"Each step forward has a sacred meaning of its own"   Sri Chinmoy

Kyoto 2 Mile Race - Gyoen Gardens - Feb 2026 - Kyoto

Back at the gardens of the Imperial Palace, back on the gravel, I was hoping for something under 14 minutes. That seemed realistic after a hard effort on the 1-miler had brought me 6.34 for that distance. Then my mind began to imagine 13:30....with no logic behind that target whatsoever. Anyhow, I warmed up well as before (roughly half an hour of jogging and stretching, a few strides and high-knees) and got to the start line as optimistic as usual. 2 days before I had run a 1-mile race and later in the day hiked/run both up and down Mount Hiei, so my legs were definitely feeling a little bit of both those efforts.

As before I went off in the first 10 or so, holding back on the pace just a little compared to the 1-miler, but still trying to stay in touch with the younger, faster guys up ahead. As before, the line of runners drifted here and there to find the best line - a compromise usually between the direct line to the next bend and a looser line that might avoid ducking under the pine fronds from the wooded borders of the path, or the deeper and softer gravel that could slow you down and make the run harder work.

I was close behind Susan, the fastest girl on the course, and drew level with her at one point but couldn't keep up her pace. I took the firmest line I could find, on the kerbstones and following the tyre marks of the commuting cyclists, but as before Jwalanta eased past me making it look easy and the runners ahead of us were stretching out the gap between me and them. Going off fast/optimistic may sound stupid, but over the years I have discovered I get my best times that way. Perhaps I should try for negative splits again sometime? Trouble is when I start conservatively I often find it just as hard to stay strong at the end as I do when I start too fast! I think I had it roughly right in this race.

The first half was a lap of 6.51, the split times having been shouted out to us by Pradhan just after we passed the clock and the finishing chute at the end of the first circuit of the park. I dug in for the second lap, with fewer runners around me now that we had strung out, and consequently less energy to draw on from the others in the race. My effort levels seemed to come in waves, but the speed was steady-ish at just over 7 minutes per mile, my original target pace. In the end, I pushed for the line with 13: still showing on the clock and managed to finish before that 3 became a 4 - official time 13:58.

Perhaps 14 is the new 12 for me now, at this age? Mid-to-late 50s is proving significantly less condusive to speed than early 50s did, but who knows? It could be that I have stepped up my distance now and that is at the expense of my speed over 1-milers and 2-milers.13 is a sacred number so I'll see if I can get close to that over the coming races. We'll see how close I can get....

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