Great North Run 2025
Going into the Great North Run, I'd been really pleased with my pace, but a bit concerned about fuelling and endurance racing on Mounjaro. I hoped to get under 2h, but I expected to suffer at some point, coming in around 2:10.
The weather was much nicer than last year, and though it still took us best part of 90 minutes to walk through the funnel to the start, at least it was not in a torrential downpour.
The run started quite well, with the first 2km in low 5min/km territory, starting to lose time on the Tyne Bridge though, I would not see 5min/km again for the rest of the race.
The course felt much more congested this time around. The last two years I've started with a later wave to avoid waiting around in the cold at the end for Vickie. Next year I'll be running with my own wave. I seemed to spend to whole race stopping, starting, weaving in, weaving out, just avoiding people walking in groups on the course.
That wasn't the only reason I'd miss my goals for the day though, I struggled a little with the heat, and trying to keep my heart rate in the 170s, and not the 180s... ultimately I'd have to settle for low 180s. I didn't really have it in my legs, reverting to walking hills between 13 and 19, slipping time at each interval, though I was able to run 19-21.
Ultimately I'd run over the line in 2:22:14 - I'd have slowed by another 8 seconds had I known. Faster than last year throughout, and running much more, I was surprised and a little disappointed to only be around 4 minutes inside that time.
Until next year...