Scottish half; take two

Today was my second time running the Scottish Half Marathon and my second half marathon of the month. Unfortunately, I was a bit slower than last year, but I did manage a better time than last weekend’s race. And with that, I only have one race to go for my September madness!

I started a bit fast and managed my first three miles at well-under goal pace. And by the halfway point, I was still managing a nice overall pace, although I’d slowed on my mile-by-mile pace. In fact, if I’d managed that overall pace for the second half, this would have been my second-best half marathon time (my best was run in Inverness).

Of course, I’m rarely able to run a second half as good or as fast as a first. And I didn’t want to push myself too hard because I was treating this as my final training run for next weekend’s Loch Ness Marathon. Add to that a (very minor) muscle pull, I really slowed on the second half.

It was a hard finish and my legs were definitely ready for the race to end by the time I neared the end. But, thankfully, my spirit, heart, and lungs were all feeling great and could have gone for a bit longer. (Although without the legs, that doesn’t really matter.)

And I should note that the weather was fabulous! In fact, for a short while, it felt a little too warm. (Thanks to the shady bits of the route, I managed just fine.) I also ran without my music again. And I’m so pleased to say that I didn’t find myself needing the distraction. I am even considering not using my iPod for next weekend. (I haven’t fully decided on that yet.)

So my next (and last?) race of 2015 is next weekend when I run the Loch Ness Marathon. It will be my fourth time tackling the undulating course, and I am hoping that I make a good time. I doubt I’ll beat my record, or that I’ll reach my overall time goal for the year, but I am feeling a bit more confident that I’ll be able to survive the day.

In the end, I crossed the finish line in 2.27.21. Not bad, but sadly not great. And, as always, you can see more of my race photos and stats here.