Get to Beith on 2nd January

I have championed the cause of the Beith Harriers New Year Road Races twice before on this blog and make no apologies for doing so again. It has a special place in the history of athletics in Scotland being arguably the country's oldest race- the first set of results date back to 1929. After a gap in 2014, the event is back on the calendar and happening on 2nd January 2015.

 

I'll probably not gain much street cred for saying this but I am not a fan of Parkruns. Granted, they have their place but discussion of their merits or otherwise could take up a separate article. Suffice to say I do not dislike Parkruns per se but at times I have bemoaned their popularity at the expense of traditional club races. I will look with interest at the numbers attending New Years Day Parkruns (I've read about some Parkrun "double headers") and also how many appear at Glengarnock Industrial Estate on Friday. I have spread word of the event around. If you're reading this and, like me, believe in keeping a traditional old race alive, please do the same. So, take 1st January to sober up and toe the line with me on the 2nd!

 

Race details are here and a great article on its history is here.

West District Cross Country Championships, 6th December 2014

Photos courtesy of Kenny Phillips.

 

A combination of consistent training and a change of job meant I approached the West District Cross Country in Linwood in a positive, less distracted mindset. That is until race day when, after a prolonged spell of settled weather, I and every other participant were greeted with as soggy a day as you will ever see. All that good preparation only for the target race to threaten to be a washout. I'd love to say I remained undeterred but I was in more of a "get this over with" mood and needed a real gee up to even get on the start line. If you've read my account of the West District race of 2012, you will know about my aversion to muddy courses.

 

The course was relatively flat but with 7 races already contested on it, there wasn't much greenery remaining. The best approach over the 4 lap (10,000m approx) course was to find the best line possible and, basically, keep going. Encouragingly, I had a bit more grit and steel about me than I've had for a long time and handled the conditions relatively well. Looking back now, I felt I grew into the race. A race long ding dong with Robert Gilroy ended with a narrow 2 second success in his favour but compare that to a near 2 minute thrashing in the Great Scottish Run Half Marathon in October. I ploughed through the mud, wind and rain to 11th place in a time of 36:07, just under 1:40 behind the winner Tewoldeberhan Mengisteab, about half the gap he had on me last year. Finishing 4th counter for the club earned me another District team gold medal so no complaints at all. This was as good a performance as I could have expected and a 3rd consecutive team gold. Hopefully there's more to come. They do say progress is never a straight line.

Above: Robert Gilroy and I battle it out.

Above: a soggy day indeed.

 

 

All the results are here.

Great Scottish Run Reflections

Photo courtesy of Ian Goudie.

 

I'm slightly late with these reflections but circumstances intervened preventing me from putting this down sooner. At the beginning of October, I raced the Great Scottish Run, my first half marathon race for over 5 years. For the record, I finished 19th overall in a new personal best of 1:09:03. I also unwittingly featured heavily in BBC's coverage due to my close proximity to the leading women for 5-6 miles before the leading two duly dispatched of me in Pollok Park. Such exploits rendered me too sore to do much running the following night so a 20 minute jog was followed by a swim. I also reflected on the following "milestones" reached during the race:-

 

1. A half marathon personal best by 4 and a half minutes. My best time was set in my previous half marathon, the Chris Moon Half Marathon in 2009 organised by Strathaven Striders. Since that, to date, has been the only running of that particular race, I'm currently the only person ever to have won it.

 2. First ever Glasgow Half Marathon.

 3. First ever mention by name on TV having been name checked by Brendan Foster. Surprisingly Paula Radcliffe, who was sitting next to Foster on commentary duty and I've met before, never mentioned me at all.

 4. First defeat to a woman since 2008. I've thought hard about this and worked out that the last lady I had lost to in a race was Toni McIntosh (Ayr Seaforth) in the 2008 Isle of Arran Half Marathon. I did however come perilously close to a beating by the winning lady in the Dublin Marathon who was no doubt catching me stride for stride. If you don't believe me, read my write up.

 5. First defeat to two women in quite some time. I also thought hard about this but couldn't remember when it last happened.

 6. Second Cambuslang finisher. Robert Gilroy ran an outstanding race for 10th place with 1:07:12 and the poor guy didn't appear or get mentioned once.

 7. Second time I've run at the same event as a family member with my uncle doing the 10k. Prior to that, my Dad and I had both run the Glasgow University Road Race in 2003.

 8. Biggest support in a race. Having your surname and club clearly visible seemed to help in this respect. I was grateful for the encouragement.

 

The moral of the story? If you want to be on TV at a mass participation race, run with the elite women.

 

 

Remember Me?

Hello again. For various non-running related reasons, it has been some time since I last posted anything on this blog. A lot has changed since my last offering on 23rd October which I may elaborate on in a future post. Race wise, a disappointing effort on 3rd leg in the National Cross Country Relay has been my lot. I didn't race at all in November but I write this a little over 24 hours after a very pleasing performance in the West District Cross Country at Linwood. As a taster, Kenny Phillips' photo of Robert Gilroy and myself below conveys a flavour of what faced each competitor.

 

More to follow but I won't leave it as long this time.

Lanarkshire Road Relay Championships, 18th October 2014

Having missed the West District Cross Country Relay due to being in Durham for my aunt and uncle's golden wedding anniversary and being over my pursuit of Kenyan women around Glasgow, I was enthusiastic for a competitive outing. The Lanarkshire Road Relay at Drumpellier Park, Coatbridge fitted the bill. As I did for the George Cummings Relay, I viewed the race as part of training and went out a 5 mile jog in the morning. Before the George Cummings, the 5 miler took me 32:23. By uncanny co-incidence, the same run was completed again in 32:23. I sense a new pre-race superstition. Each time I run on the morning of a race, I'll need to do the same 5 mile route in that very time.

 

Dry but blustery conditions greeted those who gathered for the championship. A number of Cambuslang runners understandably sat this out after a hectic race schedule but, while we had no senior ladies team (sadly there were only 4 of them in all), we still lined up 2 complete mens teams. Each leg was 4km comprising an out and back course essentially from one end of the park to the other and back again. For the record, our A team claimed gold while the B team were a competitive 7th place out of 11 complete teams, only 9 seconds off 6th.

 

In the A team, George Pettit rose to the occasion with 5th place in 13:28, keeping us in contact with, amongst others, early pacesetters East Kilbride. With the fastest time of the day (12:02), Robert Gilroy hauled us into the lead which I managed to extend on 3rd leg with the 3rd fastest time of 12:22 (Shettleston's Paul Sorrie split us with 12:17 on last leg). Breaking my usual habit, I wore my training Garmin (I usually wear a stopwatch in races or occasionally no watch at all) since I had heard suspicions in previous years the course was slightly short. Following a hill session on the Thursday night, a 7.5 mile run home from work on the Friday night then the aforementioned 5 miler, I naturally felt a bit leg weary but pushed hard in the gusting wind and was pleasantly surprised with my time. The Garmin told me the route was exactly 4km(!) and I had run 4:51 for the first mile, 5:05 in the second mile then quickened again to approximately 4:52 pace during the last half mile. That will do fine. Jamie Reid has a tremendous distance running pedigree (see the link I've provided) and, now in his veteran years, is still capable of running very well and dishing out a bloody nose to unsuspecting rivals. He did what he needed to do, ignoring the attention of a loose dog in the later stages ("a Shettleston dog" quipped an onlooker) and closing the race out for us in a swift 12:49. Paul Sorrie brought Shettleston in for silver and Jamie Clements anchored an ever improving East Kilbride squad to bronze.

 

An experienced B team was lead out by Alick Walkinshaw (15:08), handing over to Barnie Gough (15:58) then Paul Thomson (13:44). Alasdair Murray finished the job off in 15:21.

 

In addition, earlier in the day, we had teams in the younger age groups. Notable performances came from the under 13 and 15 boys both winning silver.

 

After jogging another 3.5 miles to complete an 11 mile day, undoubted highlight of the day for me was a good bowl of thick lentil soup in the visitor centre café before the homeward journey.

 

As a footnote, the Lanarkshire AAA has sadly failed to elect a new committee, resulting in the need for an EGM. The failure puts the future of the Lanarkshire championship events, including this one, in doubt. While not in a position to contribute myself, one only hopes a solution can be found.

Amazing Who You Meet 8

I made a late decision to contest this year's Great Scottish Run Half Marathon due to my healthy position in the Scottish Road Running Grand Prix. It being my first half marathon since 2010 and without the level of mileage required to race the distance, I feel more than content with 19th place in an even paced personal best of 1:09:03.

While not particularly enjoying it at the time, I had the honour of running alongside a 2 time World Marathon champion and the winner of the 2011 Boston and 2011 and 2013 Frankfurt Marathons, Edna Kiplagat and Caroline Kilel respectively. They were running an ideal pace for me so I considered it made sense to make use of their experience, stick with them and maybe get pulled through to pick some stragglers off later. The photo below shows me with both women in Pollok Park after 5 miles. I eventually succumbed to them, Kiplagat doing 1:07:57 and Kilel 1:08:53, and my first defeat to a lady since 2008 (I can't recall the last time I lost to two ladies in one race). I guess however there's no disgrace here. Two full time Africans versus a beer drinking, curry loving solicitor after all! Photo courtesy of Chris Upson.

George Cummings Road Relay, 27th September 2014

Having made my first appearance in this race for some years last year, I returned to the Renfrewshire village of Houston for another attempt. It was warm, a holiday weekend, the sun was shining and I felt in a good mood.

 

I experimented by using the race as part of my Saturday double training, going out a 5 mile jog in the morning in East Kilbride then taking on 3rd leg in the afternoon. Apart from the first half mile when I overtook Inverclyde's B team to move us into 4th place, our final position, I had a completely solo effort, clocking 13:05 for the undulating 2.7 mile course. This was only 7 seconds outside my previous best when I had the benefit of competing against Lachlan Oates during 1st leg so it gave me a good training effect.

Above: ploughing a lonely furrow on 3rd leg. Photo courtesy of Alan Derrick.

Overall, I had a thoroughly enjoyable afternoon with some great company. With no marathons on the agenda (a lesson well and truly learned), hopefully there are more days like this to come.

 

The Cambuslang performances were as follows:-

Men's A team- 4th

Gordon Robertson, 13:55

Bobby Bristow, 13:55

Me, 13:05

Robert Gilroy, 13:03

Men's B team- 9th

George Pettit, 14:36

Greg Hastie, 14:38

Alistair Campbell, 14:08

Scott Hunter, 15:12

Women- 2nd

Eve Mackinnon, 16:03- youngest Cambuslang runner competing and debut in a senior relay.

Caitlin Hendry, 16:19

Katie Bristow, 16:13

Mixed team

Kirsty Anderson, 17:07

Barnie Gough, 17:15

Stirling 10km Road Race (Scottish 10km Championships), 14th September 2014

By the time this race came round, I felt in real need of a performance to give me that spark to push on again. I'd been seriously below par since returning from holiday but my performance in the Scottish 5000m was the prompt to get my act together and got me back into the sort of training I know best and which has got me my best results in the past.

 

Leaving no stone unturned, I booked a Travel Lodge in Stirling for the night before to ensure I wasn't worrying about getting there from East Kilbride for the 10.15am start on race day. I got a call on the Saturday afternoon to say, due to heating problems, my booking had been changed to Falkirk but this was still fine and I stayed overnight as planned. I did take a bit of a risk since the hotel had no restaurant and simply gave me a breakfast pack with, amongst other things, cornflakes (which I don't like), a cereal bar and a muffin. I had the muffin with a cup of tea while watching "Last Night of the Proms" on BBC on Saturday night and relied on the cereal bar, some Jaffa cakes, fruit pastilles, tea and Lucozade as my race day fuel. I arrived an hour before the start, quickly collected my number, snuck away to warm up in peace before re-appearing just after 10am to stand on the start line.

 

The course is an out and back of sorts, going outwards for about 6km then taking a slightly shorter route back to the start/finish at Forthbank Stadium. A good start was necessary and I pushed myself up into the large leading group. My plan was to simply stay there while others dropped off and hopefully still be there at the end. The field contained a number of prominent names, Andrew Butchart, John Newsom, Tewolde Mengsiteab and Robert Gilroy to name only a few off the top of my head. I would be lying if I said I felt comfortable but I was moving well and after 3km as we crossed a bridge into some countryside, I had stayed in the group.

 

Robert Gilroy has re-emerged as a real threat in these races and we spent much of the time either exchanging positions back and forth or side by side. He was slightly ahead as we went through halfway. My watch said 15:01! Any lingering doubts about my pre-race fuelling strategy disappeared. As we came to the turning point, I was just off the group. I saw them bunch and bump into each other, an amusing moment to briefly take my mind off what I was doing.

 

On the road back, I feared being dropped and managed to pull myself back up. Andrew and Tewolde made a move for home at between 7-8km. I tried to go with them but simply couldn't sustain the pace and had to relent. In doing so though, I had pulled away from others. I found myself in 4th place a short distance away from 3rd placed Michael Crawley and a possible individual bronze. I was working hard though more to hold the others off than catch him. In the last couple of kilometres, Lachlan Oates then Patryk Gierjatowicz overtook me. In my effort to maintain position, I managed to overhaul Patryk with 400-500m to go and came close to catching Lachlan to no avail.

 

The end result was 5th place with a new personal best of 30:35. Andrew won the race in exactly 30 minutes with Tewolde 2nd in 30:12, Michael 3rd in 30:27 and Lachlan 4th 2 seconds before me. Myself, Robert and Kerry-Liam Wilson (1st vet with a personal best of 31:29) took team bronze for Cambuslang behind Central and Shettleston. This was easily one of my best days in running for some time. You can't beat the feeling when it all comes together. My birthday curry and pint (my birthday was the day after this race) that night tasted all the better. Especially when you've only had a cereal bar for your breakfast.

 

Now the hard bit- keeping it going again.

 



Training for Stirling 10km Road Race (Scottish 10km Championships)- Back to Basics

Plans changed somewhat following the Dundonald 10km. 11 days later, my cautious optimism was shattered with a very poor performance in the 5000m at the Scottish track championships in Kilmarnock. I finished a distant 11th place in 15:45, my slowest 5000m on the track since 2009. The appalling weather conditions didn't help my motivation. The wind was above the legal limit for sprints and the driving rain worsened during the race, sapping my competitive edge. I returned home in the foulest of foul moods where my Dad and I exchanged some words. We reached agreement that I had gone too long without the sort  of training which had produced my best results so agreed on a plan. We called it "Back to Basics."

Race plans were also adjusted. I withdrew from the 10,000m in Stretford, setting the Scottish 10km in Stirling the following week as an alternative target. A report will follow but, suffice to say for now, it went alright. Below is my training leading up to the race beginning with the day after the 5000m. Key recurring themes were my old staple favourites- Monday track session with a jog home warm down home of just over 3 miles (I also got a lift halfway there and jogged the rest for a warm up), run home from work, High Point hill reps, Thursday club session, a Saturday double and long Sunday Windfarm runs. A nice, boring, consistent training diary, my favourite kind.

Week Commencing Monday 18th August

 Monday: Track, 8 x Tempo 100 (alternate 100m jogs and 50m sprints for 1200m) then 8 x 500m in 1:27-1:30, 8.1 miles including warm up and warm down- I was still in a bad mood, hence, the sprints at the start.

Tuesday: 7.6 miles easy (49:43), run home from work.

Wednesday:  10 x High Point hill reps, 7.5-8 miles including warm up and warm down.
Thursday: Club, 2 x 10 mins, 30 secs recovery (average 5:21/mile pace), 6.5 miles including warm up and warm down.

Friday: Rest.

Saturday: AM: 8 miles easy (52:29).
PM: 3.4 miles easy (21:39).

Sunday:  Longer run, Whitelee Windfarm, 12 miles (1:17:42), easy first half (41:38), brisk second half (35:54).

Mileage: 53

Week Commencing Monday 25th August

Monday: Track, 6 x 600m in 1:47-1:49 plus 1 x 400m in 69 secs, 7-7.5 miles including warm up and warm down.

Tuesday: 7.6 miles easy (48:23), run home from work.

Wednesday:  10 x High Point hill reps, 7.8 miles including warm up and warm down.

Thursday: Club, 2 x 10 mins, 30 secs recovery (average 5:16/mile pace), 6.5-7 miles including warm up and warm down.

Friday: Rest

Saturday: Scottish Athletics Mens League Division 2 Match 4, Scotstoun, Glasgow
800m A race- 7th in 2:08.78
10,000m Division 1 and 2 combined- 1st Division 2 and 3rd overall in 32:12.38.
10.2 miles including warm down.

Sunday:  Longer run, Whitelee Windfarm, 12.5 miles easy (1:21:37).

Mileage: 52

Conditions for the Mens League were as windy as Kilmarnock but without the rain. An even paced 10,000m (16:09 first half, 16:03 second half) suggested better things to come. I went a jog for just over 20 minutes at home afterwards because I wanted it to feel like a double session.

Week Commencing Monday 1st September

Monday:  Track, 16 x 300m in mainly 50-51 secs plus 1 x 200m in 33 secs, 7.9 miles including warm up and warm down.

Tuesday: Rest- decided on after Sunday's run to let legs recover from the Mens League.

Wednesday:  10 x High Point hill reps, 7.8 miles including warm up and warm down.

Thursday: Club, 2 x 10 mins, 30 secs recovery (average 5:18/mile pace), 6.5-7 miles including warm up and warm down.

Friday: 6.3 miles easy (39:26), shortened run home from work.

Saturday: AM: 8.5 miles easy (55:19).
PM: 3.5 miles easy (22:16).

Sunday:  Longer run, Whitelee Windfarm, 12 miles (1:17:16), 6 miles easy, 4 miles brisk (23:30), 2 miles easy.

Mileage: 52

Week Commencing Monday 8th September

Monday: Track, 7 x 400m in mainly 70-71 secs plus 1 x 200m in 34 secs, 5 miles including warm up and warm down.

Tuesday: 6 x High Point hill reps, 4.75 miles including warm up and warm down.

Wednesday:  4.5 miles easy (28:11), shortened run home from work.

Thursday:Club, 2 x 7 mins, 30 secs recovery (average 5:08/mile pace), 5.5 miles including warm up and warm down.

Friday: Rest.

Saturday: 2.5 miles easy (16:31)

Sunday:  Race- City of Stirling 10km Road Race (Scottish 10km Championships)- 5th in 30:34, PB and team bronze.
10-10.25 miles including warm down.

Mileage: 32

It's incredible what going back to basics can bring you.

Above: Cambuslang's 3 team counters post race. Left to right- me, Robert Gilroy, Kerry-Liam Wilson. Photo courtesy of Scottish Athletics.

Dundonald 10km Road Race, 6th August 2014

By the beginning of August, I was in a "race yourself fit" type mode which I hoped would pay off for my two target races. Being in such a mode gave me a reason to return to Dundonald, an old favourite with several appearances to my name over a 12 year period. A 7.30pm start gave me more leeway than the previous week and I arrived more relaxed with time to spare.

 

More on the setting and race route can be found in my blog post on 6 August 2011. A sizeable field of almost 200 runners set off along Dundonald's main street for the first half climb into Symington. I started relatively conservatively, not wishing to blow a gasket on the first climb, slowly moving into 2nd place by the 2km point. An unknown runner in a yellow vest was clear ahead of me and taking a bit longer to catch. I suspected it may have been the previous year's winner David Phee but couldn't be sure.

 

Eventually, around the 3km, I caught him and made an effort to pull away to no avail. Things essentially remained that way for the rest of the race. I completed the hilly first half in 17:06, preparing myself for a relentless assault on the flat, downhill second 5km. So too did the mystery man. He stuck to me like glue. I had one last trick- run hard up the hill to the castle and run hard off the top to the finish. A tactic I learned from reading about Robert de Castella. Part one (running hard up the hill) worked to perfection. Part two (running hard off the top) not so much as I ran the finish out myself rather than my opponent who overtook me on the blind side on the way to victory.

Above: approaching the finish. Photo courtesy of Kenny Phillips.

 

I came through the finish in a new course best of 32:08 having run 15:02 for the second half and it not being enough for first place. On exchanging handshakes, the mystery man turned out to be Matthew Gunby of Woodford Green, an Australian born Englishman who has just moved to Edinburgh. Learning that his 10km best is 29:42 made me feel better about myself. He pipped me here by 3 seconds.

 

In the other results, Bellahouston Road Runner Craig Reid secured a second consecutive midweek 3rd place in Ayrshire, clocking 34:46. Fellow Cambuslang Harrier James Healey sampled the Dundonald experience for the first time and was rewarded for heeding my pre-race pep talk with a time of 36:52. In the ladies competition, Melissa Wylie (Dumbarton) took the honours with 40:10 ahead of Laura Wallace (40:16), one of a large turnout from Ayr Seaforth. Laura McGarrity (Troon) took 3rd with 40:25 in a keenly contested race.

 

I definitely won't leave it another 3 years before I return to this idyllic corner of Ayrshire. I may have said it before but look out for this little gem in the calendar and put it in your race plans.

Kilmaurs Gala 5km Road Race, 30th July 2014

Experience over the last few years since making my jump forward in running has told me that I train best when I have targets. When I'm not targeting anything, training goes wayward and, in my Dad's words, I "phone it in." Following the Calderglen Trail Race, I had no immediate races to aim for but did have considerable preparation to do at work before going on holiday at the end of the following week. By the end of June, I had trained at a consistent level for 16 consecutive weeks since returning in mid March from my mini sabbatical with some very pleasing training sessions logged (so I found while reading my training diary at the pool). I had also raced 13 times in that period, enjoying a considerable amount of success along the way. I'll save the details however for my end of year review. My race total for first 6 months of the year (including my DNF at the National Cross Country) stood at 17, far more prolific than I've been for at least a couple of years. I therefore took the week off, focused almost exclusively on my job, including Saturday and Sunday shifts (I left 10 pages of holiday notes) then enjoyed 15 days with my brother in the Costa del Sol. More on that in a future post. Running wise, the most generous thing I could say is I ticked over.

 

There's a lot to be said about getting fit by racing. My race targets are the Scottish track 5000m at Kilmarnock on 17th August and a BMC track 10,000m in Stretford on 6th September. Any others around those I'm seeing as preparation. The Kilmaurs 5k had caught my attention after I saw Ian Goudie write about it but I'd never been able to attend until this year. Having a week and a bit of proper training behind me and being 12 days removed from the last of my 14 San Miguel fuelled nights, this constituted an appropriate "see where I am" type race.

 

It nearly however didn't happen for me. I reached Kilmaurs without a hitch then hit a problem. I couldn't find Morton Park, the race venue. After driving round what seemed like every street in the entire village, I gave up the ghost and started heading home before seeing a small arrow which said "5k" out the corner of my eye at the very last second. This lead me up a narrow lane barely wide enough for a pedestrian never mind a car then, eureka, a pitch with a dirt track surrounding it and, most importantly, runners. By my time of arrival, I had only 20 minutes to collect a number, change out my suit (I drove straight from work) and do a warm up of some description.

I lined up for the 7pm start alongside Robert Gilroy and over 150 other runners, an amazing turnout for a midweek race in a rural location during the Commonwealth Games. The first kilometre comprised 2 laps of the dirt track before leaving the park down a flight of stairs into Kilmaurs main street. Robert and I quickly established position and a sense of deja vu from Calderglen Park set in on my part.

Above: leaving Morton Park after the initial 2 laps. Photo courtesy of Kenny Phillips.

 

 

The course then followed an undulating route in the countryside surrounding the village. I was feeling sluggish but kept with Robert until just after 2km. He is full of confidence and rightly so and slowly forged a gap. After 3km, to be honest, I was glad I only had another 2km to go. Eventually, we turned off the roads onto a trail surface heading back to Morton Park. I re-entered the track for a final lap to the finish just as Robert finished. He clocked a swift 15:11 with me following 15:39. The organiser said at the prize giving I was "hot on his heels." I'm not sure that's a totally accurate description. 3rd placed runner Craig Reid (Bellahouston Road Runners) was close to me in turn with his PB finish of 16:11.

 

The remainder of the Cambuslang contingent comprised George Pettit (7th, 17:08), Chris Upson (8th, 17:13), James Healey (13th, 17:42, a PB) and Eddie Carr (43rd, 20:16). Robert, George and I shared the £20 team prize between us and had the pleasure of photos with the Kilmaurs Gala Queen. In the women's contest, local girl Kara Tait (Kilmarnock Harriers) claimed the win and an excellent 10th place overall in 17:17, fending off Laura Wallace (Ayr Seaforth) and Kilmarnock team mate Lindsay McMahon in the process. For me, the race gave my heart and lungs a jolt and, for that reason, was a worthwhile exercise.

 

Full results are here.

Calderglen Harriers 10km Trail Race, 27th June 2014

A smaller field than the 2013 edition but a still sizeable number of just over 150 turned out for the 10km event forming part of Calderglen Harriers' annual trail race series. I was back as defending champion and it looked as if my main threat would be the man runner up to me the year before, Robert Gilroy. So it proved, as after the first small loop and heading out towards Langlands Nature Reserve, we were side by side.

 

I had previously pulled away from Robert at around 2-3km then hung on. He is a different runner these days though and was running strongly. I was in fact struggling to hold on to his coattails. His watch bleeped after every kilometre and at halfway, we were still together. Just after 6km though, at Langlands, he forged a gap on a slight downhill stretch and never looked back. As I've said previously, he has fair experience of racing on trails compared to me and I simply couldn't close the gap. I finished 2nd in a time of 34:24 while Robert clocked a round number, 34 minutes exactly. It says a lot about his improvement that I ran a course best, 25 seconds quicker than my 2013 winning time, yet it was only good enough for the runner up spot this year. It's Robert's turn to safeguard the Jimmy Moore trophy for the year.

 

We repeated last year's success with George Pettit finishing 9th in 38:07 ensuring we retained the team prize. In a pleasing turnout from Cambuslang, we also had James Healey (13th, 39:59), Chris Upson (15th, 40:22), Robert Rossborough (25th, 42:35) and Sandy Eaglesham (75th, 48:55).

 

The whole event was impeccably organised as always by the host club with race director Russell Couper directing operations with an army of volunteers and, despite the difficulty of the course and awkward terrain, is something I thoroughly recommend to all. There is a race in there for everyone. Next year's edition is on 26th June 2015. Come along and try it.

Calderglen Harriers 10km Trail Race- A Preview

I'm now back from a fantastic break on the Costa del Sol. I'd love to say I felt refreshed but 14 consecutive nights consuming various Spanish alcoholic beverages has rendered me anything but. I'm glad to be back, and I think my liver is too.

 

Before departing, I had raced in Calderglen Harriers' annual event. A report will follow. In the meantime, here are a couple of photos courtesy of Kenny Phillips. The first shows myself and Robert Gilroy and the second is me approaching the finish. Who won? I'll leave it on a cliffhanger.

Bye For Now

I shall be on holiday until 20th July. I'm looking forward to recharging the batteries. Until then, thank you for reading and bye for now.

Kirkintilloch Olympians 10k Road Race, 19th June 2014

One of my targets this year has been to win an individual District or Scottish title, something I have failed to achieve in my running career up to now. My bronze at the Scottish 10 Mile Championship in Carluke was one of the closest attempts I've had in terms of proximity to the race winner.  The Kirkintilloch race doubled up this year as the West District 10k Championship. I therefore put an entry in.

 

Racing straight after work is never ideal and an added hindrance was the extremely hot spell of weather in Scotland. It was very warm on race night. To be honest, having gone from work and, in hindsight, pushed a speedwork session the night before maybe a little too briskly, I didn't feel very fresh as I toed the start line near Lairdsland Primary School. I tried to keep my last two races in mind to keep positive. Those were the 5000m in Manchester discussed in the post before this one then a 3000m at a Central and South of Scotland League match for Whitemoss which I won in an even paced effort with an encouragingly and surprisingly comfortable time of 9:01.

The route comprised an outward following of the Forth and Clyde canal before turning off for a road loop then rejoining the canal for a shorter return journey. After a relaxed start, I found myself clear by the first kilometre and realised I was in for a tough, solo slog. The canal was shaded but it still felt very warm and the air quality was poor. Goodness knows how much I sweated. If truth be told, I found the race a real grind and was only too happy to reach the finish, stop and catch my breath. For the record, I took 1st place in 31:28, a good performance overall. A close battle unfolded behind me with Ciaran Dougherty (Bellahouston Road Runners) and Neal Robertson (Glasgow Triathlon Club) taking West District silver and bronze respectively ahead of Chris Greenhalgh (Giffnock North) and Stephen Allan from the host club. Ciaran ran 34:38 and only 7 seconds separated him, Neal, Chris and Stephen.

In the ladies race, Kara Tait (Kilmarnock) impressively took the District title with a strong run of 36:03. Following her were Shona McIntosh (Hunters Bog Trotters) in 36:47, Michelle Sandison (Springburn Harriers) in 38:37 and my clubmate Alex Lamond in 39:24, like many, finding the heat difficult. With Shona representing an East District club, Michelle and Alex took the District silver and bronze awards. Andrew Mackenzie completed the Cambuslang representation, earning a top 10 position with a time of 35:43.

While it felt a bit flat at the time, it sunk in later I had achieved a target set and can now cherish a first ever individual title. Hopefully one or two more will follow at some point in the future.

British Milers Club Grand Prix, Manchester, 31st May 2014

Having done enough quality miles but not a lot of quantity since March, I approached the BMC meeting in Manchester with a bit of trepidation. My 14:50 5000m clocking at the same venue last year earned me an upgrade to a faster race. I only hoped my training would get me a performance to justify it.

I was travelling solo and, in a bit of forward planning, stayed in Carlisle the night before then drove the rest of the way at my leisure the next day. Driving on my own into a big city was stressful, especially with another concert at the Etihad increasing the congestion. As far as I cared, One Direction could head in one direction, as far from me as possible. Leaving out the dramas I faced, the short story is, despite getting a little lost at one point, I arrived safely with time to spare.

I would have some support since Charlie and Carol Ann Thomson from the club were in attendance with their son Ryan who was doing a 1500m. I had a goal of 70 second laps in mind as I took to the start line just before 6pm. This would give me a time of 14:35. A tall order but you never know until you try.

I realised the quality of the race when I found myself in last position after 200m. I hit the target time after 400m though so no panic. I overtook a few athletes which gave me some confidence and, after 6 laps (2400m), had hit every 400m split spot on. I was really working though. I went through halfway in about 7:18.

I battled on, placed around the middle of the field on the coattails of the main group. I always find the 3rd quarter of a 5000m tough because the finish still feels so far away. I broke away from a couple of athletes but the pace at the front of the field was simply too fast for me and I couldn't get up with them. I found myself isolated with gaps in front of me and behind. I was in a lot of discomfort, struggling and slipped down to 72 second laps.

Encouragement from the Thomsons did keep me going though my mind played tricks on me as I thought I had dropped to over 14:50 pace. That was no good. I found another gear in the last kilometre and, with Charlie's encouragement at the 200m start especially, got a second wind. I realised, with 200m to go, a sprint finish would result in a personal best. I somehow produced a 32 second 200m to finish in 14:46.44 and better my previous best, from Bedford in 2012, by 2 seconds. It wasn't pretty, it certainly wasn't easy, but it proved effective. While too exhausted to show it, I felt brilliant. I finished 8th from 16 finishers in a race won in a time of 14:28.89.

After a warm down, chat with the Thomsons and shower, I wanted to get out the congestion and on the road home and, since I didn't feel like eating immediately, set off with the plan to stop off on route. After an hour on the road, I stopped at services near Lancaster for a dinner of champions- a Double Whopper meal at Burger King. I also picked myself up a couple of bottles of beer and was home in time (midnight) to enjoy them.

On reflection, it's a huge source of encouragement to be able to produce these performances on certain occasions. I feel fortunate to have BMC membership and pleased to have clocked a time at one of their meetings to justify it. I go on holiday on 5th July and this was the big target race this side of the summer. It couldn't have gone better.

Personal Bests Don't Come Easy

"Got to pay your dues if you wanna sing the blues, And you know it don't come easy."

 

Ringo Starr had a point when he sang those words and a personal best for 5000m (14:46.44) certainly didn't come easily for me in Manchester. Full report to follow but, for now, the photo below is courtesy of www.hsphotos.co.uk. It's the best one I could find. There are actually more by the same photographer where I look even worse! Running isn't always easy but the rewards make it worthwhile.

The Matchday Experience- Auchinleck Talbot v Cumnock Juniors, 10th May 2014

I've been considering how to write this article and have felt that the traditional match report approach is both something I would not be very good at nor would it be interesting. Instead, I will focus on the whole match day experience offered by the good people of Auchinleck Talbot Football Club.

 

I have a liking for junior football in Scotland. "Junior" refers to the level of the game rather than the ages of the players.  It can be best described as semi-professional. At the top end, there are some very well supported clubs who can give their senior colleagues tough games. In contrast, the lower end sees small outfits with often 2 or 3 dozen spectators on a good day. They all share certain things in common however in my view. One of these is they are run by dedicated committees and volunteers. The teams are based in towns and villages throughout the country with the league system divided into West, East and North regions. In the West, a number of clubs are found in the old industry heartlands of Ayrshire. On the drive to one such example, Auchinleck, we passed through Mauchline and saw signs for numerous others, Cumnock and Hurlford amongst them.

 

Queen's Park weren't playing (thank goodness, I couldn't take much more of season 2013/14) and I had no race so, with training over with in the morning, my Dad, brother and I set off to take in one of the humdingers of the junior game, Auchinleck Talbot v Cumnock Juniors. I have been to junior matches at East Kilbride, Pollok, Arthurlie, Cambuslang and Rutherglen but this represented a step up in the lunacy scale on a par with maybe commencing a PHD immediately after completing your Highers at school. Some Kilmarnock based acquaintances (thank you Scott and Kara) pointed us and our bullet proof vests (an essential item of equipment apparently on derby day in Auchinleck) towards The Railway Inn for a pre-match beer. On finding Beechwood Park, home of "The Bot," however, it became apparent a social club existed. We sheepishly approached the entrance to be greeted by an old punter in a chair saying "in yese comes boys, one of the members will sign yese in." Thereafter, with a pint of McEwans 60 Shilling in hand and the ground entrance all of 20m away on foot, I savoured the flavour of my drink and surroundings. The club comprised two bars with all manner of memorabilia. It was awash with people in Auchinleck colours. We clearly stood out as one elderly man, clearly a regular, questioned where we were from and why we were there. Our reply was favourable to his ears and I think we made a friend out of him. I was sorely tempted to ask my Dad to drive back and squeeze in another beer before kick off but opted to save it for a return visit. Yes, I liked the social club.

 

With a population of around 3,500, the ground is big enough to hold the entire village and, on this day, it looked like it did. A hardy band had braved the 2 mile trip from the enemy territory of Cumnock and were segregated from the hundreds of home fans and at least 3 neutrals. An Auchinleck win would see them crowned West of Scotland Junior League Premier Division champions. The junior equivalent of Celtic beating Rangers to win the league or vice versa. Pie and bovril in hand, I took in the first half from the packed covered standing area running along the pitch behind the dugouts. The home team seemed edgy and Cumnock had the better of the game. Very few chances were created though and, by half time, it was clear the game needed a goal. The shooting from both teams was pretty out of range. The natives were restless. I did though get a clear sense of the rivalry the teams shared. It had been a tense atmosphere during the first 45 minutes with tempers ready to overflow.

 

 

 

 

Above: first half action, Auchinleck in black and gold and Cumnock in blue. The sparce area is the away support.

 

Into the second half and things did become more bad tempered. I didn't envy the referee's job. The first goal, when it came, was for Cumnock in around 55 minutes. A rather scrambled effort inside the penalty area to the delight of the far travelled (!) away contingent behind the goal. This did wake Auchinleck up a bit and, around 10 minutes later, they pulled it back to 1-1 with a deflected shot from just outside the area. The enclosure we stood in erupted and I got shoulder barged by one guy clearly pleased with what he'd seen.

 

Less than 5 minutes later and a second yellow card for a Cumnock player saw them down to 10 men and the blue touch paper truly lit. It took some time to calm the players down and restart the game. Concerted pressure from the Bot forced a handball in the box and saw a penalty awarded. Auchinleck duly scored to go 2-1 ahead, the scorer was booked for removing his strip and to cap it all, another Cumnock man took aim at one of his opponents with the ball and missed, sending it into the enclosure of home fans behind that goal. Cue a torrent of abuse and flaring tempers on and off the park and a yellow card for the offender. I've always read and heard about these sort of games and, after a patient wait, was now in the thick of one. The atmosphere was frenzied.

With the extra man advantage, the Bot took control and were in little danger of losing. To cap everything, I earned a front row seat to a fight on the touchline. It transpires that the Auchinleck assistant manager and Cumnock manager are twin brothers. Think Grant and Phil Mitchell from Eastenders and you get the picture. I could barely believe my eyes as they approached each other, argued then raised their fists. Did I say I did not envy the referee?

 

There were no more goals and Auchinleck duly sealed their title win. Grant and Phil shared the coldest of handshakes.  For a £5 entry fee each, my Dad, brother and I had seen some unbelievable entertainment. Between league games and cup ties, these 2 sides play/fight each other several times per season. If you have a free day and find Auchinleck Talbot and Cumnock are paired together for a fixture, give yourself an experience. Get along and see it.

Auchinleck's match report can be found here.

Above: Auchinleck celebrate winning the title.

Scottish 5km Road Race Championship, 7th May 2014

Championship races on midweek evenings aren't ideal but, with my desire to keep my running fresh by trying new things, I put in an entry for the Scottish 5km Championship in the Silverknowes area of Edinburgh. It proved worthwhile as my recent welcome upturn in fortunes continued.

 

Preparation wise, I took a half day at work to wind down during the afternoon and get to the venue with some time to spare. In hindsight, 4.30pm was maybe still too late to leave home and, after numerous traffic delays on the outskirts of then in Edinburgh itself, arrived at Silverknowes Promenade at 6.15pm in a state of harassment. I was still in plenty time for the 7.30pm start but felt ruffled by such a long drive. It was just as well I travelled solo because, on that sort of journey, my co-pilot (Dad) and I start arguing. I needed to get my race head on so, after a few brief hellos to various people, slipped away on my own to walk/jog out to the first kilometre mark and back. The wind would be against us at the beginning as we set off from the tea room on the promenade, with us until 3.5-4km then against once more to the finish at the same tea room.

With a lot of the country's more prominent runners in attendance, I felt quite edgy. I followed my pre-race plan at the start by sitting comfortably in the initial large group, resisting the urge to follow any of the faster starters. By the turn at 1km, I happily hadn't noticed the wind much and, with the change in direction, decided to up the ante. The promenade was congested with bodies running at their limit and saw one of our guys, Ryan Thomson, take a tumble so I ran wide to get a clear view. By halfway, I had worked my way up to 4th on the coattails of Tewelde Mengisteab (Shettleston), Grant Sheldon (Cambuslang) and a man finishing a day when he was named in Scotland's Commonwealth team for the marathon, Ross Houston (Central). Congratulations to him! The marathon isn't that easy. I may have alluded to this once or twice before....

Anyway, I also had Alex Hendry (Central) and Murray Strain (Hunter Bog Trotters) for company and, as the results proved, several other good calibre men on my tail. Apart from the breeze, conditions were ideal. As we veered off to the left to keep the sea beside us just after 3km, I was working extremely hard. It was one of those races where I was hurting but knew from how it kept panning out I was putting in an excellent performance. I burst a gut to keep with the leading 3 but they were simply too strong for me and, by the time we took 2 right turns to face the wind, they had forged a gap.

With a kilometre to go, Alex and Murray had also overtaken me. While I kept in close contact with them, I wasn't near enough to gain protection from the elements. When I run with a wind against me, I tend to start leaning forwards, especially as I tire. I felt myself starting to do this and endeavoured to keep my posture as upright as possible. I got joined by clubmate Ben Hukins who gained a stride on me. I battled back and, by 500m to go, headed him but eventually lost out to his experience and superior strength on the night. No-one else closed me down before the line however and I finished a pretty exhausted 7th place in a time of 15:02, a 23 second improvement on my Clydebank performance in mid March. Listing the first 30 finishers will give an idea of the race quality.

1 Tewelde Mengisteab Shettleston Harriers 14.40

2 Grant Sheldon RH Cambuslang H 14.46

3 Ross Houston Central AC 14.48

4 Murray Strain HBT 14.55

5 Alexander Henry Central AC 14.59

6 Ben Hukins RH Cambuslang H 15.01

7 Stuart Gibson RH Cambuslang H 15.02

8 Max McNeill Lothian RC 15.08

9 Neil Renault EAC 15.10

10 Lachlan Oates Shettleston Harriers 15.12

11 Bryan Mackie EAC 15.14

12 Calum McKenzie Corstorphine AAC 15.16

13 Kerry-Liam Wilson RH Cambuslang H 15.16

14 Robert Gilroy RH Cambuslang H 15.18

15 Patryk Gierjatowicz Ed Uni Hare & Hounds 15.21

16 Luke Traynor Giffnock North 15.23

17 Paul Sorrie Shettleston Harriers 15.26

18 Conan McCaughey Central AC 15.29

19 Ryan Thomson RH Cambuslang H 15.30

20 Andrew Lawler EAC 15.31

21 Keith Hood Corstorphine AAC 15.31

22 Bobby Bristow RH Cambuslang H 15.51

23 Donald Macauley Corstorphine AAC 15.59

24 Bryan Clark Corstorphine AAC 16.01

25 Ben Johnson Shettleston Harriers 16.02 M

26 Scott Kennedy Shettleston Harriers 16.06

27 Dean Cunningham Inverness H 16.13

28 Morag MacLarty Central AC 16.14

29 Barney Phillips Lasswade AC 16.15

30 Craig Reid Bellahouston RR 16.17

The race was a great one for me in terms of scalps. Amazingly, the 2 runners who took gold and silver at the Scottish 10,000m, Luke Traynor and Neil Renault, came in behind me. A sport of swings and roundabouts. The crowning glory came with Grant, Ben and myself taking the team golds for Cambuslang. This constituted a personal triumph, being the first ever Scottish gold medal of my entire running career, and I mean one which began at primary school when I was 10. It meant that I have now completed the set with Cambuslang in Scotland, now being the proud owner of West District gold, silver and bronze medals and the equivalent Scottish medals. I had a glut of Scottish silvers and bronzes but, until now, no golds. A proud night in what is becoming something of a purple patch for me.

Finally, full marks to the tea room for staying open and being good enough to prepare me a hamburger and onions during the prizegiving. Paul Sorrie availed himself of the same opportunity. My journey home was a bit shorter in duration and a lot happier than the reverse trip earlier.

Full race results, including an extensive Cambuslang turnout, can be found here. 

A Taste of Things to Come

 

Okay, comedy isn't my strong point. I'll stick to my day job and by that I mean the legal profession, not running or supporting Queen's Park. 

 

Often, I enjoy watching junior football and, a few months ago, I promised my Dad that one day when I wasn't racing and the Spiders weren't playing, we would take in one of the real bad tempered, hate filled stand offs. There are a few to choose from, especially in the rural, inland, former mining towns and villages in Ayrshire. The day finally came and, on Saturday, we plumped for Auchinleck Talbot v Cumnock. It was well worth our while. The blog report could take a while but it will hopefully be worth the wait. Watch this space.

Scottish 10,000m Championships, 25th April 2014

 

 

Sometimes a picture can say much more than words ever can. Bobby Gavin's photo above does. The Scottish 10,000m Championships was something I'd never tried. This year, it took place on a Friday night on the track at Hutchesons Grammar School in Glasgow. I decided it was worth a go. It proved worth my while.

 

5 days before the race, I was at the first Mens League match of 2014 at Grangemouth. Often, I double up in league matches but, with the 10,000m in mind, erred on the side of caution and lined up only for the 5000m. 3rd place in a time of 15:14.1 with a good, even pace was a satisfactory result.

 

Three 10,000m races were taking place, graded according to predicted finishing times, with the 3 fastest clockings over all the races winning Scottish medals. On paper, the medallists would come from my race but you can never tell.

 

The inclusion of pacemakers would help first timers over this distance on the track. Personally, I had some experience with two previous 10,000m outings in the Mens League with a best time of 31:50. 12 athletes comprising 10 entrants and 2 pacemakers, took to the start line.

 

I aimed to get as far into the race as possible feeling as well as I could. Luke Traynor, Neil Renault and Lachlan Oates all chased the faster pacemaker, Craig Ruddy, while I tucked into the back of the pack following the other one, Scott McDonald. There was a bit of a breeze on the back straight so I was content to sit at the rear end of the group and tick off the laps in a relaxed fashion. 25 laps of the track after all. No need to commit too quickly. I ignored both my watch and the clock positioned at the start/finish line and looked straight ahead.

 

Coming up to 2000m (5 laps), I felt I was beginning to check my stride to avoid clipping other runners' heels so stepped out lane 1 and had a mini surge to the front of the pack and onto the pacemaker's shoulder. 6:16 for 2000m. Approximately 31:10-31:15 pace. From then on, no-one from the chasing pack overtook me but, from eye witness accounts later, the gap between me and them varied. I felt able at times to overtake Scott. However, this would have left me in no mans land contending with the back straight wind with over half the race still to go so I stayed alongside him. "Let the pacemaker do his job" I decided.

 

I went through 5000m in 15:40. I had planned pre-race to be fresh enough at halfway to treat the second half as a straight 5000m race. The pace quickened, Scott finished his duties at 6000m (10 laps to go) and I sought to execute the plan.

 

Luke was so far on his way to the race win, I couldn't see him. Neil and Lachlan though had dropped off and I was gaining on Lachlan with every stride. Following advice to "go straight past," I did just that when I caught him and was assured from there by spectators I occupied a medal position. Not knowing how much of a gap I had, I simply ploughed on.

 

Amazingly, I was feeling stronger as the race progressed and still moving faster. Going into the last 3000m, I was running under 31 minute pace. For a spell, I closed the gap on Neil before he appeared to find a second wind and opened it again. As I received the bell for one lap to go, I listened out for it ringing again. By the time I heard it, I had reached the other side of the track so had a gap of at least 100m. Only then, with 300m to go, did I relax and stride out towards the moment captured at the beginning of this article.

 

I finished 3rd in a new track personal best of 31:07 having run the second 5000m in 15:27 and the last mile in approximately 4:50. Luke won in 30:13 with Neil 2nd in 30:58. I'm under no illusions about where I stand as a 10,000m runner in Scotland but this definitely ranks as one of my best ever race results.

 

Above: another of Bobby Gavin's photos. From left to right- Neil Renault, Luke Traynor and me.

 

I didn't fly the Cambuslang flag solo on the night as, all making their track 10,000m debuts, Shaun Butler and recent recruit Chris Upson ran the B race while Shazad Hakeem and James Healey finished 2nd and 3rd respectively in the C race.

 

Results from all 3 races are here.

 

 



Tom Scott Memorial 10 Mile Road Race, 13th April 2014

Continuing my aims to race more often and recapture my enjoyment of running, I put in an entry for this 10 miler, the furthest I would have raced in the last 2 years with the exception of the biggest mistake of my running life on 28th October 2013. I've read back my report on the Dublin Marathon and note that I said the following:-

"I certainly don't regret having a go (the training was a worthwhile learning curve) but those of you who run marathons are welcome to them. I've been told by a few sources my time entitles me to an automatic place at the London Marathon. Absoloutely no thanks. Stuff it where the sun doesn't shine!"

 

The Tom Scott Road Race took place on the same morning as the London Marathon so you will gather that I did indeed send the opportunity of a guaranteed place in the UK's largest marathon to an area where the central star of the solar system cannot expose its hot plasma interwoven with magnetic fields! Given a choice of 26.2 miles in London and 10 miles in Carluke, there was only one winner.

 

I knew the course would be no pancake but was hopeful of doing okay and, with the race doubling as a Scottish and West District Championship, carried some hope of slipping into medal territory. A field of 150 runners, 8.67% of whom were in Ronhill Cambuslang colours, were set off from the John Cummings athletics track at 10am. I aimed to get as far into the race as possible feeling as well as I could and joined a fairly large leading group. I was happy enough to take shelter in it as we headed out the town into the country roads. Hilly courses help me a lot since I can compensate for my lack of leg speed compared to others by grinding up the hills. By 3 miles, the group was down to 3, myself, Robert Gilroy and Tewelde Mengisteab. David Millar however stayed close enough to remain a threat.

Above: running alongside Robert Gilroy with David Millar in the background. In hindsight, I look like I got dressed in the dark. Photo courtesy of That One Moment.

 

The course was an out and back one and as we went through 4 miles towards the turning point, I felt strong. We turned halfway up a hill and I was confident enough to take the lead. My plan thereafter was to try and stride away towards victory. Little did I know about the galeforce wind so I changed tack and decided to stick with the other 2 guys. I didn't want them to hide behind me then ambush me with a sprint finish so was content for them to retake the lead while I sat on their shoulders. Driving wind and rain started to drain me. I knew the times wouldn't be quick and I wasn't going to trouble my personal best of 50:41 from Brampton in November 2011 but the race was a great one to be part of.

 

I stayed with Robert and Tewelde until between 6 and 7 miles when the weather conditions finally took their toll on me. They gained a few metres. I gritted my teeth and tried to battle back towards them. They were on their way to a straight shootout for both Scottish and West District gold. Exercising my golden rule of racing, I didn't look behind though as we took a right turn between 7 and 8 miles, I allowed myself a sideways glance to see there wasn't another runner in sight. This boosted me because it appeared all I needed to do was keep moving to earn myself two bronze medals.

 

Having turned out the wind and with the course flattening out, I summoned some energy through the streets of Carluke back to the sports centre. A rather cruel uphill took us back onto the track for a full lap to the finish. While out of contention myself, I got close enough to see Robert outgun Tewelde for the race win. I meanwhile realised Lachlan Oates had gained on me so had to find some extra effort to see him off by 13 seconds. Having taken District bronze and also my first ever podium finish in a Scottish championship, I finished a very tired but happy 3rd place.

 

An extensive prize giving saw me leave with District bronze, Scottish bronze, Scottish team silver (Kerry-Liam Wilson and Robert were the other team counters) and £60. The London Marathon played in the background which reminded me how much I hadn't wanted to be there. Mug's game!

 

The full list of Cambuslang performances is below and full race results are here.

1st: Robert Gilroy, 53:21

3rd: Stuart Gibson, 53:44

9th: Kerry-Liam Wilson, 55:04- 2nd V40

13th: Kenny O'Neil, 58:19

23rd: James Healey, 1:01:06

27th: Colin Feechan, 1:02:04- 1st V50

28th: John Macnamara, 1:02:07

30th: Shazad Hakeem, 1:02:38

34th: George Pettit, 1:03:25

39th: Robert Rossborough, 1:04:31

40th: Alex Lamond, 1:04:50- 4th lady

50th: Tony McCutcheon, 1:07:27

54th: Dave Thom, 1:08:12

Above: Colin Feechan (1st over 50), Robert Gilroy (race winner) and me (3rd place). The photo is my own.

Scottish Road Relay Championships, 30th March 2014

They say absence makes the heart grow fonder and, based on recent happenings, I believe there to be a bit of truth in that saying. After my lowest ebb of the National Cross Country, where I stepped off the course with less than a third of the race done physically and mentally broken, I didn't run another step for a full 15 days. I kept away from the club as well, missing the post National social that night and another social event at the ten pin bowling the following week. I didn't intend to show up at all until the day of the National Road Relay but found myself missing the club so I returned to a training night one day after I had resumed running with a stiff and sore 5.5 mile jog. A few things did happen during my sabbatical. I cancelled a week's training holiday in Portugal (running was the last thing I wanted to do) and took the decision to resign from the responsibility of club captain. On the flip side, a few other things happened personally for the better. That's all I'll say for now. 

 

In the 3 weeks thereafter, which included the 15:25 clocking over 5km at Clydebank, I found myself building up a head of steam each day to the point where I felt confident of a good show in the road relay. I felt I would be most use on a short 3.15 mile leg so was duly allocated leg 1 in the A team. To recap, there are 6 legs, 3 short and 3 long (5.8 miles) run alternately for senior and over 40 men and 4 legs for women and over 50 men. Conditions in Livingston, though cold and foggy, were pretty much ideal.

 

I felt quite focussed on the task and decided to run as aggressively as possible and see where it got me. I quickly found myself near the front as we proceeded down the first stretch to the sharp left turn uphill. I wasn't paying attention to who was with me but knew I had company. I hadn't run the short stage for a few years but still had enough knowledge about its twisting and turning nature to use it to my advantage. After roughly a mile and a half of to-ing and fro-ing for the lead, we came to a downhill stretch leading into a left turn. During my hill sessions, I've been trying to improve my technique on the descent as well as climbing. Clearly something is working as I found myself opening a gap as I rounded the bend. Faced with a flat section of path, I then strode hard and, to my shock, found myself with a bit of a gap.

 

The final mile or so follows a dirt trail past Almondvale football stadium towards the start/finish at St Margaret's Academy. I battled on into the mist as hard as possible, as it turned out building a good lead.

Above: in the lead with 400-500m to go on 1st leg. Photo courtesy of That One Moment.

 

In the last half mile, I readied myself for a final burst up the home straight. After months of struggling to recover from the biggest mistake of my running life (doing a marathon), pounding up to the finish to give the club a 17 second lead over 2nd placed Shettleston was the best feeling I've had in running for months. A course best of 15:47 was just fine as well.

 

Kyle McLellan set off on 2nd leg, running a terrific time of 29:11. He had the misfortune however of having Central's Andrew Butchart on the same leg who clocked the fastest long leg of the day, an outstanding 28:03. This aside, Kyle's run went a long way towards sealing our final position. Ian Rawlinson, Ben Hukins, Josh Lilly and Robert Gilroy consolidated us in the silver medal position, only 63 seconds adrift of Central. Such was Central's quality, their winning time was the quickest since 1999. A measure of how good it was is that our time would have won the race last year and was the club's fastest since 2003.

 

Running equally well was our B team in 7th and our over 40s who took gold and 9th overall. Our over 50s also won gold. I stayed to see our A team finish but was starting to get a chill from the cold by then so didn't wait for the medal presentation. I can safely say though I love running again.

 

Full results are here.



 

 

 

 

 

 

Training for Scottish Road Relay Championships

Race report to follow but today's National Road Relay at Livingston was a successful one. Running 1st leg (short stage of 3.15 miles), I put Cambuslang into the lead with a time of 15:47, finishing ahead of Michael Deason (Shettleston) and Scottish Under 20 Cross Country silver medallist Dale Colley (Central). I had a point to prove to myself after months of struggling after the Dublin Marathon so went out hard and got the reward. We eventually finished 2nd behind a strong 6 man Central team.

I've listed below my training leading up to the race which began after a complete 2 week sabbatical from the sport following my capitulation at the National Cross Country (the less said, the better). I've listed a training run called the Mixed Grill a few times. This involves 7.5 miles continuous running of 1 mile easy, 2 miles hard, 1 mile easy, 8 x 1 min hard 1 min easy then easy running for the rest of the run. Like a mixed grill you would order in a restaurant, it has a bit of everything, hence, the name.
 

Week Commencing Monday 10th March

 Monday: 5.5 miles easy (36:35).

Tuesday: Club, Hampden run, 7.8 miles easy (51:27).

Wednesday:  8 x High Point hill reps, 5.5 miles including warm up and warm down.

Thursday: Mixed Grill, 7.5 miles (45:31)- 2 mile section in 11:16.

Friday: Rest.

Saturday: Race- Clydesdale Harriers 5km Road Race, 6th in 15:25.

Sunday:  Longer run, Whitelee Windfarm, 12.6 miles easy (1:28:34)- gale force wind.

Mileage: 44

Week Commencing Monday 17th March

Monday: 6-6.5 miles easy (39:41).

Tuesday: Club, Baillieston, 8-8.5 miles easy (54:58).

Wednesday: Rest- work commitments.

Thursday: 8 x High Point hill reps, 5.2 miles including warm up and warm down.

Friday: Mixed Grill, 7.5 miles (45:22)- 2 mile section in 11:00, driving wind and rain.

Saturday: 6 miles easy (40:25).

Sunday:  Longer run, Whitelee Windfarm, 20 mins easy then 5 mins 1 min 2 mins 4 mins 1 min 2 mins 4 mins, all with 5 mins jog recoveries, 12 miles (1:16:07).

Mileage: 45

Week Commencing Monday 24th March

Monday: 6.2 miles easy (39:23).

Tuesday: Club, Clyde Walkway, 7.75-8 miles brisk (50:02).

Wednesday:  10 x High Point hill reps, 6 miles including warm up and warm down.

Thursday: Mixed Grill, 7.5 miles (44:04)- 2 mile section in 10:56, encouraging improvement on the whole run.

Friday: 8.5 miles easy (57:09).

Saturday: Rest.

Sunday:  Race- Scottish Road Relay Championships, 1st leg (3.15 miles), 15:47 and 1st place, team silver.

Mileage: 41

Clydesdale Harriers 5km Road Race, 15th March 2014

A brief update due to other commitments taking up my time. I lined up for this race in Clydebank off of 6 days training after a complete 2 weeks of self chosen bone idleness in the aftermath of my brief cameo at the National Cross Country. After 3km, I was blowing hard but this was only to be expected. I finished 6th in a time of 15:25. I'm pleased with this since it is a good base to build on as I get fit again. Dermot Cummins won the race in 14:58, 17 seconds clear of Paul Sorrie.

 

Next up for me is the Scottish Road Relay at Livingston on 30th March. I've requested a short leg so hopefully I can run a comparable performance to this one and help the team at the same time.