Devil's Burdens Hill Relay 2024

On the basis that there is insufficient interest to form a team of 6 plus reserves/backup, we shall cancel for this year. Apologies to those who have volunteered. 

Alan

After being absent from the calendar last year, this ever popular but tough hill relay is back for 2024. The event takes place on Saturday 3rd February, with the first legs off at 10am from Falkland Estate in Fife. In the past, we have had multiple teams. The teams consist of 6 runners (there are 4 legs in the race but two of the legs must be run as a pair due to the challenging navigation/conditions). The composition of the teams is very flexible with multiple categories as listed below. There is no reason for Calderglen not to be able to put several teams together:

• Open Senior - no restriction on team composition. 1st, 2nd and 3rd prizes.
• Open 40+ - any gender mix, all runners must be 40 or older on the day. 1st prize only.
• Open 50+ - any gender mix, all runners must be 50 or older on the day. 1st prize only.
• Open 60+ - any gender mix, all runners must be 60 or older on the day. 1st prize only.
• Female Senior - six women, no age restrictions. 1st, 2nd and 3rd prizes.
• Female 40+ - six women, all runners must be 40 or older on the day. 1st prize only.
• Female 50+ - six women, all runners must be 50 or older on the day. 1st prize only.
• Female 60+ - six women, all runners must be 60 or older on the day. 1st prize only.
• Mixed Senior - minimum of three women, no age restrictions. 1st prize only.
• Mixed 40+ - minimum of three women, all runners must be 40 or older on the day. 1st prize only.

Full details of the route, maps and so on are on the Fife AC web site here. Scottish Athletics membership is required.

As always for this event, pre-race recces are required as the route is not marked and participants must navigate to check points. Usually we try to squeeze a recce in during the 2 week Christmas/New Year holiday period and possibly another Saturday or Sunday recce if time allows before the race.

For those interested in participating, please use this form and also select all the dates you could make a recce during the next two weeks (we will decide if a second recce is needed later once we know what the teams are likely to be as there is no point everyone doing a recce of all 4 legs). The form responses are listed here.

Alan

Scottish Veteran Harriers LSK Road Relays 2024 - Strathclyde Park

This 2024 edition of this masters age group event takes place on Sunday 28th January starting at 11am. The event is open to those aged 35+ on the day of the race. Russell will make the club entry and gather entry fees. To be included in the club entry, please leave your name here. Those entered so far are listed here.The course is different this year as explained on the SVHC web site:

Due to North Lanarkshire Council's refusal to allow the event to use the lochside path (Circular Route), it will be an out and back race similar to the Strathclyde parkrun route. 

Flat, fast running at Strathclyde Park.

Start 11am

MENS (35+) 4 STAGE - £30 per Team

MENS (50+) 4 STAGE - £30 per Team

LADIES 3 STAGE - £22.50 per Team

 Closing date for entries: Friday 26th January, 2024

Alan

Read more: https://scottishmastersathletics.webnode.page/products/lsk-road-relays/

Club Training Thursday 21st December

Thursday's session is at Langlands Place following the usual warm-up via Strathaven Rd and Sainsburys. The session is 12 x 400m at 10k pace with a 30 second stand/ jog around recovery. Note that unlike recent sessions at Langlands Place, this session is at 10k pace rather than 5k pace but the recovery is halved. So be very careful not to go off too fast. 400m times for a range of 10k times are listed below.

Alan

XMAS Handicap Results 2023

In what was probably the worst weather for this event for many years, we still managed a very enthusiastic field of Harriers from the junior and senior sections. This year's handicap winner was Julia Whittle who ran strongly and even managed a negative split to cross the line first after five tortuous laps totaling 4 miles. Elves have always done well in this event and Julia kept that trend going. Next across the line, Frances Ferguson was branching out from recent warm weather racing to run as a Christmas tree. In third place, birthday boy, Kai Wheeler from the junior section stormed around the course to also record the second fastest time of the day. Results of the handicap were as listed below and scratch times and lap splits are available at this link.

Fastest male time of the day went once again to Francis Santangeli in 25:35 and fastest lady was Karen Allen in 27:21.

Well done all for making this another memorable event.

Alan

Club Training Monday 18th December

Given the horrendous weather this weekend, Monday's session is on the road rather than at Brancumhall and is a medium length recovery run. The route is the "old" EK 10k course which is Kingsway, East Mains, West Mains and Kingsway back to the club. Recovery runs should be carried out at a very easy pace, the purpose of which is aerobic development at a low HR. The longer you spend covering the distance (i.e. the slower the pace), the better the session as more time is spent at a highly aerobic pace. So do take this chance to have an easy run.

Alan

Club Training Thursday 14th December

A combined strength and threshold session for this Thursday, the session is long hill reps at Lickprivick. Warm up via the Murray to the bottom of Lickprivick (return via the same route). The session is:

4 x 3 minute hill efforts + 4 x 2 minute hill efforts at threshold effort, jog back down to start as recovery.

Focus on a strong, stride and a level of effort that would allow only a few words to be spoken.

Alan

Club Training Monday 11th December

Monday's session is at Langlands Place, however, the first rep starts on the pavement just after the vehicle entrance into Sainsburys. From there, run the first rep up to the junction with Langlands Drive and then continue down and up the hill to the junction with Langlands Place. This first rep is approximately 750m and is undulating, however, do try to maintain a 5k race effort. Take a 4 minute standing/jogging around recovery and then do 2 sets of 6 x 400m at 5k pace on Langlands Place with 1 minute standing recovery between reps and a 400m jog (i.e. the complete length of Langlands Place) between sets. We are working on speed endurance on fatigued legs in this session. The warm-up and cool down are the usual via Strathaven Rd.

Alan

CHRISTMAS HANDICAP FUN RUN 2023

 Just a reminder our annual festive event is on this Sunday 17th December @ EKSC Clubhouse.

The clubhouse will be open from 9.30am with everyone meeting in function hall.

First event of the morning is the Juniors 1 lap run starting at 10am. 

The last event will be the Senior event (with some older juniors added in!) starting at 11am which is 5 continuous laps covering a distance of 6.4k or 4 miles. Make sure you have your season best 5k time to give to Alan so he can suitably time handicap you and make sure we have that lovely blanket finish of all runners!

Remember to wear something festive for the run whether it is a full costume, a hat or a bit of tinsel.  If you want a present bring a present costing max £5 and wrapped.

Afterwards when we have cleaned ourselves up,  the presentation of pressies and winner's trophy will be in the Sports Club bar.

West District Cross Country Championships

 When we woke up to snow on Saturday morning I had visions of running through knee deep snow at the West District Cross Country Championships, so it was a surprise that there was barely any snow at all in Strathaven, however it was still freezing and slippy underfoot for those without spikes. 

Injury and illness depleted the number of harriers running on the day with 2 juniors, 2 senior ladies and 3 senior men competing. 

First up we had Jack Flannigan in the U15 boys 4.1k race who finished strongly in 22:15. Kai Wheeler was in the U17 Boys 5.5k race and despite taking a tumble in the slippy conditions and winding himself got up to finish in a great time of 23:43. 

On the start line of the ladies race I decided I had too much clothes on, however the V for Very old on my back was also pinned through my long sleeve T-shirt so there was no time to take this layer off… Looking around at some people visibly shivering on the start line (even ones with 2 layers) on I thought it probably wouldn’t be too bad to have this extra layer on. Both the senior male and female race was a 3-lap course totaling 7.5k.  The 3 laps meant that there was plenty of support all the way round. It was a relief to get to the top point of the course on the 3rd lap and know it was mostly downhill to the finish now, unfortunately it was only mostly downhill from there and the finish was uphill making it a tough finish for everyone.  I crossed the line in a time of 36:34 with Julia Pechlof not too far behind and finding it slippy in trail shoes in a time of 37:38. 

We had 3 harriers in the men’s race with Jordan Stewart, competing for us in the cross country for the first time since joining being first harrier home, running strongly and finishing in a great time of 29:50, Jim Mearns was next harrier in a time of 36:15 (delighted to beat his daughter's friend's dad) followed by Russell Couper in 46:20. 

Well done everyone and thanks to all who came along to support the runners it was much appreciated, we all agreed that it definitely helped us all keep pushing on all the way round. Thanks to Andy and Lorraine for bringing the tent and to Russell for taking it home again. 

Alison  

Club Training Thursday 7th December - Early Start before AGM

Thursday's run starts at 7pm and is only a short run to allow everyone to get back before the AGM which starts at 8pm (see the separate post about that here). The session is an easy jog to the bottom of Avondale via Chuchill Avenue. Then 4 x a threshold level hill effort from our usual starting point on the wide part of the pavement after the junction on the right to the post box at the top. Jog back down. This is not an eyeballs out sprint to the top, it should be a very comfortable sustained level of effort from bottom to top without the legs buckling near the top. Then an easy run back to the club.

Alan

Next batch of Grand Prix Races

The next batch of races in our Grand Prix are listed here. Races listed without a confirmed date will most likely be in the Grand Prix and the list will be updated when further details are known. This list is also accessible from the menu on the left of the blog.

Alan

Harriers AGM Reminder

Just a reminder that the club AGM will be held on Thursday at 8pm (ish). It’s your club so please attend if you can.

We are looking for someone to take on role of social media convenor, if anyone fancies it (post updates to FB)

For those wanting to run first we’ll be doing a shorter than usual run at 7pm. The route will be posted on blog as normal.

Alison 

Club Training Monday 4th December

Monday's session is an XC session on the Golf Course, unless the snow and ice clears through the day in which case it will be a similar session at Brancumhall. The session uses the downhill/uphill loop around the 1st and 17th fairways (1st is downhill, parallel to the line of trees, around the last tree in the line and then back up the 17th on the opposite side of the line of trees, cutting back through to the 1st at the top. The reps and recoveries are continuous around this loop as follows:

4 x 3 mins at 10k race effort, 3 min jog recoveries + 4 x 2 mins at 5k race effort, 2 min jog recoveries + 4 x 1 mins at slightly faster than 5k race effort, 1 mins jog recoveries. Warm up with the usual lap until you reach the start point towards the end of the usual lap. Cool down by completing the short remaining section of the lap to the rugby pitches.

If the snow/ice has gone, then do the same session but using the usual, full Brancumhall lap.

This session is a VO2max development session and will be quite hard work in comparison to say a threshold session. Wish I was there!

Alan