Edinburgh half: Take three

Yesterday was my third running of the Edinburgh Half Marathon. It wasn’t my best showing, but it wasn’t my worst. But I’m actually really pleased with my time and my overall performance.

As normal, I didn’t manage to train enough for the race. Part of that was because I was put on two weeks’ rest orders from my doctor four weeks before the race. Part of that was because I have been under a great deal of stress for the past several months, which impacted my training. And, I admit, part of that was a pure lack of motivation on my part. (Yes: Laziness prevented me from doing better!)

Still, I actually had a good race and I did better than I thought I would. Well, I only came in about three minutes under my goal, but I managed to run more of the course than I expected. In fact, I managed to run the entire first half before I took a walk break at all.

Due to my lack of training, my legs gave up on the race right around mile 8. And that meant I had to finish off the race with nothing but my heart and soul to carry me on. So it’s a good thing that I was mentally excited about the race!

In the end, I finished in 2.26.48 – about 20 minutes behind my running partner. But I told myself at the start that my goal was just to get around the course in one piece… preferably under 2.30. (Which I did. Just.)

I have been working in the background on a few of the stresses that have kept me from finding motivation. And, if all goes to plan, I’ll be back on a better training regime before long. After all, I’ve already re-set some of my habits—and that seems to be helping a lot.

To further help, I’ve even signed up for some classes at the gym (details to follow) and I’m planning to get out to the driving range to re-learn the art of whacking golf balls. (Don’t worry: My plans include running, too.)

I have two more half marathons and a full one planned for the year – all on back-to-back weekends – so I’ve got some hard work in front of me. But I’m hopeful that I’ll get better. I think. Maybe. Stay tuned to find out!

You can see more of my running photos and race stats here.

[Photo credit to my running partner, David Knox.]