A Frustrating Start to 2016

Far from a new beginning, 2016 has proven to be a non-starter up to now from a running perspective. Despite training consistently up to 7th January, I had a tickly cough building up which gradually developed into a full blown chest infection. It has floored me completely and I consequently haven't run a step in anger since. At the time of writing, I'm completing a course of antibiotics and steroids which have thankfully had the desired effect, leaving me only with a cough again, albeit it can still be severe and disturb my sleep. At the moment I'm looking at needing to take a loan out the bank for my target races in February, i.e. run them, hope for the best and do the training afterwards.

Apart from going to work, I've barely been out the house for over a week so was determined to make it to Hampden today for the Queen's Park-Montrose match. Wrapped up in a hat, scarf, gloves and 4 layers, I drove through the snow to take in a 1-1 draw with 406 others, played out in a blizzard. That the game actually finished is quite something since the pitch lines were obscured by snow for the majority of the 90 minutes. We hit the woodwork 3 times, missed a penalty and played much of the second half against 10 men, hence, a frustrating afternoon. Still, it was nice to get out again. Hopefully a resumption of training won't be too far off.

Above: a winter wonderland at Hampden.

2015- My Year In Running

Happy new year to all. I had planned to compete in the Ribble Valley 10km Road Race in Clitheroe, Lancashire on 27th December. However, the severe floods engulfing the north of England saw a not unsurprising postponement announced at 2pm on Boxing Day. A sensible decision when you read and watch the news coverage. I, along with several others, have asked the organisers to put our entry fees towards helping the flood victims.

From a running point of view, this meant that the West District Cross Country on 6th December proved to be my last race of 2015 so it is time for my annual round up.

2015 Statistics
2015 in words and numbers.

Races- 36, constituted thus:-

Road- 13

Track- 17 

Cross Country- 6

Race wins- 5

Clubs and Regions Represented:-

Ronhill Cambuslang Harriers- 21

Whitemoss- 13

West of Scotland- 2 (Scottish Inter District Cross Country Championships and UK Inter Counties Cross Country Championships)

Personal or Course Bests Set
5 (not including courses run for the first time)

Championship Results:-

Scottish Inter District Cross Country Championships (8km)- 29:45, 32nd place
UK Inter Counties Cross Country Championships (7 miles approx)- 37:05, 51st place
Scottish National Road Relay Championships (5.8 miles, 4th leg)- 29:51, team bronze
Scottish Track 10,000m Championships- 31:17.28, individual bronze
Scottish 5km Road Race Championships- 15:19, 16th place, team bronze
Scottish West District Cross Country Relay Championships (4km, 3rd leg)- 12:47, team bronze
Scottish National Cross Country Relay Championships (4km, 1st leg)- 12:51, 4th placed team
Scottish National 4km Cross Country Championships- 12:46, 20th place, team silver

Scottish West District Cross Country Championships (10km approx)- 39:24, 7th place, team silver

Other Achievements
While not a formal achievement, I felt a real sense of accomplishment in earning a place in the BMC meeting in Watford in June. Described as the best quality domestic track meeting assembled for years, to be there was amazing, and I thankfully produced a performance to do justice to the occasion.

Longest Race
Half Marathon

Shortest Race
400m

Best Race
I've had some good purple patches of form at different times in 2015. The Armagh 5k, Inter Counties Cross Country and BMC 5000m in Watford were all races which simply clicked on the day or night. I can't separate them.

Worst Race
The Scottish 5k in Edinburgh. I got preparations badly wrong- travelled from work, didn't eat enough, didn't feel like it when I got there and I gave a performance to match.

A close runner up was the Inter District Cross Country, again in Edinburgh which seems to be an unlucky venue for me. Losing your shoe after being clipped in the first 100m and being cast adrift of the entire field by the time you've fixed it does not equal a happy race experience. I considered including the Dundonald 10k here due to my post-holiday lack of fitness but it's an old favourite and I can hardly pick a race I actually won as my worst.

Most Enjoyable Race
Again, there are a few candidates but the standout is the trip to Inverness in June for the Mens League. An overnight stay with a great group of people in a nice hotel, a couple of pints on arrival, the sun shone and I ran well in all 3 races I lined up for. An honourable mention though for the Glasgow University Road Race for the friendly organisers, post race grub and nostalgia aspect.

Summary
After the unhappiness in my working life which dominated 2014, the year 2015 lead to the consistency of performances in training and races which I had hoped for when writing my last review. I also had no lingering marathon effects. My training diary turned out to be the boring, consistent kind I enjoy best. The result of all that was a very satisfying year. The increase in races from 28 in 2014 to 36 can be attributed to trebling up, and on one occasion quadrupling, at Mens League matches. A similar year to this in 2016 will do nicely. Let's do it.