Glasgow parkrun # 105 - 15/01/2011

The first weekend of my ten week training plan but I couldn’t resist a race or two………


My Saturday schedule had me down to run 6-8miles at a steady pace with a few strides but as most people know:

Saturday is parkrun,
Never again to miss ’cos
Saturday is parkrun day!


So I headed off to Pollok Park for my last parkrun prior to my 14 week Saturday morning photography class. A return to milder weather meant that the event would be held on its traditional, two-lap, undulating road course. This was the first time I had run this course since 13th November, I had managed a course PB of 20:50 then but today I wouldn’t be PB chasing. Instead, after my warm up and exchange of pre-race and New Year greetings, I lined up in the wind and rain around the middle of some 261 runners to do a 'steady run'. Once again there was an amazing turnout for the Glasgow event and with 75 at Strathclyde and 183 at Edinburgh, there was a total of 519 parkrunners participating in Scotland, with the help of an army of volunteers.

I was a bit below par, having a touch of the cold last week and wakening with a fever in Saturday morning. However I kept to my plan of a ‘steady run’ although I was worried that I might inadvertently slow down in the latter part of the race. Therefore when I spotted, fellow 50 club member, Martin Myant ahead, I decided to increase the pace to catch him and maintain it to the line. I was a bit surprised to see that John Hagemeister was in sight as I did a few strides on the downhill section approaching the Finish. I finished three places behind John and seven places ahead of Martin in 48th spot, with a time of 22:19. An extended ‘warm down’ took my mileage for the day to 5.78.

It was great to see so many runners and volunteers in the Burrell Café after the event.

Winners
Men
In only his second outing at the event, Kilbarchan AC’s Chris Devenney won in a time of 16:40, with Galloway Harrier Ross Bark placing runner-up in 17:03 and a below par Chris Upson (Westerlands) earning third.

Women
Fusion Triathlon Club’s Kelly Van Der Toorn was the first woman over the line, finishing in a time of 19:31. Bella Road Runner Claire Wharton was runner-up with 20:40 and Bella Harrier Suzanne McMahon earning third with 21:04.


Kilmarnock Harriers
Galston’s David White place 15th (second M40-44) with 19:38; I placed 48th (third M50-54) with 22:19 and Ian Logan 166th with 29:22.