McAndrew Teams

The teams and running order for the McAndrew road relay are here. The first legs are off at 3pm so please be there by 2:15pm at the latest (or let us know in advance that you are definitely on your way if on a later leg) such that we can declare the teams to the race organisers. If you have to pull out for whatever reason, then please let either Russell or I know on Saturday morning at the latest.

Grand Prix and scratch championships updated. Russell and Joanne leading the GP's and Scot and Julie the Scratch. Use the GP menu on the left to see the scores so far.

Alan

McAndrew Road Relay - 1st October 2011

The second race in the Grand Prix will be the McAndrew Road Relay at Jordanhill on Saturday 1st October (futher details will be announced at the club). Each leg is around 3.2 miles, 4 legs for men and 3 legs for ladies.

Please leave your name on this form if you are able to compete or see Russell at the club. See who has entered so far here.

Alan

Houston - The Result You Have Been Awaiting

Official times from the Houston Relay are now available on the Kilbarchan AC web site. The Calderglen times are:
Scot Hill 16:11, Jim Holmes 16:48, Gerry Mullen 17:44, George Stewart 17:36, team position 21st and 4th vets team.
Julie Beveridge 17:36, Joanne McEvoy 17:55, Frances Maxwell 18:31 7th Ladies team
Russell Couper 20:51
Well done to all. I will update the Grand Prix when I get back on Friday evening.
Alan

National 4km XC Championships

The National 4km cross country championship at Bellahouston Park has been brought forward from its traditional January/February time to Saturday 5th November. This makes sense given that all the short cross country relays are at this time of year too. I've added this event back into the Grand Prix as with the exception of last year when it clashed, the Harriers have always been big supporters of this event. This will be a pre-entry race only and Russell will update you on this as and when he has the details. The updated calendar of Grand Prix events is here and is also available from the Grand Prix web page on the left hand menu.
Alan

West District XC Relays - Change of Venue

For those who have entered the West District XC Relays on 8th October - the venue has changed from Bellahouston Park to Drumpellier Park in Coatbridge.


Drumpellier Park, Coatbridge with changing at St Ambrose High School, Blair Road Coatbridge (map reference: http://www.mapquest.co.uk/?q=Blair+Road+ML5+2EW+GB).


Alan

HOUSTON RELAYS

On what turned out to be a warm and windy day 8 harriers made it to this years race.
On the 1st legs Scot Hill led the harriers A team with a time of 16.12 and our ladies were led by Julie Beveridge making her debut in this race with a time of 17.35 Russell Couper ran a single leg for the harriers B team in a time of 20.51 an 8 sec improvment from last year.
With only two 2nd leg runners Jim Holmes ran 16.45 and Joanne McEvoy ran 17.54 both not happy with their times when finished. We had a switch before declarations of our last two legs for the men so Gerry Mullen took on the 3rd leg and ran 17.44 and was happy enough with his time although he had found it tough (these races never get any easier) and running the 3rd and final leg for the ladies was Frances Maxwell recording a time of 18.31 and happy enough to get within 5secs of last years time as the conditions were tougher. The glory leg for the men went to George Stewart who came home in 17.36 and gutted that Julie was faster than him by 1 sec but we will have to wait for the official results as these can often differ from personal watches. George will be up all night.
Well done to those who took part and as that is the Grand Prix and Scratch contests up and running a quick caculation puts Julie and Scot leading the Scratch contests and in the GP due to jokers being played Joanne leads the ladies and Russell ans Scot share the lead in the mens.
Race 2 is next week at Jordanhill (McAndrew Relays)
Please leave your name on the relevent Blog at the top of this page if you want to run.

Houston Teams for Saturday

The teams for Houston are here. I can see jokers being deployed earlier than usual this year! The first leg is off at 2:30 and each leg is 2.7 miles so takes about 14 to 20 minutes. Presumably arrangements for travel were made at the club on Thursday but contact Russell if in doubt. There is a map showing the course, where you can park and registration (Church Hall) here.

I'm still in Sweden and can't be there so all the best to the Calderglen teams.
Alan

Houston Road Relay - Grand Prix Event #1

Saturday 24th September sees the start of our 2011 - 2012 Grand Prix with the George Cummings Road Relays at Houston, Renfrewshire (4 legs for men, 3 legs for ladies). The event starts at 2:30 pm. Each leg is 2.7 miles on the country roads around the village of Houston; very scenic.

Could you please leave your name using this form (or see Russell at the club) if you are available to race before Thursday night. I will pick the running order of each team sometime on Friday and publish on the blog. See who we have so far here.

Although this is a holiday weekend, I hope that Calderglen can be one of the best represented clubs at this long established season opener. Further details on the host club's web site here.

Alan

Round Cumbrae (a few more times........)

After the previous weekend’s race of ‘only’ 10.25 miles I headed back to Cumbrae last Friday to take on the challenge of a fifty mile charity race.

On my entry form I had said I would attempt two or three laps of the island but in the end managed to complete four circuits, a total run of 41 miles, 15 miles more than I had ever run before. My total time was 7:14:45 and the individual lap times were 1:41:36, 1:42:25, 1:47:09 and 2:03:35. As you can see the wheels came off on the last round, in fact I probably walked two of the last three miles.

It was good to finally get off off my backside and do something I’ve been thinking about for a couple of years and this unusual race format was an ideal introduction to the world of ultra running. It was also very well organised with numerous support vehicles continuously driving round the course and three water stations on the ten mile route.  

I may not make it to the club this week as, predictably, I think I’m going down with something and am also a tad tired so instead of me trying and failing to type coherently while loaded up with benylin and paracetamol youse can get a wee flavour of the event at the following link

http://scottishrunningguide.com/news.php/961/50_miles_for_50_years/full

And yes, I know that’s not quite my surname, but it’s close enough!

Very well done to David, I had no idea he was training for an ultra. This will surely divert some of the flak from Ian Rae for a while.

Alan

Grand Prix 2011 - 2012

The 2011 to 2012 Grand Prix and Scratch Championships kick off this Saturday with the Houston Road Relay (see the separate Houston post for further details and to indicate if you can run). As with previous years, the season will comprise 16 races of which the best 11 scores will count. The Grand Prix races up till Christmas this year are listed here.

The "joker" system levels the playing field, so it is not necessarily the fastest who wins. To win, you have to do most of the races and play your jokers wisely. Evening classes in the joker system are available from joker black belts such as Russell, David Wardrope and Jim Holmes.

In the ladies competition everyone starts the season with 1 joker and has unlimited jokers for the season. Points are scored 5 points for first Harrier, 4 for second, etc down to 1 point for 5th and every other Harrier who takes part. Declaring a joker before the race doubles your score, playing two jokers doubles the score again and so on. An extra joker is earned if you score 3 or less points in the race. A further extra joker is earned on completion of 5 races, 10 races and 15 races.

In the men's Grand Prix season start jokers and maximum jokers for the season are as listed here. Points are scored from 12 for first Harrier down to 1 for 12th and all other competing Harriers. Playing a joker doubles your score, playing 2 doubles it again and so on up to a maximum of 24 points in any race. An extra joker is awarded on scoring 4 to 6 points  and two jokers are awarded on scoring 3 points or less. A further extra joker is earned on completion of 5, 10 and 15 races (these extra jokers also increase your season maximum jokers also).

The club scratch championship runs in parallel to the Grand Prix. This comprises the same 11 from 16 races but in this case the jokers do not count so only the basic points are scored (1 to 5 for ladies and 1 to 12 for men). Theoretically the fastest runners should win this if they do enough races.

Use the Calderglen Grand Prix menu item on the left to follow your score and joker situation through the season.
Alan

TTC 2011 - Some Rain, Plenty Smiles

Its Callander in September (or any other time of the year actually) so it was no surprise that after four relatively dry years we had more than a wee bit of rain on the lead up to and during this year's Trossachs Training Camp. However rain does not deter runners and in fact it was never uncomfortable.

This year we had enough participants from the Harriers and ATHelite Tri Club and jog Scotland to have four full packs ably shepherded by Russell, Frances, Genevieve, Eddie, Colin and myself.

The running sessions were to the tried and tested format with some route variations. The heaviest rain was experienced on Friday evening's run with Eddie's Cones/Domes and Sharks warm-up (I can't explain in the space available) a close second in the rain stakes. The recent opening of the new Bracklinn Falls Bridge allowed the re-introduction of the full 1200 foot climb through the forest on the far side of the falls.

Hills were never far from any of the sessions with even the railway line reps being up and down the gradual slope of the old Callander to Oban line. For Sunday the sun came out and we had perfect conditions for the long runs, ranging in distance from around 11 miles to 18 miles (and another 1000 to 1300 feet of climbing!). The running sessions totalled between around 25 to 40 miles over the weekend, a fantastic effort by all involved (just don't try to continue that volume of training any time soon!)

David Nugent gave two excellent 1 hour sessions on sports injury and prevention with the second, practical session taking full advantage of the perfect model in the shape of Eddie Reid. The evening and lunchtime food was to the usual high standard and last but not least the company was fantastic.

Thanks to all who made the weekend possible. Next year is already booked!

There are a few more photos here. More will be added when the various roving photographers can get some to me. Photos from Frances now added (plenty of Lade Inn and Sunday run photos there).

Alan

GSR - Spot the Harrier

Thanks to Scot for providing the link to this photo from the Evening Times. Colin Banks in the middle of the pack.

Alan

Doon the Watter - Round Cumbrae 10 Mile Road Race

Ninety-nine fools, to quote Russell from an earlier Chatelherault report, raced/leaned into the dying embers of Hurricane Katia last week-end. Predictably I ran much better than in the warm Glasgow weather of the previous Sunday, I must be a masochist to actually enjoy running in such awful weather.

I staggered over the finishing line in 79:26 being delighted to duck under 8 mins/mile in a race for the first time in ages and to finish as leading harrier, possibly for the first time ever and, no, I wasn’t the only one before you ask/assume. Benny Rooney was also well pleased with his time of 81:13 following a thirty mile bike ride on the mainland prior to hopping over on the ferry as practice for his upcoming Ironman. All the best for that Benny and I hope your bike/run transition is a bit shorter next time!

To paraphrase football journalists this was very much a race of two halves, the first being wheeched up the east side of the island faster than my legs wanted to go and the second seemingly running on the spot down the western side. With no black and gold competition to chase I contented myself with hunting down Clydesdale and Seaforth Harriers instead although I didn’t see much of them having to keep my head well down most of the way.

As you can imagine there weren’t the usual groupings hanging around at the finish, chatting, eating ice-creams and cheering on their clubmates, most of the earlier finishers having sensibly headed in the direction of hot showers, pubs, etc – so much so that I didn’t get the chance to talk to the race winner, our erstwhile clubmate Stuart Gibson now of RonHill Cambuslang who won in a speedy 53:08.

I hope my fellow harriers will forgive me for not keeping up the tradition of a post-race dook in the sea due to the huge waves crashing onto the beach, I will try to restore order again next year.

Davie Searil

Well done to Davy for continuing the Harriers' spirit.

Alan

Trossachs Training Camp 2011

Weather forecast for this weekend is dry with some rain and some cloud, with periods of sunshine and some overcast conditions with rain varying from light to heavy.

You can arrive at the Trossachs Backpackers Hostel from 3.30pm onwards. First run will be at 5.30pm prompt. Please be here and ready to run otherwise it is dinner and no run!

You will need to bring the following with you;

• 4 run outfits - please check weather and dress appropriately
• Waterproof/water resistant jacket
• Running shoes (we strongly recommend you bring a spare pair!)
• Running socks - lots (at least 4 pairs)
• Casual outfit for dinner
• Bedding will be provided but you'll need to bring a towel or two (you may get very wet this year!!)
• Water bottle and something to put in it e.g. energy drink for Sunday long run
• Your own toiletries
• Any medication you require
• PYJAMAS (the rooms are dorms!!)
• An old newspaper to stuff your shoes at night then they may just be slighty damp in the morning!

Dinner on the first night is at 7.30pm ....if you're running late.

Allow enough time for travelling, the road can be very busy if you are travelling at rush hour.

There will be a welcome board at the main reception on this  you will find:

1. room information
2. pack information
3. and a reminder of what you've ordered for dinner!

DIRECTIONS

GSR - A Junior View

Whilst the senior Harriers were in action over 10k and Half Marathon last weekend our juniors were also turning in some fantastic performances over shorter distances. See the full report on the Junior Blog GSR - A Junior View.

TTC 2011

Last minute.......

Two place have come available

If you are interested please call Genevieve on 01698 422 448

TTC Menu Choice 2011

For those participating in the Trossachs Training Camp in a few weeks, it is time for some important decisions! Please use the form at this link to choose your evening meals for Friday and Saturday nights at the Lade Inn. More details of each dish are presented in the menu here. We need to collect your choices by Wednesday 14th September at the latest.
Alan

GSR - An Alternative View

Its a bit difficult to write a report for a race that so many people have done over the years so a couple of points worth mentioning. Its not everyone's thing to pay what is a relatively high entrance fee to get a cotton t-shirt but its a close to a 'big race' as most people will get. It was well organised as usual and the Bank of Scotland sponsorship brought some Olympic connections. The normal Velcro timing chip had been replaced with a bib-tag - a chip within your race number so you didn't have to footer with the Velcro strap at the end of the race. 

 

However the big difference was the heat ! A mild 15 deg rose to nearer 20 deg during the race. Not something that's generally a problem in this race but the only good part about Pollok Park was the shelter provided by the trees. Miles 7 - 9 through the Park and up to Pollokshaws aren't  hills in the sense of Lickprivick but had enough of a climb to sap the energy from the legs. The last section through the Green was spectator-lined and the final turn into the home straight was inspiring with the blasting PA and cheering crowds. 

 

The noticeable Harriers vest got both Jim and Stephen mentions from the Radio Clyde PA  for being 'bumblebees' but neither had the energy to stop and correct them! The guys ran together through the later stages of the race but Jim's strength led him home as first Harrier. Stephen reduced his PB by 8 mins (obviously an easy target) and Graham Ramage took 4 minutes off his PB for third Harrier Home. Next up was a top performance from Julie (surely a PB) followed by David Herbertson (possibly a PB?) who now runs with a watch but has a stewards enquiry as to why his Garmin time was 30s faster than his chip time ! David Wardrope was pleased with his time as were most of the Harriers who met up at the end to swap stories about dehydration.

Thanks to Stephen for the report. The Harriers' results are summarised below. In addition to the pb's mentioned above, Mary Goldsmith was the only Harrier to achieve a half marathon performance standard, getting a Bronze to add to the 5k, 10k and 10 miles standards achieved so far this year. Just need the marathon before the end of September and you have the full set!

Pos	No	Time	Surname	Forename	Gender	Cat	Team/Club
349	12491	1:30:43	Holmes	Jim	M	40	Calderglen Harriers
381	13555	1:31:16	Phimister	Stephen	M	40	Calderglen Harriers
591	13051	1:34:34	Ramage	Graham	M	40	Calderglen Harriers
660	13951	1:35:45	Beveridge	Julie	F		Calderglen Harriers
759	14794	1:36:58	Herbertson	David	M	40	Calderglen Harriers
1251	14265	1:41:53	Wardrope	David	M	40	Calderglen Harriers
1299	15074	1:42:15	Banks	Colin James	M		Calderglen Harriers
1644	17914	1:45:01	McBride	John	M	50	Calderglen Harriers
2100	13154	1:48:15	Searil	David	M	55	Calderglen Harriers
3960	17972	1:58:49	Lawton	Richard	M		Calderglen Harriers

Pos	No	Time	Surname	Forename	Gender	Cat	Team/Club
1674	13756	1:45:15	Goldsmith	Mary	F	50

Great Scottish Runs

Eleven harriers were joined by 15883 others for a run round the streets of Glasgow on a lovely sunny day. A day perfect for spectators but maybe just a wee bit warmer than what we have all been training in recently.

Starting in a now zombie free George Square the uphill start took us over the Kingston Bridge, through Bellahouston and Pollock parks and into the Gorbals before finishing at Glasgow Green.
In a change from tradition the piper at each mile marker was replaced by various bands. With crowds lining the streets and the locals handing out oranges and spraying us with water the atmosphere was complete.

Jim Holmes ran an age group pb of 1:30:43. That, along with Daley Thompson's autograph and a wee shot of the Olympic torch, made his 19th Great Scottish Run a memorable one. Stephen Phimister continued his good recent form finishing in 1:31:16. Graham Ramage took 4 minutes off his pb finishing in 1:34:34 and assured us there is better to come. Another fine pb was recorded by Julie Beveridge who finished in 1:35:45. David Herbertson found the heat a bit oppressive but managed a respectable 1:36:58 while David Wardrope, another serial Great Scottish Runnist, finished in 1:41:53. Colin Banks and John McBride produced steady performances of 1:42:15 and 1:45:01 respectively. David Searil used his go faster haircut to great effect to record 1:48:15 and Richard Lawton kept his bollards intact to finish in 1:58:49.

However, the best harriers performance of the day was in the 10k race where Charlie McDougall was 34th out of 7448 in a time of 37:22 and first M60 runner.

Well done to all and if I've missed you out please add your time to the comments.

Harriers with the Olympic Torch

Red faces from the heat during the run rather than the torch!


Thanks to Phimi for the photo and we look forward to a race report covering all the Harriers competing in the Great Scottish Run today.
Alan

Congratulations Russell - 50 Today!

Congratulations to Russell on being the first Harrier to do 50 parkruns (you didn't think I meant his age!). Russell achieved this landmark at Pollok Park parkrun this morning with a time of 25:29. Wear that T-shirt with pride.
Alan

Islay Half Marathon 2012 - Advance Arrangements

A benefit of planning in advance is there is plenty time to pay up. However to cover the 25% deposit paid by Eddie and I on the cottages, it would be appreciated if we could collect £10 deposit from each person by the end of September. Thereafter Sandra can continue to collect say £10 per month up until the full accommodation costs are paid (it is probably going to work out at about £47/person for the weekend based on filling all the places).
Alan


(As we have already 16 names down for this weekend, we have booked the 9, 6 and 4 person cottages, giving a total of 19 places (maybe we can get another, even smaller cottage if we need it). Thanks for the positive response so far!)

After the success of this year's Harriers' return to Islay, the 6 who travelled over for the weekend this year have already kicked off arrangements for next years event which will take place from Friday 3rd to Sunday 5th August 2012 (the race is on the Saturday). Accommodation is always difficult to arrange in Bowmore on Half Marathon weekend but for next year we have moved fast and secured the best available, the Bowmore Distillery Cottages. We have booked a 9 person cottage (6 places already taken by this year's participants) and can secure a 6 person cottage if we get enough names fast. The accommodation will cost us about £24 per person per night, less if we fill all the spaces. To that there are ferry and petrol costs plus food and maybe some refreshments! Oh and the race and ceilidh entry. Its a great weekend. Please leave your name using this form and see how many places we have filled here.

Auldhouse 5k TT - Run in to Open Arms

22 Harriers ran and a few more were only there for the beer in our final 5k time trial of the season. This was our biggest turn out of the year, beating the season opener by 1 and clearly beer is the carrot the Harriers need as this one started and finished outside the Auldhouse Arms. Many preferred this start position, the hills coming at a more comfortable position in the lap and the biggest hill coming at the end so no need to hold back. Conditions were near perfect apart from the darkness that fell before many of the runners had even started!

All the times are in the results spreadsheet accessible via the link in the menu but it is worth highlighting the course bests and seasons bests. With course bests we had Geo Ferguson (21:50), Hugh Simpson (23:07) and Karen Sturgeon (22:33) with Neil Green (19:48), Jim Holmes (20:00), Julie Beveridge (20:49) and Ian Rae (21:39) only missing out on course bests by seconds. Season's bests went to Billy Buchanan (21:31), Mary Goldsmith (22:52), Andy Henderson (20:35), Frances Maxwell (22:06), Gerry Mullen (20:50) and George Stewart (21:07).

After a relaxed drink in the Auldhouse Arms, most of us ran back to the sports club via a variety of dark routes. All in all a good night so thanks to Scot for suggesting the idea during the Christmas Pub Run.
Alan

Bollards to the Paisley 10k!

Due injury in the early part of 2011 I have not done much racing this year and over the last the month or so I have been steadily increasing my miles to prepare myself to do the Glasgow Half Marathon.  So as pre-cursor to this event I decided to do the Paisley 10K for the first time and test my half marathon readiness.

On Sunday, 28th August the race was due to start at 10am so I was up early making sure I was all organised making sure I got a good breakfast and plenty of fluids.  The morning was cold & windy but dry in Paisley.  Fortunately I was ok for car parking as I parked in my work’s car park which was only short distance to the race start at County Square so ideal for a warm up.  As with all mass events it was mobbed with fun runners to serious runners all raring to go on the fast flat course. I made my way through the crowd looking for John McBride and Ian McKenzie as I knew they were doing the race and found them in the Last Outpost pub doing their warm up (bit early for pint!).  No sooner had I found them the call out was for all runners to attend the start line as 10am was looming.

John made his way nearer the front with me and Ian slotting quietly near the back. The gun went and we were off doing a short loop around the centre of Paisley before heading out towards Greenhill Road where St Mirren’s football ground is then into the notorious Ferguslie Park area (this was the sprint part of the 10K).  By this time I was going well with John ahead and Ian behind, and I felt quite comfortable at the pace I was doing.  I was thinking I might achieve a high 47mins or low 48mins however that wasn’t to be!

As we were leaving Ferguslie Park running towards the Phoenix Retail Park we couldn’t run on the road and had to stay on the narrow pavements.  Running on this pavement proved a challenge trying run around runners and not trip over anyone however the other challenges were bollards!  Focusing on my running I ran around these as well to avoid injury.  At this point in the race it was around 5K and I was tailing a small lady runner, desperate to pass her but was difficult in light of the pavement.  So half way along this section of the run I was going well waiting to pass this runner when suddenly she swiftly moved and my next stride was straight into a bollard!  At this point my bottom half stopped, rose in the air and down, and my top half made an attempt to keep running.  Trying to understand what happened within a split second, feeling just like being hit by a train and trying to recover my glasses from the ground as a dozen runners ran on them.  Ian McKenzie came to my rescue.

He got my glasses and walked with me for a bit as I tried to recover and feeling angry at the wee woman who ruined my potential good time and my crotch.  At 6K I managed to start running again feeling more human again, laughing with Ian at what happen (a bit) and by the time I got to 7K I ran with blind fury (no glasses!) to make up time I had lost. Eventually I caught up with the woman who had caused my accident and I was tempted to push her into the bushes but refrained.

The final part of the route was down Paisley High Street and I managed to put on a sprint finish to the line to try and gain that elusive good time...but it wasn’t to be as my chip time recorded 50:42.

Well done to Richard for keeping going despite his collision and for showing restraint and not giving the wee wummin a doin!