Yo! I’m Running Here!

So was my reaction when, with 800 meters to go in the Cherry Blossom 10 Mile run, some tourists decided to dash across the street in front of me and few other runners. The mother and preschooler made it across, giggling the whole while; the father was less lucky, pushing the stroller and baby within, along with bags hung up on the handles. He nearly crashed into a runner next to me, dropping the mother’s purse in the process, dashing back to get it. “Jesus!” I muttered under my breath, swerving to avoid the father as the other runner shouted, “GOD, people!” Both of us were pretty frustrated, invoking deities left and right. Seriously, people. Don’t dash into a course and ruin someone’s time just because you felt the need to get across the street. It’s rude, especially when we’re near the finish line. Find another way across.

See? This is just another reason to not like tourists.

In general, though, the run was pretty fun. I felt confident going into it, knowing that I wasn’t trying for a spectacular time as I just wanted to finish and have a good time. The runners were loud and happy; D.C. residents and tourists alike provided great encouragement from the sidelines. I did decently, and felt I could’ve done better under different circumstances (actual circumstances were not unfavorable, they just weren’t conducive to going faster—all parts of my body save one were raring to go). Some highlights from the run:

• I’ve taken to wearing my Michigan hat on runs; this generated more than a few shouts of “Go Blue!” along the course. As I’m usually one to put my head down and run, I didn’t acknowledge the cheering until it was too late. I’ve got to get better at that, I suppose, especially if I take up the habit of putting my name on my shirt.
• A volunteer along the course was telling us to keep up the pace, intoning: “This is not a walk-a-thon, it’s a marathon—keep it moving, people.” A runner shouted back cheerfully, “You keep it moving, sir!” “Yes, ma’am,” the volunteer quipped back immediately to the delight of the runners. A good deal of laughter followed.
• Volunteers and spectators used bells to generate some noise for us. “I’m going to need more cowbell!” a runner behind me shouted, prompting spectators to clang louder. Again, everyone in that area burst out laughing.
• There was a couple in wedding clothes either doing day-of pictures or a trash the dress session; either way, I wondered if they had realized that the 10 miler was happening that day. If it were me, I’d try to snatch the men and women’s winners for a quick picture. I’d also try to get a picture with a ton of runners in the background. Then I would run a few miles in my wedding dress. But I’m weird that way.

The fact that I was able to do 10 miles with little afterthought is wonderful—to me, it proves that I’ve still got it somewhere deep inside. I’m not hurting today and that also tells me that my body could do more. So my next goal is to put a few more half-marathons under my belt in order to tackle the marathon once again. I could sign up for New York this year (I have a guaranteed entry), but with the wedding and my business travel, it would be a bit difficult to get all the training in (especially when I’d probably be scheduled for a 15-mile run on the day of our wedding). It’s probably best not to take on anything larger than a half-marathon in 2009.

However, the Cherry Blossom 10 Mile run might be a turning point for me in my quest to regain my running form. Keep your fingers crossed for me.