The Runaway Lawyer: The Road to Cambuslang Part 2- Scottish Senior Championships

Suitably wounded, at least physically, I devised a training and racing schedule to get me in shape for the Scottish 5000m on 31st August 2008. I also recovered sufficiently to start my new job as a solicitor with Macallans 4 days after the Arran title defence. I built up a head of steam and enjoyed some encouraging race results which suggested I would at least not be embarrassed when I got to the championships.

July

13th: Scottish Mens League Division 1- 800m, 2:06.46; 3000m steeplechase, 10:33.79; 5000m, 16:34.87

21st: Saltcoats Round The Houses Road Race (4.5 miles approx)- 3rd in 23:50

27th: Aberdour Donkey Brae Race (7 miles, undulating)- 3rd in 42:11 (photo below courtesy of http://www.roadrunpics.com/)

30th: Linwood Open Graded Meeting- 800m, 2:04.58, personal best

August

6th: Dundonald 10k (approx) Road Race- 2nd in 34:07

10th: Central and South of Scotland League Division 1- 3000m, 4th in 9:25

20th: Marymass 10k Road Race, Irvine- 3rd in 33:45 (slightly short of 10k sadly)

On Sunday 31st August 2008, I tentatively made the one hour drive through to Pitreavie in Fife and joined 12 other athletes for the Scottish 5000m. Outwardly, I looked cool, calm and collected. Inside, I was a nervous wreck. As we were led onto the track following the women's 1500m, I had a primary target to break 16 minutes and a back up plan of a new personal best.

After we set off, UK international Andrew Lemoncello quickly asserted himself at the front of the pack while the yellow and black Calderglen Harriers vest took up position at the rear. Not that I wanted to. I was running at my limit to cling onto the coatails of the others. I went through a mile in 4:48 which meant I had at least one personal best in the bag for the day. I got to 2000m (5 laps) at this pace before the wheels started loosening. An athlete called Adam Elliott from Sale Harriers in Manchester had resisted the temptation to follow the pack and moved past me on his way to a time of 15:16.19. I was paying for my early efforts as runners moved further away from me. For about 3 laps, I slowed to around 16:40 pace. It was hurting and I was in trouble. No-one else overtook me so I took it I was the back marker.

At a mile (4 laps) to go, I saw the clock. The sub 16 minute target had gone but a mile in under 5:20 would give me a chance of achieving the secondary one. Surely I could do that? Around this point, I was lapped by Andrew Lemoncello, i.e. he was a lap (400m) ahead of me, with Shettleston's Eritrean duo Tsegezab Woldemichael and Tewoldeberhan Mengisteab in close pursuit. Shortly after, Pitreavie's John Newsom also lapped me. I held things together enough to run a mile in 5:10-5:15 and finish in 16:13.87. This was a new personal best by 6 seconds and, if you noticed my results earlier in this post, 21 seconds quicker than I ran at the Mens League 7 weeks earlier. I was exhausted. I had no more to give. I safely secured second last position with Aberdeen's Ross Fulton coming through 11 seconds later. The race was won by Andrew Lemoncello in 14:11.04 followed by Tsegezab Woldemichael (14:15.70) and Tewoldeberhan Mengisteab (14:28.09).

While being reasonably happy with this, I felt in reflective mood as I left the Kingdom of Fife. Surely I could achieve slightly more? What could I do? What did I need to do? That is to come in part 3.

Result- 2008 Scottish Senior Championships 5000m (courtesy of http://www.thepowerof10.info/)

14:11.04

Andrew Lemoncello

SEN

12.10.82

Fife

14:02

13:33.01