On Sunday I spent my morning chasing the banana. Although this sounds like something that George Michael might have been convicted of, it was actually a 13.1km race from Ocean Terminal in Leith to Murrayfield Stadium in the west end of Edinburgh.
The banana in question was the runner who overtook me at the 1km distance and stayed ahead of me for the duration of the race. My indignation at being overtaken by someone in fancy dress was tempered only slightly by the fact that underneath the foam suit, he did look like a runner. I mean to be fair, Mo Farrah could probably have beaten me wearing flippers so sometimes you have to accept when you're outclassed. Sunday was not that day however, and I made it my mission to catch and overtake banana man. The title of this blog update will already have removed any suspense pertaining to the outcome, but I will say that my determination to catch the banana undoubtedly improved my time significantly so I am for perhaps the first time in my life, and perhaps not for the last, indebted to a man dressed as a fruit.
And the race....
I ran Kilomathon last year before any of this running every day for a year nonsense was even conceived of. I quite enjoyed it. As the pre-race announcer told us as we were standing in our pens ready to go, "
It's a great distance for those training for half or full marathons, and for those that have ran 10km and are looking for another challenge". It did occur to me that this guy had just redefined "preaching to the choir" as the people he was addressing were standing there in their running vests, making last minute adjustments to their Garmins, and waiting on the staring pistol. Maybe he was trying to recruit some of those spectating to run next year? But it
is a good distance and I know the course very well. Very well indeed.
Banana just out of shot...
We got underway at 08:30 at Ocean Terminal in Leith (Kata informs me that we started 2 minutes late) and after only about 1km joined the cycle path that I am extremely familiar with. We stayed on this cycle path for about 9km and so only left about 3km from the end. This is the same cycle path that makes up probably the majority of my lunch time runs, after work runs, weekend runs, etc. I run several routes on the cycle path network and Kilomathon took in nearly all of them. It was strange and comforting to be racing is such very familiar surroundings. There were a few hairpin bends where we had to practically stop and start running again so it wasn't a fast course. Also, although not hilly, we did start at sea level in Leith so we were running gradually uphill the whole time (my Garmin says the elevation was 81m). My Garmin was not recording distance very well at all. At the 6km marker I was out by 100m, by 8km I was out by 200m, by the end the Garmin measured my distance as 12.8km - 300m short. Anyone that knows the cycle paths will know that when you are not running through tunnels or under bridges, you are enveloped by a canopy of trees and this no doubt is what caused the inaccuracies. Having such an intimate knowledge of the course, I could go on and on about it, but I won't.
And the crowd goes wild
What is worthy of mention is the atmosphere, or lack thereof. Honestly, the old joke about there "
being more atmosphere on the moon" doesn't do justice to the Kilomathon that started at 08:30 on a Sunday morning on the day the clocks went forward and followed the cycle paths. It was like a library. I don't think I heard a single word the whole way around. Not many spectators in this area of Edinburgh. A few dog walkers, but that's about it. The silence was only punctured by the occasional marshal (thanks marshals!) shouting encouragement. It was therefore a bit surreal. Running in silence around the cycle paths, it could have been a normal Sunday morning run for me (if I ran on Sunday mornings that is).
I've shaved and had a haircut!
Kata and I at Murrayfield Stadium
Time wise I did good. I was aiming for 58 mins which was 4:26 per/km pace. Last year I finished in 1:02:38 but I knew I could beat that easily. In the end I ran into Murrayfield stadium and completed the race in 55:38 which placed me 58th out of 1397. Not bad! I did promise Kata a sprint finish but wasn't able to deliver on my promise due to being knackered after all the banana chasing. I did finish quite strongly though. Because I knew that my Garmin was out by hundreds of meters, it was hard for me judge how I was doing in the last couple of kilometres. I knew I was on track for my 58 minute goal, was doing OK and probably better than I thought, but I didn't let that comfort slow me down and I pushed on as if my Garmin was correct to the nearest millimetre. Last year I remember feeling like a hero running into Murrayfield, but I didn't get the same buzz this time. I also didn't hear Kata who was apparently shouting for me - her voice must have got lost in the echo of the bowl shaped stadium.
My hands are in the air like I just don't care
A good, but quite surreal race. Not sure if I'll run it again or if twice is enough. Now that I'm a club runner (ha!) I missed the National Road Relays to run Kilomathon and if it's the same next year I think I'd rather run the Road Relays.
See you next year? Or not?
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