Credit Union Cherry Blossom 2016 Volunteer Report: Let Them Eat Cheese!

One of the best things about the Credit Union Cherry Blossom Ten Mile Run organization is that they award every single volunteer with a guaranteed bib into the race the next year. No lottery stress!

Ok, let me stop you here. If you've even read this far, I apologize. I admit this isn't the most exciting beginning to a blog entry ever, is it? I mean, no lottery stress? Is that really a stress? (I mean, yes, it is a stress waiting to see if you've gotten into the race, but is it that big of a deal? Ok, maybe it is kind of a big deal because Cherry Blossom is such a great race, but you know what I'm saying, this isn't the stress level of a surgeon in the ER, or even an Air Traffic Controller we're talking about here.)

I've started to write this blog entry many times, and each time I'm left with the notion that I should just tell you to go read my friend Tai Fung's Cherry Blossom Volunteer report over here. He's funny and clever and tells the same story that I am about to tell, but with actual humor and important information.  Plus he has GIFs! I have no idea how to add a GIF and even if I did, how do you find the funny ones and then um, make funny commentary below them? So, just read Tai's blog and you'll have a guaranteed good time AND you'll find out all you need to know about volunteering at Cherry Blossom. 

(Are you still here? Thank you! I'll try to keep you awake, I promise!)

So, when I met some of the volunteers at the 2015 Cherry Blossom race, I vowed to sign up to volunteer in 2016.

Okay, maybe I can be funny. This is a funny GIF right? Am I funny? AM I FUNNY? *cries*  

Cherry Blossom let's you pick your volunteer assignment in great detail, from which day you would like to volunteer (FRI-SUN) and what job you would like to do (Security, Info Booth, Bag Check,  etc). Plus you get a fancy t-shirt AND they invite you to a special party! 

I decided to use a specific volunteer strategy: I would volunteer on Friday, giving myself all day Saturday to rest before racing on Sunday. And I would pick the Information Booth because...well...because it sounded like I could sit down and just talk to people. Sitting down would give me another few hours to rest up my legs before the race. Truthfully, not only did I really *not* need to rest my legs, as I hadn't even been training in the last several months, and I had barely been running at all since my injury, but also I didn't end up sitting down in the information booth anyway. Information is much better given out while standing up, turns out. 

I showed up at the Information Booth to begin my, um, Informationing Duties at 2PM on Friday. The expo hall was bustling with volunteers and CUCB (that's short for Credit Union Cherry Blossom) workers setting everything up. The official opening of the expo would not be until 3PM. I started talking to a woman who was also working the info booth and she casually asked me if I had "read all of the information they sent out so we would be ready in the booth..." WAT? Um. No? There was information? "I am here to like, give information but ahhh, I didn't know we had to um, read  information before we gave it out." I mumbled. She didn't seem to be bothered by this...lack of information from me and cheerily stated that I should not worry, that she volunteers at CUCB every year and she had refreshed herself by reading the information they sent to us, and she felt confident that she knew all the information we would need to give out. PHEW. There were several chairs behind the information booth desk and she took one. I stood by the side of the booth, slightly nervous about my, lack of information. 

I was busy going over and over in my mind what questions people could possibly ask and figuring I could wing it, after all, I was a veteran of this race, having completed it as my first Ten Miler (which wasn't actually 10 miles) in 2015, when my friend Tai Fung showed up. We had laughed a few days before when we figured out that we'd both picked the Information Booth for volunteering (great minds think alike) and I quickly asked him, "Did you read all the Information that they sent to us that we were supposed to read so we are like, prepared to answer questions?" And he looked at me and said, "No?????" And I suggested that he join me on the side of the table where we would be less likely to have to give out Actual Information. 

But when the expo opened we actually did give out a lot of information. Turns out I did know most of the answers to questions people asked, from having raced CUCB before, and I really enjoyed talking to all the racers who were coming through the expo. Mostly the questions were about where to pick up bibs (up there), where to donate shoes (over there), what metro stop was closest to the race (ask him), where should spectators go for the best viewpoints (this was my favorite question and I really liked talking to the runners about who was coming to see them and where their family and friends should go), what was the course like (also another favorite - gah, ask a runner to talk courses about a race they've completed and we can tell you mile by mile and then we'll tell you how we felt and all about that tiny little hill and then when we nearly stumbled and then where we picked it up and well, you get it, I had plenty of Informationing to do!).

Volunteering at a race (or before a race in this case) is such a rewarding experience, not just with guaranteed bibs or t-shirts or parties but being able to experience racing from the other side is so important. Talking to racers, helping out, and yes, giving actual information to them, all of that makes the race happen. And when I race I feel like I have a better handle on what the volunteers have given: their time, energy and a lot of love. I cannot recommend it enough for every runner - get out there and volunteer - do it for a race you may or may not be running - any race, just be a part of it from the other side. You deserve to understand. Plus, free stuff, come on? You guys, seriously, do it!

So, just as we were getting rolling in the booth, Meb began his first presentation. The energy was huge! People LOVE Meb! Everyone loves Meb! I am a HUGE Meb fan. I love Meb! I was screaming in my cube at work with my headphones on when he was winning Boston. And now, at the Expo, I was SO excited he was there, in the flesh, just in front of me!

This is Meb running away when he found out I was in the Expo as well. Someone heard him shouting, "Get that crazy girl away from me!"

Hey - by the way, I think you see I figured out how to add GIFs to my blog after all? Tai Fung, if you're reading this, I'm going to get better at this and then you and your perfectly hilarious blog had better watch out! There's a New World Order coming to Blog Land!

Ahem, so where was I?

"Go get your photo taken with Meb," our Volunteer Boss Denise urged us. I was super casual. "Uh, you know, I'm moving to San Diego soon and I'm sure I'll see him all the time there, so I don't really need to have my photo taken with him."  The truth is that even though I'm only 5'4 on a good day, I knew I would look gargantuan next to Meb. There was no WAY I was going to be photographed next to him! I paid homage from a safe distance. I'm quite sure Meb was fine with this.

Soon a woman approached the booth. I looked at her quizzically. "I think I know you from somewhere? You look so familiar. Do we know each other?" I asked. "I'm KimRunsMiles&Smiles from Twitter she said." "YES! So nice to meet you in person! I'm CCRuns!" "I know," she said. And we laughed. Twitter handles are one thing on twitter, but when you say them out loud when meeting a person In Real Life, you have to just laugh. Kim, like Tai Fung, is a CUCB Social Ambassador, which basically means they are VIP and Super Hot Stuff.

Cherry Blossom Social Ambassadors doing their Ambassadoring at the Expo

Next my other friend Kim stopped by. She's in my running group My Running Girlfriends and she and I raced the Tri-4-Love Triathlon together.  I was so excited to see her again! The Information Booth was the place to be! She and I talked race strategy (she was going to kick some major ass and I was going to try to not die) and a few minutes later I saw another familiar face. Except like with KimRunsMiles&Smiles, I couldn't quite figure out where I knew him from. I tilted my head to the side to...do what? What does tilting your head to the side actually do? But I tilted my head and looked at him again and realized he was *also* a runner from the world of Twitter. Mr. MidPackBiped had arrived at the Info Booth to say hello!  

The guy in the yellow ran to the Expo. The girl in the middle ran to the corner to catch an Uber to the Expo. 

And by the way, he ran to the Expo and he was planning on running back to his office afterward! What seemed like only moments later, we were being released from our Informationing Duties. It was nearly 6PM and a fresh group of volunteers had arrived (great news for the later arriving runners, this group seemed quite prepared to give out accurate information) so our little gang hit the mean streets of DC for a quick break before we had to be back at the expo for the volunteer party. We somehow talked MidPack into joining us for a beer (I'm in Olympic Level Beer Drinking shape right now and I intended to show these guys that training pays off!) and I know you know this, but beer and running go so well together that before we knew it we had all been talking races and beer and running and recovery and the time flew by and we were suddenly late for the party!

And what a party it was! As if a guaranteed race bib for 2017, a fancy shirt and the general fun of being at the Expo wasn't enough, CUCB hosts a Volunteer Party the Friday night before the race. AND THERE WAS A MAC-N-CHEESE BAR! I mean, what? It was fabulous. There was a crudité platter as well and it was also fabulous but let's just revisit: what is more brilliant than inviting runners to a mac-n-cheese party? These people know how to do it up right. There was also a live band, wine and prizes and a ton of general merriment.

Now, with our bellies filled with a little beer, a lot of mac-n-cheese, and our hearts filled with the satisfaction of volunteering, all we had left to do was get some rest and prepare to race on Sunday. 

The 2015 Cherry Blossom Ten Miler. Err 9.39 Miler.

The 2015 Cherry Blossom Ten Miler was the first race in which I ever “won” a bib via lottery.  I was so excited the day I received the email telling me I had been picked to run the race! I was in the mix!

“Congratulations - you were chosen in the lottery for the Credit Union Cherry Blossom Ten Mile Run.”

Granted it was a mix of 15,000 runners but it was the first one I had been chosen for and I felt so proud to be picked to run this famous DC spring race.

The way I figured it, I had already won just by being picked! But now I had to figure out how to race this iconic Ten Miler well.

No problem, race registration included a training program presented by New Balance. I had used the perfect and fabulous Hal Higdon plans for my previous 5 Half Marathon distance races, but I thought, why not give New Balance a try for the Ten Miler? The NB plan is easy to follow.

Each day they send you your plan  and you do it. And I thought, if I just follow the plan, I’ll be a star at Cherry Blossom.

For example, here’s one from early on in training:

February 2, 2015

Distance: 2-4 miles

Goal: Easy conversational running 

for the entire distance.


And here’s what I noted that day about it:

"Look at my nifty Cherry Blossom 10 Miler Training Program from New Balance! And now imagine me running w/o breathing heavily. Ha ha! I’m out of breath from just laughing about  it. Plus I’m working and I’m staring outside at a blizzard. Not sure how I'm going to get these 3 miles in today but I'll make something happen."

You know what? It’s tough to train outside in winter. I had yet to own a treadmill and at the time I lived in a tiny town in Virginia wine country that had no gym. But somehow I made it through a couple more snow storms and lots of freeze-your-eyelashes winter sunset runs, and before I knew it, not only was the race upon me, but I had signed a lease on an apartment in DC as well. I’d be running the race in my again-soon-to-be-home-town. I was going to be a local runner in a famous DC race. I was really in the mix.

But when I headed into the expo, I felt suddenly more than slightly intimidated by tons of people whom I surmised to all be the best runners in history, who likely had lots of experience running the flat and fast streets of DC. They were all surely faster than me, fitter than me, and I felt like they were all staring at me, wondering what I was doing there. I was a mountain girl, used to running trails on huge inclines over roots and rocks and uneven terrain, rather slowly. 

Of course, this is a ridiculous fear of mine. I had already won the lottery and was awarded a place in this race, right? I couldn’t help myself though. The fear of not being a good enough runner, not “belonging” in a race often overwhelms me. I appear confident on the outside most of the time, but inside I’m terrified that I don’t belong, that I’m not a good enough runner to race with everyone else.

There are 15,000 people of all running levels who participate in Cherry Blossom. I know this on a conscious level. I know I’m somewhere in the mix consciously.  But still, I have to remind myself to push the subconscious doubt away. I took a deep breath, put my shoulders back and down and told myself I belonged there and to enjoy it as a racer, as someone who had been chosen to be there and to run this race. 

Once I allowed myself to feel that way, I spent some time at the expo, soaking it all in. It was so great – hosted in the incredible National Building Museum and filled with lots of free running swag, and tons and tons of excited runners.  

I wore my I Run Steeps shirt to the expo. Trail Runner humor. I don't belong here! Ha ha! Gulp.

I woke up on race day ready to go. It was a gorgeous morning and just moments after I arrived on the National Mall, amongst thousands of runners milling around, I saw my friend Chuck Love. What great luck! Chuck is an AMAZINGLY fast runner. I'm always impressed by his feats of speed and his sweet and funny demeanor, even with the stress of a race in front of him. I wished him the best as he headed to the front of the race chutes. Next I found a group of ladies from my running group My Running Girlfriends. We had been lucky that several of us had been chosen for the lottery. We also met up with MRGF Beth, who had not been chosen in the lottery, so she was volunteering this year in order to secure a bib for 2016. I made a mental note of that genius idea, and proceeded to my starting chute with my friend Tora.

As we were lining up, murmurs were going through the crowd that the course was being shortened because of an accident on one of the bridges that the race crosses. Instead of 10 full miles there would be a cut in the course and it would end up being 9.39 miles.   

This news wasn’t that big of a deal to me (other than sorrow for those involved in the accident). I quickly decided there was no need to alter my race plan. Sure, I would push a bit more at the end, and maybe take a gel a little earlier. But otherwise I would stick to my plan and just execute it a bit faster. Many other racers were freaking out about the mileage shortage. I felt badly for their frustration, but I kept thinking to myself, we’re lucky to be running at all. We are all so lucky to be here. I’m not a competitive racer so my pacing wasn’t exact enough to be screwed up by the change, and mentally I figured, hey – shorter distance – that’s a bonus in some ways, like, we get to the beer faster. And as my first ever 9.39 mile race, It would be my 9.39 Miler PR for sure any way it turned out.  

With a total of 15,000 runners, everyone had warned me that the start at Cherry Blossom is a nightmare, and that you find yourself winding and weaving and walking through throngs of people for a long time before you find the space to hit your pace.

Did I stress about this? No WAY! Anytime I’m in a race where I’m “in the pack” I’m psyched. I choked down a gel and before I knew it, my heat was called to begin and we were off in a huge group, shuffling through the starting gate. I was able to quickly pick up to my pace, and then something amazing happened, I ran shoulder to shoulder with thousands of people for 9.39 miles.

To try to explain the joy that a Back of the Packer feels when she is actually in the pack would be impossible.   I would venture to guess that it’s the same feeling that a front of the pack runner feels when she finally breaks free from the pack and is out there in front alone, on the road to winning. It felt so good to be in the pack. To be racing with people who run my pace, to be surrounded by so many who were going for the same goal. 

I passed people, people passed me, I passed them again, I listened to conversations, and felt great. I was a part of the pack. A pack of runners! Maybe I did belong in this iconic race after all!

I do all of my training runs alone, which I love, but for some reason, racing amongst others just feels so good. Perhaps this one felt even better because in many of my races I’ve been alone, at the back of the pack. The spectators were amazing too – so many people lined the streets and bridges of DC on that pretty spring morning, cheering us on. I smiled for 9.39 miles. 

I came running into the finish chute to see my training partner Matthew, and my old friend Sarah who had come into DC just to see me race. That in itself absolutely made my whole day. All runners know what it’s like to finish a race without a spectator there for you, and all family-members-of-runners know what a pain in the ass it is to get up and go to a race to see your loved one for just a moment on the course or maybe not even at all till the end. I am forever grateful to anyone who comes out to my races and seeing Sarah there just melted my heart and made my smile even bigger.

Sarah came into DC via the dreaded subway to see me race - she deserves a medal as well!

And it was a PR! A 9.39 Miler PR, as well as a fast time for me in any race distance. The running crowd had carried me along and the spectators had cheered me on. I was a very happy runner.

My running group girl friend Mary Beth came to race from Roanoke, VA (bonus thumb in pic as well)  

The post race celebration commenced with beers at Elephant & Castle (thank you Elephant & Castle for opening early because beer tastes delicious at 10AM!) where I met up with My Running Girlfriends* and brunch with old and new friends, John and Kristina (John ran Cherry Blossom in an Oxford and khaki pants and looked quite preppily perfect doing so), and the most wonderful couple, Tania and Heather who I found out would be my new neighbors in DC, and who would both turn out to be major inspirations to me in my running future. We recovered with beers and we talked about our runs and how lucky we were to be chosen for this race. I was part of a pack. In the mix. I won the lottery. I am a runner.

With Tora and Mary Beth, putting our beers down for a sec to show off medals.

I Run to Live

Running is not something I do for others. I totally get it that people use their athleticism to raise money and awareness for charities. I do volunteer work too – just not while I’m running. Maybe it’s a selfish thing. Maybe I need running to just be mine. 

I did raise $4,000 for each of my marathons, for the Leukemia Society’s Team in Training but I’ll admit, I did it for the training. I asked others to donate and they did. But the marathons were mine. I didn’t have a personal connection to the charity. I finished the marathons for myself. 

Recently I showed up for a charity race and even forgot to bring my toy donation. I was joking this morning about how people run for cancer kids, and I run for pizza. People run for fallen heroes and I run for my next beer. People run to find a cure for Parkinson’s, or for autism awareness and I run to burn off cake. I run to burn energy and to gain energy, and it’s always for myself. 

I started running to lose weight, to get in shape, to prove that I could be the athlete I wanted to be, to be an attractive person on the outside, to figure who that person was who had become buried under 100 pounds of extra weight. 

That's me. I know, right? 

Maybe my goal was so big that I couldn’t give anything to others. Maybe I had to keep it all to myself so I could survive. So I ran for pizza. And beer. And cake. I ran to burn energy and to gain energy, always for myself.

A girl in my running group named Jennifer is running to get in shape too. She has challenged herself with “Running the Year” – 2016 miles in 2016. Whether she achieves the 2016 miles or not, she is out there, getting the miles in, day after day, running for whatever she is running for. 

Yesterday she was out on a run she and overheard a conversation that two other runners were having behind her that one can only assume they thought she could not hear.  They were discussing Jennifer’s weight and looks. “You see that fat girl in red? You don’t want to become like that...” And they went on.  

I’m sure they didn’t mean for her to hear them. I’m sure they would be horrified to know that she did. We all know, she knows, to brush comments like that off. To let them go. We can rationally understand that this is a shortcoming of theirs, and has nothing to do with her. But she heard it. And it hurts. Badly. I know. You want to forget comments like that. You try. You know you should. You are tougher than that. You’re better than they are. But you hear it over and over in your head.

I heard Jennifer’s story and it took me back to a similar experience I had at a lacrosse game in college. I managed the men’s lacrosse team, and at this particular game my brother’s university had come to play a game at my school. One of the guys on my team was taunting my brother during the game, as guys do in team sports sometimes. He was trying to get my brother riled up on the field. Nels Benson was his name. I remember his name all these years later just like I remember his comment. He shouted over to my brother “What about your fat sister!?”  

I did become really fat. 

I wasn’t motivated to lose weight until many years later when I had gained even more weight.  I never forgot the feeling, the hurt, the shame that that comment brought me.  Nels apologized. I’m positive he meant nothing by it. I know that by even repeating the comment now I give it power that it doesn’t need. I know he wasn’t thinking, he certainly didn’t mean for me to hear it, and only meant to rile up my brother in order to distract him during a game. 

In a weird way, these days, I happily let the comment have some power. Of course I have a lot more confidence now. I may not be able to forget what he said, but I can understand that it isn’t important. Even though it’s a part of my life, it didn’t shape my life. I shaped my life. I allowed myself to become 100 pounds overweight and I chose to do something about it. I became a runner. I became an athlete. I run for pizza. And beer. And cake. I run to burn energy and to gain energy, and it’s always for myself. Sometimes after a great run, I’ll remember what he said, I’ll recall that moment, let the hurt wash over me and then let the joy of the present moment take over. I’ll feel so happy that I’ve made it this far. That I am no longer fat. That I am a work in progress. That I lost 75 lbs, not because of Nels’ comment, but in spite of it. That I still have a ways to go but I know I can do it. I run to live. 

There are very few photos of me that do not include beer. Because beer is delicious!

I am motivated by pizza and beer and cake and positivity and I gain strength from positive experiences instead of living in the shadow of a negative comment made pretty much unintentionally, years ago. But it's not easy to forget. I learn from people like my friend Traci who I met through running. She taught me that I can do anything. I can achieve any goal. I can lose weight, learn to run, I can learn from hurtful comments, I can climb mountains, whatever I want to do. I learn from both but Traci's amazing outlook is in my thoughts much more often.  

That's my friend Traci and me meeting up for a run. Traci is amazing and I'll write a blog entry about her one day soon.

Another girl in my running group decided to set up a virtual run for Jennifer to show her that there are a lot of people out there who support her. Today everyone in my group who participates will wear red and simply log miles to support her, to make her feel less hurt, to let her know that people care. To let her know that she can do anything. 

We all have our motivation to run. To run for the cancer kids. To run for fallen heroes, to run for a cure for Parkinson’s, for autism awareness, or just so we can stay alive ourselves. I run for pizza, for beer, for cake. I run to live and it's always for myself.  And today I’ll put on something red and run for Jennifer as well.