KIRKINTILLOCH 12.5K

I entered this race mid-January to give me something to focus on and make sure I get out the door and get some runs in, unfortunately things got in the way of that the past couple of weeks meaning I only got out running once a week. I had done the race once before in 2014 when I was probably at my fittest and I had ran 55:49 then. This time round my aim was sub-60. I parked my car in the housing estate across from the primary school where you collect your numbers. The walk across was pretty icy and I was wondering if the race would go ahead. I collected my number then decided to head out to warm up and check the course out. In the car park I over heard that the organisers still hadn't made a decision on whether to cancel or not. Apparently there was a lot of ice on the route but a gritter truck had just headed round and the sun was also shining which would help melt the ice. I bumped into a couple of guys I know from Tollcross parkrun and went for a warm up jog up to just past the first km and back with them and some others from Cambuslang harriers. There was a large patch of slush/ice just after the start and also on the first downhill stretch - we were thinking they would probably cancel or at least delay the start but when we got back we saw a few Kirkintilloch olympians out warming up and others shovelling the ice away from the start area which we took as a sign that the race would be going ahead. 

I met Russell just before the start and he said he had also been struggling to get runs in lately with his new shifts at work so would be treating it as a training run and was aiming to get round in 75 minutes. The race started and I felt like I was going reasonably well to begin with. The course is ran on country roads (like the ones out at Auldhouse-with just as many hills) then goes round a housing estate before cutting back in so the last 3 km or so is the same road you run out on. I settled into my rhythm and it was like cat and mouse with me and David Stirling from Cambuslang harriers. I would catch him on the hills then he would come past again on the down hills or any icy patches as he was definitely braver than me going over them! A downhill section round about 5k was probably the worst icy section- there was a couple of fallers ahead of me and the girl ahead of me decided to walk in at the hedgerows to get past it. I slowed right down to pick my path through it. David started to pull away from me at this point and I started to struggle. At the really steep hill at 7k another guy I know Rennie came past me and I tried to stick with him as best I could. At 11k him and David were still ahead of me and I thought I really can't have both of them beating me so i dug in-from there it's probably 500m up the last hill and then it's downhill to the end from there. I just kept telling myself just get to the house at the top and it will be fine from there. On the long downhill finish I managed to reel in Rennie and also came past David although he fought back to pip me on the line. I finished in 61:26 so a bit outside my target and well down on my previous time but it's a tough course and when you've not got the training in it shows!

I stayed at the finish area to watch Russell come in-he also finished just outside his target time in 77:42. He said he had also struggled and felt like his legs didn't have anything. But we were both pleased to have got out and done it and use it as a good training run. 

Its a tough course but well organised and supported - the race capacity was increased to 400 this year and it sold out the capacity a couple of weeks prior to the race. I'll definitely be back another year to take it on again when I'm hopefully fitter - and it's less icy! 

Alison