16th May 2007

Syntax 10k

16th May 2007

Training Run - Taper

Conditions: Mild, Raining

Notes: I am now well into my tapering for the Edinburgh Marathon, but I have never had more enthusiasm towards wanting to get out on the road. What I keep telling myself is that I don’t want to over do it, so I have opted for running and resting on alternate days.
For today’s run I decided to run home from work (dubbed the Syntax 10k). This consists of a one mile warm up to the Odeon Cinema and then a six mile run home. From using the ‘route planner’ software I found online I realised that the past few times I have run this route I have been running short of six miles so I expected this time to be much slower than previous runs. Time however was not top of my list, this is a taper run so I would not be pushing myself to get a good time.
After the one mile warm up I set off from the new starting point just before the Cinema entrance, up towards Oakwood. The climb up the hill was steady and I concentrated hard on my breathing and form. Once at the top of the hill I felt good but I realised I had not warmed up the muscles around the ankles enough as they felt very tight and sore.
As I passed the one mile marker I looked at my watch and I was nine seconds under my eight and a half minute mile pace that I need to run to get my sub four hour finish in Edinburgh.
The second mile leads out of Oakwood and down towards Broomfield College. As I passed the two mile marker the pain in my ankle was not easing at all and I had slight stitch but my time again was well under the target pace. I was not pushing myself though so I was happy that my conservative pace was under my target pace which gives me high hopes of getting that sub four finish.
As I passed the second mile marker and began the descent towards Broomfield, followed by the subsequent climb up towards Morley I remember the pain in my ankles slowly easing but it was still causing some discomfort. As I approached the mile three marker I remember the last time I was at this point. Superman came on my Ipod and it gave me the most unbelievable amount of adrenaline and energy. That thought alone got me through the next mile and by the time I reached the mile four marker at Morley Hayes the pain had gone and I had just run another eight and a half minute mile.
Having passed Morley Hayes, the course then led down to Smalley Cross and having negotiated the traffic the next thing I remember was passing the mile five marker and as I looked at my watch I saw that this was my slowest mile of the run thus far at just under nine minutes. This is still well within my pace as I have allowed anything up nine and a half minute miles for my race.
As I passed the mile five marker on the hill up to Smalley I remember how hearing the Superman tune gave me a huge burst of energy so I quickly skipped through my track list until I found it. Hearing this whilst running up that hill made it so easy. I have never run up that hill so effortlessly and felt so good at the top. I finished the course feeling amazing and even more importantly my right hamstring felt ok and feels fine the morning after.
In closing this was a successful run. The low point was the pain in my ankles, but that soon went after around three miles. I know that warming up more thoroughly is a must come race day. The high point of this race was how easy I ran up that final hill. It was proof that running is as much a mental battle as a physical one. If you are in the right frame of mind and you block out what it is you are actually doing, you can achieve anything. When I was running up that hill I was not alone in Smalley. I was Superman running with ease with the whole world watching me. It felt good and it confirmed why I put myself through this pain day in day out. That reason is because the rewards far outweigh the costs!!

Run Time: 51.15

Days to Edinburgh Marathon: 11



"Fear is a great motivator."