Ninety-Nine Not Out

My Wine about the By-Election
I stayed up late on Thursday night, watching the Inverclyde By-Election and drinking copious amounts of vin rouge.  I must admit that, with an election of such significance, I thiought that the standard of candicates would have been higher.  Likewise the turnout, at only 45%, is a sad reflection of the state of politics in Scotland.

Back to Running
Now that the Polaroid Series of 10k road races is over, I’ve started a Half Marathon training schedule aimed at the Glasgow race on September 4. The schedule had me running 28 miles during the week but had a ‘rest day’ on the Friday. Just when I needed to sweat out the vino! I had hoped that I would be OK on Saturday but instead, after a restless but sober night, I awoke with a second day hangover. The sun was already shining brightly as I donned my new Polaroid Sport shades and headed out towards Motherwell for the Strathclyde parkrun.


I remembered that the new motorway extension was now open but didn’t know where the access roads to it were. However I had participated in the 14k run along the motorway a few weeks ago and made my way to where that race had started. A few minutes later, I was driving eastwards along a very quiet motorway. It seemed strange to think that, the last time that I was here, I was accompanied by thousands of runners and cyclists.


It didn’t take long for me to reach the shores of Strathclyde Loch and meet up with the regular band of happy volunteers, who make the event such fun. A welcome addition to the team is Anthony Butler, who introduced himself to me and quipped that he read my blog ‘religiously’. As well as the usual turnout of Lanarkshire Club runners and joggers, there was also a large presence of Bellahouston Road Runners, who had included today’s race in their Club Championship. Although there was no Mark McGoldrick today, David Boyle and Keith Gibb would, once again, be joining me at the Start line.


Twenty One Pace Setter
Jammy Jo asked me if I would act as a pace setter and I changed my 50 parkrun vest for one with 21 emblazoned on the back. After my warm up and with sweat already dripping from my forehead, I passed on some tips to first time Strathclyde runners on how to manage the, physiologically testing, long return stretch of the out-and-back course.

Strathclyde parkrun #63
I lined up with the other 129 runners and, after exchanging well wishes with those around me, we set off at 9:30am, along the west side of the Loch.


There was a strong field, particularly from Bella Road Runners and Motherwell AC, and it didn’t take long for Chris Black, Craig Ross and Bruce Carse to establish an early lead. As usual, Keith Gibb and David Boyle had shot off from the Start and I was left behind them but I was far from disappointed when Garmin revealed that I had taken 3:59 for the first kilometre. If anything, I had started a bit too fast for a 21 minute pacer but there was no cause for concern as my heavy legs and the beating sun ensured that my pace soon slowed.

Caught You...........

Just before the first mile, the route leaves the shore, narrows and heads slightly in land. By this point the field had spread out and I had settled into a pace. I could see David Boyle ahead and despite slowing, I knew that I was closing the gap on him.

Pacing in the Sun - pic by Alistair Cox

The second kilometre took me 4:17 and, with some quick mental arithmetic, I worked out that this would be fine for a 21min pacer. Around the halfway point I caught David and another four or five runners and, rather than settling into the pack and taking the easy option, I decided to run on the grass and overtake them all. I was now in front of the pack and maintaining my pace. I could feel the other runners on my shoulder and hear their footsteps but I wasn’t fazed at all. I was the pacesetter and this is what I was expecting to be doing.



I had to work hard to maintain the 4:17 pace as I made my way around the return leg of the route but it seemed to be working as I caught a few more runners before reaching the 4k marker. At this point the guy on my shoulder overtook me and I was kind of relieved to see that it was Strathaven Strider, Ian Devoy, rather than David Boyle.

Excellent Result?
After what seemed like an eternity but was actually another 4:17, I crossed the line in 21:07 and received congratulations from the timekeeper and then Ian – who had finished in 21:01 - for my “excellent pace setting”. Of course, I would have preferred to be 7 or 8 seconds faster. I collected my barcode and turned to see Garry Henderson, William Buchanan and then Mary Senior – running a PB – all finish behind me. A number of other runners thanked me for pacing but said that they just couldn’t keep up with me in the heat. David Boyle had faded to finish in 22:29, whilst Keith had run a superb PB of 19:35!

Post Race Coffee
After chatting with a few more running buddies, I decided that, rather than head to the Waterfront Café, I would make my way back to the Burrell for my post race coffee and chat. The new motorway took me all the way from Strathclyde Park to Pollok Park and a few minutes later I was chatting away with the usual suspects at Glasgow, who, initially, seemed a wee bit confused before I explained the situation.

My 99th 5k Result
The published results confirmed my time as 21:07, the second fastest that I’ve run at Strathclyde. Whilst updating Fetch, I realised that I had completed my 99th 5k. I now need to give some consideration to where I’ll do my 100th.

Full Results

Photos