Praire Inn Pioneer 8km Road Race 2010

(insert photo of Leif suffering and sweating here)
I just finished running the Prairie Inn Pioneer 8K, which is part of the Frontrunners Island Race Series. I’m very pleased about my results for this race, which had a strong field because it was the BC Provincial Championships for the 8km road race.

Before the race, I felt that I should attempt to run an average of at least 3:30min/km, faster than I’ve ever run in a race (other than this supersprint tri). I managed to beat that goal. You can find results here, but the synopsis is that I ran 8km in 27:36 and placed thirtieth overall. This is the fastest pace I’ve ever sustained over a +5km distance, so I’m pleased by my achievement. While I still have a good way to go, this result encourages me to keep training to strive for even quicker times (which would meet a couple of my 2010 goals).

Not to say that this was an easy race. I sweated more than I have in months! I took a few risks and suffered through the race because of them. I went out fast with the lead runners and ran the first kilometer in under three minutes. Around the 2.5km mark, a large gap formed between the group I was running with and the next pack up. It seemed no one in the group wanted to bridge the gap (perhaps they were saving their energy for later). Anyway, for better or worse, I picked up my pace and caught the next group. The assuredly cost me some energy, but the experiment was worth it.

The Prairie Inn 8km race was well organized and a great deal of fun. I recommend this race to anyone looking for a fun road race that is well-attended by some of BC’s best athletes. This event was attended by some of the top triathletes and runners in Canada. Moreover, it was a gorgeous day to run. It was about 6C and misty. Perfect.

I learned a few things at the race:

1. Draft when possible. There were a few sections that I was out totally alone and I could feel the breeze pushing against me. I had to work just a little harder on the run; I could feel a significant difference from running with a pack of people. I think I could have been more strategic with sticking with a group of runners.
2. Pay attention to form. I need to work on being more mindful of my form and cadence when I race. Lack of mindfulness of my body results in less efficient racing and slower speeds. There were a number of times when I had to refocus on form.
3. Sprint at the end. I think I could have pushed harder the last 200m. Admittedly, hindsight always has me imagining that I’m super human and able to push harder than I did. Nevertheless, I slowed the last leg of the race and I could have made a few more seconds up if I had kept pushing.

Many thanks to PT Performance Training for helping me get to this speed and to Sole for equipping me with some custom footbeds for my Zoot race shoes.

I’m looking forward to the next race on January 24th: 10km at Cobble Hill.