10km training run, and more milestones met

A while ago, Davie Mooney offered to have a training run with me around the Women's 10km route in Glasgow, with his lovely fiancée (and Clyde Stride WonderWoman) Julie. We agreed to do so a couple of weeks before race day, but for various scheduling reasons we eventually arranged it for yesterday, Monday evening, after work. With 6 days to go until race day, this would be my final 'test' of where I stand at this point of my year. "Don't wear your Garmin", Davie instructed. Aye, right. "Okay, so don't look at it while you're running." Ummm, he's met me before, right??

Anyway, the day loomed, and I worked my day at the office purely around getting out early to drive across to Glasgow. I timed it perfectly, taking account of end of day traffic, arriving at Bellahouston Park at 4:55pm. Dave Meldrum had already arrived, having asked if he could gatecrash when I saw him at the weekend haha, and Davie and Julie arrived moments later. A brief discussion on the weather and clothing ensued - the sun was shining brightly, and the temperature was warm, but there was a strong wind blowing, and forecasts of gusting over 40 mph, so I was concerned it would feel a lot colder. In the end, I shed my second layer, and just went with a tshirt and capri pants - so glad I did!

We walked up through Bella Park to the steps, then a short run up those steps o' evilness, and at the top, we started our warm-up run down the long gentle descent to the race start location. Without the benefit of race day road closures, I was hoping we wouldn't have to stop too often; my aim for the day was to run continuously for more than 1 hour. Davie's aim was that I would be running the entire 10km route without walking once. I remained unsure, but hopeful. My Garmin was switched on, but I turned it onto the Heart Rate screen, so I couldn't see time/distance. We set off a what I considered a steady pace, going by 'feel', but when my watch buzzed the 1st km (I'd forgotten to turn the notifications off) it said 6:38, and I kind of panicked. This was a lot faster than I was planning!! Going by how I felt at the end of those 33-minute parkruns, I knew that to last twice the distance, I was going to have to run a fair bit slower. However, we settled into my pace, as the three of them started chatting about weddings and all sorts of girlie stuff like that (Dave and Susan are getting married later this year, Davie and Julie are also planning a wedding for early 2017) - I just focussed on my running, occasionally adding a couple of words into the conversation where I could. We crossed roads whenever it was safe to do so, avoiding the need to wait at junctions. :-) The second, third and fourth kms were nice and steady, 7:09, 7:04, 7:11. My aim for race day is to beat my 10km PB of 71:04, so 7:10 minute kms is pretty much bang on pace! For a training run, however, and for a distance I've never ran before without walk breaks, I knew I'd be slowing a wee bit, and especially as we hit the hills in Pollok park, so I just tried to keep going.

My Garmin was still set to display my heart rate, rather than my pace or distance, etc. (and was currently showing about 185 bmp, which showed how hard I was working) but after a few more minutes of the nice descent to the entrace of Pollok park, I knew I was approaching 5kms, and wanted to see my time as I passed it, so I switched the screens, and watched as I passed 5km mark in 35:22. Thirty Five Twenty Two!! This is a training run, and although I was working hard, I knew I could keep going for a little bit - so to have made halfway in a time like that was a big boost. The 5th km was 7:20, so I was slowing a wee bit, but not too bad. We entered the park, and the long road right through to Pollok House is kinda soul-destroying, but now I had Julie by my side, who kept me nicely distracted, chatting about the Highland cows, and so on. As we started to reach the bottom of the hill, the wind was in our faces, and I asked "Do you think this means we'll have the wind behind us as we climb the hill?" - Julie thought for a moment. Then "Probably from the side. You know how you get headwind and tailwind, I wonder what it's called when it's a side wind? (pause) ...maybe it's sidewind?" - lol. I would be happy with anything other than the wind in our faces, because the hill was going to be tough enough as it was!

The first wee hill is a lot smaller in reality than it is in my mind, and I crested it relatively easily (lol) - continuing to plod on, while my three companions chatted and probably tried to distract my mind from the upcoming bigger hill. :-) We reached it, and I just tried to keep my pace steady as I went up. The 6th, 7th, and 8th kms, on flat and climbs, were steadily paced: 7:32, 7:31, 7:35. Then a steady gentle descent for a nice long stretch out of the park - and this is where my milestones all started to fall, as I switched my Garmin display screen back onto time/distance. I cried out: "Furthest distance ever ran without walking!!!" as I passed the 7.8km point, to cheers from my running companions. Moments later: "First time I've ever ran 5 miles!!!" - then soon after "Longest time ever ran without walking!" as I passed the 1 hour mark. Each was met with a cheer, and each gave me a wee boost - but I was in uncharted territory now, and we exited the park onto Dumbreck Road with about 1.5kms to go. This is a long straight stretch, and mentally difficult for me. I was tiring, but we'd also picked up the pace on the long gentle descent, and I was starting to struggle a little. For the first time, my breathing began to get difficult, as I tried to calm things down. The 9th km was 6:49! Now in that final km, and slowing down a tiny bit, my mind went to the one road crossing of the whole route where my continuous run might come a cropper - crossing the motorway slip-road entrance. As we got closer, the crossing showed a green man to indicate safe to cross, and I kind of panicked I'd miss it and have to stop, and put my foot down for a quick sprint to cross the road. "Where did THAT come from?!" shouted Dave, and I waved my arm in the air and gasped "Green Man!" - lol. So now we headed to the turn onto Mosspark Boulevard, and the finish straight. I'd said earlier that I would run as far as I needed to down this road for my Garmin to read exactly 10kms, and here Davie encouraged me (hahaha, 'encouraged' - that's a polite way to put it) to pick up the pace for a long 400 metre sprint finish. I watched my Garmin count down from 9.6kms to 10 - and the very moment it hit 10, I pressed stop, and came to a dead stop, before gratefully sitting down on the pavement and staring at the figures showing on my wrist. That last km was 6:47, and I had completed an entire 10km of running, in 71:36. Just 32 seconds slower than my all-time PB, and the second fastest time I've ever completed the distance. Also, the furthest I've ever ran without walking, and the longest time I've ever ran without walking. I was absolutely thrilled. And exhausted!

A steady walk back to the car, and a bit of a chat, before saying out goodbyes and heading seperate ways. I'd filled a thermal mug with tea before I left work, so I gratefully sat in the car drinking tea, and posting messages online - before the drive home. To say that run was a confidence builder for this weekend's race is an understatement. I feel ready now, for race day, and to seeing what I can achieve. I also feel really grateful for friends who have stood by me the last few years regardless of where I've been, mentally and physically, and seem to be getting just as much pleasure from seeing the changes I'm making this year as I am. Thanks guys. x x x