Just like that, the 2nd event of the VIRA Island Race Series is over. This year’s Cobble Hill 10k race took place on January 27.
It was a beautiful Sunday morning with no wind, no rain, nor snow.
Anytime I have to go over the Malahat to do a race, I make sure to give myself plenty of time to get there.
The Malahat drive can be unpredictable and I take road safety very seriously, regardless if I’m driving, running, biking or walking.
As I got towards the top of the Malahat, I noticed how foggy it was that morning. I, of course, drove the speed limit.
Meanwhile, a lot of people were passing me (basically everyone). I kept wondering…”where could they possibly be going that they need to drive 20km above the speed limit?”
I don’t think they were going to the race because there was still plenty of time before the race start so there was no reason to rush on the roads.
The next thing I knew, I was already at George Bonner School, where the race package pickup happens. At that point, I realized I was super early because I was definitely one of the first people there.
Race package pickup went very smoothly and I spent a lot of time chatting up the volunteers and other runners.
The Purple Sandwich featuring me, Mark and Cathy (Race Director for the Goddess Run and many other local events)
I always appreciate the work that the volunteers put into events like these because they have to wake up extremely early, they don’t have to be there and they don’t get paid to be there.
Also, I got to catch up with a few running friends and deliver the Run4Dreams package to one of my friends who signed up last year.
Then, it was time to make it to the startline.
At that point, I had no idea what time it was and how long it was until the race started because I ditched my Garmin a while back.
A few people asked me how I will know how fast I’m going. I just said: “I won’t know and that’s probably for the best.”
Some start line fun with Crazy Legs, who is normally taking race photos. Nice to see Joe Camilleri racing so much this year!! Despite being in the 65-69 age group, he is running faster than many 25 year olds I know! I hope to still be running that fast when I’m his age! He’s an inspiration.
The gun went off and I literally busted out of the gate, which is exactly what I told people not to do in my race preview.
As I got to the 2k mark, I realized that I was running with a bunch of people who typically run sub-40 minutes for a 10k.
Although I didn’t have my watch, I thought I better slow down a bit as we get towards the slightly hillier parts of the run. With that being said, this course is still flatter than many other races I’ve run before and I’ve done a lot of races.
So, I slowed down a little bit to take some time to really think about what I was doing.
At around the 4k mark, a genteleman caught up to me and said “Good job.” Then, he passed me but I decided to go with him. I wasn’t sure how long he was going to be in front of me, so I just tried to stay within 50m of him.
I was able to pick up the pace a little bit after the 6km mark. The longer and slightly downhill stretches felt awesome. I felt relaxed and happy.
I kept him in my line of sight all the way until the final turn off of Nightingale Road onto Cobble Hill Road.
As I got past the final turn, I caught up with another gentleman and asked him if we are going to be under 45 minutes because I actually wasn’t sure.
He said, “oh, for sure we are!”
That exchange really inspired me and I spotted two more guys in front of me: one was wearing a blue shirt and the other had a grey shirt on.
So, I did what I normally try to do when I know that the finish line is getting close.
Right as I got near those two guys, a friend of mine passed me but I was going a bit too slow to keep up.
So, I made a go for it and attempted to pass the two guys. My first attempt to pass them with 200m to go proved to be unsuccessful.
They managed to get ahead of me again.
Then, with less than 60m to go, I spotted the clock at the finish line.
I saw that it said “42:xx” but could not quite see what the XX was because of the angle at which I was approaching the finish.
I first posted this photo on Instagram with the caption: “What am I thinking the moment this pic was taken?” It got a bunch of interesting comments, which was exciting! The truth is that all I was thinking was that the clock said 42:xx and I couldn’t see the rest, so it is “GO time”. Photo by: Joe Camilleri
At that moment, I decided that this will be the day that I cross the finish line before the clock says “43” even if I collapse at the finish trying to do it. In the past, I’ve done 10k under 41 minutes, so 43 is definitely a long way off my personal best.
“Must get under 43, must get under 43, must….get under 43” Photo by: Lois DeEll
With about 20m to go before the finish, I sprinted past the “blue shirt guy” because my mind was only on that clock. At the end, I finished 1 second ahead of the blue shirt guy.
However, my goal was not to “beat the blue shirt guy.” My goal was to beat the clock and be under 43 minutes.
Me sprinting past the “blue shirt guy” less than 20m before the finish. I’m glad I had people pushing me for the final sprint. I don’t think I would have got under 43 minutes if it wasn’t for them. Photo by Lois DeEll
I finished in 42:58.
Although it’s not my best time, I am happy that I was able to finish faster than last year and the year before that.
Age group awards. Photo by Lois DeEll.
I was 3rd in my age group and 14th out of 233 women. Overall, I’m happy with where I placed and I know that I have a lot of work to do before I can get under 41 again.
The post-race food was awesome and the event was well-organized.
What’s next?
Stay tuned for my preview of the Cedar 12k, which is the next race in the series. It’s still not to late to register. The Cedar 12k course has changed for the better and I can’t wait to share that with you!!