Club Training Monday 28th February

Monday's session is a 5k paced rep session in preparation for the Scally. The session is at Langlands Place and is as follows:

2 sets of 4 x 400m @ 5k pace - 1 minute between reps, 2 minutes between sets.

4 x 200m @ slightly faster than 5k pace (say 1 to 2 seconds/200m faster than 400m pace).

Warm-up and cool-down via the Strathaven Rd and around by Sainsburys main gate.

Alan

National Cross-Country Championships - XCellent!

 

After an absence of two years, the National was back on the calendar on Saturday 26th February and it was business as usual except for the fact that the weather was fine and the course was remarkably firm, with a few, obvious exceptions!

Callendar Park in Falkirk was once again the venue. The host club, Falkirk Victoria Harriers, had set a course similar to that used the previous time the event was held and once again had provided a challenging course with hills, muddy sections (mainly the sticky, heavy type of mud rather than splashy, slippery mud) and firm, fast sections on a lap which the seniors covered 3 times to give a total distance of 10.2km.

However before the seniors raced, all the younger junior age group races took place and this year we were represented by two Harriers and one family; Anna Lindsay, who took part in the U15 race over a distance of 4.3km (1 small lap + 1 large lap) and Eve Lindsay who took part in the U17 race over a distance of 6.2km (2 medium laps). Anna maintained a great pace to finish in 21:21 and Eve did equally well over the longer course in 33:57. Well done to both girls and also a big thanks for hanging on to support the seniors much later in the afternoon (not that they had much choice as dad, Graeme was running in the last race of the day!).

Our senior ladies were represented by Karen Allen and Frances Ferguson, a smaller Harriers turn out than usual but no less committed as both Karen and Frances were fully fired up for this event. Karen has been targeting the latter part of the XC season and has supplemented her consistent running training with many months of regular strength conditioning. This paid off with a strong performance, reversing a "target" scalp from the Lanarkshire XC a few weeks ago and maintaining very good form to the end of the 3 laps. Karen finished in an official time of 47:11 in 93rd position. A top 100 position in the National is a result to be proud of. Frances has also been working hard on strength as she builds the foundations of fitness back up again after a very successful recuperation from a knee operation a few years ago and has had an excellent racing season so far. Although the provisional official results for the senior ladies are incomplete, we can see from Frances' Garmin that her time was 52:23 (now confirmed from updated official results) and 8th F55. Well done Karen and Frances.

The Harriers' senior men were also slightly down on numbers due partly to a few recent injuries and illness. However, we did have a welcome return to racing after a few years of injury for Andy Buchanan. In total we had ten men competing.  Pre-race warm-ups, kit changes, number pinning and chip attaching complete (does anyone else wonder if the chip attachment instructions were written in response to someone actually trying to attach the chip to the laces of both shoes, or is it just my closet, stand-up comedian mind?):

the Harriers moved nervously to the gathering throng on the start line. Thankfully social distancing is no longer a thing in competitive sport and the massive field of runners provided a welcome shelter from the cold wind. Frances intercepted the customary (X-1) Harriers for team photos on their way to the start line (where X = the total number of Harriers running) and captured the pre-race nerves on "film".

I usually recce the first km to work out which side of the start line to position myself on to avoid being crushed to a standstill on the inside of the first series of bends. This time, I didn't recce that part of the course and chose the wrong side (in fact, I should probably have gone to the middle rather than the right side). Let's try to take you verbally around a lap of the course. When the gun (actually a car horn) sounded, I accelerated away and used my elbows and hands to maintain my space within a very congested rumble of feet on firm grass and within inches of flashing spikes flicking up towards my legs. With the background noise of a cheering crowd, cow bells and a very obvious sense of trepidation and excitement within the field, this is what makes the National a special experience within the Scottish racing calendar.

The first part of the course is firm and uphill but doubles back on itself twice on the top of the hill before taking us back downhill from whence we came towards Callendar House, the golf course and the "challenges" beyond. It was on top of this first hill that I found myself boxed in and almost at a standstill at the first turn. By the second turn, I had made few bold moves to slide through some gaps and by the time I reached the first descent (just before which I saw Kevin and Graeme), I was putting in a very fast burst to get into clear space before the course flattened out. This year the course went round behind Callendar House on the gravel drive (rather than the muddy ditch I remember from a few years ago) and the sound of spikes on gravel brought back memories of racing 800m's on cinder tracks at school and university (unfortunately without the pace I had back then!). From very firm ground we transitioned immediately onto heavy mud, squeezing through a narrow gate and onto the golf course. This part of the course was also the familiar mud-plugging exercise but as we were heading uphill on this part of the golf course rather than downhill as we used to do, we were heading for firmer ground.

We were now heading on a very good running section of the golf course to the most distant part of the lap and the pace was picking up. For some reason, there was a huge crowd ahead and I could already hear very loud cheers as the leaders were passing through the infamous ditch some several hundred metres ahead. With the benefit of having watched the ladies' race, we were well advised to stick to the left side of a tree in the middle of the water/mud filled ditch as there was a very deep hole on the right side resulting in many belly flops into the mud, much to the amusement of the spectators. A cautious descent into the ditch to conserve some energy, one foot in the deep water and one foot out the other side and power up the steep bank, digging the spikes in was the tactic I adopted. In general, I was making up ground on this part of the course. Then we had the familiar, flat fast stretch back towards the tented village. The tented village was the usual quagmire but from there we hit a steep section climbing up onto the Antonine Wall and then another fast but slightly soft section past the high flats before making a U-turn and progressing parallel to the main road on another typically muddy section on top of the mound again.

The descent down to the main drive was nowhere near as muddy as it has been in the past enabling a rapid drop to the drive before crossing to the other side and up the bank to the hill we had started on and the next lap began. I was having a bit of ding-dong battle with a number of runners throughout the race, sometimes pulling ahead (usually on the hills) and then being passed again on the faster sections. By the last lap, I had it in my mind that I would make the passes count. The big push started coming out of the ditch the last time where I caught an M55 who had beaten me in all the cross-country races so far this year and had been 10 or 15 metres in front up until this point. I went past coming out of the ditch and kept the pressure on, expecting to be passed again. Through the tented village and I still had not been passed. At the steep hill up onto the Antoine Wall, I caught another group who were spread across the racing line. I squeezed through a gap and powered up, determined not to take the foot off the gas and be caught. From this point on, I was on the limit but maintaining form. There is a slippy climb on the section that runs parallel to the road and I lost a bit of momentum here as I slipped. However, I managed to accelerate away from this and from that point on it was really an extended effort for the final 400m.

Careful not to fall on the final turn onto the drive, I started to sprint. This was the only part of the course where the headwind was noticeable. However, I had been working a lot on very fast 200m efforts at the end of rep sessions before the relay season started to try to get some genuine speed (at least for an M55) back into the legs and the muscle memory was still there. There was a big gap in front of me, so I wasn't going to catch anyone but was fearful of being caught which usually happens to me in this final straight. Unfortunately, another part of the course I hadn't recced was the finishing straight and I didn't really know if the finish line was at the end of the gravel drive or another 50m beyond on the grass. 50m makes a difference when sprinting! Having started the full-on sprint as soon as I hit the drive, I was really pleased to see the timing mats on the edge of the grass and had even managed to accelerate a bit more for the final 20m. Nobody passed me, which was a bonus. A Corstorphine AC runner came up and asked what club we were and said he had been trying to close a 10m gap all the way down the straight. From the results, I see he was an M40, so happy to have stayed in front. My finishing time was 42:17 and was 10th M50.

Graeme Lindsay continued his excellent progression and was the second Harrier home in 44:50, confirming the cross-country form demonstrated in Strathaven 2 weeks before. Andrew Buchanan has not raced for a few years due to injury and the pandemic. This is a race and a course that Andy really loves and he was desperate to do this one and get the buzz of racing again. Andy made an excellent comeback in a time of 45:21 and now has a base to build from to get back to his previous form (where we could have expected him to be the first Harrier home). Callum Wright has not managed to squeeze as much training or racing in recently but again would benefit hugely from the training effect of this race, finishing in 46:51. Thereafter, it was a case of a switcheroo as far as the "normal" finishing orders for Harriers this season is concerned. Kevin Farmer didn't fall this time and used this race as a strength session for his marathon preparation, finishing in 47:23. The incredible David Wardrope, "fresh" from a warm weather marathon a week ago and no runs since then, ran a well paced 50:59, which he thorougly enjoyed. It was Gordon McInally's turn to see the back of Davie Wardrope this week but Gordon still ran his fastest time on this course to finish in an excellent 52:06. Jim Holmes admitted to lacking sustained miles in the legs and faded dramatically in the latter stages of the race to finish in 53:15. Hopefully this was just a case of pace judgement and not a sign of a serious loss of fitness. Geo Ferguson is well used to difficult conditions and long days in the hills and so the minor hills of Callendar Park proved no real problem to the steady paced Geo who finished in 56:17. Finally, Russell Couper also hadn't managed any running in the past week and so was a little worried about how we would handle this. However, he succeeded in running a reasonably even paced 63:13 and would again benefit from the training effect of this race. In this case, our first 6 runners made up a complete team and we finished 33rd team.

Well done to all the Harriers who competed in this major event. A huge thanks to all the support we had on the course and with setting up the club tent. Kenny Leinster, Stephen and Frances Phimister, Lorraine Buchanan (family and dug) and Kirsty Wilson (and Winston) were the ones I saw but if there was anyone else, thanks to you too.

Some photos I took during the ladies' race and Frances took during the men's race are in this album. Feel free to add to it.

Alan

Club Training Thursday 24th February

As usual, in the event of snow cover, the route below is replaced with two laps of the golf course (very easy in the case of those doing the national). Fit in strides where possible. 

Thursday's session is an easy run pre the National XC on Saturday. The route is Strathaven Rd to NEL roundabout and then down the Kingsway (on right hand pavement) to the Whirlies. Up to Calderwood Square and down Maxwell Avenue, continuing on to St Leonards Rd and High Common Rd, turning into Mull and back to the club. On the downhill sections, do 50-80m gradual accelerations to 5k pace, feeling light on the feet. Try to squeeze in about 5 of them.

Alan 

National xc Saturday 26th Feb

 This is everyone listed to run Saturday. If anyone can no longer make it please let me know so im not collecting numbers and chips not needed.

U15 Girls         Anna Lindsay        Start time  11.32
U17 Women    Eve Lindsay           Start time   12.20
Senior Women  Karen Allen    Frances Ferguson     Start time    12.55
Senior Men 10K  Graeme Lindsay   Callum Wright   David Wardrope   Andrew Buchanan
Gordon McInally   George Ferguson  Kevin Farmer   Kenny Leinster     Alan Derrick
Jim Holmes   Russell Couper      Start time    14.30

Please arrive in plenty of time for your event.

Tom Scott 10 Mile Road Race and Scottish 10 Mile Championship and Calderglen Grand Prix

All the races are coming back out of hibernation now. On the 3rd April the Tom Scott 10 mile road race takes place at Strathclyde Park. For Scottish Athletics members, this is also the Scottish Championship and for Calderglen Harriers, it is a Grand Prix race. Please enter via EntryCentral and do make sure your Scottish Athletics membership is up to date. Enter using this link: https://www.entrycentral.com/TS22.

Alan

Round the Houses 10k - Calderglen GP Race and British Masters 10k Championship

Many may have forgotten (I certainly did) that the Grangemouth Round the Houses 10k was scheduled to be the British Masters 10k Road Race Championship in 2020 as well as being a regular part of the Harriers Grand Prix. Well, the race is back on this year on 17th April and is also the British Masters Championship. Those who entered the British Masters Championship in 2020 will have been advised by BMAF that your entry is still valid. For those who have not entered, there are two ways to enter:

• those who are 35 or over and have up to date Scottish Athletics Membership, please enter directly via the BMAF web site using this link: https://bmaf.opentrack.run/en- gb/x/2022/GBR/bmaf-10km/. Please can all eligible Harriers use this link. As we have found at British Masters Championships when hosted in Scotland, there is a definite home advantage and Calderglen Harriers have always done well (remember the BMAF 10k at Pollok Park a few years ago). As the saying goes, you've got to be in it to win it, and win we certainly did in team and individual categories at Pollok Park. As this is an individual and team event, everyone in the club counts. You may not be the first counter in the Harriers' age group team but if we are one person short in a particular category, we are not even in the race. There are individual gold, silver and bronze BMAF championship medals in 5 year age group intervals from 35 to 100+ (don't think we have anyone there yet). Team prizes for female and male teams are in 10 year increments (35 to 44, 45 to 54, 55 to 64, etc) with 3 to count per team, automatically determined by the club's first 3 finishers in the age group and gold, silver and bronze in each category that has enough teams entered.
• those younger than 35 or who do not have a valid Scottish Athletics Membership, enter via EntryCentral using this link: https://www.entrycentral.com/RoundTheHouses. There are a host of prizes for individuals and teams in this open race too as detailed on the Entry Central page.

This is one of the flattest 10k courses in Scotland and also has a large field of all abilities, ensuring there is always someone to latch onto and drag you around to a potential PB.

Alan

Strathaven Striders Half Marathon - 8 May 2022 (Grand Prix event)

 Entries are open for the 2022 Strathaven Striders Half Marathon.  The route is similar to 2021 with a few changes and will be officially measured by SAF in March.  Once again we have changed the date and are looking forward to a lovely early summer day on Sunday 8^th May 2022.

 

This year we have given the option of Trees or Tee’s and all the details are on Entry Central  https://www.entrycentral.com/StrathavenHalfMarathon

 

If you need additional information contact Bill Ion wjion11@gmail.com who will be happy to help.

 

Looking forward to seeing you in May.

Club Training Monday 21st February

Monday's session is a light, fast paced session to get the legs spinning and the muscles activated without destroying the legs (generous recoveries). After this session, everyone should feel fresh and ready for much more, so please do not run yourself into the ground. Stick precisely to the paces given.

6 x 400m @ 10k pace, 2 minute recovery

4 x 200m @ 5k pace, 1 minute recovery

The session is at Langlands Place, so take the usual route there via Strathaven Road and around Sainsburys Distribution Centre. Before starting the session, do 5 x 100m gradual acclerations and walk back within your pack to get the legs loosened off. Cool down via a similar route to the warm up.

Alan

Club Training Thursday 17th February

This is the last hard club night session before the National XC (next week will be a lighter, pre-race week), except for those in the Devil's Burdens team for this Saturday who should do a shortened run without efforts.

The session is a threshold session in the middle of a longer run. The efforts are 1 x 15 minutes, 3.5 minutes jog recovery, 10 minutes at threshold.

The route is the 4 hills. The intention is that the threshold efforts take in a variety of uphills and downhills to train the ability to run to a constant effort rather than a constant pace; this is exactly what you have to do during a cross-country race. The first effort should start when you turn left off the Kingsway just before the petrol station. The effort should be one that could be maintained for 1 hour during a race approximately. This will be a very similar level of effort to that 

The Devil's Burdens team can just do the first part of the 4 hills but run up West Mains Rd to McDonalds and up the Queensway rather than turning right off West Mains Rd into the factories.

Alan

Lanarkshire XC - Strathaven - Harriers through the Ages

 

All the Senior Harriers (minus Gordon who is probably tucked in behind Frances)

An impressive number of Harriers of all ages made the short trip to Strathaven on Saturday for the Lanarkshire Cross Country Championship in Kirkland Park. The event was kindly hosted by EKAC as the race was their club championship and was very well organised with the help of all the member clubs of LAAA.

A total of 26 Harriers had entered, including 9 juniors, our best turn out across the age groups for a while and good to see. Inevitably, there were a few last minute call offs due to work commitments and other factors but still a very impressive and colourful turnout.

Although the event had been held here a couple of years ago, pre-pandemic, only 2 Harriers did it that time and we therefore did not have much experience of the course. On paper, it looked like it could be a bit too compact with each lap totalling only a mile in distance but the reality was that the park provided a true cross country test with ups and downs of varying steepness, twists and turns and firm and (very) soft ground. We also got the best of the weather on what was otherwise a very miserable day as the heavy rain stayed off for the duration of the event and the wind dropped a bit.

Eva and Finlay with their medals

First away were the U/11's races which were held over one short lap of the course of total distance about 1km. Within that short lap there was a little bit of everything; a long uphill drag followed by an even longer downhill and then a nasty drop into a deep gulley and back out for a short, muddy uphill sprint to the finish. The Harriers picked up their first podium of the day with third place going to Eva McGory in 4:47, only a few seconds behind second place. Ailsa McDermot was the Harriers' next finisher in an excellent 6:11.

The Harriers were equally strong in the boys race with Finlay McMonegal also finishing third in a time of 4:41.

Well done to all of our youngest Harriers (all the photos we have of the competing Harriers are in an album at the link at the end of this blog post).

The u/13's races stepped up in distance to 2.6km which started with the 1km short lap and then 1 of the large, 1.6km laps to give 2.6km of tough running. Zoe Mullholland was our only finisher in this race in a time of 13:44; good going over a challenging lap. In the u/13 boys race, Angus Wilkinson, now running for EKAC but still very much part of Harriers' junior training was a clear winner in 9:53.

Emma and Anna

As the ages increased, the number of laps also increased. The u/15's raced over 2 large laps totalling 3.2km; short enough to be fast; tough enough to be painful! Anna Lindsay and Emma Hutton were our two representatives in this race, finishing in 16:35 and 17:23 respectively. Well done both. We didn't have anyone in the U/15 boys race. Neither did we have anyone in the U/17 races (4.8km). However, we did have several other juniors running in the younger age groups who through injury or not feeling well sensibly stopped before the finish. Well done to all the juniors for pulling on the Calderglen vest and putting your toes on the very muddy start line.

Then we moved on to the seniors (and masters) race which merged the men and women together into one big field. This final race was 4 complete laps (6.4km) of an increasingly muddy course. The Harriers were well represented across the senior, 40+, 50+ and 60+ age groups. The lap started with a gentle climb on a fairly soggy slope with a final muddy kick up as we turned left on a high part of the course. We then dropped down onto a twisty section through a sparse wood with a few low branches to clean the face and then climbed up a muddy bank to the long descent past the start line and into a narrow out and back section which had all the elements of a cross country course compressed into it, including a fast, gentle descent, a slippery U-turn, a deep gulley to drop in and climb out of and a very muddy ascent back across the start line. Looking at the various posts on Strava, it was great to see how well the Harriers ran this course, with even pacing evident on each lap.

Julie moving well
through the mud

First of the Harriers' women was Julie Beveridge in an excellent 29:53 and 1st F40. Although I know Julie isn't particularly keen on cross country, she is very good at it as her short, fast stride cuts efficiently through the soft ground. Well done Julie. Chasing very close behind, Karen Allen finished in 30:02, promising next year to string together a full series of GAAA XC training sessions to build her cross country form.

Frances breaks away

Frances Ferguson completed our women's team, consolidating her fine performance at the Masters National last weekend by winning the F50 category in a time of 33:38 (note that some or all of the provisional official results are offset by one position, so I have checked against the Garmin/Strava times and then selected the correct official time). Well done Frances.

Alan striding out

In the men's race, after a slightly too fast first lap, Alan Derrick moved through the field on the subsequent laps to finish in 27:07, placing 1st M50. Chris McCarron worked hard after also starting a bit fast to cross the line in 27:33. As is usually the case with these multi-lap cross countries, Graeme Lindsay found that the first lap seemed to be long and tough but that subsequent laps seemed to zip by as they became more familiar. Graeme finished in a fine 28:48. Kenny Leinster, Gordon McInally and Geo Ferguson had been marshaling through all the junior races and therefore had very limited warm up time before the senior race.

Kenny keeps an eye on Jim on lap 1

As always with Kenny, the psychological warfare started before the race with Kenny declaring his intent to sit on the shoulder of Jim Holmes. As the photograph shows, Kenny did indeed do this for the first lap but as he got into his stride, Kenny got faster and faster with each passing lap. Kenny finished in 32:07 with Jim crossing the line in 32:45 a few places behind Kenny. David Wardrope is only a week out from another overseas marathon and was desperate not to injure himself in these tricky conditions. David ran an excellent 33:14, confirming his readiness for some warm weather! Gordon McInally used Frances as his pacemaker throughout the race but unlike the professional pace makers, Frances did not step aside on the last lap to let Gordon take the glory! 

As Gordon missed out on the team photo, here he is in action

All the same, Gordon finished in an excellent 33:45, having recovered well from last weekend's masters championships. Kevin Farmer is also deep into marathon training and unfortunately had a fall which dropped him back through the field. Kevin finished in 34:10 but did no damage and was back out on a long run by Sunday. Geo Ferguson had a very minimal warm-up as mentioned above and backed up his masters performance from last weekend with a finishing time of 36:52. Russell Couper was our final Harrier who had also competed at the Masters Championship in Aberdeen last weekend and completed a tiring double finishing in 38:52. Well done all.

Events such as this cannot take place without volunteers which in this case came from all clubs in the LAAA's. So in addition to Geo, Gordon and Kenny mentioned above, a big thanks to Billy Buchanan who marshalled at all the races (and also provided all the senior race photographs; multi-tasking in action) and provided words of encouragement each time we passed him. Thanks also to Frances and Russell for handling all the registrations and race numbers and a big thanks to Sandy who came through and cheered us all on (although I somehow didn't hear her)! All the photos are in this album.

Alan

Club Training Monday 14th February

This is the final Brancumhall session before the National XC and hence the last one for this season so let's make it a good one. For all the many Harriers who did the Lanarkshire XC on Saturday, hold back on the level of effort but do try to be consistent. The session is:

6 x 1 lap at 10k effort (i.e. similar effort to what will be required at the National) with 2 sides of the quadrangle as a slow, jog recovery.

As usual, focus on finding the most efficient way to maintain your pace, shortening your stride and increasing the cadence as the ground gets softer, for example.

Alan

LANARKSHIRE XC STRATHAVEN

 Contrarary to reports earlier on the Friday the event does go ahead.

Juniors should all have been given the various start times and arrival times.

for the seniors the race starts at 13.00 but you should aim to be there for noon at the latest to allow for warm ups an number distribution.

As this is a GP event please let me know if your declaring any jokers.

If anyone is no longer coming along please let me know asap.

Those listed to run are  J Beveridge,  K Allan,  F Ferguson,  C Reid,  A Derrick,  R Couper,  G McInally,  C McCarron,  G Lindsay,  J Holmes,  K Farmer,  K Leinster,  C Wright,  G Ferguson,  D Wardrope.

Russell

Masters XC Aberdeen

Balgownie Playing Fields, Bridge of Don

Saturday 5th February 2022

Four of Calderglen’s finest Harriers, plus a Cheerleader, ventured north to compete in The Granite City. Balgownie Playing Fields was the venue, just north of the River Don. 8K for the men and 6K for the women. Course was flat and firm so quick times were expected. Sun was out with a stiff breeze as our one and only wumin, Wee Fergie, set off at a blistering pace to the encouragement of Cheerleader Marion O’Connor. It was a fine effort that resulted in Frances beating  her usual rivals in a time of 30:25. Some of these rivals are well known at these events so we were very pleased for such a successful run. She certainly set the level.

Now fur the men. Gordon “toe” McInally went off, pursued by Big Fergie and Couperman. But there was no competition. “Toe” McInally covered the ground with easy aplomb and finished in an impressive 40:25. Geo hung on with a 40:46 and Russell completed the trio just behind with 47:06. The Cheerleader supported the Harriers throughout with an enthusiasm that was appreciated. Another race for the memories.

Russell headed back to EK after driving up that morning. That’s got to be some kind of ultra! 

The others had driven up the night before, booked a Premier Inn, and returned there for drinks. Then watched Scotland beat England at rugby. Then dinner. Then more drinks. Life was good. However, while those four were enjoying themselves, poor Russell was stuck in a traffic jam around Stirling for 1 ½ hours!!!

As the three Harriers plus Cheerleader also climbed hills we couldn’t leave without taking in a quick summit. So Bennachie on Sunday. Straight up the path to the top, Mither Tap. Blowing a hoolie so an even quicker descent back to the car. Smashing wee walk with plenty of character. 

All then headed home to finish a great weekend of activities. Extra thanks to Gordon for doing all the driving. Would recommend that competing in races this far away, do an over-nighter.

Geo

LANARKSHIRE XC - STRATHAVEN

This Saturday 12th February is the Lanarkshire XC held at Kirkland Park in Strathaven.

There is a full morning and afternoon of races for under 11s to Seniors and Masters. There is a total of 420 athletes taking part at the event so I am sure it will be busy. Here are the times for each of the races.

U11 Girls 11:10

U11 Boys 11:20

U13 Girls 11:30

U13 Boys 11:50

U15 Girls & Boys 12:10

U17 Women & Men 12:30

U20 Seniors & Masters Women and Men 13:00

We have a total of 26 Calderglen Harriers taking part made up of 9 juniors, 6 women and 11 men. Frances will be at the start/finish area to pick up the numbers for the club at 10am as she is supervising our junior athletes. If you can't come along to cheer on the juniors please arrive at least 1 hour before the 1pm race to allow for parking, getting your number and a suitable warm up.

It is a Grand Prix event so if you want to play jokers please notify Russell in plenty of time so he can warm up too before the race. If you can no longer take part in race please tell Russell or Frances.

Note from race organiser – Lanarkshire Amateur Athletics Association (LAAA)

You can park in the car park at Kirkland Primary School and also the car park at the secondary school is available. Please note you cannot park on Lethame Road and if you do park on a residential street please do not block driveways as LAAA had a complaint in 2019 that someone couldn’t get out of their driveway as they were blocked in.

Hope everyone taking part has a smashing race.

Richard

Club Training Thursday 10th February

Thursday's run is a pre-race run given that many are doing the Lanarkshire XC in Strathaven on Saturday (see the post below regarding volunteers). 

The route is a simple Kingsway, Whirlies, East Mains Rd, West Mains Rd, McDonalds, Queensway. As usual with a pre-race run, fit in up to 6 x 50m approx accelerations up to about 5k pace, feeling light on the feet on downhill sections. Fit them in on the Kingsway and East Mains Rd.

Alan

Non-Running Volunteers Required - Lanarkshire XC Strathaven

 Good Evening Everyone

 

Just a reminder that every participating club MUST supply 2 helpers on Saturday, it doesn’t have to be the same 2 helpers throughout the day but there must be 2 at all times.

As per our rules failure to supply any help will lead to your clubs athletes not being allowed to compete.

 

Can I request all helpers to be at the Start line at 10:30 to be allocated duties.

 

Under ScottishAthletics Covid guidelines no catering will be provided at this event, and officials and volunteers are encouraged to bring a packed lunch, an urn will be available for hot water only. Please bring your own coffee/tea and cups as required.

Steven Whyteside

President

 

Lanarkshire AAA

07932744466

Leave your name and time you can be available on this form. Volunteers received so far are listed here.

NATIONAL XC CHAMPIONSHIP

 PLEASE ADD YOUR NAME ON THE FUTURE EVENTS PAGE AT THE TOP OF THE BLOG BY TONIGHT

This years National XC will again be in Falkirk on the 26th Feb

Please add your name to the Future events list at the top of the Blog

Ladies race is at 12.55 and Men at 14.30, Junior races start from 11.00

There are Junior races too if any of the Juniors wish entered these races are earlier and parents should take them to the event. Just add there name in the future events list.

Please make sure SA numbers are up to date.

Adults and u/20s are £8.00 all other ages are £6.50

Names are needed by Tuesday 8th Feb

Club Training Monday 7th February

Monday's session is a slightly faster than 5k pace session at Langlands Place. The session is as follows:

3 sets of (800m + 2 x 400m) with 60 seconds recovery between each rep and 2 minutes recovery between each of the 3 sets. The pace for each rep should be as per the session 2 weeks ago which was as follows:

For pace guidance, those running:

18 minute 5k should aim for 1:24 per 400m

20 minute 5k should aim for 1:34 per 400m

22 minute 5k should aim for 1:43 per 400m

24 minute 5k should aim for 1:52 per 400m

26 minute 5k should aim for 2:00 per 400m

All of the above 400m times are a few seconds per 400m faster than the indicated 5k time. I noticed two weeks ago that some were running the 400's much faster than their target pace, so unless we are about to see loads of massive 5k PB's come the road race season, the reps were being run too fast. Running reps faster than the target pace does not give more benefit from the session; it just gives more fatigue from the session which makes subsequent runs throughout the week more difficult or even non-existent. Any experienced coach will confirm that the only way to make progress in your fitness is to build consistency over many weeks and months and the only way to do that is to do just enough to get the benefit from the sessions and leaving enough in the tank to train again the next day and so on.

Its the usual warm-up along Strathaven Rd, around in front of Sainsburys and up to Langlands Place.

Alan

Club Training Thursday 3rd February

Thursday's session is an easy run with a threshold effort session in the middle (for those running the National Masters XC, keep it easy throughout but with a 6 x approx 50m strides on flat sections) and cut up the Queensway rather than West Mains Rd.

The route is club to the Murray roundabout and then Murray Rd, Westwood Rd, Arnold Clark, McDonalds, West Mains Rd, Lidl, Churchill Avenue NEL roundabout and club. The threshold effort is on the Murray Rd, starting just after crossing the Kelvin Rd and continues all the way to the junction with Westwood Hill.

This is quite a tough, undulating effort. As with any threshold effort, the idea is not to run yourself into the ground but to be totally under control such that, theoretically, you could keep the same effort going for an hour. In this case, the faster packs will cover this in around 10 minutes and the not as fast packs in closer to 15 minutes, so well short of the full hour. Consequently, at the end of the effort, you should be able to take the foot off the gas and ease back into an easy run pace rather than stopping, bent over double.

Alan