A Good Week but Sad News about David

I thought that I would try and boost my energy levels by returning to my old friend Yoga last Monday, unfortunately I ended up with a pulled hamstring.  With Tuesday being my Photography class and my rest day, Wednesday would have been my next training day.  It was also the night of the Scottish Vet’s 5k race at Clydebank, which must be one of the least aesthetically pleasing routes in the whole of Scotland.  I had a late afternoon meeting at Ayr College and I decided to visit my friends and family, who have the nearby Golf Inn in Prestwick, instead of training or racing.  This gave my hamstring another days rest and it was good enough to train on Thursday.  I was a bit apprehensive when I saw that the night’s session was speed work but I managed to survive it without aggravating the hamstring too much.  I had hoped to get a recovery run in on Friday but I was just too tired, even after me evening nap.  My Friday recovery run became a Saturday morning run and I decided to combine it with my 106^th parkrun and my 91^st at Glasgow.

Although a few of the regular runners where absent, due to alternative races taking place over the course of the weekend or sunning themselves on far off beaches with the onset of the Scottish school holidays, there was still a turnout of some 310 runners,   Including some 17 from the local Garscube Harriers, who had presumably included the event as part of their Club Championship.

I joined in with the mass ranks, nearer to the back than the front, and when Campbell Joss set us on our way at 9:30am, the congestion restricted us to walking rather than running.  However it wasn’t long until the race opened up and I settled into a fairly easy pace.  A fellow runner recognised me from the recent Men’s Health 10k and thanked me for pacing him around in under 50minutes.  I was wearing my 100 parkrun vest for the first time and enjoyed the occasion.  I wasn’t racing against anybody, or even the clock, I was just after a steady run, without having to fend off any negative thoughts about dropping out.  Instead I encouraged young Kilmarnock Harrier Andrew Partridge to rejoin the race, after he pulled up with around 2k to go.  Although I wasn’t racing, I did enjoy my run and felt positive and I took the opportunity to thank the various marshals dotted around the course.

For the record, I placed 123^rd with a time of 24:05.

Full Results

I kept up my positive thinking by running 10+ miles on Sunday, admittedly, at a slow pace but the furthest that I’ve run since the London Marathon.  It felt good to get back into double figures again.

David Boyle

On a less positive and much more serious note, I recently learned that one of my running buddies, David Boyle, had taken ill during the Men's Health 10k.  David suffered from an aneurysm rupture which led to a hemorrhagic stroke and was rushed to the city's Southern General Hospital, where he is still receiving treatment.

I've raced against David for more years than I care to remember and we've shared a few beers along the way.  I'm sure I speak for many in the Scottish Running Community when I say that my thoughts are with him and his friends and family.