Cherry blossom vs. Army 10 miler for slow middle aged female runner

[Anonymous]

I know I missed the Cherry Blossom registration for this year. Assuming I can get in the Army 10 Miler, would that be ok for someone who has about an 11:20 per mile pace and currently has only run 6 miles max? I'm working on increasing that and wonder if the Army 10 Miler might be something to shoot for. What about next year's Cherry Blossom 10? Any other local 10 Miler?

[Anonymous]

Check if they have a time limit on finishing. I did ATM years ago but I don’t remember what the time limit was. Both are extremely crowded and chaotic. It might be nice to find something lower key.

[Anonymous]

The Cherry Blossom is a nicer race than the Army Ten Miler (somewhat less crowded, prettier route) but there's no guarantee of getting in. I ran the Cherry Blossom last year and the cutoff pace was 14 min/mile, so this should be well within your reach! There are plenty of non-super-fast runners (including me). Another option is the GW Parkway Classic which is at the end of April and runs up the parkway from Mt. Vernon. I personally prefer the city routes as there is more to look at and more people cheering along the route. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Cherry Blossom is a lottery, fyi. Registration is never a guarantee.

I've done both - just make sure you can meet the cutoff time, and stand in your correct section based on pace and finish time.

Army 10 miler is a harder coarse with a more iconic finish.

Parkway Classic is another option, but the parkway has a lot of concrete. Depending on your body, that may be a factor.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Cherry Blossom is a lottery, fyi. Registration is never a guarantee.

I've done both - just make sure you can meet the cutoff time, and stand in your correct section based on pace and finish time.

Army 10 miler is a harder coarse with a more iconic finish.

Parkway Classic is another option, but the parkway has a lot of concrete. Depending on your body, that may be a factor.

Thanks! Anyone know what the odds of winning the Cherry Blossom lottery are?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Cherry Blossom is a lottery, fyi. Registration is never a guarantee.

I've done both - just make sure you can meet the cutoff time, and stand in your correct section based on pace and finish time.

Army 10 miler is a harder coarse with a more iconic finish.

Parkway Classic is another option, but the parkway has a lot of concrete. Depending on your body, that may be a factor.

Thanks! Anyone know what the odds of winning the Cherry Blossom lottery are?

Depends on how many people register. I feel like it's somewhere between 33-50%.

[Anonymous]

You have plenty of time to train for the Army and your pace is fine.

-middle-age average-pace runner that has run the Army a number of times.

[Anonymous]

I think it's harder to train for the Army 10 miler since a lot of that training is happening in hotter months, but I like both races generally. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

I got in 4 years in a row, and then didn't get in this year, boo. Odds are pretty solid, or I have weirdly good luck.

I'm also a slow runner, around 11/mm. You'll be fine. You'll run faster on race day anyway. For both you can either train for up to 12 miles, but I tend to train up to 8 miles ahead of the race. You are nearly there - you can definitely do it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Check if they have a time limit on finishing. I did ATM years ago but I don’t remember what the time limit was. Both are extremely crowded and chaotic. It might be nice to find something lower key.

11:20 MM is not even close to the limitation on time.

[Anonymous]

As others have said, you have a huge amount of time to train for the army 10 miler 11 minute miles is probably nowhere near the cut off it’s gonna be on the website

As for cherry blossom, if you’re interested in running that next year, if you volunteer this year, you should get a guaranteed bib what I did

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You have plenty of time to train for the Army and your pace is fine.

-middle-age average-pace runner that has run the Army a number of times.

Same. My pace is only a minute faster than yours, OP, and there were several pace-based heats lined up behind mine at the start. I was maxing at 5-6 miles during June when I picked up a friend’s registration due to injury. Trained up in plenty of time.

You got this.

[Anonymous]

I think it's fine - but there are probably smaller races that are easier for your first time. Those two are huge and lots of crowds.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for all the encouragement! Any suggestions for a less crowded 10 miler nearby?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thanks for all the encouragement! Any suggestions for a less crowded 10 miler nearby?

They're all pretty crowded.

As long as you've done other races before (some 5k/10k races, etc) and this isn't your first ever race, then any of the 10 milers should be fine.