Cherry Blossom 10 Miler

Hey, have you ever wondered what the Washington Monument looks like at 6:15am? Well this weekend I found out! Dear Crazy....

I have blogged several (probably too many) times about my recent interest in running. Exactly 6 months after my very first race EVER (a 5k) I ran the Cherry Blossom 10 Miler. What was I thinking!?! I was VERY nervous going into this race. First of all I'm still a newbie runner, second of all this was only my 6th race ever and lastly there was a "strictly enforced" pace of 14 minutes per mile I wasn't completely sure I could handle. I suffered through a terrible winter and just really didn't feel like I'd done enough to prepare for this race. Honestly, up until this weekend the furthest I'd ever run is 7.5 miles at one time. Had no idea how I was going to eek out 10 miles.

It was a very different experience than any other race I've participated in. I had to be up bright and early at 5am to get ready to get downtown. The bottle of wine the night before didn't exactly help my mood that early in the morning. Courtney was gracious enough to drive me all the way downtown which gave me plenty of time to sit around and get antsy. By the time the purple wave (the slow kids) finally got to the start line I was mooooooore than ready to go.

Miles 1 - 3 were pretty standard, felt just like any other 5k. It was AWESOME to high-five Norma Dadiani who was a volunteer on the bridge at mile two. Definitely a nice little boost early on. Miles 4, 5 and 6 were awful. I spent the majority of those miles trying to figure out how I could sneak off the course without being spotted. No such luck...the streets of DC were crowded with tourists and spectators. But once I hit mile 7 I realized I was basically done. I mean, I'd already done 7 miles...what's 3 more? They weren't the greatest three miles I'd ever run but the closer I got to the finish line the more excited I got.

For the last few months all of my friends/family have been asking me if they could come watch me race. The answer was always, firmly, no. In the event that I got picked up my the Sweep Truck I had no desire to have anyone witness that. So of course...ignoring my requests...Courtney, Jen and my mom not only showed up...but they brought signs with them! I hear there were a few other girls named Amanda that were also excited to see my signs. I must admit it was pretty awesome to have a cheering section around mile 9.5 - without question I had some of the craziest fans ever...think in the middle of the street screaming like CRAZY. Yep, that's my family.

At the end of the day, despite my sore legs and hips, I'm pretty happy that I did it. That I ran all 10 miles (well, by "ran" I mean jogged or walked). And even that my family ignored my wishes and showed up. Big thanks to all the love and support...it has meant a lot to me!