On long runs and surprising oneself

I'll get my Clyde Stride post finished next, but first I just wanted to write down some of the stuff whirling around my head about my own current running. It just feels like it's continuously improving now, which is actually kind of difficult to get my head around. My long run this weekend was one which I was not expecting to go very well, and I had decided in my head that if I needed a couple of short walk breaks, or to drop my running speed to something approximating walking, that was fine, so long as it was for a set duration only. I was doing it on Sunday, so this meant it would be after leaving New Lanark in the morning - and I chose to drive to the canal at Falkirk, instead of the more hillier trails around the end of the Clyde Stride route!! :-)

When I got to Falkirk, and the carpark, I spent a wee bit of time procrastinating, applying sun cream, having a wander down to the Falkirk Wheel, changing my tshirt, drinking water, selecting a podcast, and so on. Eventually, I started walking up the hill, having never been here before I wasn't sure where the Union Canal started. On my way, I bumped into Pauline Walker, so we had a nice chat, before we went our separate ways, and I had ran out of excuses. Then, just before I pressed 'start' on my watch, I quickly found a new excuse:


What!!?! I walked along the tunnel quickly - it was a wee bit spooky, with a big gate at the end that warned it would be locked at dusk. Thankfully I wasn't expecting my run to take that long, lol! Once through the tunnel, I took a brief moment to sort out my pockets etc, and then I was off! The pace aim for the run was my easy pace (around 12 mins/mile) but with a small pick-up in the last mile to somewhere around 11:30 mins/mile. I settled into a run along the canal bank, and settled reasonably into 12 minute miles, and then 2 mile along I came across the Falkirk Tunnel! This one was much longer that the one at the start of the canal, and looked a lot darker. I pulled an earphone out so that I would be aware of anyone else around me trying to pass, checked behind me, and just went for it. I decided that the quicker and more confidently I ran, the sooner I would be through the tunnel, and although for the beginning I couldn't even see my feet until the lights got a little bit brighter, I kept my shoulders back, my head up, and my pace steady. I just kept going, and when I came out of the end of the tunnel, almost half a mile later, I was on cloud 9 at how well I'd ran through a situation that could have freaked me out! I'm a new me, these days.

I ran for another mile and a half, ish, before turning round and heading back. The second time, the tunnel was busier with other people (walkers, and cyclists), so although I kept running, this time was a little slower, and making allowances for passing carefully without banging my head off the sloping roof, lol. After I came out of the tunnel the second time, I was around 6 miles into my run, and my pace had started getting a little faster, happening automatically without me trying. I'd never walked once. At the end of the 7th mile, I purposefully picked up my pace, aiming for around 11:30 - however what actually happened was that my 8th mile was... 10:44 ! That took me right back to my car, and when I stopped running I was breathing heavily, my legs were tiring, but I was elated. It had been a pretty tough last mile, and I'd pushed hard, but doing so after 7 miles of running is absolutely brilliant for me, and demonstrative of a whole load of progress for me, both physically and mentally. Especially mentally.

My running plan called for a gentle 5km recovery run the next day, which I comfortably managed in under 36 minutes. Bearing in mind that at the beginning of the year I was struggling to complete parkruns at top effort in under 42 minutes, and here's me running gentle recovery runs in under 36 mins, the day after an 8 mile run! Stunned; it really does overwhelm me.

So then onto Tuesday (today), and another 4 miles ran before work. This time I chose a more undulating route, and since I was out before 6am I went right into Edinburgh city centre, and picked a very scenic route at a time of day where there weren't any tourists, and traffic was at a minimum. It reminds me how beautiful the city I live in, is. I started at Greyfriars Bobby, and couldn't resist a wee cheeky photo with the buff I'd got from the Clyde Stride sponsors (that would be Jordanhill Garden Supplies, hehe, how's that for a 'mench', Gerry??) - before going on to run a surprisingly comfortable (mostly, lol) 4 miles, with a nice pickup at the end. My route included George IV Bridge, the Mound, Princes St Gardens, Lothian Road, the Meadows, and the Royal Mile - very pretty scenery, lovely at that time of day.


It's only later when I think about 3 consecutive days of confident running, that I'm frankly shaking my head and looking back on the journey I've been on, and the journey I'm on now. I've just ran 15 miles in 3 days, and tomorrow I'm going to be running another 3 or 4 miles before work, this time focussing on speedwork with some mad intervals at the coast. I think I'll take a rest day on Thursday, hahaha. Mixing long runs, easy recovery runs, and speedwork, is making sure I stay focussed and consistent, but not overtraining or stressing my body. It's motivating me extraordinarily at the moment - and it's important I remember this feeling, for when the tougher days come along. Onwards, onwards, onwards...!