This year, the TriStars Sooke 10k race took place exactly one week after the Comox RV Half Marathon.
Typically, the VIRA Island Race Series races are every two weeks between January and April. However, this year it was different.
The Sooke 10k was a beautiful undulating out-and-back along the Sooke River Road.
The sooner I finish, the sooner I can get cookies & coffee. Photo by Ken & Lois DeEll
Since I chose to race nearly everything this year, I know that I need to be smart during my races. In this case, being smart means knowing when to push hard and when to back off and recover.
Considering that I’ve been racing fairly often since the start of 2018, I have to continue to be careful. At this point, a repeat of 2016 would not be a good thing, so I’m doing my best to avoid it, even if that means it will take me longer to get a personal best.
My best time on the Sooke 10k course is 41:35, which was in 2014. Last year, I rucked it to raise money for Wounded Warriors and ended up with 1:38:19 (and over $500 for Wounded Warriors).
I can also confidently say that there is about 40 second difference between the Sooke 10k and the TC10k, provided that all other factors stay constant. The Sooke 10k is a little bit more challenging than the TC10k and typically the times will reflect that.
Therefore, as a side note, if you ran the Sooke 10k a little bit slower than the TC10k, there is no need to be concerned.
The first half
Right from the start, I decided that I’d run it at my half marathon effort. I just didn’t have it in me to chase a sub-42 that day and that’s ok. I’m trying really hard to be patient with myself.
I started relatively slow. Many people busted out of the gate ahead of me. Usually, I’m the one who starts way too fast in the first km.
As we descended the first hill, my thought was “we have to go back up it”. If we go too fast at the start, then the way back will be a rough go.
Being relaxed yet focused. Photo by Ken & Lois DeEll
I took a mental note of everyone who was near me but ahead of me. Having people to run with in a race is always good. Focusing on my running form allowed me to stop looking at my watch every km.
Taking in the beautiful views around me was helping me get through this race without worrying about my time.
This year, every race has been an exercise in gratitude. I was thankful for the great weather, the awesome people, the wonderful connections with the running community, and my body-for allowing me to do what I love.
As I went through everything that I was thankful for that day, the next thing I knew, I was at the turnaround point.
The second half
I kept my pace consistent. When we got to the hill at the 7km mark, I was ready to fly up it. Recently, I’ve added some hill training to my runs and it has been working. I felt very good going up the hill. Maybe, I didn’t run fast enough in the beginning and that’s why I had so much energy left.
Once we got up the hill, I knew we were on the home stretch and the hardest part of the race was behind us. I was pleasantly surprised by how well I was able to maintain my pace going up the hill.
Smiling & having fun doing what I love. Photo by Ken & Lois DeEll
I felt a sense of relief and peace as I made my way towards the finish. Then, the rest of the way was relatively flat. As we turned the final corner, I was thrilled and grateful to be finishing yet another pain-free run.
Sprinting to the finish. Photo by Ken & Lois DeEll
Happily, I sprinted towards the finish line. There were people cheering for the finishers, which is awesome.
After finishing, I did a short cooldown with my friend. Then, I watched more finishers complete the race and cheered for them too.
I was so happy when a few people came up to me and thanked me for the course preview and race tips that I wrote earlier.
It’s great to know that people get value out of this running blog, which I’m so passionate about writing. If this running blog can even help one person run a better race and find joy in running, then I will keep writing until I get blisters on my fingers (and beyond)!
To conclude
My time was 44 minutes. It was good enough for 3rd place in my age group and 9th overall for the women (out of 132). This is way off my personal best on that course, which was 41:35.
Excited to be adding another medal to the wall. 🙂
Prior to getting injured, I was almost an elite runner with a 10k PB of 40:56. The reason why I mention this is because at that time, even though I was running fast, I was enjoying it less than I do now.
I used to feel that if I don’t get a personal best, then that means I failed. That is NOT TRUE and I don’t want anyone to get sucked into feeling bad about not achieving a personal best every time.
I have not run any personal bests yet since 2015 and I’ve been working tirelessly to regain my fitness.
As they all say, the greater the resistance, the more grateful we become when we achieve the goals we are after.
Of course, I miss my speed but any day that I finish a race pain-free is a great step in the right direction.
I’m taking it 1km at a time and chasing the elusive sub 40 min 10k. I know that if and when I achieve it, I will be that much more grateful. Until then, I will do what I know best-work hard and document this journey.
I may not be fast, but my heart is in it fully.
In the end, what we do should be a reflection of what makes our hearts happy.