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 […]
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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.
So the third race of the 2024 Vancouver Island Series, the Cedar 12k, fell on the day after another event in my calendar, a retirement party for local sporting legend and SMUS teacher Ian Hyde Lay. Let’s just say that a good time was had by all. Those who visited the Bard and Banker that evening, and let’s also say that when my Sunday morning alarm went off, racing 12k was far, far from my mind.
But, mainly because I volunteered to drive the carpool (sucker!), off I went. I said to one of my club mates that I was going to take a wait-and-see approach. And after a cup or two of black coffee, a bite to eat and some last-minute hydration on the drive up, I was feeling good enough to toe the line. Not good enough to challenge my PB, mind you, but still OK. In the back of my mind, I thought “Well, let’s start at a minimal effort pace (5:00/km for me), and see how we do.” And then the horn went on the start line, and away we went…
And of course, all those good and sensible ideas got thrown out the window. Truth be told, I got into a comfortable rhythm and managed a respectable 4:30/km for the first 5k. After getting to the one standout ‘hill’ at that point (and waving at Brandon and Dusty already headed back…), I took a bit of stock of my condition and felt pretty good, truth be told.
I decided on the way back to see if I couldn’t get progressively faster on the return. And I ended up doing just that, negative splitting by almost two minutes (26:53/25:07) to finish right around 52:00, which would have been just 5 seconds off my PB. If it hadn’t been determined later that the course was approximately 90m short. Ah well. That time was still good enough for 10th place in the horrendously competitive M50-54 age group. So I was pretty pleased overall. And the warm hospitality and snacks from our friends at Bastion Run Club made it a great day.
Sean’s Strava race stats: https://www.strava.com/activities/10743274292
Cedar tips: What to do
- Have fun
- Run the rolling road to your advantage
- Run the tangents – every little bit helps!
- Hang around and socialize afterwards, and cheer on the award winners
What NOT to do
- Neglect your hydration and race prep as I did
- Get too excited with the first 1k downhill – hope you didn’t go out too fast!
This coming Sunday, Feb 25th is the unique Hatley 8k, put on by Frontrunners Athletic Club on the grounds of Royal Roads University in Colwood. I say unique because it’s part road, part trail with a sizeable hill in between. This is a race to focus on effort, not pace or time, but don’t let that scare you – it’s a great course and a lot of fun. Hope to see you there!
By Sander Nederveen
The next race in the series is Hatley Castle 8K, and you’re in for an absolute rollercoaster of a course. The rollercoaster includes an interesting collection of hills, variations in terrain, and a fast finish.
This course is not your typical PB course. Unless you’re faster uphill than downhill, you likely won’t pull off your best-ever time in the 8K. But that is the trade-off for all the fantastic things this course has to offer.
In the first half kilometre, you will go towards the lagoon on a gentle downhill. With fair weather, you will forget to look at your watch and will simply be amazed by the gorgeous views of the Olympic Mountains. While you’re still processing that you’re in one of the most beautiful spots on the island, you head uphill and will soon be surrounded by trees before your watch beeps that you finished your first klick.
That’s when you’re in for a treat: the uphill gets a bit steeper, and the course will turn right. More uphill you go. You may wonder: what’s the point of this hill? The answer is exactly what you would expect: there is no point. We are Vancouver Islanders; we just love hills for the sake of them.
You will go up until you hit kilometre 2, and then you turn right around and go back down. Once you’re back down and you are still wondering what it is all for, your thoughts will get interrupted by yet another hill. Did I tell you yet that this course is an absolute rollercoaster? Well, you will have found out by now. After you climb this hill at kilometre 3, things slow down for a bit. Some rolling up and down, and you might almost start thinking that it’s a normal course.
The joke’s on you! Just after the 5th kilometre, you suddenly take a sharp turn into the woods, and you will be dodging roots and trail running pretty much until the finish line. A big downhill will be waiting for you in the last kilometre, and you will fly to the finish line.
I look forward to toeing the line and having an absolute blast out at Hatley Castle, taking on the challenging hills and the beautiful trails. I hope to see you there!
By Karen McCullough, series ambassador
How do you prepare for a 12k?
How do you prepare for a 12k race when you’ve never run one before? This was me going into the Cedar 12k. A 10k race, sure I know what to expect, even a half marathon. But a 12k? What was I going to do about pacing? I decided I wouldn’t worry about it and just go with “This is a 10k, but just a little longer.” Having just done a 19k long run in my training for the Comox Valley RV Half Marathon coming up on March 24, 12k should be a breeze, I told myself.
I knew it was a rolling, out-and-back course, and the hills weren’t going to be too bad. Now, I live near Mount Tzouhalem, so I KNOW hills! Doing some quick math on my way, I figured I’d try to stick with my 10k time from the Cobble Hill 10k. The second race of the series just two weeks earlier. And the plan was to just stick it out another 2k. My B goal would be sub-1:10 and my A goal would be sub-1:08. Shouldn’t be too hard, right?
My husband and I arrived good and early and had plenty of time to get his bib and get a 2k warmup in. We lucked out with the weather. By race time, the rain had eased up and I decided to go without my rain jacket and just the long-sleeved shirt. We all gathered at the start and, I guess I was too far back, but I didn’t hear a start horn or anything and everyone just started running. It’s a small enough race that this wasn’t a huge deal. It’s chipped-timed so it doesn’t matter when you cross the start line anyway, right?
Heading out, I kept it kind of conservative but still within my 10k pace. I saw a young woman pass me from behind and she reminded me of a friend in Vancouver, so I decided I’d stick with her and keep her in sight as long as possible. The course was so enjoyable. With a couple of turns in the first three kilometres and then gentle rollers to the 6k turnaround. I took note of my time at the turnaround and did some mental math to see what my finish time might be. By then, I knew what to expect going back and decided to kick it up a notch. I started passing people and it felt good. At some point between 8 and 9k, I even managed to pass “my friend.”
So at 10k, how am I doing?
At 10k, I was just a few seconds slower than my time at the Cobble Hill 10k. But I had enough steam in me to really give’er in the final 2k. With 1k to go, I saw my husband on the other side of the road running towards me. He had already finished his own race, and he ran me in with lots of encouraging words. When we turned that final corner, I could see the finish, I really let it rip and hoofed it to the finish to leave everything on the course.
I could see the clock as I got closer to the finish and knew I was not only going to beat my B goal of sub-1:10, but I also beat my A goal of sub-1:08. With a chip time of 1:06:48. This turned out to be good enough for 8th in my age category of F55-59. I received a beautiful red ribbon to commemorate that.
One thing I’ve really loved about the series is the absence of participation medals, but medals and ribbons for up to 10th place in each age category. Who needs another participation medal? Not me. This, I’m sure, helps to keep the races at such an affordable price. I wish other races would adopt this measure!
Even though my husband and I have only lived on the Island for five and a half months, we’ve already met so many amazing people in the Vancouver Island running scene through our local run groups and especially through the Vancouver Island Race Series. During the race, when I started seeing the runners who’d already turned around at 6k, I couldn’t believe how many runners I knew and could cheer on by yelling their names.
With a chip time of 56:46 at the Cobble Hill 10k being nowhere near my PB of 50:52, I’m still really proud of myself. I am proud of my race at the Cedar 12k. I’m in my late 50s now, and 5 years older than when I ran a 50-minute 10k and not every race is going to be a PB, and that’s ok! The important thing is this: did I have fun? You bet I did! Will I do this race again?
Abso-f’ing-lutely
I am having a good time with the Island Race Series this year. I have done four and will hopefully do two more. Or that is the plan.
I am racing, in the sense that I have a bib, and I am getting to the start line, but I have this knee thing I have to be careful of these days, and a thing called aging, so I have had to trade speed and volume for strength training in order to stay fit. It is a good trade. I am simply enjoying being around other folks who also like to race. It doesn’t really matter how fast you are, there is something about us all out there trying hard, about putting it all on the line and testing ourselves. I understand the contenders and the winners, and now I am happy in the pack. There is something that binds us all together.
I am a mother of two very active children (now adults). I raced professionally for about 30 years. I don’t think I could have chosen two less physically demanding of careers: motherhood and sport, doubling up on both for 14 of those years.
I have had my share of exhausting days, and sleepless nights, and still got up to train. I have gutted out repeat after repeat of leg burning, lung searing 400’s at the track and ridden so hard up hills for no other reason than to see how fast I could go.
One day, a few summers back, my kids were at summer camp, and I was training at the local track. I was running 1k repeats off a hard bike workout. Half way through the penultimate interval, finding my stride at 700m in, I had one of those moments, where you look at yourself from the outside. As I ran though the fatigue and discomfort, willing myself to quicken my pace, run even a little harder as the discomfort increased, I realized I was completely enjoying myself. There I was running my guts out at the track, when I could have been relaxing with a coffee and a book or even getting my nails done. I wasn’t even training for an Olympics, or a world championships, or anything remotely glorious as all that. I wasn’t suffering for the sake of hitting a pace time or besting an opponent or anything so tangible. I was 45 and out there running fast for the sake of it. I know I am not alone.
I always loved the feeling of working hard. When I am at the track, or in the trails, or on the road working mindfully and gracefully through discomfort and intensity, I am so totally in my element that I am completely happy. It’s what I know and it’s who I am. It’s like being intensely uncomfortable in my comfort zone, if such a thing exists.
When I run fast now, although I am so much slower than I was at 30, I feel just as youthful, empowered, and strong. I now have a freedom and a sense of peace with running that I couldn’t even imagine at 30. The irony is that I couldn’t have the freedom to be what I am now if I hadn’t been there first. This has nothing to do with age though. It has everything to do with accepting what I love and not fighting it.
That’s why I love these races at the Island Series. Here we all are, loving the hard work we put in, loving the training and meeting up every couple of weeks at a new venue, to toe a new start line. I love that these races exist, that people come out to test and challenge themselves, I love the nervous joking on the start line and I love the relaxed laughter after it’s all said and done.
There is no substitute for the experience of training hard and racing, and that’s the truth.
Run For Joy – Lucy Smith
For us runners, this time of year is often a time when we reflect on the races we want to do and times that we dream of running. It’s a time of open possibility and optimism, a time to explore our potential and really get after it.
The fire burns bright and the passion runs deep when we are healthy, when we are seeing progress, when everything is going well. But what about when things inevitably don’t go as we expected them to? When your new job is stressing you out, your kid is keeping you up at night, or you’ve picked up yet another injury or illness? What happens to the fiery flame of passion then?
While I have all the “freudenfreude” in the world for those who are crushing it in their running right now. My hope is that this article can reach those who’ve struggled with their running, those whose New Years resolutions are waning, or who are just going through a hard time right now. Know that you are not alone, and struggle is all part of sustainable progress in this sport we love.
Having just worked through 12 weeks of injury, here are some ways I’ve managed to keep the spark alive enough to cross train and build my way back:
1. Community. As individual of a sport running is, some of the best memories and experiences are shared with teammates and other members of the Island Race Series community. Finding ways to stay connected to the sport by cheering your teammates and being part of the community can help, even for a moment, snap out of self-focused negative rumination, and help you remember why you love this sport.
2. Temperance. As frustrating as it is to be injured, sick or have life get in the way, we can’t rush the process and force a comeback. Things take time, often much more time than we realize. Embracing the discomfort of that truth, and accepting where we are to get where we want to go, is a key skill to practice.
3. Rest. Crushing your workouts and races is awesome; but it must be replicated over and over again for long term success. Rest is the key ingredient here. Give yourself permission to ease back slowly, to take a day off if you’re really exhausted, to take that nap. Think of rest as a skill. How good can you get at resting? Can you perfect sleep hygiene? Can you embrace rest guilt-free, and let go of the need to train too soon because you may be anxious?
As we navigate injury, illness and stress, there is no magic solution. Sometimes things just suck, and that’s okay. But trust the process, reflect and learn what works for you. And if you’re at a loss, give community, temperance and rest a try. These lessons are the overlooked blessings that our running journeys can reveal!