Photos courtesy of Kenny Phillips.
I decided to open my 2011 race account with this event in the North Ayrshire village of Kilbirnie. The race was cancelled in 2010 due to snow and ice but was back on this year. I had run it twice, the last occasion in 2009 when I finished 3rd behind Kilbarchan's Ross Toole and Irvine's David Millar with a time of 24:16 in one of my last races for Calderglen Harriers.
My sense of direction isn't the greatest. I printed off directions from Google Earth a couple of days before the race which sent me a 29 mile route beginning on the M77. I duly took the cut off for Stewarton, Kilmaurs and Galston as instructed. I then embarked on a scenic drive through Ayrshire countryside via Stewarton, Gateside, Beith and one or two other places, getting to race headquarters at Glengarnock Rugby Club in Kilbirnie with considerable assistance from some accomodating locals. I had driven 34 miles by the time I arrived.
The World Tour of Ayrshire completed, I turned to the matter in hand. My right knee still felt stiff. A trial jog told me I would need the knee strap. My Dad rubbed in some deep heat, I applied the strap then warmed up. It was feeling okay. There was a good quality field assembled including Inverclyde trio Chris Mackay, Craig Ruddy and Mark Pollard.
The route is a fairly straightforward one, 4 laps of Glengarnock Industrial Estate, each one 1.2 miles in length. From the outset, I endeavoured to place myself at the front with the Inverclyde runners. I was feeling strong so made the bold decision to go into the lead, a position I held at the end of the first lap. I could barely believe it but, hey, someone has to be there.
I was gradually pulled back in, as expected to be honest, but stayed with the pack for the next two laps. A leading group of Mackay, Ruddy and myself formed. They made a few attempts to surge away. I picked up the pace each time to cover it, still feeling good though. Mackay had beaten me by over a minute at the Glasgow University race in early November while Ruddy would run for the West of Scotland team at the Scottish Inter District Cross Country in Edinburgh the following weekend. I was in the mix and it felt great.
Above: Craig Ruddy (345), myself (red vest) and Chris Mackay (332). Mark Pollard is partly hidden. My knee strap is visible. I was feeling better than I look.
The three of us entered the final lap side by side. If you've read any of my training, you will see I sometimes do long runs with intervals. This is something I lifted from Charlie Spedding's book "From Last to First" and adapted to suit myself. The purpose is to increase the pace during a run to try and run hard when gradually tiring. I love doing the sessions. Here was a great chance to try it out.
We crossed the finish line into the last lap and took a left turn. After a slight incline, we came to a nice downhill stretch. I made my move here and kept surging on the flat to build up a lead which could win me the McCluckie Trophy and first choice on the bottles of wine and boxes of chocolates available as prizes. I got some encouragement from Kilmarnock Harrier Ian Goudie who I was lapping at the time. With less than a mile to go, I was in pole position for my 3rd race win on the bounce. However, these were good runners and they ganged up behind me. They made a push of their own in the last half mile. I was almost sprinting to keep in touch. The finish line came before I could make up enough ground. I finished 3rd in a huge course best of 22:55. Mackay won in 22:43, beating his own course record by a second, with Ruddy 2nd in 22:49 and Pollard in 4th.
I regrouped, warmed down with a lap of the course in the opposite direction and got a shower in the rugby club before the local rugby team finished training. An excellent spread was laid on by the good people of Beith Harriers comprising soup, sandwiches, cakes, biscuits, black bun, tea and coffee, all for the price of a donation. The prize giving brought me a bottle of white wine. I asked the organisers what they recommended before selecting it.
At only £3 for Scottish Athletics members and £5 for all others, this race is great value. With plenty food and drink afterwards, an extensive prize list and spot prizes to ensure most people leave with something, I would thoroughly recommend it. If anything, it gets you out of the house at New Year. I've not been to Kilbirnie for the last time.
I stuck to the major roads on the way home via Paisley, a journey of 28 miles. So much for Google Earth.
Results can be found here on the Beith Harriers website at the bottom of the page.
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