By the time Cedar 12k came around, I was definitely feeling significantly better. In fact, I believed that I was finished being sick.
That flu/cold hung on for far too long. Luckily, between the Cobble Hill 10k a couple weeks ago and Cedar 12k, I got a chance to do a few faster runs and a couple of longer runs.
All in all, I felt pretty good. However, I wasn’t completely sure why my energy levels were still low.
When I ran the race last year, my time was 51:02 and I definitely had to work very hard to get it. This year, I wasn’t sure what to expect or how much fight I have left, but I started the race in order to give it a shot.
Above: Andrew (my fellow MEC half marathon coach) and I at the start. Photo by Erin Burrett.
Since the last two races didn’t yield a PB, I honestly more or less came to terms with the fact that maybe there will be no PBs for me at the Vancouver Island Race Series this year. So, I had to focus on something else, which is running the races because I love to run.
The first 2k started out pretty rough and slow, which is kind of what I expected. I definitely started to feel a bit concerned with how I was going to finish this race.
I started to focus more on my breathing and form. Then, all of a sudden, it just got easier and the fatigue disappeared.
The next thing I knew, I was halfway through the race, feeling pretty awesome. What was even more surprising was that I was ahead of last year’s time.
Above: Somewhere along the course. My buddy Nick is right behind me (he ended up finishing in front of me, of course). Photo by Erin Burrett.
By the time the big hill came around, I excitedly cruised up it with great ease. In the entire time that I have been racing, I have never felt so good going up a hill towards the end of the race.
When I got to the top of the hill, I realized that less than 3km separated me from the finish line.
At the 10k mark, my Garmin read 41:52. I was still on pace to get a personal best. 10k into the race, I forgot about how bad the first 2k were.
Knowing that there were no more hills for the rest of the race, I picked up the pace a little bit. Without fail, I ran each of the last 2km under 4:10.
As I approached the finish line, I felt a combination of shock and relief. Relief that I finished despite how I felt in the first 2k and shocked that I crossed the line nearly a minute faster than last year.
I didn’t let the experience in my first 2k dictate the final outcome of the race, which is definitely a huge step forward for me.
I finished in 50:06 (4:11 per km or 6:43 per mile). Basically, I ran it at the same pace as the Cobble Hill 10k, except that this was 2k longer.
This race definitely gave me some hope for the remainder of the season because even though I ran faster than last year, I wasn’t nearly as tired this time around as I was then. Not only that, but I was also feeling 100% better compared to how I felt at the Harriers Pioneer 8k about a month ago.
Above: Awards photo with Sarah-Mae. 🙂
I finished 2nd in my age group and was 9th out of 190 females across the finish line. Definitely pleased with the new personal best in the 12k.
Hopefully this is a sign of good things to come.