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Anticipation of the Sooke 10K and Hatley Castle 8K races: Lucy Smith’s “how to run hills”

The first three races of the Vancouver Island Race Series have delivered! Well run events, great courses, impressive post race snacks and lots of good vibes with the people we like to hang out with. The flatter courses have been well suited to figuring out early season pacing and fitness. Coming up, we have the Sooke 10k and the Hatley 8k, courses known more for their rolling nature. Are you prepared?

How’s your relationship with the hills in your life? Do you embrace them for the challenge or fear them for being difficult? I think hills are a great chance and opportunity to practice positive mindset and turn “hills are hard” into “I love the challenge of hills.”

Running hills is just another part of racing, and if racing well is a game, then it’s your job to come up with a great strategy for success on them. Remember that practicing a positive mindset in training and building strength on hills (with short repeats) will help you on race day.

Technical aspects of hill running

  • Form is key: run with a tall relaxed posture and a slight lean into the hill.
  • Strong arm swing will help drive your body up the hill.
  • Look to the top of the hill to where you want to go. Use that sight line to ‘pull’ you up the hill.
  • Think “quick knees,” and “quick arms” driving you up the hill, and quick feet springing off the ground behind you, with a slightly shorter stride (shorten your stride as necessary to maintain your cadence).
  • Run fluidly down the hill, being as smooth as possible, with light steps that avoiding heavy pounding. Gravity is on your side so use that free speed.
  • Relax the shoulders and get in good exhales on the way down.

Mental aspects of hill running

Examine your current mindset towards hills. Does it veer towards the negative? “Hills are hard,” “I am not a good hill runner.”  Or do you face a rolling course knowing it’s going to be some effort, but you are determined to make it work?  “I like hills. Hills are for dancing up; being great.”

  • Replace negative self-talk (slow, inefficient) with positive words (quick, competent).
  • Creative strong images for self. See yourself as a good hill climber.
  • Create positive queues (dance, quick, light).
  • Practice in training for racing success.

Tactical considerations

Previewing courses is always a good idea if you want to do your best, and knowing where the hills are really helps you prepare mentally for success. Own the particular hill or hilly sections by mastering mental and technical aspects.

  • Pick the point over the crest and run over the hill, getting back into pace smoothly.
  • On a hilly course, be smart about pacing, and tune into your effort a much as your watch.

Run for Joy! Lucy Smith.

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I was super stoked to race the Cedar 12k, but…

Yes, I was super stoked to race the Cedar 12K, however, doing all the right things to prime myself for a great event didn’t quite pan out. It was all good except for the part about going on an airplane and catching a virus that gave my asthmatic respiratory system a real kick — ouch! 

One of the beauties of leading others in physical activity is enjoying their experiences, their finish lines, their accomplishments.

Witnessing Margot cross event finish lines never gets boring.  

She was apprehensive about racing the 12K because she felt she hadn’t run that distance in a long time but and this is a big but, she has accomplished long distances including a marathon on her own pace and discipline during the pandemic. Margot is strong both physically and mentally. However, “we” signed up together with the intention of making a trip out of it and now she was flying solo — there was an “out” if she wanted one.

BUT that’s not how this story ended

Margot’s first triumph — the coach goes down sick and she says, “I am doing it, I signed up for it.”

Recently, Margot shared with me her new way of thinking, “I am going to do it now while I can,” a message she was reminded about from her late father. Don’t put it off. We chatted a couple of times the day before the race and she diligently went through a short session reminding her body about how to move quickly and efficiently. During her drive up to Cedar, we spoke in length about the experience. Get comfortable, find your groove, take the first 6K and make it a comfortable tempo run. Break down the remainder in pieces focusing on 1K, and one step at a time and when you are done 9K remind yourself of how strong you feel and you only have 3K to go — easy peasy. You do that all the time. 

Margot reported back and I saw it on her Strava that kilometre 10 was her strongest and fastest. She had the mental capacity at that point to think about what we discussed….she was three-quarters done. Margot finished the race crushing her goal by more than three minutes and ironically surpassing my predicted finish time for her by three seconds — yes.

I predicted her time without telling her because often we don’t realize just how strong we are.

Margot #158. Photo credit: Joseph Camilleri

Training for yourself is fun, challenging, rewarding and at times can be frustrating when faced with injuries and/or illness.  Training someone that is full of great discipline, desire and determination is rewarding and humbling. I have great respect for those that are brave enough to get to the start line and learn from every finish line — whether it’s my body or theirs getting across it.

Thank you Margot and a big congratulations on your first ever ribbon. Yup — the icing on the cake — Margot earned a ribbon in her age category for her efforts and when she told me it was her first one ever, in my mind it turned into a huge trophy. I wish I was there to personally witness it but the pictures sure tell a lot. 

The moral of this story…

Do it when you can!

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Community, temperance, and rest — the less talked about keys to success in running

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.

Jonathan Walker. Photo credit: Jim Finlayson (Esprit RC)

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! 

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Triumphant return for the Cedar 12K
and winners Logan Roots and Meg Lewis-Schneider

The Cedar 12K road race made a triumphant return to the streets of Cedar, BC on Sunday. The Bastion Run Club-organized race had a two-year pandemic break and was back with its largest field in a decade with 432 finishers, the sixth most in the race’s 31-year history.

Meanwhile, winners Logan Roots and Meg Lewis-Schneider returned to the Vancouver Island Race Series in triumphant fashion winning in the times of 38:56 and 43:57, respectively.

Logan Roots with the win. Photo credit: Joseph Camilleri

Roots started with a few competitors but left them after 1K. He built a lead that he kept it from gun to tape. It was a course and distance personal best for the Courtenay-based member of Esprit RC.

“That [race] went better than expected. I didn’t really have a plan or a goal besides going out hard enough to regret how hard I went out and overall that went well,” shared the Canadian military member. “I still had the marathon in my legs today.”

Roots ran the Houston Marathon in January and will be racing the Sooke 10K in two weeks time.

Finishing in second place was Cole Czuchnicki in the time of 42:05. Taking third and first master was Keith Mills who clocked a new personal best of 42:27.

Lewis-Schneider finished first woman and ninth overall. In 2023, she was going to take a hiatus from racing, however, went to cheer on fellow Esprit RC members during the Harriers Pioneer 8K — the first race of the series (Sun., Jan 8). She subsequently signed up for the series, wishing she was in that race. 

Lewis -Schneider won her previous Island Series race one year ago taking the Cobble Hill 10K in 35:37.

“I started training in mid-January, so today was really just a starting point. I am going to do the rest of the series, but I had no expectations, so, I am pleased with the result,” shared Lewis-Schneider.

Meg Lewis-Schneider with the win. Photo credit: Joseph Camilleri

Taking second place was Briana Brandon with her 46:32 finish time. Natasha Parsons took third in the time of 46:51. The first master was Lucy Smith (55-59) in the time of 48:09.

The next race in the Vancouver Island Race Series takes place Sunday, February 26 in Sooke at the Westcoast Running Sooke 10K.

Information about the race series is available at www.islandseries.org.

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Lucy Smith’s race week advice: The top five

One aspect of self awareness is the ability to be open minded. That is, to know when our perspective of a situation is based on our opinion or point of view, and to understand that there may be other ways to thinking about things. I was recently offering some advice to a friend who is pondering running the Finlayson Arm 50k. My perspective came from my opinions about training, preparation, and execution of such an event and was focussed on what practices and habits will be required for success. Another friend of his simply said “Drink a bunch of beers the night before and SEND IT!”

There have been times in my coaching life that I feel like the ‘Lucy’ from the Peanuts cartoon, dispensing advice for 5 cents. Obviously, my advice to runners always come from the perspective of what I have learned over many years. What follows then, are the most common themes of running advice I have dispensed over the years, distilled into five tips.

1. Develop positive habits

Have the courage to know when your habits are creating the same mistakes over and over and cultivate the courage to change these. Good habits work for you, and easily become the norm for your workouts.

Take care of basic details: prep logistics and being organized with gear and time.

Find and embrace opportunities to succeed. You get better at this the more you practice it.

Weather the ups and downs of training and racing. Be no nonsense about that one. Life goes up and down. It just does.

Do not entertain a change of heart when having a tough day or after a tough race. Allow time to emotionally recover from disappointment. Reflect and move on.

2. Reflect honestly

Review your races. Improve what you can and give yourself credit for what you did well.
Refine what didn’t go so well. Be honest with yourself, without judgement.

3. Take care of yourself and surround yourself with a healthy community of friends

Eat well, sleep well, and take care of your body and health. It is quite simple.

Surround yourself with likeminded positive people who lift you up. Put yourself in environments that support your dreams and passions. (Such as the Island Series and other events). In other words, spend your time well.

4. Listen to others

You never know what you may learn but be discerning as well. From what you learn, custom build the program and lifestyle that works for you. 

Find a greater purpose

Give back when you can. Share the joy of your process and your achievement and celebrate others’ successes. Find opportunities to give back and accept opportunities to give back when they come. Thank the volunteers.

Run For Joy!

Recent panel from TC10K on the Island Series…