New Year Review - a wee update!

I managed to squeeze in another couple of races the Glasgow parkrun on Christmas Day and Boxing Day. Two races in two days took my total to 64 for the year!



The icy conditions and my poor health kept road running in the final days of the decade to a minimum. However I managed to beat my 10k PB on the treadmill and went sub 40 for the first time since my records began clocking a 38:56 and it wasn't on a flat programme. I know it's not the same as road/real running but it is a major psychological boost to me as I go into another running year.



My total running milage for the year was 1539, with a further 521 on the bike.


SAHB
On a non running note, I had a bit of a nostalgic trip by attending the Chris Glen gig at The Ferry in Glasgow on Boxing Day. A great night and reminiscent of those Christmas Specials that the bands used to put on.





Auld Lang Syne
I watched It's a Wonderful Life and a documentary about Auld Lang Syne, both brought a tear to my eye. I guess I'm just proud to be an 'honest man'.

Robert Burns penned this in 1788:

Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And auld lang syne!

Chorus.-For auld lang syne, my dear,
For auld lang syne.
We'll tak a cup o' kindness yet,
For auld lang syne.

And surely ye'll be your pint stowp!
And surely I'll be mine!
And we'll tak a cup o'kindness yet,
For auld lang syne.
For auld, &c.

We twa hae run about the braes,
And pou'd the gowans fine;
But we've wander'd mony a weary fit,
Sin' auld lang syne.
For auld, &c.

We twa hae paidl'd in the burn,
Frae morning sun till dine;
But seas between us braid hae roar'd
Sin' auld lang syne.
For auld, &c.

And there's a hand, my trusty fere!
And gie's a hand o' thine!
And we'll tak a right gude-willie waught,
For auld lang syne.
For auld, &c.

The weather outside is frosty..........

I enjoyed my walk in the winterland through Queens Park this morning, the snow was crisp and the air was cold, shame I'm not yet up to running in it but it did mean that I could take some photos.

Year End

Like a lot of my running friends I've been ill for a wee while. I caught the flu on Sunday 22nd November and haven't been right since. I poured myself on to a plane and headed to Egypt where I could lie around by the pool or beach and soak in the vitamin D and serotonin. I had a couple of Thai massages when I was there which made me feel like a bit of dough being kneaded but they did help improve my flexibility and help my yoga and ofcourse I tried some of the local customs.



I did the Glasgow parkrun on my return on Saturday 5th December and all things considered I was happy with my time of 22:10. However I missed out on the post race chat and bacon rolls, deciding to get home for a hot shower and back to bed instead. I’m afraid that was a bit of a false dawn as I’ve been struggling since and whilst the fever may help keep the pounds off, wakening up to soaking sheets and pillows every morning is not good. I’ve been on antibiotics, thanks to fellow Ayrshire man Alexander Fleming, but I’m not sure if they have worked. I did wake up in a dry bed this morning though so I tried a wee 20 minute run on the treadmill 2.53 miles and felt ok. Hopefully I’ll get back into running regularly again soon.



In 2009 I managed to run in 62 races and achieved new PBs in the 5k, 5mile, 5.5mile, 10k, 10,000m, 7.5mile and 12.5k distances. No exceptional results but my WAVA is now consistently above 70%, with my highest being 73.78% achieved at the inaugural Edinburgh parkrun. On a down note although I followed Hal Higdon’s 18 week marathon training programme in the end the monkey on my back from collapsing at the Edinburgh Marathon last year with chronic fatigue was just too heavy for me to carry.

In 2010, if I can, I would like to loose that monkey and clock a useful marathon PB. I would also love to get a sub 40min 10k and a sub 20min 5k. Well it’s a target anyway. It would also be good to finish at least one race as first in my category but there are so many good runners out there. I hope to improve my swimming enough to try a triathlon and it would be good to do at least one overseas race.

1500 Miles - Job Done !

Last year I ran 1431 miles so it made sense to me to set myself a target of 1500 miles for 2009. I'm pleased to say that I achieved the target on Sunday 22nd November. I had planned to complete my target at the Brampton to Carlisle 10 mile race but the bad weather and associated flooding forced me to change my plans, my fall back of doing it at the Glasgow parkrun also went awry with the weekly event being cancelled for the first time ever. I therefore got up early on Sunday morning and ran the couple of miles which I needed to reach the big 1500. No more, no less. The Fetch 1500 Mile Club reported “Two new inductees into the hall of fame, so put your hands together for Race Jase, and ian 9657, who got to 1500 and decided that was clearly plenty. It remains to be seen if he ever runs again.”

As it happened I helped out at the Renfrewshire XC Championships from 9am to about 3pm and caught the flu so my running has all but ceased at the moment……. But heh I guess it’s just a way of my body telling me that I needed to rest.

Glasgow Uni 5 Mile Road Race - Nov 7 My 60th Race of 09

I’ve struggled on this course and it’s slightly longer version, the Nigel Barge Memorial 10k, on a number of occasions but this year I was more confident that my training would pay off and that the hills wouldn’t be as challenging as in previous attempts. It’s a Bella Club Championship race and although it clashes with the Tinto Hill Race, there was a decent turnout from the purple posse with four Bella Belles and 13 Bella Fella participating.

I lined up somewhere in the middle of the pack and noticed Tom McMillan overtaking me on my left hand side. However there was a repeat of the ‘gate problem’ which marred the race last year as we found ourselves having to stop and queue up to make our way through a single pedestrian gate as the road double gates were closed. After I had negotiated my way through the gate I set off with a new gusto ahead of Tom and hopefully ahead of Norman Boyle too. The route continued uphill past the Vet School before making its way down through residential Llay Road to Bearsden Road, where a sharp left turn took us onto the narrow leaf strewn pavement of Temple Road. With branches and bushes hanging over the pavement I stuck to running on the road for a while before reaching a less congested bit of pavement. I could see Shona Donnelly, Ewan MacDonald and Louise Gray ahead of me, “what the hell is she doing there?” I thought to myself, “She’s running too fast and won’t be able to keep up this pace”. It was at this point that I noticed that Garscube’s Jill O’Neil was running on the road, shoulder to shoulder with me. I don’t know what it is about this course but I always seem to race against her here. As we turned left up Dawsholm Road I pushed in knowing that there was a wide downhill section next. “It’s all downhill from here, Ian” cried Scott Johnson astride his bi-cycle. I overtook a number of runners on this part of the course, including Louise. I thought about commenting to her but decided to say nothing. I kept running over a narrow bridge and then up a challenging double hill, where another left turn took us onto Maryhill Road. I was just starting to think how well I had done on the hills compared to previous years when both Jill and Louise overtook me! Although this part of the course is a long a busy road, the plus point is that the pavement is nice and wide and I accelerated along overtaking Louise first and then catching Jill as the route turned left and downhill back into the Garscube Sports Centre. A runner pushed me on the back but I didn’t object as it made me run that wee bit faster.

We then passed the throng of supporters and officials around the finish line as we entered the second part of the race. It’s not quite two laps as the start is quite a bit further along. I knew that Jill was close behind me as I kept on hearing cries of support for her from friends. I was determined to hold her off as we crossed another narrow bridge and headed up past the start line and through the gate. Of course, now that the race was spread out the gate was no impediment to us. I had noticed that a guy I had met in the dressing room was running along with us but I wasn’t concerned about him (Newton Keenan) as my race was against Tom and Norman who I presumed to be not far behind us. I knew that I was a bit slower than in the first lap but I figured that if I could keep in front of Jill I’d be doing well. I could see Billy Reid, Ann Marie McCafferty and Christopher Craig of Kirkintilloch ahead of me and I concentrated in trying to keep them in my sight. I overtook Newton and Edinburgh youngster Rebecca Hannah before catching Billy Reid as we made our way along Temple Road for the second time. However I now noticed that A Westerlands runner, Hamilton Semple was racing against me. I overtook him on the Dawsholm Road hill and he returned the favour but I had the better of him by the time we had reached Maryhill Road. My legs were like jelly at this point but I knew that the course was flat and downhill and it was a good part of the route to catch up with those in front. I managed to up the pace to pull away from Newton, Hamilton and Jill and gave it my all as I overtook a few more runners before reaching the finish line in a time of 33:27. I had completed my 60th race of 2009, had run the course some 108 seconds faster than last year and finished first Bella Super Vet. It’s a hard wee course but it was an enjoyable race, pleasantly surprised to see that I was so close to young Sarah Munn at the end.

Selected results are below, indicating impressive performances from, in particular, Mary Senior and Louise Gray.


110 425 33:24 Shona Donnelly F vet Bellahouston Road Runners
113 280 33:36 Ewan McDonald M senior Bellahouston Road Runners
115 271 33:57 Ann Marie McCafferty F vet Kirkuintilloch
117 326 34:08 Christopher Craig M vet Kirkintilloch
118 469 34:10 Sarah Munn F junior Glasgow Uni
121 344 34:27 Ian Goudie M super vet Bellahouston Road Runners
124 419 34:33 Hamilton Semple M vet Westerlands
125 283 34:34 Newton Keenan M vet Unattached
127 303 34:38 Jill O’Neill F vet Garscube
129 253 34:48 Billy Reid M super vet Kirkintilloch
139 376 35:18 Mary Senior F vet Bellahouston Road Runners
141 356 35:28 Louise Gray F vet Bellahouston Road Runners
144 352 35:33 Keith Gibb M vet Bellahouston Road Runners
147 327 35:37 Tom McMillan M super vet Bellahouston Road Runners
155 373 35:55 John Sandbach F vet Bellahouston Road Runners
157 324 36:05 Norman Boyle M super vet Bellahouston Road Runners
167 408 36:46 Lynne Andrew F senior Bellahouston Road Runners

Scottish Running Guide Report Here

Allan Scally Road Relay

Saturday, October 31 the last day of a successful month and a chance to try out another new race. This time it was the Allan Scally Road Relay, although this was actually the 40th staging of the event, it’s the first time I’ve participated in it and it was a held using a brand new route. Bella had a great six teams entered, three men’s and three women’s. I was in Team C and running in the third of four legs.
The race is held by Shettleston Harriers and starts near to the Bannerman High School in Baillieston. The start itself was scheduled for 2pm but was slightly delayed to allow runners to make their way to the new start line.
Over two hundred runners had assembled at the little park which was being used as the start/finish and as well as those participating elite runners Casey Morgan and Lindsay McNeil were in attendance. The race is also the Scottish University Championships and a large proportion of teams were made up of students.

The race is 4.8 miles long, which is quite far for a relay however the weather was kind to me as I waited for the first leg and then the second leg runner to appear before heading off into the sun. Unfortunately there were three runners warming up/down in front of me and I ended up colliding with one as I made my way on to the road. A quick right turn and an easy downhill part of the route was next. As I turned right along the straight a Hunters Bog Trotter went shooting past me and disappeared in to the distance. The route now made its way through a housing estate and as I entered it I could see other runners exiting. A little further on I was aware of someone behind me and when I eventually was overtaken by a Kirkintilloch Olympian he commented “good running big man”. Although I kept him in sight for longer than the HBT it wasn’t that long until he too had disappeared. When I eventually exited the estate I could see Struan from Bella entering. As I ran up the first hill I thought I could see someone ahead of me and as time went on I finally caught up with and overtook Tommy Gore from Glasgow Uni. I kept up the pace to get away from the student but couldn’t see anyone else in front of me. However as I entered another housing estate I noticed the Lead Bike overtaking me and for a few seconds I was running behind it wondering what was happening…. until I was overtaken by one of Shettleston Eritrean runners completing the fourth and final leg. Not surprisingly he too disappeared from my sight. As I made my way up another hill I noticed another runner behind me and as I heard words of encouragement I looked to see that it was Iona, Bella’s fastest woman runner completing the third and final leg of the women’s team race. I managed to keep Iona in my sight for most of the rest of the race. I thought I heard the marshal saying that the 4 mile mark was just around the corner but I missed it as I had missed all the previous ones. Although to be fair one of our first leg runners had told me that there were no markers on the course. One other hill and I could see supporters and marshals ahead shouting me on. Only 200 metres to go they shouted as I made my way up the last incline encouraged by the other Bellas, a sharp right and I sprinted over the finish line with a time of 33:58. Fetch calculates this as a wava of 72.95% which I’m a bit surprised at.

I had completed my 59th race of 2009 but I could have run faster, not knowing the route and not being aware of the distance markers had held me back as did the lack of anyone around my ability to race against. As it was Iona had giving me an incentive and my time would have been slower without her to chase and the support of the Bellas in the final straight.

After the post run chat and the completion of the race by the fourth legers it was back to Bannerman High for some tea and ham rolls before heading home for a much deserved siesta.

National Cross Country Relays, Cumbernauld Oct 24, 2009

The weather was looking ominous for my 58th race of the year and I was fighting off a touch of the cold, when we managed to lock my driver for the trip to Cumbernauld’s car keys in his boot things could only get better….and they did!

After collecting his spare keys from the other side of the city and driving through the pouring rain to Cumbernauld the rain abated for the duration of the races. Bella had a record seven teams entered, two women’s and five men’s. I was down to run the first leg of the E Team and although I was confident that I could run the fastest leg in the team, I would have still finished very near the end of the 120 athletes running the first leg. However when Kenny Richmond our top runner called off with an injured back I was promoted, not to the A Team but to leg 4 of the D Team.

The rain kept away for the duration of the races and the Bella Brollies (this year’s prize for completing the club championship) were in attendance but not required until the post race walk back to Cumbernauld High School. With the conditions so much better than last year there were PBs aplenty as the purple posse put in some credible performances.
I probably spent more time in the waiting pen than any other runner as I keenly anticipated my first cross country of the year. I chatted with the other competitors and warmed up before I spotted Ewan McDonald making his way back to the handover point. I shouted words of encouragement but to no avail as he was overtaken by a Lothian Runner just before he crossed the line.
I was the last Bella to set off and as I raced down the initial hill past the Bella posse, I heard the cheers of the other Bellas ringing in my ears. As I approached the first hill I noticed that the Lothian runner was struggling with the incline and as I overtook him I increased my pace to make sure he didn’t catch up with me. However it wasn’t that long until I was overtaken by Clydesdale Harrier Gerry Montgomery, who I knew to be a much faster runner than me. I made my way round the heavy course to the sound of “C’mon Ian” as friends and running buddies provided vocal support. An HBT runner (Ian Campbell?) overtook me and although I returned the favour on the next hill he managed to get away from me a wee bit later. I had now lost a place and I took advantage of my ‘gun ho’ down hill running technique to overtake someone else as we approached the last leg of the course. The Bellas and others were encouraging me to catch the next runner in front of me and although I was trying I doubted if there would be sufficient time to catch him. However as I approached the final uphill section I could see that he was slowing and I gave it my all as I produced from who knows where a grandstand sprint finish to overtake him before I crossed the line. I had managed to out sprint a Shettleston Harrier, I don’t think I’ll get the opportunity to say that very often and just as important I had gained one place for the team. We finished in 77th place and I had taken 18:49 to complete my lap, 2:34 faster than last year! Another PB my fourth in the month.
Everyone had done well in a great turn out from the club.

Women’s
13 Bellahouston RR “A”
Claire Thompson 17 17:18 17:18
Emma Birnie 10 16:52 34:10
Jane Simpson 13 17:20 51:30

42 Bellahouston RR “B” (V)
Jane Wild 57 20:20 20:20
Jacqueline McGuire 50 20:10 40:30
Julia Harris 42 19:21 59:51

Men’s
19 Bellahouston RR “A”
Alasdair McLeod 39 14:58 14:58
Marcos Sanz Gomez 34 15:26 30:24
Matthew Williamson 28 14:41 45:05
Liam Conway 19 14:55 1:00:00

31 Bellahouston RR “B”
Neil Farnell 44 15:10 15:10
*Grant Edmondson 40 15:36 30:46
Craig Ross 34 15:08 45:54
Russell Whittington 31 15:16 1:01:10

48 Bellahouston RR “C“
Brian O’Donnell 60 15:55 15:55
David Weatherhead 51 15:53 31:48
Andrew Birnie 47 15:54 47:42
Brendan Moriarty 48 16:08 1:03:50

77 Bellahouston RR “D”
*Peter Goodwin 76 16:34 16:34
Robert McEwan 70 16:29 33:03
Ewan McDonald 78 18:31 51:34
Ian Goudie 77 18:49 1:10:23

Bellahouston RR “E“
Norman Boyle 118 19:53 19:53
Douglas MacGregor 114 20:46 40:39
Mike Devlin 105 23:09 1:03:48

My First 10,000m on a Track

I made my way out to Coatbridge on Sunday, October 18 to run in the Scottish Vet's 10,000m championship race. I hadn't been at the outdoor track before and it wasn't well signposted, so I was later arriving at the stadium than I had planned. As I parked the car, one of my running buddies informed that I better hurry as the race started in ten minutes. I got to the registration desk and convinced the woman that was packing up to give me a late entry and after I got changed and made my way out on to the track, I was paired with a lap counter and the race started. No time for a stretch and no Garmin to monitor my time, I decided to run behind Marie McChord. However as soon as the gun fired there was a lot of pushing and I ran out and ahead of her to get away from the scramash. However as other ran behind me there was a few accidental heel clippings and I was wondering what I'd let myself in for. Marie overtook me and as my legs were still tired from Saturday's PB, I decided just to sit behind her and see how I got on.

The race consisted of some 25 laps and the role of the lap counter was to shout at me every time I passed the start/finish line to advise me of how many laps were remaining. I had heard that there were sometimes mistakes and thought that at least if I stuck close to Marie then there would be less of a chance of me having to run an extra lap. I noticed that she increased the pace every time we turned around the bend and entered the straight to the start/finish. I kept with her and although I was forced to run shoulder to shoulder with her for some parts as we either lapped other runners or were overataken or or lapped from the inside, I decided not to push on but to resume my place behind her. As the laps dissapeared one by one, I kept my mind busy by converting the remaining number of laps into actual distance or percentages of 10,000m.

The bell rang to indicate that the faster runners were now on their last lap. We had lapped Gordon McDonald a couple of times and the slowest runner a lot of times. I noticed that fellow Bella Road Runner and friend Al MacLachlan was sprinting over the finish line as my lap counter was informing me that I had three laps remaining. I was feeling OK and had noticed that Marie's faster pace down the home straight seemed to have decreased. I was wondering how best to finish the race. If I could out sprint her, or cross the line together but as it happens as we commenced our last lap, I was forced on to her shoulder and decided to go for it. I heard her say something as I passed her and presumed it was words of encouragement. I couldn't hear her or anyone else behind me as I completed the rest of the race and crossed the line to the cheers of the officials and those already finished. I caught my breath and turned around to thank Marie for the run and to ascertain what time she had taken. She informed me that she thought that there was no way that I would be able to keep up with her for the duration of the race as we exchanged hugs. Marie had completed the event in a new 42:59. I was guaranteed a PB as this was my first 10,000m but it was also only the second time that I had ran 10k in less than 43 minutes. I later discovered that I had finished in 22nd place with a time of 42:53 (wava 71.35%), which meant that I had made six seconds on Marie in that last lap. Marie had finished second women, to Marina McCallum, and first W50+.

I had enjoyed my run and was pleased to know that my recent good form was still paying dividends. A free race, hot showers, tea and biscuits and a new PB, not a bad Sunday afternoon. The race was followed by the SVHC AGM where I agreed to join the committee in order to help promote the organistion.

Bella Awards Night With a Gallus Besom

The Bellahouston Road Runners Club Awards were held recently in Cafe Source at St Andrews in the Square. It's always the event of the year for the club and sees the awarding of the prizes for the club championships. A few years ago only a few people would complete the eight races required to fulfil the championship criteria and only one or two of the elite runners had any chance of winning. However last year I successfully campaigned for mementos to be awarded to everyone who achieves the criteria and this year I convinced the club to include a super veteran category in the championships. This year I've been the club statistician and I’ve made it my mission to ensure that as many people as possible completed the championship and despite some stick, I’ve constantly laboured the championship throughout the year. It was therefore with some pride that I announced that the number of Bellas qualifying this year was 44, 31 Bella Fellas and 13 Bella Belles, far surpassing anything that the championship has ever achieved. New Club President Robert McEwan asked if I would hand out this year’s mementoes, club umbrellas, together with the certificates which I had created providing information on every individual’s performance over the year. I was honoured to oblige.

Congratulations to Claire Thompson and Colin McGill for winning the championship for the second year in succession, to Gerry Scullion and Emma Birnie for winning the veteran prizes and to Norman Boyle for winning the inaugural super vet championship.


The First Ever Bella Road Runners' Super Vet Champion Norman Boyle

They were joined by:

Bella Fellas
Alasdair McLeod; Scott Kennedy; Greig Glendinning; Nick Reid; Andy Birnie; Kenny MacBeth; Russell Whittington; Brian O'donnell; Peter Gallanagh; Alastair Maclachlan; Bruce Carse; Brendan Moriarty; Joe Sheridan; Mark McGoldrick; Andrew Rooney; Andrew McDonald; Jim O'Hara; Tony Cairns; David Boyle; Gavin Greene; Ewan McDonald; Keith Gibb; Tom McMillan; Scott Johnson; Richard Leyton; Chris Doak; Stephen Bell and of course my good self who managed to race more than anyone else completing 17 championship events.

Bella Belles
Claire Wharton; Jane Simpson; Pauline Wright; Karlyn Forsyth; Katie Padgham; Louise Ross; Lynne Andrew; Linda Kennedy; Jackie McGuire; Louise Gray and Jane Galt.



One pleasant surprise on the night was to discover that one of our runners is married to Muriel Gray, the journalist and broadcaster. We seemed to ‘hit it off’ when we were introduced and she was wonderful company during the dinner as we exchanged anecdotes and jokes.

The First Edinburgh parkrun and a Great New PB

Cramond was the sunny, cold but wind free setting for the inaugeral Edinburgh parkrun held at 9:30am on Saturday October 17. Just over 200 runners of mixed abilities turned up for the event including Parkrun founder Paul Sinton-Hewitt, Glasgow parkrunners Richard Leyton, Tom Keenan and Tom Ross.

I joined in with the mass warm up provided by Katrina O'Hagan of David Lloyd before the race and then lined up near the start line with my sun glasses, Bella top and knickerbockers on. I wished Neil Renault good luck just before the off and made my way behind those at the very front.

The cold temperature was soon forgotten as I and the runners set off along the foreshore towards Granton. I knew that the route was out and back and included a long turn. Kilometre markers were placed but as my Garmin had finally died and with no stop watch, they were of limited value to me. I didn't really know any of the runners around me to race against them so I decided just to give the race my best shot.

Just as the route veered left wards at the start of the long turn parkrun creator Paul overtook and we both shouted words on encouragement to Neil Renault who was making his way back, well ahead of the rest of the front runners. I could hear a woman running behind me as I made my way around the turn but I worked hard to ensure that she didn't catch me. After the turn I increased my pace and caught a runner within a few metres. I could see Paul and John Owens a good bit ahead of me with about six other runners in between. With views of Cramond Island on my right hand side and the iconic Forth Bridges in the distance in front of me I tried to reel in the other runners and close the gap between myself and Paul and John.





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I managed to up the pace for the last kilometre and was happy with my performance as I crossed the line and was handed token no.44. I made my way for my free banana and coffee and then rembered that I should join the queue to hand in my token and chat with my fellow runners, including Davie Black, who was one of a healthy contingent from the West Lothian Triathlete Club and had warmed up for the event by cycling some twenty odd miles to Cramond and of course back home again after the 5k. I also spoke to Tana Walker and her friend Morna Reekie who had also cycled to Cramond but only from the other side of Edinburgh. They asked me how I had travelled to the race and I advised them that I had driven, I then realised that they hadn't appreciated, despite my Bella vest, that I had came through from Glasgow.

Richard Leyton told me that he had finished in 48th position in 20:43, a new PB by 16 seconds and that I was a good bit in front of him. However it was only later on that evening when the results became available on-line that I learned that I had achieved a time of 20:19 (a wava of 73.75%) some 19 seconds better than my previous best 5k time! This was my 56th race of 2009 and my tenth PB.


First Ever Winner

Edinburgh AC's Neil Renault (S25-29) earned the distinction of being the first ever winner of the Edinburgh parkrun. The tall Team GB athlete led from the start and finished in an incredible 14:59. Almost one minute ahead of Harmeny AC's Robert (Boab) Turner (S35-39), who ran a personal best (PB) to finish second with a time of 15:53. Border Harrier Colin Welsh (S25-29) finished one second out from his PB to earn third place in 16:47.

First Ever Woman Winner

The women's event was much more closely contested with only ten seconds between the first three finishers. Edinburgh Road Club's Rachel Ramsay (S30-34) got off of her bike to become the first ever winner, with a time of 20:48. Unattached Holly Orr (S25-29) finished just three seconds behind, earning second place in 20:51. Whilst, triathlete Varry Mccullough Young (V45-49) finished in third spot and first super vet in a time of 20:58.

My 25th Glasgow parkrun

My 55th race of the year and my 25th Glasgow parkrun took place on Saturday October 10 at 9.30am. It was the morning after the Bella Awards Dinner and some people commented on how remarkably fresh looking I was. I advised them that it was only a facade! As the race approached, I had to decide how I was going to approach the run. My heel is injured but I managed five miles on the treadmill on Friday and of course, I was slightly worse for wear from the previous night's consumption of copious amounts of alcohol. However I found my self near the front of the runners and decided to work hard.

At the off, I tried to start my Garmin only to discover that the batteries were flat. I would need to run blind of my time. I set off at a decent pace and rather than slowing like last week I attempted to keep up the pace for as long as I could. Of course this didn't stop the better runners from overtaken me before we reached the woods. First Marjon said 'good luck' as she passed me on the right hand side and then Robert McEwan patted me on the back as he overtook me on the left. Although Robert soon dissapeared ahead of me, I was able to keep Marjon in my sight.

As I ran down the 'glade' Jules Rose overtook me and settled in front of me. I pulled out and returned the favour. He was on my tail until the start of the third hill, where I accelerated uphill and left him behind. However it wasn't long until he caught me and left me behind as we approached the glade for the second time.

I hung on in and could see Jules and Marjon in front of me all the time. Although I had no chance of catching them, I was trying to close the gap between us. As I ascended the last hill and made my way to the finishing straights there was no one within catching distance. However I knew I was running well and decided to go for the best possible time I could achieve.

I sprinted down the hill and over the line. I had no watch to stop and could only ask Jules and Marjon their times to gauge my result. 20:58 and 20:51 respectively, I was five places behind Marjon and three behind Jules, so I had a good chance of getting a PB but I would need to wait to find out.


Me chatting with Mairi Stangley, winner of the women's race.

As I enjoyed my Ayrshire Bacon roll and soya latte in the Burrell Cafe, I was pleased to be informed by Richard Leyton that they had compiled the results and I had finished in 21:18, a further improvement from last week of 12 seconds. I new course PB for me and my ninth PB of 2009. A good start to the weekend.

Up the Campsies

Now that my marathon training is over I get the chance to try other activities so it was with a spring in my step that I and my flat mate Gunda headed up into the Campsie Fells on Sunday October 4. The route she chose was the one along the road, up the paths to Lecket Hill (547), across to Cort-ma Law (531) and back to the road via Lairs (518).

The initial bit of off road walking was fine, not too steep and became more gradual as we made our way up through a few bogs towards Lecket Hill. The day before had been very wet and windy but today was dry, cold but sunny. Good weather for walking and for appreciating the Scottish scenery.

However, as I looked at Gunda’s guide book I noticed that the stage between Lecket Hill and Cort-ma Law was described as ‘daunting’. Gunda, who is German, explained that she didn’t know what the word meant. I advised her that it meant ‘don’t do it!’ We met three walkers coming in the other direction, one of which was soaked through and they advised us not to do the next section, however we decided to give it a try. It was boggy, very boggy in some parts, the path disappeared a few times and we had to cross a burn as we made our way to Cort-ma Law. We both got wet but it was worth it and not too ‘daunting’ after all.

The next section was much easier and took us along the ridge and through a couple of bogs to Lairs and then down back towards the car park. We met an elderly couple, both with two walking sticks, making their way up towards Lairs. They asked us if the cairn ahead was Cort-ma Law and we explained that it was a further two kilometres away and that there were a few boggy parts on the way. The guy was in his 80’s and I was amazed that they had got that far. Well done to them!
The views back over Lennoxtown to Glasgow were impressive as we completed our days walk and headed for the local tea room and some Earl Gray and then homewards for a wee siesta.

It’s been years since I was up the hills and my vertigo and post viral fatigue had kicked in but today I had no problems what so ever and I’m looking forward to my next one already.

My 54th Race of 2009 and another PB!

My 54th race of the year should have been the Loch Ness Marathon. I had trained 18 weeks for it and was in great shape, apart from a tender left heel which had been playing on my mind. The weather forecast for the days running up to the marathon were not good for towing a caravan, I wasn't looking forward to the two and a half hour delay from getting the race bus to the start of the race and when I developed an eye infection I decided to give it a miss. On the day the start was delayed by a further 50 minutes and the hills seemed to have taken their toll on many of my running buddies who had ran the event.

Instead I decided to run in my 24th Glasgow parkrun. I stayed in on Friday and had a few drinks of the vino rouge and initially would have been happy to run around the course at an easy pace. However when I met my running buddies at Pollok Park and made my escuses to them about not doing Loch Ness the guilt kicked in and I decided that I should try for a decent time. For the first time I started near the front of the 183 runners and as I accelerated down the road after the start of the race, I was surprised that the faster runners behind me hadn't overtaken me. "I must be running too fast" I thought to myself and slowed a little, allowing them to pass me, as we made our way out of the strong winds and into the sheltered woodlands. As I ran down the glade I overtook a tall young woman with an orange top and dark blue shorts on. However as the road was slippery and there were a few branches and pot holes and a lot of leaves I decided to keep near the middle of the road. She then reappeared in the inside lane and we ran together for a bit before I overtook her on the bend and she overtook me once more at the next hill. There was a guy in front of us also dressed in an orange top and dark blue shorts and although I thought that they might have been partners she ran right passed him and into the distance.
I was happy with my pace and decided to let her go.
I was doing well and had targetted another couple of runners in front of me. I managed to overtake the guy easily but the woman was more competitive and put up a strong challenge. However when a couple of park walkers and their four dogs all but cut off our path, I managed to jump over the dogs and raced away. The sound of her footsteps behind me faded as I increased the gap between us. I could see the lass with the orange top on a good bit in front of me, with quite anumber of runners in between. I decided that the best statrategy was to race against her and ignore the runners between us. Although I had no chance of catching her my plan worked as I reeled in a few more runners, especially in the last hill. I lapped a runner as I approached the final brae but there was no-one that I could see ahead of me to that I could catch before the finish line. Instead I settled for a good controlled run over the line, which left me feeling strong. My time was 21:30 which I knew was decent for me in this course. I chatted with the gal with the orange top, Marjon from West Netherlands, and I complimented her particularly for her second lap. This was her fourth running of the event, she finished fourth woman and her time of 21:01equaled her PB.

We headed off for our usual post race banter and roll in bacon at the Burrell Cafe.

It was only later that I discovered that I had taken 18 seconds off of my parkrun PB. No substitute for missing out on a marathon but heh it was much more enjoyable.

There were a number of great performance, particularly from Liam Conway, Iona Robertson and Marina McCallum.

Race with 7,725 others..................

As I sat down to watch the highlights of the Scotland v Macedonia football match, I decided that a glass of wine wouldn’t do me any harm. However with the game being so entertaining and the prospect of watching some football from the lower English leagues straight after the Scotland game I decided not to run in Sunday’s 10k race but to relax, let my hair down and drink the full bottle of vino rouge. However I woke up in plenty of time in the morning and after wrestling with the demons for a long time I decided that, as I had a 12 mile training run scheduled, I’d be as well participating in the 9:30 am race.

I got ready for the run, put my chip on and my race number and then donned an old race t-shirt which I could dispose off at the race start. I ran the two miles down to George Square and saw the other runners making their way to the start in cars and buses. After exchanging a few pre match greetings, I lined up with Maddie from Bella and told her that I would be happy running at 8 min/mile pace. However as we made our way along St Vincent Street, I discovered that there were loads of slower runners in front of me and I felt more comfortable making my way through them and running at my own pace. I ran the 1st kilometre in 4:30 (7:15 m/m pace) and was feeling quite good as I made my way over the Kingston Bridge and down into Tradeston where someone shouted “C’mon Bella.” Then it was up Shields Road and a right turn onto St Andrews Drive at 4k where Francis Thomson cried out “C’mon Ian, you’re doing great.” I know this part of the city well as I train on it often but I hadn’t done my homework, so I didn’t know the exact route that we would take. However we continued up St Andrews Drive and at the 5k mark we crossed Nithsdale Road, my half way time was 22:57 not too bad. We took a sharp left at Maxwell Park down Dalziel Drive where Jimmy, Sandra and Karen shouted words of encouragement. We reached Terregles Ave and turned left, I could see Nithsdale Road ahead but unfortunately the route took another left turn and headed over the hill on Leslie Road before reaching Nithsdale Road. Emma Grant supported me here and then Jethro Lennox; there were two water stations within a few hundred meters, one provided by the local Sikh community and the other by the Territorial Army. In between was Alistair Kell giving verbal encouragement. A quick left onto Darnley Road, then right onto Albert Drive and we were soon on Pollockshaws Road and the 8k marker. We took a right here and then a left and headed down Gorbals Street, where Francis had relocated to and again gave her support. Over the Clyde we ran, although this bridge was much less iconic than the Kingston one. Andy Birnie and other shouted me on and as I tuned right on to Clyde Street, I was met full on by a huge photographer who thought he owned the pavement. I bounced off of him and continued on my race. I don’t know what happened to him and care even less. I could see Glasgow Green ahead and was pleasantly surprised to see that the finish line was also within sight. The path was busy but I still managed to increase my pace a bit on the final sprint and crossed the line in 428th place with a time of 45:16, a rare negative split and all things considered an acceptable time.

I collected my medal and goody bag and waited for Maddie to finish, we were then joined by Karlyn Forsyth and a pregnant Rhona Moran. After the usual post race chatter and mutual congratulations I removed my number and warmed down as I headed homewards. I was surprised to see that there were still thousands of runners still on the streets as I reached home.

After a quick shower, change and cup of coffee I headed round the corner with my camera to lend my support to the 7260 rain soaked runners who were participating in the Half Marathon, including some 61 Bellahouston Road Runners.

Race With Richard Gough

My Marathon Training Plan had me scheduled to do 6 miles on Saturday but I must admit to suffering a little training fatigue. I've ran 50 races this year and that's enough for anyone. I don't need to do a marathon and I've already benefited from the training by getting a number of PBs. So I decided to go to the pub and let my hair down, I had a good night but paid for it in the morning when I woke up with a cross between still being drunk and the onset of a hangover. Of course as any runner knows the best way to sober up is to run and sweat the alcohol out of your system. So off to the Glasgow parkrun I heade. This was to be my 51st race of 2008 and my 22nd parkrun and there were a few differences to this one than the others:

Due to Sunday's Great Scottish Run, the numbers were down, although still a respectable 119;
It was raining, not heavy but still surpringly rare for a Glasgow Saturday morning;
Ex Scottish Football Internationalist, Richard Gough, who now lives in San Diego, was running.

I figured that I would run round at 8 min/mile pace and add a warm up and warm down, to cover my training. As it happens I did the 3.1 miles in 24:12. I also finished 60th so not bad all things considered. Richard Gough started slow, which meant that he overtook me as he ran on to finish in an impressive 21:39.

After the race I had a wee chat with Richard Gough for the Scottish Running Guide before heading into the Burell for a bacon roll, a soya latte and some good craic with the Kirkintilloch Olympians.

When I got back home I turned on the radio to listen to 'Off the Ball' whose special guest turned out to be a one Mr R Gough from San Diego.

No Race but Hard Week of Training

After last week's Isle of Bute 10k, I started this week quite easily. I'm training for the Loch Ness Marathon on 4th October and I'm following one of Hal Higdon's Marathon Training plans, which included 4 miles on Sunday, 10 on Monday, 5 on Tuesday, 7 x hills on Wednesday, Thursday rest, 10 miles at Race Pace on Friday, followed by 20 miles long run on Saturday. I had to check the last two as it seemed a bit much but it was correct. However I did get Wednesday's session wrong as I thought it meant 7 miles of hills, which I did, rather than just 7 hills !! I planned to do the 20 miles at about 9 min/mile pace but unfortunately I got sucked into the pace that the 6 milers, 10 milers and faster marathon runners were setting and although I slowed it down after 5 miles, I struggled to complete the 20 miles. But I did get it done and my total time was about 1:55 so not far off of what I was looking for.

I went along to the Paisley 10k yesterday to take some photos and support the runners. I really enjoyed the event although I must admit to joining in, fully clothed, and running the last 2.5k of the race. However I did turn down the offer of a tee shirt and medal. It was great to get the chance to chat with running legend Haley Haining at the end of the race. See my report here.

It's a much easier week of training, with my long run only 12 miles and I'll run the Great Scottish 10k race and support the Half Marathon runners on the Sunday.

My 50th Race of 2009 - The Isle of Bute 10k Sat August 22

My 50th Race of 2009 and I wanted to make it a bit special so I took the opportunity to join with the small Bella posse that was sailing over to Rothesay to take part in the Isle of Bute Highland Games 10k. I had heard that parking at Weymess Bay was a bit problematic and although I thought about taken the train, when Katy and her kids agreed to come along for the ride, I decided to drive down and park at a railway station a couple of stops north.

The weather was glorious as we sailed across the Firth of Clyde in a jam packed Calmac Ro-Ro ferry. The Bellahouston Road Runners had all went for an earlier ferry but I met up with some Clydesdale Harriers, including Marina and they showed me the way to the Games, the Registration tent and the changing rooms.

I met up with my fellow Bellas and we made our way to the playing field for the start of the race and some team pics. After a brief description of the amended route we lined up and the Games Chieftain, Blyth Duff, of Taggart fame, sounded the Start.

Andy and Maddie Smillie said that they would be aiming to run the race in between 45 and 48 minutes. I had run a relatively fast 10 mile training run on the Friday “That will do me” I stated, whilst Norman Bolye said that he would run it at his marathon race pace. Whilst the massed cheers from the packed stand as we made our way around the Games’ stadium encouraged us to run a wee bit quicker than planned, the heavy underfoot conditions played their role in cooling our enthusiasm. After leaving the stadium the race ran down the High Street to the seafront and the 1km marker and then turned left and headed along the promenade. I was in front of most of the Bellas apart from Andrew Hardman who is a class above me and Joanna Lennox, who I could see in front of me. I decided then that my target for the day would be to beat Joanna and I started to increase the pace. I was overtaking a few other runners but there was a young lad from Motherwell AC who was running along with a female club mate and kept running on my shoulder, so close was he that he actually clipped my shoes on a couple of occasions. He did apologise though and I didn’t mind when he ran shoulder to shoulder with me as this encouraged me to dig deep. The sun was scorching and I was so happy to see that they had a number of water stations which allowed me to take a small drink and cool myself down by pouring the rest of the water over my head. In a reversal of Wednesday’s race with Paula Wilson, I overtook Joanna at about 3k and was aware that she was sticking close to me as we reached the turning point at just after 5k. I had noticed that Joanna’s brother Jethro and Robert Gilroy where running along together at the front of the race and that Andrew Hardman was doing well.

As we turned around and made our way back I could see that Joanna was just behind me and then Andy and Maddie, then Stephen Bell, Norman, Jackie O’Grady, Terry Brennan, Scott Telfer and finally Carla Deans. The sun was shining, the sky was blue and the scenery was gorgeous, with the Firth of Clyde and the views over to the Ayrshire coast. Joanna had tried to overtake me a few times but I had been able to increase my speed and held her off. About 7k I was starting to tire and decided to let the Motherwell pair overtake me. I also think I might have eaten too late as I was feeing sick by the time I reached the 8k marker. I could hear the footsteps of a woman running quicker behind me and thought that Joanna had caught me and was therefore a little surprised but relieved when Greenock red haired runner Terri overtook me. Just after the 9k marker the route headed back up the hill and I worked hard to overtake a few runners on the final section. I noticed Jethro running down the hill and heard him shouting to Joanna to overtake me but I had spied Terri slowing in front of me and managed to overtake her just as I entered the cheering stadium. I saw and heard Katy and her kids in the stand and I gave it my all for a strong sprint to the finish line overtaking a few runners on the way. I was shattered and was still feeling sick but composed myself enough to congratulate Joanna on her great race, she had managed to take 2:45 off of her PB and was exhausted but also extremely happy. We collected our bottles of water and our smart looking medals and then made our way back to the finish line where we applauded the other runners, especially the Bella ones over the line. Before posing for some post race photos and heading back for a cold shower. I then met up with Katy and enjoyed watching some of the Games, including the Caber Tossing Final before heading back to the pier and homeward.


Bella Results:
Andrew Hardman 38:34
Ian Goudie 45:28
Joanna Lennox 45:29
Norman Boyle 47:24
Stevie Bell 47:24
Maddie Smillie 47:27
Andrew Smillie 47:28
Jackie O'Grady 49:29
Terry Brennan 49:41
Scott Telfer 56:44
Carla Deans 60:14

Rain Soaked Irvine Doesn't Dampen my Delight at a New PB!

The Irvine Marymass 10k road race, held on Wednesday August 19, was my 49th race of 2009 and my first ever race in Irvine. It’s a town that I used to know well, I used to cycle there from Stewarton. I wasn’t sure if I would do this race. I wasn’t feeling great, I’d managed a 30 min nap at lunch time and again after work and reckoned that I might be ok by the time the race started. I made my way down the misty and rain kissed M77, I somehow managed to find the Irvine Sports Centre. There were cars parked everywhere and the rain was bucketing down, I spotted Chris and Ellen, abandoned, oops sorry parked, the car and quickly ran into the Race HQ. After registering, changing and what constituted as a warm up, I lined up with the other 123 runners at the start of the race.

I started behind Laura Cairns, Paula Wilson and Erica Christie and in front of Brian Darroch. The race is advertised as a flat and fast course, so I was surprised to find myself running slightly uphill on the road for the first kilometre. I was feeling good and had overtaken Paula but I was still pleasantly surprised to see that I had clocked the first kilometre in four minutes. At this point the route joined the cycle path on the edge of the Irvine Beach Park. I made my way steadily along the slightly rolling course keeping my eye on the runners in front, however Paula caught me at the start of a hill at around 3k. I followed her up the hill and managed to sit in behind her as we made away along the course. She was receiving a lot of encouragement from the poor marshals standing around in the pouring rain and I also took some support from this. The route turned around at 4.5 k and as we joined the higher up road to head back, I was surprised to see Brian Darroch not too far behind us. The road left the cycle track between 5.5 and 6.5k. Although I felt that I could overtake Paula along this section, I decided not to, instead settling to sit tightly behind her. At 8k we passed the junction for the start and Paula started to work hard, I dug deep to keep close to her. She seemed to know where she was going and we were passing a few runners, so I was happy enough with that. At about 8.7k the route turned onto the seafront and headed along the promenade. I had been told that the race finished outside the Magnum Leisure Centre and presumed that we would turn into the right at some point. Paula was starting to pull away as we overtook Irvine’s Jim White and started to catch a group of four or five other runners. I was anticipating a turn to our left towards the Magnum but it never happened and we continued to run in the mist and rain along the seafront. I could now see a crowd of people and soon realised that this was the Finish Line as Jim White shot past me and I made my way over the line.
I stopped my Garmin at 42:18:21 and was ecstatic at getting a new PB by such a large margin. This was only my fourth time below 44 mins, one was last week at Pollok Park when I clocked 43:59, the other was Run with the Wind in Strathaven in November 2008 and the first time was when I set my previous PB of 43:04 at the Jack Crawford in January 2008, some nineteen months ago.

I looked for Pauline to thank her for a great run but she wasn’t there, instead I congratulated Laura Cairns, Jim White and Brian Darroch who had managed to take more than one minute off of his PB. Loads of people had enjoyed a great run and we chatted briefly before making our way back to the Sports Centre for a warm shower and hot cup of tea. After thanking Paula and congratulating Alan, Connell, Kerry, Robert, David, Claire, Sarah, Alison and others on their great runs and PBs, I made my way back up through the heavy rain and mist of the Fenwick Moors to Glasgow where some hot food and red wine capped a successful night.

My published time was 42:19. This didn’t take any shine off of my delight at beating my PB by 45 seconds, although the lack of photographers to capture the moment may have. Instead I've had to settle for a diagram of the course provided by Chris Upson.

Results

Achilles Heel Bella 5k – Sunday August 16

This popular race is organised by my very own Bella RRs. Changing and prize giving is at the prestigious Palace of Arts and the course starts and finishes on the cycle track in Bellahouston Park. The event is also a club championship race and attracts a healthy turnout from the purple posse. Unfortunately I was feeling very poorly and wasn’t really up to running a race. However, as Al McLachlan had recently said to me: “It’s only three miles!” So, of course I decided to run it and lined up at the start behind Shona Donnelly and Norman Boyle, I was pleased to see that the third Titan Tom McMillan wasn’t competing. I had mislaid my Garmin and decided not to burst a gut but to finish around the same time and hence the same points as Norman. It was a windy morning and someone commented that there wouldn’t be many PBs ran today.

I stuck to my game plan and followed Norman around the track out into the park, along past the Palace of Arts, down behind the House for an Art Lover and along to Paisley Road West, where we had to struggle against the wind blowing into our faces. I noticed that the pace dropped a little but I maintained my position and tried to shelter myself from the wind. As we turned left back into the park at the 2k marker, I noticed Norman looking at his watch and increasing his pace, so I did likewise. We overtook a few other runners as we made our way back towards the cycle track and up the hill to our left. I was aware that Graeme Wylie was behind me and with him pushing me and Norman pulling me around I felt that we were making good time. Out of the park, along Mosspark Boulevard and back into the park we ran, Norman was a good bit in front but he was still in my sights. We could see the cycle track ahead but the course takes a right and as we ran along here, Graeme pushed hard to overtake me just before the route turned left and up another small hill. Another left turn and we were on the flat before a slight downhill section took us to the entrance of the cycle track. I was making up ground on Norman and was feeling quite pleased as I made my way along the track to the finish just a few seconds behind him. However at this point I was overtaken by Alan Fitzsimmons who sprinted past me like a dog out of a trap.

Norman’s time was 20:57 and although I hoped that I had just dipped below the 21 minute marker, I wasn’t too surprised to learn that my time was 21:04. I finished 75th out of 171

72 158 Graeme Aitken Lomond ACC M MV40+ 20.55
73 67 Norman Boyle BRR M MV50+ 20.57
74 127 Alan Fitzsimmons Jog Scotland M MV40+ 21.01
75 95 Ian Goudie BRR M MV50+ 21.04
79 65 Keith Gibb BRR M MV40+ 21.29
81 72 Caroline Brownlie Springburn Harriers F FV35+ 21.34
82 114 Richard Leyton BRR M SM 21.36
91 44 Scott Johnson BRR M MV40+ 22.08
92 19 Gordon McDonald Kirkintilloch Olympians M MV50 22.09

Helensburgh Half Marathon – Sunday August 9

Although this is a Bella Club Championship Race I had decided to run it as a training run and also to pace Roslyn Ghareh who had never ran a Half Marathon before. Neither had John Hagemeister but he has been doing a lot more training and was happy to run the race on his own. Katy volunteered to drive and we arrived at Helensburgh Pier about 15 minutes before the race, which was sufficient time for Roslyn to register although I tend to get to try to get to races a good bit before they are scheduled to start.

The sun was shining and it looked liked being a warm race as we lined up with the other runners, including Bellahouston Road Runners. I explained the course to Roslyn and advised her that we would be aiming to run at a 9 min/mile pace. I gave her some of my Jelly Babies and advised her to take on water or energy drinks at the refreshment stations along the course. The race started and we headed along the promenade towards Rhu. I enjoyed myself chatting with Roslyn and the other runners and marshals too. As we approached the turning point I noticed the race leader, Jethro Lennox, making his way back towards us. However it was about four minutes later when the next leader, his Shettleston team mate Paul Sorrie was in sight. After that the runners were much more frequent and I shouted encouragement to the Bella Road Runners and the other racers that I knew. “You must know at least half the people running” commented Roslyn.

We continued at our steady pace working our way up through the field as we overtook those racers who had started too quickly. As well as Bella’s Moira Mcphedran, who had fell, and Louis Gray, who had been physically sick. Roslyn did excellent but she, hardly surprisingly, started to fade at about the 10 mile stage. She was happy for me to run on my own and to leave her but I told her that we would finish the race together. Although she wanted to stop a couple of times I encouraged her to keep going and soon I was advising her that the Finish Line was approaching. Along the road back to the pier we ran and then turned left and towards the end. Katy had informed the commentator that this was Roslyn’s first Half Marathon and I could hear him announcing that as we both crossed the line in a time of 1:55:32. An excellent time for a her first Half, especially in such a warm day.

After receiving our medals and exchanging congratulations I made my way back along the pier to get another couple of miles under my belt. After this I had the pleasure of a free swim in the local pool before getting changed and heading for the nearest café to enjoy a full Scottish brunch.

Clydeside Series Bella Belter 10k Race - Friday August 7

I had thought about running the entire four races of the Tour of Clydeside Series but common sense prevailed. However I might do it next year. Instead I joined with almost one hundred other runners to compete in the final race of the series, my third 10k of the week and my 46th race of 2009, the Bella Belter 10k held at Glasgow's Pollok Park on Friday August 7.

I know the park most than most and was confident of a good run, however as I also had the Helensburgh Half Marathon on the Sunday, I did not plan in pushing myself too much.

We lined up outside Cartha Rugby Club and started the two loop course along Haggs Road and around the perimeter of the park. I noticed an older runner ahead of me and decided to tuck in behind him and enjoy the run. Graham Aitken tried to overtake me a couple of times but I held him off until 2.2 miles, when I decided to conserve my energy for the Sunday and let him pass. However I did glance at my Garmin at the half way point and noticed that I had ran the first 5k in around 21 minutes. As I made my way along the second loop I was overtaken by Killie’s David Mitchell and a bit later I noticed that a runner with a football top had caught up with me. I decided then to push it in and I accelerated along Pollokshaws Road and into Pollok Park. Although I couldn’t shake off the football guy I did overtake David Mitchell outside of Pollok House. Although to be fair he did slow up as his injury resurfaced. As I ran towards Lochinch I could see Graeme ahead of me and as I continued to race against the football guy we both overtook him as we approached the ’white house’. The road takes a sharp left here towards the stables and I gave it my all, pulling away from him as I turned right and headed towards the race start/finish.

I could hear the supporters shouting but I wasn’t sure how far was to go. The marshals directed us into the Cartha Car Park and towards the Finnish Line. I pressed the stop button on my Garmin to observe that I had completed the race in 43:59. A Seasonal Best and only the second time I had ever dipped below the 44 minute barrier. My Garmin indicated that the course was long at 6.36 miles.

I finished in 47th place, two positions ahead of Graeme who finished in 44:08 and four places ahead of David Mitchell who finished in 44:36. Gordon McDonald finished in 57th place with 46:29.

I enjoyed a pint and a chat with fellow racers and organisers before heading along to Samuel Dowe's for some more liquid refreshments and some live music.

Dundonald 10.5k No More!

I was looking forward to this because of its unique length. It’s extremely hilly and as I’ve only ran it once before, as the second race in my comeback from injury, a PB was guaranteed. However after chatting with Kerry and the Killie Harriers I warmed up from the Sports Centre to the race start at the Castle to be informed that the route had been adjusted and would now be an accurately measured 10k road race. Instead of starting in the grassy playing field and running down on to the Main Road the race would start from the Main Road itself. None of the uphill sections of the route had been deleted and as we made our way along the street before turning right and then a sharp left, I kept my eye on Killie’s Paula Wilson and Brian Darroch. We made our way over the rolling hills on the country road to Symington and I noticed Paula pull away, whilst I jostled for position with Brian. Sunday’s race was taking it’s toll and I had to let Brian go as he overtook me, whilst I concentrated on keeping running up the hills.
Once in Symington the course levelled off and the major hurdle was running past the alluring odours of fresh cooking from the village’s famous Wheatsheaf Inn. As it happens my ancestor, surname Walker. had been a blacksmith in the village and diversified his activities into inn keeper and spirit salesman, he could have been the first or at least one of the first to establish the inn. Likewise his son had run the same businesses in Dundonald and the family must have travelled on what passed as roads between the two villages on a regular basis.


The race continued back towards Dundonald on the less undulating B730 road. I knew that the return leg was easier and as I held off the repeated challenges from another runner, I found myself closing in on Brian and we both passed him together after about four miles. My challenger had narrowly overtaken me and as he stopped at the water station I decided to join him on taking a little water to drench my thirst on the warm Ayrshire night. After we recommenced our race he continued to pull away from me along the flatter part of the course and as I chased after him we managed to catch up with a number of other competitors. I felt someone on my shoulder and as I looked to see who it was I saw the white sleeves of Brian Darroch just behind him. I pushed in hard to get away from both of them and as we climbed up the brae into the village I pushed even harder, running flat out along the Main Street back towards the Castle. A sharp left onto Winehouse Yett and then we were directed first right and then left along the outside of the Castle Visitor Centre. I could hear the Harriers shouting my and Brian’s names as we sprinted along the heavy grass to the finish line and a welcome bottle of water.

I had finished in 33rd position with a time of 44:15, with Brian finishing 34th in 44:22, Mike Flinn was 38th in 44:44 and Alan Fitzsimmons was 49th in 46:29.
Paula had finished 29th and 1st FV in a great time of 42:59. Whilst Kate Todd was 40th and 1st FV55 in 44:59. A total of 97 runners completed the race, with pride of place going to Kerry-Liam Wilson in 32:37, young Sarah Munn did well against Toni McIntosh and she finished in 40:10 just eight seconds behind her. Sarah told me “I really enjoyed the race. It was a difficult course but the hills weren’t quite as bad as I remembered them being. I saw Toni struggling ahead of me and I just ran as fast as I could to get as close to her as possible.”

After the race I and Katy made our way to the Wheatsheaf only to discover that we were too late to dine, we settled for Fish and Chips at Brassie beach instead, not too bad a fall back position.

Scottish Gas 10k- Sunday 2nd Aug 2009- Edinburgh

The first time I've ran this race, although it's next to my old workplace of Ferranti, now BAE Systems. Sad to see that the Silverknowes site is now a housing estate, the last time I was there was with a delegation from South Africa. Anyway back to the race, which started outside of Scottish Gas's modern HQ in Granton. Three Bellas in attendance: myself, Shona Donnely and Gerry Scullion. Good to meet up with Jo Thom too before the race and Iain Duckworth after it.
No chip but I still started quite far back and as the race got underway, down a new road towards West Harbour Road, I was feeling good. Saw the 1k marker and noticed my time was 4 mins. A PB is on here, I thought. However as soon as we turned left we hit the head on wind which was to add minutes to our times. I saw Kirkintilloch's Gordon McDonald ahead and decided to reel him in as the race progressed. I passed him at 3k as we ran along the road to the turn at Cramond. I could see the leaders, including Kerry-Liam Wilson, Haley Haining, Jill Knowes and Jo Thom and then Shona coming back towards me. I was surprised that Shona was not further ahead and I felt a bit more positive. However when I looked at my half way time, I knew that I had no chance of a PB and was only running for pride. A heavy footed runner behind me overtook me at 8k and soon got away from me. I kept her in my sights as I made my way steadily back along the promenade with the sun on my back. As we were directed up the wee hill towards the finish I managed to overtake five runners, who were obviously more daunted by the incline than I was. I heard Jim Buick shouting 'C'mon Ian' and I pushed around the final corner for a sprint finish and finished just behind the woman(Margie Leitch)who had passed me at 8k. I finished in a time of 45:50 and was a bit dissapointed by that but I was happy enough with my race and managed to beat Gordon by over three minutes. Shona finished in 43:52 and although she was dissapointed, I later discovered that she had finished first FV40.

Kilmaurs Classic

With numbers more than doubled from last year and perfect running conditions the second Kilmaurs Gala 5k was an outstanding success. Event organiser David Mitchell had done a great job in promoting the race and improving the course from last year.

Kilmaurs is the next village to Stewarton, where I was brought up but I’ve never spent much time there, when we were youths we tended to travel the other direction to Dunlop or even Irvine rather than there. Although I’d travel through it often on my way to Kilmarnock and there was a smashing lass from there, Lesley Roy, at Kilmarnock Academy with me.

Anyway I joined in with another 42 runners, of differing abilities, to take part in the East Ayrshire race on Wednesday July 29. There were also a number of Killie Harriers in attendance but not competing, some of which were marshaling others supporting and others blethering.

The race started on a track, which had seen better days, in the village’s Morton Park. I started quickly and then deliberately slowed down a little as we completed our second lap of the track. We then joined an undulating and scenic path through the park and back up past the track. Race organiser David Mitchell was waiting here and gave me a shout of encouragement as I climbed the hill. We then ran along the road between the park and the main Kilmaurs – Kilmarnock road where Paula Wilson shouted me on and then Brian Darroch behind me. I headed towards Kilmarnock ensuring that I kept Brian at Bay, past Kara Tait who was texting on her mobile as she marshaled the race. We were then guided off to the left and down a minor country road. I could hear someone behind me and I tried to hold them off but when Mike Flinn of Irvine passed me I decided to let him go but pressed on to ensure that Brian didn’t catch me. Instead I targeted the runner in front of me and overtook him (Graeme Aitken) just before we turned into our left and upwards along a farm road, I pressed on but he tagged on behind me. A sharp left turn took us back onto the track and he was still on my shoulder as we ran around the track, this time running in the opposite direction from the start. As we reached the bend before the final straight I gave it my all and managed to hold him off as I crossed the finish line 16^th place, four seconds behind Mike Flinn, in a respectable time of 21:14, two seconds ahead of Graeme and seven ahead of Brian.

Local lad Gavin Holgarth (25) won the East Ayrshire event in an impressive time of 17:04. Ayrshire young gun Sarah Munn (17) continued her recent good form by winning the Women's Race in 19:08.

I Ran Around Arran

Well I ran some of it, the South 1 leg of the Around Arran Relays held on Sat July 25. I was part of one of three Bellahouston Road Runners teams that took part in the Isle of Arran race organised by Irvine AC. The leg, which was approximately 7.5 miles long, started at Blackwaterfoot and finished at the Lagg Hotel. The leg started with an uphill section from the harbour over the hills for approximately three miles before levelling off, dropping down at five miles and being undulating until about seven miles and then a sharp downhill section took us to the leg finish. The sun was scorching and the hills were more than a little testing but I managed to keep going, though I did have to continuously wipe or wash the sweat from burning my eyes. I'm so glad that a couple of locals had decided to provide cups of water to those running my leg.

It was extremely difficult but also a great occasion. There were 23 teams and I finished in 8th place, in a time of 55:50, ahead of the other two Bella teams but behind two of the three Killie teams.

Bella Belles won the Women's Race for at least the fourth year in succession, despite having a completely different team from last year. The event organisers, with a little help from their Arran friends, deserve huge congratulations for not only organising the race but also for transporting some 140 racers and officials to the four starting points around the island in time for the start of their legs and also for providing such a hearty spread of post race food and drinks. A special mention is due for those who took the time and effort to provide water stations to the runners as they struggled up some of the islands testing hills in the scorching heat.

Full Results: http://www.irvineac.co.uk/Seniors/Round%20Arran09.xls

It had been about 25 years since my last visit to Arran, when I participated in the recent Half Marathon and now a few weeks later I found myself back. The Half had also started at Blackwaterfoot but had headed north, along the same route as the North 1 leg of the relay. If I manage a different leg every year I should be able to run around the entire island by 2013.