It is hard keeping up with Russell…

As the expression goes ‘keeping up with the Joneses’ well it has been hard lately to keep up with Russell in terms of races he has been running.  A credit to the club in representing us in so many races.  Overall reading the blog lately there has been a very good appetite for members to get out and race.

I myself have had a few races in the month of June.  I started off with the Alloa Half Marathon on Sunday 3rd June.  This had originally been scheduled for Sunday 18 March which would have been ideal for my marathon preparation but unfortunately the weather resulted in it being postponed.  I would probably not have entered a half marathon at this time of the season as I was concentrating on 10Ks but Louise talked me into going to Alloa.  Yet again, a factor of most of my races to date this year, the heat and humidity was present and I decided to treat this as a faster paced training session.  I for once did not worry about overall time or mile splits and just ran to how I felt.  My final time was 1.36.31 and while this a lot slower than some of my more recent half marathons, the average pace of 7.21 minute miles made for a good training run.  I was glad I went to Alloa for Louise’s sake.  Louise had taken part in the Edinburgh 10K the week before and had ran 48 or so minutes.  She decided to do the Alloa half marathon the week after.  This was her first races in well over a year and half since her illness and I was delighted when she finished in 1.51.25.

My second race of the month was the Simplyhealth Great Womens 10K on Sunday 10 June.  The women’s 10K was the first ever race I ran back in 2007 and it has been a race I have done more often than not over the years.  I had missed the last two years and when I saw I had a free weekend due to the Dechmont Law trail race being moved this year I thought I would run a 10K.  I decided to try the women's 10K and this would be the first year of me trying it since it moved to the West End of Glasgow.  Like Alloa it was going to be another warm day.  I was right at the front for the start and this meant I got a good clear run on traffic free roads.  The course takes you along the Quayside of Glasgow, passing the Transport Museum at around the half way point, passing by the BBC studios and then across the Squinty Bridge.  From here you wound yourself around the streets before arriving back at Kelvingrove Park.  There were a few undulating parts of the course but overall the closed roads made for a fast race.  I did feel as if I tired a bit towards the end and this has been something which I have been encountering in quite a few of my races post London this year.  I ran most of the race with another women by my side and and we were in 4th and 5th position.  When I crossed the line I discovered I was 3rd and (later found out that the women in 3rd place had been directed the wrong way).  My time was 40.39 (gun time).  I was disappointed for the person in 3rd and I would have been more than happy with 4th.

The race was won by top GB athlete Gemma Steel in a time of  34.09 and second place went to a top Scottish athlete in Annabel Simpson in a time of 36.23.

Less than a week later I then took part in the Brian Goodwin 10K on Friday 15 June.  This was a race I first took part in 2016 and it is now a race I look to do each year.  It starts outside Cartha Queens Park Rugby Club in Pollok Country Park.  The first 3 kilometres are straight through the park passing by Pollok House and the Highland Cows before coming out of the park onto Pollokshaws Road.  This year Bellahouston Harriers had introduced a change at this stage where instead of running the next two kilometres on the pavement they had instead closed one lane of Pollokshaws Road / Haggs Road and Drumbrek Road.  This was a brilliant addition to the race.  This brought you back round to the rugby club and then you had the same route over again.  i enjoy this race and would recommend it as the route is fairly flat and has a great PB potential.  The race this year was won by Luke Traynor in a course record time of 28.32.  This race had featured a few weeks back in Athletics Weekly in being one of the fastest 10Ks in Britain last year due to the times ran by Luke Trainer and Callum Hawkins last year.  The winning time for the ladies was 35.10 set by Jenny Bannerman which was also a course record.  After this race there is the post-race barbecue where you can get a beer and burger (included in your race entry fee).  I would recommend this race to the Harriers as, mentioned before, it has great PB potential and attracts a good field of runners.

Julie