Race Day

Unfortunately, I don't have a picture of Matt. By the time, I got my camera out, he had already thrown all his clothes into the washing machine (and THAT would have been a VERY different type of picture...)


We woke up bright and early yesterday for the Cherry Blossom Race. Matt's race was starting at 07:30 and mine at 08:40. As a result, we decided that Matt would go into the city first and I would follow. We each took the metro to the Smithsonian stop and it was about a 0.25 mile walk from there to the start line. Matt said that his metro was packed with runners. It's not surprising, especially given that over 20,000 people ran! For some reason, I was a little nervous on my metro ride into the city, maybe the anticipation of the race, going alone or worrying that I would not know where to go once I arrived. However, it all went extremely smoothly. I arrived around 08:05 and just followed the crowds, there were also clearly labeled signs and volunteers everywhere.

After finding the 5k start area, I noticed that the 10 mile runners were zooming by, just across the way. So, I ventured over there, to see if there was any chance of seeing Matt. When I got there, the woman standing next to me told me that we were near the 5 mile mark and that a lot of "blue people" were going by (smurfs, perhaps?) Apparently, you got assigned a color depending on how fast you said you ran during the registration. I couldn't seem to remember if Matt was blue or purple, but I figured I would stick around regardless. Hundreds of people ran by, including a woman in a pink tutu and a barefoot man! Ouch. I had no idea if Matt had already gone by or if perhaps he was far back, it was like 'Where's Waldo', in a sea of people. UNTIL, all of a sudden, I saw him in the furthest lane! I started yelling his name over and over again, he seemed very focused and right when I thought it was too late, he turned around! Hurray :) After that, it was back to my starting point.

It was 08:32 and we were all lined up. Not sure if there was any order to it all or if I was in the right place, but everything seemed to be in under control. The weather was in the low 40's, so the night before, we had debated what to wear. Matt chose shorts, a long sleeve shirt and a t-shirt over it. I wore my capris, a short sleeve shirt and a light jacket. We both agreed this would keep us warm enough, without getting too hot or feeling too heavy. The course was flat and scenic. However, most of the cherry blossoms were gone by this point. Even though I've been running consistently since Thanksgiving, I still don't consider myself a very good runner. I've been thinking if I ever will or if some of us are just not meant to run? Therefore, my goals were to finish and beat my time from last year's 5k race (38:02).

Luckily, mission accomplished! I finished the race in 35:48 and came in 695th place, out of 1,328. Matt also beat his personal goal and finished in 1:28:18!! He came in 3,747th place, out of 7,160. So, we were both in the middle of the pack. No complaints...there was water, muffins and bananas afterwards. Matt and I finished almost at the same time and we met by the 'bag check'. Once we got home, we each took a bath, fell asleep for 3 hours, ate Chinese food and watch Friday Night Lights.

Statistics (hometown and net time) -

Men's 10 mile race: Kenya, 45:15
Women's 10 mile race: Kenya, 54:02
Men's 5k race: DC, 17:27
Women's 5k race: DC, 20:36

It was a great day and an even better weekend. On Saturday evening, pre-race, we had the pleasure of seeing my dad in Baltimore for dinner and a movie: The Hunger Games - loved, loved, loved.

Next race? Maybe The Color Run.