Movember

I wonder what became of her.

There's a lot of dodgy looking moustaches around at this month as people raise funds and awareness of men's health issues.  Of course, some of us were looking like Douglas Fairbanks Junior long before Movember .

Me and my best mate, the late, Willie McFall

Douglas Fairbanks Jnr

30,000 Thanks

I've now clocked up my 30,000th hit since adding a counter to my Blog, Thirty thousand thanks to you.

STV Mo Running Report

 Mo Running Glasgow, forward play to 2:53 to see the coverage of the event including me at the Start in my pink charity t-shirt.STV News

Phlegming Nora !

I’ve been suffering with the cold for a wee while now and didn’t manage a race last weekend. I had planned another race free race this weekend, as I wasn’t up to racing the Brampton to Carlisle 10 mile road race, nor the Ayrshire Cross Country Championships. Instead I enjoyed the relatively unusual occurrence of a Friday night out and had a few drinks in Sammy Dows as Kong put on another excellent show. However when I awoke from my stupor at 8:50am on Saturday, I knew that I could, just about, make the 9:30 Start Line for the weekly Glasgow parkrun. A quick wash and I was out the door with my bottle of Lucozade Sport and heading towards Pollok Park. “You’re looking a bit rough” commented a running buddy and he was right, in fact I was probably feeling even worse than I looked. My choice was either to stay in bed and rest, or run and try to sweat the cold and alcohol out of my system. Obviously, I chose the latter.

I coughed, spluttered and spat out phlegm as I struggled around the undulating course, increasing my pace slightly in the second lap to overtake, amongst others, Kilmarnock youngster Alasdair McGhee and Gerry Gallacher of the Scottish Prison Service, on his way to a new PB. I managed to hold off a strong challenge from Alan Bow to place 110th with a time of 23:30 in my 86th parkrun.

Results

Back in the Burrell Café, Gerry and Sarah Whalen asked if I was doing the inaugural Glasgow Mo Running 5k Race on the Sunday. Although I had thought about it, I hadn’t got around to registering and the race site indicated that the event was full.

Mo Running
I was up bright and early on Sunday morning and was looking forward to a decent cycle ride, however the possibility of running my 60th race of 2011 was playing on my mind, so I decided that I would include Glasgow Green as part of my ride and enquire about the possibility of being a ‘late entry’. I met up with Gerry and Sarah as they approached the registration desk and I was pleased when the organisers agreed to accept my £15. A bit expensive but it is for a good cause and the organisers had provided a breakdown of costs on their web site.

It's Not About the Bike
A quick change into running mode and I was just about to chain my bike to the railings when, Race Director, Dave Krangel asked, over the tannoy, if anyone had a bike that he could use to lead the race around the course. I immediately volunteered my bike, gave my bag to Annette Whalen for safe keeping and set about warming up. Although there was an organised session, I prefer to do my own race preparation, which, to be honest, is very much like the pre rugby preparation that I first learned about 40 years ago. Suitable warmed up, I made my way along to the Start line where I joined with Cambuslang’s Shaz Hakeem, a guy from Motherwell AC and another 170 runners and walkers for the 10:30 start. The race started on rather soft grass but it wasn’t long until we were on la terre ferme and following some of the Jog Scotland 5k route.

I was a bit surprised to see so many people pass me in the early stages but I was confident that I would catch at least some of them as the race progressed. Although there were a large number of fun runners, there were still a significant number of decent runners for me to compete against. Again I was coughing, spluttering and spitting phlegm but today my pace was a bit faster. It took almost half of the race for it to settle down and allow me to start targeting runners in front. As I thought he would, Shaz led the race from start to finish. I tried to keep the leading lady, Elodie Bourgault, in sight. Although there was no chance of catching her I did manage to catch a few others especially in the long flat section after the 4k marker. I was slowly catching the two runners immediately in front as we approached the final strait but they both found an extra gear and sprinted towards the Finish. I found a little bit more speed to race across the Line and finish in a watch time of 21:35. I received my goody bag and headed behind a tree for some more coughing and spluttering before rejoining the mutual congratulations. I was advised to return to the Race Directors tent, where I added my race number and received a print out of my gun and ship times as well as my placing. I had finished in 19th position and 1st M50+, with a chip time of 21:32. All things considered, I was more than happy with that.

After his exertions the day before, Gerry had decided to run round with Sarah and they finished 54th and 53rd with chip times of 25:37.

60 Races
A did an interview for quirky young journalist Harriet Brace of the Glasgow Journal before collecting my bag and bicycle and making my way home for a hot shower and well earned brunch. I had run my 60th race of the year, had done quite well and had supported a good cause.

Mo Results

Old Target Met, New Challenges Set

2011 in 2011
I ran my 2011th kilometre today as part of a 5k ‘recovery’ run, thereby achieving one of my goals for the year 2011, with plenty of time to spare.

Gie's a Joab

I also took up a new post today, having successfully interviewed for the position of Sector Development Manager – Aerospace, Defence and Marine Construction at Skills Development Scotland (SDS) the day before I left to go to Thailand. These are industry sectors that I know well, having worked in the Aerospace and Defence Sector and more recently Project Managed Construction Glasgow. For many years I’ve researched, lobbied and campaigned for employers to invest in the skills of their workforce to drive innovation and productivity. My new role should enable me to work with partners to develop the necessary learning and training opportunities to support individuals in gaining the skills that employers require, both now and in the future. In the current economic climate it may be a bit of a challenge but it’s one that I’m looking forward to. However I’m now located in the organisation's Head Office at Alambra House, Waterloo Street which, unfortunately, neither has a gym nor shower facilities.  I had both at my previous place.

London Calling

The other news, which I received through the post the day I was leaving for Thailand, was that I had been successful in the ballot for places for the 2012 London Marathon. I’d heard just how difficult it can be to get a place so was more than a little surprised to get a place at my first attempt.

I ran the first Edinburgh Marathon in 1983 with only four weeks of training, although you won’t find my name amongst the records. My good friend William McFall had entered the race but had died, following an accident whilst in Spain, where he was representing Scotland in the National Water Polo team. As a way of saying goodbye to Willie, I kept his marathon number and ran under his name.

It was in the days before electronic chipping devices and high tech running shoes, socks and vests. I don’t think I even had a watch, never mind a fancy Garmin and I recall it seemed to take ages for me to actually cross the Start line in Hollyrood Park. I think the route took us along the Grassmarket, down on to Princes Street and down into Leith where we headed along to Cramond where we turned around and headed back towards Leith and then up Easter Road to the Grandstand Finish in Meadowbank Stadium. I was delighted when two days later the Scotsman published the results and William McFall had finished with a time of 3:26:12. I later gave the medal to Willie’s fiancée but kept the memories and the photo of me sprinting across the line.

With a little more training, I ran the Glasgow Marathon in 2000 and missed my four hour target. I did train well for the 2008 Edinburgh Marathon and even managed to get a free place from the organisers to mark the 25th anniversary of Willie’s death. However the weather was against me and the heat coupled with my Chronic Fatigue resulted in me collapsing and spending an hour on a drip before convincing the medics that I was ok to complete the final six miles or so. My chip time was 4:43:04.

More recently I had won a free place for the Loch Ness Marathon but with my previous experiences and my Chronic Fatigue, I bottled it. Despite following Hal Higdon’s Marathon Training Schedule and enjoying the training the prospect of collapsing again played heavily on my mind and I decided to give the race a miss.

Hopefully I’ve recovered from my Chronic Fatigue and feel in a stronger frame of mind to undertake a new running challenge. I’ve uploaded an 18 week training plan onto Fetcheveryone aimed at getting a 3:30 time, although it’s early days. I officially commence my VLM training on 18th December, to keep me focussed I’ve decided to seek sponsorship for the race and I’ve selected MND Scotland as my chosen charity.

Mind my Sister

My younger sister, who won a number of medals for running, died of Motor Neurone Disease and MND Scotland supports both sufferers and their carers, if you would like to make a donation then please do so here

It Was a Misty Morning ..........



Leading Ladies at Bellahouston Park

 My original intention was to race Strathclyde parkrun on Saturday morning but, with the National Cross Country Championship Races being held later in the same day, I decided to do my local Glasgow parkrun instead. As well as being quicker to get to, Glasgow would also allow me to chart any progress from last week’s attempt at the same venue.


Frolics in the Fog

I arrived at a cold and foggy Pollok Park in time for a quick catch up with some running buddies and a brief warm up. As usual, I retied my shoe laces after my warm up and made my way into the assembled pack of runners. A number of regulars were noticeable by their absence, with the XC races and the next day’s run With the Wind 10k race providing alternatives. However the addition of 31 first timers helped to ensure a considerable turnout of 303 runners and walkers for the 105th staging of the event. For some reason, their also seemed to be a significant number of buggies on display today, this was good news for Chris Upson who will, hopefully, be in the market for one in the near future.

Leader of the Pack

I started a little further back than usual and, when the race got underway, I watched a bit of a melee as runners jostled for places as their exuberance got the better of them. “They’re wasting a lot of energy” I thought to myself as I negotiated my way down the hill. The road veered left and, as we made our way towards the ‘woodpecker’, I found myself, as usual, at the head of a pack with a bit of a distance to those in front, whose numbers included the very consistent pairing of Martin Myant and Jim McMillan. I decided to increase my pace and, as we entered the woods and climbed the first hill of the course, I was already picking off runners, catching Martin and Jim just after the 1k point. In fact, as my Garmin beeped to inform me that the lap had taken 4:26, I noticed Martin look down at his watch.

John Hagemeister must also have had a slow start as he caught up with me shortly after this and his efficient running style soon left me behind. I was quite happy with my pace and I managed to complete the first lap of the course with no problems. I was working quite hard as I weaved my way along the zigzag part of the course and back onto the park road. However with two miles under my belt, I noticed the wheels of a buggy to my right hand side, closely followed by the sound of someone chatting to me. “WTF?” I thought. When the buggy pusher drew level with me, I was relieved to see that it was Stephen Prentice, who is a class runner. I managed no more than a grunt in response to the words emitting from his happy, smiling, relaxed looking face as he ran past.

220m to go........

I now realised that I had a ‘frog in my throat’ which was impeding my concentration and breathing. Things got worse when I noticed that my right lace had come undone. With leaves, puddles and even horse droppings to manoeuvre through, I wasn’t sure that I’d be able to complete the race without losing at least one running shoe. Perhaps this would be my chance to try out barefoot running. However I kept to my task and refocused my attention on a guy with a blue Edinburgh Marathon t-shirt ahead of me. With about 900m to go, I was disappointed to find myself dropping a place, as Alan Dempster overtook me. His advantage was short lived though as I attacked the last hill and opened up a gap on my way around to the last 200m down hill finish. I was still a bit concerned about my footwear but someone was on my shoulder and his presence made sure that their was no slacking on my part.

Sixty Nine
I crossed the Line in 60th place, with a time of 21:41. Only one place higher than last week BUT an improved time of no less than 69 seconds! Of course there’s still a lot of improvement required to get near my PB.

Worth a Mention
Further up the field Cambuslang’s Martin McLaughlin crossed the line first in 17.00, followed by Max Lancaster of Giffnock North in second place (with a new PB of 17.15) and Callum Matthews from Kilbarchan in third place (17.24).

Stewarton’s Andy McGhee placed fourth with a time of 17:27; there was a quartet of PBs for Graeme Gemmell; Andrew Carson; Paul McNally and John Gilhooly who placed 15-18 respectively.

John Hagemeister finished 38th with a time of 20:22, three places ahead of Central’s youngster, Emily Greenan, who won the women’s race with a new PB of 20.25. Second woman was Hilary Robinson in 20.36, followed by Romy Beard in third place in 22.20.

Alan Dempster finished two places behind me, in 62 place with a time of 21:45, with Jim McMillan 72nd in 22:15 and Martin Myant 79th in 22:24.

Ayrshire lass, Marianne Wilson was also among the 74 runners achieving a PB, placing 80th (fourth female) in 22:30. Kilmarnock Harrier's youngster Terry Mulholland took eight seconds off of his previous time to place 85th in 22:53. His mother, Sylvia, also did well, taken an impressive 40 seconds off of her PB to place 117th in 24:01, just ahead of Suzanne Boyle, who took 10 seconds off of her PB. Whilst Katy Smith’s time of 24:05 was just one second off of her PB, her son Robbie took the family plaudits by taken 39 seconds off of his PB, to place 250th in 30:09.



Post (and Pre) Race Repartee

After a quick coffee and cake with Chris Upson, Niall McAlinden (who were sugar loading before their XC race) and Claire Larravide (who had run the recent Dublin Marathon), I made my way along to Bellahouston Park to cheer on the runners and take a few photos of the first class action in the glorious winter sunshine, before having some lunch with four of Motherwell AC's finest and, eventually, making my way home in time to hear the Famous Kilmarnock FC being hammered by their highland opposition.



Luncheon Ladies



Thanks

Thanks to the 21 super volunteers that made Glasgow parkrun happen, to Chris Upson for the use of his pics and to all the runners and organisers at Bellahouston Park.


Full Results

Chris Upson’s Photos

My Photos of the XC Senior Races

XC Report from SA

XC Results