Quiz Night - This Friday

The annual quiz to raise funds for Jim Holmes' mum's church takes place at 19:30 this Friday in the British Legion in EK. Entry is £5 per person at the door. Lets try to get a team or two together. No race on Saturday to save yourself for. Calderglen have regularly displayed their ability (I'm not saying what level of ability though) at this fun event!
Alan

Wind Swept in Cumbernauld

Joanne on a charge downhill

It is often wet and windy in Cumbernauld for the annual National Cross Country Relays, so we had to count ourselves lucky that on Saturday it was just windy. Very windy! After a strong start to the season by our ladies, we had a somewhat reduced turnout for Cumbernauld with only Joanne McEvoy and Frances Ferguson taking part to form half a team of four. However, this meant that there were good Grand Prix points available for both Joanne and Frances. Joanne was on the first leg of the undulating 4km course. Underfoot conditions were not as muddy as they sometimes are however, the winds were gusting to 50mph and were directly against the runners on the longest ascent up the middle of the course, making forward progress difficult in some cases. Joanne ran strongly to finish in 17:15, 12 seconds faster than last year and one of her fastest times on this course. Frances also set one of her fastest times for some years, gaining a few places to cross the line in 18:11. Although difficult to work out from the official results (as W50's running for senior or F40 teams are listed separately), this looks like a 6th best F50 time in a very large field.

Frances on leg 2 (leg 1 is off the ground)

The men had two teams of 4 and an M50 team of 3 competing. However, first task of the day was putting up the club tent which had been driven to the venue by Kenny and then manhandled cross country by Eddie and Gordon to our chosen spot in a natural hollow slightly out of the wind. All would have been well had we not lost all the tent pegs meaning that the club tent briefly became the club hang glider as it took off in a strong gust (we were not the only club to suffer this). Top scavenger Jim Holmes and others came to the rescue, finding several large tree branches with which to weigh the tent down. We also needed Harriers on permanent ballast duty, sitting on a chair inside the tent. I acted as a tent peg for a while too and that was pretty much my best contribution of the day as I was struggling on the running front.

This tent is going nowhere!

The A team was led off by Mark Saez who battled in the midst of a huge field to finish in 14:57 in 69th position. Andrew Buchanan intention was to run a more consistent effort than he had the previous week and this he did, pulling back 11 places to finish in 14:50. Stephen Phimister had not raced here since 2008 and due to recent injuries/missed training was not particularly looking forward to the race. However, he is now back and has the taste for these short, sharp races after running a time of 16:51 and 68th position, a drop of only a minute in 9 years which is not at all bad. Finally, having provided the branches to anchor the tent, Jim Holmes now had to anchor the team. Jim finished in 18:41 and 73rd position.

Andy Buchanan stretches out

Richard Lawton was first leg runner for the B (Masters team) and demonstrated that although he is not yet in the form of last year, he is running well enough, recording a time of 18:45. Gordon McInally continued his Grand Prix campaign on leg 2 with a time exactly one minute behind Richard, 19:45. Russell had a chance to shine on leg 3 for a change and hauled himself around in 21:14, only about 48 seconds down on last year. Finally, John Boyd did his first every cross country race. The last leg is a lonely experience and pace judgement is difficult with no runners around to latch on to. Therefore John ran well to record a time of 21:04 and he will hopefully get the chance to build on that first experience at other cross country races this season.

Gordon showing good form

The M50 event was contested by teams of 3. Our team was led off by Andy Henderson who called upon all his experience not to get dragged out too fast by the younger runners around him. Andy brought the team home in 20th position in a time of 18:01. I took the second leg, although would gladly have taken a final leg, due to suffering from a temperature and streaming nose since Thursday. The field was well spread out but I was catching teams at regular intervals which gave the illusion that I was going fast. In fact I was 40 seconds slower than last year, pulling the team up to 14th position but disappointed to be well down on many of the M50's I had been ahead of in recent weeks and months. Eddie Reid had also been struggling recently with both normal and bizarre injuries breaking the consistency of the training that he needs to get back to his true form. Eddie held on to 14th position in a time of 17:52.

John on the well trodden trail

Well done to all who competed and to Kenny for enthusiastically supporting us and transporting the tent. Thanks to Frances for the photos.

For those interested in how the course compared to last year, the image below shows my Garmin tracks. The yellow track was last year, the green/grey/purple track this year. Overall the distance was the same (3.8km) but there were a few wider corners here and there and a few tighter corners that cancelled out the difference. The red arrows inside the yellow circles are the wind direction and strength this year.
Alan

Cumbernauld Teams 2017

The teams for tomorrow are listed here. Note that M50 teams are three legs, all other senior and M40 teams (as far as our entrants are concerned) are 4 legs.

Check out this important Final Information issued by Scottish Athletics regarding the shuttle bus service, parking, chip timing, numbers, etc. Other information, maps, etc are here.

The parking/shuttle bus is at:
St Maurice’s High School
North Road
Cumbernauld
G68 9AG

See post below for further details of when to be there, car sharing, etc.
Alan

National XC Relays ( Cumbernauld )

A few withdrawals due to injuries and illness tonight so even more places available for anyone that wants to run. Also note that cars will be leaving sports club at 1200 on Saturday for anyone needing a lift. Russell needs the men to be there at 13:45 at the latest (i.e. one hour before the race start) to hand out numbers. I will post the teams Friday evening. Alan

The following are entered for the National XC Relays this coming Saturday.
Alan will select the teams and running order and post on Friday evening.

F Ferguson, E Craig and J McEvoy.
R Couper, A Derrick, R Lawton, G McInally, A Henderson, J Holmes, A Buchanan.
A McLellan, S Phimister, M Saez, K Leinster and J Boyd. E. Reid

There are 6 places left for the Ladies and 6 for the Men so if anyone wants a run let me know and I will check your on the reserve list.
Anyone named above that can no longer make it let Alan or Russell know.

Performance Award Self-Service

Time to think about performance awards  and pb's set during the season from 1st October 2016 until 30th September 2017. Can I ask everyone to follow the instructions below and enter any performances which you believe are eligible. Note the special instructions below in red for those of you using iPhones or iPads to enter the date data (which is assumed to be still valid for even the latest iPads and iPhones). Some of you have already been entering the data as the year has progressed. You can see all the data already entered using the links in the original post below. Thanks to both Julies (Beveridge and Thomson) for entering their performance award and PB data recently. Ask me if you have any questions or problems. You can also start entering data for 2017-2018 season using the same forms below.

I have now had the opportunity to try the data entry forms on an iPhone and can see what the problem is with iPhones and iPads. The problem is that any dates have to be entered in American format (Month/Day/Year) rather than UK format (Day/Month/Year). For example, to enter a race date of 20th November 2016, fill in the date field as follows: 11/20/2016. The iPhone/iPad also seems to default to displaying the current year 2017. Delete that and replace with 2016 or whatever the year you need is.

To make gathering the data for the annual performance awards more efficient, could I ask all who believe they have set a performance standard at 5k, 10k, 10 mile, half marathon or marathon to:

1. check your performance against the tables for the various age groups (women, men)
2. use this form to enter the details of your performance.
3. repeat steps 1 and 2 for each race.

You can see the data gathered so far in this spreadsheet.

Similarly for new absolute or age group pb's, use this form to record the PB details. All the data gathered since we started this system last year are listed here.

Any questions or problems then leave a comment or get in touch with me. As always, these forms are untested on Apple devices but do work fine on Android devices and Windows PC's running the Chrome browser.
Alan

Allan Scally Road Relay has a New Date and Venue

Shettleston Harriers have been back in touch with Russell to confirm that they have new plans for the Allan Scally Road Relay meaning that this legendary club relay which has run every year since 1969 will continue with just 2017 missing.

The new event will take place on Saturday 3rd March 2018 and will be on a traffic-free course within Glasgow Green, consisting of 3 or 4 legs of 5km each. The event is clearly positioned to stimulate some relay team spirit and form markers about 1 month before the 4/6 stage relays at Livingston. The event therefore still fits in to our current Grand Prix season. The only downside is that it may be the same weekend as the Down by the River 10k, although that may be a week later and on the Sunday.

No further details available at the moment.
Alan

Lanarkshire Cross Country Championships

This race takes place at Drumpellier Country Park in Coatbridge on Saturday 25th November (this is not a grand prix race). Enter the race via Q-buster using the code laaaxc. The cost for seniors/veterans is £4. Closing date is 20th November.

Details as follows:

There will be NO entries taken on the day

12:00

U11 Girls

1200m

1 Small Lap

£2

12:15

U11 Boys

1200m

1 Small Lap

£2

12:25

U13 Girls

2500m

1 Large Lap

£2

12:45

U13 Boys

2500m

1 Large Lap

£2

13:00

U15 Girls

3700m

1 Small + 1 Large Lap

£3

13:00

U15 Boys

3700m

1 Small + 1 Large Lap

£3

13:20

U17 Women

5000m

2 Large Laps

£3

13:20

U17 Men

5000m

2 Large Laps

£3

13:50

Sen/Vet Women

7500m

3 Large Laps

£4

13:50

Sen/Vet Men

7500m

3 Large Laps

£4

Prizes

First 3 in each race

First 3 teams in each race

Club Prize

Trophies for Men and Women. The clubs with the lowest overall points from each race will win the trophy. If no team entered for a race maximum points will be given.

Volunteers

Each club must provide 2 volunteers

NATIONAL SHORT COURSE XC ( KIRKCALDY )

This years National short course XC will be held for the first time in Kirkcaldy on 11th Nov.
Start times are 12.10 for Ladies and 12.35 for men.
As with the relays its 4k but as a straight race.
Cost is £7.00 per head and should be paid in advance.
I need names by Thursday 26th Oct as this is pre entry only
If you wish entered leave your name HERE.
Those already entered are listed HERE.

Ladies in the Medals at Lanarkshire Relays

Silver medals for Karen (Sandy is her photo stand-in), Emma and Kay

Calderglen's strength in depth in the ladies team was confirmed today as we swapped the A team members from last week and flew around the 3 x 4km laps to win the silver in the Lanarkshire AAA Road Relay Championship in Drumpellier Park, Coatbridge. Karen Allen stormed around the first leg in 16:18 in third place. Karen is obviously very comfortable on the roads. After a strong run last week in Hamilton, Kay Conneff was on the second leg and moved the team up to second place with a well paced leg timed at 16:57. The field was well spread out by the time Emma Craig started the last leg and as a relative newcomer, perhaps found the pace judgement difficult on such a lonely leg. However, Emma maintained second in 16:44, closing the gap on the winners Motherwell AC. Well done to the team for maintaining the Calderglen tradition of regularly medalling in this event.

Neil and Mark power away from the start

Our second ladies team was led off by Kirsty Wilson who found the company on the busy first leg to her liking, recording an excellent time of 16:30, second fastest of the Calderglen ladies. Frances Ferguson has competed here several times before and knows precisely how to pace it. Frances was the only one I heard complaining about the hills not being big enough but still recorded a great time of 17:13, keeping the team well up and putting some pressure on Sandy Hayden on the last leg. Sandy said afterwards that she struggled a bit on the hills but even the slightest incline is difficult when running flat out over 4km. Sandy finished in 20:13. Lorraine Buchanan was the solo runner in our third team and pulled a gap on several other teams despite having a cold. Lorraine finished in 20:33. Great performances from all the ladies and thanks to Karen and Kirsty for adjusting their schedules to fit the race in and hopefully not putting themselves under too much pressure.

Andy Buchanan sprints to the line

We had two complete men's teams today and with no veteran category in this race, the teams were based entirely on the finishing times at Hamilton Racecourse last weekend. Mark Saez and Neil Green were given first legs. Neil had a recurring back pain through the week and so was doubtful right up until the morning of the race. It felt safest to put him in the second team though just in case he had to hobble to the finish line. Neil doesn't do hobbling though and led Mark for much of the first leg before the hard breathing Mark eventually squeezed past Neil in the final half mile. Mark finished in 14:18 with Neil only seconds behind in 14:21, a Shettleston Harrier splitting them. I set off on leg 2 with Jim Holmes right behind. The Shettleston runner blasted past me right away but it didn't look like he was going to last and by 400m I had caught and passed him. I passed two more on the way back and handed over in about 5th position in 14:07. On the way back, I saw that Jim had also passed the Shettleston runner and kept it going strongly to the line in 16:39. Martin Duthie and Richard Lawton were on the third legs. Martin had a strong run and we forget that with his "flowing, youthful locks" he is now 56 and most likely the fastest M55 out there today. Martin finished in 14:47, holding the team's position. Richard got a real confidence boost from this run, with no physical problems and a solid 17:44. Andy Buchanan and Russell Couper were on the fourth legs. Andy hasn't raced here before and with the field well spread out, pace judgement was essential. After a very fast start, Andy settled back, passing one team but only to find that Shettleston had one of their top runners, Paul Sorrie, on the last leg, who caught Andy on the way back. In the final 100m, Andy over-reacted to our supporting shouts and sprinted to the line faster than anyone else, finishing in 14:19 and keeping the team in 6th position. Russell just needed a hard run today and this he delivered with a fine 20:17.

Russell on the initial climb

Many Harriers commented that this course made them feel as though they were flying and indeed they were as the pace is much higher on the roads than it is on soft cross country courses. Unfortunately, it looks like it might be the only road relay in the Grand Prix this year as a Shettleston Harrier unofficially told me that the Scally probably would not take place this year. So we are back to the mud next week at Cumbernauld. Well done to all for supporting the club again this weekend.
Alan

(Note all times to be confirmed from official results when available before the Grand Prix is updated as there are a few close ones!).

TTC 2017 - Warm Weather Training in October!

Although we were a month later than usual, the 11th annual Trossachs Training Camp got lucky once again with the weather. Only the Saturday morning run experienced a little drizzle but otherwise it was perfect for running and some even managed a little sun bathing.

Friday evening run

Leny Estate provided the log cabin accommodation for the second year in a row and, also for the second year in a row, our friends from Sweden returned for more of the same. This time Johan, Ljot, Mats and Thore were joined by Johan's son Jacob and Ulf.

A full house of 31 were signed up this year although a few last minute illnesses and other problems prevented some from attending unfortunately. The 31 comprised the 6 Swedes, 2 ATHelite Tri Club members and 23 Harriers.

Everyone (almost) arrived in plenty of time to be ready for the Friday evening run which was chosen to be just possible before darkness fell. Under the capable and enthusiastic guidance of pack leaders Russell, Frances, Eddie and myself we headed out past Bochastle and around to Coilhallan Woods for routes of 9 to 13km in length and various severities of ascent. The Friday run is always used as a try out for the pack members to find out who is (too) comfortable and who is not, advising on possible swaps up or down the packs for day 2. All looked reasonably OK on that first run with only Kenny complaining a little about the up hills in my pack. Not a good thing to complain about on the TTC as there are plenty of hills to run up!

Salad! No Way!

Friday evening was spent in the familiar surroundings of The Lade Inn where we were once again treated to more food than we could eat. It was at this point that we discovered that John McBride does not like salad. So I wonder how on earth his menu choice for dinner had salad for starter, main and dessert! Something suspicious going on there and not for the last time over the weekend.

By the time we left the Lade Inn, the rain had started providing a wet mile walk back to the cabins for most.

Saturday morning was damp but fine for running. First task of the day was to distribute the T-shirts and gather for the team photo. Second mystery of the weekend was how on earth Billy Buchanan ended up ordering and XXS T-shirt. Still, it fits him, so I don't see the problem, especially as this was not to be the most controversial item of clothing worn by Billy over the weekend!

The Saturday run routes took us up into the foothills of Ben Ledi, heading towards Loch Lubnaig, a route that normally affords fantastic views up the loch but not today as the cloud and mist were low, adding to the atmosphere but hiding the view. This morning's runs were of between about 11 and 15km in length with the longer runs again having some extra climbs thrown in for fun. Eddie and my pack ran the 15km route out to Loch Lubnaig before returning on the route of the old Callander-Oban railway line. Frances' pack descended a little sooner to pick up the railway line and Russell's pack descended earlier still.

As all of these runs started with a sustained climb over a few miles, everyone found the going tough. But what goes up must come down, making the second half of the run very comfortable, chasing the Leny Water rapids back towards Callander.

After a bit of a stretch, the favourite part of the day for most arrived in the form of the buffet lunches from Cafe Albert in Gargunnock. No complaints there! By this time, we were enjoying our lunch sitting outside in the October sun.

The afternoon kicked off with an excellent core stability session taken by Eddie on the freshly landscaped play area behind the cabins. At this point man of steel, Billy Buchanan, revealed his most dubious item of clothing of the weekend. The pictures speak for themselves.

With everyone's core suitably stabilised, we then moved on to some running form drills taken by me. Over the course of a half hour of drills it was fantastic to see everyone adjusting their running style and improving. I wouldn't say that it was like watching a well drilled parade but every so often it clicked with near perfect style and synchronisation within each group. Impressive!

The final training session of the Saturday took place on the undulating trail at Bochastle under the precarious Samson's Putting Stone. 5 minute threshold efforts are never easy but despite a long day of training, everyone showed total commitment to the session.

We were definitely ready for dinner # 2 at the Lade Inn that evening! What most were not ready for was the outstanding generosity of sorely missed Harrier and ever present TTC'er Davie Herbertson, now living in Australia. Unbeknownst to most, Davie had phoned the Lade Inn through the week and arranged for the first round of drinks to be put on his credit card. What a star! The many messages on Facebook to Davie show exactly how much we all appreciated that.

The refreshments and food were in full swing when Ulf, one of our first time Swedes, stepped to the floor to make a wonderful speech about the friendship of the Harriers and this being the best of many training camps he had attended. We were truly flattered and I was delighted to receive a portable hydration aid (hip flask) all the way from Sweden as thanks. Furthermore, we were cordially invited to Gothenburg for a training weekend next year (watch this space, plans are already being formulated). The traditional Calderglen Harriers Hoodies were our gifts to our Swedish friends although, surprisingly for October, it was way to warm to wear them.

Monica and Frances at the Lade Inn

And so to the Sunday long runs. With Russell unfortunately having to leave us early, Geo kindly accepted the invitation to lead Russell's pack on a run starting in Brig O'Turk and following the trail along the south side of Loch Venachar back to Callander. An 8am start provided perfect, still conditions with the loch like a mirror for Geo's pack.

Loch Venachar looking spectacular

This was a really well matched pack who made great progress and as they were running in the opposite direction to the other packs, were able to acquire a few new members when the packs passed, something that was not planned but which worked really well.

Geo/Russell's pack by Loch Venachar

The other packs were on for a full lap of Loch Venachar, a 16 mile loop with spectacular scenery from start to finish. The weather was perfect with virtually no wind to make the "undulations" more difficult than they already were. For some, this was their longest run ever, for others the hilliest run and for yet others, their fastest pace long run but we all managed it and many, including myself, consider this the highlight of all the running sessions. The reward for completion was another tasty and filling buffet lunch. However, as we had to be completely out of the cabins by 1pm, we were a little rushed. Nonetheless, an impressive quantity of soup and sandwiches was consumed, cabins cleared and we were off home after another successful TTC.

A huge thanks to the three coaches, Eddie, Frances and Russell for total commitment to the weekend and enduring horrendous weather during the recce on mountain bikes one week earlier! Thanks to Geo for stepping in to help at short notice in his inimitable, unflustered style. We couldn't do this for the price without the support of our club sponsor EKGTA; any thanks to them. The Lade Inn always make us feel so welcome every year in an atmosphere and with food that could not be bettered. Cafe Albert travel some distance to provide our lunches but once again did a fantastic job (if you are ever in the Stirling area, try their highly rated restaurant, The Gargunnock Inn, which, funnily enough, is located in Gargunnock, just outside Stirling). The Leny Estate rescued the TTC last year by providing a replacement for the original venue and once again helped the weekend exceed our expectations with luxury cabins for us and the very luxurious cottage for our Swedish friends. Finally, the spectacular scenery of my home town of Callander and the surrounding Trossachs did what it does best without even trying. And then, the final finally, thanks to all the Harriers and friends who signed up in their droves for this event and made it the success that it was. A special mention to Johan, Ljot, Thore, Mats, Jacob and Ulf for travelling across to Scotland and blending in just like the rest of Harriers. Without enthusiastic participants, the TTC would not take place.

Plans for next year are underway. We are trying to get our Leny Estate booking in early to ensure we can move back to September. Watch this space. Watch out also for details of a Gothenburg weekend.

There are many photos on FaceBook but here are some more, a few from me and many excellent photos from Geo and Martin Howell.

Alan

(ps - the only failing in the cabins this year was a report from Billy and Kenny that, whereas last year the washing machine in the cabin was fully automatic, this year, they filled the machine with running gear on the Saturday night, only for it to be still in the machine, unwashed on the Sunday morning. Perhaps Davie Herbertson can explain!

Lanarkshire Road Relay Teams

In possibly my worst ever attempt to organise relay teams (apologies), below are the names and running order so far.

The ladies A and B teams (3 per team) are fixed but we have two places for ladies in the C team. If any ladies want to run, send me a text (0786 786 3741) or just turn up before 12:30 at the venue before Russell and I register the teams.
Ladies A Team
Leg 1 Karen Allen
Leg 2 Kay Conneff
Leg 3 Emma Craig

Ladies B Team
Leg 1 Kirsty Wilson
Leg 2 Frances Ferguson
Leg 3 Sandy Hayden

Ladies C Team
Leg 1 Lorraine Buchanan
Leg 2
Leg 3

I am sure I had more men's names but my memory and the bits of paper I was noting them on are failing! I know that Kenny is injured and is not running. The men's A team is pretty fixed as Neil is carrying an injury. I will rejig the B team if Neil reports no improvement in his injury Saturday morning (going to do fitness test Saturday morning and let me know), in which case everyone in the B team shuffles up a place.
Men A Team
Leg 1 Mark Saez
Leg 2 Alan Derrick
Leg 3 Martin Duthie
Leg 4 Andrew J Buchanan

Men B Team
Leg 1 Neil green
Leg 2 Jim Holmes
Leg 3 Richard Lawton
Leg 4 Russell Couper

Men C Team
Leg 1 George Stewart (please confirm, I can't remember if you said OK)
Leg 2 Andy Henderson (I don't think he can do it but can't remember)
Leg 3 Spare
Leg 4 Spare

Men D Team
Leg 1 Spare
Leg 2 Spare
Leg 3 Spare
Leg 4 Spare

Therefore we have 6 to 8 places available for any male members who want to run. As noted above, send me a text or turn up before 12:30 at the venue.

This is race 2 in the Grand Prix. To keep the money simple, we will set the cost at £1.50 per person. Bring your change with you!

For those wishing to travel together, be at the club ready to leave at 12:15 sharp. The race is scheduled to start at 13:30 (men and women together).

The registration is at Drumpellier Park Visitor Centre, which is off Townhead Road as shown in this map.

Once again, apologies for the lack of organisation this time.
Alan

BRAMPTON TO CARLISLE ROAD RACE

Our annual trip to Brampton for the 10 mile race will be on Sunday 19th November.
It will be the usual format of the coach leaving the Sports Club at 8am to give us plenty time for arrival and warm up before the 11.30 start. Due to the early start time we will not have time for a pre race stop so bring something to eat and drink onto the coach.
To those new to the Harriers this is a full day out with the coach taking us to the start and meeting us at the finish in Carlisle where we will have a couple of hours to spend in the nearby hostelry to partake in some fluid replenishment then up to Moffat for Dinner in the Star Hotel and back to East Kilbride Sports Club for about 8pm.
The cost for your place on the coach is £15 and your entry for the race will either be £15 or £17 depending on your SA status. Dinner will be £12ish but will be paid on the day.
To reserve your seat on the coach please see me at the club with your £15 and bring your entry form and fee to me also and I will enter them as a block entry. Latest day for me to receive entry forms is Monday 6th Nov. Non participants and friends are welcome too.

Entry forms are here. http://borderharriers.co.uk/app/webroot/uploads/File/B2C-2017-entry-form.pdf

Seats on the coach will be reserved with the £15 payment

Grand Prix Updated

With one race done, the Grand Prix and Club Championships have been updated. Use the Grand Prix link on the left to access the score tables.

Note that, due to the significant increase in the number of Calderglen ladies competing, for the first time for many years the scoring system has been adjusted. The points now reduce from 7 to 1 rather than 5 to 1 and the maximum that can be scored with multiple jokers is correspondingly raised from 10 to 14.

The men's scoring system is unchanged.

Alan

Record Calderglen Field at the West Cross Country Relays

Davie Watt and Andy Buchanan to the fore

The West District Cross Country Relay Championships were held at Hamilton Park Race Course right on our door step at the site of the first ever international cross country race over 100 years ago. In a year of record rain we had a record more worthy of celebration with Calderglen's greatest ever number participating, due to a record turnout by Calderglen's ladies. Although I had described this course in the weeks leading up to it as good underfoot, the rain of the past few weeks had left the going "good to soft" over much of the course with the low lying, furthest away area and the finishing bend being particularly heavy. However, it was the same for everybody (unless you were on a later leg in which case the racing line was particularly churned up - getting my excuse in early). A 4km, gently undulating out and back course confronted all of us.

Julie Beveridge

Our top team of the day was our ladies A team, led by Julie Beveridge (17:11 and 22nd fastest individual) who crossed the line in 13th position, handing over to rapidly returning to form Karen Allen, complete with new spikes who slipped only slightly to 15th (18:37). The experience of Joanne McEvoy paid off on the final leg, pulling the team back to 12th position (17:56).

Our masters team was next Calderglen team across the line. Kay Conneff had led the team off (18:36, 9th fastest F40), handing over to Sharon Gregg in 5th position in the masters race. This was Sharon's first cross country race and she found the going a little slippy without spikes. Nevertheless, Sharon clung on strongly to 7th place (20:41) to hand over to Frances Maxwell. The usual tactic is to put your fastest and most experienced runners on the first and last legs to establish and hold on to positions when the field becomes more spread out. Frances judges these races perfectly and brought us in in 28th position overall and more importantly, 6th masters team (19:34).

Next Calderglen team consisted almost entirely of newcomers to cross country. This was comfortably our youngest senior team. Emma Craig had a tremendous run on the first leg (18:15) to finish 25th. Kirsty Wilson took off strongly down the starting straight, really covering the ground fast to bring the team through the line in 26th place (19:25). The final leg was entrusted to Sandy Hayden. Sandy is getting gradually back to form and ran a solid 22:08 to finish 34th. Another great team performance.

Julie, Joanne, Frances, Emma and Sandy

Our next team originated from our Tuesday night beginners section, proving that none of the Tuesday nighters are beginners anymore as they all competed strongly in this championship event. Lead off runner was Lorraine Buchanan (24:14), handing over to Holly Rankine who had completed a big weekend of training at the TTC one week before, crossing the line in 24:19. Julie Thomson ran a very isolated last leg and proved her quality by running the fastest time in that team (23:04) despite the lack of company. Alison Johnson had the luxury of a leg all to herself with nobody to hand over to after the first leg. Alison seemed to thoroughly enjoy her run over the country, finishing in 24:55. We surely have a very strong, emerging ladies squad for the future here.

Mark Saez on the home run

Our fastest men's team was our over 40 masters team (most of which was well over 40!). Fastest Harrier of the day and now in the M55 age group, Davie Watt made no allowance for his age and was near the front of the masters field at the turn. He slipped back only a little on the return journey, handing over in 5th position (15:16), recording the fastest M55 time of the day by a long way. Mark Saez, the youngest member of the team, is relatively inexperienced in these team events but you would never know it as Mark maintained 5th position in an excellent 15:39 (14th fastest M40). Martin Duthie was stepping down considerably in distance, having recently competed in the World Half Ironman 70.3 Championships in Chattanooga and is now in the M55 age group. However, experience and quality always delivers and Martin crossed the line in 6th place in 16:14 (6th fastest M55). Finally, Alan Derrick took off on the last leg with two masters teams visible ahead on the long start straight. Unfortunately, the gap did not really close and 6th masters team was our finishing position (15:33) and 5th fastest M50 in a very tight M50 field (except for the outstanding Bobby Quinn who was 1:18 faster than any other M50, finishing in 14:04)! The team was 29th overall.

Andy Buchanan was on first leg duty in our only non-veteran male team. Andy is really progressing

Andy Buchanan on the rails

well and ran an identical time to me (15:33), finishing 40th. We then stepped up more than a few age groups with Andy Henderson (M60) on second leg duty. Andy covered the course in 18:55 and 60th position. Stuart Waugh (M65) tackled the third leg, crossing the line in 19:27 and third fastest M65, setting up Richard Lawton to be chased down on the last leg by Jim Holmes in the next Calderglen team. Richard completed the course in a fine 19:50, showing no signs of the back spasms that floored him a month ago, the team finishing 64th.

Our team that pipped Richard in the final few hundred metres was led off by returning to health and form Martin Howell in an excellent 17:42 and 73 position. Kenny Leinster found this a bit short for a natural marathon runner such as he, but should be pleased with 18:31 and 71st position for the team. Eddie Reid is gradually getting back to form but looked a little stiff for this run. However, he made up plenty places, finishing in 66th (18:48). Finally, Jim Holmes had Richard Lawton to chase and this helped him to an excellent 18:36 and 63d position for the team.

Richard Lawton on the way out to the turn

Billy Buchanan continues to be oblivious to how good he is. On leg 1 for our next team, Billy set 2nd fastest M65 time overall (19:13) whilst happily smiling and waving to every one of the many photographers around the course (check Bobby Gavin's web site for the official photos of the event and the starring role afforded to Billy)!  Gordon McInally is getting over some recent surgery, which perhaps cost him a position on the line by a short nose. However, his time of 20:35 confirms that he is on the way back. George Stewart made a rare race appearance in the west but also proved that he is getting back into shape with a time of 20:57. Russell Couper ran the last leg in 22:02, slightly faster than the last time we were here a few years ago but effectively a vast improvement given the difference a few years make when you hit 50! Davie Searil had the no pressure role for the men, running a solo first leg in 22:20 with hopefully no reaction from his recovering knee.

Billy Buchanan has time for a wave

Well done to all for getting out there and making this our biggest turnout ever for a championship relay. Clubs who race and train together really bring each other on and I hope this is the start of a record breaking season for the Harriers. Speaking of records, it was a record breaking start for our neighbours up the road with EKAC winning the senior men's event for the first time in their history! Congratulation to EKAC.

Thanks to Jim Mearns and Charlie McDougall for copious photos which I have added to a few of my own in this album.
Alan

Lanarkshire Road Relays - Drumpellier Park, Coatbridge

We have not competed in these for a few years, but having missed Houston Road Relays, we need a bit of a short, sharp one to keep the speed endurance up before Brampton.

The race is on Saturday 21st October at Drumpellier Park, Coatbridge. The men and women run together, first legs starting at 13:30.

There are 3 legs in the ladies teams (£4 per team) and 4 legs in the mens (£5 per team). No veteran team categories so we mix our teams with seniors and veterans as we wish.

It's another nice and local one and very cheap entry fee! Our ladies have traditionally done well at this (Lanarkshire Champions previously) and have a great chance this year. Each leg is 4km on the roads within the park.
NOTE THAT ENTRIES CLOSE ON 16th OCTOBER - I SHALL SPEAK TO MOST OF YOU AT HAMILTON TOMORROW TO TAKE NAMES MANUALLY, GIVEN THE SHORT NOTICE.
Please leave your name here to enter.
Names received so far are here.
Alan

Grand Prix Races 2017-18 - initial list

The first few races for the 2017 - 2018 Grand Prix are listed here. The official calendar is a bit sparse at the moment for next year. Also note that the Allan Scally Road Relay is not in the SA calendar yet either.

Given last year's very close and competitive men's and ladies' grand prix, the format will remain the scoring and jokers will remain the same as last year.
Alan

Icy Hot Ironman 70.3 World Championships - Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA

I completed my first 70.3 Ironman in Phuket, Thailand last year and it was a shattering experience. I was convinced that it just wasn't my distance and was in no hurry to try another. However we had only been back home a few days when I got an email saying that the inaugural 70.3 Edinburgh Ironman would be in July. Five minutes later I had entered. I think I wanted to prove to myself that I could actually run a half marathon without having to walk in parts, after a 56 mile cycle and 1.9 mile swim.

Edinburgh was a much more satisfying experience. It went as well as I could've hoped and I finished second in my age group. The first and second placed athletes were offered a place at the Icy Hot World Ironman 70.3 Championships in Chattanooga, Tennessee. It was only 2 months away but, as we didn't have any other holiday plans, I decided to give it a go.

We ended up spending nearly 2 weeks over there and despite feeling some of the effects of hurricane Irma, we had a great time. Chattanooga is a fairly small city with more of a country feel about it, being surrounded by Lookout and Signal mountains. The people couldn't have done enough for the 4000 athletes and their supporters from all over the world coming to visit. They certainly helped me with my bike. I'm no bike mechanic and after rebuilding my bike after transit I thought I'd get the local bike shop to check it out. They couldn't have been more helpful although they must've been thinking I was a bit clueless. One mechanic certainly wasn't happy with how the bike felt. He looked at me and said "did you build this bike??" I said I'd given it a go but was no expert. He then spent another 5 minutes pushing and pulling the handlebars before again saying a bit louder "did you build this bike??" At that point me and Mandy started pointing at each other, it was her/it was him. Eventually they realised that Mandy had put part of the headset on upside down..........OK it was probably me. We did visit them a few more times before race day and each time they had the patience of Saints dealing with a couple of annoying rookies.

With no expense spared, training facilities had been laid on by race organisers at the local YMCA. To be fair it was really big, with a swimming pool and a huge gym. We were there one of the days sheltering during a thunder storm. I had hoped to use the indoor pool but, strangely, it was temporarily closed due to the lightning. Something to do with outside pipework being struck and the bolt finding it's way into the pool. We were all sitting about in the reception waiting for the lightning to pass over. I thought that it's not every day you are waiting alongside world champions Javier Gomez (the eventual winner) and Sebastian Kienle to use the local YM.

The race itself went well, although I'm never again going to rely on Facebook advice from local athletes. For weeks/months before the event competitors were asking if it was likely that it would be a wetsuit swim. Ed the local tri guy had said there would be no chance that the Tennessee river would be below the 76.1 degrees required for wetsuits to be legal. I had mine with me at Gatwick Airport and Mandy said take it just in case. I said no as Ed will know his stuff and decided to leave it in the car and not waste luggage allowance. Unfortunately Ed hadn't factored the earlier hurricane in Texas, which had cooled the river on race day to, surprise, surprise, exactly 76.1 degrees.

I could only see a handful of other numpties who had left their wetsuits at home. It wasn't crucial, unless you were expecting to podium. For me it maybe cost 3 or 4 minutes in time, as swimming with a wetsuit is quicker than just wearing a tri suit. On hindsight I should've just treated myself to a flash new one at the event expo.   There was a strong current in the river, which was very evident during swim reccies. However it was a sign of the impact the race had on the local community, when the local power station had agreed to switch off their pumps during the race to lessen the current. My 1.9 mile swim seemed to go well, most of which was upstream, the last third flew in swimming back downstream.

Then it was onto the 56 mile bike leg, where I had a couple of mishaps. I'd finally invested in a fancy time trial bike, just so I'd look like I knew what I was doing. It was obvious that I didn't actually have a clue when I tried to jump on the bike at the start. I didn't take into account that the seat was a lot higher and handlebars a lot lower than my previous bikes. So me and bike ended up in a big heap on the ground after my attempted flying mount. Not much harm done other than a big red neck. The second bigger mishap happened shortly after the first. I was about a mile into the course and was momentarily distracted by someone passing me. I took my eyes off the road for a second & didn't notice a big pothole until it was too late. The bike had taken a big whack, I was sure that the tyre would have punctured. Thankfully it hadn't, but when I went back on the tri bars they had come loose and were moving about. The jolt had dislodged a couple of the metal screw inserts from the carbon handlebars. I still had 55 miles to go with floppy tri bars. I obviously couldn't now use them so couldn't get aero. More worrying was that they might actually fall off. I was coping at first, but it wasn't long before I started getting really uncomfortable, as I was having to hold myself up on the low handlebars. It seemed to take an eternity but my bike time was 2 hours 55 minutes, which I was happy about as it included climbing up Lookout Mountain. I'm also guessing I must've lost about 5-10 minutes due to not going aero and being so uncomfortable.

Then it was onto the half marathon run. It was very tough, comprising of a 2 lap course with 3 big hills on each lap. The last hill on each lap reminded me of the vertical mile up to the first corner. I had hoped to match the 1.38 time I did at Edinburgh, as that was also a tough course, but Edinburgh wasn't 80 degrees. So I was fairly happy with 1.45.

There had been over 100 qualifying races for the world championships. Every time I've competed in an Ironman event it feels like a big deal. The standard at the top end is always high, so I knew all of the 200 who had qualified in my age group would be good. Before the race I had said that I'd be delighted with a top 100 finish, so I've got to be happy with finishing 58th.
70.3 Ironman events are growing on me and I'm sure I'll try a few more. As for the full Ironman..........nah don't need it, not my distance.
Martin

West District XC Teams and Running Order

The teams (3 per ladies' team, 4 per men's team) are listed here. A record representation from the club overall at a West XC Relay and a record by a long way for the ladies.

As Russell has to declare these teams and running order in advance and collect your numbers, if anyone is no longer able to run, then please let us know (Alan or Russell) this evening preferably and certainly by first thing tomorrow morning.  You will notice that we have spare places (2 spare for ladies, 2 spare for men). As virtually every SA member in the club has been named as a reserve, if you want a run, please let us know this evening and I will update the teams.

Conditions should be good tomorrow, so lets have a great day at the races!
Alan

TEAMS FOR WEST DISTRICT XC RELAY

Teams for the XC relay on Sunday will be selected from the following names.
Please arrive in plenty of time. I need Ladies at the course by 11.40 and men by 12.40 .

Anyone who hasn't paid please bring your race fee with you on Sunday.

Ladies entrants  K Allan, F Ferguson, S Hayden, K Wilson, K Conneff, J Beveridge, A Johnstone, L Buchanan, J McEvoy, J Thomson, H Rankin, E Craig and S Gregg.

Male entrants R Couper, A Derrick, R Lawton, S Waugh, M Howell, G McInally, J Boyd, A Buchanan, M Saez, K Leinster, A Henderson, D Watt, G Stewart, J Holmes, J Mearns, B Buchanan, E Reid, D Searil, M Duthie,

There is 2 Ladies places available and 1 Male place. Anyone that wants to run let me know and I will check if your listed as a reserve.

Anyone listed above that cannot race let Alan or Russell know asap.

Teams and running order will probably be posted on Saturday

NATIONAL XC RELAYS (Cumbernauld)

Still looking for more ladies to sign up for the National XC Relays. It is 4 for a team and we have only 3 names (Joanne, Frances and Emma). We should be able to get at least two full teams. Entries close tomorrow (Wednesday).
Alan

This years National XC relays will take place at Cumbernauld Park on Oct 28th.
Start times are 13.20 for Ladies and 14.45 for men.
Distance is 4k per leg and unlike the West District it is 4 legs for the Ladies
Cost will be £5.50 per head and should be paid before race day.
PLEASE MAKE SURE YOUR SA REGISTRATION IS UP TO DATE.
I need names by Midnight Wednesday 11th Oct as this is pre entry.
If you wish entered please leave your name HERE.
Those already registered are listed HERE.

XXV Glasgow half marathons

An estimated 22,000 runners set out from George Square on the Great Scottish Run 10k and half marathon on Sunday. Once again the forecasts leading up to the event were much worse than the reality although I'm sure we would all rather have run in Saturday's weather!

Jim Holmes, former harrier David Wardrope and myself lined up on the start line each for our twenty fifth time in this race, myself consecutively since 1993, the other two having started in 1992 but having missed one year since - talk about feeling old, seventy five years participation between us!

The now familiar intentional bottleneck prior to the start line ensured plenty of space for all the runners but despite this I started to struggle on the way up St Vincent Street as my quads tightened and my breathing became ragged. A distinct lack of recent training had clearly taken it's toll and even the sound of a choir singing beautifully (acapella I think) at the top of the hill failed to lift my spirits as I quickly realised I was in for a long, long day. Although I recognised the song Graham had to tell me later it was Danny Wilson's song Mary's Prayer, I could have done with a prayer or two myself!

I won't bore you with the details (yay!) but suffice it to say my arbitrary target of 9 minute miling was out of the window by the time I heard the third piper, at which point I decided to drop my pace and simply run on feel. The rain came and went but fortunately the predicted high winds held off until most of us had finished.

Club results were as follows;

Leading harrier by a mile (or two!) was new/old member Gerry McParland in a cracking time of 1.21.53 for 128th place, followed in by Julie Beveridge finishing 311th overall in a fabulous 1:27:58, 6th in her age group, 19th female and a massive pb to boot! Stephen Phimister came home in 1.33.43 and 25th silver anniversary boy Jim Holmes in 1.39.59. We then had four finishers in the 1:40s - Robert Dewar in 1.42.35, Graham Ramage in 1.43.44, Richard Lawton in 1.47.08 and Sharon Gregg in 1.49.39. I plodded home in 2.03.20, not quite my slowest GSR (2014 was slower, also due to injury), followed very closely by Julie Thomson in 2.03.35, Lorraine Buchanan in a pb time of 2.07.57. and Mark Creasey who came home in 2.08.56. Very well done all.

I guess Graham and I both suffered a little from having other fish to fry, Graham doing 18 miles the week before as part of his Valencia marathon training (as is David) while on the same day I ran/walked 22 miles as part of my attempt to get to the start line of the Glen Ogle 33 early next month.

Ex harriers David Wardrope and Graham Lindsay ran 1.43.27 and 1.51.29 respectively.

Club times in the earlier 10k were

Martin Howell led the way in 41.01 (oh, so close Martin!), John McBride finished in 51.58 and Monica Houston ran 1.01.22
Former harrier and recent Islay half winner Stuart Gibson stormed home in 31.37 to take the win, superbly well done Stuart.

I wonder what Jim, David and myself will be doing on the first Sunday of October 2018? Answers, on a postcard please to...

PS Just found out Joey Shields time was 1.44.30, he was running under a pseudonym!

TTC 2017 Final Arrangements

Less than a week to go before the big weekend up the Trossachs! So a few final details.

1. THE VENUE IS THE SAME AS LAST YEAR  (BUT DIFFERENT TO EARLIER YEARS FOR THOSE WHO MISSED LAST YEAR)! We are staying in the Leny Estate Log Cabins. The entrance to Leny Estate is on the main road (A84) between Callander and Kilmahog about 150m before the first of the woolen mills (the one with the highland cows in the field for the tourists). The estate entrance is on the right hand side as you head towards Kilmahog from Callander and is totally hidden. You don't see it until you are at it as it is located on a slight kink in the road to the right. A white cottage marks the entrance to the estate. Here is a link to a map showing the entrance to the estate:
Leny Estate from Callander

This is a dangerous entrance on a busy main road. Drive slowly out of Callander so as not to miss it. The cabins are at the end of the drive which is about a half mile long and uphill (nice start/end to all the runs! Think positive).

2. Do not arrive before 4pm on Friday afternoon. There are no permanent staff or reception at Leny Estate. I have to pick up all the keys for the cabins from the estate manager earlier in the day and will be there at 4pm onwards to allocate rooms and keys. So look for me. If you are early, there are plenty of places to stretch the legs with a gentle walk or to have a relaxing coffee in Callander.

3. We have managed to squeeze everyone in who wanted to go to the TTC. This has been a bit of a jigsaw puzzle fitting people in to each cabin (couples in double rooms, others in twin rooms and one person per cabin on a very large sofa bed). I have a plan! You need to see me to find out exactly which cabin and which bed in each cabin you have been allocated.

4. The cabins are somewhat more luxurious and better equipped than our previous venue. Unfortunately, unlike previous years, I have a long list of terms and conditions and payment penalties to adhere to. Don't remove or move anything between cabins and be careful not to damage anything otherwise we will be charged. This is particularly true of the crockery and cutlery. The lunch caterers will bring their own plates and cutlery. Please be careful not to mix any of that up with those belonging to the cabins.

5. The estate owners have installed a new timber children's playground (swings, slides, etc) over the summer. Please, no adults on any of that equipment. I hate to think what we would be charged if we damage anything there.

6. Safety. All of our runs and walks to/from the Lade Inn will involve crossing the A84 at the estate entrance to join the footpath on the other side of the road. You have to cross this road 3 times just to get to the Lade Inn and to start all of our runs. This is a very busy road. Please always use the footpaths and be extremely careful crossing the road especially given that the estate entrance is on a blind bend.

7. We are a month later than usual and hence will have less time to complete the Friday evening run before darkness falls. The routes have been chosen accordingly, however please be ready to run at 5pm on the Friday evening. If you are going to be late arriving, please give me a call (07867863741). For the safety of all, we can't really delay the start too long but will try our best. Please don't take any risks to get there on time if you are late. Its only a run! Dinner is booked for 7:30pm at the Lade Inn.

7. What to bring:

• Any special medication you need (and let your room mates and pack leader know where and what it is).
• Running gear for 4 or 5 separate sessions over the weekend. If its wet, you will need more gear. Check the forecast. Maybe bring some old newspaper to put in your running shoes overnight on the off chance (!) it is raining. The last few weeks have been very wet and there are large puddles on some of the trails which may not have dried out by next weekend.
• All of the runs are on a mixture of trail and tarmac. I would say that road shoes are fine on all of the routes but some of you may also wish to bring trail shoes if you have them and are comfortable running 3 to 5 miles (5 to 8km) on tarmac in them.
• We don't have a communal hall for indoor sessions at this venue. However, weather dependent, we will be doing some outdoor core and stretching routines. Please bring a yoga mat or beach towel to put on the grass for these sessions. Do not use the towels from the cabins for this (see point 4 above).
• The cabins do have towels in the bathrooms but you may wish to bring your own extra towels given the number of sessions and showers (hopefully) we will be having.
• One of the cabins will be set aside as the main breakfast area. We have bought a selection of the basic cereals, porridge, bread, milk, marmalade, etc which will be available for you to come and prepare your breakfast and have either there or back in your own cabin. If you have any very special breakfast preferences, then please bring that yourself. Referring to point 4 again, please keep the cutlery, dishes etc in the cabin to which it belongs.
• The water from the taps is beautiful Trossachs water so is fine to drink. If you think you need any special gels for the runs, then please bring your own. We will be doing 5 to 8 miles on Friday, 7 to 10 miles on Saturday morning, 3 to 5 miles on Saturday afternoon and 8 to 17 miles on Sunday morning. You shouldn't really need gels during any of these runs except perhaps the longest route on the Sunday.
• Everyone has made their menu choices for dinner and they have been submitted to the Lade Inn. A printed list will be available on each of the dinner nights for those (like me) who can't remember what they ordered.
• Buffet lunches are provided as usual. As with the breakfasts, the buffet will be set up outside or inside one of the cabins for you to help yourself. The caterers will bring their own cutlery and dishes so please do not mix up with that which belongs to the cabins.
• We are bringing communal tea, coffee, milk and biscuits.
• Further information will be given out prior to each run and if there are any further updates, they will be added to this blog post through the week. If you have any questions, then ask me or put a comment on this blog post.

This is going to be a great weekend, so be prepared to enjoy yourself!
Alan