I’m running the Scottish Half Marathon

I signed up for the Scottish Half Marathon, which this year happens to be on my birthday. The prospect of running the furthest I’ve ever run in a single race on my birthday seemed attractive. We’ll see if I feel the same way at the end of the race.

The first week of training has going well, and there are now 8 weeks of training ahead. That’s by far the longest I’ve ever had to prepare for a race. A couple of 10km events is the extent of my running career and that didn’t need too much preparation. A half marathon is the next big step for me, and I’m looking forward to the challenge.

I’ve already completed a 8km run in an Edinburgh summer rain shower this week, as well as a hot run (by Scottish standards), so apparently I’ll have to get used to ignoring the weather and focusing on getting through those training runs each week.

Here’s a training schedule I found that fits in with my current ability and will hopefully get me ready for race-day:

Initially I didn’t fancy the additional pressure of running for a charity, but I changed my mind; someone should benefit from all this effort. As a historian, I’ve gone for the National Trust for Scotland. You can find my sponsorship page here if you feel like throwing some love their way.

Here’s hoping for a happy birthday, which this year will involve running 13.1 miles and a finish in the final furlong at Musselborough Racecourse.