Bupa Edinburgh 10K 6/05/07
I wonder if there is any medical evidence to support the argument that increased mileage impairs one’s ability to make sensible choices. I not only willingly parted with £23 for the Edinburgh 10km race, I also persuaded them that I was a likely candidate for sub 41 minutes. What on earth was I thinking? This race is renowned for its hills and the weather wasn’t looking great either.
Oh well, I wasn’t about to waste my entrance fee and my twin, Fiona had flown in from Germany with her boyfriend, Mark to support me, so there was no going back.
After a brief warm-up dodging the showers, I lined up with the Elite men and the first wave of ambitious runners. Thankfully Bert appeared out of nowhere promising faithfully that this was going to be a gentle run after his overexertion the day before in North Berwick. Perhaps I wouldn’t be left behind after all.
Once we got started I settled into a semi-comfortable pace at the back of the group and even overtook Bert. ‘Fool, fool’, I hear you shout and well you may. He caught me before I even had a chance to break away and left me for dust on Princes Street. On reflection this was one of the better parts of the race – it wasn’t so windy, the hills hadn’t hit yet and I still had some naïve hope of sub 41 minutes.
Having no GPS gadget I had no idea if I was running the right pace and had to rely on how I felt to gauge my progress... not a good sign as I felt awful. (My £23 clearly didn’t fund kilometre markers on the route) By the time I reached Holyrood and was hit with the wind, it was clear that I wasn’t going to impress anyone and I’d be lucky to complete. Spider Man ran past. Then a tanned girl in her underwear. I’ve never felt so demoralised.
Fiona popped up again with Mark just past the Commonwealth Pool. Why or why hadn’t I planned a cunning swap at this stage? A pair of fresh legs was well needed. The last few kilometres were pretty hard going through the wind tunnels of the Grassmarket and up onto Lauriston Place. Thankfully the Meadows appeared all too soon and I was swept down to the finishing line. What a fantastic finish -hundreds of supporters, a singing Elvis and TV cameras.
My time wasn’t the most stunning (43:25) and I was exhausted but not every race can be a winner. I’m not convinced that this is a good distance for me but I guess it’s a good starting point for improvement in the future. I think I need to do some wind-tunnel training though.
Report Amanda Henderson
Photos Fiona Henderson and Christina Hussell
Results hereShelagh's Report
I did have mixed feelings about coughing up £22 for this race but as it is on my doorstep, less than 10 minutes jog to the start-line, I thought I would run it. Also, it has become an annual event for Andrew (husband) and Ken (brother) so it was a bit of a family outing for the 3 of us. Since the route includes the climb from Holyrood Palace to the Commonwealth Pool I wasn't expecting a fast time but I was a tad disappointed to cross the line in 44.53, especially when I felt I was running reasonably well. I couldn't even blame the crowds as I had a really fast start, lined up beside Paul Eunson, who went flying off. It was windy in Holyrood Park though so that must have added on at least 2 minutes! I was slightly cheered up when I met up with Paul and Amanda to discover that they were both over 43 minutes (well over, in Paul's case!) I had a brief panic that John Forker (aka David Hanley), who had a green start and set off 2 minutes after me, might have run a faster time than me and I would have to live my life from that point forward with the knowledge that JF had beaten me in a race. However, the feeling of panic was fleeting as John soon appeared and I discovered that I had beaten him by a massive 27 seconds - still worryingly close! Andrew and Ken both clocked up 53 minutes, with Andrew, like me, a tad disappointed with his time as he would like to have been under 50 minutes. "Take off at least 2 minutes for the wind" I told him. I will probably run the race next year due to its location but do still grudge the high cost for a 10 km. The medal was quite posh and substantial though and the navy t.shirt made a change from the usual white. Also, unlike the Forthside Half t-shirt, it had the year on it!
Christina sent in some photos from the race and as I looked at myself running along Princes Street it dawned on me why my time was slower - I was running with my eyes closed! Not even Alan has come up with that excuse before!Shelagh McLeish
