Credit Union Cherry Blossom Kids Run presented by Warner Bros. Discovery

BIG CHANGES THIS YEAR - PLEASE READ CAREFULLY

SATURDAY, APRIL 6, 2024
New Starting Time for 2024: 11:00 am
New Location for 2024: The Kids Run will stage on Freedom Plaza and start and finish at the 5K starting line on Pennsylvania Ave. between 12th and 13th Sts. The event will take place after the conclusion of the 5K.
New Location for Packet Pick-up: Packet pick-up will take place on Friday at the National Building Museum (401 F St., NW) and on Saturday at Freedom Plaza (1455 Pennsylvania Ave., NW).

Registration for the 2024 Kids Run is now open!  We will accept registrations for kids aged 4 - 10.

The Credit Union Cherry Blossom 1/2 Mile Kids Run will start and finish at Freedom Plaza (the site of the Cherry Blossom 5K at 1455 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC 20004).

The race is on an out-and-back course down Pennsylvania Ave. and is closely monitored by sentries. Parents are allowed to run with their children.

Limited to the first 500 to register.

Registration

Online registration will remain open until 11:59 pm on Monday, March 25, as long as the 500-runner maximum has not been reached. There will also be in-person registration (again as long as the 500-runner maximum has not been reached) at the Expo from 2 pm - 7:30 pm on Friday, April 5, and at Freedom Plaza (in the Kids Run Staging Area) on Saturday, April 6 from 9:30 am - 10:45 am.

Race Details

Ages: The Kids Run is for children ages 4-10.

Race Start Time: 11:00 am on Saturday, April 6, 2024

Fee: $10. Includes t-shirt.

Packet Pick-up: Packet pick-up for registered Kids Run participants will take place on Friday, April 5 inside the National Building Museum between 3:00 pm and 7:45 pm, and on Saturday,  April 6, between 9:30 am and 10:45 am in the check-in tent at Freedom Plaza (1455 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC 20004).

Registration: Registration for the Kids Run has closed.

Awards: No times or places will be kept, but all finishers will receive a medal.

Course: CLICK HERE for the Kids Run Course Map and Staging Area Map

Kids Run Information:

• For security reasons as required by Metropolitan DC Police, every parent or guardian of a Kids Run entrant will need to locate and remove a detachable wrist band on the top of each child's bib number. The wrist band will be imprinted with the same number as each child's bib number. The responsible adult(s) will detach and wear the wrist band around their wrist. After the run, kids will be released from the secure Parent-Child Reunion Area only to adults with a wrist band matching the child's bib number.
• Every child on the race course must be registered and wear a bib number. Parents may choose to run with their child, but at least one parent must be wearing a wristband matching the bib number of their child.
• Accompanying adults may need to wear multiple wristbands as necessary for multiple child participants.
• Individual participants will run by age group, starting with 4-year olds and continuing by 1-year increments up to 10 years of age. It is likely there will be multiple heats in each age group, especially among the younger ages.
• Within each age group, heats will consist of approximately 25 participants.  Each heat will take about 8 to 10 minutes. The four-year-olds will run first, followed by the five-year-olds and on up in ascending order.
• Each age group will be called into the pre-race staging area by the announcer. From the pre-race staging area, children will be organized into heats and moved on to the Kids Run course.
• Participants will finish and be directed to a secure post-race reunion area. Children will only be released to the appropriate responsible adult wearing the wristband that matches the child's bib number. NO EXCEPTIONS TO THIS RULE. Any children not matched with an adult in the secure parent-child reunion area will be referred to on-site security personnel.

Kirt West Intermediate 10 Mile Training Program Presented by ASICS

Overview: Thanks to the support of ASICS, the Coach Kirt West Intermediate Training program is designed for runners who are able to run 15-20 miles per week and want a proven training program to assist them in training for the 2023 Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10-mile race. It consists of 4-5 days of training that slowly increases in mileage and intensity. Each day you will see a range of mileage in the daily email—choose what works best for you.

Need to Switch Programs? If after starting this program you find it is either too basic or too difficult, you may want to consider transferring to the Coach West Advanced Training Program or the Coach West Beginner Program, depending on your goals and current level of fitness.

To switch to another Kirt West program, send an email to vtswitch@cherryblossom.org requesting removal from the Intermediate Program and specifying which program you want to be added to – Beginner or Advanced.

Tracking Your Fitness: As you start your training, consider using a sports watch for a scientific approach to training.

Join Our Facebook Group: Share your training experience: Join our 10 Mile Intermediate/Advanced Virtual Training Facebook group.

January 23 – January 29, 2023

Monday, January 23, 2023

• • Distance:   2-4 miles
  • Goal:    Easy conversational running for the entire distance.
  • Tip:      Your training pace on what will be called easy days should be 90-120 seconds slower than your current 10K race pace or 60-70% effort using a heart monitor. Consider using a Fitness Tracker watch or app for a scientific approach to training. If you are unsure about what your heart rate training zones should be, send an email to Coach West and he will try to help you determine what year heart rate ranges should be. There should be no heavy breathing or huffing and puffing on an easy day. These days are designed to build your aerobic base. This training program has a hard day built in each week that will help you increase speed and run a fast race.

Tuesday, January 24, 2023

• • Distance:  3-6 miles
  • Goal:     Include 1-3 miles of aerobic intervals
  • Tip:      To warm up, run easy for the first mile, then pick up the pace for 15 seconds (THIS IS NOT A SPRINT!), jog for 45 seconds and repeat until you have run 1-3 miles. Finish with a one-mile cool-down jog. For those running a total of 3 miles, include 1 mile of aerobic intervals. For those running 4 miles, include 2 miles of aerobic intervals. For those running a total of 5 or 6 miles, include 3 miles of aerobic intervals.

Wednesday, January 25, 2023

• • Rest Day
  • Tip:      Rest days are important to let your body recover. If you are used to aerobic cross-training activities, you may want to consider cutting back on cross training during this ten-week training program, especially in the second half of the program.

Thursday, January 26, 2023

• • Distance:   2-4 miles
  • Goal:    Easy run
  • Tip:      Check your running shoes to make sure they are not excessively worn. Find a specialty running shoe store to get properly fitted with a good pair of running shoes that will work for you. The best shoe for you to wear depends upon the structure of your foot, your gait, size, etc. For friendly, expert advice visit REI or Potomac River Running, our official retail partners. They have the latest running shoes and apparel, including outstanding models from ASICS, our official shoe and apparel sponsor.

Friday, January 27, 2023

• • Rest Day
  • Tip:      You may want to consider doing moderate upper body weights as part of your preparation for the Credit Union Cherry Blossom. Upper body strength can aid your running form and increase muscle strength to help you maintain your race pace for 10 miles. Yoga or Pilates can help with increasing flexibility and strengthening your core, which in turn will help you run longer and faster.

Saturday, January 28, 2023

• • Distance:  2-4 miles
  • Goal:   Easy run
  • Tip:      You may be feeling stiff and sore after these first few days if you have increased the distance you normally run. Don’t be alarmed. That is a normal feeling that should go away in a few days.

Sunday, January 29, 2023

• • Distance:   4-7 miles
  • Goal:    Weekly long run
  • Tip:      The long run is the most important element of this training program. It will build the endurance needed to run the Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10 Mile race. Long runs should be run at an easy, conversational effort (90-120 seconds slower than your 10K race pace or 60-75% of maximum heart rate when training with a heart monitor). While you can consider skipping an easy day every so often, make sure that you do the weekly long run.