The rain in North Ayshire falls mainly on...

Millport!

Gerry Mullen and his wife Celia joined Alison and I for a weekend of drinking and running (strictly in that order, we are athletes after all!) doon the watter in sunny Millport last weekend and it certainly lived up to it's name on the Saturday.
After a lengthy sleep following a two-pub crawl (including karaoke) the night before we spent the middle part of the day exploring the island in the car followed by a cycle round the race route on hired bikes (Celia brought her own) while Alison opted for a wander round the cafes and charity shops in the town.
The three wannabe Chris Froomes had almost reached the sanctuary of the cafe at Fintry Bay when Gerry suddenly realised he had left his safety helmet at the monument near the top of the island during a brief stop. While he headed back north to retrieve said helmet Celia and I, without much sympathy it has to be said, sat and soaked up the sun with hot chocolate topped with cream, delicious.

Gerry holding the offending helmet while I rock the sexy 'troosers inside the socks' look

Hot chocolates, in more ways than one - it was a scorcher!

Gin and beer was later consumed in the garden before heading to Frasers Bar for a pub meal followed by a relatively early night (early when compared with the night before, 2am!).

We woke up on Sunday morning to howling wind rattling the window panes very soon followed by driving rain, no pbs today then (more on that later). A goodly proportion of Gerry's family then proceeded to disembark from the by now very busy ferry, firstly Michael with his three lovely girls soon followed by brother Ross with his wife and two children. For a while the flat was teeming with bodies but, after collecting our race numbers, the four of us managed to get Alison's sister's flat to ourselves to change and, in my case, to also mislay almost everything I needed. I realised I was unusually nervous, probably due to having had only two weeks training following my two month layoff since the WHWR.

A trio of Mullens - Ross, Michael and Gerry. Note Michael's gloves, Scotland in September!

We walked/ran along the seafront towards the Garrison but, just ten minutes before the start, were forced to take shelter by the sheer ferocity of the storm that engulfed the town. Us big, brave runners huddled in doorways and under shop canopies to shelter from the elements. Finally we could make our way along and find Kay Conneff who had also travelled down to take part. Such was the nature of the weather there were swathes of blue skies by the time the race got underway. The organisers managed to surprise the majority of the field by firing the starting gun while most of us were standing chatting! We barely managed the customary handshakes and well wishes before we were quickly away. 

Just after the slightly chaotic start

I started very cautiously as my left knee, although much improved, is still not quite fully operational but felt able to pick up the pace. At the three mile marker I was pleasantly surprised to find my time was bang on target for 90 minutes, my pre-race stab in the dark prediction. Sadly the cycling fun of the day before had taken it's toll on my quads and from there on they were in a state of mild, but constant, cramp. The good news was that for the remainder of the race the discomfort in my legs and lungs completely overshadowed any pain from the knee, I was grateful for small mercies.

Ross told me later he tried to stay with the leaders (he ran a 5:30 first mile!) but after a couple of miles wisely eased back and let them go. In the photograph below he was actually in seventeenth place but while he was smiling and waving to his wife and children number 164 sneaked past him in the run to the line. Down the years the holy grail for many club runners has been to run a sub-60 minute ten miler and Ross has now joined that band, running 59:56 for both a pb and an enviable milestone. Time to get (yet) another Mullen signed up to Calderglen Harriers?

Ross storming home in 18th place

Kay saying 'what the ****?' as a bus pulls out in front of her ruining her sprint finish. Please note there is no truth to the rumour she had just got off said bus!

Gerry working hard along the front

Michael waving to his girls (and his mum!) 

Me, easing down over the last hundred yards, relieved to have no-one chasing me.

Race statistics;

18th Ross Mullen 59.56 (pb and second unattached runner)
94th Kay Conneff 73.02 (leading harrier)
145th Gerry Mullen 79.13
221st Michael Mullen 88.58 (pb and a huge18 minute improvement on last year's Brampton time)
259th David Searil 92.56 (running this race for the seventeenth and slowest-ever time)

There were 343 finishers

Postscript. Gerry and I decided not to repeat our post-race swim of a previous Millport race many years ago as the Clyde Coastguard might have become involved, such were the waves.

Photos courtesy of Celia and Michael Mullen, Sandra Hunter and the ubiquitous Kenny Phillips