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.

Scottish National Cross Country Championships, 22nd February 2014

The less said the better.

End of report.