Morgan,s Coming to get you

I took a wee trip down to Strathclyde park this morning for the parkrun. On arrival I bumped into Morgan and her dad Richard. A brief chat with Morgan she revealed that she set a new pb in May of just over 26 mins. Having been training a fair bit with her lately and leading her at the training camp I was confident she could run sub 25 and probably nearer 24 mins and told her as much. I had also mentioned at the training camp that I was no longer confident I could beat her in any sort of race.
As the run started I set off fairly quick and going for a good time (gotta keep this young upstart behind me lol ) Through mile 1 in 7.45 but Morgan was now about 40 metres in front of me. Round the turn and heading back, working hard and wondering if Morgan had gone off too quick who by mile 2 had stretched to about 100 metres of a lead on me. I aint gonna catch her but im still on for a good time. Finished in 24.30 my fastest 5k of the year so far and fastest at Strathclde park since 2011 and as most of you know ive done a lot down there. Morgan had finished in 23.30 a huge pb and another one that's now passed me but beware everyone shes coming after you next. Theres a lot of Harriers running about the 22 to 23 minute mark. ( be very afraid ). Her dad Richard had run 22.02 so she will soon be on his tail too. Also running today was Ian McKenzie (26.06 ). Ian has to get himself back to the club and regular training look what its doing for Morgan.

Good luck to all the Harriers running in Glasgow tomorrow and those doing their final steps of tapering for Chester next week.

Brancumhall XC Training Monday 1st October

Our fortnightly cross country sessions at Brancumhall start on Monday 1st October and fortnightly thereafter until the National Cross Country Championships at the end of February. Set it up in your calendars with a fortnightly recurrence.

We meet at the club as usual and run down to Brancumhall as the warm up. We will either carry our cross country shoes (trail shoes, old shoes or spikes) or if we are lucky, someone will volunteer to take them down in their car.
Alan

Dumfries Half Marathon

This was to be my third race in a row in September following on from the Kilmacolm Half Marathon and Cumbernauld 10k.  The weather had not been too great in the build up to this but as I set off on Sunday morning it was a lovely drive down the M74 with the sun out (albeit it was cold when I stopped at the services).  The race venue was Dumfries College and I arrived with an hour to spare. There was ample parking and toilet facilities.  The college sits in a 100 acre park and the area is known as The Crichton. I was able to do a good warm-up and the added bonus was the Dumfries Town Band who had assembled outside (as it was such a lovely day). I seem to pick the smaller races who have a band playing - it seems to create a great atmosphere!

The race is fully on open roads although I would compare it to doing a half marathon around Auldhouse.  I think possibly the course had changed this year.  It heads towards an area called Bankhead and the first 4 miles were relatively ok and I was probably on a for a similar time to Kilmacolm two weeks ago. However just after this we took a right turn and it was a gradual increase and this fifth mile was notably slower. However to compensate for this we had a drop down to the main road. I had certainly picked a lovely day to do this race as the scenery was great at the top of the hill. Once on to the main road we were running parallel to the water, probably the River Nith. From here we passed through a village called Glencapel. Now up until this point my mile splits (apart from the climb just after 4 miles) had been between 6.31and 6.46. I grabbed some water from the water station and turned the corner to see a very long incline. By the time I reached the top of this hill my mile split was 7.33. I was speaking to Pamela McCrossan of Clydesdale Harriers after the race and she felt her run had been going well until the 9 mile mark. I must agree with her.

Dumfries Running Club had strategically placed another water station at the bottom of the hill and it was a welcome relief.  We turned at this point and it was here I realised that miles 5-9 had roughly been a loop and this was us now heading back on the same road as we had come out of the college on.  It just seemed to be a constant climb and I soon gave up worrying about the mile splits.  I just wanted back to the college now.

I finished in a time of 92.06.  I have to say this is one of the hardest races I had done in a while.  I had initially been looking at a time similar to Kilmacolm two weeks ago (89 mins).  However as the race progressed I began to realise that this was probably not achievable. The race was run by Lisa Finlay of Dumfries Harriers in a time of 88.59.  After hearing this I was quite surprised to hear I was only three minutes behind her and maybe all things considered I should not be too disappointed with my race.

As I was staying overnight in Dumfries I made use of the showering facilities they had and I must say it was a bonus for this race to have such a good location in terms of facilities available.  I also visited the cafe as well.

I was the 2nd female home.  This was also the West District Half Marathon Championship and I had the added bonus of picking up a silver Scottish Athletics medal as well.

Looking back now I would say the race was hilly and I found it hard going but I could not have asked for a better day to run it and the scenery on such a lovely day made up for it. 
Julie

WEST DISTRICT XC RELAYS

NOTE CHANGE OF VENUE. VENUE IS NOW:
Scottish Maritime Museum, Beach Park, 6 Gottries Rd, Irvine, KA11 8QE

Well its that time of year again, Yes its cross country season.
We kick off with the west district relays on the 13th Oct.
This year it will be held in Largs. IRVINE.
Ladies run 3 x 4k and Men 4 x 4k
Start times for Ladies is 1.40pm and Men 2.40pm.
Cost is £5.50 each which should be paid in advance.
I need names by Monday 24th Sept so don't delay.
If you wish entered please leave your name HERE.
Those registered are listed HERE.

Please make sure your SA number is up to date or they will reject the entry.
This includes if it expires at the end of Sept it must be renewed before the entry goes in.
Russell

Harrier Selected for Celtic

I am delighted to announce that our very own Frances Ferguson has been selected to represent the Celtic Masters at the marathon in the England v The Celtic Masters match being held within the Chester Marathon on 7th October. Frances will be part of the F50 team. Frances isn't one to blow her own trumpet so lets make sure she gets the congratulations and support she deserves for this international selection.

Well done Frances!
Alan

Quiz Night

Jim Holmes' mum is organising her annual charity quiz night at the British Legion, East Kilbride on Friday 5th October starting at 7:30pm. The price is £5 per person, pay at the door. This has been a great night over the years and is for a good cause. For those not away marathoning that weekend, why not have a go. Teams of four.
Alan

TTC 2018 - What Rain?

Intervals in Leny Estate

After a week of poor weather forecasts for the TTC weekend, we were all delighted to find out that the Callander micro-climate had stuck its fingers up at the weather forecasters and decided to provide us with dry conditions for all three runs, saving the rain for the night (and the interval session on Saturday afternoon). Once again we had a full house for the weekend with 4 people in each of the 6 log cabins and our 3 friends from Sweden in the Orchard Cottage (and me at home). A further companion for the weekend would be the extremely tame pheasants living on the estate, one of whom accompanied me on the cabin inspection before everyone arrived, following me up the steps and poking its head through the front door of every cabin!

Local security pheasant

By 5pm on Friday evening everyone had arrived with one notable exception, Stuart Gibson, who was stuck in traffic. This would probably be the only time that Stuart would be holding us back over the weekend! However, having had to accept feeble excuses from our club president in years gone by for missing the Friday run, nowadays nobody gets away with missing the first run so we waited until a good 15 minutes after our scheduled start time when Stuart finally arrived, dressed to run we were pleased to see.

This year, the Friday evening run reverted to the old favourite clockwise route climbing up through Coilhallan Wood, providing great views along Loch Venachar and over Callander (once the 2km steady ascent had been negotiated). Pack membership is always a source of significant debate and the Friday night run allows us to test a few of those who are on the margins of packs. However, the pack leaders, Eddie, Frances, Russell and myself were in no doubt who should be where. Unfortunately, our two ATHelite Tri Club friends, Ellie Cunningham and Derek Boyd, had omitted to tell me that they had both completed the Tiree 35 mile ultra the previous weekend otherwise I would have made a more appropriate "recovery" pack selection for them!

Just checking......

The total distance of the run was a nice 13.5k, well within the capabilities of everyone and no problems were expected. I was therefore surprised to hear after the run that there were mutinous rumblings from within Eddie's pack at the bottom of the hill when the route left the forest trail. There were unfounded claims that Eddie was lost when the pack was directed to the left rather than the right and the dissent continued all the way to the ascent of Bochastle where the route turned back towards Kilmahog, with claims that this short Friday run was too long. Even more surprising that the ring leader was our marathon training guru and club president Kenny Leinster for whom miles should be his friend! Russell's pack had a slightly shorter run (just over 9km) and there were absolutely no complaints from them.

A well disciplined pack ascends Bochastle

With our late start and "long" short run, we were tight for time to get showered, changed and ready for the 7:30pm booking for dinner at the Lade Inn. However, miraculously, everyone made it and we we all packed into the very busy bar for pre-dinner drinks.

Once again, Frank Park and staff filled us to the brim with their selection of local dishes. Haggis Balls were a firm favourite I noticed, with my entire table of six opting for this starter! Eventually, the prospect of a morning run got the better of everyone and we headed back to Leny Estate.

The weather was stunning on Saturday morning with the mist hanging in the glens, blue skies and sunshine. The temperature was down into single figures but this would soon rise into the mid teens providing perfect conditions for the run. A highlight of the Saturday morning is the TTC-shirt reveal as the colour is a closely guarded secret.

Eddie's car boot giveaway of TTC-shirts!

Sky blue was the chosen colour this year, a nice pastel shade that surely could not offend anyone (except Stephen Phimister who's reason for not liking it was so convoluted that it was way over my head but needless to say, it seemed to be football related). The main problem was then finding a backdrop for the team photo without the blue sky in the background! Usually not a problem in the Trossachs where blue skies are a rarity.

TTC 2018 Group Photo - Matching shirts and sky!

The Saturday morning run was to be the flattest ever TTC run (not flat just flatter), an announcement that was met with some (justifiable) suspicion by many. A few pack adjustments were required after Friday night's trial (it had been a particularly trialling evening for Eddie but he was not allowed to change pack!).

Towards Bracklinn Falls

The route made a familiar start climbing through Callander Wood Walk and then further upwards on the Bracklinn Road before dropping down to the Bracklinn Falls. After the obligatory photo stop, all the packs made their way steeply downhill to Auchenlaich Farm where the packs split. Russell's pack turned right, back towards Callander on the old railway for a total distance of about 11km.

Eddie's pack at the Bracklinn Falls

The other three packs turned left through Keltie Bridge before joining the Drumloist road, which, naturally, is all up hill. Highlight for some was the McQueen's gin distillery located 2/3 of the way up the hill, a drinks station of a different kind. There was apparently some disappointment that the distillery was closed at that time on a Saturday morning. I hate to think what would have happened if it had been open.

Hydration stop....

From the distillery, the road climbed another few hundred metres to it's highest point, where we turned right, off the Tarmac, over a style and back onto forestry roads. The next few km were mainly downhill intercepting the railway a few km's out of Callander. Thereafter it was a straightforward run along the railway and back into Callander to Leny Estate. To control the pace which was gradually creeping up, I took my pack on a little detour through the golf course but as this route ran parallel to the railway, the distance was about the same, a total of 17km give or take.

Frances' pack stretched out

We all had plenty of time to stretch, shower and change before the first of our filling lunches arrived, courtesy of "Cafe Albert at the Gargunnock Inn". Not only that, we surprised Stuart with a birthday cake and an unusually in-tune rendition of Happy Birthday, much to his embarrassment.

The hardest I saw Stuart work all weekend.....

The Harriers' "spiritual" leader generates the calm before the storm of afternoon activities 

Plenty of activities were planned for after lunch but the forecast was showing a deterioration in the weather with heavy showers arriving later in the afternoon. Unfortunately the forecast was correct this time. First event of the afternoon was a session of running drills taken by me. I was pleased to see that everyone (well almost everyone) was performing the drills much better than in previous years.

The Harriers and Pheasant listen attentively to the running drill instructions

A star turn by Kay, taking the abs session

I was delighted that Kay was willing (and clearly able) to take a conditioning session after the drills. There can be no doubt that this core and abs session was the toughest such session we have done on the TTC and there were a lot of broken Harriers (including myself) as a result! This highlighted weaknesses that we can all work on. Contact Kay if you are tough enough to accept the challenge of Core with Kay :-).

A B&Q load of side planks.

The drizzle started towards the end of the core session but was not enough to prevent Eddie taking us all through a thorough stretching session and we had another 90 minutes of relaxation before the final session of the day.

Coaches ready for anything.....

By the time of the final session, the rain was quite heavy. With one eye on the forecast, I had decided that the final session should take place on Leny Estate's main drive, a gently ascending single track Tarmac road with a kick up at the end. Something that many of us are poor at is pace judgement, particularly at the start of races when the legs are fresh and a fast pace can seem easy. Unfortunately, it is rarely the case that a fast start will result in a fast time as the initial fast pace is more than lost in the final stages when the wheels fall off big time. Therefore, I decided we needed a pace judgement session. Furthermore, many (most) people are very capable of psyching themselves out of a session by either over thinking it or just being scared of what is to come and holding back until the last rep. So to avoid this, I did not reveal the total duration nor the mix or repetition distances or paces that would be run before the session started. The pace and distance of each rep was only announced at the start of each rep. I had wheel measured a 200m and 400m stretch of the drive. Each effort would be over either 200m or 400m at a pace equivalent to 5k, 10k or half marathon race pace. The recoveries would be a jog back to the start in all cases. With Eddie and Frances positioned at the 200m and 400m points respectively to shout out splits and with stopwatches and umbrellas at the ready the session progressed. In the end, we covered 3km of repetitions, covering all the paces over both 200m and 400m intervals. The bonus was that we were only 600m from the cabins at the end.

Session complete and smiles all round

Now we had plenty of time to prepare for the Lade Inn round 2. It is true to say that running is perhaps the best form of exercise for losing weight as the jiggling of the stomach does nothing for the appetite despite the huge calorie burn involved in a full programme of training. Therefore, it was something like the irrepressible force meeting the immovable object when the hungry Harriers were presented with the massive Lade Inn portions. I must admit that for the first time ever at the Lade Inn I was defeated by the three course option, as were many around me, and did not manage to finish the main course. I did manage the cheesecake no bother at all though! We were once again greatly surprised to find that Davie Herbertson (and Gavin) had phoned in all the way from Australia to order the first round of drinks. What a guy. Thanks both.

The Lade Inn. At least this group of Harriers brushes up very nicely.

Overnight the storm passed and all that remained on Sunday was the infamous Loop of Loch Venachar, a 25km route of gentle undulations for the first half and then a near vertical ascent at half way finishing with a roller coaster all the way to the finish. I hadn't fully briefed Russell's pack that they needed to be ready 15 minutes early to be driven out the start of their run which would take in the south side of the loch only, running in the opposite direction to the rest back to the start. So although we all should have started at 8am, Kenny and I were only just setting off with Russell's pack in our cars at that time. Fortunately, the pack leaders used their initiative and set off just before Kenny and I returned in our cars. This was fortunate for everyone except Kenny who had now given his pack (and my pack) a head start and was in chase mode from the off. The delay did mean that we all started and mainly finished in fine weather with only the slightest drizzle catching a few in the final stages. This was the only TTC run for my pack where the pace was a bit out of control and it was in danger of becoming a race rather than a low intensity, long easy run. I laid down the law at the half way point and recovered a measure of control to the finish but it was still the fastest of the three Loop of the Loch runs carried out from Leny Estate on the TTC and I hit the wall in the final km due to the too fast pace in the initial stages, which should never happen on an easy training run.

Half way!!!!

Russell's pack had a great run and were all full of smiles at the end (and when we passed them in the opposite direction en-route). Eddie's and Frances' packs came back with a sense of achievement and largely without incident (at least none we can talk about publicly). The main thing was that nobody got (especially) lost. We did have a few injuries though with Kirsty having a knee problem causing her to return to base early on and Ljot also having an issue but not serious enough to stop him. It was particularly impressive to see Mats finishing strong, having dropped to the short route last year and having been virtually stretchered back to Sweden two years ago after his first circuit of the Loch. This time he managed it "nae bother at all" and was walking unaided when I saw him at lunch. Well done Mats. Talking of lunch, Cafe Albert once again filled us to the gunnels with soup and sandwiches. Just what the doctor ordered.

A stunning venue - Leny Estate

And so it was over for another year. Many people and organisations make this possible, not least our club sponsor, EKGTA, who significantly subsidise the event and have allowed us to keep the cost to the participants at a reasonable level over the years. The coaches, Russell, Frances, Eddie and Kay who did considerable homework preparing for the event, recce-ing the routes, ordering T-shirts, buying breakfast supplies and planning sessions deserve our thanks. To all the club members and our friends from ATHelite Tri Club who grab the available places more or less as soon as the event is announced, if you didn't support it, we certainly couldn't justify the funding to continue. To our friends from Sweden, Mats, Ljot, Thore and the injured Johan, who now consider this a part of their calendar and the highlight of their running year. We are deeply humbled by the praise. There were many regulars who could not make the TTC this year and a load of first timers who gladly took the places. How are we going to accommodate you all next year! Watch this blog for an announcement on the date of next year's event.

Finally, thanks to our roving (should have been running) photographers whose photos appear in this blog (Martin and Eddie with a few from me too). There are many more photos in this album and many more still in various Facebook posts for those with access to that.

Alan

Cumbernauld 10k

This race was voted Scotland’s 10k of the year at the 2018 National Running Awards and 3rd overall in the regional finals which comprised 10ks from all over Britain. Having participated in it the last two years I would have to say it is a worthy winner.  It is very good value for money (I signed up during the ‘early bird stage’ and I think it was only £10 (without the race t-shirt).  There is ample parking at the nearby secondary school (10 minute walk to the start).  The race also starts and finishes within Broadwood Football Stadium, something you don’t get from too many races - this also makes it good for spectators as there is ample seating for them.  As I mentioned last year this is one of the few races which is still run partly on closed roads and the local police even stop the traffic at the roundabouts on the second half of the course to let you through.

The first kilometre is fast out of the football stadium and along a closed road to the Irn Bru factory where there is then a slight downhill and followed by an uphill where by now you have covered half of the race. The next two kilometres have a few gradients but nothing too troubling.  Kilometres 7-9 are round Broadwood Loch and while this section may slow you down slightly I feel the overall course lends itself for a fast run (my 10k PB is currently on this course).

I myself was about a minute slower this year.  However as I am in the middle of marathon training it is understandable for my 10k speed to drop and overall I was delighted to run a season’s best for the 10k. 

Overall 5 Harriers took part in the race and as special mention to Lucy Saez and Ashleigh Moir who both completed their first 10ks. As Richard mentioned on the junior blog they both had a great run and were 2nd and 3rd in the under 20’s female category. 

Results (chip time):

Julie Beveridge - 40.22
Joanne McEvoy - 42.08
Stuart Waugh - 45.50
Lucy Saez - 57.09
Ashleigh Moir - 57.25

Photography credits to George!
Julie

TTC 2018 Final Arrangements

Everybody ready for the Trossachs! Not until you have read these few final instructions:

1. THE VENUE IS THE SAME AS THE LAST FEW YEARS  (BUT DIFFERENT TO EARLIER YEARS)! 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. I suggest that someone in each cabin does an inventory of plates, forks, knives, etc on arrival and we will try to return it to that situation before we leave. 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. Please be ready to run at 5pm on the Friday evening as this run is tight for daylight, particularly if the weather is bad (never!). 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 (and it will be this year at some stage), you will need more gear. Check the forecast. 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 the 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

Kilmacolm Half Marathon Race Report

Three Harriers headed to Inverclyde to take part in the Kilmacolm Half Marathon.  From pre-race discussions it sounded as if we were all using this as a build-up to forthcoming races with the chance for us to get a faster paced run in.

This race is part of the Kilmacolm Running festival with there also being a 3K race for adults and kids and a 10K.  The race started from Birkmyre Park, a venue which quite a few Harriers will be familiar with as this has been used as a venue for the West District cross country relays in the last few years.

The race itself starts off heading through the local streets before going out into the countryside and eventually onto a cycle path which is part of the Paisley and Clyde Railway Path which runs from Paisley down to Greenock.  The cycle path follows the route of the old railway line.  The course itself is an out-and-back route which turns at Bridge of Weir. I do remember at one point passing some model soldiers and would be interested to know what they were there for.  While this seemed quite a flat route it was noticeable from the Garmin how the elevation changed and I did find it more difficult on the back section.  Here is the elevation profile:

Considering it was raining early in the morning and later on in the afternoon we were very lucky to get dry, cool conditions for the race, running into a slight headwind on the downhill section back into Kilmacolm.  The race had plenty of water stations with both water and Lucazade available.  It was also well marshalled.

The times for the Harriers were (all chip time):

Julie Beveridge - 1.29.08 - 1st Female
Jim Mearns - 1.45.12
David Searil - 2.03.00

There was a t-shirt for all entrants in the three races and while this was a small race the organisers (Inverclyde Leisure) had a separate t-shirt for each race - each a different colour and showing the distance you had run i.e. half marathon, 10K.  I thought this was a nice touch. Thank goodness I entered the half marathon and not the 3K - green is not my colour and much preferred the red t-shirt I got (the 10K was blue for anyone interested).  For any football fanatics out there the prize giving was done by Chris Miller and Jim McAlister of Greenock Morton FC.

The cafe in the park had a BBQ which I had eyed-up pre-race and before setting off home I made my way there for a hot dog!

All in a good morning, enjoyable run, well organised...and very pleased to dip under 1.30!

Julie

The George Cummings Road Relays (Houston) - Grand Prix Race #1

The first race in this year' Grand Prix is the George Cummings Road Relay in Houston on Saturday 6th October, a regular fixture on our race calendar (although at a couple of different venues over the years) since our formation.

To be included in Calderglen's entry please leave your name on this form.
Names received so far are here.

We will close entries after training on Thursday 4th October and publish the teams and running order on the Friday night. This is one of those highly competitive events where all your regular rivals will be in action so you can get a real idea of how race fit you are. This also begins our build towards Brampton and building the race fitness needed for that event. Although we will be missing many who are racing at Chester that weekend, we are a big enough club to still have a good number of teams out. The more the merrier.
Alan

The event is organised by Kilbarchan AAC and the details from their web site are as follows:

Men’s Team of 4 x 2.7 miles (£20 per team) – U17+ only

Women Team of 3 x 2.7 miles (£15 per team) – U17+ only
(non Scottish Athletics members £2 extra)

Men’s teams of 4, compete for the George Cummings Trophy

Women’s teams of 3 for the Trust Inn Trophy

Prizes to first six men’s teams and first three women’s teams.

First Vets teams, men and women.

Travel from Glasgow by M8 and then the Johnstone bypass (signposted Irvine. A737), off at Johnstone, turn right, through mini roundabouts, 600m straight through roundabout and follow road approx 2ml to large roundabout, turn left, 1st right, across roundabout down the Main Street in Houston, the church hall is about 50 metres on the left.

PARKING
On the advice of the police there will be NO parking in Houston Village.
Please follow the parking signs to Gryffe High School, which is 400m from the venue.

Auldhouse 5k TT - The Twilight Zone

The final Auldhouse 5k Time Trial of the season took place on Thursday evening as darkness rapidly approached. As usual, this final one started and finished in Auldhouse. For once, I remembered to measure out the start line position relative to the finish rather than relying on my failing memory and realised that the start line has been about 50m too far into Auldhouse in recent years, making the course 50m long! Our new start position was just on the edge of Auldhouse and 18 Harriers lined up with no excuses not to record good times as the conditions were windless and dry. We waited for a while before starting but it was clear that Davie Herbertson was not going to turn up this month!

Starting off in dusk, by the time everyone had finished it was pitch dark and a long list of impressive times had been recorded. Fastest time of the night was Andrew Buchanan in 18:34, closely followed by course debutant, Gerry McParland in 18:37 with Mark Saez next in 18:52. However, setting a massive course best (and possibly also a 5k pb), Sharon Gregg was fastest lady in 22:04, almost a full minute faster than her previous best time on this course. Sharon is part of our enthusiastic Chester Marathon training group and is reaping the benefit of the increased volume of training over the past months. To prove the point, training partners Julie Thomson and Lorraine Buchanan also smashed their course bests and 5k pb's with times of 23:55 and 24:36 respectively. Not to be outdone, there were many course bests (and possibly 5k pb's too if everyone could confirm via the PB Award form) amongst the men. Chris McCarron set a course best of 19:26, a couple of minutes faster than he was running last year and 7 seconds faster than last month's time. Geo Ferguson set a pb of 21:40, eclipsing his previous best set in 2016 by 4 seconds and a good 15 seconds faster than any of his runs this season. Richard Lawton improved further on his pb set in the first Auldhouse TT of this season, recording 22:01, another 4 seconds chipped away. There were also a handful of season's best times as shown in the results summary viewable via the menu to the left of the blog. Indeed everyone ran well on the night and earned their post-run refreshment in the Auldhouse Arms!

Thanks to Frances for photographer duties and to Eddie, Joanne, Martin (and Alfie) for supporting. Full results for this final TT are here.

North Ayrshire Athletics Club 10k

Having maybe travelled through Saltcoats, where the NAAC is based, once in my life it was very much a journey into the unknown for me on Sunday morning. With satnav primed I set off on a cloudy, slightly clammy day heading for Ayrshire wondering what my third 10k race in twelve days would bring - a slightly faster or slower time, a bit of a slog or an even more difficult race? Who knew, my plan had been to sharpen my pace ahead of the Glasgow half marathon in less than four weeks time with the aim of being under two hours but my legs were not reacting as positively as I'd hoped.

I was delighted to find seven clubmates had arrived ahead of me complete with spouses, kids and dog. Next to the track the lovely aromas from the 'NAAC bar' and adjacent barbeque were tempting me to just watch the race while enjoying a hotdog (or two) but sanity prevailed and I headed off for a warm up instead.
The organisers sent the field off in waves according to their predicted time, some of us got our predictions fairly accurate while others, Sharon in particular, were well out (in a good way).
Despite starting in the pack behind John Boyd, Russell and myself Sharon came past us within the first half mile, pulling away impressively into the distance while Russell drew level with me soon after but I managed to pull away from him quickly on a short downhill towards the railway line. My legs were heavy and I guess I had my answer - it was going to be tough today, no surprise there I suppose.

A map for those of you who do know Saltcoats

Once the route headed south along the coast the wind really started making things difficult and John passed me just as we rounded Saltcoats harbour which didn't improve my mood. Deciding to man-up I dug in and kept him within twenty metres or so along a road I recognised immediately despite never having been there before, Seaview Road. It's the spot we all know, where the BBC despatch a camera crew at least once every winter along with a hapless reporter to film the waves crashing over the seawall and over the railway tracks. I had never noticed a road between the sea and the railway before but we had to run it's length, turn 180 degrees and all the way back again - the good news was that the wind was now behind us and, without any extra effort, I felt my pace quickening and began to close the gap to John. Soon we were running along an old railway line which should have been nice and flat but there were a couple of nasty kicks up where bridges and tunnels no longer existed and it was just after one such that I latched on to the back of a group of guys and used their pace to ease past John. He told me later his hamstring started bothering him about then (aye, right John!) but the thought that he would be trying to catch me was enough too keep me honest all the way back to the track and the long 500 meter loop to be completed before the finish line.
I was very glad that was over and rather surprised to find I was under 50 minutes again, 49.43 in fact, despite feeling pretty rubbish the whole way. Sharon meanwhile had run an absolute stormer, coming home in a superb 45.57 in 82nd place overall and leading harrier. She thought at the time it might be a pb but on checking found she still has another minute or so to trim before that happens, still a great run and time nonetheless. I was next home in 138th place (only sixth MV60 today in a much bigger field) with Seonaid Morton one second behind in 139th! This conjures up images of us sprinting down the home straight neck and neck, sadly the reality was that she had started in the wave behind so we finished entirely separately. This was definitely a pb for Seonaid as it was for the next harrier home, Lorraine Buchanan, in a superbly judged time of 49.59 - the Chester marathon training is clearly having the desired effect.
Closer to me than twelve days before John came home next in 50.11 and 147th followed by Julie in 50.38 and 160th position, another clearly benefiting from getting in some longer miles. Russell came over the line next in 53.23 and 214th and then Allison in 56.20 and 259th place. The other Thomson running, Andy, placed highest up the field of us all in 22nd place and yet another pb of 39.57.

A happy band of  harriers after the finish

All in all I'm fairly pleased with the results of my 'speedier' training with only 40 seconds between the fastest and slowest of the three 10ks and each of them sub-50. However, sod that for a game of soldiers, I'll be back to long and slow this coming weekend as I'm simultaneously training for a forty-miler in October!
Worth mentioning that yet another runner was out advertising our trail races, see below.

Proving to be a great idea Jim, worth all those sleepless nights?

In a double for Ayr Seaforth the race winners were Toni McIntosh in 37.24 and Kenneth Neill  in 34.00 exactly.
Overall an excellent set-up, race route and facilities. Throw in a medal, tee shirt, water, banana, caramel wafer and a mini roller for 'plantar relief' and I can highly recommend this one to you all.
Some photos of the day are here NAAC 10k Photo credits go to, yes you guessed it, Kenny Phillips, Sharon and Kevin McGarry
NB Nearly forgot the most important photo from the day, the girls' tombola prizes!

The Scottish Mid-Trail Championships 2018

On the descent

After not doing Killin 10k last week I got back on to continuing to get myself race fit by doing this year's Scottish Mid-Trail Championships in Falkland, Fife for the first time.

 

I made sure I set off in plenty of time as the AA route planner said it would take 1h 18 mins but I need to make sure I have time to get lost and park the car.  Needless to say it didn't take long to get lost as I had in my head I was driving towards Stirling before heading east.  I pulled into Stirling services for a comfort break and check my directions which on inspection told me to head onto the M8!  So abandoned AA route planner and used sat nav from Stirling services to Falklands which despite not having a clue where I was going got me there no problem.  I pulled into the Falkland Community Hall car park to get parked and abandoned my car to run in and pick up my number.  After that I had no idea where the race started so asked a local Fife AC runner where I could park and the race start.  As I followed his directions I was very lucky and found a space in the crowded village quickly which helped me to relax.  I preceded to get my race number and trail shoes on and decided to follow other runners in the hope they were going were I was going. 

 

The race start was very understated on road corner with spectators on either side not very Championship like.  Anyway I carried on warming up and keeping an eye out for George & Joanne who were down on the entry list but as time drew close 2pm race starting time there was no sight.  At this point I meet the local Fife AC runner (Brian Smith) again and it turns he knows George from his east coast running exploits. Brian said hello George. Final race instructions and we were off!

 

Rare flatter part of course

Starting as the race means to go on it was a hilly start and didn't let up over the next 10k.  We preceded up a tarmac road which then took us off a single track route ascending into the woods which opened into a rocky road uneven surface, big stones in the ground and on the surface so you had to watch where you put your feet.  This type of terrain you could easily strain an ankle or worse.  Carrying on down this track for a bit the leading pack (2 runners) passed me around 19 minutes with no other runners in sight. So I kept going hard but careful and the track was beginning to descend down before looping back up a single sand track route which felt the log jam and vertical mile combined.  At the top you turned left and started looping back the course with descends now ascending.  Then we turned left again and ran down a familiar black ash Chatelherault style of terrain for a mile until at the bottom there was huge sharp climb up to exit the woods and onto a country path with hedges either side.  This final path out of the woods was good terrain and allowed me to pick some speed and not feel concerned taking is on the road we started on and run down to the finish.

 

I crossed the line in 49:54 in 64th out of a field of 78 men and combined field of 121 men and women. This was one of the toughest races I have done and all the Chatelherault and effort seasons give me the strength to get round. I definitely felt I ran better than I did 3 weeks ago so encouraging.

 

Famous face in the crowd.  When I was in the Falkland Community Hall getting my free refreshments (which I think they were hit with the food legislation we were for our own trail race with no soup or sandwiches just lots of pre-packed biscuits, juice, teas & coffee). Anyway the famous face was Willie Rennie (Lib Dem Leader / PH Racing Club runner) who ran a respectable 39:16 in the M50 category

 

Richard

Link to results:
http://salroadrunningandcrosscountrymedalists.co.uk/Archive/Trail%20Running/Mid/Results/National%20Mid%20Trail%20Race%20Results%20Index.html