I Entered My First Race Lottery…

…and I got in! My first race this year will be the Credit Union Cherry Blossom Ten Mile Run in Washington, D.C. I will be running this race with about 15,000 other runners, and it will be the longest distance I will have ever run. I am so excited!

I’ve been super behind in posting this exciting news because, quite frankly, I’ve been slacking off quite a bit with the blog the last few months. I’m working on it, though!

I’m super excited that I’m starting out 2015 by identifying myself as a runner, despite the fact that I haven’t actually run (outside of volleyball) at all this year. Whoops… I actually intended to go running while I was in Rio for my birthday/Carnival, but the 100°F weather really didn’t inspire me to run my little heart out. I walked a lot, though. Doesn’t that count for something?

I really need to kick my training into high gear, because I really have just over a month to get ready for the race! It has been super cold and snowy in the Mid-Atlantic, which makes outdoor training very difficult. I’ve been wanting to do this Black Girls Run! running group in my neighborhood, but they just run entirely too early for me. 5:45 a.m. Do you know what I’m doing at 5:45 a.m.? I suspect snoring as I’m balled up under my heated blanket and 18 comforters like a little hamster. I can’t be certain, though, because I’m definitely not awake to be able to tell about it!

Man… I just made a lot of excuses in this post, haven’t I? I need to quit with the excuses and get my butt into race shape! The last thing I want to do is have the sweep vehicle come up next to me and usher me to the end of the race, all because I made excuses leading up to the race.

Okay, so back to the race. It’s funny: Of all of the races I’ve run, I have run more than half all by myself. I mean, not all alone, but just not with anyone I know. It’s kind of fun, and kind of intimidating. Super early in the morning, making friends and chatting people up before a race isn’t my first priority (though I’m still happy to do it!). Instead, I’m usually just trying to get myself focused, going over all of the different things I want to accomplish during the race, and giving myself a mini pep talk in the process. I suspect this race will be similar to the Annapolis race I ran several months back. Thousands of people, and little old me trying not to get intimidated. I’m hoping I can convince some of my family members to come out and cheer me on during the race. It is super early in the morning, but hopefully the cherry blossoms will give folks something pretty to look at. At the very least, the monuments and the Tidal Basin look beautiful all day, every day, which is enough motivation for me! If you’re running this race, and you think you see me, don’t hesitate to come over and say hello! I won’t bite!

Did any of you enter the lottery for any of the Credit Union Cherry Blossom races? Are you planning to run it this year? Are you going to check out the Cherry Blossom Festival, or even just the cherry blossoms themselves this year? What is the longest race you’ve ever run?