I’m not sure when it happened, but it was clear at the start of 2014 that I was taking running a little more seriously and getting generally faster. My stated goal was ultra-marathons but I was training more, longer long runs but also greater overall volume and adding in speed work. I decided I wanted to set a PB at every distance - that is, every ‘standard’ distance which I had run before.

This eventually led to the title of this blog, as I found myself training for a 100 mile race (which admittedly does not appear on the below list) yet setting what I think was a respectable 1 mile PB.

Since I had a particular focus of setting PBs across all distances, and in 2014 have clearly been in the shape of my life (and not from a standing start in either regard), I was delighted to be awarded with the Edinburgh AC trophy for most improved athlete.

Distance Time Race Pre-2014 PB Previous Race
1M 4:57 (4:54) Self Transcendence 1 Mile (relay leg) 5:05 Same
2M 10:37 Self Transcendence 2 Mile 11:01 Same (2012)
5K 16:27 Self Transcendence 5k (meadows) 17:16 Edinburgh parkrun (11/13)
4M 21:59 Portabello Promathon 22:48 Same (1/13)
5M 28:06 Glasgow University 5 31:22 KB5 (2/07)
10K 34:59 Hawick 36:32 Forth Bridge (2012)
HM 74:32 Inverness HM 82:14 Eddie’s Lochaber HM (11/12)
Mar 2:43:23 Meadows Marathon 2:56:50 Cologne marathon
50K 3:32:13 Canalathon Debut  

Some of those distances I ran several times in 2014, here are collected times, chronologically apart from 5K which I can’t be bothered re-sorting:

  • 5K 16:27, 16:56, 16:57, 17:03, 17:06, 17:07, 17:10, 17:13 + many 17-20
  • 10K 36:27 Penicuik (May, 5s PB…), 34:59 Hawick, 35:53 Linlithgow (Sep)
  • HM 74:33, 79:44 Haddington, 78:03 Glasgow GSR
  • Marathon 2:43:23 Meadows, 3:10:25 London (injured), 3:04:44 Strathearn (painfully positive with lack of training), 2:52:43 Highland Perthshire Marathon