Women's 10K Edinburgh is now just three weeks away. On Sunday 20 September, runners will gather on the Royal Mile for an 11:00am start and a journey through the heart of the capital to a grandstand finish inside Scottish Gas Murrayfield Stadium.

Last month, we looked at the mental strategies that can help runners tackle a 10K, from controlling the opening pace to staying focused when the effort begins to bite. With race day getting closer, the emphasis changes. This is the point when you should start trusting the work you have already done.

And there is plenty to look forward to. The route begins amid the history of the Royal Mile before taking runners past some of Edinburgh's best known sights, including the Scottish National Gallery, Scott Monument, Scottish Parliament, Holyrood Palace and Dynamic Earth. By the time you reach the atmosphere of the Grassmarket, you will already be beyond halfway and heading towards Murrayfield.

If this is your first 10K, do not allow other people's targets to define your day. Your victory might be a personal best, running the whole distance, raising money for a cause that matters to you or simply crossing a finish line you once wondered whether you could reach. Experienced runners chasing a time have their own challenge: stay controlled early enough to have something left when 10K starts demanding more.

Those final kilometres will require effort, but imagine where they are taking you. Murrayfield is waiting, along with the medal, the finish line and that moment when all the training becomes worthwhile.

Three weeks to go. Edinburgh is getting close. Time to believe.

You can still enter the 2026 race via the runABC race hub here.

Image courtesy GSi events.