Blast From The Past- Scottish Athletics Mens League

With this year's Scottish Mens League campaign about to get underway, I raked through a few old photos. It's hard to believe I first competed in 2003. Whitemoss have had 3 team managers, Mike Smith from 2003 to 2006, Keith Stoddart from 2007 to 2009 and now myself from 2010 until now. With 4th and 3rd place finishes in Division 2, I'm the only one out the trio still to win promotion at least once. On the other hand, it also means, contrary to my predecessors, I've yet to lead the team to relegation.

Until 2010, when I became slightly more sensible, I had a tendency to do 2, 3 or even more events in an afternoon. My busiest/most stupid day was 22nd July 2007, running then personal bests for 800m (2:05.93) and 3000m steeplechase (10:27.37) then filling places in the 1500m (4:43) and 5000m (16:43) and concluding with first leg in the 4 x 400m relay. I slept well that night and could hardly move for days.

I've numerous photographs but plucked out a couple of 3000m steeplechase ones. There's two ways to run a steeplechase, the correct way and my way. I no longer race it. Running is hard enough without obstacles.

Above: Scotstoun, August 2004. Whitemoss won the Division 3 championship that year. Division 3 was disbanded anyway to form the 2 Division structure which exists today. Unusually for me back then, it was my only race of the afternoon.

Above: Meadowbank, May 2008. The 1500m and 5000m followed so a quiet day.

Fingers crossed for a good 2012 season.

Tom Scott Memorial 10 Mile Road Race, 8th April 2012

Easter Sunday. What better way to spend the morning than have a stroll in the park. Walk the dog. Feed the ducks. Have a cuppa afterwards. Such tranquility was spoiled for many at Strathclyde Park as I and almost 300 others perched up for the Tom Scott 10 Mile Road Race and Round the Loch 6k. The 10 miler is the Scottish 10 Mile Championships. The race has a degree of history, detailed more fully than I can give on the race website. Until 2003, the race was run from Law Village where Tom Scott lived firstly to his place of work then latterly Strathclyde Park, seeing the race sometimes billed the "Law to Motherwell." I ran the old route twice, each time in 62 minutes. On police advice, and despite the intervention of then First Minister Jack McConnell, it has been run in the confines of the park since 2004. My previous appearance in 2010 brought a time of 52:54.

Before my last 10 mile race, Brampton in November, I had some red and white war paint applied to my face by Calderglen Harrier Joanne McEvoy. I said hello to her and one or two other Calderglen folk pre-race but resisted temptation to ask for a repeat performance. A tip off from Robert Rossborough that I was standing in the pre-registration queue saw me pay and collect my number instantly while a load of pre-entries waited. Advance entry is meant to be an advantage. Given the length of queue, I was surprised that the races were starting on time. Assuming there would be a delay, I was still wearing my club jacket 5 minutes before the advertised time which I hastily discarded before taking to the start line.

Starting off round the loch, I was not of a mind to bound away too quickly and let a leading group of Andrew Douglas (Inverclyde), Ross Houston, John Newsom (both Central), Tewoldeberhan Mengisteab, Lachlan Oates and Michael Deason (all Shettleston) forge ahead. I briefly ran with then pulled away from previous Tom Scott winner David Millar (Irvine AC) then ran with a group including Mark Pollard (Inverclyde) and another Cambuslang man, Kerry Wilson. Moving ahead of this group in the first 2-3 miles, a sense of deja vu descended as Thomas Fay (Shettleston) came beside me. Deciding that 8 miles was too far to have someone sitting on my shoulder, I sat on his for a little while. Together, we were keeping close to the leading group. I could see one or two dropping off who I felt we could catch in due course. We each gained a place without passing anyone though as Deason turned off to complete the 6k race.

We weren't exactly slouching as we completed 3 miles in 15:05. My aim was more for scalps than times and I focused on drawing in those dropping off in front. The course lead on to the road round the perimeter of the park towards the theme park where, amidst the early screams of weans on the big dipper, I seemed to pull away from Fay then overtook John Newsom. Fay rallied on a downhill stretch though and caught me up before we turned back on to the path around the loch.

Fay and I ran more or less side by side for a spell then, just after 5 miles, he opened a small gap, overtaking a struggling Lachlan Oates in the process. At 5 miles, the watch said 25:20 something so, worried the pace was slipping a little, dug deep to inject a little pace, catching Fay and passing Oates myself. At 6 miles, we passed the start/finish area where some spectators and 6k finishers had gathered. I also got a shout from club coach Mike Johnston around there which I needed at the point I got it.

And so it continued round the loch, spoiling the peace for many of the aforementioned dog walkers. At 8 miles, I felt the same scenario of 8 days before developing and tried to work out a strategy on the move.

Above: myself and Thomas Fay between 8 and 9 miles. Photo courtesy of Gillian Scott.

Mengisteab, Houston and Douglas were visible but I couldn't get close enough to make an impact on the medals. 4th, best of the rest, would be alright. I felt relatively fresh. By that I mean "fresh" in comparison to how I've felt at this point previously in 10 milers. In a sprint, Fay would only do the same as the previous week. I decided to gamble and try to run the finish out him. At 9 miles, I checked the watch (46:10-46:15 I think) and immediately surged for several seconds then pulled the pace back. Fay closed in. I then saw an electric meter box and a pole 50m or so in front of it. I surged again between these two points. A little while later, one more surge. The sudden changes in pace really drained me but I could no longer hear him. Touch wood, I only had to hang on until the finish outside the watersports centre which I did to take 4th in 51:04. Fay came through 16 seconds later with John Newsom and Lachlan Oates both also under 52 minutes. The last mile took me around 4:50. Maybe I shouldn't have been strong enough to do that after 9 miles but I did say it was about scalps. Tewoldeberhan Mengisteab won the race in 49:55 followed by Ross Houston (50:08) and Andrew Douglas (50:17).

After a lengthy warm down with Kerry Wilson and Andrew Douglas, I briefly kept watch on Kerry's youngest son Kalle as I waited for the prize giving. £50 for 4th and a team silver (myself, Kerry and Robert Gilroy) represented a worthwhile shift. I had just enough time to feed the ducks before heading off for a lazy afternoon of two Premiership matches on Sky with an Easter egg.

Cambuslang Results

4th: Stuart Gibson, 51:04

8th: Kerry Wilson, 52:40- first vet
9th: Robert Gilroy, 53:47
20th: Alan Ramage, 57:41
65th: Robert Rossborough, 64:44- around a 6 minute improvement from Millport in September
132nd: Sandy Eaglesham, 1:12:55

Full race results

National Road Relay Championships, 31st March 2012

Having missed this race last year after doing the Home Countries Cross Country the week before, this was my first go for a couple of years. I don't know what it is but there's something about Livingston. Things never go well for me. The one time I watched Queen's Park there, they were defeated 2-1. On another occasion I drove all the way through only to discover on arrival the game was off then got lost on the way home! In 2003 when I ran the short relay leg (3.15 miles) for Calderglen, I was diagnosed with asthma on the Monday. On the flip side, I made my Cambuslang debut there in 2009, running 31:30 for the B team on the long leg (5.8 miles). In 2010, I ran the short leg following an experiment of a steak for breakfast that morning. I've yet to try that again.

 

We had an excellent response from our under 20, senior and vet men but sadly no women. 3 full teams of 6 and an incomplete team of 4 lined up. First leg is short, second leg is long and so on. Being on last leg for the A team,  I arrived a little later just as the first leg was concluding. Jack Hamilton brought us through 2nd behind Central's first runner, former Scottish Cross Country champion Robert Russell. David Thom meanwhile completed the leg for the B/Vets team in 19th with Gordon Robertson 11th for the C team. As the race unfolded, I walk/jogged the first and later sections of the course cheering on various current and former club mates and acquaintances from other clubs as I did so. One of Robert Russell's successors as Scottish champion, Derek Hawkins, clocked the fastest long leg of the day, 27:57, to take Kilbarchan into the lead on 2nd leg before they slipped to 10th. Central were clear in the lead but there was lots of movement between ourselves, Shettleston and Corstorphine. Robert Gilroy and Martin McLaughlin kept us in touching distance of a podium finish then a dogged effort from Kerry Wilson on 4th leg took us into 3rd. Stewart Orr kept us there, giving me a 50m deficit on Shettleston's Thomas Fay to close.

Little did I know how this would unfold. The course starts slightly downhill then turns sharply uphill into a cycle path/walkway. By the top of the hill, I had closed the gap on Fay who, almost like a light switch had flicked, gave a glance and changed pace. I attempted to pull away but he stuck with me. With no other runners near us, I had no choice but to brace myself for a one on one for the next 5 miles. I only beat him narrowly in the National Cross Country and by one second and one place at the Inter Counties Cross Country so we were evenly matched.

At one point, the course briefly goes onto a main road. I caught a glimpse of Ross Houston on the last leg for Central but he was on his way to a time of 28:48, faster than both of us. In saying that, little did I know Fay and I were dragging each other to the 5th and 6th fastest long legs of the day. The pattern of me slightly ahead with Fay quite literally on my heels at times continued into the final mile. The route went under a bridge where a number of spectators congregated due to its proximity to the start/finish area. I deliberately let him edge ahead, the first I had actually looked at him for at least 4 miles. After the bridge I overtook again. With half a mile to go, I was betwixt and between- push now and try to hold on or leave it to an uphill sprint finish. I felt totally spent and unable to lift the pace for so long. Trusting my hill training, I decided on the latter.

Heading up the same path as the start, I made a move. Sadly my sprint finish is still somewhere in Falkirk after the 2010 National Cross Country as Fay opened up a 4 second gap to take silver for Shettleston. In a strange quirk that can happen in relays, I bettered his time, 29:02 to 29:05, but crossed the line after him.

After initial frustration at losing silver, I was happy to secure my first medal in this race at the 7th attempt and Cambuslang's second consecutive bronze medal. Elsewhere, our vets took gold and 8th place overall and Scott Hunter and Robert Rossborough on the final two legs for the C team helping secure a top 20 finish, illustrating an encouraging strength in depth at senior level.

Above: bronze medal winning team, left to right- Robert Gilroy, Kerry Wilson, myself, Stewart Orr, Martin McLaughlin. Missing from the photo- Jack Hamilton.

I felt the medal merited a celebration so joined a few old Calderglen friends at the Montgomerie Arms, known locally in East Kilbride as "The Monty" for a few refreshments. A 14 mile Windfarm run on Sunday comprised, I think, 2 miles for every pint of beer I consumed.

 
A team- 3rd place

Jack Hamilton, 15:22
Robert Gilroy, 29:59
Martin McLaughlin, 16:14
Kerry Wilson, 30:04
Stewart Orr, 15:57
Stuart Gibson, 29:02

B/Vets team- 8th place and 1st vets team

David Thom, 17:34
Kenny MacPherson, 32:37
Greg Hastie, 16:58
Stephen Wylie, 30:36
Michael O'Hagan, 17:44
Alan Ramage, 32:44

C team- 15th place

Gordon Robertson, 16:26
David Munro, 31:02
Shazad Hakeem, 18:10
Jamie Reid, 31:27
Scott Hunter, 19:07
Robert Rossborough, 36:59

D team

Thomas McPake, 21:38
Colin Feechan, 35:32
Walter Edgar, 21:30
Frank Hurley, 37:12

Training for the National Road Relay

The National Road Relay on the last Saturday in March proved a successful one for Cambuslang with the senior men A team taking bronze for the second consecutive year, the vets winning gold and finishing 8th overall and the senior B team in 15th. With another incomplete team of 4, 22 athletes was a terrific response. Hopefully in the future, we can get a ladies team in there as well. No reason why we can't.

Until I get time to stick a report up, here's my training in the 3 weeks leading up (most folk will probably stop reading now). It starts 2 days after the Inter Counties Cross Country. With the tendon problem firmly behind me, I felt the need to get into proper shape.

Week Commencing Monday 12th March

Monday: Track, 1 x mile (4:50), 2 x 800m (2:20, 2:21), 4 x 400m (68, 68, 67, 68), 8.2 miles including warm up and warm down.

Tuesday: Club, Hampden run in reverse, 7.8 miles (49:33)

Wednesday: 7 miles easy (55:22)- included some running at the Jog Scotland Canicross group at Whitelee Windfarm.

Thursday: Hill reps, High Point, 10 reps running hard off the top of the hill, 8 miles including warm up and warm down.

Friday: Rest

Saturday: Showground, East Kilbride, 10 x 3 mins with 90 secs recoveries, 8.7 miles including warm up and warm down.

Sunday: Long run, Whitelee Windfarm, 20 mins easy then 5 mins, 1 min, 2 mins, 4 mins, 5 mins, 1 min, 2 mins, 4 mins, all with 5 mins easy recovery, 14.4 miles (1:33:07)- first time in 2 months doing this run since getting injured, very happy.

Mileage: 54- good, solid, boring training week.

Week Commencing Monday 19th March

Monday: Track, 15 x 400m (1 in 70, remainder in 67-69), 100m walk/jog recoveries, 9 miles including warm up and warm down.

Tuesday: 6 miles easy (38:49)- relaxed run before Queen's Park v Clyde.

Wednesday: 10 miles (1:03:43) comprising 20 mins easy then 5 x 5 mins with 2 mins jog recoveries, remainder of run easy- identical time to previous attempt at the session 3 weeks before.

Thursday: Hill reps, High Point, 10 reps running hard off the top of the hill, 8 miles including warm up and warm down.

Friday: Rest

Saturday: Pollok Park, Glasgow, 6 mins with 2 mins recovery, 6 x 3 mins with 1 min recoveries, 6 mins, 8.5-9 miles including warm up and warm down- only used a stopwatch, ran how I felt, slight cold and sore throat so wrapped up in thick winter gear and a hat even though approximately 16 degrees. Sweated a bit!

Sunday: 15.1 miles easy (1:40:41), Whitelee Windfarm.

Mileage: 56- another good, solid, boring training week.

Week Commencing Monday 26th March

Monday: Track, 12 x 500m (1 in 1:24, 1 in 1:27, remainder in 1:25-1:26), 300m slow jog recoveries, 8.8 miles including warm up and warm down.

Tuesday: Club run, 6.5 miles easy (42:09).

Wednesday: Hill reps, High Point, 12 reps running steady all the way, 7.4 miles including warm up and warm down- extra 2 reps as a psychological boost but shorter warm down, hence, the lower mileage. Also moved to Wednesday to allow recovery for the race.

Thursday: 6.9 miles easy (43:42)

Friday: Rest

Saturday: Race- Scottish National Road Relay Championships, Livingston, 6th (final) leg, 5.8 miles, 29:02, 5th fastest long leg and team bronze.

Don't say insomnia cannot be cured!