Trossachs Training Camp 09

Updated AGAIN! and AGAIN!!
Only 4 places left!
The TTC09 is already more than half full, 30 out of 34 places have already gone. So please, if you are interested fill in an entry form and return to ATHelite. Only £10 deposit required to secure your place.

NATIONAL 6 + 4 STAGE RELAY (Livingston)

Harriers
The 6 + 4 stage relay will be on Sat 4th April Noon start
This is the final race of the winter so lets have a big turnout
I am now taking names for this please let me know if you want entered
let me know at the club by 16th march or post a comment on this blog by 17th march
Cost is £3.00 per head

Please ensure your scottish athletics and harriers memberships are up to date
There will also be a post race night out in the Monty to which partners are welcome

Russell

Membership fees (OVERDUE)

Membership fees are now well overdue
to those who have paid or indicated payment is coming thanks
to those who have not made any attempt to pay or indicate when payment will be made
please refrain from entering any event as a Calderglen Harrier as you will not be considered a member until payment is made or a payment date is indicated
to give an indication of this problem there are currently approx 20 payments due
this affects the sports clubs ability to function and as a member club of scottish athletics we have a fee to pay for each individual member
i will be at the club mondays and thursdays either before or after training for the next 3 weeks to collect this.
please come and see me rather than me chasing people

Russell

YOUNG ATHLETES ROAD RACES

The Scottish National Young Athletes Road Races will take place in East Kilbride on Sunday 22 March . As one of the host clubs due to our membership of the South Lanarkshire Athletics Partnership a large turnout of Harriers is expected to ensure the event is a success. Any Senior / Veteran athletes or parents/carers/helpers of the young athletes who are prepared to steward the event please add a comment below ( except Alan Derrick and Don Kennedy who did so on a previous entry). All the races will start and finish at the running track at the John Wright Sports Centre. The schedule for the day with our own eligible young athletes are as follows:

Under 13 Girls 3000 metres 11.30am - Amy Mulholland

Under 13 Boys 3000 metres 11.50 am - Ross Barrie, Ian Rae, Ross Paterson, Alistair Crawford, Andrew Ritchie, Greg Mulholland, David McMonagle, Paul Mullen

Under 15 Girls 4500 metres 12.10 am - Emma Campbell

Under 15 Boys 4500 metres 12.40 am - Ewan Murray, Richard Campbell, Daniel Mullen, Stuart Hill, Josh Ladds, Ross Jarvie

Under 17 Women 4500 metres 1.10 pm - nil entry

Under 17 Men/ Under 20 Women 1.40 pm - nil entry

Under 20 Men 7500 metres 2.15 pm - Stephen Reilly, Ben Ferguson, Jamie Wood

All young athletes should report to the running track no later than 30 minutes before the start of their race.

PLEASE SUPPORT YOUR CLUB ON A VERY IMPORTANT DAY.

National Cross Country - Callendar Park

Harriers young and old(ish) were out in force at the Scottish National Cross Country Championships at Callendar Park, Falkirk on Saturday. Despite the recent prolonged snow cover, the course was in excellent condition, firm under foot with only a few muddy bits here and there, just the way we like it. A strong wind on the exposed back section of the course was the only downside.

The youngsters were first off with several Harriers in the U13 boys' race. First home was Ross Barrie in 15:11 (90th position) followed closely by Ian Rae (Jnr) in 15:38 (102). Alastair Crawford (16:58) and Ross Paterson (17:25) completed the Calderglen team.

In the U15 boys race, Ewan Murray was our star performer, actually challenging for the lead early on before fading to a still very respectable 35th position in a time of 15:05. Rapidly improving team mate Richard Campbell was 66th in 16:24.

A team of 3 lined up for the Senior Ladies 8km race. Sandra Reid and Mary Goldsmith (photo left) battled closely for the first lap of the two lap course. However Sandra twisted her ankle early on in the second lap and could not continue. Mary kept the pace going and had probably her best National to date, finishing in 38:30 and 104th position, in the process taking the lead in the Calderglen Grand Prix. Dawn Buchanan had to be persuaded to run but seemed to be enjoying herself once she got going, running strongly to the finish in 42:17.

A large Calderglen men's team joined the biggest field of the day with well over 400 runners lining up for the cavalry charge towards the first hill of the 3 lap, 12km course. Making his last outing (at least for now) in a Calderglen vest, Stuart Gibson ran impressively for 2 and half laps before losing a shoe in the bottom of a muddy ditch. Undeterred, Stuart carried on "Brian Whittle" style for the remaining mile with only one shoe to finish 59th in 41:47.

In his last race (and last day) as a senior, Jamie McMonagle was going well for half a lap before a hamstring injury picked up in the gym through the week kicked in and brought him to a stop in the same ditch that claimed Stuart's shoe. A race long battle ensued between Alan Cullie, Scot Hill and Eddie Reid, (photo top right) swapping positions throughout the race. On the last lap, Scot edged away on the final straight to finish in 48:33 (210th) with Alan just behind in 48:42 (218th). Eddie left his impression on the course, his feet sliding from under him on the final corner as he was building for a blistering finish that would surely have taken him past everyone (his words). To his credit he bounced back to his feet relatively quickly to finish in 48:50 and 220th position.

Ian Rae (snr) was his usual cheerful self throughout the race, finishing in 50:24 (261st). Jim Holmes is used to tight battles with his team mates but today he found himself in relatively clear air finishing in 52:01 (296th), a minute clear of regular rival David Herbertson (53:03 and 322nd). Benny Rooney continued his re-introduction to racing, 13 years after his last outing on this same course to finish in 56:14 (364th). David Searil and Chas Steven swapped positions during the race, David's marathon training eventually pulling him clear to finish in 1:03:56 with Chas finishing in 1:06:06. The first 6 Harriers were counters in the team competition, finishing in 21st position. Eddie Reid now takes over the lead of the Grand Prix. Click here for the rest of the photos .....

At the front of the field we had one of the most exciting finishes for many years with the long-term leader T Woldemichael (Shettleston) being overhauled in the final 50m, first by Alastair Hay (Central) and then Thomas Russell (Bristol & West).

Scottish Masters National Indoor Championships - Kelvin Hall

On Saturday Martin Duthie once again put himself to the test under the spotlights of the Kelvin Hall indoor arena, lining up in two events, the 3000m and 1500m. And he certainly delivered. First event off was the 1500m, Martin's weaker event and in this he posted an impressive 4:25.73 to take the Silver medal in the M45 category, finishing a few seconds behind middle distance specialist Alex Bryce of Falkirk Victoria Harriers. A few hours later it was time for the 3000m, 15 laps of the banked track. It is always difficult to judge the pace in these races as each event contains a mixture of age groups and you don't want to be chasing after some of the younger runners as they are effectively in a different race. Martin started off conservatively and then gradually picked up the pace, finding it remarkably comfortable and coming home as National M45 gold medallist in a time of 9:33.48. Martin's 1500 and 3000m times were his fastest for 5 years, remarkable in the circumstances. Congratulations to Martin for doing himself and the club proud.

Jamie's 40th

A wee message from Jamie following his surprise birthday party last night:

"I would like to thank everyone for the gift voucher which was totally unexpected and thank all the bandits out there who took me by surprise. I had a wonderful evening and it was great to see so many of my running friends. Still in shock but it shows what a wonderful wonderful bunch of people we have in the club and it's been a great honour to be part of this and hopefully I'll have many more years to come in this great club. It really is a privelege to know such great people. Thanks to everyone.
Jamie.
p.s. I WILL NOT BE COMPETING AS BORAT IN MY NEXT RACE!"

Fortunately, we do not have a photograph to support the last comment.

50 th Birthday Party

Former Harrier Davie Mullen is celebrating his 50 th birthday next Friday in the Calderwood Inn 7.30 pm - midnight ( upstairs ). Davie was a member of the club during the first 10 years of the club 1984 - 1994 and has been a supporter of many of our events ever since. He is fondly remembered by those of us who have been in the club since its infancy. Davie was instrumental in making the Islay trip a Harriers favourite outing and he represented the club at many races with vigour even after overcoming serious illness.

If anybody would like to attend please post a note asap and I will make arrangements for the club to honour him.

Trossachs Training Camp 2009

Consider this the launch for the Trossachs Training Camp 2009

Calderglen Harriers in association with EKGTA Ltd Proudly Present

Trossachs Training Camp 18/19/20 September
Based at the Trossachs Backpackers Hostel near Callander in Perthshire, the training weekend will take place over the weekend Friday 18th through Sunday 20th-September. Under the expert guidance of UK Athletics qualified coaches, the weekend will consist of a number of coaching sessions (both running and classroom based) over the Friday evening, Saturday and Sunday morning, and will take advantage of the picturesque trails by Loch Venacher and the nearby Trossachs area.
The Trossachs Training Camp weekend is limited to 28 participants, including a few reserved places for non-Calderglen Harrier members.
The cost of the weekend will be £ 50 per person. This includes:
• Two nights (Fri/Sat) dormitory accommodation in the hostel
• Breakfast (Sat/Sun), lunch (Sat/Sun) and dinner (Fri/Sat)
• Technical T-shirt souvenir
• Full coaching program
The Trossachs Training Camp is targeted at runners of all levels – those looking to get in to peak form for the Autumn Club relay races, those looking to get back into their running again after a break or those who simply want to enjoy running on the trails of the Trossachs area with other runners.

You can pay in full or pay £10 deposit and submit 4 post dated cheques for £10 (May/Jun/Jul/Aug)

PLACES ARE ALREADY FILLING UP.

All entry forms to be returned to ATHelite, cheques payable to Calderglen Harriers.

Click here for Entry Form .....

Clubmark

As you are all aware, Calderglen Harriers were recently awarded the prestigious Scottish Athletics Club Mark accreditation. After the initial hard work we need someone to maintain the necessary documents and procedures. This is by no means an arduous task as all the necessary building blocks are in place. It would be a snub to the hard work that has been done to achieve this award if we were to have the award taken from us due to a lack of updates and some basic housekeeping. If anyone has any questions or concerns as to this task, please give me a call or speak to me at the club. As usual, if we all play a small part in the club administration, the burden on the few will be minimised.
Malcolm

Membership Fees

As we head towards the end of February there are a significant number of Harriers who have not yet paid their 2009 fees or have indicated to Russell that the cheque is in the post. Can I remind those of you who have not paid that both the Sports Club and the Harriers section rely heavily on your financial support to operate successfully. Your fees entitle you to run in local, national and international races as a member of Calderglen Harriers. If you have decided not to renew your membership, please advise Russell ASAP.
Malcolm

Tarbet Photos

The photographers were working overtime at Tarbet and the results of their work are now all on the web. Click here to see what lies around the corner. Thanks to the snappers Stephen and David.

ATHelite Run in the Park 5k

Well - were we lucky again with the weather or what?
Given that the trails were covered in either snow or sheet ice a couple of days previous we ended up with a clear 5k course with only a few splodgy areas to trouble our intrepid runners.

The race started at 10.00am prompt & saw an early lead out by Stephen Matthews as the runners left the open park & headed into the 'undulating' trails. Who knows what went on in there for the following 16 minutes but first out into the view from the Start/Finish line was last years winner Stephen Wylie from Cambuslang. It would be fair to say he was 'pure flyin' as he made light of the last 1/2km down to the finish, winning in a new Course Record of 16.56. Outstanding given the challenges & terrain of the trails. Second home was the 1st years winner Robert Gilroy (we think he might have won if he had still had blond hair) just keeping a bit of distance between himself & 3rd place Stephen Matthews.

First Lady home in 21.37 was Jo Clark from local club Motherwell AC followed in by Jessie Miller from Motherwell AC & in 3rd place Carol Munro. From Motherwell AC.
Motherwell always have great success at the ATHelite 5k & also cleared up the Male & Female Team prizes as well as Vet & Super Vet categories so a good day for the club.

Some good performances from the Harriers - first home was Andy Buchanen in 18.33 & 6th overall. Ben Ferguson was 10th overall in 19.42 & 3rd Junior. The 'Phiminator' Stephen Phimister was an excellent 18th in 20.32. First & only Calderglen Lady was Claire Brady in 26.00 mins followed closely by Richard Lawton in 26.07. Marathon training Davy Searil (26.08) chose to run from Ek to Hamilton as a warm up & Don Kennedy completed the line up in 27.06.

Many more runners continued over the finish line to collect their well deserved Goody Bags of Mugs, Energy Bars, Water & a cheeky Tunnocks.

Well done to everyone who took part in this challenging but scenic race & we look forward to seeing you next year for another go at it.

Full results here: http://www.calderglenharriers.org.uk/ATHelite5k_2009Results02.pdf

Russels photos here .... http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/ATHelite.net/ATHeliteRunInThePark5k2009?feat=directlink

Finally, BIG thanks to all the helpers & marshalls for taking a bit of time out to help us as always. It is much appreciated by us & indeed all the runners. Thank you & HAPPY RUNNING!!!

Colin

ATHelite 5k Marshalls

Thanks to all those who have kindly taken a bit of time out to help with the Marshalling at this years 5k.
The race starts at Chatelherault at 10.00am so if you could aim to be there for between 9.00 & 9.15 that would be great. A quick race briefing then out onto the course.
Thank you again & see you on Sunday Morning.

Colin

DEAFBLIND SCOTLAND

Irene Hill received a letter recently from Deafblind Scotland which reads :
Dear Irene,

Thank you very much for the kind donation of £50.00 from Calderglen Harriers , given in memory of Margaret Anne Duthie.

Margaret Anne will be greatly missed ; our staff and members have been blessed to have had her in their lives as a colleague and friend.

Please convey my grateful thanks to everyone involved in making this donation.

Yours Sincerely,

Drena O'Malley
Resources Manager

NATIONAL XC (callendar park FALKIRK)

This years event is on sat 21st Feb
The following have entered and should heed these instructions
LADIES
event starts at 13.25 declarations close at 12.55 please arrange to collect your numbers individually or someone collect them all and arrive in good time
M GOLDSMITH
S REID
D BUCHANAN

MEN
event starts at 14.30 declarations close at 14.00 please arrange to collect your numbers individually or someone collect them all and arrive in good time
S GIBSON
J McMONAGLE
A DERRICK
C STEVEN
D SEARIL
G ALLAN
E REID
J HOLMES
B ROONEY
I RAE
C BANKS
G LINDSAY
S HILL
D HERBERTSON
A CULLIE
G STEWART

If anyone cant make it leave a comment on this blog or let one of the others know your not going so nobody is holding your number waiting on you
GOOD RUNNING TO ALL TAKING PART

Club Heart Rate Monitors

Just a quick reminder that the club has a fleet of Polar Heart Rate Monitors/ Speed & Distance Sensors - available for free use by all club members.


Currently 4 available - don't worry if you haven't used one before, we can help you with the set up.
Ideal if you are in the midst of your marathon training or as intro to getting to know your heart rate, run speed & how far you have been. (though best not knowing sometimes!)

The watches are held at ATHelite in the Village so either pop down & sign one out or ask Colin or Genevieve to bring one to the club for you.

Colin

Tarbet Weekend

The Harriers returned to Tarbet this year, after a year out at Rothesay, and it was as if they had never left. As usual, after a week full of blizzards, the weekend brought perfect sunny conditions. After a good evening on the Friday night, on the Saturday the walkers left for an 8 mile walk (although they'll claim it was longer) and the runners left from Arrochar for a 15 mile run, which took in a large part of the Argyll Forest Park, with a lot of undulating paths and great scenery. After the run and the walk every one met up for lunch at the 'The Ben Arthur' before heading back to the hotel for the rest of the activities.

Instead of the handicapped race that usually takes place, thanks to Sandra we were able to have an obstacle course, which consisted of skipping, hula hoops, a tunnel to crawl through and many other things. The teams were set up, men against woman, and after a hard battle and without any cheating.... the men won. It was great fun and everyone had a laugh. The entertainment on both nights was not as good as last years Beatle's Night but was a Hank Marvin tribute act, (I still don't know who this person is), but that didn't dampen the Harriers spirits as they managed to liven the place up, as usual.

On the Sunday, everyone walked to Arrochar and took over a small cafe to have a drink before walking back to the hotel to head home. Everyone agreed it had been another very successful Harrier's weekend away.

A big thanks to Scot Hill who organised the event.

Scottish Athletics Junior Road Race Championships

This is an amendment to the previous post. The date has been clarified. Apologies for the confusion.

The above championships will be held at the John Wright Sports Centre on Sunday 22nd Mach 2009, hosted by the South Lanarkshire Athletics Partnership. This is an excellent opportunity to showcase the Partnership and our town. To this end, we need stewards for the course. The 1st race is at 11:30 with the last race off at 2:15. This event will also give our young athletes the opportunity to take part in a national event on their doorstep. The coaching staff from our Wednesday night section will be involved with the young athletes on the day, so I would not expect them to be involved in marshalling. Can you please let me know ASAP your intentions for this event to allow the names to go forward and plans put in place for a successful day. As one of the founding members of the Partnership, we need to show our support for this prestigious event.
Malcolm

Scottish Masters Cross-Country - Irvine

The sun always seems to shine at Irvine Royal Academy if the three cross-country races held there so far this season are anything to go by. A nippy wind was the only downside to an otherwise perfect day for cross-country. 6 Harriers joined a large men's field for the 6 mile race. I was far enough off the pace to get a good view of the leaders as they headed back towards me on certain parts of the course and a very high quality race it looked too with Bobby Quinn of Kilbarchan (M40) stringing the field out.

Davy Watt grabbed the attention of the race commentator and got the club a mention by falling in front of him at the end of the first lap, having made a last minute decision to run in trainers rather than risk injury in spikes. However, that did not detract from Davy's performance finishing an excellent 5th M45 in 34:56 (24th overall). Martin Duthie showed that he had strength as well as speed finishing in 35:55 (11th M45 and 44th overall). Alan Derrick ran a very laboured 37:19 (61st overall, age category position not known) whilst Stuart Waugh ran a fine 41:46, finishing 11th M55 (113th overall). Running his first race since he doesn't know when, Benny Rooney was 143rd in 45:01 and Russell Couper ran his final pre-op race finishing in 53:58 in 166th position, a time that he was happy with. The club finished 8th team (first 4 to count). Well done to all. Thanks to Barry Cockburn for travelling down to lend his support. Bring on The National!!
Alan

Calderglen Harriers Web Site Back On-Line

The service provider has fixed our web site. They didn't say what was wrong, only that they repaired it.
Alan

Calderglen Harriers Web Site Down

There appears to be a problem with our main web site (www.calderglenharriers.org.uk) today. The problem is with the company who host our web site. I am not in a position to deal with it at the moment but will try to investigate and sort it at the weekend. You can of course continue to browse and use the blog as usual (http:\\calderglen.blogspot.com) without going in via the web site.

Alan

MARIE CURIE CANCER CARE SPRING BASH

Mandy Cullie is organising the above event at EK Sports Club which will take place on Friday 6 th March ( 7.30 pm until midnight ) . Tickets cost £6 and there will also be a Ceilidh band, disco, raffle and an auction. On auction will be 10 driving lessons worth £250. All proceeds will go straight to Marie Curie Cancer Care.

Please try and support this event for a very worthwhile cause.

She can be contacted on 01698 456350 or 07759169595. Mandy and/or Alan will also be at the club this Thursday with tickets to sell.

National Masters Cross Country Championship

The above race will be held at Irvine Royal Academy on Saturday 7th February 2009. The men’s race (10K) starts at 2:15. Declarations close 30minutes before each race.
Team are: men 4 to score.
Russell will have the numbers and will be at either registration or at the start/finish of the course. Please make sure you are there in time to get your number from Russell and allow him time for his warm up. Have a good race.

Malcolm

Parkrun 5k Pollok Park - 31st January 2009

Thanks to Stephen Phimister for the following race report:

"I turned up today to give the event a go and found I had been joined by 2 other Harriers, David Herbertson and Mary Goldsmith. Seems like a good event with a wide range of runners.

It was a ‘crisp’ morning and the race director explained the route as an undulating course. One part in particular was sharply uphill undulating (!) and unfortunately it’s on a section of the course that you run twice. Course was well marked and easy to follow. Given recent debate about the course distance I hope it’s correct as I ran a pb in 19:42, Davie (genuine man flu) on 21:45 and Mary on 22:40 (think this was also a pb). For comparison Robert Gilroy was 2nd on 16:25 .A good run and worth a semi-regular attendance. They also run all sorts of leagues and grading systems which seem complicated but they do all the scoring for you. Just turn up and run.

Also helps to promote the club (32 clubs in attendance) and will be even better if Eddie ever produces the T-shirts ordered in October!! :-) "

Stephen has shaved a further 17 seconds of his pb compared to Auldhouse and Mary has improved her pb by a substantial 1:06. As mentioned in the original post, these events are held every Saturday morning at 09:30, so plenty of future opportunities to monitor your fitness improvements.