Your plan in four answers
Set for April 4, 2027, about 23 weeks out.
- Distances
- 5K, 10 miles
- Terrain
- Flat
- Field
- About 21,000 runners in the 10 miles (six waves of roughly 3,500)
- Taper starts
- March 23, 2027
Course
The Cherry Blossom Ten Miler course
The 10 miles start and finish on the Washington Monument Grounds, with a 7:30 AM start in six waves of about 3,500 runners. Recent courses have crossed the Potomac on Memorial Bridge and back, run out-and-back stretches on Rock Creek Parkway past the Kennedy Center, then skirted the Tidal Basin toward the Jefferson Memorial before a long loop around Hains Point in East Potomac Park.
Read the full course notes
It is one of the flattest races in the country, with only about 100 feet of climbing, mostly bridge approaches. Hains Point is exposed to wind off the river, and the last miles return along the water to the Monument. The course has a 2:20 time limit, and the 5K runs the day before.
- Terrain
- Flat
- Distances
- 5K, 10 miles
- Field
- About 21,000 runners in the 10 miles (six waves of roughly 3,500)
- Weather on race day
- The race lists average temperatures of 44–66 °F for the 10 miles, which is ideal for fast running. Wind across Hains Point in the final third is the variable to plan for: tuck into a group out there and keep something in reserve for the run back to the Monument.
What to train for
Ten miles on a flat course is a race of sustained threshold running: build toward 5 to 6 miles of tempo at slightly slower than goal pace, and intervals such as 4 to 5 times 1.25 miles at goal pace.
Long runs of 11 to 13 miles give you the endurance to push the final 3 miles.
Practise running in a pack and holding effort into a headwind so Hains Point becomes a strength rather than a slowdown.
Sample week
A sample Cherry Blossom Ten Miler training week
A week from the middle of the build, about six weeks out. Your plan sets the real distances and paces from your own fitness and adjusts them every week as you train.
- Monday
- Rest, or 20 minutes of mobility
- Tuesday Key session
- Intervals: 5 × 1 km at 5K to 10K effort, easy jog between
- Wednesday
- Easy run, 5–6 mi
- Thursday Key session
- Goal-pace run, 7 mi with 4 mi at race pace
- Friday
- Recovery run, 4 mi, or cross-train
- Saturday Key session
- Long run, 10–12 mi easy
- Sunday
- Easy run, 4 mi, then 6 relaxed strides
Your build to race day
Taper
Tapering for the Cherry Blossom Ten Miler
Start the taper ten to fourteen days before race day. Cut your weekly volume by about a third, then by half in race week, and keep a few short efforts at race pace so your legs stay sharp. The course is flat, so pacing decides the day: rehearse your goal pace in short segments during race week. With the race on April 4, 2027, your taper starts around March 23, 2027.
Also in Claude
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Build me a training plan for the Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10 Mile Run & 5K Run-Walk (10 miles) on April 4, 2027. I run [distance] a week, [days] days a week, easy pace [pace].
Cherry Blossom Ten Miler training questions
How long should I train for the Cherry Blossom Ten Miler?
Most runners give a 10-mile twelve to fourteen weeks of focused training on top of an existing base. The plan above counts back from your actual race date, so if you have less time than that it builds the best plan the remaining weeks allow rather than pretending you have longer.
Is the Cherry Blossom Ten Miler course hilly?
Flat. The 10 miles start and finish on the Washington Monument Grounds, with a 7:30 AM start in six waves of about 3,500 runners.
What is the weather usually like at the Cherry Blossom Ten Miler?
The race lists average temperatures of 44–66 °F for the 10 miles, which is ideal for fast running. Wind across Hains Point in the final third is the variable to plan for: tuck into a group out there and keep something in reserve for the run back to the Monument.
When should I start tapering for the Cherry Blossom Ten Miler?
Start the taper ten to fourteen days before race day. Cut your weekly volume by about a third, then by half in race week, and keep a few short efforts at race pace so your legs stay sharp. The course is flat, so pacing decides the day: rehearse your goal pace in short segments during race week. With the race on April 4, 2027, your taper starts around March 23, 2027.
Do I need an account to get a Cherry Blossom Ten Miler training plan?
No. The plan above builds in your browser with no account, no email, and no card. Make a free account only if you want to keep it, log your runs against it, and have the coach keep adapting it as your training goes.