PBs @ Victoria parkrun

Lap 1

I noticed, a while ago, that I was averaging every second parkrun so it was no surprise that my 149th one should co-incide with the 300th staging of the original Scottish parkrun being held in Pollok Park.  However I decided to give the tri centeneral parkrun a miss and instead chose to race in the 54th Victoria parkrun in an attempt to get a fast time.

This was my my ninth outing at the west of Glasgow event and my Course PB was an acceptable 21:07.  I'd worked extremely hard to get that time but I was confident that my running had improved and I was hoping to beat that today.  If truth be known, I was actually hoping for a sub 21 minute 5k.

There were some good runners today with Elaine Omand travelling down from Dundee, for the second week in succession, on her tour of Scottish parkruns, being my tip in the women's 5k. With fellow Bellahouston Harriers, Jack Arnold and Cris Walsh favourites for first and second place in the Men's race.

Although there were some 227 runners participating, there weren't that many that I usually 'race' against, apart from the new slimmed down version of Graeme Aitken, who wasn't feeling 100% this morning.  My training's been good and I was confident enough, not only to be wearing my club vest but to tell a few friends that I was going for a course PB.

Lap 2

Lap 3

I positioned myself nearer the front than usual and worked hard right from the off.  I ignored the beeps from Garmin and never checked my pace at any stage, deciding instead to give my all and hope that it would be good enough to get a PB.

Encouragement from Marina McCallum, on marshalling duties, Donald Petrie and Gavin Harvie helped me to focus on the job at hand.  I sprinted down the final strait knowing that every second would count and I was delighted to cross the Finish line in 39th position, with a time of 20:53, some 14 seconds off of my course PB, under my 21minute target, and my fastest 5k since January 2011!

Results

My pre-race predictions had been correct, as Jack Arnold stormed to victory with a PB of 16:27, Chris Walsh earned Silver with a time of 17:02 and Elaine Omand won the Women's Race (14th overall) with a PB of 19:05.

Maggie Reid McKeith, continued her great improvement, which saw her taken 28 seconds off of her PB in her last outing, by taking a further 13 seconds off to win the Women's 50+ race in a time of 24:30!

Unlucky for Some?
Congratulations to Hamish Barbour, who ran to a great PB of 18:48 in his 13th parkrun.

Thanks

Once again, many thanks to the organisers and volunteers for giving up their time and putting on such a great event and to my fellow runners for the race and pre and post race chat.

Pics taken by Donald Petrie and edited by Ian Goudie Photography.

Full Results here

2015km in 2015

The challenge is simple, to run 2015 kilometres in the year 2015.  An average of just over 5.52km each day.

For those who prefer miles this equates to 1252.1 miles and an average of only 3.43 miles per day.

Join in the challenge by Liking the Facebook page

Best Ever WAVA @ Glasgow Green 3k

Focussed Racing

I've not been racing for a while, due to illness, but I have been training well and had a couple of decent tempo runs around Pollok parkrun, so I was feeling quite confident when I turned out for the October 3k on the Green Race.  I had managed a time of 11:58 on my last outing in March and I knew that I'd need to work hard to match that time. Conditions were almost perfect for a good run, with no wind and unseasonal temperatures.  There was a great turmout of 78 runners, boosted by 18 from the local Blackfriars Primary School.  Although there were a lot of running buddies participating, most of them are out of my class and there was no-one that I could challenge myself against. Instead, it would have to be a race against the clock today.  That said, I did try to keep Al MacLachlan and Charlotte Fortune in sight for as long as possible, which wasn't that long!  The noise from the footsteps of runners behind me kept the pressure on and other and helped to ensure that I kept working around the, out and back, course.  Although I was a little dissapointed not to be able to hold of the challenge from Eddie Carr, Although I was shattered, I was also elated to cross the line in 35th place, in a time of 11:51.  Seven seconds faster than my last race, my best time in 4 years and only 3 seconds off of my PB, I was even happier to discover that I had recorded my highest race WAVA ever, at 75%.

Many thanks to the organisers and fellow runners for their support in this great wee event, which also helpe to raise funds for the Helambu Project.

Results

Up front, it was two of my friends who took the honours in their first outing, with Cambuslang's Shaun Butler, swapping the Tollcross park hills for the much flatter Glasgow Green, winning in a time of 9:30.  With Linlithgow's Charlotte Fortune earning Gold in the women's race, with a time of 10:52.

Pics by David Mooney.

Full Results:

1 Shaun Butler Senior M Ronhill Cambuslang 00:09:30

2 Craig Reid Senior M Bellahouston Roadrunners 00:09:34
3 Simon Fraser Senior M Glasgow Tri Club 00:09:44
4 Stuart MacDougall Senior M 00:09:48
5 Peter Mackie Senior M Shettleston Harriers 00:09:49
6 Chris Upson Super Veteran M Westerlands 00:09:56
7 Steven Prentice Veteran M Bellahouston Harriers 00:10:03
8 Richard Cooper Veteran M 00:10:05
9 Ted Gourley Super Veteran M Giffnock North 00:10:07
10 Euan Craig Senior M Kirkintilloch Olympians 00:10:17
11 John Connaghan Veteran M Shettleston Harriers 00:10:22
12 Dave Thom Super Veteran M Ronhill Cambuslang 00:10:24
13 George Taylor Super Veteran M 00:10:30
14 Gerard Scullion Veteran M Bellahouston Roadrunners 00:10:31
15 Kevan McCartney Veteran M Greenock Glenpark Har'rs 00:10:32
16 Darren Murray Veteran M Bellahouston Harriers 00:10:33
17 Raymond Farrell Veteran M Bellahouston Roadrunners 00:10:33
18 Alastair Andrew Senior M 00:10:40
19 Justin Carter Veteran M 00:10:40
20 Neil Farnell Senior M Bellahouston Roadrunners 00:10:41
21 Alastair MacLachlan Super Vet M Bellahouston RR 00:10:44
22 Henry Merriweather Veteran M Bellahouston RR 00:10:44
23 John Hagemeister Veteran M 00:10:45
24 Fergal Duffy Veteran M 00:10:49
25 Charlotte Fortune Senior F Linlithgow AC 00:10:52
26 Barrie Johnstone Senior M 00:10:54
27 Jonathan Scales Super Veteran M 00:11:10
28 David Murphy Veteran M Shettleston Harriers 00:11:14
29 Paul Taylor Veteran M 00:11:30
30 Hilary Robinson Veteran F 00:11:40
31 Bruce Henry Senior M 00:11:44
32 Duncan Leitch Senior M 00:11:46
33 Eddie Carr Super Veteran M Ronhill Cambuslang 00:11:47
34 Stephen Scheuerl Veteran M Wee County Harriers 00:11:50
35 Ian Goudie Super Veteran M Bellahouston Harriers 00:11:51
36 Alaister Jeffrey Senior M 00:11:53
37 Steven McCarley Senior M Glasgow Frontrunners 00:12:06
38 Mike Donohue Super Veteran M 00:12:10
39 Jennifer Duru Senior F Garscube Harriers 00:12:12
40 John Appleton Senior M 00:12:14
41 Alan Dempster Senior M 00:12:20
42 Russell Paton Senior M 00:12:23
43 Greg Crockart Senior M Glasgow Frontrunners 00:12:25
44 Scott Fergus Veteran M 00:12:41
45 Graeme Pert Super Veteran M 00:12:48
46 Joyce Allardice Super Veteran F Clyde Runners 00:12:50
47 Robbie Robinson Veteran M 00:12:51
48 Pauline Wallace Veteran F 00:12:58
49 Michael Young Super Veteran M 00:12:59
50 Alasdair MacKay Veteran M Garscube Harriers 00:13:02
51 Anne Scott Veteran F 00:13:35
52 Angela Campbell Senior F Bellahouston Harriers 00:13:48
53 Margaret Hutchinson Veteran F 00:13:53
54 Graham Whitfield Senior M 00:13:54
55 Russell Morrison Super Veteran M 00:13:58
56 Colin Stewart Veteran M Shettleston Harriers 00:13:58
57 Aidan Adams Junior M Blackfriars PS 00:14:00
58 Yomna Yamani Junior F Blackfriars PS 00:14:00
59 Martin McCormack Senior M Blackfriars PS 00:14:03
60 Catriona Gourley Super Veteran F 00:15:14
61 Scott Wilson Junior M Blackfriars PS 00:15:26
62 Medina Keran Junior F Blackfriars PS 00:15:27
63 John Softley Super Veteran M Bellahouston Harriers 00:15:30
64 Ailsa Smith Super Veteran F 00:15:58
65 Hayden Fisher Junior F Blackfriars PS 00:16:47
66 Marco Wright Junior M Blackfriars PS 00:16:48
67 Jay McGinlay Junior M Blackfriars PS 00:17:42
68 Caro Kawa Junior M Blackfriars PS 00:19:29
69 Shaleeya Kawa Junior F Blackfriars PS 00:20:34
70 Charlotte Baker Junior F Blackfriars PS 00:20:36
71 Walter Ewing Super Veteran M Shettleston Harriers 00:21:07
72 Liam Smith Junior M Blackfriars PS 00:23:36
73 Kaiden Stevenson Junior M Blackfriars PS 00:23:42
74 Paris Burton Junior F Blackfriars PS 00:23:52
75 Alfasa Janzada Junior M Blackfriars PS 00:24:03
76 Holly Blair Junior F Blackfriars PS 00:24:03
77 Afifa Bukhari Junior F Blackfriars PS 00:24:03
78 Dylan Cleugh Junior M Blackfriars PS 00:24:34

Lainshaw's link to Slavery, the Free Kirk and the War

Lainshaw House

I grew up in the Lainshaw part of Stewarton, as a child I played in the Lainshaw Woods and then worked at Lainshaw Farm and Lainshaw Farm Eggs. I once sang for a local church choir to the elderly residents of Lainshaw House, I enjoyed much of my time in Lainshaw but I was unaware of much of the estate's history and its link to slavery and religion.

The Lainshaw estate can be traced back to the 15^th century and the lands were owned by the Eglinton family until 1778, when the 10^th Laird of Lainshaw, Sir Walter Montgomerie-Cunninghame was forced to sell up, after losing a fortune as a result of the American War of Independence.

Kilmarnock born, William Cunninghame, had fared somewhat better than Sir Walter, the merchant who grew wealthy importing, processing and selling tobacco and sugar produced by enslaved Africans, had a record of exploiting market conditions to his own benefit.

Initially he had taken advantage of distressed tobacco growers, buying their crop as much as 10% below the market value. He was quick to realise the possibility of increasing his fortune, even more, during the civil war. When his business partners were concerned about the impact of war, Cunninghame stepped in, buying their entire tobacco stock for sixpence a pound and when the war disrupted supplies, he sold at three shillings and sixpence a pound! Making a huge fortune.

He was to use £26,200 of this money, an immense sum as the time, to purchase the sequestrated estate of Lainshaw and significantly developed Lainshaw House into his country retreat.  He also bought land in the Cow Loan, Glasgow, which he renamed Queen Street, after the wife of George the Third, and in 1780 built a large mansion there in the neo-clasical style at a cost of £10,000, now the home of the Gallery of Modern Art (GOMA).

Two years later (1780) Cunninghame retired as a merchant. He married three times and had a total of fourteen children. He disinherited his eldest sons, Thomas and Alexander and his third son, William Cunninghame, inherited Lainshaw when William senior died in 1804.

William junior, who had been influenced by William Carey, the Baptist Missionary, during his time working in India, was to become one of a group of British biblical interpreters of the period, who included millennislism with a more traditional historistic reading of prophecy. He served as minister in the Stewarton congregational church, from 1827 until 1839, when he began the “Stewarton case” which directly led to the Disruption of 1843 when after a bitter conflict, 450 ministers broke away over the Church's relationship with the State to form the Free Church of Scotland.  

Whilst most of the principles on which the protesters went out were conceded by Parliament by 1929, clearing the way for the re-union of that year, the national Church of Scotland never fully regained its position after the "Stewarton case".

The Stewarton Case

The eccentric, William junior never married and on his death in 1849 Lainshaw passed to his half brother, John Cuninghame of Duchrae. Whilst Lainshaw was to remain with the family until 1947, it had been used as an army camp from 1941 to '45.  A number of regments were stationed in Lainshaw, including the Lancers, the Royal Engineers, the Rifle Brigade and the Lothian and Border Horse.  Concrete roads were laid to cater for the Crusader tanks

Whilst Howie of Dunlop took over the farm and some of the land, the Local Authority took over the House and the rest of the land, using it for the post war expansion in council housing.  Some streets, such as Lothian Road and Crusader Cresecent take their names from the time when the area was an army camp.  Whilst Morton Road, Sim Street and Thomson Terrace were named after sets of local brothers who had died during the war.

Lainshaw House became a care home for the elderly, and then a ruin, before being restored and converted into a number of apartments.  I wonder how many of the residents know about the house's past and its links to the slave trade, religion and the war.

Crusader tanks were once common in Stewarton

Great Scottish Run Photos

Where's Haile?  The Elite Men Battle it Out

Callum Hawkins

No racing or pacing this year at the Great Scottish Run for me but I did pop out for a while with the camera to capture some photos and in particular get a couple of running legend Haile Gebrselassie racing the Half Marathon.  I was stationed around the 3 mile point for the 10k race and around the 4 mile point for the Half. Unfortunately Haile didn't make it to the 4 mile point, having dropped out a few hundred metres before reaching me.  I hope that there's no long term problem for the Ethiopian athlete.  In his absence, South African, Stephen Mokoka took Gold, completing the new course in a time of 1:01:25, Kenyan, Stephen Chemlany was runner up, with a time of 1:01:32 and his compatriot Mark Kiptoo placed third in 1:01:34.  Kilbarchan's Callum Hawkins was the top Scot, placing sixth, with an impressive debut time of 1:03:06.

Edna Kiplagat

The Women's Half Marathon wasn't quite as tight as the Men's, with Kenya's Edna Kiplagat earning Gold with a time of 1:07:57, almost one minute in front of her fellow countrywoman Caroline Kilel (1:08:53). Ethiopia's Tiki Gelana earned Bronze with a time of 1:10:37.   Susan Partridge was the first Scot, placing fifth woman, in 1:12:12.

 

Susan Partridge

Wheelchair Races

Simon Lawson

Carlisle's Simon Lawson won the Wheelchair Race, the ex motorcross racer earning Gold with a time of 23:39, Paralympian Jade Jones won the Women's Race, the Teeside University Law Student completing the 10k in a time of 29:10.

Jade Jones

10k Races

Sean Fontana

Scots were more successful in the other 10k races with Sean Fontana catching early leader Luke Traynor to win in a time of 31:03, six seconds ahead of his Glasgow rival.  

There was an even bigger surprise in the Women's Race where the elite runners placed behind Edinburgh Pharmacist Laura Dunn, who completed the new course in a time of 35:17, more than one minute ahead of Central A.C's Lyndsay Morrison (36:20). 

Of course there were many other winners among the mass ranks on the day, many of which I managed to photograph.  It was good to see so many running buddies and happy faces.

Photos

10k (including Wheelchair)  Photos Here

Half Marahon Photos Here

2014 in 2014

One of my goals this year was to run as many kilometres as there are years in the date, so I joined in with others aiming to run 2014k in 2014.  Today, 25th September, I've managed to reach my goal.

Achievable targets provide something to focus on when the going gets tough, if you're a runner, they can help motivate you to overcome negative thoughts and the challenges of the weather, they can also help you, quite literally, go that extra mile.  Despite injury and illness, with support from friends and running buddies, I've managed to fulfil this particular challenge, there's still plenty of time for you to reach yours.

Honest Race - Ayr parkrun #1

It was with great pleasure that I learned that the parkrun family in Scotland was extending to my home town of Ayr.  However due to illness, I wasn't sure if I'd be able to participate in the inaugural event but my doctor helped me to overcome my doubts and encouraged me to keep up my running. There are so many health benefits to be gained from the sport and there is also a social side too.  It was good to see so many friends and running buddies among the 140 particapants at the first ever Ayr parkrun and within the ranks of the volunteers too.

pic by BlickingBlackCat

I had checked the Rozelle Park course on line and the organisers explained it in more detail prior to the 9:30 Start. The route was entirely on narrow trails, commencing near the Rugby pitch, we had a couple of sharp turns, before running around the pond and back along the trail.  There were a few tree roots underfoot, as we twisted and turned through the trees and nettles, skirting round the perimeter of the park.  I exchanged support with the other runners as we passed ourselves going in opposite directions along the 5k route.  As I headed down to the pond for the second time, I caught sight of Kilmarnock's Gordon Reid and Hamilton's Neil Robbins running towards me as they led the faster runners.

Fast finish with David Lowdon- pic by Barry Davie

Once round the pond, it was uphill and through the trails adjacent to the pavillion before turning a sharp right, out of the woods, and sprinting along the open track.

 Although Kilmarnock Harriers' David Lowdon pipped me on the line, I was happy enough with my race, placing 26th, with a time of 22:59.  Not a fast time but it isn't a fast course, that said, I was still a bit surprised that Run Britain gave the race an SSS of 4.5 and my performance a -0.2, which is a technical way of saying that I had a decent race. (See here for an explanation of SSS etc).

I enjoyed some post race conversation and cheering on the other runners, before completing my warm down and continuing the banter over coffee and fruit scones in the excellent Rozelle Tea Room.

The biggest club representation on the day had been from Bellahouston Harriers but others had came from further afield, including Cambridge, St Andrews, Dundee, Dunfermline and Linlithgow it was good to see them all enjoying the beautiful Ayrshire countryside.

Thanks to all the organisers, volunteers and racers for making the first Ayr parkrun so special, I'll be back!

Results

Photos here and here