cut off RIGHT at the start line as the last red runners began their race. That actually worked to my advantage, as I was literally at the very front of the blue wave when it was released, meaning I had open road ahead of me for the first .5 miles or so, until I started catching up with the red runners. Despite the crowds typical of a large race and some very sharp turns at points where the route doubled back on itself, I felt great and had a good run. My (secret) goal was to run sub-8:00 miles, and I finished in 1:17:28, which is a 7:45 pace.
Caleb, meanwhile, was VERY bogged down by extreme crowds. The purple wave not only ended up being a catch all for the slowest runners and those without qualifying times, but it also became the “lowest common denominator” for faster runners wishing to run with slower members of their group. He knew from the beginning he’d never be able to break through the masses to run a strong time, so he settled on good company and conversation with another church friend. They finished the race together, smiling despite working to avoid stepping on any toes (or heels) for ten miles:
Many of us regrouped post-race to cool off, and a number of us even dared to show up at church in our sweaty running clothes! (Don’t worry- we sat in the balcony, far away from the showered congregants!!) In our defense, we had to attend as Simona and the other children were singing during the service.
Of course, Mickey did a great job getting the kids dressed and to the church– we had no doubts he’d take naturally to parenting.
To round out the race report, it seems my lottery luck continues. Another running goal of mine is to complete each of the “world marathon majors”- Chicago, Berlin, London, NYC, and Boston. So far, I am 3 of 5.
Entry to the NYC marathon also is gained by winning a random lottery, unless you have entered the drawing unsuccessfully for three consecutive years. Then the race organizers finally take pity and grant you automatic entry for your fourth year. I entered unsuccessfully last year and was already planning on running by default on my fourth try (in 2012). In fact, I even promised Caleb after the Berlin marathon in September 2009 that I would take a break from marathoning for a couple of years. So convinced of my lottery luck was I that I even told him to plan on London in April 2012 and NYC that November. SO, I was shocked to learn in early April that I AGAIN got lucky and got into NYC this year- on only my second try! HOWEVER . . . I will be keeping my word to Caleb and deferring my entry to 2011 (more on that to come).
But in the meantime, I’m headed out to play some Powerball. Don’t even bother to wish me luck– I’m on a roll all on my own.
