All posts by Molly

About Molly

2012 Social Runner, 2013 - Present Social Media Coordinator for the CUCB!

RACE DAY HIGH WIND ALERT

Uncategorized

Alert*** WATER STOP UPDATE BELOW***

Based on high wind warnings of expected wind gusts in excess of 50 mph, and in the interest of the safety of our runners and volunteers, the Credit Union Cherry Blossom Run is implementing a range of race day adjustments.

At the present time, our plans are to move forward with both the 10-mile and 5K, but the Kids’ Run has been cancelled.

We are asking all of our participants to understand that these adjustments are being made for your safety while enabling us to conduct the race at all. These changes include:

  • Elimination of all race signage and overhead structures at the start and finish lines of both races
  • Elimination of all on-course signage including split time clocks
  • Elimination of all tents on the Washington Monument Grounds except for the bag check tent and the main medical tent
  • Elimination of pre-race warm-ups and post-race awards ceremony

After you finish the race, 10 milers will receive heat blankets, water, food and medals as you head north on 15th Street, and then will be encouraged to head home. 5K finishers will receive the same amenities at the finish line of the 5K.

Volunteers are needed now more than ever, please check your inboxes and spam folders  this evening for a note from the volunteer coordinator regarding any changes to your instructions for race day.

Sincerely,

The Organizing Committee

***WATER STOP UPDATE***

The 10 mile course will be supported by 3 water stops (appx. mile 2.5, mile 6, and appx. mile 9). The 5k will not have a water stop, but water bottles will be available at the finish line.

Making the Most of Your #CUCB2016 Expo Experience

Uncategorized
The National Building Museum is a beautiful location for our Expo!
The National Building Museum is a beautiful location for our Expo!

There is always a lot going on at the CUCB Expo, beyond packet pickup: expert clinics, packet pickup “happy hour,” and tons of great booths from the running community. We’ve got the rundown (haha) below to make sure you make sure you make the most of your packet pickup.

Clinic and Happy Hour Schedule

Friday, April 1 

3 – 5 PM: Meet Meb Keflezighi at his first Washington, DC major race appearance. After his clinic, you can stop by the Cabot Running Lounge for an autograph session.

5 PM: Packet Pickup Happy Hour, sponsored by The 201 Bar! Happy Hour will feature beer and Cabot cheese from 5:00 P.M. until the beer runs out. Tickets good for one beer will be distributed to registered participants 21-years-of-age or older starting at 4:30 P.M. on Friday while supplies last. Additional beer tickets available for purchase.

Saturday, April 2 

11 AM – 1 PM: Meet Meb Keflezighi at his first Washington, DC major race appearance. After his clinic, you can stop by the Cabot Running Lounge for an autograph session.
3 PM – 4 PM: Meet Joan Benoit Samuelson, gold medalist in the first-ever Olympic Women’s Marathon in Los Angeles in 1984, Boston Marathon winner in 1979 and 1983, and winner of the 1985 Chicago Marathon women’s title in 1985, where she set an American record for the distance with a time of 2:21:21. She’s running her 4th CUCB and will stick around for autographs at the Credit Union booth from 4 PM – 5 PM.

 

Sustainability

Last year we collected 200 pairs of used running shoes at the Expo, and are proud to host used shoe collection again this year. Give your old running shoes new life thanks to the MORE Foundation!

There isn’t a whole lot of car parking near the Building Museum, but there will be a whole lot of bike parking thanks to Two Wheel Valet! Ride your bike down to pick up your packet to help us uphold our reputation as a Gold Level Council for Responsible Sport event.

Vendor List

26.2 Publishing
Alexandria Double
ALSAC/St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
Bad to the Bone LLC
BANDI Wear
Battlefield Half Marathon
BaySix
BeeCause Charms
Bondi Band
Cabot Creamery Cooperative
Charm City Run
Corrigan Sports
Credit Union Cherry Blossom
Ten Mile Run Merchandise
Enovative Technologies
Falls Road Running Store
Feet First Sports
Fitletic Sports, LLC (Fitletic)
Fleet Feet Sports Annapolis
FlipBelt
Freedom Fest Marathon (Suffolk County Marathon)
Gold’s Gym
HB Tune
Lasik Vision Institute
Mana Threads
McAdam
MDA Team Momentum
National Cherry Blossom Festival
National Running Center
Nation’s Triathlon
Naute’ Sport llc dba USA-Sport Eyewear
Navy Federal Credit Union
Navy-Air Force Half Marathon & Navy 5 Miler
New Balance
Paiges Promotions (for Wyndham)
Potomac River Running, Inc.
RaceDots
Ragnar Relay
Real Time Pain Relief
RooSport
RUseeN Reflective Apparel
Sparkly Soul
Sweatwear Plus
Sweaty Bands
TAPS, Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors
Teens Run DC
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Team In Training Program
The Marketing Arm
The Stick
TIDAL ELITE PERFORMANCE CENTER
ZOOMA Women’s Race Series

 

Expo Vendors

Events, Race Info
The National Building Museum is a beautiful location for our Expo!
The National Building Museum is a beautiful location for our Expo!

We always seem to get a handful of requests for this post each year. There’s no creativity involved in writing it, but runners just love to have their Expo plan in place and ask about which vendors they can expect to see when they arrive at the Building Museum to pick up their packets.

 

 

So, without further ado, here’s who’ll be at the 2015 Credit Union Cherry Blossom Expo:

26.2 Publishing
316 Athletic Wear
American Running Camp
Baltimore Running Festival
BANDI Wear
BaySix
BeeCause Charms
Beyond Body Pads
Bondi Band
Cabot Creamery Cooperative
Charm City Run
Comfort One Shoes
Credit Union Cherry Blossom Ten Mile Run Merchandise
Credit Union Cherry Blossom T-Shirt Exchange
Credit Union Miracle Day/Children’s Miracle Network
Dona Jo
Enovative Technologies
Feet First Sports
Fitletic
Fleet Feet Sports Annapolis
Flipbelt
Gold’s Gym
HB Tune – Cell Phone Holders
Hudson Trail Outfitters
Mamma Chia, LLC
McAdam Financially Advanced
Milestone Sports
Muscular Dystrophy Association
National Cherry Blossom Festival
National Running Center
Nations Triathlon
Navy Federal Credit Union
Navy-Air Force Half Marathon & Navy 5 Miler
New Balance
New York Road Runners Team for Kids
Potomac River Running
PSCU
Ragnar Relay
Real Time Pain Relief
Real Time Pain Relief
REVERB
RUseeN Reflective APParel
Small Planet Food
Sparkly Soul, Inc.
State Farm
Suffolk County, Long Island Marathon
Sustainability Credit Union Cherry Blossom Ten Mile Run
Sweatwear Plus
Sweaty Bands
Team Z
Teens Run DC
The Lasik Vision Institute
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
The Ride to Conquer Cancer
The RooSport
The Stick
Total Athletic Comfort, Inc.
USA Sport Eyewear
USA Track and Field
Virginia Wine Country Half Marathon
Woodrow Wilson Bridge Half Marathon & 6K
Wyndham at National Harbor
Zooma Women’s Race Series

For more information about the Expo, how to get there, and how to pick up someone else’s packet, please visit the Expo page on our website.

Making Lemonade From Lemons

Children's Miracle Network Hospitals, Race Info, Volunteering

LemonadeSo, you didn’t get selected for the 2015 Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10 Mile Run or 5k. You might have really had your heart set on it, but it’s time to come up with a contingency plan.

I have a couple of suggestions that might help soothe the sting of lottery loss, depending on your running schedule and interests.

Volunteer Entries

If you have a back up race, but want to run the Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10 Mile Run someday, we would love to have you join us in 2015 as a race day volunteer! Volunteers get a cotton long sleeve tee with this year’s winning race design, a guaranteed race entry for 2016 (at prevailing entry fees), and great running karma!

I missed out on the lottery for the 2010 race so I volunteered as a course marshal for a guaranteed 2011 entry. My job was to protect the giant, expensive clock at Mile 9, and make sure runners weren’t getting too far off course. My role let me see every single person who finished the race – starting with being awestruck by the elite athletes, clapping and shouting for the age groupers, cheering for the middle of the pack, and shouting encouragement for the folks beating the sweeper bus. I’ll never forget how fast the elite athletes seemed when they were zooming right past me, and how great it felt to push the runners who needed a boost at the end of Hains Point.

There are tons of other race day volunteer roles, too, you can visit the volunteer sign-up page to choose one you think you’d like. Bring friends to keep you company – all of the guaranteed entries are transferable so non-runners can get good karma on race day too!

Charity Entries

If you really want to run the 2015 race, we also offer charity race bibs to runners who fundraise for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. You can register as a charity runner and earn a bib for the 2015 race by raising $500 no later than February 28, 2015. You could be training for something bigger than your next PR – your fundraising efforts help treat children regardless of ability to pay. You can even get a whole fundraising team involved to support each other’s efforts! Remember to read through all of the registration instructions – you have to register as a race entry fundraiser to be eligible, and after you raise the $500 there will still be a registration process for the race that you will receive via email.

Bib Transfers

Finally, if you can’t wait until 2016 but you don’t really have a knack for fundraising, we offer a bib transfer process during the month of February. You post what you’re looking for on our forum and hope that someone with a bib they can no longer use is willing to make the transfer. Note: this is the only sanctioned way for one runner to get another runner’s bib. It’s very important that we have accurate information about who is running the race, and the only way to update that information is to use the bib transfer process in February. You can transfer your bib to someone you know and skip the forum arrangements, but for everyone’s safety we do need to be strict about updating bib and runner info through the official process.

I hope to see you at the finish line this year or next – I know you’ll enjoy the race whichever year you join us!

Lottery MFAQ

General,

QsToday is the first day of the 2015 CUCB entry lottery! The first year that I managed the CUCB twitter and facebook pages I felt like I was asking the race committee a million questions, all day long, from Fall Kickoff through the day the finish times became official. Going into my third year, I’ve learned the ropes and am starting to predict (with surprising accuracy!) just what the very Most Frequently Asked Questions (MFAQ) will be for each event leading up to the race. I’ve shared my predictions for the lottery MFAQ below. Did I guess yours? If not, we may have it on the full lottery FAQ. If I did, I’d love to know about it in the comments!

Molly’s Prediction for Top Five Lottery Questions:

1. Does my credit card get charged when I enter the lottery or when I am selected?

Answer: your credit card does not get charged when you enter the lottery, only if you are selected to run the 2015 CUCB.

2. What do the tech tee upgrade and medal look like?

Answer: The medal design is top secret until race day, but we can tell you that the tech tee upgrades are going to be white, v-neck New Balance shirts featuring Abby Matousek’s winning design.

3. Are my odds better or worse if I enter as a group instead of an individual?

Answer: They are exactly the same. If you ONLY want to run the race if certain others are selected with you, a group entry is the way to go. If you all would run with or without each other it’s probably better to enter as individuals and try to get a bib transfer in February or sign up as a charity runner with Credit Union Miracle Day for anyone who wasn’t selected.

4. When will I know if I’m selected for the 2015 CUCB?

Answer: The Tuesday after the lottery closes, December 16, we will know who the 2015 CUCB runners are!

5. What can I do if I don’t get selected?

Answer: you could enter the race as a charity runner, you could post a message on our bib transfer forum in February, or you could help us out as a volunteer on race day. We are always in need of more race day volunteers, and to thank you for spending your morning with us you receive a long-sleeve cotton tee featuring Abby’s design, a guaranteed entry at the prevailing entry fee into our 2016 race, and (most importantly) good running karma!

Good luck to all of you who are entering the lottery this week – I look forward to cheering many of you on at the finish line on April 12, 2015!

Five Tips for a Fantastic Post-Race Experience

Race Recap,

We are so happy to have the 42nd Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10 Mile Run under our belts, and hope you had a great race yesterday morning. We know there are some parts of race day that are still on your mind, and have some tips below for maxing out your runner’s high!

The elite men start the 42nd Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10 Mile Run
The elite men start the 42nd Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10 Mile Run

1. Check Out Your Results. Check your results on your RaceJoy App, on the results site right here, or even the interactive enhanced results on RunPix. RunPix results offer really cool visualizations that can show you where you were on the course when others finished. For example, you could look up Ben Beach’s finish time and find out where you were when he crossed the finish line on his 42nd CUCB! If your GPS clocked you at a longer or shorter race on Sunday, we have an explanation here. If your chip time is really far off, or you aren’t showing up in the results list, please fill out this form.

2. Relive Race Day. The wonderful team at RunnerSpace has an entire site dedicated to the CUCB. You can catch finish line videos of everyone, stories from elite athletes, and pictures from the lead runners in the USATF 10 Mile Championships and the open competition by visiting the page here. You can also see a segment about CUCB from FOX 5, and another from NBC Washington.

3. Treat Yo’self. Check the back of your race bib for a discount to Potomac River Running Store to splurge on some of their gear. If you want to commemorate a great race, you can also shop our official race merchandise page, which will have the order form for medals as soon as that is available as well.

4. Learn About Our Charity Partners. We have so many wonderful community partners who we work with year round. This is a great time to learn about organizations that are making a difference in the community like Teens Run DC, Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals and  Children’s National Medical Center, and the Council for Responsible Sport.

5. Mark Your Calendars. We’re already planning for the 2015 CUCB, and have heard from many of you who are doing the same. You can sign up for reminder emails about 2015 lottery dates here. If you are feeling inspired, we encourage you to enter our t-shirt design contest by June 1, 2014. The 43rd running of the Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10 Mile Run will be on April 12, 2015 – we hope to see you there!

Five Tips for a Flawless Race Day Experience

Events, Running, , , ,

We are less than 1 day away from race day! Having done this a few times, we have learned a few tricks that can take your race day experience from fun to fantastic.

Here’s how you can have the best race day possible:

1. Download our Race App, RaceJoy. The App is FREE and has tons of great information. Get corral start times, bib lookup, and split times for runners (even if they don’t have their GPS on!) so you can meet up with your friends and family. You can download it on Google Play, the App Store, or by clicking here.

2. Get Valet Service. We are so excited to offer a bike valet service for those of you helping us go green this year by biking to the start. The folks at Two Wheel Valet  will park your bike for you, you don’t even need to bring your own lock, and you can leave your bag with your bike to skip bag check. You can find them on Independence Ave, between 14th and 15th streets.

3. Get Emergency Text Alerts. The National Park Service is offering an emergency text alert process specially for the CUCB. Text “10miler” to 888777 to sign up for emergency alerts on race day, sent right to your phone.

4. Dress in Layers. It’s going to be a great day for racing! The temperature at the start will be in the mid to high 30’s, so you should wear extra layers while you are waiting for the race to begin to stay warm. You can discard them before you cross the start, and we will collect them to donate to charity. After the race we will have heat sheets, but you may want to bring a set of dry clothes to change into. You can pack them at bag check and get out of damp clothes after the race.

5. Get Just Enough Sleep. Go to bed on time tonight, and set multiple alarms. A frantic trip to the race because you overslept is less than ideal. Try to relax early tonight so you can put away the race jitters and fall asleep on time. Set more than one kind of alarm – if you have 3 alarms set on your phone but the battery dies overnight none of them are any good!

2014 Expo Clinic Schedule

Events, General, ,

We’re so excited to finally meet those of you we’ve been tweeting, blogging, pinning, and Facebooking with for the last few months!

In addition to our 5 PM – 8 PM Packet Pickup Happy Hour on Friday, we have more fun events at the Expo this weekend that with think you might want to know about:

Clinic Schedule at the Expo

Friday

4 PM – 4:50 PM Greg Meyer, 1983 Cherry Blossom Champion; current American record holder for 10 Miles (46:13) and 1983 Boston Marathon champion. Come hear Greg talk about how it’s time for a U.S. male runner to break his 31-year-old mark.

4:50 PM – 5 PM Stretch break

5 PM – 5:50 PM Jen Rhines, Three time U.S. Olympian at 5,000-meters, 10,000-meters and the marathon.

5:50 PM – 6 PM Stretch break

6 PM – 6:50 PM Dr. Betty Smith, Learn the secrets of longevity from our speaker who is an ultra-marathoner and top age group perfomer. She has been running for 46 years and has covered more than 100,000 miles with minimal injuries.

Saturday

10 AM – 10:50 A.M. Greg Meyer, 1983 Cherry Blossom Champion; current American record holder for 10 Miles (46:13) and 1983 Boston Marathon champion. Come hear Greg talk about how it’s time for a U.S. male runner to break his 31-year-old mark.

10:50 AM – 11 AM Stretch break

11 AM – 11:50 A.M. CPR Overview, Come hear the essentials about performing CPR. This is not certification, but an explanation of how to administer this life saving technique.

11:50 AM – 12 Noon Stretch break

12 PM – 12:50 PM Janet Bawcom, 2012 U.S. Olympian, American Recordholder for 10 miles in a single sex race.

12:50 PM – 1 PM Stretch break

1 PM – 1:50 PM American Championships Panel, Learn about the rising fortunes of American distance running in a roundtable discussion with six entrants in the U.S. 10 Mile Championships

1:50 PM – 2 PM Stretch break

2 PM – 2:50 PM CPR Overview, Come see the essentials about performing CPR. This is not certification, but an explanation of how to administer this life saving technique.

2:50 PM – 3 PM Stretch break

3 PM – 3:50 PM Dr. Betty Smith, Learn the secrets of longevity from our speaker who is an ultra-marathoner and top age group perfomer. She has been running for 46 years and has covered more than 100,000 miles with minimal injuries.

Autographs (at the Credit Union booth)
Friday April 4

3 PM – 4 PM – Greg Meyer

4 PM – 4:50 PM – Jen Rhines

Saturday, April 5

11 AM – 12 Noon – Greg Meyer

1 PM – 2 PM – Janet Bawcom

2014 Expo Booth List

Events, General, Uncategorized,
One section of the 2013 CUCB Expo
One section of the 2013 CUCB Expo

This is it, the moment you’ve all been waiting for: the final Expo booth list is ready! Here’s who you can expect to see at the Building Museum from 3pm – 9pm on Friday, April 4 and 9am – 5pm on Saturday, April 5:

Auria LLC
BaySix
Beyond Body Pads
Bondi Band
Bushido Challenge – Obstacle Race
Charm City Run
Rock n Roll Marathon Series
Corrigan Sports Enterprises
Credit Union Miracle Day/Children’s Miracle Network
Department of Commerce Federal Credit Union
Dogs on Deployment
Elite Sport Optics
Feet First Sports
Fitletic
Fleet Feet Sports Annapolis
Gold’s Gym
Hoka One One
ID Life
In the Zone
ING Financial Partners
Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
Magic Massage Therapy
Muscular Dystrophy Association
National Cherry Blosoom Festival
National Running Center
Navy –  Air ForceHalf Marathon & Navy 5 Miler
Navy Federal Credit Union
New Balance
NYRR Team for Kids
One More Mile
Paiges Promotions for Wyndham
Potomac River Running
Ragnor Trail Relay
Real Time Pain Relief
Reverb Wireless
RUseeN Reflective Apparel
Small Planet Food
Sole Charming
Sparkly Soul
SPIBelt
Sport Science
Sweatwear Plus
Sweaty Bands
Team Z
Teens Run DC
The RooSport
The Stick (RPI)
Timex/Nova Retail LLC
Uber Technology
Ultima Health Products
University of Maryland
USA Sport Eyeware
Vibrant Health
Woodrow Wilson Bridge Half Marathon
Zooma Women’s Race Series

For full Expo information, visit our website.

Staying Healthy on Race Day

Running, Training

CUCB takes medical issues on race day very seriously. Two of the committee members tasked with ensuring runners stay healthy and are treated if medical issues arise offered the tips below on how to stay safe and healthy at this year’s CUCB.

Medical volunteers get their morning briefing before race day 2013
Medical volunteers get their morning briefing before race day 2013

Unlike summer races where heat related injuries are the main concern, The Cherry Blossom 10 Miler happens to occur in early spring before the hot humid days of summer.  While summer races produce more dehydration and heat related injuries, spring races may be held on cool, wet days.  Hypothermia is a potential threat to runners, and the threats of dehydration and musculoskeletal injuries due to under training remain.  Hypothermia occurs when the body loses heat faster than it can produce heat. Symptoms of moderate to severe hypothermia include shivering, clumsiness or mumbling.

Layers

Polly Porter, Physician Assistant and Certified Athletic Trainer at National-Sports Medicine Institute, suggests making sure you layer your clothing. Thin layers can be added or removed after the warm-up, as soon as you start sweating. CUCB will collect and donate any clothing discarded at the start line – you can do good by staying healthy!  Clothing that is breathable and moisture wicking will perform best.   Avoid cotton, which stays wet next to your skin. Since wetness or dampness is common in April, a waterproof, breathable outer layer can make the runner’s life easier. If wind is a factor, consider windstopper technology.   A runner moving at 10 mph directly into a 5 mph headwind creates a windchill factor of 15 mph.

Hydration

Runners may not have hydration on their minds for a cool, damp run, but adequate hydration is important as it ensures the body has enough blood volume to warm the tissues.

Here’s how you can make sure you have enough fluid:

  1. Begin event well hydrated.  This is evident by light yellow colored urine.
  2. Proper hydration is approximately 17–20 ounces of water every 2 to 3 hours (or 500 mL 2 hours prior) before exercising.
  3. Maintaining fluid replacement at 7 to 10 ounces every 20 minutes while exercising – aim to match sweat and urine loss.
  4. Electrolyte/carbohydrates are recommended for workouts that last longer than 15 minutes or are intense.
  5. A 6% carbohydrate solution is optimal. Carbohydrates solutions above 8% result in slower absorption through the stomach.
  6. The optimal fluid to drink after exercise is something with carbohydrates – this will help improve the rate of absorption of sodium and water and replenish glycogen stores

Medical Issues on Race Day

CUCB is well equipped with supplies, personnel, and protocol to handle almost any medical concern.  Medical runners are positioned throughout the race to assess runners in need.   There are also medical stations every 2 miles along the race as well as the main medical tent near bag check in the infield.  If you happen to come across a downed runner, immediate assistance and coordination of care can make the difference between life and death.  Most injuries are minor, but in the event of a cardiac arrest, Hands Only CPR can be a life-saving technique.  CUCB is pleased to announce yet another safety measure for 2014’s race that can help protect our participants: we are hosting a “Runners Helping Runners” CPR refresher workshop at Saturday’s Expo!  There are 2 sessions offered at Saturday’s Expo: one at 11am and another at 2pm.  Acquire skills to assist not only fellow Runners but also friends and family in the event of an emergency.

Resources

National Athletic Trainers Association website: www.nata.org
American College of Sports Medicine website: www.Acsm.org

Authors

Polly A. Porter, PA-C, ATC
National-Sports Medicine Institute
www.nationalsportsmedicine.com
Co-coordinator, Cherry Blossom 10 Miler
Medical coordinator, Virginia Wine Country Half Marathon
Medical coordinator, Run Like a Diva DC Half marathon

Betty Y. Wang, DO, MBA
Internist and Managing Partner of BW Primary Care, Eldersburg, MD
Co-Medical Director, Cherry Blossom 10 Miler