If you feel like you missed out on a fun run because you didn’t run the Harriers Pioneer 8k, then you should come to the Cobble Hill 10k. The Cobble Hill 10k takes place on Jan 21 and it’s definitely going to be a fun time.
Cobble Hill is situated in the beautiful Cowichan Valley, roughly 50 minutes North of Victoria.
Regardless of your pace or fitness level, you are welcome to come out and enjoy the run. Walkers are also encouraged to attend and early start is allowed!
If you’ve never done a 10k before and would like to try a relatively fast course, then Cobble Hill is definitely a good choice.
Just like all the other VIRA-Island Race Series, the course is very beginner-friendly. I love that about these races. Up until Friday, Jan 19th at 6pm, you can still register online. After that, you can still register on race day. However, you will need to get there early, as registration is limited on race day.
As we can see from the map below, there are a few turns. Starting near George Bonner Elementary School, the course is scenic and is run on country roads around Cobble Hill. It has produced some fast times for many runners in the past.
With the exception of a few small hills, the course is relatively flat. In fact, I’ve run my second best 10k time ever on this course.
What to watch out for:
The first 2km make it very tempting to start too fast, as I often do. I recall there being a small incline just before the 3k mark where I often regretted running the first km too fast.
Then, after the 4th km, it was a fairly smooth sailing for me. There was another very small incline in the later part of the race. However, it was a very short uphill.
Since there are some turns in the race, you should strive to run the tangents. Here is a great article in Competitor Magazine about running the tangents.
Essentially, running the tangents means following the line that’s closest to each corner. Therefore, you will end up running the shortest possible distance. If you don’t run the shortest possible distance, then you will end up running longer than 10k.
The last km of the Cobble Hill 10k is super fun and fast. I’ve always had a great last km.
Above: coming in towards the finish at the Cobble Hill 10k.
My goals for the race:
I don’t have a lot of expectations for myself because this will be my first 10k race back. However, I’m hoping to run under 45 minutes and hopefully place in the Top 5 for my age category.
Regardless of what my place or time will be, I will give it my best effort for that day. My ultimate goal is to do my best given all the circumstances leading up to the event.
When it comes to running a 10k, sometimes, my best is 56 min and other times, my best was 40:56. Therefore, we will see! There is a 99% chance that I will finish anywhere between 41 min and 51 min and that will all depend on how I will feel on race day.
Post race:
The time after finishing a race is a great time to reflect how it went and connect with other runners. Let’s also not forget the food. I know it’s going to be good. 🙂
Stay tuned for a race recap, course review and pictures! 🙂