Down by the River Race - Cambuslang

Stuart Gibson and David Searil represented the Harriers at the Down by the River 10k organised by Cambuslang Harriers today. No sign of Christmas excesses in Stuart's performance, finishing 5th overall in a new 10k pb of 33:26. Stuart is now closing in on the likes of Steven Wylie (3rd in 32:00), who he had in his sights for much of the race. David is reported to have run a steady shift in just under 50 minutes although, unlike Stuart, he did not require the sustenance of the complimentary scotch pie and tea provided back at the prize giving. Thanks to Stuart for supplying the race report.

Turkey Trot 10k - Ayr

Boxing day at the beach was the plan for the four Harriers who headed to Ayr for the annual Turkey Trot 10k. Although it was rather cold the conditions couldn't have been better for racing. First Harrier to finish was Ian Hughes in 37:32 demonstrating very consistent race pace. Eddie Reid was next in 38:17. Eddie was delighted with his time considering the excessive indulging ie. food and drink, in preparation the day before. Looks as if he is getting back to fitness. Sandra Reid ran her fastest out and back 10k (she has run slightly faster at Strathaven) recording a time of 44:30. Sandra was pleased with her time and put her good pace judgement down to the new watch received as a Christmas present. Russell Couper battled on to finish (59:40) as he says 'third male harrier' home. Thanks to Sandra for submitting the race report.

Performance Award Review

With the New Year approaching it is hoped that 2009 will see even more Harriers qualifying for performance awards over the distances of 5k, 10k, 10mile, half marathon and marathon. Last year saw 11 awards presented (http://www.calderglenharriers.org.uk/2008AwardsAll.pdf) with a handful more people just missing out because they had achieved standards or pb's at only 2 of the 3 required race distances. Follow this link to see the winners and those who almost made it.
http://www.calderglenharriers.org.uk/SeasonDatabase0708.pdf

The 2008-09 season started on 1st October 2008. Remember that the awards are presented over a range of age groups and several Harriers have not only moved into a new age group this year but some have already set award qualifying performances or age group PB's at 10k, 10mile, half marathon or marathon. The standards tables are available using the Performance Award menu on the left where you will also find a description of the rules. Speak to Scot or I if you need clarification.

Alan

MASTERS ROAD RELAY

The masters road relay will be held in strathclyde park on sunday 18th Jan at 11am
cost is £2.50 a head
this is pre entry so i need names by monday 5th jan or leave a comment on this blog
i will also take names at the pub run on 29th dec remember its a 6.30 start that night
sorry about the short notice

Russell

Christmas Pub Run

This year's pub run will be on Monday 29th December. Please be at the club, ready to leave at 6:30. This event is open to all runners, fast, slow & me. Hope to see as many as possible for a fun evening.

Malcolm.

Sports Club Merit Club

Just to confirm that the monthly prize is paid in cash! Apologies for any confusion.

Malcolm

Sports Club Merit Club

As you know, the Sports Club are always trying to maximize the revenue at the club. At present there is a Monthly Merit Club with a prize fund of £90/month. The participation within the Sports Club at present is poor. To this end I have placed standing order forms in the valuables box to allow you to join the Merit Club. The cost is £5/month.
This is another way of assisting the club and with the chance of winning a share of the 90 drinking tokens available each month.

I'm sure that as a section within the Sports Club who have been very active in the past with their financial support, you will once again rise to the challenge and put the Harriers at the forefront of the Sports Club.

If you have any questions regarding this, please drop me a line or give me a call.

Can you let me know if you intend to join the Merit Club. This will allow me to monitor the Harriers response.

Malcolm

Christmas Cards

A suggestion has been made regarding the distribution of Christmas cards within the Harriers. To save writing, posting and delivering cards to one and all, a donation can be made to the club charity, Cancer Research, and a message posted on the blog via comments from this entry. Donations can be given to Russell. I trust this will be taken in the positive manner that it is meant and does not offend anyone who appreciates a card at this time of year.
I will start the ball rolling by wishing everyone at the club and their families a very peaceful Christmas and a happy and healthy New Year.
Malcolm & Carolyn

Christmas Handicap Results

The fancy dress was of a very high standard at this afternoon's 4-mile Christmas Handicap. The fanciest dressed and eventual winner of the senior handicap was Mandy "Madge" Cullie, closely followed by young Euan Murray and Jamie "Santa" McMonagle. Fastest scratch time of the day was Martin "Robo" Duthie. Full results at the link below and some more photos, courtesy of Eddie.

http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=p_aBIInrxrvObIu-AZ5PHNA

Christmas Handicap

A last minute reminder that the Christmas Handicap is tomorrow, Sunday 14th December, with the first runner off at 1pm. Please be at the Sports Club by around 12:45 to allow the start list and running order to be finalised. It is a 5 lap course as usual with a total distance of 4 miles, all on road. Please bring a small prize; all the prizes are pooled together and then everyone selects a prize in order of finishing.

Alan

Christmas Party

A couple of people have had to call off but obviously, their deposits have been paid. If there is anyone out there that is wishing they had booked up or have had a last minute change to there plans tonight then, call me at the shop and get booked up for tonights Christmas party!
01698 422 448 ATHelite

Christmas Party

I know you're all starting to get excited now with the Christmas party looming....

The table is booked for 7.45pm at The Village Tandoori.

We can meet at the Montgomery Arms.. aka The Monty at 7.00pm for a little aperitif

See you all Friday

FEES FOR 2009

Fees are due in January
Ordinary member £52.00
Family member £84.00
Intermediate member £25.00
Junior member £12.00
Retired member(65) £24.00

Could members please make arrangements to pay these fees to myself before the end of January or contact me if other arrangements need to be made

Failure to pay fees or make alternate arrangements by the end of January may result in sanctions being placed on individuals

Russell

scottishathletics 4k CHAMPIONSHIPS

The entry form for the Scottish Athletics 4K Cross Country being held on Sunday 25th January 2009 can be found at http://www.scottishathletics.org.uk/index.php?p=80&itemType=fixtures&itemId=7479
Closing date for entries is Friday 16th January 2009.

Malcolm

West District XC - Irvine

Around 500 girls, boys, ladies and men lined up for a series of races at the West District Cross Country Championship on Saturday 6th December and for the second time this season Irvine Royal Academy provided a fine cross-country course in blazing sun shine.

Our young athletes did well in the age group races, the top performance coming from Ewan Murray finishing 24th in the U15 boys event.

Unusually for this season, circumstances dictated that we had no senior ladies and a slightly reduced senior men's participation from the club, however, that is to be expected at this busy time of year and there was no lack of enthusiasm from those who were able to take part.

Eleven Harriers joined the field of around 200 in the Senior men's 10km race, the final event on the programme. Conditions were firm underfoot on this well drained "links" course with only a few very slippery bits in the shade. At the front, Shettleston's Eritrean trio eventually broke away from the field but their third place runner was by no means guaranteed that position as he was chased hard by a group of promising young Scots.

Calderglen's promising young Scot, Stuart Gibson, ran very strongly throughout, finishing 26th overall in 33:47. Jamie McMonagle and Alan Cullie demonstrated their continuing return to form with times of 38:07 and 38:39 respectively. Eddie Reid re-introduced his old habit of going missing during a run; however this time he only disappeared from the official results. He timed himself at 39:34 but seems not to have been captured by the race officials crossing the line, a fact that would have had some impact on the team position with the first 6 for each club to count. Ian Rae is definitely on the way back from injury, running a strong 41:23. Jim Holmes and David Herbertson had a race long battle with Jim coming out on top in 42:06 ahead of David's 42:16. Graham Lindsay was close on their heels for much of the 3 lap race but faded a little in the last lap to finish in 43:17. William Bell made his cross-country debut and looked comfortable in a time of 46:16. Chas Steven and Russell Couper, both struggling a bit at the moment, finished in 53:25 and 56:21 respectively but both ran steadily throughout and felt the benefit of a run on a fine, sunny day.

Calderglen times are here (offical times where available): http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=p_aBIInrxrvNDU7KyoBJTZA

The Grand Prix has been updated and it remains tight at the top with yet another change in leader.

Scottish Athletics Clubmark

As you are aware, we have been working towards the club accreditation for Scottish Athletics Clubmark programme. This has now been achieved. Thanks to all who have contributed towards this achievement. Our accreditation will hopefully provide a focus on Club Management, Duty of Care and Welfare, Sports Equity and Ethics and the Coaching and Competition Programme. If you require any further information on this programme, please give me a call.

Malcolm

Milan Marathon

Gerry and Richie ran 2:53 in the Milan Marathon 10 days ago. Well done.

See the comment under the EK10k times for someone's rather ungracious delivery of this news item. If you have any news on races you have done, please pass it on to someone who has access to the blog (me, Russell, Malcolm, Stephen) or better still, come up and tell us so we can congratulate you in person!!

Don't assume we all have the time to browse the internet or running magazines looking for race results. I personally have been working in extreme conditions inside the Arctic Circle for two weeks, so checking the web for race results, unless people e-mail them to me, has been low on my priorities.

And finally, the Blog policy is that comments from "anonymous" authors are not usually published unless the author identifies themself within the comment text and it is certain that the author is who they say they are.

Regards
Alan

Golf Course Thursday

If tonights weather forecast lives up to its promise, then Thursday's training will be around the golf course. Therefore please bring appropriate off-road shoes. As with Monday night, we will be aiming for the first pack to be up and running at 7:30 prompt, so come early for the pre-training build up!

UPDATE!!
Clearly the snow did not materialise, so it is most likely we will be training on the roads tonight.

EK10k Times

For those who did the above race, just in case the official results do not become available, to keep our records up to date, could you please leave a comment with your time here.

Thanks
Alan

HUGH WILSON MEMORIAL 10K

Another good turnout from the harriers on what turned out to be the coldest race of the year (so far)
Despite the icy conditions Martin Duthie was 1st harrier home unfortunately times not available yet followed by Jamie McMonagle who seems to be back to some good form. Next harrier was Scot Hill continueing his own good vein of form managing to stay ahead of Alan Cullie and Eddie Reid. This was followed by a good race for the line by Stephen Phimister, Stuart Waugh and David Herbertson with about 2 seconds seperating them. Gerry Mullen managed to stay in front of his brother John a bit of sibling rivalry. Finally for the men Richard Lawton crossed the line just beating 50 minutes for the second time in 7 days wont be long before hes chasing that 45 minute mark. Our only female harrier of the day was Sandra Reid running sub 45 again
well done to all who took part

Grand Prix Update

The Grand Prix is now up to date following the "Either Or" 10k's (Strathaven or East Kilbride). Next race is the West District Cross Country.

CLUB T-SHIRTS

The club t-shirts will be ready in the next 2 to 3 weeks
The cost for short sleeve will be £8.00
The cost for long sleeve will be £12.00

Will everyone that has ordered t-shirts please make arrangments to pay Eddie in
the next couple of weeks so when he gets them hes in a position to hand them straight out

Scottish Masters Road Relay Championships

Could all the Harriers of a certain age (35) and above keep in mind that the Scottish Masters Road Relay Championships are on Sunday 18th January in Strathclyde Park. We did well last year (you may recall George telling you about his medal) and I would expect that we could do very well again this year given the way that all our vets have been performing in the season so far. We can enter multiple teams. Assuming the same format as last year, then it will be teams of 4 for men and teams of 3 for ladies, each runner completing one lap around the perimeter of the loch.

Christmas Night Out @ The Village Tandoori

Just to confirm that the table is now booked for 15 people on Friday 12th December. Genevieve "asked the nice man if we had a couple extra people wanting to come would he allow it and he said yes". So if anyone was undecided, there is still a chance to go. Please let Genevieve know.

Strathaven 'Run with the Wind' 10k

11 intrepid Harriers made the short journey to Strathaven on Sunday for the 2nd 'Run with the Wind' 10k.
A good November 10k with a twist insofar as you register in the town but then 350 runners are bussed up to Whitelees Wind Farm at the top of Ardochrig to run back to the town again.
The downside of this is that is was absolutely 'baltic' & the buses disappear after dropping you so no options but to walk to the bus & travel up in race gear only, so a chilly start.
A great turnout this year & they could easily have filled it twice over but it was capped at 350 due to running in the open country roads.
First in for the club & 5th overall was the illusive Robo-Harrier Martin Duthie (34.27) complete with his pinned shoulder. A great return following a dodgy cycling manouvre in a Triathlon earlier in the year - good to see him back. Next in was Colin Freeman (35.26), 50 secs quicker than last year and 10th place overall.
A great run saw George Stewart as 3rd Harrier (40.15) & would have won Calderglen the 1st team prize had there been such an award. There wasn't. (EDIT - that is untrue - Bellahousten would have got it - last time I listen to other people!)
Next up were the battling Jim Holmes (41.01) & Graham Lindsay (41.09). Age before beauty? A tough one to call.
The ever improving Francis Maxwell was over the line in 42.23 & a close second F35.
A battle was on between Sandra Reid & Mary Goldsmith. Mary (44.16) was 1 second quicker on the chip timing than Sandra (44.17) but Sandra crossed the line first & so takes the Grand Prix points.
William Bell completed the glory of his first race in a club vest in 45.09 followed in by Richard Lawton (49.07) & Russell Couper (55.58).
A great race topped off with a very welcome free Soup & Roll in the hall afterwards to get the cockles warmed up again.

Full results can be found at http://www.strathavenstriders.co.uk/

Colin

Brampton Photos

Photos of almost all the Harriers competing at Brampton are now available on-line. Use the link at the bottom of this post. Apologies to the 5 people I missed (Billy, Caroline, Mhaira, Kevin and Irene); club vests and hence guaranteed photographic recognition are available from Russell. Thanks to Eddie for providing the camera.

http://www.calderglenharriers.org.uk/gallery/brampton2008/brampton08.html

Early Run for AGM

As the Harriers' AGM is this Monday, the club run will be a short, easy run with the first pack leaving the club at 7pm sharp. Please try to be there before 7pm and ready to run at 7. The AGM will start at 8pm prompt and usually lasts no longer than 1 hour. Please support your club and your committee by attending, even if you can't be there for the run.

Brampton 2008

Were it not for the strong head wind, Saturday would have been the perfect day for the Brampton to Carlisle 10-mile road race, with otherwise mild and sunny conditions. However, weather is not a factor that is given much consideration by distance runners and Calderglen Harriers sent their biggest ever contingent to the race, the 25th year in a row that the club has been present at this, the oldest 10-mile race in the UK. 38 Harriers competed, 14 of them experiencing their first Brampton and, at the other end of the time-line, Chas Steven and Gerry Mullen completing their 24th and 23rd Bramptons respectively.

There were many fine performances throughout the Harriers' team, whether first timers or old hands. From the times, it seems that the wind was worth around 1 or 2 minutes and so it is especially impressive that 7 Harriers achieved Brampton pb's: Stuart Gibson (11th overall in a time of 56:34 and improving by 33 seconds), Mary Goldsmith (5th L50 in 77:18 an improvement of 1:22 and more than 4 minutes faster than last year), David Herbertson (67:21, a 2:23 pb improvement and 5:16 faster than last year), Ian Hughes (61:29, an improvement of 1:01), Frances Maxwell (71:46, 5th L40, a pb improvement of 1:54, 3:06 faster than last year AND, the 3rd fastest time by a Calderglen lady ever!), Stephen Phimister (70:28, an improvement of 1:22, despite suffering from a cold) and Stephen Reilly (62:52, an improvement of 20 secs). There were many other Harriers who ran very close to pb's and, on a less windy day, these surely would have been pb's. Many of the Brampton first timers also achieved 10-mile pb's although these stats have yet to be analysed.

In terms of the official prize winning positions, we had Stuart Gibson in 11th overall, Charlie McDougall as 1st M60 and 3rd men's team (Stuart Gibson, Andy Buchanan and Jamie McMonagle). Just out of the prizes, our ladies were 4th Veteran team (Frances Maxwell, Sandra Reid and Mary Goldsmith).

All the Harriers' times can be viewed here:
http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=p_aBIInrxrvPMoUiVSs7TYQ

The full official results are here:
http://www.race-results.co.uk/results/2008/brampton08.pdf

Watch this space for the Grand Prix update and also photos of (nearly) all the Calderglen runners.

Buchlyvie Half Marathon

Colin Freeman ran the Buchlyvie Half Marathon on Sunday.
A beautiful morning set the scene for a good race, the out & back course is 95% off road, starting in Buchlyvie Village with the only on-road section before heading off in a long straight line 6 miles down the disused railway path before turning at Aberfoyle for the return journey.
Care had to be taken with it being very stoney underfoot with one very wet & muddy section.
A fantastic course until the last half mile which was the only downside of the race - two laps of a very wet & muddy field which is the very last thing you need at the end of a half marathon.
A highly recommended half marathon with a difference, if only it can avoid the Brampton clash in the future. A little dubious about the distance as he hadn't run over 10 miles in half a year -Colin was targeting 1hr 22 and actually finished in 1.22.21 and went through the 10 mile mark in 1.01 so all in all a good day.

Lanarkshire AAA XC Championships

This year's event will be on Saturday 22nd November at Drumpellier Park Coatbridge. As usual I will require the names of two club members to help with stewarding. If you are not racing that day, please let me know if you are available to help out.

Malcolm

WEST DISTRICT XC

WEST DISTRICT XC IRVINE (royal acadamy)
LADIES START 1.35pm GENTS START 2.00pm
cost £4.00 per head
declarations close 30mins before start

Please give names by 17th Nov to myself or Eddie at the club on training nights
or leave a comment on this blog

Village Tandoori Wins BUT.......

The poll to select a venue for the Christmas night out has been won by the Village Tandoori. However, in the past week whilst we have been running the poll, the restaurant has become fully booked on the planned date of Saturday 13th December. Therefore we have made a booking for Friday 12th December instead. Limited places available and we need to gather deposits of £7 per person this week. Genevieve will collect the money on Monday or Thursday at the club or hand the money into the shop. To recap, the details are as follows:
What: 3 courses (tandoori and European food)+ entertainment(karaoke/disco/live [?] depends what night)
Total Cost: £18.95

Glasgow University 5 mile Road Race

Only three harriers turned up for the 5 mile race, although to be fair it was the week before Brampton. There were perfect racing conditions but the course threw up one big problem. A large gate that was supposed to be opened to let the runners through, was closed. This meant that the runners had to squeeze through a small gap when they were still in large packs. Having talked to the club president, we've agreed that this should result in taking 10 seconds of the times, so here they are.
First for the Harriers was Stuart Gibson continuing his great form finishing in 27:01(really 26:51). Next representing Strathclyde University Harriers was Stephen Reilly, finishing in 30:06 (29:56). And finally the club president, Chas Stevens returned to his former university to race and finished in 41:18 (41:08).
Well done!!

Tarbet Weekend

Hi All,

Time to book the weekend away again. For those who have not been before. It is a social weekend with a run, walk, shop, do as you please during the Day on Saturday. (we will probably have the team handicap race again).

Date: Friday 6th February 2009.

Cost: £54pp for 2 Nights DBB or £69 for 3 Nights DBB. (very small supp. for single rooms)

Book online at www.shearings.com or Tel: 0844 55 60 885

Quote ISD844(online) or DSD844(TEL) before 15th Nov and you will get a 5% Discount ( might buy half pint )

When I phoned a few days ago there was still plenty rooms but I couldn't reserve without paying so the quicker you book the better.

Ten people definitely booked so far. We normally book for 2 nights, I've booked for 3 nights but I think most people will still go for the 2 nights.

Any Questions just see me at club

Scot

Eddie's Half Marathon

Some of the Harrier's made the journey up to Fort William to run and support Colin Jarvie in Eddie's Half Marathon. Colin was running to raise money for Project Ability and ran a great time of 1:49:20. Some of the other Harrier's who took part included Scot Hill and Eddie Reid, who after running the Allan Scally the day before, finished in respectable times of 1:26:30 and 1:27:52. The top performance of the day though was Sandra Reid who was 2nd vet 40, and managed to take around 8 minutes off her former PB to finish in 1:40:01. A thanks goes out to Frances Maxwell who put in a great performance cheering in the runners.

Well done to all!!

Allan Scally Road Relay Results

In stark contrast to the previous week at Cumbernauld, perfect weather conditions greeted the large Harriers' contingent in Baillieston this Saturday. Many Harriers continued to demonstrate fine form with pb's over the traditional 4.8 mile course.

Alison Crooks made her relay season debut with a fine first leg time for the ladies of 35:38, handing over to Mary Goldsmith who took 3 minutes off last year's time finishing in 34:32. Frances Maxwell completed the women's team with a time of 32:18, two minutes faster than last year and bringing the team home in 9th position overall, and 3rd non-university club team.

Calderglen fielded 4 men's teams. Young gun Stuart Gibson found the weather conditions more to his liking this week, to the extent that he actually turned up for the race and in the process set a massive pb of 25:18 on leg 1 (9th position). Calderglen's tight "mid-field" battle continued with Stephen Phimister (30:23) setting a competitive time on his first Scally. Eddie Reid set a time of 29:42, slightly down on last year and handed on to Jim Holmes (30:36) who took half a minute off compared to last year and brought the team home in 23rd position.

The B team comprised all Calderglen's faster vets, with Davy Watt leading off in a very competitive time of 25:52, 11th position and leading vets team. Scot Hill kept the club in the hunt with a time of 28:22, also a substantial pb. This left the team lying 2nd in the vets race. Jamie McMonagle maintained this position (28:09) and left final leg runner Alan Derrick a 1:37 gap to close on the leading vets team from home club Shettleston Harriers. A lonely run ensued with Alan only seeing, closing down and passing 1 runner on the long Edinburgh road stretch and 2 more in the final 200m but unfortunately his time of 26:43 and 12th overall was not fast enough to catch the veteran leaders who finished one place and 32 seconds ahead.

Calderglen's C team was very closely matched: David Herbertson with a massive pb (30:31), George Stewart (31:25), Ian Rae (31:00) and Gerry Mullen (31:59). Our incomplete D team comprised Kenny Beattie (33:59), making his relay debut Richard Lawton (37:16) and Graham Allan (34:49).

Making his debut for Strathclyde University Harriers, Stephen Reilly also ran a pb of 29:04.

Men's times:
http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=p_aBIInrxrvOrQUgWN5GGZQ

Women's times:
http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=p_aBIInrxrvNlxe4u2AwUQQ

The Grand Prix has been updated.

Harriers' Christmas Dinner/Party Night?

Genevieve has kindly offered to look in to organising a Christmas Dinner/Party night for the Harriers; the suggested evening is Saturday 13th December. This being the night before the Christmas Handicap, it provides a ready made opportunity to improve your handicap, either directly or indirectly.

It is fully appreciated that this is a busy time of year for all so full participation cannot be expected but it would be nice to keep this Harriers' tradition going in some shape or form, small or large!

The proposal is to select a venue from a short-list as detailed below. Indicate your preference using the on-line voting thingy on the lefthand menu (the system will only allow one vote per PC). All (polite) comments on the pros and cons of the establishments will be considered. The poll will be live for 1 week after which names will be taken, deposits collected and the booking confirmed.

Choice 1
Where: Village tandoori
What: 3 courses (tandoori and European food)+ entertainment(karaoke/disco/live [?] depends what night)
Cost: £18.95

Choice 2
Where: Di Maggios
What: 3 courses (pizza/pasta/european food) + entertainment (8-10pm DJ/Tribute Act/11-1amDJ)
Cost: £22.95

Choice 3
Where: Legends
What: 4 courses (steak house/european food) + entertainment (cabaret party night)
Cost: £21 (price goes up to £28 after 6th Dec)

Glossary of Terms
European Food - who knows???
Entertainment - subject to interpretation!

Club Jackets and T-Shirts

As we have a steady stream of new members or maybe you missed out last time around, Eddie is going to place an order for a batch of new club jackets and T-shirts. The jackets will be the black, Ron Hill variety with Calderglen Harriers on the back and the Harriers and EKGTA logo on the front. The exact cost will depend on the numbers we order but for guidance, last time around they cost £25.

The T-shirts will be black in a technical fabric (likely to be Brooks) with Calderglen Harriers on the back and the logos on the front. There is a choice of short or long sleeves. Again, precise cost dependent on numbers ordered but probably around the £10 to £12 level if we take the costs last time around for guidance.

To allow the numbers required to be determined, please leave a comment on this blog post with your name and size (S, M, L, XL) for Jacket and/or T-shirt or speak to Eddie at the club. For the T-shirt, also state your preference for short or long sleeves.

ORDERS WILL CLOSE ONE WEEK FROM NOW ON FRIDAY 7th NOVEMBER!

Allan Scally Road Relay Teams

A bit of an experimental shuffle of the packs for the team selection this time. See this link for the teams:
http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=p_aBIInrxrvM4Q08mJVUDFg

For those needing a lift, the plan is to leave the Sports Club at 12:30 sharp. The race starts at 2pm, each leg is 4.8 miles. The venue is Bannerman High School on Glasgow Road, Baillieston as shown below.


View Larger Map

Have a spin

Mandy Cullie is holding a spin class to raise funds for Marie Curie Cancer Care. It is this Sunday, 2nd November, either 4-5pm, 5-6pm, 6-7pm at Blantyre Leisure Centre. Perfect way to loosen off your legs after the Scally. It's themed London to Paris with Mandy as your tour guide. Voluntary donations made on the night will be very much appreciated. To book your bike either call 01698 727800 directly or email Mandy and let her know what time you want to take part.

Allan Scally Road Relay

The next Grand Prix race is the Allan Scally Road Relay at Bannerman High School, Baillieston this Saturday 1st November, 2pm start. The relay consists of 4 x 4.8 mile legs for the men and 3 x 4.8 miles for the ladies.

The names we have so far are: A Derrick, Graham Allan, Jim Holmes, Ian Rae, Gerry Mullen, George Stewart, Eddie Reid, Richard Lawton, Scot Hill, Russell Couper, David Herbertson, Stuart Gibson, Kenny Beattie, Davy Watt, Jamie McMonagle. For the ladies we have Mary Goldsmith, Frances Maxwell and Alison Crooks.

Please leave a comment on this post if you are not on the list yet or let Russell or I know at the club on Thursday.

Alan

National XC Relay Mud Bath Results

Not a great day for cameras, spectators or runners but (almost) all the Harriers braved the elements on Saturday to contest the National Cross Country Relays in Cumbernauld. These were probably the worst weather conditions ever at this venue but this made it a true cross-country event. Our strong ladies' trio of Mary Goldsmith, Sandra Reid and Frances Maxwell set the senior ball rolling in a very large and competitive field. Sandra is pictured on one of the firmer parts of the course. Final position for the team was 36th, 3 places higher than last year and 7th veteran team.

The men covered the same 4km (actually closer to 4.2km according to the Garmin GPS) course as the ladies, although as the event progressed the wind and rain increased and the mud became deeper. It was definitely a day for the strong men as it was even a struggle to keep on certain parts of the course due to severe cross winds. Being tall helped too as the mud was knee deep in places and at least one competitor was witnessed falling flat on their face in a sticky patch. With the masters category starting at age 35 for this event, all 3 complete Calderglen men's teams were veteran teams. The A team, Scot Hill, Jamie McMonagle, Eddie Reid and Alan Derrick displayed mixed form, with Scot and Eddie running strongly but Jamie and Alan struggling with the conditions, Alan in particular dropping two and half minutes compared to last year. The team finished 50th overall and 13th veteran team.

The B team comprised Stephen Phimister, Jim Holmes, David Herbertson and George Stewart. Stephen ran his first (and possibly last if his post-race comments are to be believed!) "proper" cross-country and is now challenging for a place in the first veteran (M35) team. Both David and Jim overturned recent defeats by George although it is certain that there will be some ongoing debate over the reasons for this. In the C team, Graham Allan, Graham Lindsay, Ian Rae and Alan Cullie ran consistently, given current fittness, and will hopefully have benefited from this "strength" session. The incomplete D team comprised Colin Banks, Russell Couper and Malcolm Buchanan. Malcolm had a particularly strong run considering his limited training due to long-term injury.

A special thank you to the tent pitchers (Scot Hill and Ian Rae) who saved the day for the seniors by installing the club tent ahead of the event to provide shelter for the athletes and supporters. Ten out of ten for effort to the team of 9 who then made a meal out of taking the tent down after the event!

The Grand Prix results have been updated, use the menus on the left to see them.

Ladies' times are here: http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=p_aBIInrxrvMmvp09KROaJw&hl=en_GB

The men's times are here: http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=p_aBIInrxrvPkN9jvTGqwTg&hl=en_GB

National XC Relay Teams - CHANGED

Note that due to a late call off, the teams have changed this morning.
The teams for the National XC Relay at Cumbernauld are as follows:

http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=p_aBIInrxrvNcIkJxYKLoTA

Russell will have the numbers, so find Russell at the school if you are there before 1pm or on the course if you arrive later. Please let Russell or I know before 1pm if you have to pull out or are going to be late.

Alan

NATIONAL XC RELAYS (CUMBERNAULD)

HARRIERS
The national xc relays are this weekend at cumbernauld
The ladies start at 1.30pm the gents at 2.30pm
I will be at the school for declarations up till approx 1pm thereafter at the course
If i cant be found as i may be around supporting the ladies i will be at the start no less than 15 mins before the start for runners to collect their numbers
below is a list of those entered please confirm by comment or see alan at the club this week

F Maxwell, M Goldsmith, S Reid,
Reserves
C Brady, A Crooks, M Cullie, B Sloss

R Couper, M Buchanan, E Reid, C Banks, C Steven, J Holmes, S Reilly, G Stewart, A Derrick,
I Rae, S Gibson, D Herbertson, A Cullie, S Hill, S Waugh, J McMonagle, G Lindsay, G Allan,
G Mullen,
Reserves
K Beattie, S Begg, S Phimister, M Duthie, C Freeman, A Henderson, I Hughes, C Jarvie,
P Kane, J McBride, B Rooney, R Shanks, D Watt,

Harriers Christmas Handicap

The annual Christmas handicap will be run on Sunday the 14th December commencing at 1:30pm. For those new to the club, the route is centred round the club house. Fancy dress is compulsory and the more imaginative outfits will be looked on favourable by the handicap committee. All contestants are encouraged to bring a gift (approx £3 -£5) which are exchanged at the prize giving. This is a family occasion with all ages catered for. Bring everyone along for a great afternoon and a welcome relief from the Christmas shops.

Malcolm

Harriers AGM

The Harriers AGM will take place on Monday 24th November 2008. There will be a short early run that evening with the meeting starting at 8pm. If you wish to bring up any motions at the meeting please forward them to me in writing by Monday 17th November. A full turn out of member is expected as we need to make important decisions regarding the running and direction of the club. Any apologies should be forwarded to myself.

Malcolm

Lanarkshire Road Relay Results

Yes, believe it! Calderglen women's team had a "Fruitful" afternoon at the Lanarkshire Road Relays at Drumpellier Park on Saturday, running to a strong second place and a silver championship medal. A change to the usual running order seemed to bring the best out of everyone with Mary Goldsmith taking the club to 3rd place on the first leg (17:36), Sandra Reid moving the club on to 2nd place (17:23) before Frances Maxwell (17:03) took about 80 seconds out of the leaders (Cambuslang) but couldn't quite catch them.

The men were well represented with 3 and half teams out. Just back from his holidays, Jamie McMonagle (8th in 14:30) was on the A team first leg but struggled to hold off the in form Scot Hill (6th 14:23) who was first leg for the B team. Thereafter, Davy Watt restored the normal team order (4th 13:27), handing over well clear to Alan Derrick (4th 13:37). Although Stuart Gibson (13:15) pulled back a minute on 3rd place, the gap was just too big and 4th was the finishing position behind Shettleston, Cambuslang and Law. The B team finished 9th - S Hill (14:23), Alan Cullie (15:54), George Stewart (15:39) and Eddie Reid (15:03). Many of the members of the C team are challenging to move up a team, such is the strength in depth. Ian Rae was first off (16:03), then David Herbertson (15:31), Jim Holmes (15:43) and Graham Allan (18:07), finishing 12th. Finally, a rare appearance by Colin Jarvie (17:25) and a reasonably happy Russell Couper (20:09) rounded off the Harriers' representation.

Full results here: http://www.calderglenharriers.org.uk/LAAARoadRelaysChampionships2008.pdf

Club men's results here: http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=p_aBIInrxrvNsj-CeDWzbHQ

Club women's results here: http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=p_aBIInrxrvNRfsS-MGPhPQ

You can access the updated Grand Prix positions via the usual menus on the left.

Grand Prix Race List

Follow this link for the next batch of confirmed Grand Prix races:
http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=p_aBIInrxrvPTzmWR_vHcOQ

Note that there are a few gaps and omissions compared to previous years for the following reasons:

Jack Crawford 10k Bishopbriggs (17/01/09) - the day after this it is the Scottish Masters Road Relay Championships (Strathclyde Park), an event that the club should be well represented at and challenging for medals.

Weekend of 6/7/8 Feb 09. Planned to be the Harriers weekend away (e.g. Tarbet, Rothsey) venue to be confirmed by Scot. Clashes with Scottish Masters XC Championship on 7th but the Harriers were poorly represented at this event last year.

15/02/09. ATHelite 5k - Chatelherault - an event that should see a lot of Harriers racing and helping at.

Grand Prix - Strathaven 10k

Before the start of this Grand Prix season and in response to some requests for more local races in the Grand Prix, I had verbally suggested that the Strathaven 10k be added, facilitated by the fact that it is now no longer the same weekend as Brampton. Some of the Harriers (10, I believe) have now entered the Strathaven 10k but the race entries are now closed and a long reserve list has been created. On the basis of Harriers race participation so far this season, I reckon we would have had at least 20 Harriers wishing to do this race. It may be that we can get a few more in via the reserve list but it is unlikely that everyone will get a place. One of the main purposes of the GP is to get everyone out racing, so in this case where the race entries are closed so far ahead of the race date, a solution had to be found.

I am therefore throwing a wild card road race into the season. We will now add the EK 10k in to the Grand Prix, however you can only score points in the EK10k if you did not get an entry in the Strathaven 10k. If you have an entry to Strathaven, then you will not get points in the EK 10k. I am sure all the mathematicians are already considering the impact of this on their GP strategy! Hope this satisfies everyone.

Lanarkshire Road Relay Teams

The teams for the Lanarkshire Road Relay at Drumpellier Park (registration at the Visitor Centre) are here: http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=p_aBIInrxrvNy_pYgISyBIg

The men's and women's races start together at 1:45. Some of the team are meeting at the Sports Club to leave at 12:30 if you need a lift.

Alan

Club Heart Rate Monitors

Five of the six club heart rate monitors are available for signing out at the moment. If you are participating in the relays regularly or just as a one off, it may be good to borrow one of the club's heart rate monitors (free of charge). The relays are short sharp races during which you may well work up to your maximum heart rate. You may not be aware of how high your heart rate can go without running with one of these!!!! Your team mates may be at risk of you not running to your full potential!!!!

Colin and Genevieve will bring the HRM's up to the club on Thursday so please take one.

LANARKSHIRE ROAD RELAYS

HARRIERS
The lanarkshire road relays are this saturday 18th Oct
Could everyone who intends to run please let myself or Alan know at the club on thursday night or leave a comment on this blog
The race for senior and U/20 men and women starts at 1.45pm but please arrive no later than 1pm teams of 4 for men and 3 for women

Can i also remind everyone that we need at least 2 marshalls to be supplied
so if you cant run please come along and marshall so we can continue our participation in this event

Lanarkshire Road Relay Championships

The Lanarkshire Road Relay Championships take place this Saturday 18th October. Anyone who is not intending to run, can they please assist the organisers at the event. This will ensure a great day out for all and will demonstrate our commitment to this organisation. I will be at the club on Monday & Thursday but if you can’t make it to the club please e-mail me or give me a call.

Malcolm

Brancumhall Training Monday

A reminder that cross-country training at Brancumhall begins on Monday 13th October and fortnightly there after. Please bring your normal training shoes to the club for the run out to Brancumhall and your off-road shoes or spikes if you have them. The course is around the perimeter of grass football pitches and hence is also OK for normal trainers.

West District XC Relay - Irvine

On Friday Ayrshire was flooded but by the time of the West District XC Relay at Irvine Royal Academy on Saturday, the course was flooded with warm sunshine. "Fresh" from the British Masters XC Relay the previous weekend, Frances Maxwell once again led the ladies off completing the 4km course in 17:34 to hand over to Sandra Reid. Sandra was suffering from the club cold and, were it not for the warm sunshine, should probably not have run. However her time of 18:28 was even more competitive than the previous week.

The men fielded 4 teams of 4. Stuart Gibson was the star performer with a top 10 finish on the first leg in a time of 13:24. Stuart handed over to his somewhat older team mates who then battled to maintain position. Alan Derrick (14:10), Scot Hill (14:51) and Eddie Reid (15:08) completed the A team which finished 15th. The depth of competition in Calderglen's B and C teams was immense with only seconds separating many of the members. In the B team, George Stewart led off (16:04), handing over to Alan Cullie (15:40). Then Stephen Phimister demonstrated how much he has improved in the last year with the impressive time of 15:37 before handing on to Stuart Waugh making his relay season debut in a time of 16:39, bringing the team home 34th. David Herbertson led off the C team, chasing B team leader George Stewart in a time of 16:09. Unbelievably Jim Holmes and Gerry Mullen recorded identical times of 16:16 on the second and third legs. Graeme Lindsay rounded out the team with a time of 16:43 finishing 36th. The D team was a mixture of regulars and comeback "kids". Ian Rae, still recovering from injuries sustained in his last race (95 miles) found the 2.5 mile leg less painful, finishing in 16:38. Kenny Beattie was not far behind with a time of 16:43, handing on to the steadily improving Russell Couper (20:16). Finally, Malcolm Buchanan had his first race outing since knee surgery and was glad to be part of it again, finishing in 20:53. Note that all times are official times.

Frances Maxwell now takes the lead in the women's grand prix and David Herbertson now takes the lead in the men's event.

Women's Grand Prix http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=p_aBIInrxrvNWEjkt38f0cA&hl=en_GB

Men's Grand Prix http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=p_aBIInrxrvMYhyDPRDL5Ug&hl=en_GB

Women's Times http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=p_aBIInrxrvOju9PBfl3CKw&hl=en_GB

Men's Times http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=p_aBIInrxrvM9oz14QocaWw&hl=en_GB

West District XC Relay Teams

We have had a fantastic response from the club and are able to field one women's team (almost) and 4 and a bit men's teams. The teams are: http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=p_aBIInrxrvPUehgI8syVdw

The event is at Irvine Royal Academy as shown on this map: http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Irvine,+Royal+Academy&sll=55.624119,-4.664726&sspn=0.088782,0.307617&ie=UTF8&ll=55.635555,-4.669533&spn=0.044378,0.153809&z=13&iwloc=A

Please allow some extra time in case the roads are still flooded and let Russell or I know if you have to pull out or are going to be late.

Grand Prix Update #2

The McAndrew official results have now been published allowing both the men's and lady's Grand Prix results to be updated. New leaders in both competitions but its all set to change again this weekend with neither Jamie nor Mandy able to compete in the West District XC Relays.

Women's Grand Prix: http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=p_aBIInrxrvNWEjkt38f0cA&hl=en_GB

Men's Grand Prix: http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=p_aBIInrxrvMYhyDPRDL5Ug&hl=en_GB

McAndrew Results: http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=p_aBIInrxrvPs9nISSfMYKw&hl=en_GB

http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=p_aBIInrxrvOsr2p_6fwIRg&hl=en_GB

WEST DISTRICT XC RELAYS TEAM CONFIRMATION

HARRIERS
Below is a list of those entered can you confirm by comment or at thursdays training if you are running or not so the teams can be selected
we have entered 5 male and 1 ladies team so there is an opertunity for male reserves to run

R Couper confirmed
M Buchanan
E Reid Confirmed
J Holmes
S Reilly Cant run
G Stewart confirmed
G Mullen confirmed
A Derrick
I Rae confirmed
S Gibson
D Herbertson
A Cullie
S Hill confirmed
S Waugh confirmed
K Beattie
S Phimister confirmed
G Lindsay

RESERVES
C Banks, S Begg, C Freeman, A Henderson, C Jarvie, P Kane, C MacDonald
J McBride, J McMonagle, B Rooney, R Shanks, C Steven, D Watt

F Maxwell confirmed
S Reid confirmed
M Goldsmith

RESERVES
A Crooks, M Cullie, C Brady, B Sloss

Brampton Bus

The bus for the Brampton to Carlisle Road Race on Saturday 15 November is now full. If there is anyone who has to pull out of the trip could they please let Chas or Russell know as soon as possible. A reserve list is now in place.

Scottish Duathlon Championships

Four members from the Harriers up & coming 'Multi-sport' division headed north to Stirling on Sunday for the Scottish Duathlon Championships. This is the last big race of the season & a big finale to the busy Triathlon & Duathlon calendar over the summer.

On a 'Baltic' & frosty early morning start line, Ben Ferguson was first off, making his debut appearance in this event. Ben took part in the novice sprint distance - a tricky 2 lap 5km Run, a 20km Bike & then another 5km run. Ben finished in 21st position overall & was 5th junior - all in all a sound performance in an event that takes some getting used to. Pace judgement, transitions & adhering to the various race regulations require practice in these events.

Next up was the main longer distance Championship race (10km Run, 40km Bike, 5km Run) with a high class field including a number of Pros & Elite athletes.

A great performance from in form Andy Buchanen saw two strong runs (including a 36 min 10k to start) & a good bike keep him up there with a 16th position finish in 2 hours 2 mins.

Colin Freeman bravely ignored the searing pain of tendonitis in his hip (yes I know - excuses - don't start!) to produce a 38 min 10k followed by solid performances on the bike & second run with an overall 32nd position in 2 hours 8mins. With a lot of very strong cyclists in the race us runners tend to do very well on foot but can get a bit 'whooped' on the bike, especially over the longer distances.

Genevieve Freeman battled round the same tough course completing in a sound 2hrs 30mins and was a respectable 10th female overall.

Well done to all who took part - its a tough event but, as always, hugely supported & a great atmosphere. Highly recommended!!

Photos may follow depending on what point in the race they were taken!!

Mud, Mud, Glorious Mud!

Dawn Buchanan running in the Salamon Turbo X race in Mugdock Park on Saturday morning. 10 miles of mud, mud and yet again more mud! "It was ace and the best £20 I have ever spent… the whole way round the more mud I fell into the bigger the smile…in fact I think every long Sunday run should be like this".

We should hear no more complaints of Brancumhall cross country training being too mucky! Speaking of which, Brancumhall cross country training starts on Monday 13th October. Bring your normal road shoes and your preferred XC shoe to the club as usual. Your XC shoes will be transported to the venue by car from where the reps will commence around the perimeter of the well manicured football pitches.

Performance Award Scheme

Please remember to submit the "Declaration Form" (http://www.calderglenharriers.org.uk/perfawardforms.html) for the performance award scheme before Friday 10th October. This is to allow time for the medals to be engraved before the presentation at the Club Dance. Full details are available on the "Performance Award Scheme" menu to the left of this screen.

We need the declaration form completed to summarise:

a) your 3 best times at 3 different distances (e.g. 5k, 10k, half marathon) obtained in the period 1st October 2007 to 30 September 2008.

and/or

b) your 3 age group or absolute personal bests at 3 different qualifying distances (e.g. 5k, 10k and half marathon) obtained in the period 1st October 2007 to 30 September 2008.

If your result was obtained at a regular Grand Prix race such as Brampton, then we don't need to see the official results as I already have them, however, if it is some other event, then we do need to see a print out of the results showing your time and those of the winners for comparison.

Speak to Scot or I at the club on Monday or Thursday if you need clarification of what is required.

Alan

British Masters XC Relay - Mansfield

On Friday evening, the Harriers made the long drive south to Mansfield for their first "away" foray into a British Masters championship event. By Saturday, the biting cold and windy conditions made it seem like a home event but thankfully the forecasts of heavy rain came to nothing.

The women's W35 team were in action first, each runner completing 2 x 2km laps of the compact park and woodland course. Frances Maxwell took the first leg (17:44), battling not only with the other W35 competitors but also the W45, W55, M60 and M70 teams. The battle continued all the way to the line (photo top right) where Sandra Reid took up the challenge on leg 2. Sandra had a tussle with the runner from Wolds Vetarans (B24) for much of her leg, finishing in 18:47. Mary Goldsmith was on the anchor leg, having to make more of a 4km solo effort to consolidate the team's postion. Mary's time of 19:28 kept the team in an excellent 7th position out of the 14 teams competing in the W35 category, a fantastic result given that they were competing at the top end of their age group. Next year, they move up an age group and can surely be in the medals. The top three teams were Ilkley Harriers (47:52), Redhill Road Runners (48:08) and Dulwich Runners "A" (48:18) with Calderglen 7th (55:59).

Race 2 included the men's M40 event, a 6-stage relay, with each runner again completing 2 x 2km laps. Few people can handle a fast start as well as Davy Watt but even Davy struggled with the depth of talent on that first leg. On his first lap Davy (photo right) maintained a strong top 6 position, with a time well below 7 minutes but had to give in to the relentless pace on lap 2, finishing in 14:07 in 9th position. This was to be the team's highest position, although it was only a gradual slide backwards as the race progressed. Scot Hill was next up running strongly to finish in 15:21 before handing over to an under pressure George Stewart. George did well to hold his place for the first lap but slipped back a bit on the second lap, finishing in 16:46. By now the field was quite spread out, so Eddie Reid had a more or less solo run around in 15:29 on the 4th leg. Alan Cullie took on the 5th leg but by now the leading team from Herne Hill Harriers had made up a full 2km lap on the Harriers and it became very difficult to work out places. Alan finished in 16:14, handing over to Alan Derrick, who once again, after only one race back after a 6 month lay off from racing had picked up the office throat infection and was far from energetic. Alan staggered round in 15:08, seeing only one other runner on the same lap towards the end of his stint but all the same making up that one place to give the club a finishing position of 15th out of 22 M40 teams. The top three teams were Herne Hill Harriers (1:23:28), Sunderland Harriers (1:25:10) and Tipton Harriers "A" (1:25:37) with Calderglen 15th (1:33:05).

In both events, Calderglen were the only Scottish club participating and their presence was greatly appreciated by the organising club, Mansfield AC. Thanks to all the Harriers who gave up their time to take part so enthusiastically in both the event and the preceding team trial and to the club and the club sponsor, EKGTA Ltd, who made it financially viable for the teams to participate.

Full provisional results are here: http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=p_aBIInrxrvPLx4_tRM6PbQ&hl=en_GB

Some more photos here (more to come): http://www.calderglenharriers.org.uk/gallery/Mansfield08/Mansfield08.html

McAndrew Road Relay Teams

The teams for this Saturday's McAndrew Road Relays are here:

http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=p_aBIInrxrvPoKTeEGIs9CA&hl=en_GB

The event starts at 3pm and registration/changing is at Jordanhill School, Chamberlain Road, Glasgow. Russell will be declaring the teams and collecting JOKERS! If anyone else, particularly ladies to keep Mandy company, would like to take part, then please get in touch with Russell or leave a comment on this posting.

British Masters XC Relay Teams

The Houston Road Relay yesterday was the trial for the men's M40 and women's F35 team for the British Masters. Following the trial, the team selections are as follows (trial time in brackets):

F35 Team
Frances Maxwell (18:28)
Sandra Reid (19:10)
Mary Goldsmith (19:25)

M40 Team
Davy Watt (14:04)
Alan Derrick (14:32)
Scot Hill (15:28)
Eddie Reid (15:47)
Alan Cullie (16:24)
George Stewart (17:00)

In both cases, our proposed reserves have evaportated, so we are in rather a shaky situation. As the Friday night hotel rooms are paid for and are non-refundable, it is vital that all those selected do participate.

Details of when we will depart on Friday afternoon will be decided later in the week.

The event venue is Berry Hill Park, Mansfield, Nottinghamshire. Directions from the North (M1) are as follows:
Leave at J29, take 2nd exit at roundabout on A617 to Mansfield, follow for approx 7 miles, from Town Centre leave on ring road signposted A60 Nottingham, after 1mile at a set of traffic lights turn left(sign posted Newark) onto Berry Hill Lane at mini roundabout turn right onto Litchfield Lane, Park is about 100yards on your left.

The W35 race starts at 12:30. The M40 race starts at 1:30.

Satellite image of race venue: http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Berry+Hill+Park,+Mansfield&ie=UTF8&ll=53.129052,-1.176932&spn=0.006231,0.019226&t=h&z=16

Looks flat enough from above!!

MCANDREW ROAD RELAY RACE

The McAndrew road relay race will be this saturday 4th oct starting at 3pm
Alan will pick the teams as usual after training on thursday night
please leave your name as a comment on this blog if you wish to run on saturday
or see myself or alan on monday or thursday at training

For those members that are new to the club this year may i ask that you seriously consider entering these events as the club has a long history in them and would like the whole club to enjoy the experience of this type of event.( all you need is an SA no )

Houston Results

The Grand Prix season kicked off with a large and enthusiastic contingent of Harriers heading to Houston for the annual road relay. A ladies' team of 3 and three and a half men's teams (4 per team) made Calderglen one of the best represented clubs there. Unfortunately the start of the race coincided with the arrival of the rain making conditions not so great for those awaiting their turn to run. However it was fine for running.

Although the full, official results are not out yet, I have managed to gather the times for almost everyone. The men's times are here: http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=p_aBIInrxrvPvJrlunTv2Wg&hl=en_GB

and the women's times here: http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=p_aBIInrxrvNfS65OzQQlSQ&hl=en_GB

Frances Maxwell was again our fastest lady over the 2.7 mile leg (18:28) whilst Sandra Reid made a fine debut on this course in an official time of 19:10. Mary Goldsmith ran an extremely impressive pb of 19:25, her first time under 20 minutes on this course.

The club fielded two veteran teams (M40+) and one and a half mixed team (seniors, vets and a junior). Young Ewan Murray made his debut running in a senior event and appeared to run well although his time is not known. At the other end of the age spectrum, Davy Watt was surely the fastest veteran over 40 in the event with an excellent time of 14:04. Davy's performance launched the club's veteran "A" team (Davy Watt, Scot Hill, Alan Derrick and Eddie Reid) on their way to first veteran team, the club's first ever Vet Team victory in this event.

The club's B Vet Team (Jim Holmes, George Stewart, Alan Cullie and Gerry Mullen) were all very evenly matched, confirming the club's strength in depth in the veteran category (STOP PRESS - The official results show that the Calderglen Vets B team were second veteran team in the event. Well done!! Thanks to Scot for pointing this fact out).

Jamie McMonagle ran his best time for several years, confirming that he is on the way back. Also on the comeback trail, it was good to see Graham Allan return to the ranks of the Harriers after 18 months out with injury. David Herbertson set another huge pb whilst both Colin Banks and Russell Couper showed signs of improving form.

The Grand Prix positions after this first race are:

Men: http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=p_aBIInrxrvMYhyDPRDL5Ug&hl=en_GB
Women: http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=p_aBIInrxrvNWEjkt38f0cA&hl=en_GB

Houston Relays

The start of the new Grand Prix season is upon us with the first event at the Houston Road Relays this Saturday (2:30pm start). My two week work trip in the frozen north has put paid to me being able to update the Grand Prix joker list (or do any runnning!!) for the start of the season, however as last year's rule change produced one of the closest finishes to the Grand Prix ever, we will stick to the same rules but with adjustments to the jokers on an individual basis based on last year's results. This new joker list will be available at Houston assuming I get back on time!

Please let Russell know if you are able to participate (about 2.25 miles per leg) or leave a comment (with your name) on this blog posting.

A reminder for all those who expressed an interest in the British Masters XC Relay championships, Houston is the trial for that, so please make sure you can attend Houston. The minibus and hotel are booked for Mansfield, so we need to guarantee that we have full men and ladies teams.

The Two Ferries 10 mile(...and a bit)

The annual Two Ferries Road Race attracted a fair number of the Harriers north to Trislaig, near Fort William. The 10.8 mile run, takes in the coast of Loch Linnhe, finishing at Corran, but this did not make it a flat course, as it had some steep climbs. The group of runners got the ferry across to Corran on Saturday morning where they were bussed up to Trislaig for the start of the race. Drizzle threatened heavy rains but it went away leaving perfect racing conditions.


Fourth overall and 1st vet (40+) was Scot Hill in 67:10 followed by Eddie Reid in 69:40 who finished 7th overall. Graham Lindsay stormed through the finish line in 75:40 while Frances Maxwell sped round in 78:09 taking the second female vet prize. Not far behind was George Ferguson in an impressive 80:30 while Sandra Reid rounded off the line up in 82:24. After the race some of the runners went for a paddle in the nearby loch but Eddie was the only one brave enough to go for a swim in what must have been freezing cold waters.


Now most athletes tend to rest the day after a hard race, but not Calderglen Harriers! On the Sunday, they proved their endurance once more by climbing ... Ben Nevis. Tired legs did not not stop the runners from taking on this mountain on which Irene Hill and Caroline Lindsay, who supported them the day before, joined them on the climb.


Well Done!!!

City of Stirling 2K Fun Run

Well done Junior Harrier Emma Lawton, age 7, for her impressive performance in the City of Stirling 2K fun run on Sunday 14th September. Emma finished 95th from a field of 350, which ranged from babies in prams to 15 years old. Emma’s time of 11:03 mins secured her joint 3rd place from the 47 runners in the under 8 girls category. Emma enjoyed taking part in the event and is already planning to improve her finishing position for next year.

Well done Emma!

XC RELAYS

THE CROSS COUNTRY SEASON IS UPON US AGAIN
Im now taking names for the west district xc relay to be held in IRVINE at the Royal Acadamy on 11th Oct. The cost of this race is £3.50 per head. Due to the pre entry nature of this i need names by 24th Sept so if you want entered please let me know at the club or by phone or leave a comment on this Blog

Im also taking names for the national xc relay to be held in CUMBERNAULD on the 25th Oct
The cost of this race is £4.00 per head. Again due to pre entry i need names by 8th Oct by the above methods

IF YOU LEAVE A COMMENT ON THE BLOG PLEASE STATE WHICH RACE OR RACES YOU WANT ENTERED FOR

Russell

TTC08 in Pictures

A full gallery of photos from the TTC is now ready. Follow this link:

http://www.calderglenharriers.org.uk/gallery/TTC_2008/TTC08All.html

Marathon Man

Spotted in this week's EK News under the heading "Marathon Man is 40" (he looks even heavier than that!), this picture shows our very own Gerry McParland at a time when 40 Marathons a week was no problem, indeed that was his staple diet. Legend has it that Gerry became so attached to the nickname "Marathon Man" that when the name was changed to "Snickers" he was driven to take up running just to keep the name. Now 20 years later and 20 stone lighter, Gerry is now very much the club's Marathon Man but can only manage 1 or 2 a year nowadays.

All the best on your 40th Birthday from the Harriers and welcome to the world of real vets.

Langlands Paths' Survey

The following e-mail message has been forwarded by Jim Holmes bringing to our attention the sale of land around Langlands/Sainsburys and the possible impact on the trails and paths that we use so regularly in our training and as part of the Trail Race. The following links will take you to pdf versions of the two documents attached to Jim's e-mail (a map and a questionnaire on path useage). Please print out, fill in and post the questionnaire to the FREEPOST address given below to arrive BEFORE THE 16th SEPTEMBER 2008.
http://www.calderglenharriers.org.uk/Langlands Public Path User Survey _off site_ Approved Final Version.pdf

http://www.calderglenharriers.org.uk/langlands paths.pdf

(note, on the map there is a section of path highlighted in orange between the existing Sainsbury building and the new building they have just built. So I am not sure if this is the correct map or the one that relates to the building work they did last year).

"All, The trail race route could be in danger. The council have sold the land around Langlands to an undisclosed buyer and a study is being carried out into usage of the paths. Reading between the lines, the paths will be built over unless enough objections are received. User survey forms have to be in by the 16th September.
Please can you fill out the attached form and post it to:
Freepost RRHK-TRHA-CCAL
c/o PPS Group, Sainsbury’s
10 Alva Street
EDINBURGH EH2 4QG

as soon as possible.
Alan, can you add the form to the blog.

Thanks,
Jim.

From: maureenpotter
Sent: Wednesday, September 10, 2008 2:06 PM
To: Kirsten Robb
Subject: langlands paths

Hello everyone,
Please find attached the map which should have been with the electronic surveys which I sent out yesterday. Please return them to:- Freepost RRHK-TRHA-CCAL, c/o PPS Group, Sainsbury’s, 10 Alva Street, EDINBURGH, EH2 4QG as soon as possible. The closing date is 16th September and if we want to keep the paths then we need to let them know that. Thanks again, Maureen"

Glasgow Half Marathon/10K

A number of Harriers' made the journey to Glasgow at the weekend, to compete in the famous Glasgow Half Marathon. The race took runners past some of the city's most famous attractions, and featured the popular run over the Kingston Bridge, before finishing in Glasgow Green.

First Harrier home was Andy Buchanan(1:25:59?), followed by Jim Holmes with an excellent time of 1:33:58. Colin Banks was next to cross the line with a first rate run, finishing in 1:39:35 and David Searil produced a great time of 1:45:48. Claire Brady also finished in a great PB of 1:50:44.

A few of the runners from the Tuesday Night section also took part in the half marathon, with some spectacular times. Mhari Steven ran an amazing 1:53:39 closely followed by Caroline Dewar (1:54:21). Angela Rae completed the Harriers' line up in 2:48:21.

In the 10K earlier on in the day, Jean McMonagle also took part in her first 10k finishing in 1hr 17 mins 3 secs raising over £150 for cancer research!!

Anyone who I haven't mentioned can leave a comment and I will update this post!!

Round Cumbrae 10 (and a quarter) Mile Road Race

In a busy weekend for Harriers of all ages, Stuart Gibson continued to keep Calderglen Harriers at the forefront of race results in Scotland finishing fourth in the Round Cumbrae 10 mile road race. The course is one complete lap of the island and is not surprisingly slightly long, so an excellent time for Stuart of 57:04.

Great Scottish Junior Run- 3K

One of the main races on the junior calendar brought out some of the top junior athletes in Scotland, including those of Calderglen Harriers. The flat course started at the People's Palace and took in most of Glasgow Green.

First to cross the line was Ewan Murray, who finished 18th overall in a time of 10:33. Next to finish was Ross Barrie in 12:30 while Ian Rae ran a great time of 13:04. David McMonagle finished in a fantastic PB of 14:26 but Alistair Crawford was not too far behind completing the course in 14:37. Drew Gordon flew round the course in a fast 14 minutes 58 seconds.Paul McMonagle ran his debut race in an impressive 15:37 while Emma Phimister took it all in her stride finishing in 18:35. And not forgetting Mark Rae, who'll be delighted with his time of 21 minutes and 34 seconds as will Matthew Cheales who finished in 22:23.

Well done to everyone who took part!!!

TTC-errific!

There were smiles all round at the Harriers' second Trossachs Training Camp over the weekend. 25 runners from the Harriers, the ATHelite JogScotland group and Callander experienced unbelievably dry and sunny conditions for a weekend of varied training, conditioning, seminars, eating and merriment in the idyllic surroundings of the Trossachs Backpackers' Hostel. A HUGE thank you and thumbs up to all who participated, organised, coached, talked and supported the event. The full story in pictures will emerge over the coming weeks. In the meantime, here are a few pictures by way of a sneak preview.....

http://www.calderglenharriers.org.uk/gallery/TTC2008/TTC08index.html


Given the overwhelmingly positive feedback of those that participated, we just have to do another one. We already have a growing list of names for next year which will take place on Friday 18th to Sunday 20th September 2009. Make sure you get your name on that list too!

Glasgow 10k

The Harriers were out on the streets of Glasgow this morning competing in the Fresh n' Lo 10k. Jamie McMonagle, Stephen Phimister and Brian McDougall (still waiting on the official results to see if there were more) all had impressive runs and grabbed some of the limelight as they all featured on Reporting Scotland's news coverage of the event. Jamie was first Harrier home (36:58), followed by Stephen Phimister who now joins the sub-40 club with an impressive new pb of 39:46, a 30 second improvement. Brian McDougall also set a pb of 42:06 and will surely also go sub-40 over the course of the next year.

Richard Lawton continued the pb trend, taking 42 seconds off his previous best to record 50:06. The 50 minute barrier is there to be broken soon.

An update of all times will follow for the 10k and the half-marathon when the official results are published.

Auldhouse Time Trial September Results

Perfectly calm conditions provided the opportunity for fast times in the final 5k time trial of this year. 18 Harriers lined up to start at 30 second intervals and 10 achieved personal bests. Once again a timing controversy went hand in hand with George Stewart when his believed 1 second advantage over Jim Holmes turned out to be a 1 second deficit on inpsection of the official times. However, George was the only person to do all 4 time trials and did improve on every one, so something to celebrate there! Stuart Gibson was fastest on the night with a 17:12, virtually identical to his two previous times. Fastest lady was Frances Maxwell (22:15) although this was her slowest time of the series. Biggest improver by a long way was Colin Banks, taking 2:01 off his previous time.

Full results here:
http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=p_aBIInrxrvPphZsIOTy8HA&hl=en_GB#

Auldhouse 5k Time Trial Season 1 Finale!

This Thursday 4th September sees the final 5k time trial of the year. Due to fading light we need to make a sharp start, so please be at the club before 7:30 so we can take names, work out the running order, stretch etc.

All previous times are here:
http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=p_aBIInrxrvPphZsIOTy8HA&hl=en_GB

Remember, the time recorded here can count towards your 5k PB for the club's performance award scheme.

Brampton 2008

Saturday 15th November will see the Harriers head south for the Brampton to Carlisle 10 mile road race, the highlight of the Harriers' racing programme every year since the club was formed. As is usual, we have hired a bus to take us down and bookings for places on the bus are now being taken on a first come (with money!) first served basis. If you entered last year then you should have received an entry form through the post but you can also download one from the link below.

http://www.calderglenharriers.org.uk/Brampton2008Entry.pdf

Please complete the form and hand it to Chas or Russell together with a cheque (or cash) for £20 made out to Calderglen Harriers. This covers the race entry (we get a 10% group discount if we submit them all together) and the bus. We will stop for dinner in Moffat on the way back and then return to the Sports Club. Travelling supporters are very welcome (£11.50 for the bus). Contact Chas or Russell for further details.

Harrier Sets PB against Beijing Olympian!

Stuart Gibson was the sole Harrier at the Scottish Athletics Senior Track Championships at Pitreavie today. Stuart lined up in the 5000m against a quality field including Olympic steeplechaser Andew Lemoncello and two of Shettleston Harriers' contingent of Eritrean athletes. Despite blowing up following the hot early pace, Stuart still managed a PB of 16:13 finishing in 12th place. A much better time is certain to come in a more even paced race. The race was won by Andrew Lemoncello in the excellent time of 14:11 followed by Tsegezab Woldemichael (14:15) and Tewoldeberhan Mengisteab (14:28).

Paisley 10K

Two Harriers turned up to race at the Paisley 10K today, and both managed to produce amazing times. First of all the ever improving Andy Buchanan smashed his previous PB by over a minute in a time of 34 minutes and 38 seconds, finishing in 10th place over all.
A course best for Jamie McMonagle also meant his fastest 10K time in 5 years. Crossing the line in 36 minutes and 22 seconds, Jamie finished in 26th position in a field of over 600.
A good finish to the month for both Harriers.

August Races

Over the last month the club has taken part in a number of races. The first of which was on the 6th of August, when Stuart Gibson took part in the Dundonald 10k, shortened from 10.5K due to a flooded football pitch at the start. This did not effect Stuart as he finished 2nd in a time of 34:07. Two weeks later, Stuart was racing again, this time in the Irvine 10K, in which he improved his time to run a fantastic PB of 33:45.
On the 23rd of August, Scot Hill made the perilous journey to Rothesay, to compete in the Bute 10K, just one of the events involved in the Bute Highland Games. The strong winds made good times difficult, but he still managed to finish in a time 38:59.
On the same day as the Bute 10K, a number of Harriers turned out for the St. Andrew's Hospice 10K. First Harrier over the line was Stephen Phimister in a superb time of 40:20. It won't be long until he breaks that 40 minute barrier. David Tait was not far behind in 41:34. Next to finish was William Bell, who'll be delighted with his time of 46:19 as will John McBride who ran an excellent 47:30 and not forgetting Richard Lawton who completed the tough course in 50 minutes and 50 seconds.
On the 24th, Kenny Davidson who recenty moved to Peebles, took part in his first race in a Moorfoot Runners vest, the Teviotdale 10K. Windy conditions made running difficult over this two lap course but he ran a time of 39.29, which is a great time for someone who hasn't raced in months.
Well done to all who raced in the last month and good luck to those who will race in months to come.