Scottish Mens League Match 4, 14th August 2011

Grangemouth hosted the fourth and final meeting in this year's Scottish Mens League. Under my thoroughly inspiring leadership, Whitemoss were lying 3rd in Division 2, a little adrift of Shettleston and Falkirk Victoria but still an outside bet for promotion. It needed a good turn out. Unfortunately, a couple of people withdrew beforehand with colds but I still had a team of 12 athletes and 4 officials out in force.

The league organisers experimented by replacing the 5000m with a 10,000m, the first time such a race had been run for several years. The Division records go back far enough, 15 June 1997 for Division 1 (W. Coyle of Shettleston Harriers with 29:59.8) and 21 May 1989 for Division 2 (C.Heskett of Dundee Hawkhill Harriers with 30:28.9). Always happy to be a guinea pig for an experiment, I lined up with 18 others for a 25 lap trek. My training the previous week had been alright, including a track session of 15 x 400m with every 4th rep plus the 15th one brisker. Times were 72 seconds with the brisker ones in 68, 68, 69 and 70. With Kirsty's good luck text received on cue and a little banter exchanged besides, I was set.

This was as much an experiment for me as it was for the league, my first track 10,000m. I looked to get as far into the race as I could feeling as good as possible. I quite deliberately hung behind Ben Hukins of Aberdeen, Shettleston's Michael Gillespie and early pacesetter Stuart Campbell of Arbroath. 5 laps trundled by without incident then I sort of drifted my way into the lead. The pace didn't alter. I just found myself there. I was working hard without straining because the last thing I wanted was to blow a gasket with say 18 laps to go. Coming up to halfway, Hukins and Gillespie strode past. In another race, perhaps a championship, I would try to cover the break. Here, I was content to keep to my own pace and passed 5000m in 16:07.

I started working harder from here to keep momentum. Central's Lewis Millar came up beside me. I wasn't up for dropping any more places and put in the slightest of surges with 12 laps left to burn him off. I found myself in no man's land with a gap in front and gap behind. I did however have lapped runners to target and pass which eased the strain a bit.

I made it to 17 laps before fatigue took a grip. This is borne out by Cambuslang coach Jim Orr's note of my lap times which show laps 18, 19, 20, 22, 23 and 24 were my slowest. In saying that, I was still on for a decent finish thanks to the good work done during the first 6800m.

My watch time checks became more frequent. I surmised I was on for around 32 minutes. A big effort with a 72 second final lap saw me cross the line 3rd in 32:15.54. I ran the second 5000m only one second slower than the first. Hukins won the race in 31:45.42 followed by Gillespie in 32:00.52. Martin Duthie of Calderglen Harriers filled the B string for me, putting in a determined performance to finish in 36:48.55. I would definitely do another one of these! It's a different challenge to a road race, at least to keep count of your laps. As I heard one athlete say on the start line, "keep going until someone tells you that you're finished."

I dusted myself down and, 10 minutes later, ran final leg in the 4 x 100m relay, helping the team to 3rd place in 50.41 seconds.

Not content with 25 and a quarter laps, I jogged a mile while the final point totals were calculated. Central narrowly pipped Aberdeen for the Division 1 title while, in Division 2, this was the match result:-

Shettleston Harriers, 402 match points
Falkirk Victoria Harriers, 365
Whitemoss, 292
Ayr Seaforth,240
Corstorphine, 206
Fife, 203
Kilbarchan, 154
Clydesdale Harriers, 115
Dunfermline & West Fife, 0
Kirkintilloch Olympians, 0

The final table looks like this:-

Shettleston Harriers, 38 points (1493 match points)
Falkirk Victoria Harriers, 36 (1452)
Whitemoss, 31 (1098)
Kilbarchan, 26 (1097)
Corstorphine, 26 (979)
Fife, 19 (858)
Ayr Seaforth, 16 (653)
Clydesdale Harriers, 11 (416)
Dunfermline & West Fife, 7 (208)
Kirkintilloch Olympians, 1 (51)

This is one place higher than last year. My 2 years in the post are now up so it remains to be seen if a couple of failed promotion bids will see me re-elected. My jacket might be on the proverbial shoogly peg.

For those interested, my mile times in the 10,000m were 5:05, 5:10, 5:12, 5:08, 5:15 and 5:13.

How to Ease Yourself in Gently....

....or how not to. Two 10km road races in three nights. If one of them is over undulating country roads, even better. Photos courtesy of Great Scott Photography.

Above: Dundonald 10k, 3rd August. I've no idea what I'm laughing at.

Above: Bella Belter 10k, 5th August. Coming up to halfway feeling a little less jovial.

Bella Belter 10k Road Race, 5th August 2011

It's a time of year for tours. One of the world's most gruelling sporting challenges, the Tour de France, took place in July. Football clubs are on "pre-season tours." In Scottish running circles, the Tour of Fife took place, 5 races in 5 days for those taking up the challenge.

More locally, the Tour of Clydeside took place comprising 4 races in 5 nights, Wednesday being a rest day, in and around the Glasgow area. The final race was a 10k in Glasgow's Pollok Park. Athletes can enter any one race individually. Looking to give my fitness a quick jolt, I decided to toddle along to Glasgow's South Side even though I ran Dundonald only 2 nights earlier. Well, it got me out the house. On Thursday I did an easy 4.25 mile run then had a bath to ease my legs in preparation. A 5000m track race opportunity was on offer at Scotstoun but one, I didn't quite feel fit enough and two, I felt it was a little soon after the Scottish Championship disappointment to do another.

I turned up at the Cartha Rugby Club end of Pollok Park to enter, met Ian Goudie again who was also having another race outing (he's in the 40s for the year) and a couple of new Cambuslang athletes. 3 for a team, magic. I knew one of them, Shaz, but hate to say I've forgotten the other's name. I'll get there with it. I also saw another clubmate for the first time since the week before the Bristol 10k in May, Kirsty Grant.

Let me tell you a little about Kirsty. We first met in July 2010 when I decided to put a face to the person who always replied to my posts on the Cambuslang online forum. We started going a few training runs when it suited, such as me wanting a recovery run and her someone to push her on. All went well until January. Not many people will know that Kirsty then fell ill with a potentially fatal illness. I was texting her one day, the next, she was hospitalised, just like that. It is a tribute to her fighting spirit that she is running again and not a million miles from where she was. She's a great friend and one of my biggest supporters.  If you have wondered who sent me the card before the Home Countries cross country, here is your answer. Anytime I'm racing, I can set my watch for Kirsty's good luck text arriving.

I lined up with various folk onto their 4th race of the week. Kirkintilloch's David Gardner had a healthy lead in the series over his clubmate Gavin Harvie who in turn had only a slender advantage over Chris Upson of Westerlands. I felt like the rider in the Tour de France peleton going out for the one off stage win. The thankfully flat course took you through Pollok Park, out the other end onto the street back towards the Rugby Club. That was one lap and you ran it twice.

Above: the start. Thanks to my Dad for taking the photo.

I eased into the race to see how my legs felt. They were okay and I gradually built up a lead. I saw plenty arrows but no kilometre or mile markers so I concentrated on putting in as much effort as possible. The point from exiting Pollok Park until re-entering at the rugby club felt very long. I got a nice cheer as I completed the first lap. A quick time check showed it had taken me 15:43. A lot faster than it felt. I aimed for no spectacular second half collapses. My legs got heavier and the speed bumps started feeling like hills. I seemed to get out the park a bit quicker this time and entered the long drag back to the finish. With my legs tiring, I focussed on lengthening my stride and my arm movement. Eventually I saw the arrow directing me into the park. I was then sent left towards the rugby fields and the finish line. The second lap took me 16:11 to give me a winning time of 31:54. With no car to follow, it had been mainly me against the clock. In those circumstances, the result was pleasing.

I jogged back out to support some other runners. I cheered on Ian Goudie and Calderglen's Stephen Phimister then saw Kirsty. I knew she had a bad time at the previous night's race. After offering some encouragement, she looked at me, smiled and seemed to ask if I had won. I replied "you seem okay" and answered her question in the affirmative. I completed my warm down while chatting to series runner up Gavin Harvie, chatted to the other Cambuslang runners then showered before heading into the bar. There was no prize for winning other than some soup, tea and what looked like black bun. I asked Stephen Phimister about what it was like to race 4 nights out of 5, said my goodbyes to a few folk and headed home pleased with another good night's work.

Dundonald 10k Road Race, 3rd August 2011

Well, I made it back. I've decided not to write a report on the Scottish Championships 5000m. Suffice to say it didn't quite go the way I wanted it to. I clocked 15:17.91 but I was tired and flat and faded badly. Time to move on.

I got home from holiday in the early hours of Friday 29th July. I ticked over during my 10 days away. Sadly, I was victim to an opportunist thief, having my backpack stolen. Thankfully no crucial items were taken but it did contain my Garmin watch and this year's training diary. Back to a stopwatch and onto this blog to fill in the gaps in my training. With no more big championships until the winter, I'm looking to run without pressure for a wee while. Over a couple of black coffees at the swimming pool, I came up with some races. Dundonald was the first.

I prepared with a High Point hill session on Saturday, a Sunday long run in Dundonald, an interval session of alternate 2 minute and 1 minute efforts on Monday and a 20 minute jog on Tuesday. Dundonald is a firm favourite. I've run the race every year bar one since 2002. I've been runner up a couple of times to Kilmarnock Harrier Keith Haining then Cambuslang's Kerry Wilson then won for the first time in 2010. It's a beautiful little village in Ayrshire boasting a castle built in the 1300s for King Robert II of Scotland. It was a royal residence for the Stuart line of succession to the Scottish throne for around 150 years. There you go, the William and Kate of the 14th century resided in humble little Dundonald.

Having arrived via a tour of some quaint Ayrshire villages due to a road closure, I convened with everyone else at the start line beside the war memorial. I met and spoke to Claire McArthur, a friend of a friend (Kirsty Grant), warning her to conserve energy during the hilly first half. We had a general chit chat after that then were set on our way out of Dundonald into the wild Ayrshire countryside.

I knew the course had 12 hills. I counted them on my Sunday run. Coming up to a mile, I slowly started edging away from the field. A good, strong run was important to me. I counted the hills as a means of concentrating. I felt the best I had in ages. Hill 8 was the steepest, a long climb into another village, Symington. I jokingly used the Tour de France term for an uncategorised climb to describe it, hors categorie. Not quite the Alpe d'Huez mountain pass but it kept me amused. In Symington, I took the first exit at a mini roundabout, negotiated Hill 9 onto the Main Street then Hill 10 out of the village. 3 miles and 10 hills in, I had burned off the opposition and was heading back to Dundonald.

The second half of the race is predominately flat and downhill. Hill 11 was a minor rise in the road but it was significant enough to me to be called a hill. With a clear lead, I focussed on maintaining momentum and keeping up with the lead car. A child outside a caravan park cruelly imitated my running action. Brat! Between 4 and 5 miles you see the castle on the horizon. This was a good focus as well. It was great to be running strongly and not having blown apart for the first time in a couple of races.

I re-entered Dundonald Main Street to some applause from the locals, negotiated Hill 12 (a small rise towards the former royal residence) then completed a lap of the playing field to claim the win, £40 and a photo with the patron of the Dundonald Highland Games in a course best of 32:12. Claire was the winning lady in a time of 38:45, a "post-baby" personal best which apparently describes your fastest time at a distance since embracing motherhood. Fellow blogger Ian Goudie came through in just over 44 minutes. It was good to catch up with him.

Above: coming down Dundonald Main Street towards the turn onto Hill 12 then the playing field. Thanks to my Dad for taking the photo.
 

Overall, this was a thoroughly good night. The race went well and I met up with a number of people, including an old friend from university, Richard Dobson, who is now a qualified doctor in Clydebank's Jubilee Hospital. Look for this race in the calendar. It's a hidden gem.

For Ian Goudie's version of events, click here.

Training for the Scottish 5000m

This comes hot off the press since I ran the 5000m only this afternoon. The bare statistics are I finished 10th in 15:17:91. How do I feel about this? At the moment, feelings are mixed. I went with the leading group of 4 aiming for a medal and paid for it. On the other hand, the first 4 laps were run in 4:40 which is 70 seconds per lap and 14:35 pace for 5000m. The race was eventually won in 14:29. I'm being mega hard on myself but I feel I should have been able to cope with those lap times. I didn't and I was disappointed.

However, to be brutally honest, I feel tired and flat. My last two races, Sunderland and today, have felt that way. The zest has not been there. Before today's race I felt as motivated as I've been for a while. Yet, when I fell off the pace around halfway and others who hadn't followed the leaders swallowed me up, there was no response. I've listed my training below. I had planned two high mileage weeks back to back then a big ease down. I managed the first week's worth but not the second due to a niggling calf problem on the Sunday. Maybe I overtrained? Not enough recovery? Whatever it was, it didn't work.

What now? I have no more big targets this summer and simply intend to train and race without pressure. For now, it's the Costa del Sol on Monday for 10 days. I'm sure I'll work out a strategy over a San Miguel or two.

Hopefully I'll be saying goodbye to this for 10 days.

Sunday 26th June: Sunderland City 10k Road Race, 2nd in 32:34- very hot day and undulating course.

Week Commencing Monday 27th June

Monday: 8.5 miles easy (53:10)

Tuesday: Club, 8.5 miles easy (53:49)

Wednesday: Tempo run, 2 miles easy (12:54), 5 miles hard (27:36), 3 miles easy (19:47), total of 10 miles (1:00:17)

Thursday: Track, 6 x 600m and 1 x 400m, 200m slow jog recoveries, 9 miles including warm up and warm down.

Times- 1:43 for 600s, 67 seconds for 400m.

Friday: Rest

Saturday: Hill reps, High Point, 2 sets of 3 x 3 minutes, 2 minutes easy between reps, 5 minutes rest between sets, 7.6 miles including warm up and warm down.

Sunday: Longer run, Whitelee Windfarm, 1 hour easy then 5 mins, 1 min, 2 mins, 4 mins, 1 min, 2 mins, 4 mins, 5 mins easy between reps, 16.4 miles (1:50:07)

Mileage: 60

Week Commencing Monday 4th July

Monday: Track, 15 x 350m, 50m jog recoveries, 8.8 miles including warm up and warm down.

Times- first rep in 58 seconds, remainder in 62-63 seconds.

Tuesday: Rest- enforced due to work commitments.

Wednesday: 10 miles easy (1:05:59

Thursday: Tempo run, 3 miles easy (18:40), 5 miles hard (27:50), remainder easy (21:29), total of 11.3 miles (1:07:59)

Friday: 6.8 miles easy (43:37)

Saturday: Hill reps, High Point, 2 sets of 3 x 3 minutes, 2 minutes easy between reps, 5 minutes rest between sets, 7.2 miles including warm up and warm down.

Sunday: 2 miles easy (15:25)- enforced, very tight left calf muscle, more of a fast limp than a run.

Mileage: 46

Week Commencing Monday 11th July

Monday: Track, 5 x 600m, 200m slow jog recoveries, 5.5 miles including warm up and warm down.

Times- 1:48, 1:46, 1:45, 1:45, 1:45- calf feeling okay.

Tuesday: Club, 7.7 miles easy (57:02)- accompanying new member on their first night.

Wednesday: Tempo run, 1 miles easy (6:33), 3 miles hard (16:56), 1 mile easy (6:12), total of 5 miles (29:41)- warm night, felt sluggish.

Thursday: 4.25 miles (25:51) including 2 sets of 4 x 30 seconds strides with 30 seconds running between reps and 5 minutes easy between sets- felt very fluent, based on a session in Charlie Spedding's book, kept the run sharp without draining me too much.

Friday: Rest

Saturday: Race- Scottish Athletics Senior Championships 5000m, 10th in 15:17.91.

Race report to follow on my return.

The Road to Cambuslang Part 4- Post National

It was quite a while after the Scottish National Cross Country on 21st February 2009 before I raced again. From 5th-14th March, for the second consecutive year, I accompanied Calderglen Harriers coach Alan Derrick and former club member Jimmy Stewart to the 2:09 Events Spring training camp in the Algarve resort of Praia da Falesia in Portugal. The company is run by former UK international Mike Gratton who won the London Marathon in 2 hours 9 minutes, hence, the name. He is an ever present on the camps. Additional coaching help this year was provided by other former UK internationals, Paul Evans (1992 and 1996 Olympics 10,000m participant and former Chicago Marathon winner) and Bruce Tulloh (European championship medallist over 5000m).

Above, left to right: myself, Jimmy Stewart and Alan Derrick in Portugal, March 2009.

10 days of training twice a day (once in the morning, once at teatime) and enjoying some sunshine is a nice way to spend the early part of the year. I got some great training in, including a mile time trial on the track in 4:39 and a time of 27:37 in a 5 mile handicap cross country between runners on the camp towards the end of the time when I had quite a few miles in the legs. Wearing a kilt for the karaoke that night also went down well with very little of the local brew being needed to become a tad tipsy due to the level of training. I showed the versatility of a distance runner with a rendition of Bon Jovi's "Living on a Prayer" to start and a speedier little number later, "Waterloo" by Abba. I only ran once the following day! Alan provided backing vocals to a wide range of performers while Jimmy bailed out altogether.

Above: a lighter moment in Portugal.

I then had another 3 weeks of good training at home. The quality of my track sessions in particular were improving. For example, 2 sets of 5 x 400m all in 65-67 seconds and, on another night, 2 sets of 3 x 600m all in 1:42-1:44 were higher quality than anything I had done before. I was also attending other Cambuslang training nights on Tuesdays.

Finally, on Saturday 4th April 2009, I made my debut in red and white at the Scottish Road Relay Championships in Livingston. This is 6 stages for men, 3.15 miles and 5.8 miles alternately. I was assigned the long second leg in the B team. I took over in 12th place and, while in good shape, maybe started a little too enthusiastically since I got jaded towards the end. However, I ran 31:30 which was a big improvement of 1 minute 44 seconds on the previous year. According to my training diary, this was a "good debut, encouraging omens for the summer." Steven Wylie, Chris Wilson and Robert Gilroy all ran quicker than me on long legs in the A team which finished 5th overall. The B team were 17th. And so began a new chapter.

This concludes my little 4 part feature.While it won't reach any literature shortlists, hopefully you have enjoyed it all the same.

The Road to Cambuslang Part 3- Winter 2009/10

Photos courtesy of Calderglen Harriers.

Pitreavie had been my third tilt at the 5000m in the Scottish Championships. It proved third time lucky as it was the first time I avoided the wooden spoon. My times had improved each year, 16:53 then 16:19 and that year's 16:13. Based on my training and race results leading in, especially Arran, I gave a decent account of myself and showed Calderglen Harriers in a positive light.

Something bothered me though. Was this as good as it would get? Battling at my absoloute limit for the honour of being lapped by the 3 medallists and finishing second last? What training was John Newsom doing to finish 4th? Why was I around a minute behind the next runner closest to me?

My training diary shows that, one week after the 5000m, I finished 4th in the Round Cumbrae 10.25 Mile Road Race (see my post in September 2010 for a report on last year's race) in 57:04, a result according to my training diary entry I was happy with. I than had a week off. I can't remember exactly when but on one Monday night in September, Cambuslang head coach Mike Johnston happened to speak to me at the track about my 5000m. The topic of training with them came up but no commitments were made. I was already acquainted with a couple of Cambuslang athletes who had competed second claim for Whitemoss. I had also seen Cambuslang squads at the track weekly without actually joining in with them. In addition, I finished 8th in their 10k the previous winter so a few of them at least knew my face.

However it came about, a commitment to do the track sessions was made. On 20th October 2008, I did my first one, 8 x 300m with 200m jog recoveries all in 48-50 seconds. Not bad. I carried on with various sessions on a weekly basis, all the while doing my own thing the rest of the week and racing for Calderglen. I caused a few palpitations in the Cambuslang ranks at the West District Cross Country Relay. I finished 9th on first leg but not before leading Cambuslang's first team for a chunk of the 4km. The sessions were helping me a lot as the winter progressed. For example, I finished 26th in the West District Cross Country which I rank as my finest race in Calderglen colours. My training diary shows one session in December 2008 of 14 x 300m with 100m jog recoveries which I describe as "gut wrenching" and note I wanted to stop at 12 but was "ordered to carry on to 14." I remember it well.

Above: finishing 11th in the Brampton to Carlisle 10 Mile Road Race in a then personal best of 56:34, showing the track sessions were helping.

Eventually however, a decision had to be made. Calderglen's membership fees came up for renewal in January. I had been a member for over 7 years. Naturally, talk started at the track on the matter of me joining. Was I prepared to commit to Calderglen for another year? Regrettably I wasn't and I took the horrible step of informing the committee I wished to leave. I did not though wish to jump ship immediately and promised to see out the winter, concluding with the National Cross Country in Falkirk in February 2009. Changing club in Scotland is not the most straightforward process. It involves an application to Scottish Athletics comprising a form signed by the Chairperson and Treasurer or Secretary of the club from whom you are resigning accompanied by a fee. To Calderglen's credit, they signed the form and my change of club took effect from 1 March 2009.

Before that I finished 27th in the National 4km Cross Country at Bellahouston, Glasgow then lined up for the National. I improved substantially on my 87th place finish the previous year, coming through 59th. It was not without incident. I was plodding along well enough and on the third lap of 3. If you've read this year's report, you will know the Falkirk course has a big dip into a ditch. In the previous 2 laps, I got bogged down in the ditch. This time, I tried to hurdle it. In so doing, my shoe came off. I was around 1km from the finish and made a split second decision to carry on with one shoe. It cost me a few places but I wasn't stopping for something so trivial. Future team mate Jamie Reid was one of the athletes to pass me. All but one of Cambuslang's runners that day beat me.

Above: running the National for Calderglen in February 2009, both shoes intact at the time.

Being in no danger of qualifying for the UK Inter Counties Cross Country, I took the following week off then launched into the fourth and final part of this feature.