Roly Hill's Half Marathon and beyond.

EXCITING

As Saturday approached it was clear the weather was going to be UNSUPPORTIVE of outdoors coffee and cake, INAUSPICIOUS for butterfly hunting, just not much good for jogging along, chatting about things.

An idea was born. Why not have another crack at Roly's 4 X round Arthur's Seat Half Marathon challenge? I say 'another'. Nick and I had both already tried it. Nyet Peter. Not yet. 

Well let's look at it - why NOT do that?

• it's 4 X round Arthur's Seat
• it was going to be raining
• not nice
• no chatting - for me anyway
• no coffee and cake
• we didn't have to
• the weekends are supposed to be fun
• my tummy hurts

Okay, let's look at it another way. Why do it?

• the rain would keep the covid monkeys away 
• there's no point in leaving the cake out in the rain. we all know how that goes

Alright, alright, alright, okay, let's do it then. Nick and Peter and I agreed to meet at the car park next to the palace at 10.30. We were all a bit late. We were pleased because Nick was about a minute later than us which gave us the moral high ground.

He came sprinting into our lives out of the mist.

Now it was clear that I wasn't going to be spending much time running with the boys, and they were havering on and talking to other runners so I set off. They didn't really leave it a polite amount of time before they came past.

First time round I went round clock-wise, out of habit as much as anything else.  This was fine until coming down the other side I realised there was quite a stiff breeze. I thought maybe I could get this working for me, so I decided to do a reverse lap for my next one. I might get a push up the hill, it would be a change and also I should see Peter and Nick at some stage - although I didn't even try to figure out where that might be. An added bonus was that John Blair was out on his bike doing circuits of Arthur's Seat - and I may be flattering myself but I think that once he realised something was "going on" he did a few more laps just to join in the fun. Nice to have a ready-made cheering crowd! There were people around, but fewer than normal, as predicted, and the ones that were out seemed more like your harder core athletes. I noticed a few people running around who, once we'd seen each other on more than one lap, warmed up and started to say hello each time we passed.

Nick had got a lead on Peter by the time I saw them, but Peter was still in touch and looking relaxed. It seemed to be unfolding well.

The reverse lap was okay - more exposed at the top - that was the trade-off. I kept going anti-clockwise for my 3rd lap, pleased at how quickly it all seemed to be unfolding. By this time the first time I did it I was in full dread mode - trying not to think about how far I still had to go in case I dropped out. There was no chance of that this time. I knew I was going better than the last time - the weather was much more conducive to making an effort. By the end of the 3rd lap, I couldn't figure out the exact numbers, but sub-10 pace looked possible. Given I'd run it at 10.30 pace last time, this was quite cheering and felt worth shooting for. I thought that a 10 minute mile half marathon was about 2hrs 10m. (Thinking about it, it must actually be a little more than that - that's how on the hoof arithmetic goes though. It gets very approximate and sketchy unless you've done the numbers in advance.) It was good to have a goal. Going along the top on the 3rd lap I had seen Nick, now running hard, explode out of the mist, and Peter was further back, although still engaged, so I knew he was doing okay. He had shouted at me, "what direction are you going to do your last lap?". I hadn't even thought about it at that point so they were both long gone before I had my answer. On balance, I thought it would be more fun to revert to clock-wise, and charge the hill, knowing that it was all downhill for the last mile or more. Some boats could be pushed out.

Peter and Nick had finished by the time I turned for my last lap so I was able to shout to them which way I was going. Peter said they'd follow along soon and do a cool down lap - and not hound me. This was thoughtful of him as I particularly don't like people talking to me when I'm trying to concentrate and run hard. He knows this, but forgets. It has caused explosions at times.

So I was focused for the last lap and I can't say exactly how long it took, because my turning points were not all exactly the same, but it was my quickest lap. I had enough of a head of steam up to not care about making wheezing noises as I tried to keep the pressure up all along the top road. I had seen Scott Balfour (legend!) on my previous lap, and saw him once again on this one.  I had to overshoot the car park as I wanted to go over 13.1 miles as Strava has a nasty habit of docking bits of distance off you. I went to 13.19 to be on the safe side, and then looked at my time. 2.08.09, which was sub 9.50 pace. A few years ago I would have given myself a kicking over that but time humbles you.

It was a good game. 

Peter and Nick had collected Geo along the way. I'd seen him earlier and shouted but he'd disappeared into the undergrowth in his trade-mark incognito black running gear and dark glasses. There is a cartoon like that. I must look it up.

Here we go.

It's Spy vs Spy from Mad magazine.

Winner, winner, chicken dinner.

It was a good result. The whole team were happy. Nick had run 1.31 and Peter 1.34. Both were pleased. It was still jolly inclement so we said our goodbyes and went our separate ways. It had felt like an actual race though and me and P spent the rest of the day just faffing around and drinking the odd beer in much the same way as we do after a 'proper' race.