Club Training Thursday 28th September

With several of the club members running either half or full marathons this weekend, Thursday's run is a pre-race run with sections at target race pace for those who are racing (for those who are not racing, help your club mates out by running along side them at their target pace).

The route is Kingsway, East Mains, West Mains, Queensway. Run easy to the Kingsway petrol station and then start the first race pace section to the Whirlies. Run easy to West Mains Rd and then do the second race pace section from the East Mains/West Mains intersection at Kirktonholm to the roundabout at Stewartfield. Run easy from there until coming out of the dip after the BP station on the Queensway and then one final race pace section to the underpass at Debenhams. Run easy to the Strathaven Rd and do a final series of fast strides from the NEL roundabout to the high flats (break it up into 3 sections of about 50/60m of strides followed by 20m jogging).

Alan

Club Training Monday 25th September - Brancumhall

Monday is the first of our winter cross country training sessions which take place at Brancumhall football pitches. The cross-country season is a key part of the training year for many runners of all standards whether they are training specifically for cross country or training for road (or track) races later in the season. Running on soft, heavy ground requires more active muscle recruitment than running on a paved road as (except if the ground is baked or frozen hard) the ground absorbs energy and requires the muscles to drive you forward rather than relying on at least some of the energy coming from elastic energy stored in the muscles and tendons. Therefore, cross country training (and racing) is strength training for runners. Cross-country races also provide the opportunity for us to compete together as a team either in relays or in league matches where every position made up helps the team score, no matter whether you are near the front, in the middle or near the back of the field.

The type of sessions we do on the cross-country nights are the same as those we would do on the roads, the only difference being that the speed may be a little less despite the level of effort being the same. So Monday's session is a 400's and 200's session along the lines of what we have been doing in the past month. The session is:

8 x 2 sides @ 4k/5k XC effort, 1 min jog recovery + 8 x 1 side at faster than 4k XC effort, 1 side jog.

For this session we will use only two sides of the full lap, starting from our usual start point at the corner, running the first side (towards the main road), turning left behind the goal posts and up the touch line (parallel to the main road) and stopping at the end of the football pitch, just before the short sharp bank onto the upper level pitch. Stand/jog recover at that location and then run the second effort (2 sides) in the opposite direction back to the original start point. The second set of shorter reps will be just the first side of the above, heading from the usual start to the corner at the main road. Turn around and jog back along the same side to the start point as the recovery.

Use the first couple of reps to get your eye in and to identify any dodgy bits underfoot and stick to the same line for all the reps so that there are no surprises underfoot.

For those who have not done the Brancumhall XC sessions before, we usually bring our road shoes and XC shoes (either trail shoes or spikes). We warm up from the club to Brancumhall in our road shoes and some kind "sole" usually takes a car down to Brancumhall with all the XC shoes in it. We do the reverse for the cool down.

As the weeks go on, the strength develops in the legs and running efficiency improves but, as with all training, the sessions need to be done consistently over many weeks and months to make a difference.

Alan

 

Club Racing T-Shirt

03/10/2023 - The T-shirts have been ordered. They are on a 6 week lead time so should be here before Brampton. Thanks all for your support! 

Junior options (£18 each) now added.

The committee have contacted our current club vest maker who have confirmed that they are able to do a T-shirt version of our club vest which would comply with Scottish Athletics for racing in.

The cost per racing T-shirt is £21.60. The minimum order is 3 per size in multiples of 3 per size & a total of at least 12 garments across the sizes/gender.

To establish if there would be enough interest from our members for the club to buy a small stock of these in, if interested could you please add your name to this form with the size which you would like to buy.

Sizes are as follows:

Mens        Chest Size

Small          36"

Medium        38"

Large          40"

XL             42"

XXL             44"

Ladies      Chest Size

8/XS           32"

10/Small        34"

12/Medium      36"

14/Large        38"

16/XL           40"

Juniors (Sized by Age)

5 to 6 years

7 to 8

9 to 10

11 to 12

13 to 14

15 to 16

Club Training Thursday 21st September

It is a threshold Thursday this week. The session is 4 x 8 minutes at threshold with a 2:30 jog recovery. Remember that we are running to a level of effort and not to a pace. The effort will stay the same but the pace will vary depending on whether you are running uphill, downhill, into the wind, on soft ground or hard ground. So the effort level is such that you could say only 2 or 3 words comfortably if asked to talk after a few minutes into each repetition. Do the session on the Carron Place loop, running continuously and starting each rep where ever you are when the recovery time is up. This will give a mix of flat, uphill and downhill sections to practice controlling the effort level. Warm-up/Cool-down via Strathaven Rd and Greenhills Rd.

Monday's session will be the first of our fortnightly Brancumhall sessions and will be approximately 400m reps. Get the cross-country footwear looked out and last year's mud chiselled off in preparation.

Alan

Club Training Monday 18th September

Monday's session is a slight progression on the hills and mixed reps session which worked quite well at Langlands Place/Langlands Drive last time.

The shorter reps have been increased by two reps in the case of the 30 second reps and by one rep in the case of the 45 second reps, everything else remains the same. So the session is:

• 6 x 30 seconds hill reps, walk/jog down
• 1 x 6 minutes at 10k pace back and forth along Langlands Place.
• 2 minutes recovery (to jog back to the junction with Langlands Drive)
• 3 x 45 seconds hill reps, walk/jog down
• 4 minutes at 5k pace towards Park farm on the flat for 2 minutes out, turning and coming back for 2 minutes.
• 2 minutes recovery
• 1 x 60 second uphill
• 2 minutes recovery jogging back down to Langlands Place
• 2 minutes at faster than 5k pace down Langlands Drive back towards Sainsburys (pretty much flat out for 2 minutes).
• Jog back to the club

The purpose of increasing the shorter reps is to induce a little more fatigue before starting the more important long reps. 

Warm-up via Strathaven Rd and Sainsburys. I understand that the best starting point for the hill reps is on Langlands Drive, slightly further down the hill than the junction with Langlands Place and heading up the hill towards the roundabout at the top. So use the same starting point. The flat reps should be back and forward on Langlands Place.

Thursday's session will be a threshold session. Next  Monday will be the start of the Brancumhall cross-country sessions which will be along the same lines as our 400m rep sessions but on softer ground to condition the legs to develop speed and power on a soft surface.

Alan

WEST DISTRICT CROSS COUNTRY RELAYS

 Our first XC race of the season is the West District Relays.

Venue is Alexandra Park in Glasgow on Saturday 7th October

Times are Ladies at 13.00 and Men at 14.15

Distance is 4k per leg

Cost  is £6.00 per head

Teams of 3 for Ladies and 4 for Men but as usual we will run part teams too.

This is the first race of the 2023/24 Calderglen Grand Prix.

Remember to update your SA number in order to be entered in this event (it must be valid for the date of the race at the time of entry)

I need names by Tuesday 19th September

Those wishing entered should leave their name HERE. Those already registered are listed HERE.

Harriers Giveaway

The Harriers' Committee have noted that there has been some chat on the Whatsapp group lately about affordability and what could be done to help people who might be struggling to buy new kit. Already we know there are members of the club who have given stuff away that they no longer want to those who do need it so it already takes place and so thought it would be a good idea to facilitate this via some sort of listing on the blog.

I have put together this very basic form in which members can post details of running related stuff (and optionally a photo) which they wish to give away and can then be viewed in this list (click or hover over the photo link if present to view the photo of each item). Do not post any contact details or other personal details in the item description. Everyone knows each other in the club so it should be easy enough to make contact with the person if you need one of the items. I have put one test item in the list to show how it looks.

Once something has been give away, drop me a message or e-mail and I will delete it from the list (I shall think of a better way of handling this though!).

The form and list are also in the menu to the left of the blog.

Alan 

Club Training Thursday 14th September

As the past week has involved quite high mileage for many, Thursday's session puts the emphasis back on pace and a return to the Calderglen 400m track at Langlands Place. The session is once again 8 x 400m @ 5k pace with 1 minute standing recovery followed by 8 x 200m a little faster with 200m jog recovery. See the blog post here for the pace charts. The warm-up and cool-down is the usual via Strathaven Rd and Sainsburys.

Concentrate on consistency of times, trying to keep the reps within a second of the target pace. This may mean a slightly conservative target pace to ensure that you can finish the reps at the same pace you start.

Alan

Club Training Monday 11th September

With a high mileage weekend on the TTC in the legs of many and even TTC + a race for some, Monday is a short recovery run. It is beneficial to get the legs moving the day after a tough, long run to flush them out and minimise stiffness in the following week. An easy run would also further demonstrate that it is possible to recover on the run with a few easy days.

So, for those who can make it, have a very easy run down the Kingsway to the Whirlies, down East Mains Rd, left at West Mains Rd past the railway station and finally to the club via Lidls and Churchill Avenue. 

Alan 

TTC Photo Album

To help illustrate the forthcoming annual TTC blog report, I have created this Google Photos album to collect photos. Feel free to add photos to the album. I have not filtered my photos yet and just dumped everything in.

Alan

TTC Arrangements

With only a few days until the TTC all arrangements are in place (except for the fact that work started clearing one of the forested areas on Monday which has resulted in the carefully checked out Friday night route going in the bin!). For those who have not been on a TTC before, don't worry! We will look after you.

The Venue

We are booked into the Dreadnought Hotel, Station Rd, Callander FK17 8AN. The hotel stands on the corner of Main St (Leny Rd) and Station Rd and cannot be missed. The hotel car park is around the back of the hotel. Drive past the main door of the hotel (with the two lions either side of the door) and then turn left up the narrow alley up the side of the hotel beside the fire escapes. The car park is quite small and there will be other guests, so if possible share cars and park close together.

COVID

This seems to be on the rise again. Anyone with symptoms of COVID and/or has a positive test should follow the usual advice and withdraw. There will be other guests in the hotel, so please be respectful and give others adequate space.

Check-In/Check-out

Check-in is from 1600 until 22:30 at the latest (the hotel is not permanently staffed so do not turn up early. It's only the manager and his wife staffing it at present, so its a bit limited). I have provided the hotel manager with the rooming list and he will allocate the rooms. I will be there anyway from about 1600 to sort out any issues. As long as one of each pair is there in time to check-in that should be fine. We have agreed a late check-out time of 1200 on Sunday.

Rooms

The rooms are twin rooms with TV, tea, coffee and a kettle provided. There is an en-suite bath and/or shower in each room and towels. The hotel is a no-smoking establishment. The rooms are all smoke/fire alarmed. Stating the obvious, nobody should bring cooking or other apparatus (e.g. toasters) into the rooms due to the risk of setting off the alarm/sprinkler system (anyone doing so accidentally will be subject to whichever charges the hotel/fire brigade impose).

Dinner

Thanks all for responding with your dinner choices. These have now been forwarded to the Lade Inn. Dinner is at 19:30 on Friday and Saturday. The Lade Inn is just over 1 mile from the Dreadnought Hotel and there is a pavement the whole way for those who wish to walk. Otherwise we will share cars to/from the Lade Inn. A printed list of who ordered what will be available on each night if you can't remember.

Breakfast

This is a bit of a severe compromise, even more so than last year (the hotel now does not have a kitchen they can give us access to for fridges as the bar/restaurant/kitchen has been leased out to a separate business). The hotel does not do breakfasts. We will provide basic breakfast goods (croissants, marmalade/jam/spread and some porridge pots to which boiling water can be added). We will distribute this from Eddie's room (room number to be advised). Please bring your own plate and cutlery to Eddie's room to collect your breakfast each morning (we will advise the time that Eddie will be "receiving guests"). Bring your own spoon and knife and anything you may require. Return to your room and take your breakfast there. You can of course bring some additional breakfast goods of your own if you have particular preferences but as noted above, no toasters!!!! Given the huge size of the portions at the Lade Inn, nobody should really need more than a light, pre-run top-up at breakfast the following morning before running. However, for those back in time from the Saturday morning run, I believe the privately run restaurant (McNabs Bar) which now occupies the hotel bar is open for breakfasts (not included in the TTC costs).

Saturday Lunch

Again, a bit of a compromise. We will give everyone a fiver to get your own meal deal from Tesco (which is next door to the hotel) or to spend in any of Callander's many eateries. This worked well last year and the weather should be even better this year for eating al fresco by the riverside. 

T-shirts and Team Photo

The TTC-shirts will be handed out by Eddie first thing on the Saturday morning. We will gather outside the hotel for a team photo, resplendent in the T-shirts at about 0815 on Saturday morning. Please be there on time.

The Runs/Sessions

Yes, we will be doing quite a lot of running! All runs are in packs. There are four packs of different abilities. Based on training/injury status, I have drafted initial packs. The pack leaders will be keeping an eye on how everyone is managing and may recommend individuals move up or down a pack before each run. The most important point is that the packs will stick together and nobody will be left on their own. As some of the runs will be "in the middle of nowhere" (as one of our most experienced pack leaders/explorers commented during the recce) nobody should run away from their pack if they think it is too slow as the possibility of getting lost is high and we don't have time or energy to go looking for people. Just wait until the next run and you can move up to a faster pack.

Your pack leaders will take you through a stretching session after each run. Please do this as it will help ease you off before the next run/session.

 

The first run is on Friday evening, starting at about 17:30. The pre-run briefings will be outside the hotel or in the foyer. If you are going to be late or won't make the Friday run, please let me know in advance (07867863741).

At about 0830 on Saturday, we will do a medium/long run.

On Saturday afternoon we will do a "fun relay" type speed session.

In between the morning and afternoon runs, we will do a conditioning session and some drills.

At about 0800 on Sunday, we will set off on the long run. Note that the runs are not weather dependent!

A more detailed timetable will be announced on the Friday evening.

What to Bring

• Cutlery for breakfasts
• Yoga/exercise mat for the conditioning sessions
• Enough running gear for all the runs and sessions. The forecast is for very warm conditions but there is the possibility of thundery showers. Bring a running jacket (body cover to counteract wind chill and exposure is the main thing here rather than keeping dry) just in case.
• The runs will be on a mixture of road and forestry trails. Road shoes will be fine for most of the runs. The exception is perhaps the "fun relay" which will be on grass. You may wish to bring studded trail shoes for that although road shoes will also be OK if you don't have trail shoes.
• A bum bag or small running back pack to carry gels, water, your jacket and mobile phone for emergencies. Don't bring a big rucksack as that will only handicap you. Only the Sunday run is long enough to require gels/water to be carried.
• Water bottle/carrier and gels if you think you will need them.
• Sunscreen given the very favourable forecast.
• Glad rags for the Lade Inn dinners.
• Any medication or special food you require.

I have probably forgotten something. If you have any questions, please let me know (w.alan.derrick@gmail.com)

Alan

Club Training Thursday 7th September - Final Auldhouse 5k

The final Auldhouse 5k of the year has come around all too quickly. Conditions should be good although which means that even with failing light, we should not be running in complete darkness. For that reason, please start at the usual Langlands start which allows a shorter warm-up and cool down. I am advised there are road resurfacing works out on the backroads which may cause a blockage to the course. However, it should be possible to pass through whatever cones or barriers are up on foot. Just take care. For those doing the TTC, you may wish to consider running the lap as a fartlek, taking it easy on the uphills and stretching out a bit on the flat and downhills.

Alan

Club Training Monday 4th September

The mixed hill and rep session has come around again in our approximately fortnightly rotation in the current block. However, due to lack of daylight, I'm changing the venue to Langlands Drive and Langlands Place.

For the uphill reps, start at the junction of Langlands Drive and Langlands Place and run up the hill towards the roundabout on Greenhills Rd. If you run out of room on the 1 minute uphill rep, turn right at the top onto Greenhills Rd (it is about 270m from Langlands Place junction to Greenhills Rd according to Google Maps. For the flat reps, run back and forward along Langlands Place, which we know is 400m long.

The session is as follows. Take the road route via Strathaven Rd and Sainsburys to the junction of Langlands Drive and Langlands Place. Then do the following:

• 4 x 30 seconds hill reps, walk/jog down
• 1 x 6 minutes at 10k pace back and forth along Langlands Place.
• 2 minutes recovery (to jog back to the junction with Langlands Drive)
• 2 x 45 seconds hill reps, walk/jog down
• 4 minutes at 5k pace towards Park farm on the flat for 2 minutes out, turning and coming back for 2 minutes.
• 2 minutes recovery
• 1 x 60 second uphill
• 2 minutes recovery jogging back down to Langlands Place
• 2 minutes at faster than 5k pace down Langlands Drive back towards Sainsburys (pretty much flat out for 2 minutes).
• Jog back to the club

All the hill reps should be fast but controlled (not sprinting but powerful running with good form).

The most important part of these sessions are the 6 minute, 4 minute and 2 minute reps. Therefore, don't run yourself into the ground on the hill reps.

Thursday will be the final, social Auldhouse TT of the year, starting/finishing in Auldhouse.

Alan

The XC Season is Near

Following on from Richard's post about Scottish Athletics membership here is a reminder of key dates for the cross country season up until Xmas time.

It would be great to get as many Harriers as possible out racing at these events, especially as all of these are relatively close by:

Sat 7th October - West District XC Relays - Alexandra Park, Dennistoun - Harriers Grand Prix Event

Saturday 21st October - National XC Relays - Cumbernauld - Harriers GP Event

Saturday 4th November - Short Course XC - Lanark - Harriers GP Event

Saturday 18th November - West District XC League - Kilmarnock (an event for those not going to Brampton)

Saturday 2nd December - West District XC Championships - Strathaven - Harriers GP Event

For those new to the harriers the XC relays in particular are a great introduction to XC racing with the distance only 4Km for each leg and it's a fun, supportive team environment.

There will be a reminder posted before this year starts of the Grand Prix rules but the main thing is you've got to be in it to win it with the more races completed gives a great chance of winning. Any questions just ask.

A great supplement to the Harriers XC training is the GAA endurance Saturday morning sessions. These are open to all from U15 upwards. Dates this year are: 

14th October - Bellahouston 

11th November - Tollcross Park

16th December - Pollok Park 

28th December - Bellahouston 

A reminder will go out on WhatsApp on the week leading up to this so we can all see who's planning on attending.

Alison

Scottish Athletics Membership

For our newer members and a reminder for existing members we are heading into our winter season of training and competing (which is optional) that requires you to be a member of our governing body Scottish Athletics.

It allows you to compete in Championship competitions like West District Cross Country Relays and National Cross Country Relays to name a few.  Your membership must be valid for the date of the race at the time of entry. Other benefits include a £2 discount on entry fees for all open Scottish Athletics licensed road/MT, trail and cross country races.

For newer members of Calderglen Harriers see link to join - Membership - Scottish Athletics

For existing members please check when your SA membership is up for renewal to make sure you remain a fully paid member so you can do the races you want and help Russell by having your membership in date when he is doing club entries for everyone. 

Richard

 

Brampton 2023 - 71st Brampton to Carlisle 10 mile road race

As we head into the autumn/winter season it leads to thinking ahead about races that the club will be competing in.  On behalf of the committee I can confirm we will be organising a bus and undertaking our annual pilgrimage to do the 71st Brampton to Carlisle 10 mile road race.  Coach Alan Derrick has also confirmed it will be added to this year's club Grand Prix competition. 

As with races today it is an online individual entry only process via "SportSoft Entries & Results" . Once in click on Diary & Results 2023 and scroll down to November and click on the Enter Now button next to the listing and you will be prompted to login with your account details or make an account. See link.

Link: SportSoft Entries & Results (race-results.co.uk)

Race Entry Info

Sunday 19th November, Start Time 10am, cost £24 (if member of  Scottish Athletics), closing date is Friday 3rd November at 11:59pm

Information about the other costs of this club social event i.e. the bus and meal cost will be communicated to members in due course.

Richard