#CUCB2017 Fall Kickoff Party

This past Friday marked the official kickoff for the 45th running of the Credit Union Cherry Blossom Ten Mile Run.

We host a party in November to kick things off, and this year it included swag, giveaways, reveals, demonstrations, fundraising, and all-around fun.

Did you miss out on the fun? Or just want to relive it? Read on!

Fire Up Your Run

A few years ago I saw a 3M YouTube video called "No White at Night" that showed how important reflectivity gear is when running at night.

In the video, several runners are running towards the camera in the dark. At first you only see three runners, but there are actually seven. Four of them are wearing white t-shirts and you can't see them until they are 250 feet away. That's too close for comfort if there are vehicles around.

The video is from 2011. While its message is just as critical today as it was in 2011, reflectivity gear has come a long way in the last five years.

Distance Training is Better with Friends

Reston DTP Superhero theme run - start planning your costume now!

Are you training for a fall mid-distance race?

One of the best ways to set yourself up for success is to join a training program.

And if you are in the DC/VA area, consider joining the Potomac River Running Distance Training Program (DTP). Here are the 6 top reasons:

Four Days with Meb

A couple of weeks before the 2016 Credit Union Cherry Blossom Ten Mile Run the exciting news was released. Meb Keflezighi was coming to DC for the race! I was thrilled at the idea of seeing - possibly even meeting - this inspirational man.

I still get chills when I remember April 21, 2014. The 118th Boston Marathon. The year after the bombings. I timed my lunch break so I could run on the treadmill while watching the finish. Watching Meb win the race was phenomenal. Seeing the names of the bombing victims in the corner of his bib; recognizing he was the first American man to win Boston since 1983 - it was cathartic, emotional, euphoric.

And this man was coming to DC. #MEBinDC

I was lucky enough to see Meb four times in four days. I heard him speak. I got to meet him for the briefest of moments. And it was awesome.

Thursday: Potomac River Running

On Thursday night Meb made an appearance at Potomac River Running in Arlington. He was scheduled to be there from 6-8: a talk with Q&A for the first hour, selfies and autographs the second hour. We figured it would be packed and headed out extra early...we got there at 4:30!

Jen, Kristen, me, & Susan - ready for an evening with Meb

The good thing about getting there first is that we got to sit in the front row for his talk. Which was amazing!

Another earlybird bonus - I finally got to meet Jennifer of Run Jenny Run in person!
photo courtesy of Jennifer

A captivated audience. (and this is only half the people!)
photo courtesy of Potomac River Running

He spoke about everything from his childhood in war-torn Eritrea, coming to the US and speaking no English, discovering running, and medaling in the Olympics, winning New York, winning Boston. He also talked about the less triumphant moments, the hard times. How to pick yourself up mentally when you fall down. And so much more!

Photo courtesy of Potomac River Running

I wish I had recorded what he said so I could listen to it again. I did write down the #Mebisms that struck me the most:

• Advice for the "older" runner: Run one less mile for your long run, and use that time to stretch. You will get more out of that stretching time than you will out of the extra mile.
• Family time: Meb & his family enjoy "Fruit Time" & "Dance Time" - eating fruit, playing music, and dancing with the kids.
• On mental toughness: Training is 90% physical, 10% mental. It is the opposite during a race.
• When you are down and beating yourself up: Stop and remind yourself how many people would love to be in your shoes.

That last one especially resonated with me, and it applies far beyond running. I beat myself up often. I complain about things and wish they were different. And if I could stop and reframe, I would be happier and waste far less mental energy. Since Meb's talk, I have stopped and reminded myself of how lucky I am, how many people would be so grateful for what I have. Thank you, Meb.

Meb's Skechers
photo courtesy of Potomac River Running

The meet and greet after the talk was supposed to last an hour. But there were so many people that only half had met Meb by 8. And it was set up in a "last in, first out" manner, so those of us in the front row were at the back of the line. I was really bummed when we realized that we might not get to meet him. But Meb is so gracious and so generous with his fans, that he stayed an extra hour so we could all have our moment with him. Classy.

Some of the Potomac River Running Reston Training Runners with Meb
photo courtesy of Potomac River Running

Meb signed my book - he is so tired at this point but still so nice!

Giddy with excitement!

Me & Real Meb with Me & Cardboard Meb

Friday: The Expo

On Friday I went to the expo to spend the afternoon tweeting about the expo activities as part of my race ambassador duties. (And I was especially excited because I ended up tweeting from the actual CUCB account instead of my account. I had the power!)

Meb spoke at the expo and did a meet & greet afterwards. I listened from the sidelines and watched a new group of excited fans have their own moments with Meb.

Meb's Friday afternoon expo clinic
photo courtesy of Jen

Saturday: Elite Athlete / VIP Dinner

One of the perks of being a race ambassador is getting to go to the elite athlete / VIP dinner the evening before the race. Most of the athletes there are in track suits and firmly in a "race ready" mindset. Meb, however, was styling! He had a grey sweater with fancy elbow patches and grey dress pants. He was a sharp dressed man! 

Talking with Hawi, Meb's brother
photo courtesy of Kevin

Susan & I begged Kevin to take a picture of us with Meb & Hawi behind us...
Thank you Kevin! We know you think we are crazy. We are a little crazy.
photo courtesy of Kevin

As much as I wanted to talk to him, I didn't want to bother him. I know he would have been welcoming and gracious, but I also knew he had been surrounded by people wanting to talk to him all weekend. I did talk to his brother Hawi for a couple of minutes while we were in the buffet line. I made sure to tell him how much we appreciated the extra time on Thursday night.

Joan Benoit Samuelson & Meb getting a little dessert.
Mostly fruit, in case you are wondering.

A selfie with Joan & Meb! (yes, we are crazy.)
photo courtesy of Susan

Sunday: The Race

Meb was using the race as a tempo run for his Rio training and planned to pace the 6-minute mile group. I was a spectator for the race, ultimately opting to be there as a coach for the people who had trained with me rather than a runner (a story for another day). I watched everyone start, and I watched everyone finish. It was fun being a spectator for this race that I love so much.

I took a lot of pictures from the starting wave but I didn't see Meb. Later I heard that he was finishing up an interview and started late. A re-examination of my pictures led to a Meb spotting on the sidelines just before the race:

See circle on the right - that is Meb between the men in the yellow vests

It was much easier to spot Meb at the finish line, where he brought in the 6-minute pace group with ease. He crossed the finish line holding celebratory hands in the air with two runners and it just brought a smile to my face. It was such a typical thing for Meb to do. He celebrates others. It isn't just about him. It's one of the many inspirational things about Meb.

Meb congratulating Katie (whom I met via facebook when I posted this picture!)

More congratulations from Meb

And that's the weekend. Four days of Meb. Just being in his presence was awesome. Thank you, Meb, for being so classy, so generous, so genuine, so inspirational. Thank you for being you. 

Cherry Blossom Training Kickoff Party

Last night we kicked off PR Reston's Cherry Blossom Training Program with a happy hour/gear up party. It was a fun and informal way for participants to:

• Meet the coaches & other runners
• Ask questions about the program
• Receive a generous discount on gear and apparel
• Enjoy cherry blossom cupcakes 
• Register for the race using PR premium promo codes
• Preview the official race shirt
• Opt for a New Balance/PR Training shirt/hoodie/jacket from a previous year's program

It was an especially timely event since the impending "snowzilla" means we are almost surely going to miss our informal kickoff run this Sunday. We were able to assure everyone that missing this run would not impact the training plan (which doesn't officially start until Monday), and that we would alert them by email about Sunday's status. 

Cherry Blossom cupcakes and tasty beverages

A little socializing before the main event

PR Owner Ray Pugsley discusses the right gear for cold weather training
(photo courtesy of Laurentina Photography)

Race Registration

Almost all of the participants are in the "premium" program, which comes with a 2016 Cherry Blossom race bib. PR gives them a race code, and they use that race code to register for the race. We still have a limited number of registration codes available as of 1/22/16.

• To make it as easy as possible, we provided codes onsite and access to laptops and iPads
• We also had "visual aids" to show how the "upgrade" race shirt compared to the standard shirt and what the medal is like
• This helped with the registration process, when runners need to decide whether to opt for add-ons like the tech shirt and the medal

The blue shirt is the 2016 "standard" shirt;
The upgrade shirt is red and made of technical fabric;
The medal is from last year, but gives an idea of the size & style

New Balance/PR Training Gear

Each year participants receive a long-sleeve training premium from New Balance. It could be a shirt, hoodie, half zip, or jacket. We don't know what they will look like until they come in! 

This year's training premium won't come in for a couple more weeks, and participants were given the option of selecting a past year's premium if they preferred. For some, it was like "Let's Make a Deal" as they tried to decide between the jacket or shirt they held in their hands and holding out to see what will be behind door #2. 

Past year's training premiums presented some tempting options
(photo courtesy of Laurentina Photography)

Marti opted for a blue half zip with coral accents
(photo courtesy of Laurentina Photography)

Ready to Run!

We aren't going to let a little snow dampen our enthusiasm for starting our training. We may miss our informal run this Sunday, and we could be doing speedwork in a parking garage on Tuesday rather than the high school track, but we are ready to run and start our path towards making our Cherry Blossom race goals a reality!

2016 PR Reston Cherry Blossom Coaches, clockwise from left:
Jeff, Traci, Stacy, Kristen, me, Laura
(photo courtesy of Laurentina Photography)

Cherry Blossom Coaches Get Ready!

Potomac River Running's Cherry Blossom Training Program starts this weekend (don't even talk to me about the potential historic snowstorm that is coming...), and I am really excited. I'm the head coach for the Reston program, and I'm working with a team of five coaches who have so much enthusiasm and commitment that it is going to be contagious!

The team met yesterday to get to know each other, learn about how the program works, and brainstorm ways to make it fun while providing all the information our participants need to make their race goals a reality.

The Coaching Team!
Clockwise from lower left: Traci, Stacy, Kristen, Jeff, me, Laura

We are planning:

• Theme runs for Mardi Gras, Valentine's Day, and St. Patrick's Day;
• Informational seminars on running form, strength training, fueling & hydration, and training smart;
• Coffee with Coaches sessions on technology and on everything you need to know for race day;
• And more!

Last year's Mardi Gras theme run
photo courtesy of Laurentina Photography

Most immediately, we are planning a kickoff event on Thursday evening at the PR Reston store for both registered Cherry Blossom trainees and potential trainees who want to learn a little bit more about the program. I'm looking forward to meeting this year's runners and starting their Cherry Blossom journeys off on solid footing. See you Thursday!

PS - it's not too late to join us! More details and registration information are here

Show Us Your New Balance!

The =PR= Reston Cherry Blossom training group has stepped it up a notch as they continue to train for the Cherry Blossom 10-Mile Run on April 12.

We had so much fun with our last contest that our awesome New Balance representative, Samia, offered to sponsor another contest for them! Runners submitted a picture with their favorite New Balance gear and told us what they like about it. The winner (selected by random draw) will receive a New Balance half zip especially chosen for them by Samia! Read on for our latest entries and the announcement of the winner...

Kris says, "The luck of the Irish was with me
in my new green New Balance shirt!
I ran 9.5 miles in the rain!"

Christina caught her little Z-man in her
New Balance jacket..."Mommy said this jacket
is awesome. I wish this jacket fit me!"

Lisa wore her New Balance training shirt on the first nice day
after the giant snow storm. She likes that it is lightweight,
vented up the back, fits great, and coordinated well with her vest.

Here is Robert and his one-week old(!)
Her cuteness & cherry blossoms are distracting dad from his run.
He is wearing the men's New Balance training shirt,
which he says keeps his temperature perfectly regulated.

Tracy is wearing the New Balance Heat Half Zip.
It has been great for the chilly evenings as it is lined with
a thin fleece and has reflective markings.

Karen (center) said her green New Balance shirt is perfect for
having the Irish spirit. She test drove it on our Shamrock training run
before rocking it the next week at the Shamrock Half!

Bonus photo of Karen's Shamrock Half outfit -
it helped her score a PR in the race.Way to go, Karen!

I'm technically not eligible for the contest,
but I couldn't resist a shout-out to my 860v5 shoes.
New Balance gave me these as a thank you
for being part of the Cherry Blossom Blog Team.
They are fashionable and a great stability shoe!

And the winner is...Christina! Congratulations, Christina. Thanks to everyone who participated. Keep up the hard work - the cherry blossoms are right around the corner!

What's a Big Game Runch?

Training for my big spring race, the Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10 Mile Run (CUCB), began this weekend. I'm excited that training began, I'm excited to be coaching the training for Potomac River Running (PR) in Reston, I'm excited to be part of the official race blog team! That's a lot of excitement.

I'm also a little nervous about fitting in my long runs. Last year, I ran my long runs with PR training. This year, since I'm coaching, I will need to fit my long runs in elsewhere on the weekend. Fortunately, there are at least a dozen Reston Runners BFFs who are running CUCB and they are doing long runs on Sunday mornings. I am so grateful for the serendipitous scheduling (and my husband's flexibility and my dad's willingness to help babysit). Coaching on Saturday mornings and long runs on Sundays!

Part I - BFF Run 

Today I split my long(ish) run into two so I could enjoy time with the BFFs who started at 8 and the PR "Big Game Runch" which started at 9. I was grateful that Lynn was up for the double duty and joined me for the juggling of runs.

We are currently doing 2:4 walk:run intervals, so we did 12 minutes out and 12 minutes back with the BFFs before driving over to PR. It was nice to have some one-on-one time to catch up with Lynn while we maintained the conversational pace of an easy long run.

Part II - Big Game Runch Run

What is a Big Game Runch? It's a fun run, followed by brunch, to kick off Super Bowl Sunday. The festivities were co-hosted by PR Reston and Nike. Nike rep Ashley brought three kinds of shoes to test, including the soon-to-be-released Lunar Tempo. Since I'm a stability kind of gal, I stuck with the Air Zoom Structure 18. I was pretty psyched that Ashley had brought them in a size 6 for my Cinderella feet. I swapped the standard insoles for my Superfeet and thoroughly enjoyed running in test shoes for the second part of my run.

We stuck to 2:4 and did 18 minutes out, 18 minutes back. We covered the same section of the trail as we had run the day before during PR training, and it felt downright balmy after the frigid temperatures of the preceding day.

Ashley & new PR Reston employee Max show off the shoes

Jen & I display our test shoes.
Jen made a joke about baby shoe & mama shoe...

Marian, Jen, Lynn, me & Gina ready to hit the W&OD trail

After the run we got to enjoy the brunch. Beverages ranged from coffee & water to mimosas & Shock Top Belgian White. Coach Shannon noted it has an orange on the label, so it is clearly a breakfast beer. Food included bagels, scones, doughnut holes, a variety of fruits & veggies, and some cookies. It was quite a spread and definitely hit the spot after my back-to-back runs. In addition to the brunch, Ashley raffled off five prizes - that's a lot of prizes for a fun run! Three half-zips and two pairs of shoes.

My friend Gina won a pair of shoes!
(photobomb courtesy of Coach Shannon)

Unknown feature of  Nike "ninja" jacket: beer smuggling

Thanks to PR Reston and Ashley from Nike for the fun run, great brunch, and generous raffle prizes! It was a great way to start a Sunday.