Apply to become a Vancouver Island Race Series ambassador. The Vancouver Island Runners’ Association is seeking a few ambassadors to represent the Vancouver Island Race Series as well as the association (VIRA) and our member clubs. Enjoy all the benefits and social connections while being a series ambassador. Applications are now closed. Eight ambassadors have […]
So…that’s it for the race series.
We started the series with below-zero temperatures at the Harriers Pioneer 8K and ended with 17 degrees Celsius at the Bazan Bay 5K. We had cloudy races, one with a massive downpour and puddle jumping (looking at you, Hatley Castle), and beautiful sunny ones like in Comox and this last Sunday.
This edition of the Island Series once again showed how great of a running community Vancouver Island has. At every race, I saw familiar faces, had nice start and finish line chats, and got to know a couple of new people.
I learned that being an ambassador for the series is the easiest thing ever. It takes absolutely no effort to show enthusiasm for these races when the courses are beautiful, the post-race food plentiful, and the cheer squads louder than you could have imagined.
And in this sense, I wasn’t that much of an ambassador. The real ambassadors for the Island Race Series are the race directors, volunteers, and folks cheering along the course. I can’t even begin imagining the work that the organizers and volunteers have put into making the series to the success it was.
The post-race experience at the Island Series truly is one of a kind. So much pizza, chilli, chowder, and sometimes even beer. For those who stuck around long enough, there were awesome draw prizes too, powered by some great sponsors. There is too many to name, but you can check them out on the website.
Finally, I shouldn’t forget to congratulate Speedfarm and the Prairie Inn Harriers Running Club with winning the Island Series and VIRA Cups, respectively. Also a big congratulations to those who managed to run a PB, to those who raced their first race, to those who came back to running after an injury or break, to those who ran their furthest distance ever in the series, to those who broke world records in their age group, and most of all to those who had a ton of fun being part of the series.
Now it’s time to give your carbon-plated shoes some rest and lace up the trail shoes for the summer. I look forward to seeing you all again next year.
I brought home my best time ever for a 10km. Nothing about this article has to do with that. Just thought you should know. You should also know the McLean Mill 10K was the Kinder Surprise Egg of the series. Y’all, edge of my seat! In reference to my last post about rituals… there was no room for that. So, what do we do when a race goes nothing as planned?
Step 1: stay warmed up…
Step 2: just run.
It’s been said before, it’s not the destination, it’s the journey. While I can exaggerate the importance of keeping race day similar to training days, sometimes I don’t have control. It’s going to rain though the forecast said 0% chance of precipitation. It’s going to false start right when the preworkout kicks in. You might cross the finish line just to… cross another? With all that eclipse energy to share, I shouldn’t have been surprised that nothing was how I planned. A gentle reminder that we all came to simply… run.
Like every race in the series, you can’t help but get lost in the beauty of the course. There’s no hustle and bustle. I zig-zagged the back road forest which canopied the rainfall. That’s why I run. To be lost in amongst trees. I forgot for that moment the stress of this and that and just ran. Yes, race day should have a pressure to play your best. However, the heart in showing up is the love for the run. With the Vancouver Island Run Series, we escape into pockets of the island’s lushest country life. And the McLean Mill 10K was so. As rolling hills take you through the miles you can’t help but feel like a Mario cart driver in the jungle using all gears. The snowcap mountains in the background display you are in fact running at the most beautiful place in the world. And that final stretch UP humbles efforts of going for the fast finish.
After we cheer Dog Mountain Brewing beer we congratulate each other. Ribbons are handed out while we warm up to the most perfect chilli. A thought I had: I didn’t ask a single person their timing. No one asked mine. You know why? We were all there for the love of running. Our runner’s high didn’t leave space for competition (ok, a little). Rather everyone was smiling and joyously hollering and celebrating. This is the best part of this friendly island cup game. The camaraderie is a balance of chasing goals while catching up with pals. It’s about just running.
Three sleeps until the McLean Mill 10K.
This is the race I’ve been waiting for. I’ve called Port Alberni home for almost a decade. Leading up to race day I had the same nerves as I did pre-Comox — the last race I participated in. Even though any race starts with jitters, I have to credit the Vancouver Island Race Series for routing out incredible backdrops that completely distract me.
The Comox Valley RV Half Marathon did not disappoint. With rolling country backroads and farm animal spectators, my favourite snippets from the last race in Comox will reflect here in Port Alberni. I know the route coming up on Sunday. Like Comox, there will be snow-capped mountains in the distance with old-growth trees lining the course. While My goal for the Comox race was to complete it. This Sunday, I’m hoping to bring home my best time for a 10K. No matter the distance, I like to keep prerace day rituals the same. With three sleeps out here are my go-tos (as an amateur runner):
Go-tos
Sleep. Snack. Stretch. Sip.
Sleep.
Leading up to race day I make sure my sleep schedule is clean. No late nights, no sleeping in. Keeping my rest regimented allows me to know how I’ll feel come race day. There’s nothing worse than a sleep hangover from too much sleeping or exhaustion from not enough. With three days out, I’ll be turning off my phone and hitting the pillow for 8-10 hours sleep.
Snacks! Snacking is any athlete’s favourite part of training. Leading up to race day I ensure I’m getting in my protein and carbs. No skipping meals or splurging on treats. The value in keeping the gut clean for race day is crucial. There’s nothing worse than showing up for a race after investing in training just to have your gut hold you back.
Stretching. Movement. Flow. I rest on my weight lifting and running workouts this close to a race while allowing an easy run, like chit-chat pace, to keep routine. Each day leading up I’ll continue to do a classic “warm up” with simple drills and mobility offering my muscle memory to keep in action. In the evenings I’ll do a foam rolling for fascial release and bring blood flow to the spots holding tension. Conserving my endurance for the big day while still keeping my body moving.
Sip, sip, hurray! An honest mistake I have made as a rookie is chugging all the water 24 hours out from a race and then feeling sluggish. It’s frustrating hitting the course on race day just to be interrupted for a toilet break. Starting now, I’ll make sure I am sipping my water continuously until the race. A couple hours out from the race start, I’ll add my favourite electrolytes in. Supplementing these minerals has me prepped for the first few race kilometres. Like gas in the tank rather than starting on empty.
Banking on these pre-race rituals helps me feel prepared and eases the pressure leading up to racing. The starting line is close in sight today and I’m ready to see fellow racers. Not just to see ribbons handed out, but also to toast personal bests and some friendly “I did its!”
With the half marathon behind us, it’s just a 10K and a 5K race left until the end of this year’s series. In Cobble Hill, you have already set a time to beat, and McLean Mill is a fantastic opportunity to see how much you’ve grown into your race routine.
When you look at the elevation profile of the McLean Mill course, it looks relatively flat. That is if you don’t look at the scale. So you’ve been warned: the course will be a bit hilly. However, to reward you for battling all the hills, there will be chowder. So when the gun goes off, your race to chowder begins. The first 200 metres or so, you make your way to the road and downhill you go. The first 4 to 5K are fast. It’s mostly downhill and you need to go give ‘er in this first half. Because think about it: the faster you go here, the sooner you’ll get your hands on chowder. Also, the second half is less forgiving and might make you slow down your pursuit of chowder.
After you’ve hit the halfway point though the course will go uphill. The last 2.5K you will be backtracking the first kilometres, so you will be going the same way up as you came down. So while the way out was downhill and fast, the way back will be uphill. Here’s the positive thing about the uphill on the way back: you’re closer to the chowder than you are to the start. So even if the hills feel relentless: don’t give up! Remind yourself that there’s chowder waiting for you at the finish to give yourself that extra bit of motivation to push a little harder.
By the time you hit the point on the road you came on at the start, don’t be fooled. You’re not there yet! You still have half a kilometre to go. Keep going on the road, listen to the kind volunteers that will make you take a 180 turn, run back on the road and then a left turn towards the mill. You go up a little bump and then you can sprint down to the finish. At that point, you can basically smell the chowder.
Port Alberni, bring it on!
Well, it wasn’t Easter and there was no chocolate bunny, but there was great weather, a #BigTurk bunny, a no prob-llama, pancakes and a whole lot of fun at Sunday’s Westcoast Running Sooke 10k. It was race #5 in the 2024 Vancouver Island Race Series.
Going in, I honestly wasn’t sure how to approach the effort. Those of you who have run the course will know it’s a rolling out and back with a good long incline at 7k leading into a nice fast finish (if you play it right). I figured I’d set out at a steady 4:15/km, see if I could maintain a steady pace up the “incline” (note: not a hill), then rip down the backside and onto the finish. Well, as I am often fond of doing, 4:15 turned into 4:05, but it felt pretty good. Ceevac’s own Micheal Gerhardt and I attacked that hill, and when I got to the top I (honestly) felt great — so off we went.
We kicked it up a notch over the final 2k and was shocked to cross the line in 40:33, a 30-second improvement over Cobble Hill a few weeks ago. That time was good enough for 72nd overall and 6th in the always competitive M50-54 age category.
Before all that, my youngest tackled the kid’s run, enjoying himself while keeping the Harriers tent warm. Tough job, I know. But I was proud of him for giving it a good effort, even though the candy was calling… 🤤
And, after all the running was over, we were treated to a primo feast of pancakes and sausages with whipped cream and strawberries courtesy of the Sooke Lions, plus a whole bunch more goodies (and maybe a Fat Tug for dad). Also, I appreciated seeing the gluten and vegan options so enthusiastically received.
It is always a pleasure to see so many people out racing, having fun and enjoying themselves. Kudos to rockstar race directors Katie Quast and Jason Ball for putting on such a great event. See you in Courtenay on Sunday, March 24 for the CVRR Comox Valley RV Half Marathon!
We’ve had five races to warm up, and now the big guns are coming out: the Comox Valley RV Half Marathon, organized by the Comox Valley Road Runners. It’s only one of two opportunities to run a distance over 10 km in the series and be ranked in the overall Series results.
It’s not only a good race to secure your spot in the overall rankings: it is also a good course to perform well. The race offers an out-and-back course, and while it has a fair bit of uphill, it also has its share of downhill.
Mentally, I like to divide the course up into four parts. Each part has a different profile, so it’s useful for building my race strategy. Breaking the race up into pieces is also quite nice to make it mentally more manageable to get ready for a long, hard-effort run.
The first part is approximately 5 km long. If you have a goal time in mind, figure out what splits you need if you were to run a flat race. This part of the course is relatively flat – give or take a bump or two – so in this part, you can simply hit these splits. There’s genuinely nothing remarkable about this section, so use it to find your groove and settle in.
The second part is where you will have to grit your teeth because it’ll be uphill until you’ve pretty much hit the halfway point. You have two choices: slow down or blow up. I recommend the first option: slow down a bit. Don’t forget it’s an out-and-back course so you’ll get the downhill portion later where you can make up time. Don’t slow down too much either, it’s fine to be a tad uncomfortable, but don’t overdo it.
Part three starts at the turnaround. Now it’s time to turn it up a notch. Go just a bit faster until you get over a bump at KM 12. Once you see the 12KM sign, it’s time to add a little spice to your race. The downhill stretch lasts for about 6KMs, so the course will help you just roll down. If you add a little bit of power, you’ll make up lots of time and you can definitely hit splits you wouldn’t normally expect to see in a half marathon.
Once your watch beeps for KM18, you should quickly check in with yourself. Since it is only three more km to go, there are a couple of different scenarios. Maybe you feel a little winded, in which case it’s too early to keep pushing really, really hard. It would be a shame to blow it in the last KM. While you can’t really win your PB in the final kilometre, you sure can lose it. So maybe settle back into a comfortably uncomfortable pace, and when you have about a mile to go, slowly start turning it up again if you can.
Alternatively, you may still feel grand after all that downhill. If you have more left in the tank for the last three KM, just keep on going. You’ve hit a stellar average for 18 km already, why wouldn’t you be able to do it for just a bit longer? This is where your body will tell you what you can and cannot do. It’s up to you whether you think it’s worth listening. There’s no single right answer it might be too risky, or it might be a risk that will pay off. You’ll only know during the race.
No matter how things unravel, it will be a spectacular race. If you’ve never run a negative split, this is the course to change that. It’s going to be a great adventure, so get ready!
McCullough’s Westcoast Sooke 10k re-cap
I had intended to run the Hatley Castle 8K but we were travelling home that morning after a weeklong family Reading Week vacation back east and I got sick on the flight home. I brought along my race bib for nothing. This illness sidelined me for a week and a half and, in the lead-up to the Sooke River 10k, I had only managed a terrible 23k long run last week and no other running all week. So what was the Westcoast Sooke River 10K going to look like for me?
I knew it was a rolling out-and-back course — I quite like the out-and-back courses — but having run so little the previous two weeks, my “B” goal was to try to run under my age. I just turned 56 on Friday, so this was a realistic goal for me. My “A” goal was to beat my Cobble Hill 10K time. My race strategy was going to be to try running while feeling a little uncomfortable, find a runner to keep pace with and then try to pass them in the second half.
So what happened? You may ask.
Approaching the 3k mark, the first of the leaders were already on their way back, but I also made a note that we were going down a hill, meaning we’d be going uphill on the way back. This could be a challenge.
By the 5k turnaround, I still had my pacer in sight ahead of me and another, faster friend who was also ahead of me. I managed to power up the hills and pass my first pacer and, to my surprise, I had reeled in and passed my faster friend too. She’s been faster than me at every Island Race Series race so far, so I knew this meant she was not having a good race.
With two kilometres to go, I managed to push a little harder and sprinted for the finish. I could see the clock and pushed hard to beat the 56:00 gun time. It was not after I crossed the finish line and stopped my watch that I knew I was a few seconds over 55 minutes. I beat my Cobble Hill 10K time —“A” goal success!
One of my best friends, who lives in Langford and knew I’d be doing this race, had decided in the last couple of weeks to sign up for the Sooke 10K too and, though she had done a long trail run the day before, she wasn’t too far behind me. It was really special to be able to celebrate our races together.
The post-race food was next level. Two large, fluffy, fluffy pancakes served with strawberries, whipped cream and two sausages were such an unexpected treat! I knew there were pancakes and sausages, but the strawberries, whipped cream and the sheer size of the pancakes took me totally by surprise. What was even more delightfully surprising was the inclusion of vegan pizza slices and celiac-friendly options as well. The race organizers really went the extra mile to include everyone! Besides the amazing post-race treats and the age group prizes, the best part of the Vancouver Island Road Race Series for me has been the warm and friendly community of runners I’ve met. At each race, I’ve met new people and it’s so much fun to see them along the course and to be able to yell out their name and cheer them on. After each race, I found myself saying, “That was so much fun. I would totally do this race again!”. I love this race series! See you at the Comox Valley RV Half Marathon.
With the fourth race just behind us, we’re at the halfway point in the series. This likely is the point in the season where you’ve probably put lots of miles on your trainers, and perhaps also on your race shoes. So you might want to be looking for a fresh pair of shoes for the next phase in your training and for the second half of the race series.
With both Brooks and Frontrunners Footwear, the Island Series has two great sponsors that can help you to the right pair of shoes. Brooks recently launched two updated shoe versions: The first one is the newest version of the Brooks Glycerin, their higher-cushioned daily trainer. The second one is the Hyperion Elite, their carbon-plated race shoe. Island Series Ambassador Sander Nederveen put both shoes on his feet and gave them a spin around town. Read his thoughts below.
Brooks Glycerin 21
The new Glycerin is a super comfortable shoe. I keep reaching for them when I want to go for an easy run, or even just for a walk. The toe box is a bit wider than in other Brooks shoes, which is quite nice for somewhat wider-footed people like me. Aside from a comfortable fit, there’s a lot of cushioning too. It’s the kind of cushion that absorbs a fair bit of the impact when you’re running, but simultaneously gives you a bit of a bounce. On a longer run, the shoe performed well: the shoe didn’t force me to work harder (which heavy cushiony shoes sometimes do), although it also didn’t have the energy return of a tempo/race day shoe.
Essentially, the Brooks Glycerin 21 is a solid and sturdy shoe for your easy recovery run after work or an easier longer run.
Brooks Hyperion Elite V4
It was at Hatley Castle 8K that I christened the Brooks Hyperion Elite v4s. I didn’t know what to expect, because Brooks has been hyping this shoe for some time, but their previous race-day shoe didn’t get very much critical acclaim.
The Elites exceeded my expectations. Even during my warm-up, I had to control of my pace: the shoe wanted me to go faster. During the race, I learned that it’s a solid race-day shoe. The energy return is high, and in some sense, it feels like your shoes are encouraging you to go give ‘er. So I did!
Something I realized after I had worn the shoe for a while, is how normal the shoe felt. Race day shoes can feel very unstable, and sometimes flimsy around your feet. Not the Brooks Hyperion Elite: I felt stable and it’s quite comfortable.
My first impression of this shoe is good. It held up super well on a wet and muddy course. I’m excited to lace it up for the Westcoast Sooke 10K and the Comox Valley RV Half Marathon later this month and try it out on longer courses.
If you’re excited to try out these shoes and/or get yourself a pair, stop by at Frontrunners Victoria. There’s a Brooks shoe for every type of runner and Frontrunners will have them for you. And who knows, maybe I’ll be there to help you out and find the right shoe for you.