The Marcothon 2013, Done and Dusted

Last day done and my attempt to run all 31 days in December is finally complete. In case you don’t know already it was started four years ago by Marco Consani of Garscube Harriers who decided to challenge himself to run every day in November 2009 and, in response, his wife Debbie decided to do one day more and run every day of the following month, dubbing it the ‘Marcothon’ and writing about it on her blog. She and her husband are well-known international ultra runners and  consequently her blog is read by many people. Soon loads of other nutters were wanting to do the same, to the extent that this year there appear to have been over 1600 people from around the world having a go. Coach tells me he’s had a couple of goes at it but had to taper for races so didn’t complete it.

Each year I only remember well into December, too late to even start, however this time I read about it on Tuesday the 3^rd and realised I had accidentally already completed the first two days, Sunday and Monday being normal running days for me. A minimum of 3 miles or 25 minutes per day, whichever comes first, doesn’t sound much to begin with but obviously gets progressively harder although I managed surprisingly comfortably. Having said that, there were undoubtedly one or two days where just getting out of the door was an effort, the weather being the biggest problem – think of the low temperatures and the incessant wind and rain through most of this month. Dogged determination and stupidity (pre-requisites for ultra-running) were my greatest allies, more than one comment from my fellow-harriers confirming this, such as ‘ya daft sod’, ‘are you nuts?’, ‘you’re aff yer heid’, etc, etc. Thanks for the encouragement guys…in truth you were all very encouraging.  

Taking part in races was also a great motivation for continuing and I ran the Tollcross, Pollock and Victoria parkruns not forgetting that old perennial, the Ayrodynamic Turkey Trot. The latter was probably the most enjoyable day of the lot, running both the 5k and 10k races with around 20 minutes break between the two in the bright and warm Boxing Day sunshine. Not to mention the  good company of other Calderglen harriers and Athelites.

Some brief numbers: 32 runs in 31 days..169.5 miles in total..an average of 5.296875 miles per run..only 3 days of sunshine..1 massage from Grant…and goodness only knows how many washes and how much Daz.

The contrast between the first and last outings of the month couldn’t have been greater, the first being a very enjoyable long run down the glen to Blantyre and back with Ian (and Jez!) on a calm and sunny Sunday morning (we only got lost the once) and the last a stolid, lonely plod through the cold, wind and rain which have been almost a constant throughout December 2013

The next question of course is whether to do a parkrun or not on Ne’erday or, more to the point, will Alison put up with another set of winter running gear washing? Will I survive her wrath if I run again so soon? Will the washing machine survive the pounding it’s been getting?

If I live I’ll see you all at the club next year

A happy and prosperous new year to harriers old, new, near and far, ane and a’   from Alison and I

And the winner is..................

.......Friday 27th December. The Festive Pub Run will depart the Sports Club at 6pm prompt on Friday 27th. Please be resplendent in your high viz attire, head torches fully charged and a handful of money for your refreshments en route. The total distance of the run is 6 miles with 5 aid stations on the way and a 6th one at the finish. According to the poll result, we should have a record turn out!
Alan

Christmas Training

Just so everyone knows the Sports Club is open on Thursday 26th Dec so training will be available for anyone who still wants to go to training.

May I also at this time on behalf of your committee wish everyone a Merry Christmas.

MEMBERSHIP FEES 2014

As you should all be aware the membership fees for 2014 are the same as last year and are due from 1st Jan.
As with previous years we understand this is a difficult time of year for some financially so you have until the end of January to pay. Anyone that cannot make payment by this time please come and speak to me in confidence and we can try to make payment arrangements suitable to you.
Fees are:
Family                   £114
Ordinary                £70
Intermediate          £50
Junior                    £30
Retired Family      £59      (both parties must be above national pension age)
Retired Ordinary   £40      (must be above national pension age)

Russell

Christmas Handicap - Good Elf Wins

Blustery but thankfully dry conditions greeted the Harriers who made an early start to take part in the annual 4 mile Christmas Handicap around the grounds of Calderglen Country Park. A more accurate long-term forecast may well have caused a few of the Harriers to re-think their fancy dress but in the absence of that, some very non-aerodynamic Harriers battled against the strong winds.

For the second year in a row, our up and coming youngsters triumphed, with the world's tallest elf Craig Stewart finishing first (27:28), closely followed by a (football) focused Mark McQuaid (28:14) in second place and glam rocker Alison Lessells (27:56) in third (I am including Alison in the up and coming youngsters category too). Jim "Zorro" Holmes continued his tradition of being armed and dangerous on the handicap, finishing fourth in the fastest time of the day (26:37). A very close group followed, lead by Richard Lawton (29:52), taking the kilt and braces approach to ensure victory (it won't happen again) over daughter Emma (27:06). In Emma's defense, she did lose some time playing the Santa's Little Helper role to perfection, stopping to pull the mummified Kenny Leinster out of a bush after he had tripped over a loose bandage. Joanne McEvoy managed to remain glamorous throughout (28:33) despite being chased to the line by a skeleton in the shape of Andy Henderson (27:02). Rock 'n' Roll Ruth Kelly had her first experience of the Christmas handicap, finishing in 34:24, whilst Kenny "The Mummy" Leinster was somewhat unraveled when he crossed the line (31:06). Jim Mearns clearly did have a Scooby what to  Doo (31:54), impressively out-sprinting a Penguin shaped Frances Maxwell (33:16) on the line. David Herbertson was about the only harrier who would not be blown off his feet, running as a well ballasted Santa (30:29). Final finisher and chapping from start to finish was Eddie Reid in the shape of a domino. Non-finishers were Russell Couper making a very convincing appearance as an injured athlete and Billy "Indiana" Buchanan who's injured hamstring may well have survived had he swapped his whip for some of Kenny Leinster's bandages. Full results are here.

Finally, a big thanks to Martin Duthie and family for the donations to charity awarded to the first three finishers in memory of the Christmas Handicap's biggest fan, Margaret Ann.
Alan

One Man and his Vest

John McBride with the signed Steve Cram Jarrow & Hepburn vest he won in the raffle a few weeks ago.

Christmas greetings

Hi all,  Carolyn and I wish all Harriers and their families a special New Zealand Christmas greeting. I've been keeping up to date with all the races and events and the club has had some memorable results. I'm sure that 2014 will be just as good if not better. I'm still grinding out the miles, sorry, kilometres on the bike. Looking forward to having Gavin, Louisa and especially Ruby down for Christmas.
Malcolm & Carolyn

Christmas Pub Run

We are trying to decide which night to hold the traditional Christmas Pub Run. Please vote using the widget on the left to indicate which nights you could make. Click all the dates you could make. The most popular one will be the winner.
Alan, Eddie

Christmas Handicap Fun Run

....... is next Sunday15th December. Please be at the Sports Club from 10:30, all ready for the first runners to be off at 11am. Fancy dress is advised, there being a high standard to live up to from previous years. Also please bring a small value prize to put into the lucky dip. Everyone who brings a prize gets to draw a prize at the end. As for the running; it is a 5 laps of the 0.8 mile circuit around the country park drive; slowest starting first, fastest last.
Alan

West District XC - Kilmarnock, definitely not Doha!

Kilmarnock Harriers excelled themselves by setting a proper cross country course all within easy reach of civilisation (Ayrshire Athletics Arena) on Saturday. A hard core of Calderglen women and men accepted the challenge and were further motivated by the fantastic victory by Emma Lawton (individual and team champion) in the U13 girls 3.2km event earlier in the day.

The course started with a grassy loop around the perimeter of the sports grounds before heading off on the first of 2 (women) or 3 (men) larger loops in a more agricultural setting! The men's large loop included a few extra fields compared to the women giving course distances of 5.8km for the ladies and 10.5km for the men. There were not many hills in the course, just a few embankments to go up and over, but there were many very heavy sections, not least the so-called "swamp" (pictured above). On passing under a bridge, we were funneled into a narrow path through an absolute quagmire which sapped the strength for about 10-15m before we quite literally plunged into the swamp proper for a further 5-10m. This started off ankle deep and got deeper with each of the three laps. Prior to the senior men's race a spike was spotted floating in here and one of the U23 men was covered from head to foot in mud so had obviously taken a dive, something we all wanted to avoid. From here we diverted into a few small fields used for grazing sheep which were on a nasty camber but otherwise grippy for those wearing spikes, except for the gates in and out of each field which were all deep mud.

Official finishing order and times are now confirmed.

Looking strong throughout and enjoying herself, Joanne McEvoy (26:31) was first of our ladies today with Alison Lessells (27:17) using the race as an effective Christmas night out hang over cure not far behind. Frances Maxwell (28:05) completed our team and despite feeling the cold pre-race, soon warmed up and also had a strong run. Joanne now leads both the Grand Prix and Club Championships going into the Christmas break.

For the men we had a few last minute call-offs but were still well represented. I had a very tired run from start to finish (43:48) but was glad to have completed a tough cross country for the first time in a few years. Andy Henderson (48:01) had another very strong run in his age group and must surely have been one of the top M60's. Jim Holmes (49:42) thoroughly enjoyed the course and seemed to be handling the deep mud very well. David Herbertson (51:38) was making not only his first race for 3 or 4 weeks but more or less his first run, so not an easy comeback. Richard Lawton (53:04) had never competed in an individual West District XC and, ecstatic about daughter Emma's gold medal performance earlier in the day, also had a very strong run. Jim Mearns (55:23) was a late arrival but ran well in only his second cross country race; certainly one of the muddiest he will ever have to do. John McBride (57:29) was our only Harrier to lose a shoe in the mud, fortunately early on in the race while he still had the strength to retrieve it. Chas Steven (64:39) was in his element here and it is great to see Chas returning to form week after week following a few years of injury problems. Both Richard Lawton and Alan Derrick retain their leads in the Grand Prix and Club Championships respectively.

Most popular spectator, photographer and comedy corner was at the swamp where we were all glad to be cheered on by our ladies team, Ruth who had dashed to the course from work and Russell who was there enthusiastically organising our race numbers and providing words of motivation. Finally, it was only a short walk to the showers (luke warm to cold by the time we arrived but good enough for removing the mud) and a hot coffee. A big thanks to Richard for organising the club tent and for the many hands who helped put it up and take it down.

There will be many photos to come (probably all at the swamp) but for starters, here are the photos taken by Alison.
Lots of photos from official photographer here.

Alan

Doha College 10k

Friday 22nd November Aspire Park,  Doha , Qatar
Within 2 hours of arriving in Doha on holiday I had entered a 10k. In years gone by I would more likely have been booking a pedicure but I am an athlete now! Besides, running is turning my toenails black with alarming regularity so pedicures are a bit pointless now.
I hoped that having a goal would encourage me to continue training throughout my holiday, albeit on a treadmill due to the heat and humidity. I did a reasonable amount but have to admit that my focus strayed more to the wealth of amazing eateries at my disposal.

The race started at 7 am in order to beat the hottest temperatures. I awoke early to the amazing sunrise over The Pearl, the man-made island where my family live.
 My wonderful brother and sister-in-law arranged for their friends to pick me up as they were also running that day so we all arrived bright and early to pick up our race pack. Aspire Park is an amazing facility with a 5k perimeter (handy!) There is a state of the art air conditioned football stadium, an indoor running track, cutting edge physio and sports injury unit and a 300m tower in the shape of a torch among much more. This is where Premiership football teams come to train.  The park was built for the Asian games in 2006 and at the time the tower was topped by a flame. The whole park is incredibly impressive and it was a real thrill to run around it....twice.

The race was two laps of the park with a single lap 5k race starting at the same time. I didn’t have my club vest or a watch so had to run as a civilian, incognito, under the radar. The sun was already high and the temperature was steadily rising so I thought I would take it easy and see how it went. No pressure. I thought I had done a reasonable job of keeping hydrated throughout the preceding days but within 500m of starting my mouth was completely dry. Imagine my delight when I encountered the first water station at 1k, hurrah! These guys know what they are doing. Doha is completely flat so I knew there would be no hills as such, just gentle undulations with a good portion on spongy running track type surface. Running round taking in the sites with an 80% ex-pat field, I noticed very few spectators but hundreds of stewards and helpers who had obviously been encouraged to cheer us on enthusiastically. They were going nuts! Fabulous entertainment for the runners and a grand wee boost in the energy sapping heat. Running into the centre of the park to start the second lap, the sun was blinding on the white polished road surface and buildings, the heat increased and it felt a bit like running in a ceramic oven.  It was nice to exit again to the perimeter and benefit from a nice breeze. I didn’t get lost once, shocking I know, and ran in to the finish area feeling quite good and pleased that I had managed to run in the quite different climate of the Middle East. My time was 53:57, not my fastest but pleased nonetheless. I was 264th, 57th Female and 7th in my category from a field of 547.  I made the cut in the official video as well so that satisfied the entertainer in me. My Sister-law Nicola tells me that things like this 10k are notoriously difficult to organise in Qatar but I have to say that this was one of the best organised races I have entered and was a real credit to the city. If you happen to be in the area I would definitely recommend it!

Ruth

WEST DISTRICT XC (KILMARNOCK)

This Saturday is the West District XC.
Ladies start at 1pm and Men at 2pm.
Please arrive in plenty of time to warm up.
I will be there early and will collect the numbers and be at the course.
Those entered are:
Frances Maxwell, Joanne McEvoy, Julie Beveridge and Allison Lessells.

A Derrick, R Lawton, C Steven, J Holmes, D Herbertson, C Banks, J McBride, J Mearns,
A Henderson, E Reid.

If anyone can no longer make it please let someone know.

Russell

25TH CLUB LA SANTA LANZAROTE INTERNATIONAL RUNNING CHALLENGE

I headed to Club La Santa (CLS) in Lanzarote with my sister Louise (Dundee Hawkhill Harriers) and her boyfriend Stuart (Falkirk Victoria Harriers) to take part in the 25th International Running Challenge which involved 4 races over 4 days.
The first race took place on Sunday and was a 10k road race, which started in the sports stadium within CLS and involved a lap around the track before leaving the complex and heading out into La Santa.  The race is run on asphalt roads and involves running towards the villages of La Santa and Caleta de Caballo.  The course was over two laps, which included coming back into the stadium and running another lap of the track.  Having not arrived until 7.00pm the night before and with the heat on the Sunday I did not do as well as I might have done on this race, finishing in a time of 45.05 (Louise – 43.58, Stuart – 40.21).
Monday’s race was a 13k ridge race, starting yet again in the stadium.  As Louise and Stuart had competed in the running challenge last year as well they knew what to expect and warned me that the first half of the race would involve a bit of climbing.    The terrain for this race was a mixture of asphalt roads and dirt trails, running around one of the big volcanoes near to CLS.  The first 4-5km were mainly uphill but the decent off the ridge was not as bad as Louise had made out (we came off a ridge earlier this year than what they did last year – on Friday we went out and re-ran the ridge race ourselves but we tackled the second ridge as well and I certainly would not have liked to have tried the decent off that ridge in a race!)  I enjoyed this race more than Sunday’s race and I found I was able to settle into a rhythm over the last few kilometres, completing the race in a time of 58.20 (Louise 56.54, Stuart – 55.14)
On to Tuesday and we headed to Puerto Del Carmen for a 5km beach race.  However, as we had to be transported to this race, together with the fact there were only two toilets at the start area, I spent  a lot of time queuing and therefore had very little warm up time.  I thought with me being in the middle of the cross country season that this would stand me in good stead for this race but as I soon found out the soft sand was not east to run on.  Once we got near the sea I headed for the harder ground (albeit I did get my feet soaked a few times).  But we were soon back on to the soft sand and I found myself struggling again.  The heat was not helping me either.  This was a two lap course which I completed in 25.49 (Louise – 25.04, Stuart – 22.07).
And so finally on to the last day which was the 21km La Vuelta de Tinajo.  We were transported to Mancha Blanca, a small village about 10minutes away from CLS.   The buses were slightly late in leaving CLS and therefore by the time we got to the start line we literally just had time to go to the toilet and then the race started (a common theme was emerging here!).  This run took us around the volcanic Montana de Tinache (1 loop) through Tinajo and back to CLS.  It was a similar terrain to Monday’s race with a mixture of asphalt roads and dirt tracks.  However Lanzarote experienced rather windy conditions that day (and speaking to someone later on in the week they said they had not seen such a windy day as Wednesday for a while).  As a result I found in the latter part of the race I was struggling against the wind and the sand which was being blown up.  Apart from a climb around about 4km into this race, this one was relatively flat and downhill.  This was my most satisfying race of the week as I felt once I got going that I was able to pick off other runners as I made my way through the race.  Once I arrived back at CLS I had one lap around the track to complete before I had finished the running challenge.  My time for this race was 1.33.33 (Louise – 1.31.51, Stuart – 1.22.54).
My overall combined time for the challenge was 3.42.46 and I was 22nd overall in the women’s competition (7th out of 14 overall in my age category).
The running challenge overall was a very good experience and was well attended with over 400 runners taking part from a wide range of countries all over Europe.  Some running clubs were well presented such as Crusaders and Sportworld running clubs of Ireland and Sparta of Denmark.  There was an awards ceremony on the Wednesday evening followed by a showing of the race video (this can be found at the following link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=weDACRvBzNY) and afterwards a disco.
Julie

Well done Julie on keeping the Harriers' International racing tradition going. Back to reality on Saturday at Kilmarnock!

Alan

What shoes to wear?

This picture was taken from my local paper showing local school sports. As you can hopefully see, no shoes are worn this young athelete. This is common practice in New Zealand as you often see groups of children out running in bare feet. So much for expensive trainers! Enjoy the cross country season especially at Kilmarnock!

What shoes to wear?

A few pictures from the Kilmarnock Open Cross Country Races a month or so ago which trialed the course to be used for the West District Cross Country this coming Saturday. The organisers have not yet decided whether to keep the "swamp" in the route or not but just in case they do, here is what to expect!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kilmarnock_harriers/

Alan

Harriers Web Site Updated

Note that the main Harriers web site www.calderglenharriers.org.uk has been updated with the new Scottish Athletics Foundation Award logo. This has meant replacing all the pages in the web site. You may find that you have to press your "refresh" button (or F5 on a PC) after loading each page on the web site to pull the latest version of the page from the server rather than just displaying your local, cached copy of the old page.
Alan

Lanarkshire Cross Country

Our youngsters were in action today in Drumpellier Park (accompanied by Richard and Frances). The two standout performances were the U15 girls taking the team silver and Craig Stewart (U17) running 19:13 in the 5k race.

Well done to all in taking part in what are valuable races to develop running strength. Thanks to Richard for the race report.

Glasgow University Road Race

Four Harriers joined a field of 150 today for the Glasgow University 5 mile Road Race. After a period of silence to respect the victims of the helicopter crash, the race was off, uphill along the main drive of the vet school before plunging downhill to the canal-side road. A busy car wash on that corner did mean running through a fine mist of cold water which may have been nice in the Summer but not today! A short, sharp ascent up onto Dawsholm Park Road before the welcome long descent to the lane leading up to Maryhill Road. Another downhill section back into the Science Park and then off again on lap 2 (where I struggled).

Finishing order for the Harriers was Alan Derrick 29:34, Alison Lessells 35:11, Colin Banks 36:55 and Chas Steven 42:52. Well done to all for a fine effort on a tough course.
Alan

Footnote From Our AGM Monday 25th November

Many thanks to all who attended our AGM on Monday 25th Nov.
For those who couldn't make it your committee remains the same.
Unfortunately there was one error made during AOCB and that was to discuss the Harriers part of fees for 2014. It was a slip up on our part but there was to be a recommendation that we have no change for this year that being £10 for an ordinary member and £14 for a family member.
To keep things simple we will take it as read that this is acceptable but if its not then please let any of the committee know and if there is sufficient objection we can call an EGM to discuss it properly.
Again apologies for the omission.

Regarding the Blog below please try and make it to the Sports Club AGM on Thursday 28th Nov.
It is here you can get a better understanding of whats happening in the Sports Club especially regarding its finances as the present committee can give you a fuller understanding better than I can.
Also as the below Blog says it needs new committee and it would be good if any of our members could take on one of these roles so we can more directly influence where our Sport Club goes.

EKSC AGM on Thursday 28 Nov 7.30pm

An important message has just come through Alan Urquhart regarding the AGM on Thursday.


A new Treasurer and a Secretary are required for the incoming committee.

Alan will be at the Sports Club Wednesday 5.30 to 7.30 pm if you want a chat
about the roles and what is required.

Frostbite Trail Race Series (Nov/Dec/Jan/Feb - same route)

Today I headed to my home from home in Falkland, Fife for a 5k..ish, 2 laps, trail race, over a few streams, through a fairy glen and back to the cricket club where we started. I'm usually flying solo on these events, but I had the company of Frances today, making a return visit after the devils burdens earlier in the year.
There was no parking in the estate so we parked at the village hall and made the usual stroll through the time warped village streets. It was perfect running conditions, sunny, no wind, and a bit of a chill to save you overheating. With the knowledge that we were going to get wet at some point, the decision was shorts no matter what, but keep the hats and gloves on.
I was a bit reluctant to do a warm up with being injured for so long and not wanting risk aggravating it before the race. But not wanting to ever argue with a woman, never mind the club president, I decided to shut up and just do it. Ended up doing a full lap and saw that we needed to cross a stream twice each lap (there's a bridge 10 meters away, but they always like to make it harder for you).
Anyway, the race starts with one lap of the cricket pitch, and in spite of my plan to take the first lap easy, I'm off with the usual pack. Not for long though, as the lack of fitness and being out of the comfort zone sees them pull away as we hit the tarmac pathway. Frances seemed to have ran a more even pace, but was a bit traumatized afterwards when she discovered that she had ran the first mile in 7.15.
We are on the path for maybe three quarters of a mile which ends in a good steep downhill. Then we're into the woods and hit the first stream (after the race Frances declared that there was no sightings of fairies, but with her being just behind me, she certainly heard one!!). Your feet are a bit squelchy in the short journey between streams, but as long as there's mesh on your trainers, you soon dry out.
There's then a bit of a climb back out of the woods to the cricket pitch with the knowledge that we have to do it all again.
I knew Frances wasn't far behind and managed to keep going right to the end in 26.55 (34th) for 3.4 miles as it turned out, with Frances 27.25 (39th)...2nd vet!
All and all, a good we course of mixed terrain, good to be racing again and good to beat Frances!
There was a photographer at each stream, so some action shots to come. Full video of the race including the club present crossing the burn in style here.
George

Brampton 2013

Last Sunday a smaller but no less enthusiastic than usual bus load of Harriers headed south for the annual Brampton to Carlisle 10 Mile Road Race. Now in its 62nd year, "Brampton" has been the benchmark race for the Harriers every year since the club was founded in 1984. Cold, sunny conditions greeted us on arrival in Brampton where the usual pre-race rituals began. Warm-ups completed, we assembled for the team photo, always the most difficult task of the day, like herding wasps. Billy Buchanan was the unlucky injured Harrier tasked with taking the photo, managing to capture 22 of the 23 Harriers running plus one cheeky interloper.

Just before 11:30am we were allowed out onto the main road and the start line and the large field of 500+ bunched up in anticipation of the fast, downhill start. Then we were off! From my point of view it seemed like the usual very fast start as Davie Watt and I followed the leaders through the first mile. Not having run the race since 2002 (longer ago than I thought), this was always going to be slow compared to "the old days", so I was not expecting the usual 4:50 first mile but all the same I was disappointed to pass through the mile marker in only 5:49. All hopes of being able to ease back a little bit to a comfortable sub 60 minute pace were already out the window. I was going to have to hang on to this "fast" pace for the whole race to achieve my target! Meanwhile, Davie had increased his cadence and moved away to the pack in front. There was not a breath of wind so it was a beautiful day for racing, only having to judge the pace according to the hills and distance to go. I ran most of the race in a very loose pack of 3 or 4 with me sometimes breaking a few metres clear and on occasions someone else would burst away for a while. I nipped through 10k in just over 36 minutes and then started the climb to the finish. At the 8 mile mark we entered the outskirts of Carlisle and at this point thoughts turn to pushing on to the finish. Not long after we passed Blair Matthew taking photos and cheering us on. Blair is happily recovering from recent surgery on his heel and was down at Brampton to get the hunger back for when he is cleared fit to start training.

Fortunately I had managed to drop my pack by this point but was soon joined by a young runner who was charging fast. This pulled me on for the last mile, past Billy Buchanan in full photographic mode and on to a long, downhill sprint, neck and neck with the young guy (the Garmin later confirmed that the last quarter mile was sub 5 minute mile pace). I just lost out in the final 20m but was happy to have been dragged along to a sustained, fast finish, crossing the line in 59:08. Meanwhile, Davie had maintained his progress through the packs and finished as first M50 in an excellent 58:19. Ian Hughes has had a bit of a break from racing but is clearly in good form still, finishing in 60:11, a half minute faster than last year and consistent with earlier years. Then it was an absolutely fantastic performance from Andy Henderson, finishing as first M60 in a time of 65:26. This is remarkable as Andy is running significantly faster than he was 10 years ago and has now run 25 Bramptons! Stephen Phimister has had very sporadic training recently and so was not surprised to be a minute down on last year, finishing in 67:06.

Then the in-form Julie Beveridge who smashed her pb, finishing in 67:46, an improvement of 42 seconds on last year. Jim Holmes had another, strong consistent run, in this his 13th Brampton, finishing in 68:47. Stuart Waugh was not confident coming in to this race but ended up running better than he predicted, finishing as second M60 in a time of 69:29. Joanne McEvoy has had her best race season for a few years and confirmed her good form with a time of 69:51, picking up 3rd F35 in the process. Graham Ramage has had a sparse year of racing but is keeping the miles up in training and ran a steady 70:47 under severe pressure from Karen and Alison though! Karen came from a long way back in the last mile to pass Alison and almost catch Graham, finishing in 70:49. Karen is clearly making great progress considering her illness earlier this year. Biggest improver of the day was Alison Lessells who had an absolute stormer, finishing over 7 minutes faster than last year and setting a new pb. Eddie Reid struggled with his knee on the cambered roads and was happy just to get round in 70:57. Kenny Leinster has had a few hamstring issues this year but now seems to be back to consistent training, finishing in 71:40. Jim Mearns was the only Harrier making his Brampton debut this year and set his benchmark of 72:20 to surely be beaten in future years. John McBride was a little down on last year which is surprising given that he has been destroying his pb's at other races this year but his time of 74:27 was still a good one. Frances Maxwell has had a catalogue of injuries recently so was another one happy to get around pain free in 75:56. Gerry Mullen is one of the "grand daddies" of Brampton and this was his 28th consecutive appearance. Unfortunately it was also his slowest (76:59) but Gerry will be back to form for future years. David Lyon joined us for his second Brampton, finishing in 77:52. Phil Marshall was also on Brampton number 2 but a year of Achilles problems has held him back, finishing a little down on last year in 79:35. Mary Goldsmith had a steady run of 81:59 which was good enough for 4th in her age group. Chas Steven was also on his 28th Brampton and this year was running pain free to finish in 87:03. Finally Russell Couper was definitely just out to finish and this he did in a time of 1:44:38.

In a very close veteran team competition, Calderglen (Davie Watt, Alan Derrick, Ian Hughes) came out on top by a single point over Keswick AAC and Morpeth Harriers who were tied in second place; some big names to beat. The women's team competition was a very clear victory for our ladies with Julie Beveridge, Joanne McEvoy and Karen Allen winning the team prize for the first time in Calderglen's long history at this race. Very well done to the ladies.

There were some great performances by the Harriers on the day with many performance award standards being achived: Gold standards to D Watt, A Derrick, A Henderson, S Waugh; Silver standards to I Hughes; bronze standards to J Beveridge, J McEvoy, F Maxwell.

A fine afternoon's entertainment in Carlisle was followed by our usual journey to Moffat for dinner and the annual Harriers' prize giving. Everything went as smooth as clockwork and none of this would be possible without the organisation of Russell, Eddie and Gerry. Many photos are available courtesy of Billy Buchanan here and Blair Matthew here and of course a thanks to our travelling support of Maud and Frances.
Alan

CALDERGLEN HARRIERS AGM

The AGM will take place on Monday 25th Nov at 8.30pm.
Training will take place at 7pm on that evening to accomadate.
Please make sure if your training that night that your changed and in the hall for 8.30 prompt.
Please try to attend as we need everyones contribution.

In the meantime we are looking for nominations for President, Secretary Treasurer and Sports Club Rep.
If anyone is interested in taking up these roles but unsure please feel free to speak to any of the committee who will be happy to talk through the roles with you.

Any proposals about anything else should be made in writing to A Henderson by 18th Nov.

Many Thanks
Your Committee

An Evening with Steve Cram

Ten Harriers including founding coach Jimmy Moore were delighted to spend Tuesday evening in the company of Steve Cram, former world record holder at the mile and multiple championship winner at 800m and 1500m. Steve was guest speaker at a cricket club organised dinner in the Sports Club. Prior to the dinner, Steve spent a considerable time chatting to the Harriers, posing for photos and signing autographs. We did try to get him to sign a Harriers' membership form but were unsuccessful. Not much use to us as he is presently suffering from a couple of injuries, including a hamstring sustained on a gentle training run with Paula Radcliffe whilst both on BBC comnentating duty. Even I know that you don't take Paula Radcliffe up on the offer of a gentle run as that phrase is not in her vocabulary! Many more tales to tell from a fun evening. A true runner indeed.

ps if you see a tall runner wearing a Steve Cram Jarrow AC vest, it's John McBride who won it in the raffle. It's a sub 4 minute mile vest so John will be moving up a few packs.

Alan

BRAMPTON

The bus shall depart the Sports Club at 8am prompt (don't be late)
There is still 2 places available if anyone wishes to go please get in touch.
We are going direct so remember to bring something to eat and drink.
Race starts at 11.30 and once you get to Carlisle there is plenty of time for refreshments.
The bus shall depart Carlisle at 3.30 so please be back on the bus by then.
After Dinner the bus shall depart Moffat at 7pm.

WEST DISTRICT XC

This years West District XC will be held at the Ayrshire Athletics Arena in Kilmarnock on Saturday 7th December.
This is a straight race (not relay) 6.4k for ladies and 10k for men.
Cost is £4.50 and should be paid before the event where possible.
Race times are 1pm for ladies and 2pm for men.
I need entries by Thursday 21st Nov at the latest (there is no option after this as entries will be posted first thing on the 22nd).
If you wish entered for this please leave your name HERE.
Those already registered are HERE.

Again please make sure your SAL membership is up to date.

New Kit: Club Hoodies

Due to demand, another order for Club Hoodies is going in. Please leave your requirements in the form at the link below before 28th November and you might have them for Christmas.

Following on the success of introducing club hoodies in the junior section last year a few of the seniors have expressed a desire to own one.  They are available in black or yellow and the sizes: XS-34, S-36, M-40, L-44, XL-48, XXL-52 and 3XL-56
  The cost is £19.80.  If you wish to order a hoodie, please put your name down on the list using this form and give the money to Russell.  Once we have a reasonable request I will make the order. Orders received so far are listed here.

Richard

Sole Splendente a Bellahouston!

Joanne McEvoy flying across the soft ground.

Beautiful sunshine at Bellahouston greeted the record field for the National Short Course Cross Country Championships today. The only downside was that the warm sun had thawed out the frozen ground making certain sections very muddy indeed. Despite the Harriers' Dinner Dance on Saturday night leaving some more the worse for wear than others, the Harriers were still out in force in both the ladies' and men's races.

Unfortunately Russell was absent today due to illness but Richard Lawton stepped in to handle the registration. As this was to be a chip timed race, there would be no missed or mixed-up time issues this week. The ladies' race was first off over the 4km, 2 lap course. Julie Beveridge ran very strongly to destroy last year's time, finishing in an excellent 16:53. Notably, Julie finished ahead of her sister Louise for the first time, ramping up the sibling rivalry. I am sure this will help drive them both on to new heights. Joanne McEvoy had a stormer of a run, floating across the soft ground to finish in 17:33, a full minute faster than last year and stretching her lead in the Grand Prix. Alison Lessells had avoided cross countries until this season but proved again today that she has the strength and fitness now to handle these events, finishing in 18:00. Frances Maxwell was all danced out after the dinner/dance to the extent that she forgot to bring her cross country shoes. Frances therefore had to slip and slide her way round in road shoes in a still respectable 19:16.

Alison running well.

Nine Calderglen men lined up in a huge field for the final event of the day. The field was quickly strung out on the long opening straight which became increasingly muddy the closer we got to the first turn before drying out a bit as we climbed onto the slightly higher part of the course. I found myself dropped again at the start but moved through gradually as the first lap unwound and more or less maintained position to finish in 14:49. Although this was well over a minute slower than the last time I ran it in 2010, it is worth noting that my Garmin GPS tracks confirm that the course was 200m longer today than in 2010 (the 2010 course was 3.87km. todays 4.07km), so particularly well done to those who managed to run course bests today.

Comparison of 2010 (blue) and 2013 (red) courses.

Run of the day for Calderglen's men came from Andy Henderson who paced the run perfectly, staying well clear of his younger team mates to finish in 16:29 and first M60!. Jim Holmes admitted that he could make no in-roads on Andy's lead but still had a strong run, despite his rather hoarse voice, to finish in 16:59. David Herbertson was not far behind but was always chasing having had quite a slow start, finishing in 17:10. Eddie Reid really needs to get his sore knee sorted out and this held him back considerably when it struck half way round, almost causing him to stop. However, Eddie carried on to finish in 17:24. Jim Mearns continues to grow in confidence with every race and after a battle with Richard Lawton, sprinted clear to finish in 18:15. Richard feels that he went off too fast on the first lap and suffered in the second lap, but all the same smashed his course best by 46 seconds to finish in 18:24. John McBride really was suffering after last night's dinner/dance but this did not stop him competing hard, finishing in 18:54. Hugh Simpson completed our team with a strong run of 19:31.

In a very competitive Grand Prix, Richard Lawton has now moved to the top with John McBride second and David Herbertson third. Jim Mearns is a big mover up to fourth place. Thanks to Billy Buchanan for his support out on the course which was much appreciated. A few more photos here with more to come.
Alan

NATIONAL 4k XC

This Sunday is the National 4k XC at Bellahouston Park
Ladies Start at 12.10 and men 12.35.
Please be at the start area for 11.30 and I will be there with the numbers.
If anyone is no longer going please leave a comment on the Blog so I don't collect your number.
Or contact me direct.
Strong probability I wont make it if im not there Richard will have the numbers

Russell

Dinner Dance Details

Remember the dinner dance this Saturday evening in the Sports Club. Doors open at 6pm and please be seated by 6:30pm when dinner will be served (3 courses). Any prizes for the raffle will be gratefully received on the night.
Eddie

Glen Ogle 33/Southside Six, Back2Back

Having been unable to resist entering both these races I initially decided to wait until nearer the time before deciding which I would run, however, around three months ago, the (very) silly idea began to form in my mind that I would have a go at both.

The GO33 is, as the name suggests, a 33 miler set just up the road from the TTC area, around Lochearnhead, Balquhidder and Killin although you never actually see those places other than from a distance as the race is run almost entirely along B-roads, trails, forestry tracks and an old railway line.

Just under 200 runners set off at 8 am, the first couple of miles giving a hint of the terrain to come, i.e. constantly uphill. The first three hours were also overall uphill and run in cold, cloudy but, with hindsight, relatively pleasant conditions. At halfway (for me) the sky darkened, the wind picked up and the rain began, quickly developing into hailstones. Not reacting quickly enough I could not get my (expensive!) waterproof gloves on properly as my hands were already too cold and wet. I ran the rest of the race with them half-on and half-off, unable to access any nutrition in my bag or at the checkpoint. Of course I could have asked for some help but, for some numb-skull reason, decided my best option was to run the remaining 14 miles or so with only some fluid intake – not one of my better decisions! I felt I just had to tough it out to the finish and frankly don’t remember much of those last few miles other than feeling bloody miserable. Looking back I think I was in the early stages of hypothermia, the first sign being a number of yawns around 28/29 miles – yes, I was tired, but when was the last time anyone yawned while out running? Finally crossing the finishing line with a heartfelt ‘thank God’ in 6.14.05 I stumbled over to wrap my hands around a cup of hot tea. Later I entertained the others waiting to use the (only) shower with my whining and whimpering as the feeling came back to my fingers, having had to get my gaiters, laces and shoes undone for me (and backpack, waist bag, jacket, etc.)  

Drookit in Glen Ogle

I may have felt sorry for myself but I’m pleased to say did not at any point stop thanking the marshalls, timekeepers, helpers, etc. who had to stand out in the most appalling weather far longer than us runners. There were remarkably few drop outs, 181 runners finishing the race and, to counter my poor effort, there was a very strong ultra-running debut from Louise Beveridge in 4.42.55, coming home 38^th overall.

All in all one of my least enjoyable runs but, as they say, what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, which leads me nicely to the second part of my weekend’s outing, the Southside Six.

Now in it’s third year of running the race is more popular than ever having sold out in under four hours back in February. There was a remarkable contrast in the weather from the previous day, cold, clear and sunny - wunderbar!!

Julie out on her own!

To cap a great weekend for the Beveridge siblings, leading harrier on the day, 58^th overall and 5^th senior lady was Julie in a great time of 1.55.08. It is a mark of how much Julie has progressed recently that this was a full ten minutes faster than in the inaugural event of 2011.

Trailing behind Julie were Ian Rae in 1.59.03, a very disappointed Graham Ramage (although he did predict a poor run in advance -don’t we all?) in 2.05.41 and a surprisingly strongly-finishing moi in 2.28.27, only ten minutes slower than last year having fully expected to take around three hours. I had started cautiously but felt stronger and stronger as the race went on eventually picking up my pace over the last 4/5 miles. 

Our yoga mentor Mark Russell, wearing less than most given the temperatures, ran a very decent 2.01.52. Never having run the distance before he felt, on reflection, he had been over-cautious and should have been under the two-hour mark (no pun intended).

Happier than yesterday

  

I would love to see more harriers taking part next time as we saw the lowest turnout of Calderglen vests yet in the event’s three years. This is a great low-key, cheap, local race with a bit of everything – road, concrete, tarmac path, trail, hills (lots), rocks, tree roots, leaves, mud and glaur. And did I mention there are some hills?  Oh and a wonderful hot soup and home baking at the end.

All in all running a hilly 33 miler followed by an equally hilly 16.4 miler is probably not to be recommended but I feel surprisingly good today (Wednesday) with very little stiffness and no pain. The Yoga tonight will only help to speed the repair of the damaged muscles.

Eddies Half Marathon

After bumping into Christine Dougan,( daughter of Eddie of Eddies half marathon) on the ferry home from the Barrathon this year Scot Hill and I were talked into doing Eddies Half Marathon.
We made our way up on Saturday in torrential rain to arrive at Fort William and sunshine.
Race day was cold with blustery wind but no rain!
I was hoping to do much better than my previous halfs this year and wanted to break 1:40. Scot was hoping to get back to about a 1:30 time.
The run is out and back with only a few hills. I was going well until the 12 mile mark when I was really feeling the cold and the usual wind was in your face.
I was pleased to finish in 1:37:00 and Scott had a good run at 1:31:51.
We had great support as usual from Irene and Caroline.
A fish supper at Tyndrum on the way home finished the weekend perfectly.

Graham Lindsay

Allan Scally Road Relay 2013 - Not Going Out!

Harriers await their turn to run in the dry

Pictures from Frances added (10/11/13)
The club tent came into its own at Saturday's 45th Allan Scally Road Relay in Baillieston. It was an afternoon of heavy showers but the 16 Harriers in attendance were well protected from the elements until it was time to run thanks to the club tent, strategically positioned 20m from the start line. With this being the 6th week of racing in a row for some and the longest of the season's Grand Prix races so far (4.8 miles per leg), we really did not need the weather to be against us. However, the first leg runners got the best of the weather, starting in a shower which quickly passed leaving windless conditions perfect for running. On first legs we had Alan Derrick for the vets team, Andy Henderson, Colin Banks, Chas Steven and Joanne McEvoy. As this race is also the Scottish Universities Road Relay Championships, we were all very quickly dropped by the young students who were flying. However I moved steadily through to finish in 28:26. The first half was mainly downhill and so the pace was quite nippy but naturally the second half had a lot of uphills on which I struggled, particularly inside the last mile. Although not a hugely impressive time, on checking back it was only 13 seconds slower than 4 years ago, the only previous time I have run this course. Goodness knows what must have been wrong with me 4 years ago! Andy Henderson used his considerable experience to pace this one well, finishing a second faster than last year in 31:51. Joanne McEvoy was the third Harrier to finish, well aware of the hills in the latter stages, Joanne took a more cautious approach at the start which worked well, finishing in an excellent 33:41, a result which takes her to the top of the ladies Grand Prix. Colin Banks had led all the Harriers for the first 50m or so but did fade. The first leg was good for Colin though and kept him in close competition with others, eventually out sprinting an Edinburgh University student to finish in 34:34. Chas Steven had never done this new course before but really enjoyed the twists, turns and undulations through the leafy streets of Mount Vernon. Chas finished in 41:00.

David  Herbertson was out on leg 2 for the vets A team and by this time the weather was starting to deteriorate with not only torrential rain but also strong winds. Even by leg 2 the field was well stretched out meaning that every competitor was more or less doing an individual time trial. Even so, David ran well to finish in 31:43, only 20 seconds or so outside his best achieved in much better conditions and jumping to the lead of the Grand Prix. Stuart Waugh took over from Andy in the wildest of conditions for the B team and consequently did not get a clear answer to the question of whether he is back to good road racing form or not. Stuart finished in 33:45. Ruth Kelly was on leg 2 for our incomplete ladies' team (Frances having twisted an ankle at training last week) and confessed to having enjoyed this varied course despite the weather. Ruth finished in 41:03. John McBride was happy to be back on the roads but would have preferred better weather. Nevertheless John smashed his debut time from last year by some margin to finish in 35:51. Russell Couper is still held together with bandages and was not sure what would happen with this longer road race. However he did get around and was inside his target time, finishing in 45:48.

Hugh talks tactics with Joanne

Eddie Reid arrived straight from work for leg 3 for the vets team and despite some worries about a pain in the knee during the warm-up, this proved to be no problem during the race and Eddie kept the vets team in contention, finishing in 31:27. Richard Lawton was another who demolished his previous best time, completing the third leg for the B team in 35:55. Hugh Simpson is running well now and is benefiting from weeks of back-to-back races. Hugh also set a course best of 36:09 for the C team. Final leg for the vets team was assigned to Jim Holmes who had been suffering from a cold through the week. A good soaking was the last thing Jim needed. However the race was sufficiently spread out not to put Jim under too much pressure and he ran around in a good time of 33:00. Jim Mearns is really getting conditioned to these shorter road races and has the confidence to attack from the start, knowing he can hold on. Jim finished in an excellent 34:05 and despite saying that this club will be the death of him, moves up within sight of the leaders in the Grand Prix. Jim was set off together with Phil Marshall and the 3 other remaining final leg runners, making a race of it. Phil battled hard to finish in 37:30. Well done to all!

Once the results were compiled, Calderglen's Vets A team were announced as first veteran team, so well done to Alan, David, Eddie and Jim on a great performance, keeping the Harriers' name in focus.

Veteran Winners: Jim Holmes, David Herbertson, Eddie Reid and Alan Derrick

A great event, with a long history that should be better supported than it is. Only 39 teams started this event which in years gone by has had over 100 teams. Shettleston Harriers had marshalls out on all the many corners in atrocious weather and had a good spread of rolls, biscuits, tea and coffee back in the school, free for all entrants, together with generous prizes. Calderglen were one of the best represented club teams, which was great to see and appreciated by the organisers. A big thanks to Frances for her support, timing and photography and to Andy for bringing the much needed tent down. More photos will follow.

Alan

CLUB HOODIES

I HAVE A BATCH OF HOODIES READY FOR COLLECTION.
I WILL HAVE THEM AT THE CLUB ON MONDAY
IF YOU HAVE ALREADY ORDERED ONE PLEASE COLLECT IT
IF YOU HAVE STILL TO PAY PLEASE BRING £10 (new cost).

Russell

BRAMPTON TO CARLISLE

TIMES RUNNING OUT I NEED ENTRY FORMS BY 4th Nov.
This years race will be on Sunday 17th November and we will be running a bus to the event again.
The bus will depart the Sports Club at 8am prompt going direct to Brampton in plenty of time for a warm up before the 11.30am start. After the race there will be some time for refreshments before departing Carlisle at 3.30pm heading to Moffat for our evening meal then departing Moffat at 7pm to return to the Sports Club.
To secure your place on the bus please give me your name at training along with the cost which is £15 this will secure your place. As with previous years the more we have on the bus the more we can discount the evening meal.  Entry forms can be printed from the following link   http://borderharriers.co.uk/app/webroot/uploads/File/B2C-2013-entry-form.pdf .
Entry cost is £14 / £16 and as usual if you return your forms to me we will submit a block entry.
I have also put some forms on the club notice board.

Russell

Club London Marathon Place 2014

Once again the club has received one place for next year's London Marathon. As usual a ballot will be drawn at Brampton to select the Harrier who will receive this place. Only Harriers who are in possession of a rejected entry for the London Marathon 2014 will be entered in the draw and those who received the club place last year will not be eligible unless nobody else enters the draw. Please get your names in to Andy Henderson for entry to the draw if you have not already done so.
Alan

Allan Scally Teams 2013

Teams for tomorrow are listed here. As usual, please let Russell or me (07867863741) know well in advance of registration closing at 1pm if you cannot make it. The first legs are off at 2pm but please be there by 1pm or let us know if you are coming later, as a few people have already done. Each leg is 4.8 miles, so we are anticipating times in the range 28 to 40 minutes per leg.

Changing and registration is at Bannerman High School, Glasgow Road, Baillieston, G69 7NS. A map is here. The start/finish is about a half mile to the west in the park just off Mount Vernon Avenue. The club tent will be set up within the park for shelter.
Alan

Harriers' Christmas Dinner

We are proposing to have our Christmas Dinner at Tony Macaroni's, a very nice Italian restaurant in Calderwood Square, on Saturday 14th December from 8pm. A provisional booking for 20 - 30 people has been made which we need to confirm nearer the time. The cost is £24.95 per person. The Christmas menu is not yet posted on their web site but you can get a "flavour" of what to expect from their standard and a la carte menus here. Tony Macaroni Christmas Menu is here.

Please leave your name here if your would like to attend. Arrangements for collecting money will be announced in due course (e.g. you may wish to pay up monthly).
Alan

Allan Scally Road Relays

The Allan Scally Road Relays takes place on Sat 2nd Nov.
Usual venue at Baillieston.
Cost not known but probably £4 or £5 per head.
4.8 miles each leg 4 for men and 3 for Ladies
Start time is 2pm.
If you want entered leave your name HERE.
Those already registered are HERE.

Fine Conditions in Cumbernauld

Julie Beveridge powers through the field on leg 1.

Official Times added some of which look a bit suspect. Frances' photos added to those of Joanne and me (28/10/13).
Perfect conditions greeted another record field for the National Cross Country Relay Championships at Cumbernauld on Saturday 26th October. For the fifth week in a row, Calderglen Harriers men and ladies were out in force for this important annual fixture. The course provides a perfect blend of cross country conditions with hills of varying severity, large sections of firm grass with fast downhill descents and the odd muddy section for the mud-pluggers.

The ladies and M50 men compete over 3 x 4km laps whilst the senior amd M40 men do 4 laps. Calderglen had 2 complete ladies' teams and 3 men's teams, one of which was an M50 team of 3. Julie Beveridge got our ladies A team off to a flying start with a very powerful run, smashing her previous best time on this course by 40 seconds to finish in a fantastic 16:53 (16:53). Frances Maxwell led off the ladies' B team and definitely showed that she is on the way back to form, finishing in 18:20 (18:20), some 34 seconds faster than last year. After a fine performance in the Lanarkshire road relays last week, Alison Lessels retained her place in the A team and ran a competitive 17:43 (17:44). Karen Allen is still making good progress on the comeback trail and did a great job chasing through the field on leg 2 for the B team, completing in 18:12 (18:12). On the last leg for the A team, Joanne McEvoy was also running strongly, despite an illness through the week and finished in 17:44 (17:45), more than a minute faster than last year. You can't ask for more than that!

Ruth Kelly in her first Cross Country race.

Finally, making her cross country debut, Ruth Kelly was on leg 3 for the B team and although not going as far as to say she enjoyed it, kept her form going throughout to finish in an estimated 22:30 (22:30). As official results are not available and as there are some close times in there, the club Grand Prix and scratch championships will not be updated yet. Well done to the ladies and great to see two complete teams out there.

David Herbertson led the men Vets A team off, the idea being to use David's physical presence to establish a good position in the general melee in the huge field contesting leg 1. As usual, there was a slight timing uncertainty with David on crossing the line but we think it was around 16:40 (actually 16:17!). However there was absolutely no doubt that this was over 1 minute faster than last year, so a great performance. For the B team, Jim Mearns was also running his first ever cross country race, never an easy transition to make for a road runner, especially wearing shoes with little grip. However Jim got his first one out of the way with no problems, running strongly to finish in 18:19 (18:18). The M50 team was led off by John McBride, worried about a swollen knee and the stress of a mystery tour of Cumbernauld which Hugh Simpsonsubjected him to en route to the course, and also disputing that someone so young looking should be selected for an M50 team, despite all that, John ran well, taking over a minute off last year's time to finish in 18:55 (18:38).

David Herbertson battles on the first leg

On leg 2 a man in form, Andrew McAffery was here at his local race for the third year in a row and once again improved, this time by a substantial 23 seconds to finish in 15:31 (15:25), pulling the M40 team through the field. Richard Lawton was obviously inspired by his daughter Emma's silver medal winning performance earlier in the day, finishing in 18:04 (18:06), 1:32 faster than last year. Andy Henderson pulled the M50 team up closer to medal contention with a finishing time of 16:45 (16:47), a minute up on last year. Alan Derrick took over on leg 3 for the M40 A team feeling somewhat under par since Thursday. Also wary having not completed the course last year due to straining a hamstring on the first descent, he nevertheless was encouraged by overtaking many people in a lap of 14:50 (14:58), some 20 seconds slower than two years ago but not bad all the same and making up many places in the M40 competition. Hugh Simpson is well up in the Grand Prix, having contested all the races so far this year and did his challenge no harm at all finishing in 19:27 (19:29). The final leg for the M50 team was taken by Eddie Reid who is struggling to get back into training but does now seem to be injury free. Eddie was pleased to get around pain free in 16:29 (16:30).

Finally, Jim Holmes was on the final leg for the A team and was put under some pressure by being handed the virtual baton about 10 seconds in front of local rivals EKAC's vets team. However, fear is a great motivator and Jim extended that lead to finish in 16:30 (16:37), a full minute faster than last year, Russell Couper was very much patched up for this run but all the same ran well to finish significantly faster than last year in 22:30, despite the forecast rain starting during the lap.

Jim Holmes on leg 4 for the A team.

Some adjustments to times and grand prix positions will follow when the official results come through. Some photos from the day are here with more to come. A big thanks to Stuart and Maud for their support at a great event. Huge thanks too to Frances and Richard for manhandling the club tent into position early in the day and to the many hands who made light work of dismantling it at the end. Roll on the Scally next weekend!
Alan

National XC Relay Teams 2013

Teams for Saturday's relays at Cumbernauld are listed here. Further details including maps and other important information is available to download from the Scottish Athletics web site here. Note that ladies and M50 Men are 3 per team whereas all other categories are 4 per team.

Cars are leaving from the Sports Club at 1200 sharp for those that need a lift. See Russell's post below for more information. If you cannot make it then please let Russell or me (07867863741) know well before race registration.
Alan

NATIONAL XC RELAYS ( CUMBERNAULD )

This Saturday is the National XC Relays at Cumbernauld.
Ladies Start is at 1.40pm and Men at 2.40pm.
I need Ladies at Cumbernauld high School for 12.40pm and Men for 1.40pm.
After this time I will head to the course with the numbers.
Please make arrangements at Thursday training for travel.
THOSE ENTERED ARE
A Lessells, J McEvoy, J Beveridge, F Maxwell, K Allen and R Kelly.
Ladies teams FULL. Reserve M Goldsmith

R Couper, A Derrick, R Lawton, D Herbertson, J Holmes, E Reid, J Mearns, H Simpson, A Henderson, A McCafferry and J McBride.
There is ONE place left on the mens teams.

reserves C Banks, B Buchanan, M Duthie, I Hughes, C Jarvie, K Leinster, G Lindsay, P Marshall, B McDougall, C McDougall, J McMonagle, G Mullen, S Phimister, I Rae, G Ramage, S Reilly, D Searil, C Steven, G Stewart, S Waugh and D Watt.

If anyone listed can no longer make it please let us know by Thursday at training and also if any reserve wants the last place in the teams please let us know asap (first come first served ).

Those still to pay please bring payment with you on Saturday as I wont be at training on Thursday.
Alan will pick the running order as usual and post on the Blog by Saturday morning.

NATIONAL 4K XC CHAMPIONSHIP

The National 4K XC will take place on Sunday 10th November. This is a Grand Prix Race.
Start times are Ladies 12.10 and Men 12.35.
Venue is Bellahouston Park
Cost is £5 per head and I need entries by Thursday 24th Oct.
If you want entered leave your name HERE.
Those already registered are HERE.

MASTERS 10k TRACK CHAMPIONSHIP

Today was the 1st race in the SVHC Grand Prix (10k Track Race)
Held in its usual venue in Coatbridge. We had four Harriers taking part three of whom had raced yesterday, Frances, Stuart and Russell. Graham Lindsay joined us for this today. They have now included a walking race over the same distance which started about 20 mins before the run. I would have been better starting with them as im running the same pace as some of the walkers. Anyway onto the run and we duly got started on time and we were off. Round the 1st lap and I had taken my place at the back of the field and the leg was ok as was the time and up front I could see Robert Gilroy had already stretched into a lead (maybe I wont beat him today). Second time round and I was now in trouble down to one leg and 15secs lost on the 1st lap and Robert lapped me before the line. I duly just took it easy and considered what to do as more were now passing. About the 4th lap Stuart came past running steady and looking as well as ive seen for a while looks like hes starting to get over his injury, then a pleasant surprise Graham came past just a few yards back obviously using Stuart as a pacer. Another lap or two then Frances came past complaining this was a bad idea. Surely she couldn't be feeling as bad as I was. By this time I was considering wether or not to continue as I knew now I couldn't run for 10k. I decided I would try to relieve the leg by walking about 20m which seemed to help for a little while but I had to do it more often and it became about twice every 3 laps. Do I stop or not, the sensible thing is stop but unfortunately its not in my nature.  During all this Stuart, Graham and Frances along with everyone else kept going past again and again and to make matters worse the runners that are normally around about me were not running so I would have a lot of laps on the track myself. Anyway as I hit double figures in laps I decided to keep going and see if I could make it regardless of time. I did manage to hear Frances say to Stuart and Maud when she finished that she was dizzy like she just came off a merry go round (I think she was joking). Anyway it turned out I got 5 laps all to myself and finished with a PW 64.28. Stuart ran 43.00 followed all the way by Graham 43.02. Frances came home in 47.10 This puts Stuart and myself 4th in our age categories with Graham 3rd. Frances leads her category but will during the season move up to the next one and is unfortunately 4th in that category. I now need to consider if its worth trying to get from Brampton to Carlisle. One positive is the leg is ok now so no lasting damage done.

The Dirty Duo

As I couldn’t do Drumpellier and witness the ladies golden performance, the Dirty Duo in Calderglen on Sunday seemed like a good alternative. It was billed as a fun run which was reassuring as I have never done a cycle race in my life. I dusted down my fifteen year old mountain bike, tightened a few bolts and blew up the tyres. Everything appeared to be working.
I gathered my stuff and cycled up to Calderglen. I had decided to go with road tyres as I watched last year's event and the steep up hills were on the tarmac path beside the play park.

The start/finish was on the grass in front of Torrance House and the transition area was roughly where we change into our cross country shoes. The course was a two lap run over the South Bridge and Horseshoe Falls, a four lap cycle down to the left of the play park, zig zagging over the bottom field then back up to the transition area, and the final run was the same two laps as before but in reverse.

I looked more closely at the map. The cycle route had changed. The uphill section took in the hill we do our cross country reps on. Oh no! I’ve got road tyres! I’ll be wheel spinning to a standstill! And what about that big bump at the top, the one we all trip over in the dark? That’s sure to be a stopper! Panic set in. I had 30 minutes to get home, change my rear tyre and be back. I could do it provided there were no technical difficulties. There was. I couldn’t find my tyre levers. Improvising with screw drivers I changed the tyre in a time Sebastian Vettel’s pit crew would have been proud of and had my bike back in transition with minutes to spare.

That was my warm up. The whistle went and we were off. I finished the first run in sixth place. There were a lot of better cyclists than me though and I dropped to about 13th, but I made it up that hill every time! The transition from cycling to running was a new experience and I waddled the first few hundred yards. I got back into my stride and picked up some places finishing 10th over all in 59:14.

I enjoyed the event and I will be better prepared the next time! The winner was Brian Taylor in just over 50 minutes.