Last couple of runs before GNR

So, the Great North Run looms, only 4 sleeps to go, and tonight I think I'm going to try and get some iron-on lettering to put my name on my top. I've bought a new sleeveless top, which is quite long in the body and quite thick fabric, and since the weather forecast is currently suggesting light rain for the weekend, I'm hoping this will work for me. I overheat quickly on a run, and don't really want to layer up to be warm enough at the start and then have to run with a jumper wrapped around my waist for over 12½ miles...

Anyway, I'm still failing to write up an adequate post about the weekend at Glenmore 24, a 12/24 hour ultra marathon event I was honoured to be at. I support crewed Andy, who came 3rd Male in the 12 hour race; so proud. But I'll come back to this in another post, I promise. Meanwhile, I wanted to cover my last few training runs before Sunday's race. I think I'll try to get one more session done tomorrow (Thursday), but other than that, I got my last 'long run' done on Friday evening, after work. I met Bob at Linlithgow canal again, with the aim of running 8 miles in a 6/1 interval - of course, me + plans never quite work out....

We ran slowly for about a mile, as a warm-up really - it was around 13 minutes pace, so pretty ploddy. I was chatting to Bob, catching up on his holiday achievements (cycling the alps, he's only mentioned it once or twice...), and then I moved onto 6/1 splits and - it seems from the stats - slowed the running part of the split down even more, to about 13:30 pace. Huh? We were off the tarmac and onto the loose gravelly trail by now, so maybe that contributed, I don't know. After a few 6/1 splits, we started getting interrupted by groups of cyclists, some sort of club ride, and the easist thing to do was step off the path and wait while they passed - it made for a somewhat broken up run, and put the 6/1 splits out of the window. So basically, after that, I just decided to keep running slowly, and if I managed to do 6 or 7 minutes in a row without interruption, I would put a minute's walk in.... it kinda worked out well enough that way, I guess. I know the pace was MUCH slower than usual, because I was able to keep up conversation with Bob almost th entire time - most unusual for me, when running - and I hardly ever got anxious. Again, unusual. I also forgot to turn at 4 miles along the towpath, until Bob quietly pointed out I was still running and I spotted my Garmin saying 4.1 miles, ooops! :) In the second half, the rain started, quite gently, and I remarked something completely innocuous along the lines of "I'd best not comment on how light rain is okay, because that'll tempt fate and it'll suddenly pour down." ...anyone care to guess what happened next?? Yep - the rain got heavier, and heavier... Gah!! I don't know who was more irritated, though - me, or Bob's dog Moss, who really doesn't like her back being wet, bless her heart... :) Anyway, I did 8.2 miles very slowly, in just under 2 hours. It averaged out at 14:30 mins per mile, and really there was a lot of running, just very slow running. I don't know whether to be pleased, or disappointed - I do feel like I was purposely not pushing myself for this training run, so I guess it's a positive one. But if it takes me 2 hours to run 8 miles on Sunday coming, I'll cry... :D

The weekend was taken up with Glenmore (though I got some walking done on bits of the course both days), and Monday was a rest day, but yesterday (Tuesday) I was all signed up for a 5km lunchtime challenge run at work, so duly packed my running kit and shoes when I left for work in the morning, and even remembered my Garmin, haha. Neil, a guy I work with who does a LOT of hillwalking and plays tennis regularly, has said a few times he wants to get into running a wee bit, as he heads closer towards his 60s - so I'd encouraged him to sign up too, and said we could plod round together. (I knew he'd be fitter and faster than me, but he was content to go at my pace.) The run was a staggered starts affair, which I'd not done before, so I put 36 minutes as my predicted 5km time, and they rounded it down to 35 minutes. And then sent a map, showing the route was further than 5km. *facepalm* This was going to be a challenge...

We got to the start a wee bit early for our allocated start time, signed a disclaimer, got given a race number (awww, how sweet), and because we were ready with 10 minutes to go, I asked if we could just go, thinking that I'd never in a month of Sundays manage 35 minutes for 5½ kms... They said yes, so Neil and I set off. Quickly. I haven't uploaded my data yet, but I know in that first mile I was running at 10 minute mile pace for 0.9 miles, until I gasped out I wanted a short walk break. To give me my dues, I DID keep it short, but then I focussed on bringing my pace down a wee bit for the rest of the run. By now we were off the pavement and onto the wee section of the Water of Leith path we were using, which was loose pebbly trail type surface, and a small section where the path crosses the river about 3 times. Of course, every time you went over the river, there was a wee incline up over the wooden bridges, so even though the route itself was relatively flat, I definitely felt aware of these bits. About 2 miles in we passed some of the walkers from our 'challenge' who'd started about 20 minutes before us, and then maybe half a mile later we were passed by one of the girls who'd started after us, but other than that, we stayed in place (there were about 40 folk doing it). We did the second half slower, with a couple of short walk breaks, and finished 3.35 miles in a few seconds over 40 minutes - it was exactly 12 minute mile pace. And, I stupidly hadn't fitted in a warm-up. Mainly because this was my lunchbreak from work, and I didn't want to be clocked out losing time for too long...! :)

I'd been quite pleased with that, for a lunchtime run on a warm day, but I'd pushed myself a bit too hard early on, and if you take out that first 0.9 miles, I'd ran just under 2.5 miles at 12:40 pace... which is a wee bit slower than my target race pace for Sunday, and I'd found tough yesterday. Slightly worrying. I know the situations are different, though, and now I also know I have 10 minute mile pace in my legs, even if it was bloody hard work to keep it there!! :) Managed it for 9 consecutive minutes, though... I can't feel bad about that!