The Strange Case of the Paisley 10k

Nine thirty pm arrived on Saturday night and brought with it Mr Hyde. "Why race tomorrow?" He asked. "Remember how tired you felt after Irvine? You have the Glasgow Half next week, take a weekend off. Have some wine and snacks and watch Wallender and the football programmes, there will be plenty of other chances to run the Paisley 10k".

I found his arguments to be persuasive and decided to follow his advice.
However when I awoke on Sunday, I couldn’t resist the temptation to make my way along to Paisley. As soon as I arrived in Scotland’s largest town and caught sight of other runners making their way to the Start, I knew I had made the correct decision. There’s something about the expression on other runners faces as each and every one of them has a different reason for participating in a race. Paisley is also a bit special in that the race starts and finishes in the town centre itself. The organisers make a day of it with various other activities taking place and Rock Radio providing the music.

1k down 9k to go. (pic by Bryan Lamb)

It’s a chipped race, so unless you are seeking a Power of 10 recognised time, it doesn’t matter too much where you start in the field. I started quite far back, just in front of Calimero, and it took us some fifteen seconds to cross the Start line, encouraged by the theme track to Chariots of Fire. The first lap does a lap of the town centre, skirting around the outside of the Town Hall and Paisley Abbey before heading up Moss Street and leftwards onto St James Street and then Underwood Road. The route then turns right, along Greenhill Road and past St Mirren’s new football stadium.
It was one of those bright autumn mornings, warm in the sun but cold in the shade and very windy. I was glad that I was wearing my sunglasses as I made my way along heading into the sunshine. My first kilometre had taken 4:34 and I was comfortable at that pace, so I decided to go for just under 45 minutes. The first part of the race was very congested and it didn’t really settle down for about one mile. My second kilometre had taken 4:29. However by the time I reached Ferguslie Park Avenue, I had settled into my run. My third kilometre had taken 4:32. I was slightly surprised to overtake Halfways, as I know that he has been running at 45:30-46min 10ks of late. After sharing brief words of encouragement I headed along the road avoiding the mass of runners on the pavement. My pace had slipped a little, clocking 4:35 for my fourth k. We ran into Barskiven Road and I spied Clydesdale’s Watson Jones ahead and decided he would be my next target. My fifth k had taken 4:30, a total of 22:39 for the first 5k but I was feeling great and was extremely confident that I would have a sufficient negative split to get me under the 45 minute mark. We did a U turn on Linwood Road and briefly caught sight of the runners slightly down the field. I exchange waves with Calemero and then words of encouragement with Watson as I passed him. The sixth k had taken 4:33. I knew that the course included three kilometres on the cycle path before heading back into town for the last kilometre, so I wasn’t surprised when the route turned right onto Baronscourt Road. A sharp left took us onto Darkwood Crescent, under the railway bridge and a sharp right onto the cycle path. It was then slightly uphill, a tight left turn and then a steeper climb over a Main Road bridge before we settled into running on the cycle path. The seventh k had taken 4:35 and had climbed 15 metres but we were now in the shade and sheltered from the wind. I could see Slacker Runner ahead and made him my next target. I grabbed a small drink of water from the drinks station and increased my pace. I was surprised to catch him so easily, as I know that he is a sub 44 minute 10k runner. However I had caught him at a similar stage in the recent Kilbarchan Klassic. The next club runner I focussed on was David Logan of Giffnock but he also increased his pace as I chased after him. The eighth k had taken 4:22. In the meantime I targeted BRR Alex Lawther and then Kilbarchan’s John Eagers before finally catching David. The penultimate kilometre had taken 4:20. I knew that the last kilometre had a bit of a climb up past the West of Scotland University and the local Museum and Art Gallery before heading downhill to the Finish Line. The next club runner I could see was Kilbarchan’s FJ17 Elaine Eadie but she was nine places ahead of me but it didn’t take that long until I caught her opposite the Museum, she sounded as if she was working really hard climbing the last hill. The streets were thronged with supporters as I made my final push to the Finish Line. I managed to catch a total of fifteen runners in that last kilometre. I could hear a few voices calling my name as I reached the first of the many mats, which caused some confusion as to where the actual finish line was. I sussed that it must be the last one and stopped my watch at 44:20. A final kilometre of 3:47 and a 5k of 21:41, representing a 58 second negative split. I placed 164th out of 1123, 12th in my category and with a wava of 70+%. Perhaps more importantly I had really enjoyed my run and was so glad that I had decided to do it.

Last Few Metres (pic by Bryan Lamb)

I collected my medal, t-shirt, water, banana and goody bag and congratulated the women runners chatting in front of me, including: Jill Knowles, Jennifer Telford, Michelle Sandison and Claire Thompson. I collected my kit bag and had a chat with Jim Breen and Tom Keenan (aka Halfways) re the merits of having a balanced approach to running, including alcohol. Tom then realised that he had achieved a new PB, having taken six seconds off of his previous time to finish in 45:27.  Congratulations to Richard Leyton who also achieved a PB, completing the course in 43:25.   Fellow Kilmarnock Harrier, Brian Darroch, on the other hand, had been under the weather and finished in 46:03, with Gillian Dunwoodie finishing in 55:58.

I had a chat with, Women’s Race Winner and International Triathlete, Kerry Lang and third placed man David Millar as I made my way back to the car park and homeward for brunch and Sunday papers.

Results
Route
Videos
Photos

Jimmy Reid 1930-2010

Click here fo a great slide show of Jimmy by the Evening Times.

Strangers and Glasgow parkrun 87

This weekend I was planning to run the Paisley 10k, surprisingly for the first time. For some reason, I’ve never actually entered it before but have helped out at the water stations, taken photographs and even ran part of the course last year to get me to the finish line to interview the prize winners. A Sunday race meant that I had the rare opportunity to go to the pub on a Friday night. The Gig Guide revealed that The Strangers were playing at Sammy Dow’s and after an aperitif or two I headed to the South Side’s top music venue. The band and their raunchy singer, Andrea McNeill,  rocked. It was a great night: good company; excellent entertainment and perhaps a little too much alcohol.

I awoke at the usual time on Saturday morning and decided that rather than lying in my bed it would be better to go for a run so I decided, perhaps not surprisingly, to take part in the weekly parkrun. I was adamant that I wouldn’t get caught up in a race this time and wore a training vest and training shoes, rather than their racing equivalents. After the usual pre race chat and a brief warm up, I headed in among the pack of runners, avoiding any temptation to start near the front. I had set myself a target of just under 25 minutes and set off at a corresponding pace. Unfortunately my Garmin had reverted to standby mode and I spent the initial part of the run resetting it to training mode. The good thing about using the parkrun as a training session is that it means that you can take the time to thank the marshals for their support on the way round and give encouragement to other runners who may be struggling a little. It’s never an easy course to run, no matter what pace you do it at but it is a rewarding course. I explained to the marshals and others that were encouraging me to run faster that my target pace was 8:11 min/miles. I finished in 94th place out of 290, with a time of 24:12.

Easy does it (Pic by Gill Williamson)

Cambuslang’s Joe Kealey was first over the line but isn’t recognised by parkrun as he didn’t have a barcode, which provided Bellahouston Harrier’s photographer Bryan Lamb with recognition for his PB of 16:58. Kilmarnock’s running policeman, Andy McGhee was next in 17:05, with Berlin Marathon trainer, Scott Kennedy next with a new PB of 17:13.

There was a strong field in the Women’s Event where Garscube’s Kirsty Husband placed first for the third time in as many events, with a time of 18:32. Returning after an absence of 64 weeks was Victoria Park/CoG’s Susan Finch who placed second with 19:35, with Kirsty's club mate, running GP, Mairi Stanley earning third spot with a time of 19:52. Despite taking an impressive 20 seconds off of her PB, Suzanne McMahon had to settle for fourth place, with 20:34.

Among the many achieving PBs were John Gilhooly, who broke the 20 minute barrier for the first time, to finish in 19:57 and Nicola Kinnaird, who celebrated winning Glasgow parkrunner of the month, by smashing the 25 minute barrier to finish in a time of 24:41.


Results

Photos

Not the Sensational Alex Harvey Band

I went along to the Scotia Bar on Sunday to watch a gig by Not the Sensational Alex Harvey Band. I was a bit sceptical about how good or bad they would be after seeing them on you tube but I was greeted at the door by the original Sensational Alex Harvey Band legend Chris Glen who informed me that the band were in fact good. I bought my pint in the busy bar and then squeezed into the lounge, where NSAHB had taken up almost half the limited room. Right at the front of the crowd I spied Max Maxwell, the singer in the reformed SAHB. “How weird is this?” I asked him. “I know but it’s great” replied Max and he was right.


NSAHB played a lot of material that SAHB haven’t played in years and the lead singer ‘Not Alex’ performed in the same way as Alex Harvey. Max and the other singers over the years have sung the SAHB songs in their own style, not seeking to impersonate the great man. However Gordon Bell is quite the opposite, dressed in Alex style clothes and adorned in an Alex wig he plays the part of Alex. SAHB were never just a rock band they were rock art. Alex had been in the rock musical Hair and had brought not only his work ethic to Tear Gas but also his theatrical prowess. Not Alex was to do the same as the whole pub became a stage for the burlesque performance. Accompanied by two female dancers, Not Alex performed in front of the audience, on the chairs, on the tables, behind the bar counter, in the bar and in the middle of the audience in the lounge. The dancers acted out the songs, dressed in various guises and they and Not Alex included me and others in their vaudeville act. Chris and Max joined them in singing part of Delilah and the place rocked.

The band members and dancers were amazed by the audience participation as everyone joined in singing the SAHB tunes. At home in Switzerland the audiences don’t really know of the Sensational Alex Harvey Band as such and are being introduced to his music by the Band, whereas in Glasgow, not only had some of us seen the original Alex live but all of us were fans. The audience included representatives from at least two Alex Harvey tribute bands, Max the current singer in SAHB and Chris Glen himself. I understand that there is a possibility of Chris actually joining the Band, how weird and wonderful would that be. If you ever get the chance to see them live don’t miss them, they’re a real gas!

Photoshop Bus Ad

My latest attempt at using photoshop transposing one photo onto another.

Rachael Skelding

Glasgow parkrun 86

George Taylor on his way to a sub 17min 5k

I’d been feeling under the weather for a few days and awoke during Friday night with a fever, so I wisely decided not to race in today’s Glasgow parkrun.  I still participated though, marshalling and supporting at the bottom of the glade and taking a few photos too.  A bit disappointed with some of the photos but my priorities were on marshaling and supporting.

Volunteers make it happen at parkrun

A great sub 17 minute time saw, Giffnock’s running dentist, George Taylor, winning for the first time since his maiden run back in January 2009.  The suntanned veteran 45+ completed the two lap 5k course in a PB of 16:56; a non bar coder placed second and last week’s winner Andy McGhee of Kilmarnock Harriers earned third spot with a time of 17:20.

Forty nine year old Pam McKay, making her parkrun debut, won the women’s event, placing first with a time of 20:34, twenty seconds ahead of, newly announced Scotland Cross Country representative, Shona Donnelly.  Edinburgh athlete, Suzanne McMahon marked her tenth parkrun by earning third place with a time of 21:13.    

Another tremendous turnout saw some 286 runners taken part in the early morning sunshine.

Results

Photos

50th 10k Celebrated with a New PB

Irvine Marymass 10k Start (Kenneth Phillips)

It was with mixed feelings that I made my way down to Irvine to participate in this year’s annual Marymass 10k road race. I ran a good race at the event last year but was feeling very tired this year and only decided to run it as it was a Kilmarnock Harriers Club Championship Race. I carbo loaded with porridge and made my way down the M77 before turning off and taking the more scenic route through Kilmaurs to the Ayrshire coastal town.

I arrived in plenty of time and was happy to receive the number 9 as my race number. As someone who loved mathematics at school, I’ve always been intrigued by the number. If you multiply it by any number and then add up the digits until there is only one number left that number is always 9. It’s what’s known as the digital root. Anyway back to the race, I chatted with loads of other runners from various clubs and some non attached runners, including Marianne Wilson from my old French class at Glasgow University. I drunk my Your Sports Fuel mixture and then warmed up as I led Bellahouston Road Runner Tom McMillan to the start of the race. The race director advised us that the event would be late in starting as there had been a sudden influx of registrations, however the local councillor and Gala Queen would need to leave for another appointment, so we staged a race Start for the local press. Once all the 211 runners were at the start line, we were advised that Scottish Athletics had measured last year’s route and it had proved to be short, so the route had been amended this year to take this into account. I knew that the Power of 10 had refused to accept athletes’ times from last year, when my endeavours had resulted in a PB of 42:19, way quicker than any other 10k I’ve raced. At 7:37pm we set off down the road, around the roundabout, up Harbour Road, past the railway station, and onward to the 1st k marker at the next roundabout. Garmin bleeped to inform me that I had taken 4:05 to reach here. I was tucked behind two runners but as I wondered momentarily if I should try to stay with them or not they sprinted ahead down the loop that had been added to the route before turning a sharp left onto the trail through the Beach Park. I found myself running at the front of a pack for much of the next, undulating, kilometre. I was overtaken by another Killie runner (John Parker?) and hoped that I would be able to catch him before the end. I was also a little disappointed that my pace had dropped to 4:19. Laura Wallace (aka Toni McIntosh’s twin sister) caught me at this stage and we ran along together for the next, slightly downhill, kilometre in a time of 4:08. I lost her over the next, slightly uphill, kilometre however I did catch up with the other Killie runner and although Al Murray overtook me, I was not at all disappointed as I knew that he was in a false position. At the turning point, I caught Ayr Seaforth’s Tom McCulloch and noticed that Alan Dempster was among the following pack. The fourth kilometre had taken me 4:19 and I was to stick at around this pace as I made my way along Marine Drive hotly pursued by Tom McCulloch and trying desperately to keep in touch with Laura ahead. The fifth kilometre took 4:20. Bella Road Runner Barry Edwards caught me and commented on how good I was running as he passed by with me struggling to breathe, never mind chat. I know how good Barry and Laura are and kept working away. The sixth kilometre took 4:19. After we rejoined the Beach Park path, I held off a strong challenge from, who I presumed to be Tom McCulloch, increasing my pace to keep in front on three occasions before I was finally overtaken, not by Tom but by Alan Dempster. The seventh kilometre took 4:19. I thought I was making up some ground on Laura but as we reached the 8k marker and Beach Drive, I could see her increasing the pace. I hard to work hard to maintain my pace here as we ran straight into a headwind. I could tell by the marshals’ comments that someone was right on my tail and I was adamant that no-one would catch me in the final stages. We turned at the roundabout and made our way along Harbour Street. The ninth kilometre had taken 4:19. The last kilometre seemed long, I was struggling, someone tried to pass me and I had to dig deep to find the energy to fend him off, I raced at a maximum pace of 3 min/k to complete the tenth and final kilometre in 4:00, a total time of 42:30. I grabbed a much needed bottle of water and slumped down beside the harbour wall before recovering enough to share mutual congratulations with my fellow runners. I had taken a remarkable 34 seconds off of my 10k PB and had achieved a wava of 74+% for the first time ever.

Concentrating on the Finish (Kenneth Phillips)

I compared notes with fellow Harriers, Michele Goldie and Brian Darroch, as we warmed down on the way back to the Irvine Sports Centre. After a cold shower, a hot coffee and more post run chat, I was just about to leave when an old school friend Jim Stevenson spotted me and we had a wee chat as the prizes were awarded. Of course I was nowhere near a prize, finishing in 70th place and 9th in my age group but I was still a happy chappy, even more so when I realised that I had achieved my new PB on my 50th 10k road race.

Huge appreciation to Les and Liz McDerment and David Mitchell for their support at various parts of the course and to all the marshals and officials who made the event such a success.

Results Here

Glasgow Sunset

 A few pics taken around the swidgy bridge in Glasgow last night.

The Glasgow Half

Well I finally gave in to the self proclaimed ‘Great Scottish Run’ and paid my £27 to run 13.1 miles through the streets and parks of Glasgow. I just don’t like to support any race which may set out to rip off runners. I’ve tried to find a breakdown of income and expenditure for the event, in order to see where all the money goes but have had no joy so far. I’d much rather give my money to a community event than a corporate event any day. However it is a popular race, it has PB potential and the Start and Finish are a short jog from my flat.


I’m also a member of the Civil Service Social Club (CSSC) which has a Half Marathon Subsidy Scheme to encourage members to run a Half Marathon by reimbursing 50% of the cost. If you are gong to take advantage of such an initiative, I suppose it makes some sense to do so with one of the more expensive races.

One Thousand and Eight Hundred

Glasgow 800 winners Melissa and Jeff share an emotional post race moment

Sunday witnessed the final race in the Scottish Veterans Run and Become series of races, the Glasgow 800 10k Road Race. The race was introduced in 1975 to commemorate the 800th anniversary of the granting of Glasgow's burgh charter in 1175 and is held in Pollok Park with a 1.30pm start. I ran it for the first time this year but didn’t earn any of the double points up for grabs in the final race of the series, as I chose to run it some six hours after the event. By 7:30pm the sun was much lower than it had been when 33 hardy veterans made their way around in the scorching midday sunshine and much of the two lap course was in the shade. The cars attracted by the earlier 7 a-side rugby tournament and the American football game had dispersed, leaving a much quieter and safer route. I ran the course as part of a longer training run, leaving from my house and meandering through the Crossmyloof streets, including the intriguingly named Killiegrew Road, to accumulate my desired ten miles. The training session took my running miles total to over 1000 for the year. This is a bit behind my original target and reflects the fact that I was injured and couldn’t run for around three months, however my cycling benefited and I recently passed the 1000 mile marker for cycling too.

Glasgow 800 Race Report
I had made it along to Pollok Park earlier to take a few photos of my running mates as they endured their run in the sun. To be fair, some athletes do prefer running in the heat but the majority yesterday seemed not to be in this group. As is often the case, the stars of the day were Pitreavie’s Jeff Farquhar and Inverness’s Melissa Whyte. Despite taken a wrong turn Jeff recovered to win the race in an excellent time of 34:52, Melissa, who pointed him in the right direction, finished in second place and first woman, with a time of 35:33. Clydesdale’s Gerry Montgomery continued his recent good form to place third in 36:05.

Unfortunately the heat took its toll on a Portobello runner who slipped and banged his head. Early intervention from Strathclyde’s finest ensured that an ambulance was called to provide him the necessary care and attention.

Well done to all concerned with the event, I’ll maybe actually race it next year. If you are 35+ then why not join me? Membership and further details on the Scottish Veteran Harriers is available via their web site here.

Photos here

Results:
1. Jeff Farquhar M50 34.52
2. Melissa Whyte W45 35.33
3. Gerry Montgomery M50 36.05
4. Anthony Devlin M40 36.22
5. Ian Stewart M50 36.55
6. Robert Rogerson M45 37.12
7. Gerry Craig M40 37.40
8. Alastair MacLachlan M50 37.52
9. Colin Feechan M50 38.35
10. Andy Law M50 39.06
11. Sue Ridley W40 39.23
12. Robert Marshall M60 39.23
13. Stuart Waugh M60 40.42
14. Dave Fairweather M65 41.09
15. Sandy Eaglesham M55 41.24
16. Pamela McCrossan W45 41.31
17. Henry Curran M55 42.07
18. Brian Campbell M65 43.02
19. Marie McChord W50 43.34
20. Bob Young M65 43.55
21. Susan Addison W45 44.12
22. Eddie Dickson M60 44.17
23. John Softley M60 44.21
24. Peter Rudzinski M55 46.04
25. Terry Addison M45 46.04
26. Frances Maxwell W45 46.19
27. Ada Stewart W45 48.12
28. Marina McCallum W35 48.52
29. Alastair Shaw M70 55.10
30. Russell Couper M45 57.48
31. Willie Hamill M75 59.16
32. Bill Drysdale M70 63.27


Age Grouped Results:
M40
1. Anthony Devlin 40 36.22
2. Gerry Craig 41 37.40
M45
1. Robert Rogerson 49 37.12
2. Terry Addison 47 46.04
3. Russell Couper 45 57.48
M50
1. Jeff Farquhar 51 34.52
2. Gerry Montgomery 52 36.05
3. Ian Stewart 53 36.55
4. Alastair MacLachlan 51 37.52
5. Colin Feechan 51 38.35
6. Andy Law 54 39.06
M55
1. Sandy Eaglesham 57 41.24
2. Henry Curran 58 42.07
3. Peter Rudzinski 59 46.04
M60
1. Robert Marshall 62 39.23
2. Stuart Waugh 61 40.42
3. Eddie Dickson 60 44.17
4. John Softley 61 44.21
M65
1. Dave Fairweather 66 41.09
2. Brian Campbell 66 43.02
3. Bob Young 66 43.55
M70
1. Alastair Shaw 73 55.10
2. Bill Drysdale 74 63.27
M75
1. Willie Hamill 77 59.16


Women's
W35
1. Marina McCallum 39 48.52
W40
1. Sue Ridley 44 39.23
W45
1. Melissa Whyte 46 35.33
2. Pamela McCrossan 49 41.31
3. Susan Addison 47 44.12
4. Frances Maxwell 46 46.19
5. Ada Stewart 47 48.12
W50
1. Marie McChord 51 43.34

Just not up for it in my 48th Glasgow parkrun.

With having had a hard race on Thursday night and running the Glasgow 800 10k on Sunday my initial intention was to give the Glasgow parkrun a miss this week and have a Friday night out for a change.  However an email from Race Director Richard Leyton, asking me to attend to be presented with my prestigious 50 t-shirt, made me change my plans.  I still went out on Friday with the intention of using the parkrun as a training session. 

I picked up my car outside the pub and headed along to Pollok Park, where, after the usual pre race chatting and my warm up, I and Al Mac Lachlan were presented with our t-shirts in front of almost 300 applauding runners and marshals. 

I made my way into the massed ranks and shortly after we were off, heading down the road outside of the famous Burrell Gallery.  I noticed Martin Myant, in particular, speeding down the hill as I settled into a steady pace.  At the bottom of the hill, we turned left and I was surprised to see that Pamela McCrossan was just in front of me.  She’s an excellent runner and I presumed that she must be one of those that start her races relatively slow.  Suzanne McMahon then went shooting past as Marina McCallum gradually edged in front of me.   As we turned left into the woods and the first hill, I heard Annmarie McCaffrey saying to me from behind “C’mon Ian, help me up these hills.”   “I’m just not up for it today” I replied as I caught her out the side of my eye.  OK I thought, I’ll help her up the initial hills and then I can settle into my training run.  I increased my pace and dodged my way through the other runners, including Martin, as I led her up the first two hills.  We then ran shoulder to shoulder up past the pond and then down the glade.  We overtook a number of other runners along the way, including Suzanne and Stuart McBeath.  I focussed on Marina ahead, as I led Annmarie, now joined by Suzanne up the hilliest part of the route to the half way point.  Stuart returned the compliment here by overtaking us.  We ran downhill, a sharp left and then an even sharper right took us along beside a wee burn before veering to the left, where I sprinted up the hill making my way through a number of runners, including Stuart.  I could hear the sounds of a woman having breathing problems behind me and assumed that it was Annmarie.  As we approached the pond Stuart overtook us yet again and looked strong as he disappeared in front.  Someone shouted “Third and fourth ladies” and “C’mon Ian, make an effort” as we passed him.  Soon after this, I realised that it was Suzanne who was having breathing difficulties as she pulled over to the side to be sick.  Annmarie overtook me at this point and I decided to slow the pace and save some energy for Sunday.  However when I turned left off the glade I started to attack the hills again and it wasn’t long before Annmarie was in sight.  At the top of the last hill she shot off and I chased after her.   I thought we were running fast until a flying machine, in the form of Douglas Pope, came sprinting past me and then Annmarie to finish in a new PB of 20:53.  Annmarie finished one place in front of me and thanked me for helping her get a new course PB of 20:55, shaving 5 seconds off of her previous time.  I was happy enough with my 38^th place and time of 21:02.  Suzanne placed next with 21:10  Stuart had taken an amazing 47 seconds off of his time to finish in 20:43 and kindly pointed out that this was the first race he had ever beaten me in.

After a warm down with Stuart and Jim Breen, I headed to the Burrell for coffee and some more post race chat before heading home, where I was pleasantly surprised to find, from the parkrun web site, that I had also earned a course PB, having taken 16 seconds off of my PB of last October and was now back in the top 20 in the male points table.

kilometre splits: 4:09; 4:11; 4:31; 4:25; 3:46!

Bully Wee 5k at Broadwood

My legs have been tired since doing my 20 mile long run on Sunday, in a time of 2:45 as per training schedule. I missed out on the interval session on Tuesday and did a 5 mile general run instead, Wednesday was 8 miles in 64 minutes and although my legs felt stiff and tired I had a great run. I was looking forward to my 10 mile tempo run (75 mins) on Thursday when Tom Keenan reminded me of the Broadwood 5k race. This was only the fourth staging of the event, which I had run in 2008 in a time of 21:08. So I decided to miss my training and head out to the home of Clyde FC.



Broadwood 5k
I was a wee bit later than usual getting to the race start and after registration and a quick congratulatory chat with Tom, who achieved his first ever 70+% wava last week, I headed out for a short warm up and quick stretch.

They're off! (pic by Bryan Lamb)

Just before 7:30pm I lined up with over 150 other runners to listen to the pre race announcements. John Gilhooly asked me if I was going for a sub 20min run, to which I replied that I would be very happy with sub 21. As we set off, in the warm sunny evening, it wasn’t long before John, Alan Dempster, Mark McGoldrick and Annmarie McCaffrey and many others had established a lead on me. My legs were feeling heavy as I made my way along the road before heading uphill towards the local school. The hill was steeper than I had remembered and I wasn’t too disappointed to have completed the first and hardest kilometre in 4:11. After this we turned right and ran along side St. Maurice’s High School before a sharp right took us gradually downhill to the 2k marker. I was disappointed with my time of 4:17 and picked up the pace as I passed Mark McGoldrick, for the first time in my life, and Alan Fitzsimmons who had obviously had a good start. Alan gave me a shout of encouragement as I passed him and headed towards the Loch. I could see the Moray Runner (Jim McGregor), from last week’s Canal Canter, in front of me in a group of four or five runners and Annmarie, way in the distance. I focussed on keeping Annmarie in sight as we worked our way along the course with Broadwood Loch on our right hand side. Another sharp right took us to the 3k mark, where Garmin indicated a, slightly improved, time of 4:13. Only 2k to go I thought to myself as we now faced into a strong headwind. I wasn’t surprised at all when Mark McGoldick passed me and there was no way I could keep up with him. I had to stop briefly as I reached a group of elderly walkers in front of me (no not in the race!) and a speeding cyclist heading straight towards me in the gap on their left hand side. The third kilometre had taken a disappointing 4:19. Nevertheless I could still see Annmarie in front and the gap between us was closing. The course took us slightly uphill and along the periphery of the Blackwood housing estate, where we turned right. We made our way alongside the loch and then turned left and slightly uphill towards the road which we had started on. Jim McGregor was having a strong finish but I managed to catch the rest of the pack and with about 200 metres to go I sprinted past Annmarie and tried to decrease the gap with Mark, who incredibly, was now only one place in front of me. The final kilometre had taken 4:09, I had finished 50/154 and was a wee bit disappointed with my time of 21:11.  

Strong Finish (pic by Bryan Lamb)

I turned around to thank Annmarie for pulling me around the course, only to find that another two runners had overtaken her in the final strait. Unfortunately she had experienced problems breathing in the humid conditions and couldn’t sustain the type of pace which had seen her clock 20:32 at Strathclyde parkrun a few months. Nevertheless she still finished 1st FV35.  Mark congratulated me on my run as we collected our medals, water and biscuit and all for only £2 entry fee.

My time was 3 seconds slower than my previous attempt and 1 second slower than the recent Kilmaurs 5k. Others were also slightly disappointed with their times, with Alan Dempster being 11 seconds slower than his Kilmaurs time, still an excellent 20:27 though, likewise John Gilhooly who was 18 seconds slower, with 20:23.

After the usual entertaining post race chit chat, I gave Alan F a lift back to Glasgow before heading home for a quick shower and then to the famous Sammy Dow’s Jam Night.

 
 
Huge thanks to Kirkintilloch Olympions and their sponsors for putting on such an enjoyable event at such a low cost and getting the results published online on the night of the race.

Clydeside Legend Jimmy Reid

Jimmy Reid and his communist comrade Jimmy Airlie (1937-97) were shop stewards with the right wing Amalgamated Engineering Union (AEU), who rose to union fame and public prominence during the Upper Clyde Shipbuilders (UCS) work-in of 1971. The Heath government had decided to allow the UCS consortium of shipyards to go into liquidation, threatening 8,000 jobs and many more in support industries.
The work-in mobilised workers not only in west Scotland but in the entire country and £200,000-worth of donations flooded in from abroad. That equates to approximately £3.1M in today’s figures!

Their ‘Right to Work’ campaign saved the jobs of hundreds of workers and challenged the very ethos of the Edward Heath government, which decreed that "lame duck" industries like UCS should not be bailed out with taxpayers' money. The continuing existence of two shipyards in the upper Clyde is living testimony to the actions of Jimmy and his fellow shop stewards.

Although Jimmy left the shipyards many a year ago to utilise his media skills in television and journalism he was always to remain a doughty fighter for the shipbuilding industry in Scotland and had always been an inspiration for me in my time as a trade union activist.

In 1999 I had the pleasure of working with Jimmy in pushing for an industrial policy for the Shipbuilding and Marine Sector in Scotland and after a seminar on the subject, held at the Teacher Building in Glasgow, I enjoyed his company over a few drinks in a nearby pub. He was a warm, charismatic man with an affectionate smile and a sparkle in his eye. We enjoyed a wide ranging chat and shared a discussion on Kazakhstan of all places. I had a friend from there and Jimmy had broadcast a television programme from the country as part of a series he did on the former Soviet Union. Jimmy was a well read, self-taught intellectual and philosopher. He died after a varied and full life at the age of 78 earlier this week. Scotland will be a much poorer place without him.

Dundonald 10k Results

Click here for the recent Dundonald 10k  Results

Bleached Portrait

My latest delve into the world of creative photography is a bleached portrait of young singing sensation Rachael Skirving.

Tour of Clydeside Final Results and Review

Final results for the 2010 Tour of Clydeside


Total Results Here

and here:
Place Name/cat Kilbarchan Clydebank Garscube Bella Total
1 Adam Lee/MS 29:55 26:41 18:34 34:23 1:49:33
2 Alan Derrick/MV40 31:11 27:24 18:57 35:51 1:53:23
3 Gerry Montgomery/M50 31:28 28:05 20:21 36:44 1:56:38
4 Robert Rogerson/MV40 32:16 28:43 20:04 37:04 1:58:07
5 Chris Upson/MV40 32:42 28:30 20:03 37:06 1:58:21
6 Andy McMahon/MV40 33:41 29:51 20:42 38:39 2:02:53
7 Eilis McKechnie/FS 33:57 30:32 20:52 38:39 2:04:00
8 Andrew McKechnie/MS 36:21 31:09 21:08 39:59 2:08:37
9 Gordon Gallacher/MV40 34:39 31:19 21:49 41:27 2:09:14
10 Pamela McCrossan/FV40 35:40 31:53 22:42 40:57 2:11:12
11 Ellie Homewood/FS 36:29 32:23 22:01 41:18 2:12:11
12 Steven Hards/MV40 36:34 32:36 22:24 40:57 2:12:31
13 Robert Shaw/MV50 35:57 32:14 22:26 42:04 2:12:41
14 Gordon Howat /MS 36:58 31:51 22:11 42:18 2:13:18
15 Andrew Clugston/MS 37:01 32:41 22:30 42:55 2:15:07
16 Joanne McEvoy/FS 37:05 32:46 22:28 43:31 2:15:50
17 Ian Goudie/MV50 37:33 32:53 25:11 43:10 2:18:47
18 Robert Young/MV60 37:30 33:30 23:46 44:02 2:18:48
19 Erica Christie/FV50 38:23 33:07 23:38 43:44 2:18:52
20 James McMillan/MV60 38:15 33:55 23:26 44:52 2:20:28
21 Steve Cole/MS 36:28 32:52 23:17 48:40 2:21:17
22 Richard Darroch/MS 40:04 34:48 24:25 45:18 2:24:35
23 Ian Currie/MS 40:28 35:27 24:08 45:46 2:25:49
24 Paula Cowan/FV40 41:37 36:29 25:25 48:02 2:31:33
25 Mark Turnbull/MV50 40:35 36:07 25:44 49:18 2:31:44
26 Jim McKenzie/MV40 40:44 37:04 26:08 48:46 2:32:42
27 Patricia McLaughlinFV50 46:49 40:40 28:57 54:31 2:50:57
28 Marianne Grover/FV50 52:58 50:44 37:26 1:07:02 3:28:10

Review
My original intention was to use the ‘tour’ as a replacement for my training and not to ‘race’ it as such. However at 7:30pm on Monday 2nd August in Kilbarchan, when the ‘Start’ sounded, I knew that I was in a race, or more accurate a series of races.

I finished the ‘tour’ in 17th out of 28 places and third MV50. Despite my exertions at the Dundonald 10k on Wednesday, the official ‘rest’ day, which took their toll in Garscube the next night, I think that I performed as well as I could have.  I would have to have been almost three minutes quicker to have overtaken Joanne McEvoy, who placed one ahead of me in 16th spot.

Joanne had run the Land o’ Burns 10k this year in 40:52; Robert Young, who placed one behind me, is a fair bit older than me and is one of the doyens of the running scene in Scotland. However he is still a good athlete and ran this year’s Clydebank 10k in 39:28. I placed two places ahead of Erica Christie, who needs no introduction to the running community. She was the fastest marathon runner in the UK in her category in 2007, with a time of 3:08:00 and ran last year’s Clydebank 10k in a time of 40:19. These 10k times are well ahead of my PB of 43:04 (42:19 at the Irvine 10k which has been described as ‘short’).

After the final race, the Bella Belter 10k, Erica was kind enough to say that I definitely now have the capability to be a 40 minute 10k runner. Only time will tell if she is to be proved right.

Congratulations to the 28 hardy runners who competed the 'tour' and to the many others who joined us for a race or two during the week.  It was a fun, camaraderie filled, testing and enjoyable week.

Queens Park at Night

IMG_1651
Originally uploaded by ian_goudie

No running on Monday night so I went for a wee walk along to Queens Park and took my camera with me.

Photostream

1,000 Miles an' A'

Haggs Gate

No running on Saturday, after my five races in five days, so I ventured out on my bike for a wee while.  I clocked my 1,000th bike mile of the year in the South Glasgow Sunshine.  Pollok Park was jam packed with visitors to the annual Family Day and I thought I'd have a look at the new flats at the well located Haggs Gate on the edge of the park.  Unfortunately, in my opinion, the flats look more like an office building rather than country life in the city.  To be fair they are a bit better looking on the side over looking the park but I cant help think that it's another architectural opportunity missed in Glasgow.  Where's your Antonio Gaudi when you need him? 


Pics by Ian Goudie

Kilmaurs Gala 5k Results 2010

Results Here

Raising the Standard

A couple of pics of me in this week's Kilmarnock Standard.  One with me achieving 50 parkruns and another participating in the recent Kilmaurs Gala 5k.

Belter of a Run to end Five Race Week

Here we go again - lap 2

The Tour of Clydeside fourth and final event: The Bella Belter/Brian Goodwin Memorial 10k Road Race, was to prove to be a hell of a lot more enjoyable than the previous night’s disaster at the Garscube Gallop.

I noticed my ex neighbour and recent Bellahouston Harrier recruit, Angela Campbell, making her way towards Pollok Park and stopped to give her a lift.  I’m sure she will benefit from her training with Bella and go from strength to strength.   When we arrived at the race HQ, Cartha/Queen’s Park Rugby Club, the car park was already very busy and the race was set for a bumper turnout. 

After the usual pre race chit chat and wee warm up, we lined up on the road in Pollok Park, facing anti-clockwise.  The race previously has been run in the opposite direction but I pointed out last year the folly of having so many runners setting off down the busy Dumbreck Road and give the organisers credit for responding so positively.  Host club runners and parkrunners help to swell the ranks to over 100, although I did notice that fellow Killie Harrier David Mitchell was not amongst them. 

I found Erica lined up at the front of the runners and tucked in just behind her.  As we set off at 7:32pm, the class athletes shot off ahead of us and I set the pace ahead of her.  We were two minutes into the race when I found myself already running on my own.  I briefly though about going with the pack ahead of me but I knew that the runners in it, including Ellie Homewood and Alan Dempster,  were faster than me, so I decided to run at my own pace.  As I approached Pollok House for the first time David Mitchell was there and commented that I was running well.  I was feeling pretty good but I knew that there was a long way to go.  Garmin informed me that I had run the first mile in 6:46.  If only I could keep that up for six miles, I’d be a happy runner.  The route climbs slightly at this point until the junction for The Burrell and then goes downhill slightly and through the gate onto Pollokshaws Road.  I could tell by the cries of the host club’s marshals that Erica was right behind me as I made my way along the course.  The second mile had taken a disappointingly 7:11 to complete.  I was surprised at that pace to be leading Erica. 

We made our way along the outside of the park on Dumbreck Road, I had to avoid a few overhanging branches but kept my determination and completed the third mile in a slightly improved time of 7:08.  “She’s catching you” shouted Bella’s Iain Burke and I knew that Erica was still on my shoulder.  Back into Pollok Park and lap two commenced.  I knew that there would be no surprises and tried to widen the gap between us.  The fourth mile took me 7:02 and I was now concentrating more in catching the runners in front of me than worrying about those behind me.  I’ve been running negative splits recently and grow in confidence after the half way point in races.  I had passed a few runners but the guy in front had a good running technique and I wasn’t sure if I could catch him.  Instead I focussed on the person in front, Joanne McEvoy, who had beaten me in the previous three races in the Tour.  I managed to catch both of them at the five mile mark and although I passed Joanne the guy wasn’t for letting me past.  The fifth mile had taken 7:03.  I ran immediately behind the guy (Thomas Brown of PwC Panters) but he was soon out pacing me.  However I thought I could see Alan Dempster up ahead and focussed on him instead.  He was a good bit ahead of me and the race was nearing completion but at least I could try and finish as close to him as possible.   I completed the sixth mile in 6:57 and now had him in my sights.  I wasn’t sure if I would be able to out sprint Alan so I decided to go for it at the first opportunity.  Out to the right I stepped and all of a sudden I felt as if I was flying, I’ve no idea where that turn of speed came from but I managed to complete the race with a pace of 5:59 and a maximum of 4:41! 

Sprint Finish

I was slightly disappointed with my time of 43:10, it was 49 seconds faster than last year but I would have preferred to get below the 43 barrier. However it was my third fastest 10k out of a total of 49 and given the fact that it was my fifth race in five days the disappointment didn’t last for long.  I had completed the Tour of Clydeside and had done relatively well achieving PBs at three of the events and a SB tonight by almost minute. 

Loads of mutual congratulations took place among the runners, especially those of us that had bonded over the four races.  Angela dipped below the 50min mark for the first time as she raced home in 49:48, slightly ahead of Susan Clark who finished with a strong sprint.  After a shower we celebrated with a barbecue and a couple of pints before the skies opened up and we retired inside for the presentation of prizes. 

Adam Lee (Shettleston) won first men’s prize with Alan Derrick (Calderglen) in second with Gerry Montgomery (Clydesdale) earning third and first MV50 prizes and Bobby Young collecting the MV60 prize.  I liked Bobby’s remark to me when he said “Aye you’re quick but you’re just not old enough!”
Eilis McKechanie (HBT) won the women’s Tour, with Pamela McCrossan (Clydesdale) runner up.  Westie’s Ellie Homewood earned third spot, with her shocked club mate Paula Cowan collecting the FV40 prize and Erica the F50 prize.

The Course

Huge thanks of appreciation are due to organisers: Stewart Irvine and Colin Shields; the host clubs of: Kilbarchan AAC; Clydesdale Harriers; Garscube Harriers and Bellahouston Harriers and of course all of those that took part.

Results

Pics by Kenneth Phillips

Garcube Gallop Big Hill Walk

Early Start (pic by K Phillips)

My 170th race in recent years was to prove to be one of the toughest. My legs were still tired and stiff from the previous three nights’ exertions and the hills in Dawsholm Park were just too much for me on the night.


A healthy turnout from host club, Garscube Harriers, swelled the ranks which lined up in the park to take part in the third Tour of Clydeside event, the Garscube Gallop Multi Terrain Race. I was surprised to see that Westie’s Chris Upson and Ellie Homewood weren’t there as the organisers sent us on our way at 7:25pm.

The start of the three mile trail race lures you into a false sense of security as it is slightly down hill on a tarmac road in the middle of the park. However it wasn’t long until the excellent marshals sent us up the steep trails to our right. A sharp left turn and a right turn took us along the edge of the park, with outstanding views over the city. I was already feeling tired, as my Tour competitors: Erica Christie; Bob Young and Jim McMillan all increased the gap in front of me. I just didn’t have the energy to keep with them. The course then took us down hill a little, where we veered left, along a narrow trail, before a sharp right took us back onto the tarmac road. A sharp left took us back onto the trail and down our first set of steps. Further down we went, another set of steps and a quick right took us along beside a stream. Slightly uphill we ran before a very tight left turn took us up a recently built set of steps. The Garscube Harriers kids section and their coaches were here, shouting support to their club mates in front and behind of me. Off to our left we ran as the trail started to get steeper. The race organisers had kindly painted ‘big hill’ on the ground and a little later ‘puff and pant’. I resorted to walking a few steps here to try to get my breadth back and my heart rate down. I wasn’t the only one though and as we crossed the tarmac road, the supporters and marshals encouraged us to run. We were now back at the point where we had initially joined the trail and made our way up the remainder of the hill walk/running. At the top I managed to increase the pace again but unfortunately as I ran down hill my lace came loose and I had to stop to tie it. Around the course we ran again. As I approached the ‘big hill’ I was surprised at this stage in the race to hear someone running fast behind me. However all was revealed when Chris Upson overtook me. He had obviously missed the start of the race. This time I only walked a few steps on the ‘big hill’, as I chased after the tall ‘Westie’ in front of me. As we ran along the highest point of the course, I wasn’t surprised to be overtaken by Ellie Homewood, who usually travels with Chris. I did manage to increase my pace a little to catch the ‘Westie’ (Paula Cowan) and to have a decent enough finish on the tarmac road.

Late Finish (pic by K Phillips)

My total time was 25:11 and my splits were: 8:12, 9:07 and 7:52. I was shattered but I had completed my fourth race in four days. I congratulated the other runners and confirmed with Ellie that the race had indeed started a few minutes early. After my cup of water I headed homeward for a long ice bath before heading out, still frozen, for a few pints of a well known Irish stout.

I was pleasantly surprised to later discover that, although my wava was only 58%, I was the first Fetchie to finish and had in fact earned a new PB!

Results Here

Course Route - supplied by Chris Upson