By the time this race came round, I finally felt I was shaking off the shackles of the marathon. I'd had 2 weeks of 55 and 51 miles with key sessions- track, High Point hills, Saturday grass reps and Windfarm long runs- all in their appointed places. I kept the momentum going in the week leading up to the Lanarkshire though did a short session on the road on the Friday since I had a meeting on Tuesday 26th November so took it as a rest day. Both this race and my next (West District Cross Country, race report to come) disproved me of my notion a little.
Looking back as I write this, my preparation wasn't the best. Yet another stressful working week and no ease up in training meant I headed to Coatbridge's Drumpellier Park feeling more like I was getting ready for a training session. I even warmed up with some other guys from the club, something I never do before races. I was in training, not race mode.
Cambuslang's senior men responded to a rallying call I issued after the Scottish 4km Cross Country by turning out in good numbers for this local championship. Using Inverkip as my yardstick, the 4 lap course looked perfectly runnable. A field of just over 40 runners, 9 of them for Cambuslang, took to the start line. Among the others were 3 from one of my other clubs, Whitemoss, including my good friend William Sutherland. He's also a Clyde supporter so is rather enjoying the current plight of my own team who happen to also be his side's derby rivals.
Heading along the opening straight, myself, fellow Cambuslangers Robert Gilroy and Gordon Robertson, Grant Baillie (East Kilbride AC) and Darran Muir (Law and District) forged a gap. Seeking to boost my fragile confidence, I moved into the lead as we crossed a narrow path under a railway bridge before taking a sharp left into some thicker mud. Not Inverkip style thick mud however. After some grassy trails, we doubled back under the railway bridge again into a full circuit of the area where we started into the next lap.
By the end of lap 1, Robert and I were in a straight head to head. He was battling hard and I simply wasn't shaking him off. We remained locked together into the final lap. In a short climb through some trees, I ran hard up the hill then hard off the top in an attempt to create some daylight. In the same pattern as earlier, he descended with more grace than me and closed me down. Through the bridge for the last time, he forged ahead, leaving me broken and unable to respond. Robert won the race in 30:56 with me coming though in 30:59. It was his first victory over me since Inverkip.
Looking back now, I didn't take it well and had a bit of a tantrum to myself, throwing my watch to the ground in disgust. However, the better man won and I did congratulate him. I realise all that sounds ridiculous but it was a bad reaction from me in the heat of the moment.
Meanwhile, Jamie Reid came through strongly to finish 3rd and complete our counting 3 in the team competition. We took 5 of the first 10 places with Gordon Robertson in 4th and under 20 Ross Stephen, in his senior debut, finishing 7th. Scott Hunter continued a rapid improvement to take 14th, pipping Colin Feechan by 4 seconds after a similar race long battle to Robert and I. Mick O'Hagan in 17th and Dave Thom in 25th rounded off a strong club showing. Gordon, Ross and Scott were unlucky not to take team bronze with a rule change preventing B teams from winning medals whereas they had in previous years.
I couldn't stay too grumpy since it was also my Mum's birthday and I treated her to a drink at our local, the Greenhills, that evening. I wasn't too muddy after the race or else she may not have agreed to it.
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