After the Victoria Goddess Run 10k, I originally planned to hold off on doing anymore road races until the fall. I realized that I have been racing almost every 2 weeks since January and have done every distance from 800m to marathon in a span of about 5 months. That’s a lot of racing and I knew that I was due for a break in order to recover from the hard efforts. Then, I could spend some time rebuilding for the next season.
However, leading up to the Summerfast 10k, I saw that I had a good chance to place Top 10 in the 2015 Timex BC Road Running Series. According to my calculations at the time, I believed I only needed to run the distance in 42:30 or faster. For me to run 42:30 or faster in a 10k is not a problem, so I decided to race it. A good friend of mine told me that it’s an amazing accomplishment to place Top 10 in the Timex BC Road Running Series, so I could not pass up the chance.
So, over to Vancouver I went!
I stayed at the YWCA Hotel because I support the hotel’s involvement in making the community a better place. It’s great because it’s affordable, safe and it generates revenue that sustains YWCA Metro Vancouver’s community service work. YWCA Metro Vancouver is a registered charity, providing a range of services for women and their families and those seeking to improve the quality of their lives. From early learning and child care to housing, health and fitness and employment services, YWCA Metro Vancouver touches lives throughout the community.
I will always do my best to support any entity that focuses on improving people’s lives and making a difference.
On race morning, I was up very early and ready to go! I had delicious pasta with one of my friends the night before. Ate a banana for breakfast. My Garmin was fully charged. It felt great to not be under pressure at the start of the race. I knew it was a very turny course and the temperature was definitely rising.
I was just excited to be racing in Vancouver. Great way to spend the weekend.
So, we all took off quite fast. It was pretty crowded at the start so I was very careful not to step on anyone’s heels. I was trying to take it slow at the beginning but every time I looked at my Garmin, I was doing sub 4 min kms. It felt good too.
When we got to the turnaround near the start of the race, I almost tripped because I was trying to keep the same pace without stepping on anyone’s heels or elbowing someone. I know that sometimes accidents happen but I don’t want to be “that runner”, especially when I’m out there with the Muscle MLK team.
By the time we got to the Seawall, it definitely thinned out and I was no longer worried about being too close to other runners. In fact, a few km later, I was hoping to find some people to run with because the weather was getting warmer and I was looking forward to finishing. I slowed down a little bit, but nothing too unusual. I definitely enjoyed the views!!
By the time I got to the 7km mark, I knew that I was on target to be under 42:30 even if I ran the last 3k a lot slower. So, I caught up to a couple of people and decided to stay with them until the finish.
This time, I decided not to sprint with 200m to go because I was going to be finishing in and around 42 minutes. Most importantly though, I was still having fun. I wasn’t struggling and I wasn’t disappointed that it wasn’t my fastest 10k. I finished in 41:58, which is good enough for 6/29 in my age group and 14/166 out of all the women. I definitely want to do this again next year.
The volunteers, course marshals, and post-race food/beverages were excellent!!! Thanks to everyone involved for a great event!! Loved all the good vibes and high-fives. 🙂
Then, it was time for the much-awaited Timex Race Series Awards. (See the top 10 ladies in the Timex Race Series below)
I knew that because I achieved my target, I would be finishing in the Top 10 for the series. It was amazing to find out that I finished in 8th place overall. I was very happy with the final outcome.