Helensburgh 10k

After running three races at the weekend, I had a 3mile recovery run on Monday, an interval training session on Tuesday and then confined myself to my usual bike commute to and fro work on Wednesday and Thursday, replacing my training with 30mins meditation. I managed a quick nap, drank 500ml of water and headed of to Helensburgh for the first 10k race in the Polaroid Series. This is a special year for the series as it is its 25th Anniversary and as well as the individual race goody bags and medals, all of those that enter all four races receive: a 20% discount; a free pair of specially commissioned commemorative 25th Anniversary Polaroid sports sunglasses; and a moisture wicking technical performance t-shirt. Not a bad deal, costing only £36 for Scottish Athletic members, like me.

I was living in Edinburgh and playing rugby when the Polaroid Race Series commenced. However I was through in Glasgow and running in 2001, when the present four race series format was adopted and I’ve probably participated as much as anyone. In fact, my records show, that in 2000 I ran in both the Dumbarton and Vale of Leven 10ks and completed all four, in the first year of the new format, in 2001.


Polaroid Race Series
My Series times, ten years ago where as follows:

Helensburgh 48:48
Clydebank 46:16
Dumbarton 44:14
Vale of Leven 48:14


Helensburgh
My Helensburgh times over the years have been:

2001 48:48
2002 44:20
2003 47:39
2004 47:39 (consistent!)
2005 47:38
2006 I was out for over a year with Chronic Fatigue
2009 44:21


Quality and Quantity
This year’s 25th Anniversary also coincided with the Helensburgh Race being part of the Stewart’s Grand Prix and the West District Championship, these factors as well as prizes for the first ten male and female finishers, veteran and super veteran category winners and a number of spot prizes ensured a large and high quality turnout for the event.


Race Report
After much chatting and a decent warm up and stretch, I lined up with almost 1,000 (the race limit) other runners outside of Hermitage Academy. It was a breezy night and the sky was darkened by the clouds as I found a space quite far from the front. It took me 20seconds to cross the Start line, after the gun, and even then we were barely more than walking. The first kilometre was congested and not fast as we zigzagged our way along the crooked course. In the first kilometre we turned right, off of the A814 and up towards the old school, a further right took us along Kenilworth Avenue, a left up Drumfork Road and around the back of the old school. Garmin revealed that it had taken me 4:24. The route straightened out and the road widened to become Redgauntlet Road, as I passed by a group or runners, including Jim McMillan, Bobby Young and Iain Burke, around the one mile point. Soon after this Garmin revealed that I had run the second lap in 4:06. The road’s name changed to Kings Street East but the route remained straight and fairly flat for the next kilometre, which took 4:18. A bit further on, cheered by the local crowds, we turned up to our left and along Sinclair Street, for the only real hill of the course. I overtook a few runners on the hill before turning left onto West Montrose Street, I was feeling OK but Garmin revealed that my pace had slowed to 4:26. I caught up with Fusion Triathlon’s Fiona Ramsay and overtook her but she wasn’t for giving in easy and it wasn’t long until she was on my shoulder. I held her off for as long as possible but she eventually overtook me. That’s the way the race continued with us spending a good part running shoulder to shoulder or just in front or behind of each other. I was doing my usual trick of concentrating on someone in the distance, in this case Mark McGoldrick. The fifth kilometre had taken us 4:22 and my 5k time was 21:29. I usually run a negative split and knew that if I kept up my pace I would finish with a sub 43.

However as we reached the sea front and turned left, along Gareloch Road, we were met with a strong wind blowing right into our faces. Pic The sixth kilometre took us 4:22. We got some respite as we turned left onto Cairndhu Avenue and then right back onto West King Street. Kilometre seven had also taken us 4:22 and we were back on a long straight, flat section. I could still see Mark ahead, as myself and Fiona continued our game of leapfrog. The eighth kilometre had taken us 4:18 and the ninth one 4:19. The tenth kilometre took us right, down Talisman Crescent, and then left onto the path along side Cardross Road. Fiona found an extra gear and weaved though the crowd of runners in front of us as we passed the old school towards the Academy and the Finish line. I tried to catch as many runners as possible and was extremely pleased to stop my Garmin over the line and read a time of 42:59 (4:05 for kilometre 10).

Fiona, who has finished in a time of 42:49, and I exchanged mutual congratulations and thanked each other for helping the both of us get decent times. I had placed 215th chip time, 218th gun time out of 963 finishers.

Result
Although my official chip time was to be recorded as 43:00 (WAVA 73:15%) and my gun time 43:20, I had still run my third fastest ever road 10k, I had run a course best by sixty seconds and improved on my recent Troon time by 23secsonds. Furthermore my Heart Rate average of only 153, would indicate that I can still try harder.


Some Great Performances
I was only one of many who had run well on the night, with some great performances throughout the field, far too many to mention but the full results can be found here. It was great to see running legend Lachie Stewart presenting the prizes, before I headed home for a shower, sandwich and red wine just in time to watch Question Time.


Thanks
Once again thanks to the organisers, volunteers, supporters and sponsors for making the event such a great success.