West District Cross Country Relay Championships, 11th October 2015

Incredibly, this would be my first outing at the West Relay since being part of our gold medal winning team at Kilmarnock in 2012. The following year, I was making one of the biggest mistakes of my running life in Dublin and last year it unfortunately clashed with a weekend away in Durham. The race returned to Hamilton Park Racecourse again after being staged there in 2013. It would be the first time there for me.

I was now 3 weeks into the tweaked training regime. Weather conditions were beyond perfect, no mud, little of what you could call hills, a venue close to home. Things seemed to be in my favour. The only potential fly in the ointment would be any after effects of attending a friend's house warming party the night before though I had kept my alcohol intake to a minimum.

Being allocated 3rd leg, I watched Ryan Thomson put us in an early lead then a returning from injury Ben Hukins pegged back a little to 3rd after facing a thankless task against one of Shettleston's Eritrean duo, Tewoldeberhan Mengisteab and Inverclyde's UK international, Jonny Glen. I had plenty to chase though and even more to hang on to. Within a few hundred metres, I managed to close down and overtake Inverclyde's 3rd man, Mark Pollard, to move into the silver medal position.

Above: giving chase to Shettleston Harriers. Photo courtesy of Scottish Athletics.

Various folk were saying it wasn't "real" cross country due to the absence of mud. However, I've run on courses which didn't suit me many a time and suffered for it so I was in no mood to sympathise with anyone and focused on putting the boot in. There were enough undulations and twists and turns to make the course a challenging one. I appeared to be homing in gradually on Kevin Brydon, on this leg for Shettleston, but as I ran past the grandstand to the finish it seemed that I would probably come up short. From somewhere though I found a little extra and, going round the last bend into the home straight, sprinted past him, ensuring our last runner, Robert Gilroy, took off in the lead. I felt very tired but also very satisfied with a more than welcome strong run.

Robert had suffered with a cold since the previous week's Great Scottish Run Half Marathon but, regardless, showed up and saw it through for the team. He had to concede to Shettleston's new Polish recruit, Kamil Sierecai, and Inverclyde's Craig Ruddy but kept going to secure us bronze medals. I was delighted with this and even more so later to see I recorded the fastest time on 3rd leg and 6th fastest overall. The tweaked training is reaping rewards.

We had a huge turnout of 29 senior men, giving us 7 and a bit teams. Full results can be found on Kilmarnock Harriers' website.

George Cummings Road Relay, 26th September 2015

Following the Copenhagen Half Marathon, I came to the conclusion that heavier training mileages and longer races are not really working for me. While having the stamina in Copenhagen, I had no real turn of pace. In other words, more miles seem to hinder rather than improve me. I also felt that my training since returning from my summer holiday had felt routine and stale and, quite frankly, my enthusiasm simply wasn't there at times. A chat with my Dad saw us agree some tweaks to restore my mojo.



The George Cummings Road Relay came at the end of my first full week of the tweaked regime. I felt in need of a burn up. Unfortunately only one of my club mates, Ross Stephen, was of similar mind and we turned out to be the only two Cambuslang Harriers athletes present, supported by Ross' parents, my Dad and Mike Johnston. We were joined by a Maryhill Harrier to form a three quarter team. Disappointing considering how well we've supported this race in the past but c'est la vie.



Ross took 1st leg, running 14:14 for the 2.7 mile loop, bringing us in 7th. I took over, running with a bit of aggression to try and pull in some of those ahead. Ultimately I did though lost out to Inverclyde's Michael Houston, one of those I made up ground on, in a late sprint. I brought us in 5th which, if we had a full quartet and maintained position, would have won us a prize. My time was 13:11, 6 seconds down on my time on 3rd leg in 2014 and 13 seconds down on my 1st leg effort in 2013. This was fine for my state of fitness on the day though I feel the need to return next year to reverse my trend of gradually slowing times on the course.

Southern Scandinavia Jaunt Part 4- Happy in Helsingor

During my stay, I had built up a small rapport with the male hotel receptionist. On returning the bicycle on Sunday night, it seemed I was one of the few guests actually hiring them as he asked me if I wanted one again the following day. Alas, I had to inform him I would be going home and wouldn't have time.

 

That said, my flight was in late afternoon, giving me some time to kill during the day. I had seen as much of Copenhagen as I wanted to and felt I had put the Lund return to bed on Saturday so decided to round off with a visit to somewhere I hadn't been before. Perusing my Denmark guide book, I settled for Helsingor. It was a short train journey away and I could take the train from there straight to the airport. A neat way to conclude things. Decision made, off I went. Around 40 minutes later, I disembarked at the station below.

 

With no bicycle this time, I couldn't venture too far but I also had my luggage so cycling would have proven a chore anyway. Helsingor is located on the north east coast of Zealand, the same island part of Denmark as Copenhagen. There was certainly a very stiff sea breeze. No rain however. As already eluded to, the Oresund Bridge provides a route by car or train from Denmark to Sweden. An alternative mode of transport is found here where regular ferries can transport you from Helsingor to the Swedish town of Helsingborg. On a clear day like this was, there are great views across to the Swedish mainland. I visited Helsingborg back during my halcyon days of early 2004 when my brother and I took in a Helsingborgs v Kalmar football match over the Easter weekend (the home team lost 2-1 and missed a penalty). On another day I may have partaken in the ferry crossing but, alas, time didn't allow. Instead, I made tracks towards one of Helsingor's most famous attractions, Kronborg Castle (pictured below).

 



 

The castle is best known as being the setting for Shakespeare's play, Hamlet. Built in the late 1500s for the then King and Queen of Denmark, it's certainly a very imposing building inside and out. Helpfully, I was provided a place to store my case which allowed me to tour the grounds, courtyard and hallways unhindered. It's quite something. I recommend a visit.

 

After my dose of culture, there remained just enough time for a leisurely wander round some of Helsingor's quaint streets. Away from the hustle and bustle of the city, the tranquillity was welcome. It was a working day so the quiet could be expected.

 

With that, the moment finally came to say farvel (goodbye in Danish) and hej da (the Swedish equivalent) to Copenhagen, Helsingor, Lund, Bjarred, Fjelie, Fladie and any other settlements I had passed through at some time or another over my 4 day stay. The train journey to Copenhagen Airport for the flight back to Edinburgh brought to an end an excellent and emotional trip I've wanted to do for so long. It had been 11 years in the making.

I don't blame anyone reading this for thinking "what's all the fuss about?" but you really have to be me to understand how important it was to make this journey. In 2004, I enjoyed the best 6 months of my life in Lund. As the years passed, the desire to return grew. This year, enough was enough and I had to do it. The desperation to go has been cured now but I definitely won't leave it for another 11 years before the next time. This little part of Scandinavia occupies a big place in my heart. My old lecturer Henrik Norinder told me student life is eternal in Lund. He's absoloutely right. In the words of Taylor Swift's most recent hit, I'd ask this area of the world to say you'll remember me. Why? Well because I will, without a shadow of a doubt, remember you.

If you've read all 4 parts, thank you and I hope it was worth reading.

Southern Scandinavia Jaunt Part 3- A Hard Race by Half

Having departed Lund with a lump in my throat, arriving back in Copenhagen at 9.30pm after a long, emotional afternoon was probably not the most ideal preparation for a half marathon. However, I felt more at peace with myself because I had finally gone through with something I had wanted to do for quite some time. That was all that really mattered to me about this trip.

 

I had no trouble at all sleeping that night and woke up in good time to have breakfast at the hotel and be ready for the 11.15am race start time. I knew there were bus and train options to reach the start but, just to make sure, I took a taxi from Central Station. Showing the friendly nature of the city, the driver could not take me all the way there due to road closures but got me as close as he could and gave me directions the rest of the way on foot. Sure enough, I reached Faelledparken over an hour early and, after making some enquiries, was directed to the elite tent. I got my number etc and could now safely relax and focus on the task ahead.

In all honesty, I did wonder how the previous day's escapades would tell on me but did all I could to be positive. In contrast to Saturday, conditions were wet and breezy though the rain eased off by the time we were on our marks. It was an extremely high quality field with a large African contingent. In terms of describing the course by landmarks etc, I'm not very good at such things but can provide the course map here. In the early stages, I wasn't feeling brilliant. I found myself loosely in a group with a French lady and a number of male Scandinavian club runners. For some reason, I got it in my head that I was not running quickly enough. By 5 miles, I had started to feel more myself and in a rhythm so made a move away from the group. The positive of a flat, open course like Copenhagen is, on a still day, you can really get your pace up. The negative on this occasion was it wasn't a still day. While not blowing a gale, the wind resistance was enough in places to both hinder and dishearten. Buoyed by the huge crowds it must be said, plus having my name shouted by several people (name on my number), I battled on as best I could. By around 9 miles or so, some of the group, including the French lady, caught and passed me. In hindsight, I ought to have stayed with them earlier on. All was not lost though as I was catching others and, in the last 3 miles, caught a couple of guys who themselves had dropped off the group.

Eventually I arrived back at the finish at Faelledparken and held on down the home straight without anyone catching me to finish 54th overall in 1:11:08. Not quite the time I was looking for but if I'd been more sensible at 5 miles and run in a pack, I may have gained another minute or so. You live and learn. I had however maybe used up too much energy the day before. I had plenty stamina but just not enough sharpness or oomph to gain that little extra. I did enjoy the atmosphere and had a minor triumph of being first Brit. 7 ladies, comprising 5 Kenyans, an Ethiopian and the aforementioned French Madame, finished ahead of me. The overall Kenyan race winner ran a world leading time of 59:14. The first 4 finishers clocked under an hour and 5th place was one second over it. Crazy stuff.

Back in the tent, as I regrouped, I met and chatted to the next Brit in after me, none other than a guy from Inverclyde, John Sharp. He had an equally energy sapping build up, attending a concert the night before! To coin a cliché, it's a small world. I soon discovered a breakdown of my 5km splits as well as my time and position- 16:28, 16:34, 17:15, 17:07. The 3rd segment would be where the group closed me down. Free massages were on offer so I took one to ease my legs then followed the crowds on foot to Osterport train station to get back into the city centre.

At the hotel, I showered and had some rolls (the remainder of the stuff I bought at Lidl on the Friday) I'd made up for myself and a hot drink. At around 4pm, my Dad sent me a text encouraging me to get a bicycle and do everything else I wanted to if I had the legs for it. Thanks to the massage, I did and duly hired one of the hotel bicycles again.

I embarked on a quick fire tour of the Copenhagen landmarks I wanted to see, stopping at the City Hall and Frederiksberg Palace, briefly sneaking into the latter before it closed. My determination to see the Little Mermaid then took over and I sought to find it with the aid of my Copenhagen city map. Had I brushed up on my Danish more thoroughly, I would have known the sign saying "Den lille Havrue" was directing me to my destination and not have cycled by. I retraced my steps, followed the sign and found another statue which turned out not to be the desired one then eventually accomplished my mission.

Above: false alarm. Wrong statue.

Above: I got there eventually. Den lille Havrue watching over the river.

On my route back, I stumbled across Nyhavn, a quaint stretch of bars and restaurants along the canal. It was starting to fill up with folk out for dinner and drinks. I took a stroll along the cobbled street, discovering a couple of places selling pints of lager to take away (in plastic containers of course for safety). I felt I'd earned a drink so parted with 39 of my Danish krone in exchange for a pint of Carlsberg. I decided against eating here because I didn't know how to use the light on the bicycle and wanted to be back in the vicinity of the hotel before dark. I therefore leisurely drank my pint then headed on my way.

Just round the corner from the hotel, I had discovered a place called Café Apropos which served meals at night. The earlier wind and rain had given way to a pleasant, mild evening so I returned the bicycle to the hotel, took a table outside the café and enjoyed a beautiful 2 course dinner with another pint of Carlsberg while perusing some work related business I had taken with me to look over (as a solicitor, you rarely entirely switch off). The bill came to 280 krone (about £23!!). I was feeling content with life and had received good service from the friendly waiting staff so handed over 320 krone, declaring the extra 40 to be a tip. This constituted enough activity for one day and I retired thereafter for an early night.

The concluding part of this wee adventure will appear over the weekend.