I was particularly excited to run this year’s VIRA Island Race Series Cedar 12k. For those who don’t know, the Bastion Running Club hosts the Cedar 12k and they do a wonderful job!
Part of the reason why I was so excited was because I knew that they changed the course and I honestly couldn’t wait to see it in person!
When I first learned of the new course, I was in the middle of writing my preview for this year’s race.
The race director told me all about the new course, so I knew beforehand that there wouldn’t be any large hills.
I also knew that we would not be finishing on the grass.
I (along with many other participants) welcomed this change!
The moment I woke up, I knew it would be a beautiful day.
The sun was shining and apart from being just a little bit chilly outside, it felt like a wonderful spring morning.
I was quite early to the “cardio party”.
As a side note, whenever I drive up the Malahat, I give myself extra time to get to where I need to go. I would rather be early than rush when I drive the Malahat.
Once I got to the race venue, I was able to chat with a few friends and the next thing I knew, it was time to head to the start line.
I think I may have been one of the few people who opted not to wear a Garmin. I ditched my Garmin at home and this is definitely the trend I’m following for this year’s race series.
Once the race started, I was able to cruise through the first 3k feeling quite awesome. Then, for some reason, I got a little bit tired by the time I got past the 4k mark.
Just cruising along. This was before I noticed my friend passing me soon.
I thought, “I must break through this or else I will not enjoy the last 8k and my goal is to enjoy the run.” Then, a friend of mine caught up to me and started passing me as we approached the turnaround.
I caught up with him again just before we turned around and said, “You’re absolutely killing it. Way to go.”
Yes, I made a funny face but at least I’m happy with my stride and my sock game is on point 🙂 Photo by Ken DeEll
Then, after turning around, my energy returned and I got a pleasantly surprising second wind. The thoughts flowing through my head became positive and I was sticking to my friend like glue.
Cedar 12k finishing photo…I spotted the clock to the right side of me! Photo by: Lois DeEll
The next thing we knew, we were at 9k and then 10k. That feeling I had at the 4k mark disappeared right at the turnaround point and I felt great the remainder of the way.
My friend pulled away just after the 10k mark. Then, I got a glimpse of another friend who was about 100m ahead of me.
As we got closer and closer to the finish line, I was slowly reeling my friend in.
I’m not that competitive, but seeing my friend over there, less than 100m away from me, motivated me to finish strong and not even think about slowing down as I got closer to the finish.
Since we were no longer finishing on the grass, I was able to sprint towards the finish without fear of slipping and tripping.
As I crossed the finish line, I felt fantastic.
Overall, I would say my race went awesome, with the exception of feeling a bit tired between the 4th and 5th km.
Although the course had a few small rolling hills, it felt flat compared to the old course.
After finishing, I went for a 3k cooldown with a few awesome ladies!
The results
I was extremely overjoyed to place 1st in my age group and was the 7th woman (out of 156) to cross the finish line.
It has been a long time since I won my age category, so this was a pleasant surprise.
It has also been a long time since I was Top 10 overall for the women.
Cedar 12k Age Group Awards. Photo: Joe Camilleri aka Crazy Legs.
My time was 52:14, which was faster than last year. My pace for this race was 4:21 per km (7:00 min per mile), which is actually a faster pace than the Hatley Castle 8k the week before.
If you missed it this year, I urge you to run the Cedar 12k next year, or even the whole series!! The race was well-organized and the free post-race food was fantastic.
As I drove back, I felt very optimistic about my future running goals.
The next race in the series is the Port Alberni Paper Chase 15k. Stay tuned for my preview of the race and I hope to see you there!