Highland Fling

A brief update from Saturday - Ruth was first harrier home in a fabulous time of 13 hours, 24 minutes and 39 seconds while I finished in 13.28.01. This was (only) 54 seconds slower than last year for me but for Ruth represents an almost unbelievable pb by one hour, 8 minutes and 28 seconds!

Catch up

Hi friends, I’m in EK for a few days next week and I’m planning on having a few jars in the Monty next Friday. It would be great to catch up with you if you can make it. I’ll be there at 8 in the downstairs lounge if it’s still there.
Malcolm

Chatelherault Times

For those who have been trying to access the archive of past Chatelherault lap times using the "Chatelherault Times" link in the sidebar menu, Google Sheets appears to have changed the system and only the first page of results is displaying now. I have changed the database to publish a pdf rather than a web page.  This can be accessed via the same Chatelherault Times link on the left or here.

Use the "Enter Chatelherault Times" menu link to add your most recent times. It can take up to 5 minutes for the pdf to be refreshed with new times, so be patient!
Alan

Well Done Harriers London Ladies!

Well done Joanne, Julie and Kirsty. It looked tough out there today.
Alan

MY RUNNERS: ALL

All

3 Results | unofficial results

Place overall	Place gender	Place cat.	Name	Runner no	Category	Race state	Last Split	Time	Pred. Finish	Pred. Finish (Time of Day)
4930	626	404	» Beveridge, Julie (GBR)	27995	18-39	Finished	Finish	03:34:02	-	-
4655	570	377	» McEvoy, Joanne (GBR)	21337	18-39	Finished	Finish	03:32:09	-	-
12231	3116	1622	» Wilson, Kirsty (GBR)	29609	18-39	Finished	Finish	04:15:51	-	-

LONDON MARATHON

GOOD LUCK to Julie Beveridge, Joanne McEvoy and Kirsty Wilson running the London Marathon tomorrow.

Best wishes from everyone at Calderglen Harriers we will be watching out for you.

Tracking is available on https://www.virginmoneylondonmarathon.com/en-gb/  from 7am

Chatelherault Starts Monday 23rd April

Chatelherault training starts on Monday 23rd April and every fortnight thereafter. The last one will be on Monday 27th August.

On Chatelherault training nights we meet at Chatelherault in the car park on the right hand side at the end of the main drive, entering the park from Fernigair Road (opposite Chatelherault Railway Station). See the map here. Please be there ready to run at 7:30pm. Alternatively, if you need a lift, be at the Sports Club changed and ready to leave at 6:50pm (note that as long as the back road to Hamilton remains closed, allow extra time to get to Chatelherault from EK). Coordinate with others who may be able to offer you a lift just in case there is no one going to the club first.

The route around Chatelherault is a 7 mile, hilly trail run. It is not a race or a time trial (except the one evening that forms part of the Grand Prix; date to be confirmed). A steady run around Chatelherault has a huge effect on your strength, mobility and aerobic fitness whilst being low impact on the legs. Enjoy getting fitter and hence being able to run the same time for less effort as the season progresses rather than hammering yourself into the ground every fortnight. As a bit of fun, we log our times using the link in the menu to the left of the blog page. Its not a league table, just a record of fitness variation from month to month and year to year.
Alan

Round the Houses 2018

A very impressive turn out from the Harriers added to an already very large field for the annual Round the Houses 10k on Sunday. I had sold this event as a course for fast times if the weather was right and, thankfully, the weather behaved itself for the second Sunday in a row, so no excuses there.

I wasn't racing but my plan was to attempt to combine the role of roving spectator with a longish progression run as part of my training for the impending Stirling marathon. However, a cold that started on Saturday, a stomach upset and general bad synchronisation of my route with the race route meant that I didn't run as far as planned (only four outer laps of the 10k route) and only spotted two of the sixteen Harriers running during the race (Martin Howell and Stephen Phimister)!

Due to road closure restrictions, the route was the same as last year, starting on the track in the stadium before heading out into the industrial estate for about 1k, a further kilometre or so on the main road (closed to traffic) and then turning into a nice wide avenue through a park from where the route was largely on footpaths and cycle tracks before re-entering the stadium for a final blast to the finish on the track. With a field of near enough 600, things were a little crowded on the track at the start to say the least.

Fastest Harrier of the day was Andrew Buchanan in a time of 39:42. Julie Beveridge was second Harrier home in an excellent time of 40:52. Thereafter there were some close battles. The aforementioned Martin Howell and Stephen Phimister were just as close on the line as they were when I saw them just after half way, Martin finishing in 41:27 with Stephen in 41:33. Frances Ferguson was almost a minute faster than last year, crossing the line in 44:08 and second F50. Another close tussle followed with Jim Holmes and Richard Lawton. Rather uniquely, Jim had paid a visit to the physio's bench before the race rather than after to attend to a touch of tendonitis behind his knee and this did the trick, Jim crossing the line pain free in 44:37. Not far behind, Richard Lawton was flying to a new 10k pb of 44:59. Making her first appearance as a professional athlete, Sharon Gregg picked up a fiver for her efforts (she really did pick it up, stopping during the race on spotting a fiver on the ground!) and crossed the line in 47:10. How many seconds did that fiver cost her though! New member Robin Ramsay was next across the line improving his 10k PB by a massive 16 minutes to finish in 47:27. Another few weeks at the Harriers and he will be winning races outright. Paul Rooney has missed a bit of training recently due to an injury incurred shovelling snow. However, his time of 48:06 was a good benchmark to work on for the next race. David Searil slotted this one in as a loosener after his recent ultra, showing good pace to finish in 50:00. Sandy Hayden had been chasing Davie initially but after another late night and fast start, faded a little to finish in 52:02 which was almost 3 minutes faster than last year. Gordon McInally continues to run in pain and this was reflected in his time of 53:04. Hopefully Gordon can get a solution to his leg pains soon and get back to the form of recent years. Julie Thomson kept a good pace going to finish in 53:22. Unfortunately Russell Couper injured himself before he had even left the track, straining a muscle. As this was a grand prix race, that injury was not going to stop Russell but it did slow him down, as he finished a bit down on where he should be right now, crossing the line in 56:49. Lorraine Buchanan must have had Russell in her sights in the final few km, crossing the line in 57:34.

Well done to all 16 Harriers racing. Hopefully I have not missed anyone. If you have recorded a PB or reached a performance standard, then do please use the "Self-Service" on-line system to register your times. See the PB and Performance Award Self Service Form links in the Blog sidebar menu.
The PB data stored already is here and the performance standard data are here.
Let me know if you have any problems.
Alan

ROUND THE HOUSES 10K (GRANGEMOUTH)

For those going to Grangemouth on Sunday for the 10k some are meeting at the Sports Club to travel through leaving at 8.30 am. If you need a lift be there before this time.

WEST HIGHLAND WAY WEEKEND

Its now that time of year to plan our West Highland way weekend. We have booked the Ben Nevis hotel for Saturday the 19th May. For those new to the club we hire a 17 seater minibus and leave East Kilbride about 4am on the Saturday morning and drive to Milngavie where Alan will allocate a section of the way to be run by each person although you can if you wish run with others on their legs. Arriving in Fort William early evening for a swim if theres time and dinner with some refreshments. Depending on the weather we may do an activity on the Sunday before arriving back in East Kilbride around 6pm. As places are limited it will be a first come first served basis upon giving Frances a deposit of £20. Total cost for the weekend will be £70 and this includes your place on the bus and DB&B in the Ben Nevis Hotel. Places will go fast so don't delay.

P.S. It is possible for a few extra places in the Hotel if anyone misses out on the bus places and wishes to drive.

TOM SCOTT ROAD RACE

To use our Presidents words it was a great day for a run. No wind, dry and cool. Only 5 Harriers turned out today, an unusually low turnout for this event due to a variety of circumstances. We had our various warm ups and we stood ready on the start line for the off. I started just behind Andy Buchanan and kept up with him for the first 10 metres and only that far as he had no room to move away. Richard Lawton, Sandy Hayden and Lorraine Buchanan started a little further back. I've ran this race many times over the years when it used to start in Law Village and run back to Motherwell to its present location in Strathclyde park where it tried a rather twisty course in 2004 and switching to its present course in 2005. Its basically up to the top of the Loch and right round to just after the beach then onto the road and back to M&D's before returning to the water sports centre and 1 full lap to complete.

Richard passed me about half a mile in followed by Sandy at the mile. The little hilly section before the beach fair puts a strain on the legs but I still had Sandy about 50 metres in front of me at 3 miles. Richard and Andy were gone. Onto the road section back through the park and your met with the biggest hill on the course and although you feel it your still in the early miles so doesn't hurt the pace too much. a long straight to M&D's at which point I could see that Sandy had moved 100 or so Metres away and still going away so it was just about maintaining the pace as I was on schedule for a course best. This I managed for a while but its a long stretch back to the water sports centre knowing you've got to go round and do it again. Through the 6 mile mark at the car parks and I had lost sight of Sandy on the sweeping bend  but had her back in my sights at the bottom of the loch. She was now over 200 metres in front and still going away and looking strong.

As I turned onto the path I had a wee look back along the road to see if Lorraine was close ( a testimony to the pressure these girls are putting me under, good pressure) but she was not there so head down less than a lap to go and will Sandy start coming back to me and a good time is still on. Passed the beach and the last wee hilly section and this time I really felt it and lost almost 30 secs on this mile and Sandy was now out of sight after this twisty mile.

Through the turning point on the parkrun route so now just the run home and an attempt to pick the pace back up which I did a bit and onto the long straight and another final push for the last mile I now know I'm on for a course best so every second is a prisoner crossing the line in 88.12 and a course best by nearly 5 mins. Andy was by now changed having clocked 62.55 and Sandy and Richard were there too Richard having ran 74.10 which I believe is also a course best and Sandy running 85.54. Just Lorraine to come now and we didn't have to wait long as she crossed the line in 95.10 a really good opener on this course with the London half still in her legs from last week. We had the Harriers fan club out today too with Martin Howell, Neil Green and Mark Saez popping up all over the course with loads of encouragement. Thanks guys it really helps and good runs from all the Harriers today. All the photos are in this album.

Russell