In Which I Make My Yearly Promise To ‘Take This Seriously’
For a month or so now I’ve been taking this running business quite seriously. Every year when York Marathon is on the horizon (It’s in October. You knew that.) I always tell myself that this year will be a PB (Personal Best) but then I don’t do enough running to be able to finish well.
(I know what you’ll say, finishing a marathon is an achievement in itself and you’re right, you’re very wise.)
But still, I want to do better. My PB is 3h 59m 15s (it was THAT close to 4hrs) and I set that way back in 2015. In the same year I got a 10k PB of 47:57 and that still stands too. This year, however, I’m aiming high. Or long. Far? I dunno, I want new PBs dammit!
I have three decent shots at a 10k PB over the next few months. There’s Leeds 10k in July (I finished that once in 50 minutes), then Musselburgh 10k (Not done that one before) and in September there’s the Scottish 10k where I finished one year in 49 minutes.
That would bring me nicely to York Marathon in October, where I want to get around 3h 45m. Which is why I’m running a bugger load just now.
Dalkeith Bluebell 10k (Trail Run) 28th April 2019
Dalkeith Bluebell Trail run is set in Dalkeith Country Park, which is in Dalkeith and is a park. The run is on trails. This was my first official trail run ever, in just over seven years of running! It was quite a warm day and I didn’t really know what to expect from the route. We’ve been to the country park a few times and I’ve noticed hills while I’ve been there but was hoping there wouldn’t be too many. I was wrong.
We started in view of the big country manor house and then were straight onto the trails. There was a 5k or 10k option on this one, both starting at the same time. The 10k was the 5k route and then a different second half, with plenty hills.
5k went by quite quickly with a VERY steep hill just before the 5k point and then we were into the second half of the run. Ran by plenty cows and over lots of trees roots, and of course (as the name suggests) there was loads of bluebells knocking around. The sun came out and it became a bit of a struggle, dealing with the heat and the hills but I kept my head on and ran the entire 10k without any walking.
Total of 386ft of hills pretty much killed me off, so I then went into Edinburgh to meet for beer and went to see the new Avengers film, followed by more beer. The medal was a very unique home made wooden one! Never had a wood one before! This race was on the same day as London Marathon, and of course I’ve entered the ballot yet again for a space at London next year. They must let me in at some point!
I have a couple more recaps waiting in the wings to be posted but figure I’ll space them out to keep the anticipation going. That’s if anyone still reads my blog…!
Marc Hemingway 
Nope. It appears nobody is reading your blog! 😉
Given your marathon time, I suspect you may not be doing enough speed work. Your 10k times could be sub-45 minutes, I reckon, if you’re sub-four for the big one. What sort of speed and tempo running are you doing? Take it from someone who took many years to reach their goal; I just needed to stop doing a bugger-load of running and be a bit wiser about what I did once I got those runners on and out the door.
My own profile is similar to yours as regards getting in under four hours. It took a lot of years of trying, and failing, before I copped that I needed a proper programme. Once I found one, sub-four not only became a reality, but shortly after, a new PB for the half arrived, and sandwiched nicely in between was a PB for the 10k.
By the way, this isn’t one of those “5 foods you should never eat!” sort of crap. The programme I found was online, free, and you’re welcome to it. I just need to root the damn thing out. We can find a way to get it to ya!
Best of luck with everything. A man who runs and drinks beer is all good in my book.
It’s always a pleasant surprise when your blog shows up. Still reading it!
I still read your blog. I enjoy your adventures
Welcome to trails! I’m about 95% road and it’s mainly because of those crazy trail hills. Trail runners tend to “hike” those, which blows my mind. When I run, I’m not looking to walk haha.
Good luck!