I was nervous going into this race because my training had totally derailed over the last 6-8 weeks and it was going to be a hot and sunny day in Vancouver. But while I didn't get anywhere my best time (nor was I expecting to), I had a great time and I'm glad I raced. The course was beautiful, especially coming through UBC and looking out at the water. The first half wasn't so bad for the heat as it was frequently shaded by trees, but I really hit the wall and the heat during the second half. Some of the hills by Jericho Beach and especially Burrard Bridge totally killed me, and I had severe abdominal cramping during the downhills so that wasn't such a good time.

One thing that I would have liked was more water stations, given the heat. That would've helped a lot in the latter half of the course, when the heat was worse, less shade, and obviously more fatigue.

But I survived! 2:02:55. Eleven minutes slower than my PB but this race was more about finishing injury-free and enjoying the journey. Mission accomplished.

The Shaugnessy 8K runs through the local neighbourhood in Vancouver, and I found it to be quite the tough race. I can't comment much on packet pickup since I picked my bib up the morning of (it was quite easy to do). The race is pretty small with a fast group of runners, and the atmosphere was lovely. I was happy that things started right on time as well.

Personally I found the course to be difficult. I'm still not great at hills (working on it), and this race was full on undulating hills, starting with a fairly steep one right out of the gate. I was pretty exhausted for the second half of the race and had to stop for a quick 20-second walk break up the last hill. Additionally, it was a beautiful day but super sunny and quite warm, which made things more difficult for me. I had a strong finish, however, with a nice downhill right at the end followed by a straight stretch.

Overall, a great challenge and a lovely local 8K. I'd do it again, though I clearly need to work on my hills.