MND Four Mile Run for Christine

After some deliberation over whether to do the Dunlop 10k, the Walter Scott Memorial 10k or the MND 4 Mile Run, I decided to plump for the MND and run it on behalf of my wee sister Christine who died of Motor Neurone Disease.

I had run this race in the sweltering heat, with a hangover last year and placed seventh. So I knew that the competition wasn’t great and that there was an opportunity to win a trophy for Christine.

I got to Strathclyde Park in plenty of time to register and to pay them the 50p which someone owed them from last year. You know who you are. I got chatting with a few running buddies and Scott Hastings, who I knew from my rugby days and catch up with him at various running events. He enjoys his running and doesn’t take it anyway as serious as his rugby. After a warm up, I lined up at the front of the field.

This year the organisers had decided to have two waves for the 600 or so participants, the first one being for the runners and the second one being for walkers. There were two races being staged simultaneously: a four miler and a six miler but I didn’t know which runners were doing which.

A Winner's Trophy for Tini

I lined up at the front of the Start line, outside the Watersports Centre, and at 11:00am Scott sent us on our way. I dashed out of the traps and was leading the race, when I noticed Clair McCracken running towards me doing a training run. A quick ‘hi’ and I continued along the side of Strathclyde Loch where we joined the local parkrun route. I had run the first kilometre in 4:02 but I knew that I wouldn’t be able to keep that up at this stage of my comeback, especially after having run well at the Glasgow parkrun the day before.  I’m also not used to leading races these days, so I wasn’t too surprised or upset that my pace decreased and a couple of guys passed me after about a mile, although I did hope that both of them would be doing the Six Mile Race.

I held off the challenge of another runner, who sounded like a pressure cooker and was glad to see that when we reached the turn off point that he was doing the six mile event. What I wasn’t glad about was the fact that the second placed runner had turned right along the four mile route. I kept him in my sights and made steady progress as I chased after him along the loch and up the wee hill. I increased the pace after this and as I ran past the beach, I was confident of catching him on the road section but, just as I was making my move, he found an extra gear and started to pull away. I chased after him but he was too fast for me and he crossed the line a few seconds in front. As I finished the officials informed me that I had placed first in the veteran’s race, I collected my goody bag and we congratulated each other as we headed for the massage marquee.

I had completed the race in 26:51, 77 seconds quicker than last year’s 28:08 and my Heart Rate had averaged 156.

I chatted away with loads of other runners before the prize winners all assembled in front of the main marquee to be awarded our trophies by the local MSP. Christina McKelvie. Immediately after the award ceremony, I explained to the others that I had another race to run and headed back towards Glasgow for my second race of the day and my third of the weekend, the Walter Scott Memorial 10k.

MND Scotland Four Mile Fun Run for Christine Goudie

I was informed at Strathclyde Park on Saturday that there was a couple of Fun Runs being held on Sunday by MND Scotland, the Charity which supports people with Motor Neurone Disease in Scotland.


I watched my little sister Christine, the runner in the family, fade away and die of the terrible disease and made a mental note to support it in future years. However when I awoke on Sunday I had a quick look at the MND web site and noticed that the race started at 10.00am and you could register on the day. I got my things together stopped at an ATM to get race fee funds and headed out towards Strathclyde Park, in the car this time. I got there at about 9:50 but soon discovered that the races commenced at 11.00am and it was registration that started at 10.00!

Because of my injury I decided to register for the four mile run, rather than the six mile one. I met up with Graeme Aitken and later Karen Quinn, Francis Thompson and Andrew Scott and his running partner. Graeme had also opted for the shorter run but most others including Scott Hastings, were doing the six miler. Graeme has been a regular at this event and filled me in with regards to the course and the standard of participants. The vast majority of which were wearing white MND t-shirts, many with pictures of lost loved ones pinned to them.

My Run

Both runs started together and I lined up with 630 others alongside Scott Hastings and just in front of Graeme. As the whistle sounded a group of runners, including a number of over keen youngsters sprinted off. I wasn’t that far behind them but I had decided to run n the grass as far as possible to protect my ankle. However it wasn’t long until I had caught a few of the youngsters as we made our way along the sunny loch side. I was a bit surprised when the first marshal directed us away from the loch and around the football pitches, where a group of runners (jog Scotland?) were training. As my Garmin bleeped to indicate the first mile, in 7:07, Graeme overtook me. I hung on behind him but the culmination of my sore ankle; a lack of training; yesterday’s race and cycle and last night’s alcohol was taking its toll, I was therefore more than pleasantly surprised to run the second mile in 7:02. However I was aware of a woman running behind me and I wasn’t too surprised when her she, wearing her Hamilton AC vest, overtook me just before the water station. I noticed that neither she nor Graeme took any water but I had my sensible head on and decided that taking the time to have a drink of water wouldn’t spoil my run. Unfortunately not long after this, despite ensuring that I had double knotted them, one of my laces came loose. I stopped at a bench and retied it before making my way up the only real hill on the course. It was then down hill, along past the beach, onto the road and along to the left in front of the Water sports Centre to the finish line. I was making some ground on Lindz but Graeme was finishing really strongly. To the cheers of well wishers I crossed the line in a time of 28:08. Garmin revealed that the third mile had taking 7:36 and the final one 6:23! My GPS also pointed out that the last ‘mile’ was only 0.89 long. I had finished in seventh place and first MV50+, although there wasn’t any official times or a prize for me, the winners on the day were all of those who had taken part and MND Scotland for the fantastic work that they do for such a well deserving cause.

No Pain No Gain?
I and a runner from East Kilbride Rugby Club were the first finishers to take up the ‘kind’ offer of a free post race massage. He obviously doesn’t practice yoga and he screamed his poor little eyes out as the masseuse went to work on him. I just about survived without screaming.

Sunday Brunch

After the usual post race banter, I gave Graeme a lift back to Glasgow before heading home with the Sunday paper for a well deserved brunch and siesta.

 

Running pics courtesy of the MND Scotland web site