It's Been a Good Year for the Roses

In 2010 I managed to run 65 races.  I finished the year with three races in three days and I even managed one week when I participated in five races in five days!  Although there were no exceptional results, there has been a steady improvement and my WAVA , which is now consistently above 70%  increased from my maximum of 73.78% last year to 75.19% this year.  

I had aimed to run at least one overseas race and achieved this by running in the Swiegi 5k in Malta and the Bangkok Mini Marathon (10k) in Thailand.  I had the pleasure of spending a week in France supporting and running with Mark Cooper in his quest to run 25 marathons in 25 days.  I also ran the Haweswater Half Marathon south of the Tweed. 

On a down note although I followed Hal Higdon’s 18 week marathon training programme, at an increased estimated finish time, I, once again, failed to actually run the marathon, despite having a free entry into the Loch Ness one.   The early rise and bus ride to the start of the race just didn’t appeal to me and watching those poor souls struggling in the May heat in the Edinburgh Marathon would put anyone off participating in such an event.  In 2009, I stated that I would like to lose that particular monkey off my back and clock a useful marathon PB.  Although I failed to deliver on this, the training plan did play a major role in allowing me to achieve PBs in ten other distances: 3k, 2.54miles, 3miles, 5k, 4.8mile, 5.5mile, 10k, 12k, 15k and Half Marathon.

I also stated that I would love to get a sub 40min 10k and a sub 20min 5k.  I knew that this would be a big ‘ask’ and regarded it more of an aspiration.  However I did make big strides towards these targets and have now ran two sub 43min 10ks (PB 42:30) and, after recording a PB of 20:06 @ 5k, now believe that a sub 20min 5k is within my grasp.  

I also said that it would be good to finish at least one race as first in my category.  I pointed out that this would be difficult as there are so many good runners out there.  However I did achieve it and not just the once but, in fact, five times, including twice in the one weekend.  Both races were held at Strathclyde Park and were the sixth Strathclyde parkrun, which I cycled some 25 miles there and back to place 15th overall and first MV50-54, with a time of 21:46.  The next day I returned to Motherwell and ran the MND Scotland Four Mile Fun Run in memory of my late sister Christine, who died of the terrible Motor Neurone disease.  I placed seventh overall and first MV50-54.  My last race of the year the Cambuslang XC 3k saw me being awarded the first veteran prize, a bottle of wine.

The year wasn’t injury free and I missed a couple of months training and a few races as a result of going over on my ankle, whilst walking!  However this did allow me to spend more time on my bike and I cycled a total of 2010k in the year 2010, much more than the 840k of 2009.  However my running was slightly down, dropping from 2476k last year to 2360k in the past twelve months.  Again I didn’t swim nearly as much as I would have liked to but running and cycling were my priorities.

Apart from the statistics I’ve really enjoyed most races, although not always during them.  I’ve forged some great friendships.  It’s been a privilege to represent the famous Kilmarnock Harriers and Athletics Club and I’ve made and forged many a friend and running buddy over the last twelve months, not least from the Glasgow and Strathclyde parkruns; Bellahouston Harriers and Road Runners; the various Ayrshire clubs and the Scots Vets. 

Of course the less glamorous side of running, as well as most sports, is the training which is done away from the limelight.  I usually train six days a week but seldom blog on it.  I do blog on my races though and have had many a positive comment from fellow runners on my ramblings.  Like many a blogger I worried that no one would read my stories.  In mid July, I added a counter to my blog and have been amazed that since then I have had over 10,200 hits!  My own visits to the blog aren’t counted, so I’d like to thank each and every one of you for visiting my Blog, may 2011 bring you what you seek and please continue to feel free to comment on my ramblings either on here or on my Facebook wall.

In 2011 I’ll be doing a photographic course on Saturday mornings so I won’t be doing as many parkruns but I still hope to improve my running times and get a few more PBs and aim to start the year by attempting to run three races on New Year’s Day, followed by one on the second. As every atheist knows we only live once, so make the most of it.

Cambuslang XC Race Reports - My 65th and final race of 2010.

Prize Wine

I had a great night out and a real good laugh and dance at Sammy Dow’s on Boxing Day, I had no intention of racing on Monday but when I awoke with a hangover and sore legs, I knew that a recovery run was required.  A quick look at the Ron Hill Cambuslang website revealed that there was a 3k option at their annual ‘Down by the River Race’ and although it had been changed to an ‘Around Cambuslang Rugby Pitch Race’ it was going ahead.  

I eventually found the Rugby Club, with the help of some kind locals, to discover that its car park had been transformed into an ice rink.  This didn’t bode well for the race.  In the clubhouse I met some weel kent faces including: local pair Stuart Gibson and Kirsty Grant; Helensburgh’s Jan Fellowes and Michele Hetherington; Bella Harriers Tom Keenan and David Hay; Motherwell’s Claire Barr; Victoria Park/CoG’s  Claire McCracken and ex running buddies Clare Blue and Julie Fitzpartrick.  Of course all of these were running in the longer race, which had been shortened from 10k to 7k.  I did think about changing my mind and doing the 7k instead but decided to be sensible for my third race in as many days.

I put on my spikes and gingerly made my way outside for my warm up before the pre race announcements.  The organisers apologised for the underfoot conditions advising that the slight thaw followed by last night’s freeze had made the course icy in parts.  They also explained that they had decided to start both races at the same time and asked for a show of hands from those running the 3k, nine tiny kids raised their arms and one adult before I meekly joined them.  With 26 participating in the longer race, 37 of us lined up for the 11am start. 

I started fairly quickly and then remembered that I was supposed to be doing a recovery run and slowed the pace significantly and watched as one runner after another overtook me, the last two being Julie Fitzpatrick and Clare Blue.  As I approached the end of my first lap, I decided to up the pace a little and managed to catch Clare and a little lad as we left the rugby pitch.  A bit further on I caught Julie and finished my two lap race just behind local youngster Rachel Black.  I looked at my Garmin and saw that my time was 11:57, a decent enough time for a 3k but there was no way I had run a sub 12min 3k, Garmin backed me up by revealing that the distance was in fact 2.6k. 

I had planned in doing a little further, so quickly removed my number and headed out to do a further lap, keeping to the left so that the racers could pass.  After my third lap, I chatted with the organisers, joked about my top ten finish and gave them a rendition of ‘Ross Mathie fae Cambuslang’.

The RHC web site reports:

First home in the 3K race was local lad and fast improving Jack McGregor in a time of 9m 57secs, ahead of Stuart Tytler in 10m 22secs. 1st Female home was Under 11 Rona Tytler of Kilbarchan AAC in 11m 13 secs, 1 second ahead of Rachel Black of RHC.

I then had the pleasure of encouraging the 7k runners down the final strait.   

Here’s the report of the 7k from the Ron Hill Cambuslang web site:

The 7k race was warming up nicely with the RHC trio of Stuart Gibson, Johnny MacNamara and Iain Reid breaking away whilst setting a very brisk pace. The following group turned out to be a battle of the vets with Denis Williams of Shettleston, Paul Thompson of Helensburgh and Frank Hurley of RHC all working hard. A little further back and Claire McCracken was running well to lead the ladies from Michelle Hetherington of Helensburgh, with Clare Barr of Motherwell and Kirsty Grant of RHC having a great battle for 3rd place.

Stuart Gibson had upped the pace on a number of occasions to open a gap on 3rd placed Iain Reid, but Johnnny MacNamara was proving somewhat more difficult to drop in 2nd place. However a small but decisive gap opened up as they both entered the last of the 5 laps, and Stuart ended up finishing 9secs ahead of Johnnny, with Iain 25 seconds further behind. Paul Thompson and Denis Williams had a ding dong battle throughout and a final push for the line saw Paul (1st V50) get the better of Denis (1st V40) in 4th and 5th positions respectively, with Frank Hurley having an excellent run not far behind. In his 1st race as a V60, Tam McPake of RHC had an excellent run to pick up 1st V60 prize.

Claire consolidated her fine run to finish over 1 minute ahead of 2nd place Michelle, whilst Clare got the better of Kirsty for 3rd place with only 2 seconds to spare. Maureen McVey of Giffnock was next lady home to claim the V45 prize, with youngster Mairi Brown of RHC running well to be 1st junior lady. Julie Fitzpatrick of Bellahouston RR was next home to collect 1st V35 prize, and Jan Fellowes of Helensburgh joined husband Paul Thompson as a prize winner by scooping 1st F55 prize.

I won....ish
Some hot complimentary food and drinks were laid on post race in the clubhouse and the prizes awarded, I hadn’t realised that the only other adult Stuart Tyler had finished second, for which he received a selection box, which meant that I was declared the first veteran and happily accepted my well earned bottle of wine.  It was good to see so many friends receiving prizes and to share some banter with running buddies before making my way back to Glasgow.

Well done to all concerned and a special thank you to the sponsors of both races (MacDet, Achilles Heel, Barnie & Freddie) who provided the many prizes, including a certain bottle of wine.

Full results:

XC 3k			Age	Indiv	Fin
Name	Club	Cat	Group	Time	Pos.
Jack McGregor	RHC	M	U15	09:57	1
Stuart Tytler	U/A	M	V50	10:22	2
Charlie Wighton	Kilbarchan	M	U15	10:35	3
Struan Paton	RHC	M	U11	10:36	4
Grant McGregor	RHC	M	U13	11:08	5
Fraser Ebbitt	RHC	M	U15	11:12	6
Drew Pollock	RHC	M	U11	11:12	7
Rona Tytler	Kilbarchan	F	U11	11:13	8
Rachel Black	RHC	F	U13	11:52	9
Ian Gouldie	Kilmarnock	M	V50	11:57	10
Christopher McLew	RHC	M	U11	12:29	11

Some Great Performances at Ayr Turkey Trot

My 64^th race of 2010 was the Ayr Turkey Trot: it’s a Kilmarnock Harrier Championship race; it’s in the town of my birth and it affords me the opportunity to pop into the Golf Inn in Prestwick to see my relatives, so there are plenty of reasons for running it.  That said, I had raced the day before and was hoping that it would be rerouted along the beach and be a bit of a lottery.  However I noticed a change in weather conditions south of Kilmarnock as I drove down the M77 and wasn’t too surprised to be informed that the race would be on the traditional route.  For the first time since the Bangkok Mini Marathon, I would be racing in my shorts and racing shoes along a road, although the temperature was slightly cooler.  There was a decent turnout from Killie, Troon, Ayr and the two Bellahouston Clubs as well as other weel kent faces from Girvan, Dumfries, Central, Edinburgh and other clubs.  I also spied the two Winchester runners who I recognised from the day before’s Glasgow parkrun.  

Determined Final Strait

After a brief warm up I lined up with 176 other runners on the Ayr promenade to listen to the pre race announcements between chats, of course!  At noon we were on our way, heading southwards with the Firth of Clyde on our right hand side.  I noticed that there was a lack of the usual suspects around me during the first kilometre and started to wonder if I had set off too fast for a 10k, given that all my recent races have been shorter.  A quick glance at my watch, as I approached the 1k mark, revealed that I was running at an average pace of 4min/k.  I was actually quite glad to see Paula Wilson and Suzanne McMahon overtake me.  However my attempt at sticking with them as we ran into the wind was fruitless and my second kilometre took around 4:20.  I tried to stick behind a couple of guys but they also outran me and, as usual, I ended up running at the front of a pack. The third kilometre took me a disappointing 4:27.  Not that 4:27 is, in itself, a bad pace for me, it’s just that it was almost half a minute slower than my first kilometre.  The route then turned left away from the sea and along the sheltered River Doon path for about 400 metres.  I could hear a female breathing heavily behind me and when we turned left onto Doonfoot Road and started running northwards I opened up a bit and managed to keep her at bay.  That said the fourth kilometre still took me 4:25.  I knew that this is the part of the course where I usually see the lead runners making their way back and thought how good it would be to reach the turn off point before seeing them.  It was not to be today though as I could see the lead cyclist making his way towards me in front of an unknown to me racer who was storming along.  Behind him it was Kerry Liam Wilson and then Jeff Farquhar, I congratulated Jeff and then spotted Colin McGill running on his tail and congratulated him too.  Next in line for congratulations was Scott Kennedy, whose wife Linda seemed to be popping up everywhere offering me encouragement.  

At 4.5k the route does a loop of a housing estate and as we turned left I noticed that it was Troon’s Natalie Fleming that was running right behind me.  I’ve raced against her a couple of times and although she had beaten me at last week’s Harriers v Cyclists race, I was confident that I could beat her.  The fifth kilometre had taken me/us 4:19 and we had reached the halfway point in 21:35.  Although I had lost sight of Paula and Suzanne as we ran round the houses, I could see the red haired Bella Harrier Ruairidh MacDonald in front of us.  We rejoined Doonfoot Road at 5.5km and as we approached Ruairidh, Natalie made her move and overtook me and him.  I was kind of relieved that she had finally past me and relaxed for a moment or two before refocusing and catching Ruairdh.  I caught Natalie but she wasn’t for giving up and we ran along shoulder to shoulder for a while.  The sixth kilometre had taken us 4:24.  I edged in front as we entered the River Doon path but she kept right on my tail and we took 4:21 for the seventh kilometre.  I could see Suzanne ahead of me and Paula well in front of her.  I was thinking that I might be able to finish one place behind Suzanne when I heard a man’s footsteps behind me.  I lifted the pace slightly but it wasn’t long before I was overtaken by John Hagemeiser and Bernie O’Neil running shoulder to shoulder.  I made a cheeky attempt at catching them but they were too fast for me and I had to settle in behind them.  The eighth kilometre had taken 4:13 and I had managed to shake off Natalie.  John was running great and he soon left Bernie behind and she did the same to me.  There were a couple of guys ahead (Chris and Alasdair James) who seemed to be slowing and although I thought I might be able to catch them I tried to ignore them and focus on the stronger runners instead. Not surprisingly my pace dropped and the ninth kilometre took 4:21.  One kilometre to go and no surprises ahead, I gave it my all and could hear cries of “Great run, Ian” and “Well done, Ian Goudie” as I managed to catch Chris James and crossed the line in 42:45, a final kilometre of 3:50, only my third time under 43mins and a negative split to boot!

Paula had run a great race to place second female vet, behind Avril Mason, with Suzanne third in the same category.  I had placed fifth in my category, which isn’t bad when you think that it contains Jeff Farquhar and Al MacLachlan.

First across the line was Central AC’s tri-athlete David McNamee in 31:58, with Kerry Liam Wilson in runner up spot in 32:39 and Colin McGill third in 33:34. Jeff Farquhar was fourth and first super vet in 33:38 and Scot Kennedy was fifth and took the first vet prize in 34:47.  Kilmarnock’s Matt Ferguson being the first classic (V60+) in 44:27.

Natalie Fleming

In the women’s race Edinburgh’s Sarah Hood was first (eighth overall) in 36:09, followed by Alison Docherty (10^th overall) in 36:17 and Toni McIntosh  third (19^th overall) in 37:43. Louise Hill Stirling broke the 40min hurdle for the first time to win first junior prize in 39:14, whilst Toni’s mum Trish won the classic race (V55+) in a time of 56:33.

Selected results:

42 760 Paula Wilson Kilmarnock Hars F35-44, 41:50

 47 778 John Hagemeister Male 18-39 42:24

48 733 Suzanne McMahon Bellahouston Harriers F35-44, 42:29

49 776 Bernadette O'Neil Bellahouston Harriers F35-44, 42:37

51 841 Ian Goudie Kilmarnock Harrs Male 50-59, 42:45

53 795 Natalie Fleming Troon Tortoises F18-34 42:57

55 769 Ruairidh MacDonald Bellahouston Harriers Male 18-39, 43:25

Full Results

Congratulations to everyone who participated, marshalled, supported, organised or provided the lovely post race spread.

Johnny Cash Man In Black

A timely reminder of what Jesus actually preached and to take a moment to think of the less fortunate people in the world today and absent friends.

Runners Flood to Pollok Park

Start

The BBC Weather site predicted that the temperature would drop to -9C by the time the 102^nd Glasgow parkrun set off on Christmas morning.  I was pleasantly surprised to see that there were 86 other runners, compared to a total of 30 at last year’s event.  The road was icy and I skidded a few times as I made my way along to Pollok Park.  I panicked for a moment looking for my barcode before finding it below the driver’s seat in my car.  Panic over, I had a quick warm up and exchanged festive greetings with friends and running buddies as we listened to the pre race announcements.  No barking dogs this week, although there were a few dogs on leads and at least one runner dressed up as a hound (Scooby-Doo).  This week I started near the front and was surprised to stay there for a while as we ascended the hill for the first of ten times.  However as I approached the top I was overtaken by a deluge of elite runners.  I did think about giving it my all and trying to hang on to the tail-enders but, with Boxing Day’s Ayr Turkey Trot in mind, I decided against it.  That’s not to say I didn’t work hard, just that I could have worked harder.  We ran along the ridge and then made our way down the first hill and around the marshal, Stuart McBeath.  “Well done Allan” I heard him say and, as I turned and made my way up the hill for the second time, I could hear someone breathing heavily behind me.  A little later Alan Dempster overtook me, I hung on to his tail up the hill and through the trees before overtaken him on the narrow downhill trail through the woods.  A sharp right turn and the marshals were encouraging us up the hill for a third time.   I knew that he would be close behind so I did my best to hold him off as we ran the second of five laps.  At the start of the third lap, I was caught by Toni McIntosh who said that we were almost half way round the course and asked me if I thought I was going to beat her today as she passed by with Suzanne McMahon chasing after her.  I kept to my task and managed to get round lap three and four without Alan catching me again, which was a bit of a surprise as I seemed to struggle going up the hill for the seventh time.  Alan’s quite a bit younger than me and I was expecting him to have a strong finish so I worked hard on the fifth lap.  There was half a lap to go as I turned around Stuart for the last time, I made my way up the hill for the last time and noticed Alan running down a good bit behind.  No room for complacency though and I transcended the hill for the last time with a large gap in front of me.  I was able to increase the pace as I ran down through the woods towards the end and spied Bellahouston Harrier Matt Brown looking over his shoulder as I closed the gap on him. Around the last marshal and a sprint took me over the finish line in a time of 24:29, three seconds behind Matt and in 23^rd place, ten places better and 97 seconds faster than last week. 

Finish

Alan finished in 32^nd spot with 25:29, with Tom Keenan placing 29^th with 24:56.  Toni, who was saving herself for the Ayr race, finished as third woman (17^th overall) in 23:21, with Suzanne, who is also running at Ayr, fourth (19^th overall) in 23:50.

I had been lapped by two runners today, young Luke Traynor, who won in an amazing time of 17:42 and runner up Jo Fulmar who finished, almost two minutes, later in 19:42.  Russell Whittington placed third with 20:44, one place ahead of the women’s race winner Jill Smylie, who completed the snow covered course in 21:29.  Ruth Joss crossed the line as second woman but as she had no barcode the silver medal went to Winchester’s Sandra Bowers (14^th overall) with a time of 22:38.  

A number of runners and volunteers had brought along mince pies, coffee, mulled wine, chocolates and home baking which we gladly consumed with our post race banter and festive mutterings.  A huge thanks to everyone involved for such a great event.

PS I checked my race portfolio on Fetch to discover that this was actually my 63^rd race of 2010, meaning that I have surpassed my record of 62 established last year.

PPS I was later disturbed by my deaf neighbour who hammered on my door and informed me that her flat was being flooded from above and that her upstairs neighbour was on holiday.  I managed to trace down an emergency plumber who was able to turn off the flat’s water valve from the close.  Job done, well it is Christmas.

Splits:
1)  - 4:57
2)  - 4:56
3)  - 5:04
4)   - 5:10
5)  -  4:22
Results
Pics by Jim Buick

Hughy at Sammy's and Irvine too.....

I had a bit of a night on Saturday being ‘entertained’ in Sammy’s by Hughy Broon and the Bullets, I really enjoyed it at the time but I was paying for it when I woke up on Sunday morning. I checked the time of Irvine AC’s Harriers v Cyclists Cross Country and decided that I would be as well making my way down to the Ayrshire coast than lying in my pit nursing my hangover.


I managed to get to Irvine Sports Club on time and registered for the race. I couldn’t quite recall my Scottish Athletics number so guessed it. I didn’t realise that some race organisers have software that automatically logs your name, address, club etc from your SA number, so if I hadn’t later informed the organisers of my correct number I would have been registered as someone who runs for Moray Road Runners!

After a ‘warm up’ I lined up with 51 other runners and cyclists as Jim Stevenson delivered the pre race announcements and warned us of the underfoot conditions. After a couple of photos we set off at 1pm, I had decided to take it easy and started near the back of the field. Although it was cold and frosty, the snow was softer than the frozen neige which I had become accustomed to in Glasgow in recent weeks. Although I hadn’t run this race before, I knew that it was a cross country event and wore my trail shoes for the second day in a row. What I didn’t know was that the race also included a number of man made hurdles and it wasn’t long until I found myself having to jump over car tyres and leap over show jump style fences. The assault course then went up hill onto the road and the icy pavement took us over a bridge. I was running ‘naked’ as I had forgotten to recharge my Garmin so I had no idea but my pace or distance covered. Troon Tortoise, Ian McNee overtook me, briefly, on the bridge, with his club mate Natalie Fleming just behind him. This gave me the incentive to raise my game and I immediately returned the favour. Killie Captain, Liz McDerment was about 200 metres in front of me and, for the next while, that’s how it stayed: Liz doing the hard work and navigating her way around the tricky course, with me following and Ian and Nat pushing me on from behind. Although we narrowed the gap on Liz, there was little opportunity to overtake her in the narrow trails on the Irvine moors, and I had no desire to lead the pack. However when we crossed a pavement Ian and Nat made their move and overtook us, I overtook Liz and followed the Troon pair around for the remainder of the race. Up and down and round and round the course took us, with Jim Stevenson and his band of merry marshals appearing every so often, revealing that the course included a number of loops. I panicked a couple of times when I lost sight of Ian and Nat before remembering which way the course had taken us previously, I was also feeling sick as the combination of excess alcohol and exercise took their toll. Finally Jim informed me that I was nearing the end of the race and directed me out of the moors and back to whence we had originally started. It was here that I noticed the iconic building which is Irvine Royal Academy and immediately recalled that I had participated in a cross country race here once before, about 38 years ago, when I was still at school.

We were directed along a path and then a steep decline almost took us sliding onto the frozen River Irvine before a sharp left took us under a bridge and downhill towards the fences and tyres. Liz had kept on my tails since I caught her and although I was now concentrating on closing the gap on Nat in front of me I was well aware of her pushing me on, whist I continued to feel sicker and sicker.

Encouraged home by supporters and those that had already finished, I managed to cross the line in 42nd place in a time of 40:08, nine seconds behind Nat and five seconds in front of Liz. After brief congratulatory hugs and hand shakes, I made my way behind a container to be sick before freshening up and heading in doors for a much needed hot cup of sugary tea.

The cyclists had won the day with three of them: Gareth Barnes; Scott Russell and Jim Goldie finishing before the local club’s David Millar and cyclist Lorna Sloan narrowly beating Kara Tait in the women’s event. However in true reflection of Ayrshire hospitality there were prizes for all finishers.

The journey back up the M77 was a little bit tricky as the snow descended but it didn’t deflect from what had been a great day and my 61st race of 2010.

Results

Irvine Herald Photos Here

Photos courtesy of Walkers Cycling Club

Snow Covered Lapland

Pic by Chris Upson

The BBC Weather site warned me that when the 101^st Glasgow parkrun started at 9:30am the temperature would be -7C, so I wrapped up well and headed through the snow and ice to Pollok Park.  I was surprised to be joined by another 103 runners, as we hurdled together to keep warm whilst Alan’s attempt at giving us our pre-race information was drowned out by the sound of dogs barking loudly. 

This week’s event had a Christmas theme and I was adorned in a Santa hat with plaited white pigtails.  Diane Mayes, who I had met at work on Thursday, introduced herself, in her full Santa outfit, including hat and beard.  With another race scheduled for Sunday and the day’s conditions, I had decided to take it easy and started well back in the field.  Today’s alternative course was in the field next to the Burrell and consisted of five undulating laps.  It was quite congested as we ran up the hill towards the wooden gazebo for the first of ten times so I left the group I was in and ran in the gap in front.  We turned left at the gazebo, ran along to the end of the field and then left again down the hill.  I was surprised to see Niall McAlinden and Chris Upson running in the opposite direction and for a moment thought that they had decided to give the parkrun a miss and do their own thing, until I saw other runners and realised that the course did a U-turn at the bottom and that Niall and Chris were leading the race.

I followed them back up to the gazebo and was marshalled off to the left, through some trees and then a sharp right took us down a trail towards the Start and the end of the first kilometre/lap.  Another runner dressed in the same hat as me had overtaken me but I caught her as we started our second lap up the hill.  She enquired if I was “Ian” and when I responded positively we had a chat about my recent holiday, which she must have read about on facebook or my blog.  She introduced herself as Clare Macaulay and we helped each other as we repeatedly ran up and down the hill.  As we started our fourth lap Niall and Chris lapped us, on their final lap.  No one else lapped but it was getting a bit confusing as we started to lap numerous other runners before we completed our fifth and last lap.

I completed my 60th race of 2010 in 33^rd spot with a time of 26:10, with Clare 36^th in 26:48.    

Niall finished first in 18:31, Chris was second in 18:47 and a hungover Al MacLachlan third in 22:09.  Ellie Homewood was next and first woman in 22:12, Suzanne McMahon was second woman and 18^th overall with a time of 24:07 and Maureen McVey third and 22^nd overall in 24:07.

I congratulated the other finishers as I waited for Diane, who crossed the line in 93^rd place in 34:50, before joining the queue to hand in our vouchers and have our barcodes scanned.  I then joined with the others making their way into the warmth of the Burrell café for the usual post race hot drinks and banter.

Results

Bellahouston Harriers Handicap, Mulled Wine and Mince Pies

My friends at Bellahouston Harriers had 'kindly' invited me along to participate in their Club Christmas Two Mile Handicap for my second race of the weekend and my 59th of the year. Although the race started at 13:30, there was still plenty of ice and frost on the road through Pollok Park and the organisers decided on a 3k route instead of the usual course. They did however fail to mention the new distance to competitors.  My handicap, provided by Brian Douglas and Mathew Brown, was based on my best Glasgow parkrun time and, as expected, I was put in the same group as Bernie O’Neil and Erica Christie and joined by Howie Scott. We must have been one of the largest groups, as the runners before us were set off individually and then in groups of two or three.

Approaching the Finish

When our time came, we were set off along the icy road. I was surprised to establish an early lead and leave the others behind. Given that it was part of their Club Winter Championship and only a ‘fun run’ for me, I was expecting fierce competition from Erica and Bernie, with Howie being an unknown quantity to me. I thought perhaps that I had set off too quickly and would make a fool of myself when the others caught me later on. However Garmin informed me that I had ran the first kilometre in 4mins dead. After this I started to see some of the earlier leavers coming towards me in the ‘out and back’ course. I slowed down as I approached the turning point and managed to turn around without falling. I was now heading back and was surprised to see that the next person behind me wasn’t Bernie or Erica, or even Howie but was ‘Graham’ who must have set off in the group behind us! Perhaps the others had showed the conditions too much respect.

Shortly after the turn, I managed to catch John Softley and was content to have gained one place. I could see young Kristina Greig but she was a good bit in front of me. The second kilometre had taken 4:14. All the time I could hear Graham behind me, so I wasn’t surprised in the slightest when he passed me. Although he was clearly running well, I did manage to slip in behind him and increase my pace a bit. I had now gained one place but also lost one. The gap between Kristina and I had now narrowed and as we turned left and ran downhill between the horse fields I managed to catch her. I had gained another place. I wasn’t sure if Kristina had responded or not but I pushed in hard up the wee hill and turned right into the final strait. There was still a bit to go but I held on to cross the line in an acceptable time of 11:54.

Fellow guest runner, Luke Traynor ran the fastest time and Suzanne McMahon was the fastest woman and best baker. (Full results to follow)

A quick wash and stretch and I was in the bar enjoying the post race banter, mulled wine and mince pies before picking up a bottle of Green and Blacks Organic Red Wine for my efforts and heading homeward through the icy fog.

Huge thanks to everyone involved in the event for a great time.

Strathclyde parkrun in the ice, snow, slush, mud and puddles......

DSC_2032
Originally uploaded by Ross_Goodman

I was surprised to find out, on Friday, that after 100 consecutive
races, the Glasgow Parkrun was cancelled. The snow and ice had taken its toll on both the usual and off-road courses and although Edinburgh and Strathclyde parkruns were still scheduled to go ahead, I had no petrol and the local garages had closed due to lack of deliveries. I didn’t need too much persuasion to take advantage of an unusual race free Saturday and head out to Sammy Dow’s on Friday night.


I woke up at the usual early hour on Saturday and with my decision making faculties impaired, by the previous evening’s alcohol consumption, decided to head to Strathclyde Park. However my first task was to find some fuel, unfortunately BP and Shell let me down but Morrison’s came to the rescue. I was also on the lookout for some fuel for myself and although I was thinking of Irn Bru or Lucozade, a Bogof special on Gatorade convinced me otherwise. Fuelled up, I was soon heading into the glorious morning sunrise over Motherwell.

I arrived at Scotland’s Theme Park and was pleasantly surprised to meet Chris Upson and Ellie Homewood, who I immediately pencilled in as probable winners of the day’s 5k event. I then bumped into, birthday girl, Kirsty Grant; Ada Stewart, on her way to the toilet; Gordon McDonald, running in his 50th parkrun; John Gilhooly, my tip for the M50 event; and ex- neighbour, Angela Campbell.

After a warm up along the side of the frozen loch, I lined up with 35 other hardy souls under the stewardship of Ross Goodman and was warned that the course was covered with snow and ice and that, as usual, we would be running the course at our own risk.

We set off along the icy grass and I watched as Chris Upson, dressed only in shorts and vest, took an early lead. I found myself running behind John Gilhooly and wasn’t surprised at all when Ellie overtook me. I was astonished to pass the 1k marker in a time of 3:48 and thought for a second or two that a PB may be on the cards. However I was soon grounded as two runners in quick succession passed me. Soon after this the course developed into a mixture of ice, snow, slush, grass, mud and puddles of various depths. I was glad that there were people in front of me that I could watch as they negotiated the elements. I was disappointed but not surprised to look at my watch and learn that the second kilometre had taken around 5mins. However I could still see John Gilhooly upfront, although he had now overtaken a junior runner and was three places ahead of me. It wasn’t long until Moira Nicol was marshalling us onto the grass, to protect us from the icy path. We turned around and now had a further option of loch side pebbles to run on as we made our way back. I noticed tail runner Jammy Jo Smith heading in the opposite direction and then Ada Stewart behind him! She had missed the Start.

I successfully negotiated the conditions back to the safer part of the course without being overtaken. I could hear someone close behind me though and increased the pace for the last 1.5k or so, focussing, as usual, on the person two places ahead of me. I crossed the line in twelfth position, with a time of 22:43. Garmin revealed, that as I had suspected, the 1st k mark was short and my splits were actually: 4:08; 4:40; 4:49; 4:47 and 4:09.

As predicted Chris had won the race, despite having a bad fall, Ellie had won the women’s race and John Gilhooly had finished first M50.  I then headed back to the Waterfront Cafe for post race chat and hot drinks before giving Angela a lift back to the south side of Glasgow and then home for a well deserved brunch.  

Ross Goodman's Slide Show
Full results:
1 Chris UPSON 18:07 VM45-49 79.48 % M1 Westerlands CCC
2 Ross MACKENZIE 19:01 SM25-29 67.92 % M2 
3 Neil GREEN 19:22 VM40-44 71.51 % M3 Calderglen Harriers
4 Michael Dylan BRAWLEY 19:45 SM35-39 66.75 % M4 Hamilton Harriers
5 Stuart MACGREGOR 20:18 VM40-44 69.29 % M5
6 Ellie HOMEWOOD 20:34 SW30-34 72.29 % F1 Westerlands CCC
7 John GILHOOLY 20:47 VM50-54 71.53 % M6
8 Robert ROSSBOROUGH (JNR) 20:58 SM25-29 61.61 % M7 Clydesdale
9 Alan HUME 21:07 SM30-34 62.12 % M8 Central AC
10 Dean STEVENSON 22:15 JM14 63.75 % M9
11 Kenneth S MCFARLANE 22:23 SM30-34 57.93 % M 10
12 Ian GOUDIE 22:43 VM50-54 66.54 % M11 Kilmarnock Harriers and AC
13 Ian DEVOY 23:29 VM45-49 61.32 % M12 Strathaven Striders
14 Kirsty GRANT 23:51 SW25-29 62.05 % F2 Ronhill Cambuslang
15 John CONNOR 23:52 VM50-54 62.29 % M13
16 Chris TALLO 23:55 SM30-34 54.84 % M14
17 John MOFFAT 24:01 VM40-44 57.67 % M15 jogscotland
18 Iain THOMPSON 24:22 VM50-54 61.49 % M16
19 Paul KEENAN 24:53 VM40-44 55.26 % M17
20 Russell COUPER 25:23 VM45-49 55.88 % M18 Calderglen Harriers
21 Craigy SIMPSON 25:33 VM50-54 57.73 % M19
22 Margaret GEBBIE 25:45 VW35-39 58.32 % F3
23 Gordon MCDONALD 25:50 VM55-59 59.48 % M20 Kirkintilloch
24 Paul ROBERTS 26:49 VM40-44 52.08 % M21
25 Neil ASH 27:22 VM50-54 53.90 % M22
26 Andrew KINNEN 27:24 SM20-24 47.57 % M23
27 Angela CAMPBELL 27:32 SW30-34 53.87 % F4 Bellahouston Harriers
28 Derek JESSAMINE 27:38 VM40-44 49.40 % M24
29 Martin CLARKE 28:30 SM35-39 46.84 % M25
30 Davie EASTON 28:51 SM35-39 46.62 % M26
31 Ross Colville GLOVER  29:11 SM35-39 46.09 % M27
32 Lynne ALLAN 29:23 VW45-49 54.34 % F5
33 Frank RAFFERTY 30:26 VM45-49 47.70 % M28
34 Graham HAMILTON 30:38 VM50-54 48.91 % M29
35 Ada STEWART 30:40 VW45-49 53.21 % F6 Kirkintilloch Olympians
36 Stephen MCSHANE 30:47 VM40-44 45.37 % M30
37 Jammy Jo SMITH 30:50 VM50-54 49.03 % M31 jogscotland

What a difference a week makes

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Originally uploaded by GammyKnee

Ok two weeks but you get the point.........

Cold Bath in Queens Park

Cold Bath
Originally uploaded by Heilster Hieroglyphics

I took this photo in Queens Park on Sunday afternoon, you've got to hand it to the Scottish weans for their ingenuity.

Thailand Holiday Snaps

Some pics of my holiday in Thailand

Steady Improvement in the Snow

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Originally uploaded by GammyKnee

After my exploits in the hot Thai sun it was back to the extreme Scottish cold.  After travelling for 24 hours I had no idea how I would fare at the  100th Glasgow parkrun on Saturday 4th Dec 2010.  The early winter weather had meant that the special parkrun could not be held along the usual route but would have to take place on an alternative, three lap, off road route instead.  Some 138 runners lined up, supported and assisted by 22 volunteers, at the alternative start line before heading out around the snow covered course.  I sprinted off, for about 20 metres before feeling the tiredness kick in.  I thought that I might have been able to stick in behind Claire Barr when she passed me but she was running really well and I had no chance.  I warmed up sufficiently after the first lap to discard my jacket however it wasn't long into the second lap when both Suzanne McMahon and Ewan McDonald overtook me.  Both are sub 20minute Glasgow parkrunners, so I was a bit surprised when I was able to catch Ewan almost immediately and hung on behind Suzanne for a wee while before her class showed and the gap increased as she worked her way through the field.  I managed to keep Ewan at bay, despite a number of times when he closed the gap that much that I could hear him breathing right behind me.  Near the end of the third lap I was catching up on Martin Myant, I wasn't sure if I'd be able to catch him before the line but I gave it a shot and dug deep in an effort to catch him.  However as I caught him, he responded well and managed to hold me off.  We both overtook, parkrun first timer, Graham Thom as we battled it out to the finish.  I congratulated Martin, Suzanne, Graham, Ewan and others before making my way to the barcode station.  I had placed 49th, with an acceptable time, for the conditions, of 25:51.  Garmin revealed that I had run the first kilometre in 5:26, followed by 5:14; 5:13; 4:55 and a final kilometre of 4:50.

The encouragement from the marshals and others was second to none, with many commenting that I must be feeling the cold worse than others given my recent trip. (Ewan was using the 5k as part of a longer run, as he is training for the Highland Fling)

After a short warm down it was off to  packed Burrell Cafe, where birthday cake, tea and coffee was consumed with much post race banter and awards where handed out to, well deserving, Al McLauchlan and Nicola Kincaird for winning the annual men's points and the women's points tables respectively.  It's good to be back.
 

Thanks to 'GammyKnee' for the photo.

Steady Improvement in the Sunshine

I’ve been holidaying in the Seaview Hotel which is at the southernmost point of Patong beach.  Every morning I run along the sun kissed beach from the hotel to the northernmost point, turn and run back to the pier.  I warm down back to the hotel, where a cool...ish shower and a dip in the pool awaits me before a rewarding breakfast.  I leave the hotel about 8:30 each morning and my beach run is around 5.2km long and is a great start to the day.  It’s not the easiest of runs, as like the Strathclyde parkrun, once I reach the end and turn around it I can see the end point way in the distance.   

The temperature seems to be rising slightly every day and the patchy clouds of the first morning have been replaced with clear blue skies and sunshine.  My first run was at an average pace of 5:24min/km and as I’ve acclimatised and rediscovered some of my fitness my pace has increased every day: 5:01; 4:53; 4:51 and 4:40 this morning.   Hopefully I'll get the benefit from training in the heat when I return to the cooler climate of Auld Scotia but in the meantime where’s the suntan lotion?

Bangkok Bridges in the Heat

I injured myself at the Glasgow parkrun on 13 November.  I couldn’t believe it.  I’ve ran over 50 races this year and one week before the Bangkok Mini Marathon, I pulled muscles in both legs.  I wasn’t able to run at all however I hoped that the rest would allow the injuries to clear in time for Bangkok.  It wasn’t until I turned up at the Marathon Expo on the day before the event that I started to feel in the mood to race, despite now having my runners' t-shirt and being advised that only Full Marathon runners would receive the impressive looking medal on display.

I had a quiet night on Saturday, a chicken and cashew Thai meal with rice and a walk through the humid streets and lanes before returning to the hotel to watch Spurs sensational comeback against Arsenal and their grumpy manager.  I booked a 5am morning call and slept off and on until the telephone awoke me.  A couple of bits of fruit, some water and a cup of tea and I headed to reception for a quick photo and taxi to the race start.

The race was due to commence at 6:15am, with sunrise due at 6:20. We reached the entrance at about 6.00am. However the taxi driver didn’t have any change and wanted to drive around to find a shop or some other place that we could get change.  I told him that I had no time and would leave the fare at the hotel as I left the Toyota and headed towards the start area.  

There were loads of people walking towards the Start, in fact I was the only one running as I warmed up.  The setting was amazing as I ran along Sanam Chai Road, in front of the ancient Royal Grand Palace and Temple of the Emerald Bhuda (Wat Prakaew).  I’ve no idea how many people there were slowly making their way to the Start point under arch 2 but there were loads!  Although some would be competing in the 5k race at 6:25am, there were still masses lining up for the 10k ‘mini marathon’.   I was proudly wearing my brightly coloured yellow Scottish Veterans vest and had covered my brow in Vaseline to keep the sweat out of my eyes.   I asked an English lass, who was running the 10k, why she didn’t join the throngs beside us, to which she replied that she didn’t want to be knocked over by all the fast runners.  There was no chip for the race and I didn’t want to start too far back so I joined the runners in front of the official announcer.  I couldn’t believe when she introduced no less than twelve dignitaries onto the stage to officially start the race. 

It wasn’t long until the hooters, all twelve of them, were sounded, balloons set off and the runners started to make their way around the course.  Everyone around me was walking and I was happy to do so as well until I crossed the official line and started my Garmin.  I then had to weave my way through the walkers, slow runners and marching bands as I tried to find my own pace.  It took a whole kilometre before I was able to run freely.  Giving the congesting, I wasn’t too disappointed with my time of 5:05.  However I looked up to see the runners in front making their way upwards on Phra Pin klao Bridge.  I seemed to be the only one carrying a water bottle and I took my last drink and poured the remaining, now warm, water over my head.  An Asian runner commented to me that it was very hot.  Coming from Scotland, I knew that!  I also knew that there were water stops approximately every two kilometres.  The first one was approaching and I dropped my left hand to pick up the last cardboard cup of water on the set of tables but I missed!  I couldn’t believe it, I didn’t even touch it.  I was a bit concerned that the heat was already taking its toll on my senses but no problem there would be another water stop.  I could now see the faster runners making their way back from the turning point at the PATA Department Store.  I was still overtaking loads of people and was feeling tired but confident. No real problems with either injured leg.  My second kilometre was perhaps too quick for the conditions as I completed it in 4:45.  I had it in my mind a target of just below 50mins.  It wasn’t long until I had reached the turn round point and was heading back into the gorgeous new moon. My third k had taken 4.58.   I could see the masses of runners behind me as they made their way outwards before I turned left and I headed towards Rama 8 Bridge.  I had noticed this particular bridge with its distinctive pyramid shape from my river cruise on Friday night.  The temperature seemed to be rising significantly and I was glad to reach the next water stop to replace some of my lost fluids and to pour some more water over my head.    The fourth k had taken 4:44.   I could see quite a lot of runners walking at this stage and although tiring quickly I was in good fettle as I was still making my way through the field, however I was concerned that this pace would take its toll in the second half of the race.  Up and over the bridge, I ran and then spied the first marker of the race 4k! No way, my Garmin had made this the 5k point and I had definitely reset it after my warm up.  Perhaps so many people had been walking at the start as the official race didn’t start for a kilometre. There was no real room for people to warm up before the race and maybe this was how they done it.  Nah, it couldn’t be.  I had taken around 25mins and had run 5k, the fifth k taken 4:54.  Maybe the race was 11k I thought.  Whatever the reason was all I could do was try to maintain a pace that would see me run my 10k in around 50mins, I was enjoying the event but the thought of having to run another kilometre on top was not appealing.   I stuck behind a couple of local runners wearing Bridgestone vests for a little while before overtaking them and a few others at the junction of Phrasumane Road.    

I was visibly slowing now but it appeared that everyone else was too as I was still making some progress, despite my sixth k taken 5:10.  The seventh k was a struggle. It took me 5:11 and I started to reappraise my 50min initial target and would now be happy to complete the race with resorting to walking.  I stopped at the next water stop, the cup was full of iced water and again I drunk some and poured the rest over my head.  The Vaseline was now no longer effective and the sweat was starting to burn my eyes.  I took in a few deep breadths to fill my lungs before running under the bridge and turning left at the National Theatre.  I was continuing to slow and the eighth k had taken 5:15.  We made our way around past Tharmmaset University, I was slowing even more,  the two Strongbridge ruuners  and probably a few others had overtaken me but I felt quite positive as I was catching others who must have been tiring too, despite taken over 5:49 for my ninth kilometre.   However the sign said 8K!!  Was there one kilometre or two to go?  Que serra, serra, I thought and comforted myself with the knowledge that at least the last part of the course would be entirely flat.  I ran past the Royal Grand Palace and turned left at Wat Phro. I was approaching Sanamchai Road now and could see the tail end of the 5k walkers making their way along to their Start line.  As I turned the corner I joined the filter of 10k runners being directed to the right.  I could see some people lining the route ahead and wondered how much further was to go.  A couple of people sprinted past me as I realised that this was in fact the Finish line, I increased the pace slightly for the last few metres and stopped my watch as I crossed the line.  I was pleasantly surprised to read a total time of 48:42.  

I was shattered and the sweat was still pouring out of me as I was directed along into the grounds of the Ministry of Defence.  My number was scored with a highlighter pen and I was giving a couple of tokens abd a medal.  I didn't expect a medalas I had been told that these were only for full marathon finishers.  I noticed a western woman lying on the ground and I enquired if she was OK. She had run the full marathon and was feeling sick but was all right.  I must have been diverted into the full marathon finishers area by mistake, that would explain my medal.  I was also feeling sick.  I wasn’t sure about eating any food which was being donated by McDonalds, I don’t think I could have eaten anything, let alone a Big Mac.  However I handed my token in and received a dish which looked to be some sort of Thai fish stew or soup.  Full of protein no doubt but not great if you’re feeling sick, so I placed mine in the nearest bin and headed for the exit point. 

I was extremely lucky, being able to flag down a taxi immediately. I felt a bit sorry for him as I sat there with the sweat continuing to pour out of me.  I handed him a slip from the hotel with its address in Thai. He almost made it to Soi 5 where the hotel is but took a wrong turn and headed up a one way road.  He offered to let me off there but guess what, he didn’t have any change.  I thought about getting out but we drove around until we found a shop where I managed to get some change. After a long detour we arrived on the other side of the road to the junction of Soi 5 and I got out. I gave him 100 Bhat, this was less than the meter said and I explained that it wasn’t my fault that he had taken a long detour.

I then jogged back to the Hotel for a cool down dip in the pool before turning on the TV to watch the Delhi Marathon and associated races which were being run in a comfortable 18c.  I’ll maybe try one of these sometime.

All and all the Bangkok Mini Marathon was a good race with a great starting and finishing point, however with much of it being over two road bridges there was no support for most of the course, a bit of a shame really in a city of some ten million people.  I’m glad I ran it and I've got a lovely medal to prove it.

With around 10,000 runners it was the largest 10k race I've participated in, I was well placed but with no results recorded, I'll never know how well. If you ever do it don't forget to take your Garmin.

Pics to follow.