During the 1st week of January 2013, I was planning all my races and other fitness events that I wanted to be a part of this year. I decided to take the entire month of January off from racing because I was focusing on a different fitness program at the time. Initially, I was going to do a half marathon in February, but since I was mostly doing shorter and faster runs over the last couple of months I thought that I should sign up for a shorter but faster race.
Since the Cedar 12k on February 10, 2013 was my first race of the year, I wanted to see where I was at more than I was worried about my placement. Knowing where I’m at would allow me to adjust my training program in order to achieve better results in future races. Of course, placing 1st, 2nd or 3rd is always nice but I knew that there were some very experienced and even professional runners who have been training longer than I have.
Above: At the start. I’m number 222 on the right side of the photo. Photo by IMS FotoGrafix.
I set myself a time goal of around 54 minutes, since I figured that I would run 12k at a slightly slower pace than I did a 10k. When I got there, some of the race volunteers mentioned that the course is hilly, which makes it more challenging. However, since my Bear Mountain Half Marathon experience, I was pretty sure that those hills would be easy compared to the insanely steep and constant hills I had endured at the Bear Mountain Half Marathon.
On race day, I was up a few hours before the start of the race knowing that we had to drive from Victoria to Cedar, which takes just over an hour. I also had coffee and water first thing in the morning.
I wore my Public Myth sports bra and teaser leggings for the race and I felt like the clothing was very comfortable to run in. I felt fast and, because the clothing was tight, aerodynamic.
Above: Another starting line shot. Photo by IMS FotoGrafix.
Approximately 2 hours prior to the start of the race, I had a banana and 1.5 hours before the race I ate a PowerBar. Also, about one hour before the race, I had a can of Pink Energy drink to give myself that extra boost.
So there I was at the start line, in the beginning of February in Canada, wearing a sports bra and leggings. At that point, I knew exactly what people were thinking: “You are going to freeze.” The reason I knew it is became some even voiced their concerns to me. What I was thinking was: “This clothing is light and tight which will help me go faster due to aerodynamics in addition to preventing me from getting too hot when I’m 3/4 of the way through the race.” 🙂
Above: Here is a back shot taken at the start of the race. Photo by IMS FotoGrafix.
I started my Garmin Forerunner 110 
Above: Approaching the finish. Photo by IMS FotoGrafix.
I got to the 10km mark (6.22 miles) and I saw something amazing when I looked at my watch: I just realized that I reached the 10km mark a few seconds faster than I did when I raced 10km’s last year. The fact that I just ran a 10km PR while I was doing a 12km race inspired me to speed up a little bit more for the last 2km and finish the race in 52:01min. This means that I ran the race at a 4:21 min/km (7 min/mile) pace.
Above: Getting closer to the finish! Photo by IMS FotoGrafix.
First race of the year and I ran my best time yet for that type of distance! 🙂 I was extremely happy about beating my goal time by a full 2 minutes.
Also, I was pleasantly surprised that I also placed 2nd in my age category, which was the cherry on top of an already fantastic running experience.
Above: Receiving my 2nd place medal for my age category. Photo by IMS FotoGrafix.
Next stop: Hatley Castle 8km. I’ve never raced an 8km before because I never had much in the way of pacing strategy for this particular distance. This year, I’ve decided to try something new, so we will see how it goes. I also heard that it’s hilly. So, wish me luck! 🙂