With the Venice Marathon this Sunday 26th October, Clinic Director Husam ran his last race in preparation on Sunday 12th October.

The Kingston Run Challenge, a half marathon, is a two lap race, run along the river and through the streets of Surbiton and Kingston.

After nearly two weeks off running due to sickness, this was a race of two halves for Husam. The first lap went really well – Husam was able to maintain a strong steady pace throughout. However, on the second lap, 8 miles through the race, he started to slow down, tiredness crept in and he struggled to finish.

While this struggle was due to a lack of preparation as he was ill in the days leading up to the race, this was also partly due to the race itself. Running on the pavement, having to dodge traffic, other pedestrians and cyclists can really slow you down as it creates a stop-start rhythm that can make it difficult to get into the flow.

Husam also struggled with the psychological issue of not enjoying two lap races, as he prefers one lap races, with a dynamic and exciting course. When you are running a course that you don’t enjoy, it’s much harder as you’re having to battle your mental resistance as well as the physical resistance.
As a runner, mental resistance is something you battle with on a daily basis. To train for a marathon you have to be disciplined and focused so that you complete all your training runs – whether it’s cold and raining or not! So despite not enjoying the run, Husam made it through in good time.
He has been tapering off this week, to reserve himself for the marathon on Sunday. While his preparation hasn’t been ideal, Husam is hoping to feel inspired on the day and complete the full 26.2 miles. While Venice as his backdrop, how could he fail to be inspired?!