When I signed up for the Harriers Pioneer 8k, I knew that it would be my first race of 2014. I wanted to see where I’m at and what I need to work on. Given that the last time I raced was the Victoria Marathon in October, I thought that I might be a bit rusty.
Honestly though, not racing for a couple of months felt weird, but I also felt like taking a break was (and still is) a good idea for anyone that feels they need some recovery time before resuming racing.
I was so thrilled to learn that my friends were in the race as well. Waiting around at the start line together and cheering for each other at the finish line makes the whole racing experience 10x better than it already is.
Above: Me and my friends warming up before the race. We were all smiles on this great day 🙂
On race day, there were a lot of runners. They even had to delay the start of the race by a few minutes due to the race’s popularity (a lot of race day signups). In my opinion, it’s still great that they have the option for people to register on race day because a lot of people aren’t sure if they will do the race until that very day.
I also like to do races with a lot of participants (think TC 10K) because the bigger the crowd, the more energy I feel I get from their presence.
Above: Just a small representation of the huge number of runners that were at the race.
This time, my choice of race wear included the Public Myth Teaser Sport Bra and B-Belt Crop Leggings. As for shoes, I wore my beloved Saucony Ride 5 
I was very excited at the start line. First race of the year and I wasn’t nervous at all. Gotta LOVE that feeling!
Immediately, I started too fast (like I often do…hahaha), but it still felt great. Did the first kilometer in 3:35, but then slowed down a little. I believe that I went way too slow between km 4 and 5. However, I sped up again and finished the last km under 4 minutes.
Above: Me trying to outsprint the guy beside me as we come towards the finish line. At the same time, I’m also looking to the side to see what the “clock says”.
I ended up finishing 2nd in my age category with a time of 33:03 (average pace per km was 4:08 and average pace per mile was 6:39). Also, I was about 40 seconds faster than my last year’s 8k time. I was very pleased with the results, especially because I haven’t raced for a while.
Above: Closer to the finish line and still beside him. I think in the end he got me by a couple of seconds. Maybe I should have focused on the sprint, rather than looking at the clock. haha. 😀
Lastly, I liked the course and I thought that the race was very well-organized. What’s really awesome is that this race (same with other Vancouver Island Race Series races) has runners of all levels, from beginners to elite, so you can always find someone to tag along with when the going gets tough. I would love to do it again next year!
Above: The age group awards. I’m second from the left. 🙂