Well, the day didn't start too well for me with an alarm accidentally set for PM instead of AM, a closed baggage truck and then, after heading to my old flat to dump my bag, and then hoardes of runners who didn't want to queue for the portaloos and instead decided to visit the road positioned directly opposite the startline...containing my old flat. Cue me, regularly hiding behind the front door and bursting out and surprising the filthy culprits with a blood-curdling war cry. I hope they peed on their own shoes and got blisters. Honestly, there were hundreds of them queuing up to relieve themselves in my doorway and it was just horrid. Ladies and most especially gentlemen of the forum, please don't ever do this.
Anyway, I made it to the starting pen eventually, dressed in a bin bag poncho and a scowl. The weather was horrid, but fairly cool at least. The starting klaxon took me by surprise as I was mentally composing an email to the organisers about putting a steward in the street to stop the above issue, and then suddenly the countdown began.
The route through the city was fun, lined with supporters and with lots to look at—past little Greyfriars Bobby (pictured) and over The Mound, which I love to bound down on training runs. Round into Princes Street Gardens and past the Scott Monument back up into the old town. Down the Royal Mile, past the Tollbooth, with Queen Mary's funny little bathhouse in the distance, and into Holyrood Park via the Palace and Parliament building. I found myself thinking what a nice route it was, and that I must sign up for next year.
We did a peculiar hairpin in the park, before heading out of the city centre into Seafield when it started to get a bit dull. Just little grey houses, on a grey day. At least it was predominantly downhill though! I got battered by the rain at this point, and I decided it was actually not a nice route and I would not sign up for it next year.
The rain subsided a little and the view began to clear as we ran alongside the sea, past Joppa salt pans and craggy rocks covered in cormorants. I started to struggle a little with my left leg, it just seemed to be feeling a bit funny, I realised there was a significant camber on the road and my leg was getting the brunt of it. Luckily, although busy, the runners weren't overly crowded and once I moved over it settled down. The road gently sloped down towards Portobello, and as we flowed along and turned onto the promenade I found myself thinking what a nice route it was and I must sign up for next year.
Along Porty Prom the rain started right up again, horizontal and relentless, making the paving slippy with sand and water. I spotted a sea-facing house I'd like to buy and tried to Google it to see how many organs I'd have to sell to afford it, but there was too much rain and my screen ended up a smeary mess. I never did find out. On the plus side there were many lovely dogs that came out to watch the runners go by on the promenade, the rain made their fur all curly. There was really no protection from the elements here, and although I know the view is lovely on a clear day on this particular one it was just a big pile of greyness and flat, wet, boring ground covered with pounding feet. I really don't like running in the rain, my t-shirt was sticking to me like a clammy shower curtain and my feet squelched. Someone took an official photo of me at this point (above) and I bought it because it made me laugh, I'm really grimacing. Squelching along, I decided it was not a nice route and I would not sign up next year.
After a gel stop (I got a High5 fruity one, which tasted OK but stuck all over my lips in a weird gloop, and then slipped out of my wet hands and spilled down my trousers) we peeled away from the seashore into Musselburgh. I was really feeling my lack of training by now. My heart and lungs were doing OK, and my legs were moving...but felt really fatigued and kind of weak. We met up with two way running traffic here, and for what felt like miles and miles—but can only have been about one—the speedy runners shot past in the opposite direction. It was quite psychologically tough, knowing we'd still have to come back that whole way ourselves before finishing...I decided it was most definitely not a nice route and I would not be signing up next year.
I was relieved to eventually reach the turning point, and even more relieved when it didn't feel anywhere near as long on the return back into Musselburgh. I was able to speed up a little bit over the finish line, not a sprint but a faster trot. I finished in 2:00:20, which was a bit annoying, but in fact the route measured at 21.3km so my half was still just beneath my two hour target, at 1:59:09 👍 A lovely cheery lady handed me my medal and a nice square handbag containing a t-shirt and sundry freebies, and a couple of other stewards doled out porridge bars and also a pot of lovely fresh strawberries. The air was very chilly, and the sky very grey, but I felt pretty ok considering how little preparation I had done. Because I'd had to leave all my stuff behind in Edinburgh I went to Luca's for a coffee to warm up, and then grabbed an ice cream on the way out because I can't not have one if I'm in the area.
On balance and with reflection, it was in fact a nice route and I'll sign up next year. The weather was terrible, my legs were not in good shape, it took me ages to get home but it's a good, speedy course with a bit of city, a bit of seaside and a bit of greenery. It was about the worst combination of conditions for me, but it was still pretty OK so I think that's testament to the event! The running crowds were sufficient to motivate but not so many that we got in each others' way at all, and the supporters along the route are always good in Edinburgh. It was really well organised, and at the end we got strawberries 😊 All in all, a recommendation from me!
Not the greatest conditions for your event but you did it, saw the positives, got over the negatives of how disgusting some people can be (seriously people! Come on, people live there!!!). I really appreciated how your thoughts on signing up for next year changed constantly on the run but good news, it ended up with ya, let’s do it! Yippee. Thanks for the relive video 💕
Sounds like a nice route and I'd love to sign up for it 😄 Maybe a bit too much of a trek for me, but I won't say never! That Relive is just fabulous 😍
Poor Squeak, that was some weather!!! And those scoundrels before the start... 😡
Still, an awesome run from you - no training! Hope the leg's ok now!?
And your descriptions are so gorgeous - curly dogs in the rain 💗💗💗 I must pay more attention to dogs at Brighton next year, there's bound to be oodles of poodles - this city is run by dogs 😊
Amazing run and report - ATB for the next one xxx
Ps and Googling property in the middle of a race? Go girl!!! 😄
A handbag! It was a sort of solid wee box with handles at the top and a magnetic clasp, embossed with the EMF logo and Edinburgh skyline. I was rather impressed! Sadly it got drenched and the paper peeled off so I had to dismantle it and put it in the recycling. Otherwise it would have made a nice place to store my medals!
Dogs always cheer me, in any situation. They love to spectate! All waggy and lovely. I dog-spot a lot, my favourites are the wiry old man dogs that look like Christopher Lee, or the long elegant dogs in coats.
I would definitely recommend it as an event, I was in a terrible mood and the weather was about my worst for running, and I still mostly enjoyed it. It's a lovely way to get a bit of the city in and also some nice east Lothian sea air. And downhill for most of the way definitely helps! The negatives are really just the fact you end up a way from town and although they lay on a shuttle bus it costs the earth. As I'm a cheapskate I just got on a regular 30 bus, but it took about an hour to get home. That probably wouldn't have mattered so much if I'd not missed the baggage truck and had to sit there in my clammy shower curtain t-shirt and wet shoes, thinking of my lovely toasty over the top 90s tracksuit stuck back in the house 😔 I don't think there are any other proper negatives really, aside from it being a long way from most other places. Edinburgh's a lovely city though, and well worth a weekend visit with a bit of a Sunday morning run in the middle! Or, if you fancy a Hill (with a big h), there's the 10k on the Saturday! It's my favourite local route, but it's not kind to the calves...
It occurs to me just now though, THERE WERE NO BAGPIPES. Is it even a Scottish race without pipers?!
Yes no pipers.....DISAPPOINTED! (Not really, we did see one in town busking on Saturday) however apparently there was a young lad in full kilt etc. piping at about 12 miles, my OH saw him, he must have gone for a break when I came past......☹️
Oh! I missed him too! I'm not a huge fan of bagpipes (shh....) but in big outside spaces on race days they seem right! Perhaps they just don't work well in the rain 😂
Thank you for a great report. I can imagine the conversation you were having with yourself en route about running out again and can see myself doing the same thing.
A great time too - well done - and a deserved ice cream 👣🍦⛈️🏅
Great report Sqkr, that’s terrible about people peeing in the street, there were plenty of loos, no excuse for it at all, I also hate the spitting that goes on, people don’t do that normally do they? What makes it ok (not) at a running event? I hope you do let the organisers know....
I found the weather ok actually - we had a horrendous run at Peterborough last year, hoofing down with rain, blowing a hoolie, and cold - I had the clammy shower curtain effect there, most of the way round, horrible, so when we got the delightful weather warning email from the organisers on Saturday, I plumped for a long sleeve undershirt with t-shirt over the top, and although that got a little warm at times, I didn’t get the clammy shower curtain effect, so was more comfortable.
Love your description of the sights, I thought there was nice scenery, but not knowing the town, didn’t know what they all were 😂 apart from Greyfriars Bobby (of course!)
Yes, we’d recommend it too, although I never got any strawberries......☹️ but then, you’re a bit (a lot) quicker than me.....😉
Well done, I liked the bling and goody box too. 👍🏅👏🏃♀️
It's just so UNNECESSARY. Oo it makes me angry. If you must eject anything from your body, at the very least move to the side and aim for a person-free spot. You don't need to coat all your fellow entrants in bodily emissions just to prove your mettle as a runner.
There is never any call for weeing in people's doorways. And when I got back from my run? An actual poo next to my old door. No word of a lie. I took a photo and was going to draw a big arrow and a sad face for the organisers but deleted it because it was definitely getting close to a lunatic response from me. 😂 I was just so incensed though!
Nooooooo! That is just disgusting, some people really are useless human beings......there is absolutely nothing that makes that in any way an acceptable way to behave....shocking, I would inform the organisers if it was me.
I think it could certainly have been a lot worse weather-wise! I am not a fair-weather runner by any means (impossible in Scotland!), but there's something about that grey, drizzle turning to rain then back to drizzle again that I hate more than anything else. The sky feels all low and sad, and it presses down on my mood. I think of it as Glasgow weather, and I don't expect to get it in the east coast so it makes me cross when it happens 😁
I was surprised how much of the town we saw to be honest, I thought we would leave for the coast pretty much right away, so that was a nice bonus! And the John Muir way is a really perfect running route when you can see out to the hills across the sea, it's a real shame the visibility was so poor. I hope you'll come again on a sunny year!
I also can't believe you didn't get strawberries! I sneaked back for a second pot, maybe lots of us did and we inadvertantly ate all yours 😳
I can’t believe those losers at your front door? Who does that? Seriously? Sounds like a challenging day overall weather wise, but that course description still makes me want to get over there and run it. Just so much history and beauty in that city. I love how you had a love-hate- love relationship with it. 😁 Great time too, in spite of the conditions!
Thank you for sharing - I loved reading that, esp the I love it, I hate it rollercoaster 😀. Well done you! Gotta do it again though, if only to see if you get nice weather and to patrol your doorway 🤣
Bravo! 🤣🤣 you did make me laugh with your "this is nice... I'll do it again/ this isn't nice... I won't" internal monologue!!
The buggers at the start spoiled the mood for you and understandably so! I hoped they all weed on their shoes abd stepped in doggie doo doo for good measure.
Great race report! Nice photos and time. The ice cream was well-deserved! It looks like a beautiful city for a race, notwithstanding the weather and the people relieving themselves.
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Love the photos 
Half?
Spitsbergen Marathon (half)
My first (solo) half marathon 😁🥳🤸🏼♀️
Southend Half Marathon
