More Cherry Blossoms

It's just about over for the spectacular cherry blossom blooms.

Enjoy.

The beautiful colors of spring will still be ongoing even as these blooms fade.

Wait till next year for these special blossoms.

Hey Greg!

I was on Hains Point in DC last week, where there's free parking, intending to head over by a bike from the bike-share program docking station there across the bridge to L'Enfant Plaza to go running at noon with my former running buddy from work when another friend and former colleague ran by at a rapid pace on a tempo run.  I called out, "Hey, Greg!"

He glanced over, said, "Hello Peter," and kept on going.  I hadn't seen Greg in months and I thought he was going to skip this opportunity to catch up briefly because, well, he was on a timed speed run.  But after a few more steps he stopped, shut off his pacing watch, and came over to chat for a few minutes.  He didn't even evince that he had things to do (like finish his planned run) and places to be (like back at work in a few minutes) and we had a nice, unhurried talk.

I wouldn't have blamed him if he had just waved hello and kept on going.  Don't I know that runners are obsessive and compulsive; that's why they're runners and most write down the time and distance of each and every run.

But friendship won out over a runner's dedication in this instance and I appreciated that.  Greg's a great guy and shares his talents for running with sage advice when asked and mentors people at work in a way that not many other lawyers do.  After our brief conversation I hopped aboard a bike to go meet my running partner at noon and Greg took off on foot to run across the same bridge I was going to cross and don't you know, he beat me across it.  At noon I had a nice mile-long run with my past running buddy to the DAV Memorial in my attempted return to running ten months and forty pounds after achilles tendinitis felled me.

Cherry Blossoms on Haines Point

I don't like running around Haines Point; it's too long and lonely and windy, and there are too many memories of hard ten-milers, half marathons and marathons there.  But it is beautiful when the cherry blossoms bloom.  (National Airport.)

This year was no different.  The blossoms were more full and hence more spectacular on Haines Point this year than around the Tidal Basin.  (Fort McNair.)

When I run at noon on the Mall with my friends, I park on Haines Point because parking is free for three hours, there's always parking available, and it's only 3/4 of a mile away from where I meet my friends, so that's my warmup.  I had plenty of opportunity this year to see the trees on Haines Point.  (The long, lonely road.)

Although the cherry blossoms in the District were impacted negatively this year because of the freakish winter weather, they still were a sight to see.  DC is a great place to run.  (The channel side.)

The Finish

At the Navy-Air Force Half Marathon last month in DC, which I'd signed up for in the spring and trained for all summer with two training partners, one of whom had been unable to compete, I met my goal of running a sub-two hour HM by hanging ontl the fast pace of the other training partner Lia the first half of the race and then, when I could no longer keep up with her due to weariness, I hung on alone the second half of the race as best I could while Lia ran a negative split and smashed her PR by throwing down a 1:50:59 (8:28 pace).  Proud to know ya, Lia!  (Done!)

The last part of the race was looming and I felt like I was merely shuffling along as I headed towards Haines Point and the race's last four miles on its interminable loop.  Obviously I had a six-mile base, which I already knew, and could extend a run past that point (the rule of thumb is that you should be able to go two and a half times past your base in a race, perhaps not prettily), and I suspected I could finish without stopping to walk, even through a water stop, but it was getting ugly.  (The last little uphill as seen on my first post-race run.)

I had brought one gu pack with me, a wonderful 1.1 ounce pasty elixir of mocha chocolate infused with double caffein and I distracted myself for a mile or so by deciding upon MP nine as being the best place to consume it and then being in the throes of anticipation as I looked out for said milepost and contemplated the fuel pack's magical restorative powers.  I ran by milepost nine as the Jefferson Memorial came into view with George Mason's bigger-than-life seated statue standing nearby and had my gu.  Revived a little, now it was a slog to the finish as I plunged down Haines Point counter clockwise and passed MP 10, having slowed to a 8:54 pace for the last two miles with my overall race-pace being 8:40 at that point, still well within the necessary requirement of running a 9:09 pace to break two hours.  (Done!)

My last 5K from there was a slow 28:09 (9:04 pace) which was still faster than the last 5K I did on a snowy day in the spring (28:30) but I felt as if the wheels were coming off as I left Haines Point to labor up the little uphill past the Bureau of Engraving building in the last half-mile, trying to quicken my pace for the finish.  Thankfully the finish line was on a little downhill in the shadow of the Washington Monument and I crossed it in a time of 1:54:53 (8:47), mightily pleased to have broken 1:55 as well as two hours.  I owe my satisfactory time to my training partner who put in those long training hours with me and who ran a perfect first half of the race with me to put my objectives for the race before me for me to fulfill.  (Lia's husband came to cheer us on.)

Cherry Blossoms Redux

I ran around Haines Point today at noon because that's where Sunday's Cherry Blossom 10-Miler went. I was intrigued by the comment in Jim Hage's write-up of the race that around Haines Point, "the blossoming cherry trees nearly formed a tunnel." Well, yeah, I can confirm that. Imagine running through that kind of scenery in a race, with the sparkling blue water of the Potomac set off by the lush pink petals of Cherry Blossoms in full bloom. (Right: The Jefferson Memorial across the Tidal Basin.)

(Left: M and L run under a canopy of Cherry Blossoms along the Tidal Basin a week ago. L, having just turned 60, started running in January and turned in a 1:23 at the Cherry Blossom 10-Miler. Whew.) The Cherry Blossoms are becoming wizened, for sure. A week ago they were glorious, now they are merely very good. They have definitely peaked and are starting to blow off the trees, but maybe it will still be showy this weekend in Washington. The viewing was still good today and the Tidal Basin was full of tourists out on rented paddle boats. I'll leave you with some more pictures of last Wednesday's run. (Right: Can any readers identify this beautiful and evocative little monument in the city of big monuments?)