Great Cumbrian Run 2015

Around 18 weeks ago I completed the Edinburgh half marathon with a huge PB time, of 2:33:57, at a time of great change with my running that coincided with me having had a couple of months without a personal trainer, and trying to decide whether to get another, or whether to try run coaching instead. I decided to go for the latter, which was a wee bit daunting, but set a goal of going sub-2:30 in the half marathon in Carlisle, along with some other PBs along the way. You've been following my journey, perhaps, and know that over the 17 weeks of training I've managed to dedicate myself properly to training, change my mindset around running, and train consistently, resulting in smashing PBs at the 1 mile, 5km, and 10km distance. So, what could I do at the Half Marathon?

Well, I smashed my goal, taking over 8 minutes off my PB from May, with a final result of 2:25:46. It's hard not to be ecstatic about that!!! ...and yet... Ah, I don't know. On race day, crossing the finish line, I was decidedly unhappy about the result and the way the race went. Reflecting back later (which is why this post took so long to write), I think that was a bit unfair, and really I had a lot more to be happy about than not. Especially the following couple of days where I was wiped out, aching and exhausted, which proved to myself that no matter what I'd been thinking, I'd really tried hard!

My plan for going sub-2:30 was to aim for running the first 10kms in around 68-69 mins, leaving 80 minutes to run the remaining 11k, which would be very do-able, even considering the fact that I was likely to slow a wee bit towards the end. I set my Garmin to kms, knowing that covering each km in 7 minutes would also work for my goal - and really, I was all set. I'd done a lot of training, and although I'd gained around a stone in weight since June, I was in generally good shape for the run.

I travelled down to Carlisle the day before the run, and picked up my race bib and tshirt on the afternoon. My parents live in the area, so I was staying with them - we did a bit of shopping and lunch, then I headed back into town to have dinner with Davie and Julie who'd come down for the race too (though Julie was sadly injured and had withdrawn). It was a relaxed evening, and I was home in plenty of time for a good night's sleep. In the morning, Mum cooked scrambled eggs, and I got myself sorted out, and we headed into Carlisle, for the race starting in the Castle.

I'm not intending on rehashing this all minute by minute, but it's probably notable that although I was excited and nervous about the race, walking across to the castle with the Moonertys, when Davie headed off to further up the crowd at the start than me, and I was on my own, I very clearly thought to myself: I just hope I don't get negative, and screw this all up. There it is. It was out there. As soon as the thought formed, I quickly tried to quash it, but... well, it was out there. The race started.



Me and banner (at finish)

The route is actually a pretty good one - not easy, but great crowd support, scenic and undulating. It includes the city centre, country villages, the football grounds, some parks, and finishes in a stadium on a running track. But it has some evil climbs within it, and mentally I don't think I was really ready for that. That aside, I ran strongly for the first 5kms, to the first water station, even though it included a long steady climb (where my parents were standing, spectating, and completely surprised me with a huge banner saying "Come on, Selfie!" - hahaha!! love it) - I hit 5kms in 32:11, well within my race plan, but immediately I was at a big hill at the water station, so I grabbed a bottle of water, and walked up the hill as briskly as I could. Loads of people overtook me here, which I was gratified to realise I saw as a real positive thing: "hey, I'm still within the crowds at 5k, I'm not right out at the back!" - but once I crested the hill and started to run again, I immediately knew the rest of the day was gonna be tough, mentally, because I just couldn't seem to get myself back into a rhythm. There were more hills, and over the next 5km I walked maybe 3 or 4 times - but I reached 10km in 1:06:12 - again, substantially within my race plan. Rather than see this as a good thing, I was hugely doubting myself, and my overriding thought was 'I can't maintain this'. I checked my watch as it got to around 10.5kms, i.e. halfway, and it was close to bang on 70 mins. Some quick maths said I just needed to run the second half within 12 min/mile pace, and I'd met my goal, which should have reassured me, but the fact that I was working out how slow I could get away with was something else that I started to deride myself about. On I went...



Soon, I was walking a lot more. I told myself I didn't need to - I was running at around 10:45 min/mile pace, so I told myself all I needed to do was slow my running pace to 11:45 min/mile, and keep running - but still after maybe 5 or 6 minutes of running at a pace that seemed to 'naturally' settle at around 10:45, I would slow to a walk. Anything that had a remote incline would lead me to walking, and every time I did that, I groaned inside. It was ridiculous - I'd trained to be able to keep running, I'd ran the whole half marathon in May and I'd done 17 weeks of great quality training since then, I should be comfortable. The 'should be' was my death knell. It's everything that I've done to myself over the years, it's everything I've been trying to fix.

Cadence chart shows run vs walk

I reached 15kms in 1:40:33 - so my 5km splits so far had gone 32:11 / 34:01 / 34:21 ...the last 6.1kms were pretty much running less than 60 seconds at a time, with walking consistently throughout. I had done the sums, and knew I would be definitely beating my goal time, but instead of being proud of that, I was so frustrated I was walking so much, and struggling. I reached 20ks in 2:17:47 - so that fourth 5kms was 37:14. But I was headed into the stadium, and had a cushion of 12 minutes to run just over 1km!! It was done - but so was I.

Nearly there - 500 metres to go.

Headed towards the stadium, I saw my parents cheering and waving their banner, which gave me a lift, and as I turned the corner I heard Davie yelling out my name - looking up to see him, Julie, and a crew of clyderunners, cheering me onto the track. I crossed the line in 2:25:46 - over 4 minutes within my goal, and a new PB by over 8 minutes - and that was against a race where I never walked once, so even with the amount of walking I did on this one, taking such a massive chunk of time off is fantastic. But.... but..... Hitting halfway at 70 mins, with the worst of the hills behind me, and my training having included plenty of work on finding extra speed at the end of a long run, I absolutely should have managed 2:20. The very fact I thought that made me realise there's a lot more within me to come - which is incredibly positive and reassuring. On race day, it wasn't. ;-)

After the race, I was a wee bit disoriented and exhausted, the soles of my feet were burning, and my left calf was cramping up and sore. The drop of adrenaline was noticeable, and I started to feel unwell too. I'd previously visualised crossing the line and being so, so pleased - and the reality wasn't the same. Still, staring at a 2:25 time on the slip I picked up from the timers, I marvelled at how far I've come. And shuddered at how far I still had to go. In the car on the way back to my parents' house, they commented: "And you just have to run twice that far, for London." - I nearly threw up. :-)

The race is brilliant, by the way, and one I would highly recommend. It's the same day as the Great Scottish Run in Glasgow, which attracts a lot more people - but in my opinion, a better route. Spectator support was absolutely great, and it's a real challenge I will come back to face another time. In the meantime, my training over the coming 6 months will definitely include a lot more mental training, and a lot more hills. It was a strong indicator of what I can achieve, when my head is in the right place - and now, with a couple of weeks' reflection, I can look positively on this run as a good result, and a good lesson. It's a brilliant point to be as I start this new section of my journey. x