A HARD long run, not quite as fast as I had hoped

25M - long run at 6.27min/M(0-10M)-5.57(10-20M)-5.30(20-25M)

I've been waiting for this one. Slightly anxiously. I tried to do a bit of carbo loading over the last couple of days (though not very much in earnest). And I got up, had a pre-race-style breakfast (Yazoo chocolate milk and a slice of toast) 4 fours in advance and then a double espresso and some pre-start Lucozade. I also carried drinks and gels with me on my belt. All as close as I could to the real thing. But with only a small fraction of the adrenaline.

Ron told me to run this in three sections: miles 0-10 at a sedate 6.30 pace; miles 11-20 at 6.00 and the final 5 miles at sub-5.15. I felt pleasingly fresh as I set out and found myself cruising comfortably through the 6.00min/M section too, only beginning to feel myself having to push it a little from mile 18.

I hit a good rhythm at the beginning of my final section - at about 5.18 for the first two miles. But as soon as I hit the beginning of the Queenstown Road hill, I began to tire. Once I was at the top of the hill I never hit the same pace again, probably averaging a bit over 5.25 (and 5.30 for the whole section including the hill). I tried to concentrate on keeping good relaxed form, but was pretty untidy by the end.

I'm disappointed not to have been able to hold race pace through the last five miles. But it's the end of a hard few weeks of training and it was good to push myself to the limit. I'll be stiff tomorrow. Looking forward to my 'recovery week'.