Tag Archives: Kamloops Ridge Runners

Race Recap: Blackwell Dairy 15K/3K Fun Run

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This year I decided that it would be the year that I jumped up to the full 15km distance for the Blackwell Dairy Run! It was one that didn’t come lightly at first, but considering that it was the required distance to complete the Kamloops Run Series, I didn’t have much of an option!

The weather was pretty stormy leading up to the day of the race, but on the morning of the run the clouds parted and the sun was beaming! It made for a hot, sweaty run but I’d take that over getting soaked any day!

Kyle and I got the girls up and moving early Sunday morning and we were at the Start line with enough time for a bathroom break and some stretching. Kyle decided that he’d run the 3km Fun Run with Isla (at her request), so he kissed me good luck at the starting line and I was off!

It’s pretty well known that this race is one of the toughest in the area, so I wasn’t too sure what to expect exactly aside from hills and heat. Right off the start I developed an annoying stitch under my ribs, but thankfully it went away after I got my lungs warmed up.

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Somewhere around the 10-11km mark, when my legs still kind of worked. Photo credit: Phil Hiom

At first the heat wasn’t so bad but once I started running directly into the sun was when it started to really get to me! I was a sweaty, drippy mess, but so was everyone else, so it was okay, haha.

The views on the run were absolutely stunning and it was awesome running through the “country,” so it was a very welcome distraction from my legs screaming at me to stop making them move. The hills were definitely gruelling and pushed me to the limit! Add the heat to that and I can see why everyone comments on how tough this run is! Thankfully, the wind was in my face after the turnaround point which felt wonderful!

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The last couple of hills before the finish line were unbelievable but I knew the end was SO CLOSE. The moment I saw Kyle, Isla, and Norah waiting for me I put what little I had left in the tank and finished as strong as I could. I was GASSED but finished with a time of 1:45:39, which was what about what I thought my time would be. Definitely some room for improvement, but all things considered I’m content with it.

Isla led the way for her and Kyle’s 3km run and finished with a time of 25:03! I’m super proud of her for getting out and being active. Norah ran with Kyle’s mom and she clocked in at 39:27; again, super proud mom, right here!

After I had caught my breath/made sure I wasn’t going to die, it was of course time for ice cream and pancakes! It’s probably the best post-race food ever and I highly recommend it.

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In it purely for the ice cream. Photo credit: My MIL

Now that I know the course and what to expect, I’m looking forward to training for it better next year and improving my time! Completing this race proved to me that accomplishing a half-marathon is totally doable for me. You can only go up from here, right?

Of course, a huge shout-out to all the race organizers, volunteers, and runners for making it an amazing event as always!!

Race Recap: The Spring River’s Run Off 10K

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At the beginning of the year I had set some pretty big goals for running, but after a lot of contemplation, I re-jigged them into something more achievable. Originally I set my sights on completing a half-marathon by the end of this year, but now I’m aiming at simply upping my distances and completing eight races in the Kamloops Run Series.

This year, much like last, we kicked off the 2019 running season at the Spring River Run Off race, hosted by the always amazing Kamloops Ridge Runners. This would be my first kick at completing a race at the 10km distance, and to say I was nervous would be an understatement. Lucky for me, Kyle decided that he’d hang out at my pace and kept me going pretty much throughout the whole race.

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We were called “The Cute Couple” but this photo is everything but cute, haha! (Photo by David Graham)

Overall, I felt really good throughout the whole race! My knees started giving me a pretty hard time somewhere between the 7 and 8 km mark, but Kyle really helped keep me going and I managed to finish fast and strong with a time of 56:29 and an average pace of 5:39/km. My main goal was to finish in under an hour, and I’m pretty jazzed that I was able to crush that one!

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Today my legs are pretty much dead to me, but it’s so worth it. I’m looking forward to the rest of the race season, and being able to confidently accomplish longer distances!

Race Recap: Blackwell Dairy 15K/3K Fun Run

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We came, we ran, we ate ice cream!

Kyle, Isla, and I all  ran this year, with Kyle doing the full 15K and Isla and I doing the 3K. The heat was definitely going to play a factor, but I think we all managed to do pretty well! Norah hung out at Grandma’s house, but next year will definitely be her year to join in. Honestly, she absolutely could’ve done it this year, but oh well …

Anyway, Isla has been looking forward to this race since we finished the Boogie the Bridge back in April. She was a tad impatient waiting for the 3K race to start (the longest 15 minute wait EVER as we started after the 15K runners), but once we started she was right into it! She didn’t stop running until sometime after the 1K mark, and even then she only took a couple of walking breaks and pauses to catch her breath.

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Once we got to the first hill she started to slow down and wanted to walk, but I coaxed her to keep running by offering her my Fitbit to wear. (She’s been obsessed with earning steps, haha.) While it worked, she soon took a bit of a spill and scraped her knees up pretty good. Thankfully, it was right at an road crossing, so there was a traffic control volunteer who saw her tumble. Isla hobbled along and the wonderful woman stationed at the crossing sat her down, gave her some water, and found a bandaid in her car to patch Isla up with. I am SO thankful for that volunteer because I don’t know if I could’ve gotten Isla to keep going after that. While we ended up walking the remainder of the course, we only had about 1K to go. Isla even agreed to run across the finish line, and boy, did she ever! She really gave it her all at the end and I’m so proud of her. Even with her wipeout she finished with a time of 34:49! (Last year she ran it in 40:02!)

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Of course, we celebrated afterwards with delicious ice cream and waited for Kyle to come in from his 15K. He ended up besting his time from last year by a couple of minutes, so I’m super proud of him as well!

Isla was also super excited to see our “trail” thanks to the Fitbit as well:

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I hit pause when she wiped out, thus why the tracker time is different than our bib time.

Next year Kyle is contemplating stepping down to do the 3K race with the girls and I’m thinking really hard about upping my race distance and going for the 15K! At least I have a whole year to decide, and a good chunk of the spring to train.

Anyway, overall it was a great day, and again, I have to give a huge shout-out to the Kamloops Ridge Runners and all the volunteers on the course for helping make this yet another great run!