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Photos courtesy of Bryan Lamb.

Continuing in my "running without pressure" mode, I did a couple of races within 3 days of each other, being careful though with my recovery in between.

Achilles Heel Bella 5k Road Race, 21st August

While staying fairly relaxed about things, I saw this race at Glasgow's Bellahouston Park as one to assess my current level of fitness and see how far away I am from where I want to be. I was slowly starting to feel my fitness coming together and approached this race with some cautious optimism. The 2pm start suited because it gave me a lie in, something I never need offered twice.

While chatting and warming  up with Cambuslang newcomer Shazad Hakeem, I noted the presence of Shettleston trio Tewoldeberhan Mengisteab, Allan Adams and Paul Sorrie. I knew this would be my toughest test post holiday. Fingers crossed I was up to it.

We started on a tarmac track next to the sports centre, heading out towards the Palace of Arts and a twisty route in and around the park. I quickly settled into a lead group of 4 with the aforementioned Shettleston athletes. In truth, I was stretched and content to let them trade the lead between them while I got pulled along in their slipstream hopefully to a quick time. I held on until between 2km and 3km when the sunglasses clad Mengisteab injected a turn of pace to split the group. Adams and Sorrie tried to go with him. I didn't but I continued to work hard, encouraging myself to forget about my pre-holiday races at Sunderland and Scotstoun and to stay positive.

The second half of the race saw us strung out in single file. Mengisteab was on his way to being home and hosed, while Adams and Sorrie were dropping back towards me. The final kilometre included a slight downhill back onto the track then the finish. I strode out as much as I could into the home straight closing in on both Shettleston men but with the finish line greeting me before I met them.

I took a clear 4th place in a satisfactory time of 15:19. Tewoldeberhan Mengisteab showed a bit of class to win in 14:41 followed by Allan Adams (15:01) and Paul Sorrie (15:14). Shaz claimed a top 20 finish and a new personal best of 17:23.

After I grabbed a cup of tea and a roll, my Dad kindly drove my car home and I ran the 8-9 miles back to East Kilbride, much to Shaz's disbelief, via the Glasgow suburbs of Shawlands, Cathcart, Clarkston and Busby. That took care of my long run. 11-12 miles in total for the day.

Shettleston Harriers Open Graded Meeting, 23rd August

I followed up my run home from Bellahouston with a bath that night to ease my legs then a relaxed run the following evening. I had been prescribed an easy run with no specification of pace or with whom. I took the degree of flexibility to its limit, meeting up with Kirsty, our first run for a wee while. I offered, and she agreed, to do a 6.75 mile route known at the club as "3 Corner Wood" but in reverse which I assured the unsuspecting Miss Grant meant getting a hazardous country road out of the way early and finishing with a big downhill stretch. What totally slipped my mind was how hilly it was in between! Kirsty, to her credit, didn't throw in the towel, kept pace and finished in one piece though refused in no uncertain terms my offer of a few strides at the end.
 

This led me on nicely the next night to a 3000m at Shettleston's Open Graded Meeting at Glasgow's Crownpoint track. There was a trophy up for grabs in memory of one of their coaches, Alex Naylor, and a bit of prize money so some incentive to give the race some meaning. Athletes responded to it with 20 paying their £2 entry fee and taking to the start line. Myself, Stewart Orr and Stephen Parris flew the Cambuslang flag. Kirsty sent me a good luck text. At least after putting her through the mill the night before she is still talking to me.

I had no tactics. I let my approach be dictated by how the race unfolded. I had a quick start to get away from the crowd and soon found myself with Paul Sorrie and two others at my back. Observing my rule of not looking behind, I couldn't tell who they were. I was running pretty hard and feeling a great deal stronger than I did in the road race. I stayed behind Sorrie until 2000m to go then injected a surge of pace round the bend in an effort to move away. I discovered the two at my back were Stewart Orr and Giffnock's Luke Traynor. Stewart has been producing some fantastic form over 800m and 1500m. He and Traynor moved away from me with a bit of ease but I knew Sorrie was still a dangerous opponent which kept me going.

I went through a mile (1600m approx) in an encouraging 4:37 and started anticipating the finish. Something close to my best would be a good run. I gave it all I had, dropping and gaining no more places and producing a 34 second final 200m for a time of 8:46, only 5 seconds outside my best. Position was immaterial but I was maybe about 6th. Sorrie came through not far behind me, also breaking 9 minutes.

This performance was a real shot in the arm for me, giving me hope that I can maybe, just maybe, reach the heights I did last winter again. I've been training frequently but not with any great intensity with 3 post holiday mileage weeks being 40, 42 and 47. No tempo runs or hill reps. "Running for fun" I call it. I've taken up an offer of a 5000m at Sunday's Inter Regional Championship at Wishaw. Winter preparation then starts with only one race pencilled in for September, the Round Cumbrae 10.25 miles (the subject of my first ever blog post). That however, is more of a competitive long run really.

Write me off if you dare.