I’ve been on the board of the Eastern Shore Running Club since 2015, and I’ve been interested in attending the RRCA National Convention for a long time. This spring, it was not too far from my home, and I finally had a chance to attend. Similarly, I’ve heard great things about the Credit Union Cherry Blossom Ten Mile Run for years, but this was the first time I participated. Both were great experiences!
The convention
I have been the president of the Eastern Shore Running Club, which is an RRCA, or Road Runners Club of America, club, since 2022. This year’s convention was held in Arlington, Virginia — only a little more than a two-hour drive from Salisbury (it took longer on the way there because of traffic). The convention offered an opportunity to connect with other run club leaders, and I went to educational sessions on topics including inclusivity and diversity in running; board building; bylaws updates and more.
It was also great to meet runners from across the country — at one dinner I was sitting next to someone from Alaska on one side and Hawaii on the other — and see what other clubs do. While we’re all part of RRCA clubs, each club is a bit different. Some are based in big cities, some have training groups, some put on many races, etc. I talked to one club president who had a fun challenge somewhat similar to the Tour de Salisbury.
I enjoyed the talk by keynote speaker Martinus Evans. RRCA’s motto is “Empowering Everyone to Run,” and Evans perfectly aligns with that. Running is not just for fast people or people who “look like” your traditional runner. (I’ve had people question me at race expos, for example, thinking I’m running the shorter distance or at one, walking rather than running. There’s nothing wrong with the shorter distances, but just because I’m not stick-thin, that doesn’t mean I can’t run!)
Evans, the founder of the Slow AF Run Club, started as an overweight runner with a 15-second run before falling off the treadmill. He’s now a multi-time marathoner, motivational speaker and advocate for making everyone feel welcome in the running community. That’s the most important goal for me with ESRC; I want everyone, of all paces, to feel welcome when they run or walk with us. The running community should not be an exclusive club.
I shared a photo to my Instagram stories from his presentation that was meaningful: “Think about the person who showed you that you belonged in running. Are you that person for someone in your club?” I hope I am!
On Friday, there was also a morning group run along the Mount Vernon Trail, a trail I’ve run before, but not in a while (I blogged about it back in 2019). We ran from the hotel to the trail and back, stopping about 1.7 miles in at Gravelly Point Park, where we could see airplanes close and directly overhead. While it was just a fun run, not a race, we did receive shirts and medals when we got back to the hotel from convention sponsors. It was the largest group run I’d ever been part of! I also got in a short solo run the next day, checking out Long Bridge Park, where I’d never been, in addition to taking a yoga class that was part of the convention.
The convention activities ran from the evening of April 9 through April 11, with guaranteed entry to the Cherry Blossom Ten Mile Run on April 12 (the race entry fee was still required), and the organizers certainly packed a lot of information and activities in. Some also ran the Cherry Blossom 5K. Next year, the convention will be held in Austin, Texas.
The race
February’s hilly RRCA Club Challenge was my fastest 10-miler since 2020, with a time of 1:52:08. My goal for the Credit Union Cherry Blossom Ten Mile Run was sub-1:50. I ran a time of 1:45:10 in 2020, so I didn’t expect to beat that for this race.
I went to the expo the Friday before the Sunday race. It was at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C., and it was easy to take the Metro there; I followed other convention attendees who were going to the expo. It’s the biggest expo I’ve been to in a while, as expos seem to have been pretty small since COVID (it was still not huge). I picked up my bib and shirt, got a photo with the race mascot, Stumpy — who had also stopped by the convention earlier that day — and bought a super lightweight tank.
Race day started early the morning of Sunday, April 12. The race began at 7:30 a.m., with Metro service beginning early, at 5 a.m. I got to the Metro at about 6 a.m. The stop closest to the hotel, Pentagon City, wasn’t too far away from the stop where I exited for the race, L’Enfant Plaza. It was a bit of a walk, but that wasn’t a problem. I then stood in line for a real bathroom (there were also porta-potties, but I think the real bathroom was worth it).
There were several corrals, based on your estimated time, and I was in the second-to-last corral. There was also a U.S. 10-mile championship happening at this race, which was pretty cool, even though I did not see that part of the race. I’m pretty sure I saw Karissa Schweizer warming up.
The elite women started at 7:18 a.m., and with the number of people in the mass start, I didn’t start my race till 7:55 a.m. The elite women all came in at 1:01 or under, so they were already more than halfway finished by the time I crossed the start line (not that I knew that at the time).
Actually, there’s a graphic on the results page that shows my location when the male winner finished (a little past mile marker two) and when the female winner finished (between mile markers two and three).
I knew I’d chosen the appropriate corral, as I saw the 10:30/mile pacers there. I decided I would stay with or near them to try to ensure I kept my miles under an 11:00/mile pace; however, I did not pressure myself to stay right with them. Because I lined up at the appropriate pace, I didn’t have problems with weaving in and out of other runners, even though there were over 20,000 participants.
I hadn’t done a big city race in a long time — my most recent was the Philadelphia Marathon in 2021. The Credit Union Cherry Blossom Ten Mile Run had the best crowds I’ve ever experienced at a race — of any distance. There were multiple people deep along the roads for basically the entire first six miles of the course, with so many fun signs to read. Run clubs came out to provide support and motivation. Around mile six, there were drummers.
All of these things provided great distractions as I ran, and it makes me want to not wait so long to do my next big-city race. Staying pretty close to the 10:30 pacers, I was very consistent throughout the race, but especially up through mile six. I ran the first six miles in 10:34, 10:21, 10:43, 10:34, 10:46 and 10:32. Seeing consistent times like that was a confidence boost, and I really didn’t feel bad. I also knew I had a large cushion for my sub-1:50 goal.
I started getting more tired around the time we got to Hains Point, when there were also fewer spectators along the course. I finished Mile 7 in 11:04, but all the other miles had been under 11 minutes, so I told myself I just had to keep up the pace and I would finish well under 1:50. Mile 8 was close, at 10:59, and Mile 9 was a few seconds faster, at 10:52.
There was a DJ on opposite side of Hains Point from the drummers, which was cool. There was also an Oreo stop halfway through, but I skipped that as one time I had an Oreo during a race and it was just a little too dry. I’d stopped at each water stop, and it was a little warmer than I’d like toward the end, but it was really a beautiful day. I walked at each water stop and for about 30 seconds at the Mile 7 and Mile 8 markers.
I knew by the time I got to the last mile that I wanted to give it what I had left. For the last mile, we were back to having the support of the massive crowds, and I ran my fastest mile of the day — 10:14. I’d been hitting the mile markers a little late and had another 0.13 to run when I hit 10 miles on my watch; I ran that in a 9:13 pace.
My chip time was 1:47:54, a 10:48/mile average pace — well under my goal and more than four minutes faster than this year’s Club Challenge. I also appreciated how flat the course was; that doesn’t always happen when you leave the Eastern Shore. I would love to run this one again; there is normally a lottery, but I had the guaranteed entry this year.
The only negative was waiting around to start (unavoidable) and the fact that there weren’t cherry blossoms blooming (also unavoidable; the race was a week later than normal because of Easter). However, I really enjoyed running in Washington, D.C., and loved the course. I felt great, too!
This race is also unique in that the finisher medal(s) are optional; you can pay extra to receive the medal. Medals are not what motivates me and I do a lot of races, so I decided not to opt-in for the medal. Though the medal was pretty, I appreciate the option to save money and create less waste.
Splits
Mile 1: 10:34
Mile 2: 10:21
Mile 3: 10:43
Mile 4: 10:34
Mile 5: 10:46
Mile 6: 10:32
Mile 7: 11:04
Mile 8: 10:59
Mile 9: 10:52
Mile 10: 10:14
Last bit (.13): 1:11 (9:13 pace)
Final: 1:47:54 / 10:48/mile pace on results; 1:47:56 / 10:39/mile pace on watch
She Runs by the Seashore 