Ambleside Mile 2016

I’ll be honest. I hadn’t planned to run the Ambleside Mile this year. Having just returned from a couple of weeks in the UK – you can read about my running & sightseeing adventures in London, Yorkshire and Edinburgh (coming soon) – I really hadn’t done anything that could be considered ‘speed work’. But since West Van Run is the organizer, and because a bunch of my running buddies were going to be there, I decided to register.

Like the race itself, this will be a pretty short post!

Debra picked me up and we headed over to West Vancouver. Full disclosure: all of the photos in the post are thanks to Debra!

The sun was shining, it was getting hot. Debra and I did a wee warm-up run around the block, and then caught up with lots of our West Van Run Crew buddies.

  

We gathered at the Start Line and, after a quick countdown, we were off.

The route differed from last year, which started with a long downhill. Instead, we were running a loop, the same as we did in 2014. It’s a relatively flat course – starting with a very gentle decline (which is repeated at the end), and a short slope at about one kilometre in.

I started out too fast. I knew the almost right away. I was struggling, and felt myself slowing down to a more manageable pace. I held this pace for most of the race, but as I approached the Finish Line, I just didn’t have the strength to kick it up a notch. Corinna blew past me at the end (achieving second in her age group!), and I crossed the timing mat a few seconds later.

No PB today. It’s all a difference of seconds in a race like this, and my speed just wasn’t there today. But it was a respectable time, and I know what I need to do to get faster. Train for it!

After the race, I joined the West Van Run Crew for a 5km run along the Seawall to Dundarave and back. Then, I accompanied Corinna and Adam for a run back downtown over Lion’s Gate Bridge.

A beautiful day, and another race in the bag!

Final Results

Chip Time: 6:39
Average Pace: 6:35 min/mile (HA! That’s 4:05 min/km)
Place Overall: 49/109
Age Category Place: 5/8