Club Training Thursday 1st May - Auldhouse 5k TT

Thursday is the first of our monthly Auldhouse 5k time trials. For those new to the club, this time trial is on the first Thursday of each month from May to September. It is an individual time trial with each Harrier being set off at 30 second intervals in roughly reverse order of expected time such that everyone finishes quite close to each other. The list of names/packs produced by the training registration system is the start list. Therefore it is imperative that everyone participating registers for training so that I have a complete list to upload to the timing software. I will be at the club beforehand to confirm who is running the time trial.

The course is a clockwise circuit, starting part way down the steep hill at Langlands, continuing past Park Farm, turning right on Leaburn Rd and then first right down the hill and up to Auldhouse Cross, right at Auldhouse cross and then back to Langlands. The finish is about 10m before the T-junction just after Langlands Golf Club.

See you tomorrow.

Alan

Club Training Monday 28th April - Chatelherault

Monday is the first fortnightly Chatelherault session of the year. The Chatelherault session is an approximately 7 mile trail run around an undulating trail loop in Chatelherault Country Park, Hamilton. We do this every other week during the Summer season when the daylight is good enough, ending mid to late August. Mostly, we do this as an easy paced run as the benefits of the challenging terrain are experienced best at an easy pace. However, some weeks we do the session as a sort of farlek, working hard on the hills. This week is an introductory, easy run to refamiliarise us with the lap and the underfoot conditions. Road shoes are fine for the route.

We meet in the car park on the right hand side of the main drive into Chatelherault off of the A72 at Ferniegair. The car park is marked by a pin on this Google Map:

https://maps.app.goo.gl/qpcQVuvsSzxMbpx

For those going direct, please select the "Training Venue" option in the training registration form and please be at Chatelherault ready to run at 19:30. For those needing a lift (or able to offer a lift), please meet at EK Sports Club ready to run at 19:00. Those going direct to Chatelherault will know to wait on those coming from EKSC before starting the run.

It is particularly important that everyone stays in their pack during this run as it is very easy to take a wrong turn and end up miles off course. Every pack will be arranged such that there is at least one person who knows where they are going!

Alan

Club Training Thursday 24th April

Thursday's session is a 10k paced session out in the country following the format of one of our usual Summer sessions. The session is 8 x 3 minutes at 10k effort with 3 minutes jog recovery during which you should regroup into your pack whilst still continuing to jog/run ie don't stand and wait for others to reach you; if you are ahead of your pack, turn around and jog back, if you are behind the majority of your pack members, keep jogging forward. Recovering whilst still moving along rather than standing still is an important part of the session given the generous recoveries. If you need to stand still to recover, then you have almost certainly gone too fast in the reps.

The route is a warm up to the bottom of the hill at Langlands via Strathaven Rd and Sainsburys. The first rep starts there. Then past Park Farm, left on Leaburn Rd and immediately right to continue climbing. First right and along the top, following the road down to the right back to Leaburn Rd. Turn right on Leaburn Rd then turn left down into the dip and up to Auldhouse Cross. Turn right back to Langlands and back to the club via Sainsburys and Strathaven Rd.

Remember that Monday is the first Chatelherault session of this year. 

Alan 

Club Training - Monday 21st April

As we enter Summer 10k race season, we carry on with a mixture of faster than 10k pace reps, slower than 10k reps (threshold for those running 10k's considerably faster than 60 minutes) and 10k pace reps (which will be threshold for those running 10k in about an hour). We will also introduce hill reps a bit earlier in the summer than usual. We have Chatelherault starting next Monday, which is good, strength and aerobic training. Most of our club night runs will be out on the country roads around Auldhouse.

However, this Monday, we are on the 5k pace 400m reps at Langlands Place. The session is 12 x 400m with 1 minute jog recovery. Consistency is the objective.

On Thursday, we will be out on the country roads.

Alan

Club Training Thursday 17th April

As the weather should be a little better and tge skies light until around 20:30 tomorrow, the session is further into the country. It's a threshold session of 3 x 9 minutes with a 3 minute jog recovery. Warm up via Sainsburys to the bottom of the steep hill at Langlands. The first rep starts at the 90 degree bend at the bottom of the hill. The route is Park Farm, turn right on Leaburn Rd, turn first right down the dip and back up the hill to Auldhouse Cross. Turn left and then first right past the Kennels and continue on Shields Road back to Greenhills Rd and back to the Strathaven Rd and the club. Moderate the pace depending on whether going uphill or downhill to maintain that controlled discomfort, 2 or 3 word effort level of threshold. Regroup into your packs during the jog recovery if you become spread out.

Alan 

Club Training Monday 14th April

Monday's session is a post-race run given that quite a few were racing on Sunday. For the first proper country run of this year, the route is one complete circuit of the Auldhouse 5k course, starting from the club, along Strathaven Rd and round by Sainsburys to the start of the 5k on the steep downhill at Langlands, then follow the 5k route, turning right at all junctions until you come back to Langlands. Then turn left and follow the road back up to Greenhill Rd (past the entrance to Langlands Place) and back to the club via Strathaven Rd. The pace should be easy and reasonably conversational.

Thursday will be back on to reps.

Alan

DAAA 10 mile Championship race

 For those running on Sunday this is a Grand Prix event for us and with a lot of our newer members running this might need a bit of explaining of what this means. The Grand Prix is a selection of races throughout the year (16 in total) of which your best 11 count. This event is race 10. It is a handicapped series which we use a joker system that can double your points in an individual race. The points are separated into Male and Female and start with 12 pts to the first male and female from the club to finish. 11pts for second all the way down to 1pt for 12th place and beyond. For those doing your first race with the club you will start with 1 joker and if you want to play it you need to do so before the start.

With the above in mind it might be difficult to see everyone before the start on Sunday so i would ask that you drop me a message on whatsapp if anyone is playing any jokers. Below is a list of those entered to see where you might finish in the club places. If anyones not running thats entered if you could let us know to help those running to get there jokers right. (this is where it becomes handy to have a degree in mathematics).

Those entered are   for the Ladies  J Beveridge, J Balmer and F Ferguson

For the men  R Couper, J Grant, S Hair, I MacLean, C Ferguson, G Connelly, J Coleman, R Pattinson, A Higgins, R Gibson and R Lawton

Russell

Club Training Thursday 10th April

As at least some Harriers will be doing the Dumbarton 10-mile road race on Sunday, the Thursday session is still a threshold session but it is cut right back in total duration. However, to remove the temptation to do the session too fast, it is one long threshold effort rather than multiple shorter efforts. Run the session on the Sainsburys loop (clockwise, starting on the pavement just after the main gate as usual) and consists of 1 x 15 minutes at threshold. For all except those capable of a sub-60 10 mile, threshold effort will be slightly faster than your sustainable 10 mile effort. i.e. if you are running 10km races in 55 minutes plus, then 10k effort is your threshold effort. By using the Sainsbury's circuit you need to listen to your body rather than look at your watch as there are long uphills and downhills where the pace will need to be adjusted accordingly to maintain the same effort. This session is short enough and far enough away from Sunday's race that it will not impact the race performance, except perhaps confirming what the right level of effort is. To that end, err on the side of caution and rather than go too fast, hold back to your 10-mile effort level (which may be at the bottom end of threshold for those taking 80+ minutes for 10-miles.

Alan

Club Training Monday 7th April

Monday's session is consolidation of the longer rep distances and is therefore the same as last week, 6 x 800m at 10k pace + 4 x 400m at 5k pace, 1 minute recoveries throughout. You have done the session well if you run the 800's to within a second of each other and also are consistent on the 400's. You should finish feeling you could do more reps and not finish bent over double!

Alan 

Club Training Thursday 3rd April

Thursday's session is a threshold session at Carron Place comprising 4 x 8 minutes at threshold  2:30 jog recovery. This is a great circuit for threshold due to the mix of flat, downhill and uphill sections, the aim being to keep the effort level constant by varying the pace according to the slope.

Apologise for any typos in this post. The Blogger app on my phone is not displaying text as I type, so this is raw, right (or wrong) first time typing!) 

Alan

Crieff 10k Mixed Terrain Race - Scottish Mid-Trail Championship

Further to the list of upcoming races published in the Oyster Catcher newsletter issued by Alison today, an event just too late to make the newsletter is the Crieff 10k (Sunday 13th July), a race that several from the club have done over the years. This year it also incorporates the National Mid-Trail Championships. Being a national championship, there is a full range of overall, age-group and team national medals up for grabs and the old saying is still true "you've got to be in it to win it".

There are about 140 places left as of today. Entry via Entry Central: https://www.entrycentral.com/Crieff10k

There is also a junior 5k: https://www.entrycentral.com/CrieffJunior5k which incorporates the National Junior Trail Championships for U15 and U17.

Alan