Performance Awards 2011-12

Today was the last day for setting any new performance standards or pb's to qualify for an award this year. Congratulations to the many Harriers who have achived standards and pb's this year. If you qualify for an award (standards or pb's at 3 different distances since 1st October 2011), then please get your completed forms to me before the end of October.

For Performance Standard awards, then it is most likely that I have already noted your performance, particularly if it was set in a Grand Prix race. If all of your qualifying standards already appear on this list then there is no need to provide me with the details again; no point wasting paper. However, if you think I have missed a qualifying standard, please provide me with the details of where and when and a copy of or link to the official results.

For PB (either outright or age group) awards, then please provide me with details of your qualifying results. Use the Performance award menu on the left to check the rules and download the submission form.

Alan

Houston Grand Prix 2012- 2013 Race 1

Jim Holmes nears the finish

The Harriers' 2012-13 Grand Prix campaign got off to a great start with a big turnout from the Harriers and many other clubs on a blustery afternoon in Renfrewshire.

Although many of the regulars were missing due to illness, injury and other race duties, we still fielded 3 men's teams and 2/3 of a ladies team. In possibly a first for the club, most of the Harriers actually followed the coach's advice and completed a full, gentle lap warm-up to get them primed for this short (2.7 mile), sharp blast around the leafy lanes of Houston. Making his début on this course, Stephen Phimister got the vets' A team off to a good start recording a time of 16:17, handing over to Eddie Reid. Eddie has had a long break from the shorter races but still ran a great time of 16:11 to record our fastest veteran time of the day, averaging exactly 6 minute per mile. Jim Holmes was only 10 seconds down on last year, and given the head wind in the later part of the course, this was a great performance, finishing in 16:58. Finally, Andy Henderson had to fend off an EKAC challenge from Graham Haddow on the last leg, which he did comfortably, finishing in 17:12.

In the vets B team, reigning grand prix champion George Stewart started the defence of his title by going straight to the back of the pack at the start. However, this proved to be a sensible pace judgement decision as he moved through the field with only one mishap (a twisted ankle blamed on his socks) to finish in 17:41, only 5 seconds down on last year. Stuart Waugh was surely the fastest M60 in the field on leg 2 with a time of 17:18. David Wardrope overcame several pre-race scares (accidentally not selected for a team and then given the same amount of season start jokers as George) to run well inside 7 minute miles with a time of 18:19 whilst Gerry Mullen had more of a lonely experience on the last leg, recording 17:50, just 6 seconds slower than last year and confirming his good form.

Our fastest runner of the day, Stephen Reilly, was given the chance to upset the apple cart and put our third team as far up the field as possible to give (in Russell's own words), Russell the chance to lose it all on the last leg! Stephen recorded a time of 15:51. Richard Lawton had never run here before and considered it to be perhaps the toughest relay course we do (wait till you see Kilmarnock!). Richard finished in 19:21. His regular rival, Hugh Simpson was also making his début on this course, which he promptly confirmed by parking his car on the start/finish line for the duration of the race and then making a wrong turn into the Houston Inn car park inside the last 200m. Despite this, Hugh pipped Richard with a time of 19:16. Finally, Russell did exactly what he said he would do (run 22 something) by finishing in 22:22.

Joanne McEvoy, despite an extreme gym session the night before destroying her quads, still managed a respectable time of 18:01 on the first leg, just 6 seconds down on last year. Frances Maxwell was the only Harrier to improve on last year, finishing in 18:27, a 4 second improvement but worth much more given the strong winds.

After all that, normal Grand Prix and Club Championship service is resumed with George Stewart tied for the lead in the Grand Prix with Jim Holmes and Hugh Simpson and Stephen Reilly taking the lead in the Scratch Championship. Joanne leads both the Grand Prix and Scratch championships for the ladies. Full results are available by the menu on the left. Well done to all.

More photos here.
Alan

Islay 2013 Deposit

Its a long way off, we know, but to secure the same, fantastic accommodation that we had this year, Eddie and I had to book before we left the island and pay substantial deposits. So, it would be appreciated if all those who are going in 2013 could pay £20 per person to Eddie in the coming weeks to cover the deposits. We won't bother you again until the New Year when we will come up with a structured payment plan for the balance. Having done it this year, we all have a better feel for the overall costs for the ferry, petrol, dinner and anything else you may need on the island.
Alan

Houston Teams 2012

29/09/12: Teams updated and joker start list added here.
The teams and running order for the 2.7 mile leg Houston Road Relay are listed here. The race starts at 14:30 but we need everyone there by 13:45 at the absolute latest (or confirmation by phone that you are on your way before that time) to declare the teams and allow a proper warm-up. As it is a short, sharp race and as we are all distance runners, I would recommend a full, gentle lap to warm-up to ensure that you are primed for action.

Any call off's or problems then please let Russell or I know as early as possible and certainly before 13:45.

Alan

Club Entries for 2013 London Marathon

Changes to the way affiliated clubs apply for places in the 2013 Marathon.

After the 15th October 2012 clubs have to apply on line for places in the marathon.
Closing date club applications is 16th November 2012.

I require the names of the members of the club who have applied for places in 2013 Marathon and who have had their application rejected, if they are interested in the possibility of a club entry.

Please contact me in person or by email before the 15th October when I will apply for club entry places.

As yet I do not know how many place the club will be allocated to the club.

George Cummings Road Relay

The first race in this seasons Grand Prix will be the George Cummings Road Relay held in Houston on Sat 29th Sept. Cost is £4 per head unless your'e not a member of Scottish Athletics and therefore £6. Race starts at 2.30pm and is teams of 4 for men and 3 for ladies. Club vests must also be worn so if you need one see me at the club i will be back at training on Mon 24th Sept. Again depending on numbers we will enter partial teams so everyone can take part. Distance is 2.7 mls. Anyone wishing to take part should leave their name on this form.  Names should be left by Wed 26th Sept or given to Alan or Russell Personally at training on Thursday 27th Sept so the teams and running order can be selected and posted on the Blog. Names received so far are here.

WEST DISTRICT XC RELAYS

Its the time of year again when the cross country season is fast approaching. Details for the first event, the West District relays, are always late on coming out but I've managed this year to get a head start and know the date and the venue. It will take place in Kilmarnock on the 13th Oct which means I probably need names by the 20th September but I will update this when I've got all details. Times again I dont know but should be afternoon and cost will probably be £4/£5. Those wishing to run remember you have to have an up to date SA number and any new member unsure of what this is please ask anyone at the club for information or see myself.
Anyone wishing to do this race please leave your name using this form. Names received so far are here. This is a Calderglen Grand Prix race.

UPDATE :- race start times are ladies @ 12.40 and gents @ 1.30. Cost is £4.00 and names required by 24th Sept at the latest

TTC 2012

A big thanks to all the Harriers and ATHelite Tri and JogScotland members who gave us a full and lively house at TTC 2012. Given the forecasts, we were lucky with the weather as the Trossachs micro-climate behaved itself (at least until Saturday night). The weather was not going to spoil our fun anyway, especially as we had indoor activities to occupy us. It is a few years since we have been severely stretched on a TTC but this year Mark Russell obliged by expertly taking us through two Yoga for Runners sessions which were totally appropriate to our (in)ability. Although there were plenty of grumbles, groans and other sound effects during the sessions, there was nothing but praise to be heard afterwards, so a big thank you to Mark for a highlight of the weekend. In parallel to the first yoga session, Genevieve tortured a handful of us with an upper body circuits session in the blazing sun with her usual irrepressible enthusiasm.

The four running sessions were attacked with vigour by all and once again many were taken well beyond their self-assumed running limits, some for the first time ever and some for the first time since the previous TTC. It is a running camp and seeing people enjoy running is why we keep coming back.

After shuffling the jokers in the pack (Billy and Kenny), the Friday evening run took in a 5 mile circuit of the forests above the hostel as usual; a nice, gentle start. On Saturday morning a severe climb up the base of Ben Ledi provided wonderful views of Loch Lubnaig and put up to 9 miles under our belts. A continuous hill/farlek session at Bocastle forestry commission car park proved a severe test on the Saturday afternoon which no one (except me!) failed. However, this did create the space for the second night of Lade Inn dinners and refreshments. Wind and rain greeted us for the first time on Sunday morning but un-deterred, the packs headed out by Loch Venachar to the Achray forest and Loch Drunkie. Three packs took in a circuit around Brig O'Turk giving a total of anything up to (and beyond in some cases) 17 miles whilst packs 1 to 3 handled 10 to 13 mile circuits admirably. The weather was perfect for running.

If Harriers were supposed to read maps then we would be called Calderglen Orienteers. And so it comes as no surprise that some packs experienced free-form route improvisation of a kind that only a true path finding legend such as Eddie Reid can deliver. Learning from Eddie's introductory master-class within 100m of the start of Friday night's run, both Genevieve and Colin tried a little bit of improvisation on their Saturday and Sunday runs respectively and are clearly picking up the basics well, Colin even going so far as to throw his maps away somewhere on the Sunday route. The mark of a true maestro is to leave your audience wanting more and so it was that Eddie provided only a 1-mile detour as a Sunday finale. There was so much more he could have given!

So a weekend of great running, yoga, food and banter was over. The runs would not be possible without the enthusiasm and commitment of our pack leaders (who had given up the previous Saturday to recce the routes with me and to cement them in their minds; clearly not quick drying cement in some cases). So a huge thanks to Frances, Russell and Eddie. We are very lucky to have a generous club sponsor, EKGTA Ltd, who has substantially subsidised this event from the beginning. Janet and Mark, the proprietors of the hostel, run a relaxed operation and give us free reign over the weekend to do what we do, so thanks to them both. The Lade Inn consider us regulars nowadays and we always get great service, food and drink from Frank Park and his family. This is the second year that we have enjoyed the lunches of Mhairi Taylor of Delizique in the West End (and we could well be enjoying that same lunch for a third and fourth year given the quantity that was left over) and the local bread of Mhor Bread in Callander. There is no doubt that the lunches were enjoyed. To those participants who gladly volunteered their driving services to ferry everyone back and forward to the Lade Inn, thank you; it was greatly appreciated.

So we come to my friends of the last 11 or more years, Genevieve and Colin for whom this was their last TTC before emigrating to Canada in a couple of weeks. For somebody who does not eat a lot, Genevieve always likes to have a lot on her plate and doing all the final TTC preparations over the past month on top of the preparations for leaving would be too much for most people. But not Genevieve who would not have it any other way. In fact, she enjoys being under pressure so much that she made most of the arrangements twice, having despatched the PC with all the details of the event and participants to Canada a couple of weeks ago! Colin steadies the ship, supports and guides in his own laid back way and just gets on with it no matter what (map or no map!). My biggest thanks therefore goes to Genevieve and Colin. The TTC will miss you both and I will miss you more than most.

Alan
(ps a TTC photo gallery will follow once I gather photos from the various Harriers with cameras)

TTC - How to Get There!

For Google Map directions from East Kilbride to the TTC venue, use this link. It takes about 1 hour if the roads are jam free. Simpler instructions are as follows:

1. Leave the M9 at Junction 10 and take the A84 to Callander.
2. Continue along Callander Main Street, past the square to the traffic lights at the cross roads.
3. Turn left at the traffic lights onto the A81 signposted Aberfoyle and Glasgow.
4. Follow the road over the bridge for about a half mile to the mini roundabout.
5. Turn right at the mini roundabout onto Invertrossachs Road.
6. Follow this narrow road for about 1-mile and you will see the entrance to the Trossachs Backpackers' Hostel on your left.

The web site for the hostel is here so you know what you are looking for. Janet, the owner, will be pleased to meet you if you are early. Look out for me or Genevieve to find out what dorm you are in. I will be there from about 4pm.
Alan

Trossachs Training Camp 2012

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 (however you won't know what room you are in until we arrive with the sheet!). 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!

hope this helps you out.
Genevieve

Round Cumbrae 2012

Four harriers headed doon the watter to Millport for this year’s Round Cumbrae 10 miler on Sunday 9th.
The wind was very strong but the runners took consolation that conditions were nowhere near as bad as the previous year when the island suffered gusting wind and rain from the tail end of Hurricane Katia. Unsurprisingly Charlie McDougall was the leading harrier in 17th place overall and first over 60 in 64:08, in fact Charlie also beat the first over 50 athlete by 32 seconds!

The battle for second placed harrier was extremely close with Brian McDougall just edging out  Joanne McEvoy by 9 seconds in 48th and 49th positions, 71:57 and 72:06 respectively.

That only left me (David Searil) to come home in my slowest ever Cumbrae time of 85:52, 125th of the 180 finishers. Quite depressing following my PW at Glasgow the previous week – I guess that’s what you get when you train for ultras. C’est la vie!

Benny Rooney, running for EK Triathlon Club, also took part and finished in a much better time than last year of 75:44 for 72nd place.

The race was won by Chris MacKay of Inverclyde in 55:42 and the leading female, and 25th overall, was Charlene Kelly of Dumbarton in 67:35.

Thanks to Davie for the report and well done to our Cumbrae Castaways.
Alan

TTC Dinner Menu

TTC time is drawing near and as usual we need you to make your dinner choice for the Lade Inn on the Friday and Saturday evenings. Your TTC fee includes 2 courses on each night but you can pay for a third course on the night for an extra £3.50 is you wish.

Record your menu choices on this form. Further details of each course are on the menu.

Alan

Cumbernauld 1k and 10k

5 Harriers were out today competing in this annual running festival at Broadwood Stadium in Cumbernauld.  The organisers of the event grouped all the children into their respective Primary School age group & gender, P5, P6 and P7 and to run the 1K age group races.

First up was Evan Hughes (son of Ian) who participated in the boys P5 race and came in a respectable 5th place with a time of 3.48mins (time recorded by Ian). Next up was Emma Lawton, age 11, who put in impressive performance with a time of 3.16mins (according to Dad Richard’s watch), a pb by 20 seconds on last year’s time and achieved 1st P7 Girl.  Emma has done this event over the last 3 years and has managed 3 in a row of winning this event.

Next up were the senior Harriers of Ian Hughes, John McBride and Richard Lawton in the 10k competing with little over 600 runners.  The course is relatively flat and all runners reaped the benefit with putting in all good times.  The weather was humid and the race scenic, starting at Broadwood Stadium and going around the loch with only a few slight inclines.  Ian was first home in 14th place with a time of 36.38 mins, next was John McBride in 148th recording 45.36 mins and final Harrier over the line with season best in 216th was Richard Lawton in 49.02 mins.

Thanks to Richard for the report and well done to all.

Alan

Auldhouse Time Trial 2012 Final

We had a record turnout of 24 Harriers for tonight's final Auldhouse 5k time trial of the year. Despite the driech conditions and the darkness there were many fine performances. All the times are here.

Well done to all.
Alan

Great Scottish Run 2012

Probably the best way to describe this was a mixed bag for the Calderglen contingent. Stephen Riley was going very well until somebody clipped him at 7 miles and caused him to pull a hamstring. Done well to finish but was moving much better than his final time suggests. Stephen Phimister was on course for 1:29 around 12 miles before the wheels came off in a dramatic style in Glasgow Green, losing 4 minutes over the last 2k! Luckily Jim Holmes was catching (literally) and crossed the line seconds later to stabilise Stephen's wobbly legs. Graham Ramage was possibly the best performer of the day knocking another minute off his pb and also caught Stephen and Jim after the line. There is a photo (which will never see the light of day) showing Jim and Graham carrying Stephen through the medal area! Karen Allen also struggled and was a couple of minutes off her PB time. Kenny Leinster ran 1 minute slower than Helensburgh but David Wardrope steadied the ship running around the time he expected. A double black mark for Alison Lessells :-) who didn't register as Calderglen and didn't wear her club vest (Russell will investigate!). Perhaps Karma or the knee and foot pain led to "the worst race of my life". Apologies to those we didn't catch up with at the end.

 

Thanks to Scott and Irene for support in Bellahouston and Mary Goldsmith in Pollok park.

 

A strange day where even the elite athletes seemed to struggle and were also off expected times. A bit of a head wind in places and a bit warm in the second half. The GSR also introduced pacemakers for the first time. Even their performance came into question. From reports it seems some were spot on and others dreadful. The 1:30 guy was running well inside 1:28 for the majority of the race and the girl that 'paced'  1:55 got caught by the pacer behind. Some work required ...

 

 

295	12728	1:29:08	Stephen	Reilly	M		CALDERGLEN HARRIERS
462	12418	1:32:42	Stephen	Phimister	M	40	CALDERGLEN HARRIERS
467	12854	1:32:46	Jim	Holmes	M	40	CALDERGLEN HARRIERS
515	14699	1:33:26	Graham	Ramage	M	40	CALDERGLEN HARRIERS
561	12242	1:34:14	Karen	Allen	F		CALDERGLEN HARRIERS
694	14562	1:35:59	Kenny	Leinster	M	50	CALDERGLEN HARRIERS
1814	12710	1:45:06	David	Wardrope	M	40	CALDERGLEN HARRIERS
2421	12487	1:48:56	Graham	Lindsay	M	45	CALDERGLEN HARRIERS
2452	15182	1:49:08	John	Mcbride	M	50	CALDERGLEN HARRIERS
3919	12485	1:57:30	David	Searil	M	55	CALDERGLEN HARRIERS

Those not listed above are Alison Lessells (1:51:22), Ruth Kelly (2:02:54, a pb) and Jim Mearns (1:42:27).

Meanwhile in the 10km GSR, Brian and Charlie McDougall were sandwiching Jamie McMonagle:

Pos	No	Time	Forename	Surname	Gender	Cat	Team/Club
49	385	0:38:26	Charles	Mcdougall	M	60	CALDERGLEN HARRIERS
119	123	0:40:56	Jamie	Mcmonagle	M	40	CALDERGLEN HARRIERS
212	998	0:42:43	Brian	Mcdougall	M		CALDERGLEN HARRIERS

Well done to all and thanks to Stephen Phimister for the report, Russell Couper for some missing results and to Andy Henderson for the photos, a few more of which are here.

Alan