Bothwell 10k

Another 10k in the bag - pic by Gareth Rees

I've stepped up my training considerably in the last two weeks, upping both my milage and my pace.  I clocked up 38 miles last week, including a 14miler and this week achieved 34. I wasn't surprised then to find my legs a bit tired when I lined up on Sunday morning for the Bothwell 10k fun run.  Local athlete Robert Gilroy and a couple of other club runners from Hamilton and Clydesdale were also there as well as a number of local runners, some of them in fancy dress, as the event formed part of the local Scarecrow Festival.  Organised by the Rotary Club of Bothwell and Uddingston and sponsored by W Livingstone Ltd garage and car sales, the event offered prizes not just for the best runners but also for the best fancy dressed.

The route

Starting at Bothwell Primary School, the, accurately measured, route took us along the undulating Castle Avenue to Uddingston Church, then right into a headwind on Main street up to Bothwell Medical Centre, where the Marshal directed us onto an old railway path and up hill, returning to the school via Blantyre Rd and Blantyre Mill Rd for the 5k event and then repeat for those of us doing the 10k.

The numbers were low and I figured that I must have been in 8th position for most of the first lap but caught a runner on the railway path and another two around the 6k point.  I was then on my own, working hard to build a gap between myself and those that I'd overtaken and hoping to close the gap on the rare glimpses that I had of those ahead of me.  I worked hard to place 5th and was happy with my performance, particularly in the second lap.  The pain in my legs confirmed that it had been a hard run.  It being a 'fun run' there were no official times recorded but I would have liked to have run faster but it was a good exercise and I'm sure I'll see the benefit of my increased training in the months ahead, I appreciate that these things take time. 

I exchanged congratulations with my fellow runners before joining them for a few photos for the local paper, the Bellshill Speaker.  After my warm down I took the time to thank the volunteers and in particular Race Director Gareth Rees for organising such a great wee event.  I hope that it's on again next year.

event web site