When we got to Nanaimo, we more or less felt at home because of how easy and fast it is to drive that distance. Running it is a whole different story.
Above: Stopped by the Nanaimo sign for a quick shoot. It was a major milestone in the run because we made it that far down the Island all the way from Port Hardy. So, I decided to do a bridge, just because I felt like it was something different compared to just me posing and running. Shot by IMS FotoGrafix, Clothing by Public Myth
First off, the traffic gets busier the further South on the Island we go. Even going through smaller places like Duncan, traffic is still a consideration.
Second, there is an element of danger on the Malahat Drive, or in our case, the Malahat run. Anyone who has lived on the South Island for a while will know that the Malahat portion of the highway is known for the large amount of car accidents that occur along that particular stretch of the road. It could be because the road is curvy, narrow and hilly. Running up that hill is not as big of a concern to me as the traffic itself.
Third, the distance from Nanaimo to Victoria is 111km, which is about 3 or 4 days of running. This means that we shouldn’t say “we’re home” when there is almost 3 marathons that separate us from actually being home.
Above: Again, this image is part of that bunch from the quick shoot by the sign. We were taking photos with most of the major city/town signs along the way. Shot by IMS FotoGrafix and clothing by Public Myth.
The first two days of running coming out of Nanaimo were very easy. The hills were not as big as the ones we encountered up Island. We also got a lot of happy honks and people waving at us from their cars. Additionally, there was enough room for us to be completely off the road and out of the way of the traffic.
I finished the running without any pain, which I am always thankful for. When I’m going high mileage so frequently, it’s very important that I remain injury-free through correct running techniques.
Watching the videos of myself running from the beginning compared to the later stages of the run, I could see where I’ve made adjustments to my stride and improved upon my technique. Running became automatic. My body had completely adapted to the high mileage and I felt great!
Above: Another photo break. Love this beautiful mountain backdrop. Photo by IMS FotoGrafix, clothing by Public Myth.
By the time it was time for me to do the Malahat, I was fully ready to take on that hill. My friend Kara joined us for that part of the run. We did the Malahat at midnight because that’s when the traffic is usually the slowest.
Running up the Malahat was much easier than I expected it to be. My legs did not hurt neither during nor after the run!
Here is what Ian wrote on the Run for Their Lives Facebook page about Kara and I running the Malahat that night:
“Yana and her friend Kara made the Malahat look like child’s play tonight! We waited until it was the lowest time for traffic (Sunday night, Midnight-2am) and they went up and over it in 90 minutes! It was an amazing thing to see, fast pace and no breaks!”
I was absolutely THRILLED to read that! After the Malahat, we had a very short 16km to get to our destination-Mile 0