21st May 2007

5 Mile Run = Home - Woodhouse - Kilburn - Home

Date: 21st May 2007

Conditions: Mild, Sunny

Notes: With the Edinburgh Marathon only six days away and having a sports massage tomorrow, this was my penultimate run before the three days rest leading up to Sunday morning. I decided on a light five mile run on a new route. I chose to run towards Belper but cut back through Kilburn before hitting Belper.
The first mile was the usual mile that finishes at the cross of Dobholes and Wood Lane. Having listened to my Sports masseuse (Sam) who ran the London a few weeks back, I went out stupidly slow. Sam informed me that the end of the race is extremely hard and that you need to go out slower than you have even run before for the first fourteen miles. Having listened to what she said I passed the one mile marker a little faster than I had hoped to but much slower than I usually reach this point by.
Having passed the marker the next mile leads down towards the A38 and Belper. This was an enjoyable part of the run but I felt the aching in my ankles again and really needed the toilet but I told myself that I won’t stop, and soon enough I had blocked out that I needed the toilet. I passed the mile two marker thirty seconds slower than the first mile and this is almost the pace I think I need to run to finish the Marathon well and in sub four hour time.
The third mile cuts through Kilburn and the aching in my ankles was slowly wearing off and I was running well. I had some ‘back to my roots’ music playing in the form of ‘Happy Hardcore’ which was good to run to but did not give me the drive and determination that I thought it would. This was probably due to me having it already. I passed the mile three marker dead on eight and a half minutes. I knew however that the tough part of this run was now upon me.
Mile four leads up Ryknield Road, which is a steep climb back up to Woodhouse. I remember feeling my legs tire a little but I remembered one of the quotes I had used for previous training log that goes, “Workouts are like brushing my teeth; I don't think about them, I just do them. The decision has already been made." I remember running up that long steep hill and thinking to myself, “I will make it to the top without stopping. The decision has already been made.” This gave me all I needed to reach the top and continue once there. I felt tired at the top but I remembered my previous training runs and just concentrated on form and breathing and soon enough I was running with ease again and I crossed the four mile marker well under my maximum of nine and a half minutes for the mile. This is a classic example of running being as much a mental sport, as a physical one!
The final mile was a steady one back through Woodhouse. As I came to the junction to the main road (A608) I saw a female runner in front of me ands decided that I was in a race and she was in first and me in second. She was that far ahead that I knew I would never catch her before I crossed the finish line, however I gave it my all anyway. I crossed the line with a late eight minute final mile, and felt fantastic in doing so.

Positive: I used my inner power and proved that running is as much mental as physical sport.
Negative: I did not warm up my lower leg properly and suffered with an aching ankle.


Days to Edinburgh Marathon: 6

Fast Mile: 8.14

Slow Mile: 9.14

Run time: 43.31



"Believe in yourself, know yourself, deny yourself, and be humble."