The Cherry Blossom 10 Miler

I went to Washington D.C. for the Cherry Blossom 10 Miler. Not only do I love this distance but I love this city! I also have 2 great friends that live there. This makes for a magical trip... and indeed it was.
The morning of the race ended up being less than desirable. There were showers and the temperature was 45 degrees.
When I arrived at the starting line, I was glad to see that the rain had stopped and the line at the port-a-potties was very short. I got a gander at the starting corral that I was to be herded into and it was directly across from the Washington Monument. What a view and a memorable start. I was also in the same corral as my friend who was running the race. We seperated right at the gun.
Going into the race, I have been battling a tendon issue in my knee. I was a little nervous at the start, but I figured a little pain will be ok as long as I'm not doing any significant damage.
Mile 1 found me dodging and darting through the slower starters. I ended up at the marker in a 6:28.
Mile 2 was quicker since I found some room (6:01). A little too quick!
Mile 3-10 were more of what I was looking for (6:21-6:48).
I finished in 1:05:06. Good for 288 out of over 12,000 finishers.
I finished last year's race in 1:04 so a bit on the slower side but I'll take it.
My knee now hurts a lot but I have some down time to rest and ice.
Next up, Anyone Can Tri sprint triathlon.
Until then