Harriers Pioneer 8k 2020 Race Report

The 2020 edition of the Harriers Pioneer 8k took place on Sunday, January 12. The Harriers Pioneer 8k is the first event that’s part of the annual VIRA Island Race Series.

This event has been happening every year for over 40 years. That’s right! Four decades! Over the past four decades, thousands of runners of all levels from Olympians to first-timers, have crossed the finish line.

Despite the weather forecast being somewhat questionable, a record number of participants took part in this year’s event. I’m so thrilled that we have a thriving running community here on Vancouver Island.

When I got up on race day, it definitely looked and felt like winter. The air was cold and truthfully I struggled with figuring out what to wear for the race. To be honest, for the first time in quite a while, I experienced a bit of decision fatigue over what to wear. The forecast was predicting snow and cold winds but I wasn’t really sure when the sky was going to open up.

Above: Photobombing my friends’ Endur Apparel booth before the start of the Harriers Pioneer 8k race. Photo by: Joseph Camilleri

I didn’t want to get too warm when I got moving but I also didn’t want to get too cold before starting considering that the start line is about 800m away from the school where many of us left our warmer gear. I thought about wearing layers but then determined that the race is short enough for me to manage without a long sleeve layer.

In the end, I opted for the red VIRA Island Race Series shirt and my Dream Strides leggings.

Luckily, we didn’t have to wait too long before starting once we all got to the startline.

All I could think about was “don’t start too fast, don’t start too fast…must not start too fast.”

Then, we started.

Of course, I started too fast!

I went through the first km in under 4 minutes. My recent workouts were not indicative of being able to hold a sub 4 minute pace, especially because I have not been running much since the Berlin Marathon at the end of September.

By the time I got to that first incline, I reminded mysef why I wrote the preview advising people not to start too fast. Typically, that incline is not noticeable if you pace it right.

By the time I got the turnaround point, I was feeling a bit tired but I wasn’t going to stop. So, I just slowed down. There was a small incline on the way back that reminded me I should do more hill training.

Above: somewhere along the route at the Harriers Pioneer 8k. Photo by Ken DeEll.

Once I got to the 7km mark, I was unable to pick up the pace. I could feel that I was getting tired and my form on the way back was not as good as it was on the way out (I have actual video).

I believe that a part of me is still coping with the setbacks that I experienced in the second quarter of 2016 (back adjustment gone wrong, and all the costs/losses associated with that experience). As I said in my earlier posts, I don’t hold anything back when it comes to the challenges I faced during my training or races since then (including that time I worked 4 jobs while training for the New York Marathon in 2018).

The reason I opt to share is because I know that I’m not the only one who may be feeling this way and I know that there are many people who deal with many different challenges.

As I look back at how fast I used to run, while I’m excited to know what I’m capable of, having already been at that level, I have sometimes felt overwhelmed by all the things I know I need to do to get back there. I think we all experience moments like this and it’s important that we take the time to assess why we feel the way we do and work on getting better.

Above: At the corner of John and Wilson Road, just before the 7 km mark of the Harriers Pioneer 8k. Photo by Lois DeEll

I’ve noticed that my stride is different now than it used to be and I’m figuring out what is going on mechanically to try to fix it (which will take time). I can spot all this on other people quite well but it wasn’t until I saw a few videos of my own running that I was able to see where I’m going wrong with my landing, especially as I get tired.

It doesn’t matter what level I’m at, or how many coaching certifications I have, or how many of my clients got personal bests, I can always get better. If everything was easy then overcoming challenges would be far less meaningful to us all. I also feel that if I never experienced any challenges during races or throughout my own fitness journey, then I wouldn’t be able to help clients navigate through theirs.

This is why I keep learning. I want to get better. I keep testing out different theories that I read in books about running to see what works and what doesn’t. Then I dig deep to figure out why. I want to know exactly what it all feels like so I can quickly figure out what others are experiencing based on their stride length, arm movements, nutrition, foot strike, and shoulder position because all of the aforementioned will affect race day performance. Let’s also not forget to consider what we all did in the weeks and even months leading up to the race.

I know that I’m a long ways away from my top form and that if I want to sub 40-minute 10k then I really have my work cut out for me. I believe that I will be making a breakthrough at some point.

I finished the Harriers Pioneer 8k in 35:48, which I admit is my slowest 8k time to date on this course. I was 4th out of 26 in my age group and 29th out of 258 women overall. My time was slower than usual not because of the weather nor any kind of external factors “beyond my control”. My time was slower because of what I did (and didn’t do) leading up to the race and I own this performance as much as I owned all of my PBs.

Above: Crossing the finish line at the Harriers Pioneer 8k race. Photo by Joseph Camilleri.

My Three Key Takeaways from this year’s Harriers Pioneer 8k:

1. This race was a way to gauge my current fitness level. 

All that I learned is that I have a lot of work to do if I want to hit my sub-40 min 10k goal. This is the first race of the year coming off the holidays. I accept myself as the person who didn’t run much over the last couple of months, especially during the holidays. I still did my gym workouts but I did not do enough to be able to keep a sub 4 minute km pace.

2. You can have fun regardless of the outcome.

Our whole lives, we are conditioned to assess ourselves based on results we attain. Yes, results are great but is there anything wrong with just enjoying the experience? The results will come later. Right now, it’s fun time.

If we only enjoy running when we win our age group or get a personal best, then that means we are allowing external factors to determine our happiness. We can’t control what race day will bring or who will show up and win, but what we can do is choose joy and gratitude for being able to be there. So, let’s spend more time being grateful for all the positive experiences that running has brought into our lives.

Your race time is nothing but a representation of the length of time that it took you to get from the start line to the finish line. It does not define you and it doesn’t showcase to the world what an amazing person you are.

3. There will always be another race.

No matter how many races you run, there will always be another race. Some will go great and everything will align perfectly for you to get a personal best. Others will go so terribly that you will wonder why you started the race. The majority of your races, however, will be somewhere in between. No matter what happens at any race, you will always get another chance, so don’t beat yourself up if things don’t go the way you had hoped.

As for the Harriers Pioneer 8k race itself, it was well-organized, the route was fantastic and the people were great! I loved seeing so many familiar faces and reconnecting with people from the running community. If you missed it this year, then you should definitely keep it in mind for next year.

I also want to give a special shout out to one of my clients who got a personal best at the Harriers Pioneer 8k and to my other clients for taking part.

The next VIRA Island Race Series event is the Cobble Hill 10k on January 26, 2020. Stay tuned for a race preview. In the meantime, if you have questions about running or training, do not hesitate to reach out as I’m always looking for content ideas to make this blog more valuable to you.