This Sunday I'll be running the Cherry Blossom 10 Miler in D.C. It will be my second time running the race, and this year, I sort of just lucked into a bib.

 Ashley's husband, Bo, couldn't do the race and Ashley was looking for someone to take his bib. Since it's a local race and I was in decent running condition, I figured I may as well run.

(Side note: This was a legal transfer. The Cherry Blossom race let's people legally transfer bibs up to a certain point. I'm not running this race as a bandit.)


My A race for the spring is the Frederick Half marathon in May, so I'm treating the Cherry Blossom like a speedy long run.

I don't plan to all-out race this event, but I do plan to run hard and get a general feel for where I stand in my half marathon training. I think this will be a good tune up race and based on how I do, I can adjust the last month of my half marathon plan accordingly.

I've done a lot of things differently with my training plan this year than I did last year in the form of dedicated speedwork and additional cross training. I'm curious to see how that all plays out on a flat and fast course.


This course holds my 10 miler PR at 1:35:48. While I'm not specifically focused on breaking this PR, I'm curious to see if the tweaks to my training plan will pay off with a faster time.

In the back of my mind, I'd love to smash this PR, but it's more important for me to run a smart race and recover well so I can finish half marathon training strong.

Goals:
A goal: Run a smart race, ideally with negative splits, and be mentally tough, without a running buddy to push me. Have fun and enjoy a flat and fast course.

B goal: Set a new PR.

A few of my friends are running this race or are in town visiting, so I'm also super excited to get to see them and race with them.