Wednesday 23 May 2012

Scottish Athletics Mens League Division 2 Match 2, Aberdeen, 20th May 2012

Above: where we were.


Thanks to my shin problem, the second Mens League meeting represented my first competitive outing since the first meeting at Meadowbank a month earlier. I headed into it in the midst of a period of considerable stress and worry both in running and outwith it. Running wise, as well as battling to be injury free on time then hoping to be fit enough to tackle at least one race, there was the headache of organising transport, rounding up enough athletes to form a viable team, hoping and praying none of them called off on me and having the 3 officials required by the league rules. Not providing these officials means, according to Rule 1 of the Rules of Competition, your club "will not be allowed to compete in the match." In the end, we had 5, Mark Stringer, Willie Sutherland, Cathy Robertson, Steven Whyteside and Susan Gatens.

For athletes, there were myself, Whitemoss first claim members Michael Brennan, Ian Smith (a former American footballer with the East Kilbride Pirates), Craig McEwan, Zach Bryson, Craig Whyteside and John Robertson plus Cambuslang Harrier Robert Gilroy. John and Robert made their first appearances of the year. Not making it after competing first time out were two more Cambuslang runners, Stuart Roe (shin splints) and Dean McMurran (exam the following day).

With Steven and Craig Whyteside and Craig McEwan already in Aberdeen, the rest of us set off by minibus from East Kilbride at 7.45am, having a breakfast stop at Morrisons in Dundee where Michael and Ian, our two throwers, ordered fry ups and Willie and I chewed the fat about our respective football teams, Clyde and Queen's Park, over rolls and sausage and pots of tea. Wondering where Robert had gone, he emerged from the main store with a can of Red Bull, denying Willie's blatant Cambuslang stereotyping accusation of shoplifting! On our way out the store, we met Kilbarchan on their way in.

Safely arriving in a slightly chilly Aberdeen, the field action got underway at 12noon and the track at 1pm. John Robertson got us off to a flyer, winning the pole vault with a personal best of 3.60m. Zach Bryson was a little disappointed with 5th in his 100m (11.91 seconds) but happier with his triple jump (4th, 11.45m). Craig McEwan was more disappointed with his 100m, being deemed to have false started and disqualified by a starter we had given a lift up north on our minibus. That's gratitude. Craig's long jump (3rd, 5.85m) and high jump (4th, 1.65m) made up for it. Under 17 Craig Whyteside ran a superb 800m, clocking a personal best of 2:12.81 to beat his time on his Mens League debut at Meadowbank by 2 seconds. He jumped 4.33m in the long jump, sadly just missing the minimum standard for scoring points of 4.50m.

I've known Michael Brennan since my early teens. He competed for Whitemoss, disappeared for a while then came back a few years ago vowing to "give up the fags" and get in shape. Ian Smith took up athletics in 2010 after an injury induced retirement from American football. They've proven to be great training partners, improving their throws at every meeting. Michael won the A string shot putt (11.75m) and hammer (30.81m) and took 2nd in the discus (32.14m) while Ian took a clean sweep of the B string competitions, 10.65m in the shot putt, 27.87m for hammer (an event where he didn't reach the points standard of 20m on his debut in 2010) and 29.83m for the discus. They are the backbone of the Whitemoss team.

I talked Robert Gilroy into an 800m on the journey up to kill time before his 5000m. Being his first ever 800m, I stood at the break line at the end of the first bend and shouted when to cut in to lane one to prevent disqualification. He needed 2:20 for points. He got 2:19.36 and 4th in the B race. With Robert doing 800m, that freed me up to try a 1500m where I finished 5th (3rd A string) in 4:10.65. In the home straight, I was pipped by two Kilbarchan athletes, Conor McNulty, one hour after his 3000m steeplechase, and under 17 Gavin McArdle. Still, points secured by both of us, a successful gamble.

Robert and I then did the combined Division 1 and 2, A and B strings, 5000m. There were a lot of athletes on their second or third race of the day so more or less an level playing field for us all. I started with a cautious approach, letting a sizeable group of Robert Russell, Luke Traynor, Lachlan Oates, Andrew Crichton and Mickey Breen forge ahead. I ran behind Falkirk's Barry Paterson for a couple of laps then stepped out to give chase. Crichton and Breen, like me not so fresh from 1500s, had fallen off the group and were coming back to me, giving me something to aim at. Chris Devenney, one of the athletes I met at Morrisons in Dundee in the morning, was in turn putting me under pressure. I caught and passed both Crichton and Breen but had given myself just a little too much to do to close down Russell, Traynor and Oates. Crichton eventually finished before me but staying ahead of Breen, who beat me over 1500m about 40 minutes earlier, would win me the Division 2 race. I managed to do that, clocking 15:16.91. 7:36 first half and 7:40 second half and actually feeling I had slightly more in reserve. With the Scottish 5000m on 2nd or 3rd June, encouraging. 5th overall in a field of 22 runners with a feeling of something extra there was alright. Robert battled away and won the B string in 16:22.69 to earn Whitemoss maximum points in the event.

I rounded off my racing by joining up with Craig Whyteside, Zach Bryson and Craig McEwan to do the 4 x 100m relay, 5th in 50.16 seconds. We had no 4 x 400m team. Two more meetings to put that right.

With that, it was homeward bound with a brief stop again in Dundee, giving Tesco some business this time, getting back to where we started in East Kilbride at around 8pm, 12 hours after setting off. The day brought a welcome change of scenery and respite for me during an ongoing extremely stressful time both in running and outwith it with plenty laughs to lighten my mood. Having taken the Monday off work and stayed teetotal the night before, I felt like a little refreshment. The local Co-Op was the only place still open and a 4 pack of Peroni was sufficient to watch Haile Gebrselassie run the Manchester 10k quicker than I can complete the distance on a bike.

Match result

1. Kilbarchan, 358 points
2. Lasswade, 315
3. Pitreavie, 224
4. Whitemoss, 219
5. Corstorphine, 166
6. Clydesdale, 132
7. Fife, 86
8. Dunfermline, 62
9. Kirkintilloch, 0

League positions after 2 meetings

1. Lasswade, 17 points (637 match points)
2. Kilbarchan, 16 (612)
3. Pitreavie, 15 (494)
4. Whitemoss, 12 (404)
5. Corstorphine, 10 (318)
6. Clydesdale, 7 (236)
7. Fife, 7 (193)
8. Dunfermline, 4 (150)
9. Kirkintilloch, 0 (0)

Thursday 17 May 2012

Injured Again

I've been cursing my luck the last little while. After the Tom Scott 10 Miler on Easter Sunday, I was building up nicely for a 1500m at the West District Championship then the Scottish 5km Road Race Championship in Edinburgh. Consistent weeks of 56, 51 and 54 miles with all the key sessions on their appointed days of the week. An encouraging time of 15:10 over 5000m at the first Mens League at Meadowbank. Come Sunday 29th April, a good, brisk 12 miles (1:12:39) with 2 sets of intervals of 4 minutes, 1 minute and 2 minutes duration. Twinge in the left shin at the end. Stiffness during the afternoon while officiating for Cambuslang at the Central and South of Scotland League. 2 uncomfortable days of running later, full blown pain. Cue training with a difference again.

The winter brought aqua jogging. This time, I was in too much pain to do that so dug out my 20 odd year old bike, got a helmet from Argos, blew up the tyres (well, my Dad did while I held the bike steady) and started cycling. I had found I could cycle without aggravating the shin. I've mainly been out Strathaven way and in the surrounding villages of Chapelton, Glassford and Stonehouse. My routes have mostly taken in the Strathaven Striders Run With the Wind 10k route. I'm pleased to have recorded a few sub-30 minute 10ks albeit on 2 wheels. Darvel was another option but I'm aware that a farm on route there is resident to a nasty looking dog so I've been too scared to go that way. I did for a run on one occasion and encountered said canine which didn't look too pleased to see me.


Above: set for the open road.

So it's been training with a difference again the last wee while. Touch wood, as I write this after completing 8 hill reps on my High Point hill session pain free, I'm now over it. Bring on the Mens League in Aberdeen.

Week Commencing Monday 30th April

Monday: Track, 5 x 600m, 5 mins recoveries, times- 1:41, 1:39, 1:40, 1:41, 1:40, 5.4 miles including warm up and warm down.
Tuesday: Club, 9.9 miles (1:02:52)- shin getting more painful, hurting by end of run.
Wednesday: Swim, 400m easy, breast/crawl- in too much pain to aqua jog, swimming was also uncomfortable.
Thursday: Rest- run abandoned after 30 seconds, shin absoloute agony.
Friday: Rest
Saturday: Bike, East Kilbride to Chapelton and back, 1 hour 17 minutes.
Sunday: Bike, East Kilbride to Strathaven and Glassford and back, 2 hours 11 minutes- ate like a horse when I got back then enjoyed a curry and a few pints in West End of Glasgow later.

Running- 15 miles, swimming- 400m, bike- 3 hours 28 minutes

Week Commencing Monday 7th May

Monday: Bike, East Kilbride to Strathaven, Glassford and Stonehouse and back, 2 hours 55 minutes- day off work so took advantage. Drink (soft drink) stop in Strathaven then stop for a sandwich and read of the paper in Stonehouse. A restaurant there was doing a lunchtime Indian buffet for £4.95 but after a lamb madras and 5 or 6 pints the night before, I settled for a Co-Op chicken and stuffing sandwich and Lucozade Sport.
Tuesday: Aqua jog, 65 mins, including 5 x 5 mins with 5 mins jog recoveries, 200m breast/crawl warm up, 200m breast/crawl warm down- shin still twinging.
Wednesday: Bike, 10 mile time trial (42:03), 1 hour 12 minutes including warm up cycle and warm down cycle- used the Calderglen 10 Mile Road Race route from 2009, bumpy surface in places, tough.
Thursday: Hill reps, High Point, 6 reps, steady all way, 3.3 miles including warm down- walked to the hill with my Dad for the warm up and very short warm down. Horrible, wet night. Feeling twinge in later reps.
Friday: 4.3 miles (25:56)- shin still not quite right.
Saturday: 6.5-7 miles (42:58), Calderglen trail- see Friday.
Sunday: Bike, East Kilbride to Strathaven and back, 2 hours 1 minute- horrendously wet and windy, soaked through wearing 3 layers. Pleased to do it.

Running- 14 miles, swimming- 400m, aqua jogging- 1 hour 5 minutes, bike- 6 hours 8 minutes

After Sunday, plan is the Polaroid 10k in Clydebank next Thursday (24th) which I entered today. After Alsager, the 1500m at Ayr and Wednesday's 5k at Edinburgh, it would be good to pre-enter a race then actually run it. Hopefully that's my quota of bad luck used up for this year.

Saturday 5 May 2012

East Kilbride Sports Personality of the Year Awards 2011, 27th April 2012

On Friday 27th April, I had the pleasure of attending the 2011 East Kilbride Sports Personality of the Year Awards at the town's Village Theatre having, much to my disbelief, made the shortlist of 6 for the Adult Male award. Organised by East Kilbride Sports Council, it recognises local sportsmen and sportswomen, clubs and coaches for their achievements. This was the first time I have ever had cause to attend.

Compered in a humorous manner by local DJ Cliff Smith, who is also apparently East Kilbride born Rangers manager Ally McCoist's agent, different people, young and old, and clubs had their moment in the spotlight. I was pretty impressed with the accomplishments of many. Until the awards night, I had no idea the junior female winner, a girl called Pamela Clark, is 2nd in the world in her age group at her chosen sport. Okay, I'm hardly going to settle down on any given evening to watch trampolining but impressive all the same.  Similarly, members of a tae-kwondo club, Mark Hutton's Black Belt Academy, attend and win medals at European level. In the past, East Kilbride has had an athlete, Allan Scott (a former Whitemoss club mate), in UK squads at World Championships and Olympics, the most recent of the latter in Beijing in 2008. Our town holds its own.

Generally, everyone gets their time, being introduced then, while walking on stage, having their achievements narrated to the audience. With everyone in place, the winner is announced then photographed. In the adult female category, wheelchair curler Aileen Neilson edged out multi-talented East Kilbride Disability Sports Club member Diane Gillan who I had spoken to on a previous occasion after she recognised me from my attending the Dolan Baths for aqua jogging sessions. I was up against two other athletes, Kevin Downie and Martin Duthie, footballer Laurie McGinlay and Mark Hutton club member Alexander Gray (tae-kwondo). Standing on stage as Gray was introduced, with his credentials, I genuinely thought he was the clear winner. Imagine the shock when my name came out.

Above: East Kilbride News photo, on stage with my award. Thanks to Alistair Campbell for scanning this in.

Aileen Neilson claimed the overall Sports Personality Award ahead of me but I had already received more than I had anticipated so lapped up the post-ceremony buffet and wine content with my night's work. After all the years plugging away in the sport, I am very grateful and humbled for the recognition.

Above: leaving the post-ceremony spread after some grub and a few white wines.