Lapped By The Sun

Mud Sweat And Nae Tears

2011-09-08T18:31:00.002+01:00

Long time no see!
A serious lack of progress in my general fitness, being a fat bugger and always finding that I couldn't run two steps has meant a blog that lurked at the bottom of JK's WHWR blogroll leading to complaints from race legend JR that he was sick going onto the blog to find I had written nothing. Still around 3 stones heavier than I was on race weekend 2009 and leading a now sedentary lifetyle, I had been out walking a lot more having become head walker to Millie my German Shepherd pup (now 9 months). The problem with pups is that, until they are fully formed (at about a year old), you have to be restrained in the amount of exercise they are given to avoid damage to their joints that causes distress later in life. So now I'm getting out 3 times a day for walks of 45 minutes and Millie is getting bigger and fitter and therefore more demanding. Then the decision is taken to have her neutered and following her op she hates me and the vet says mild lead exercise until her wound has healed. Bugger! So i'm going stir crazy until i realise I can walk just as fast and further without her although she hates me for going out without her!
Anyway, today is yet another anniversary of my birth. This is a good one though as I don't have to worry about appearing in JK's over 50 spreadsheet for a couple of years as I have moved up one! No, I'm not 60, there is an over-55 ranking.
So, a bit of forward planning required, as walking the dog in the rain means I need some good waterproof shoes. And as we move further afield and she passes the magic 12 month mark I can really think about getting fitter and starting to run again, realising that if I can't get running again over the winter, then I never will. So for my birthday I decided on being allowed to buy a pair of Goretex trail shoes that, even if I don't get running, I'll get mileage out of them walking on the same trails.
So I pulled on a brand new pair of Inov8 Roclite 312 GTX this morning and set off on a wee circuit that I use with Millie, being about 60% trail on the Clyde shore near my stately abode. Before doing so I logged into Facebook to check my wall and found a lot of messages from friends and family including this one from Ali B. "Happy birthday BDTP! Nae tears xxx" Now Ali has had a pretty traumatic time over the past year or so and when she was on a downer I'd send a message or comment with the admonition "Nae tears". So she was making reference to what became a standing joke between us and occasionally some other pals. However, as it arrived just before I set out I saw it as a double edged sword. Nae greetin' or nae muscle injuries (tears).
Off I went quick walk, then off at a jog, and suddenly realised that I was moving fairly freely and that, subject to a complete lack of physical exercise in the past two years, I might just manage to get round at a reasonable pace. Jog/walk was all I intended but I was surprised just how much running I was able to do and before I knew it I'd managed about 3 miles in around 35 minutes. OK I might just manage an audition for the next episode of Run Fatboy Run, but I'm quite happy with the effort and a bonus was just how good the Roclites felt, really well cushioned and supportive given my current weight. Pretty muddy on the paths and as normal I sweated like a sweaty thing(PC or what?). And nae tears; of either type.
so my first run was 3 miles at race pace if, that is, my race is on the West Highland Way between kinlochleven and the Lairig Mor.
But it's a start and more than I've done for a while. Maybe I needed the rest.....

Real LFB

2010-12-14T12:38:00.002Z

I have a mate who is a London Fireman. As a former member (retired) of the emergency services we seem to have a kind of affinity, possibly based on running, of which neither of us is doing much, but probably based more on being the shit stirring kinda guy expressed on various forums and social networking sites that appear to be taking over from blogs these days. He has an excellent blog and his most recent post describes his difficulty in publicising a Facebook Group that follows the progress of the London Fire Brigade's current dispute with the Fire Authority in the metropolis. The Facebook group is called Real LFB and everyone who is concerned for my friend and his colleagues is urged to have a look and give some consideration to joining it!

A New Running Arena

2010-10-01T17:12:00.005+01:00

I have lived in the western end of the old county of Dunbartonshire for 35 years, although two of my abodes,including the current Chez Hall, have been realigned into Argyll and Bute. One of the most interesting places I was introduced to early in my policing career was the St Peters Seminary (priesthood college) in Cardross where certain crimes had been taking place. No. Not what you may have thought! These involved criminal elements from the Glasgow and Vale of Leven areas pillaging this Gillespie Kidd and Coia designed architectural gem in pursuit of the valuable scrap metal that was removed from the roof and structures of this wonderful site. By scrap I mean that it was scrap once removed by acts of theft and vandalism from this stunningly designed building. The practical use of such a building is another matter, but I think it fair to say that the building was seldom described as"stunning" by the staff and students who had to live within it's confines.
Fast forward several years and the pillaging continued and this led to it's being abandoned and left to descend into ruin. As an A-listed building, though it is protected and it is to the shame of the authorities that the Archdiocese has not been subject to an enforcement order to restore the building to it's former glory.
Today I was at a planning day, where a company called NVA led by an Angus Farquhar were making a presentation to the populace regarding a planned artistic project to restore the grounds to a publicly accessible trail and restore the grounds at least to something that will benefit the community. It's a large project that hopefully will harness education (HND training in landscaping and building) to at least make the building safe and gradually integrate the walks created into the structure. Some fine examples of similar works were on display and, as is my wont, I soon fell into conversation with Angus who, it turns out, is a 3.31 marathon runner(Lochaber 2010). He asked if I knew the site and, when I told him I used the paths on training runs albeit with some difficulty due to the neglect of the area,he told me that one of his long term plans was to have a Sunday morning running group to use the trails and embrace the natural surroundings as a year long arts project. Soon we had expanded his scope from the small area of the site to embrace Carman Moor, Stonymollan and even extending up the new Three Lochs Trail to Inveruglas. I feel an ultra race coming on!
So will I ever get running again, to be involved in this fine project. We turned to injury and he suggested Alan McInnes of Balance in Napiershall St, Glasgow. A two visit cure, he assures me!
References welcome!
In return I recommended his local club which would appear to be Garscube Harriers ;/. I dropped a couple of names of members I know so I have a feeling I haven't seen the last of Angus.

Perth Ultrafest

2010-09-05T12:33:00.002+01:00

Congratulations to all who took part in the 24hr, 50k and 100k races at Perth yesterday. Photos here

Tour de Scotland by Motor Home

2010-09-03T23:43:00.002+01:00

Just to let everyone know that I am still alive and thinking of all my readers I thought I'd post some wee photies from my holiday trip round the North of Scotland.

http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/davidhall1956/TDScotland2010#
cut off the tds2010 suffix to get into my other photos from ultras and other events I've photographed in the past few (15) months since running stopped

Tomorrow I am off to watch some hamsters run round a wheel for 24 hours. Perth Ultra Festival by any other name!

Hogmanay Thoughts

2009-12-31T21:58:00.002Z

Just a couple of hours to the bells and time to look back on my year; well, two half years.
I failed miserably in my goals other than in the three races I actually ran. A Pb at Alloa was a good sign, despite little speed work in my training. I finished the Highland Fling albeit with a struggle between Inversnaid and Beinn Glas where I was told by the stewards and my wife just how bloody awful I looked, worse even than normal! I struggled to recover and missed a chunk of training due to recovery and being on holiday in May. However a successful completion of the West Highland Way race was achieved; albeit a struggle with blisters and back. Two things motivated me to finish. My crew and my nephew Darren. A wee boy with disability that bothers him a lot less than it could. With an outlook on life like his, how can I complain about a bit of discomfort. Over £1800 raised to help make Darren's life a little easier, the least I could do for his inspiration and example.
That, however, was that as far as running went. My body refused to operate in running mode and although I have made satisfactory progress (in my osteopath's eyes), I am currently suffering from tight adductors due to the exercises I was doing with him on Tuesday.
Worse, instead of losing weight as I'd hoped I've gained two stones since June. Mainly due to inactivity and over-indulgence in the wrong kind of calories.
So, once the New Year dinner is out of the way I will be starting all over again, with an tentative target of the Devil of the Highlands in August. My only goal is to be confident enough, this time next year, to be able to say I've got an entry for the WHW race in 2011.
I'll start by blogging more often. That may be limited in scope at first as I will be starting off with some very easy running and swimming, as well as having to spend some time in the gym. (Part of my running problems are due to lack of basic strength and conditioning in my legs. At the end of the day I have the endurance in my heart, lungs and muscles but my joints and skeleton need to be improved to ensure I can survive an ultra.)
Additionally, it seems that Facebook has taken over as the preferred means of communication amongst the ultra community, and it also helps that other friends are more aware of activities. But it lacks the motivational aspects that the blog has; blogging being a kind of training diary as well as a commentary on all aspects of life.

So here's to a very Happy New Year to all of my friends and family. Thank you all for the tremendous support I received in June. I'll be having my New Year glass from a rather nice Goblet!

Tanks? Firemen?

2009-12-03T23:11:00.002Z

I post this link without comment..... other than where do people get their references?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00p68g4/Gary_Tank_Commander_Green_Gods/

Quick before it is taken off the site!

Choices

2009-11-12T13:08:00.002Z

Until yesterday I was trying to run at least twice a week and, whilst occasionally managing about three miles before things go wrong, generally I am in discomfort from the first step.
Yesterday was my weekly visit to the osteopath and a description of my efforts only encouraged him to ban me from running for at least two weeks.Swimming, cross-training, walking and upper-body weight training are permissible, but avoid putting weight through my knee at all costs. My right backside muscles it seems are a lump of dead meat. And he set to putting life back in them. Hopefully without the need for the kiss of life!
This morning, I am unable to move, but I am about to lace up some shoes and get out for a good long walk. Tomorrow, I'll head into the gym and pool with Andrew, my ticket to cheap workouts. Aqua-jogger and a bag of training gear in hand.
So, to my choices; I see two options. The one of the brain and the one of my heart.
1. I have an entry (reserve list anyway) to the Devil of the Highlands 2010. I could make that my target for 2010 and forego the temptation to enter the West Highland Way Race, making that the two year project that it really should have been first time round. I can enter the Fling right up until the closing date due to their being no limit, so, if I get back training early enough, I can do it as the start of the build up to the Devil's. I will also hopefully, manage a lot more races, certainly more than 2009 in which I managed three (Alloa half (pb) the Fling and the WHW)
2. I enter the WHW race at the risk of being the world's biggest "Numptie" (© WHW Runner) and undo all the expensive treatments by doing exactly what I did last year. (And be ridiculed by anon the mouse contributors.)

I'm going with 1. above. That will save me from the perils of form filling and I hereby volunteer for marshalling/admin/photograhic duties as directed by the race committee (anything for a goodie bag).

That's one weight off my mind. Standby for the responses....

Trauma Queen

2009-10-27T23:04:00.003Z

I've mentioned this blog before, but reading it tonight found that the author has been rewarded for his skills and writing abilities. To read more go to his blog

Now, where would I like to go?

Progress Report

2009-10-26T18:24:00.003Z

After seven treatments from my osteopath, I finally plucked up the courage to suggest running a few miles. he is firmly of the opinion that the way ahead is still swimming, or at least aqua jogging, both of which has me in danger of drowning as I would be risking falling asleep in the pool through the sheer boredom of it all!
Anyway, the man from Del Monte he say YES!! Within reason and with a few days between sessions to ensure full recovery.
So I did what was really a warm-up in Balloch Park on Friday, sticking to grass and doing some stiff strides (stiff as in immobile not hard!) in the highland games field. No real problems so I continued with my exercises and stretches until today when I followed them with an hours slow run/walk on the golf course, trails and farm roads around Cardross. A struggle at times, not helped by looking for a path that doesn't exist but an hours exercise doing what I enjoy most. Mud on the shoes, a wee bit of sweat on the shirt and a wee runners high post run!
Tomorrow night is the club time trial. The first of the (formerly) monthly winter events is being re-started and, as I am secretary and haven't been training for a while, I have been nominated as starter/timekeeper.
I'll also be tackling our social secretary regarding trophies for the presentation night. it had been decided that JR and I, as chairman and secretary, would be responsible for selecting them. I duly picked up the brochures and asked his opinion.
Would you believe that the 12 time Goblet winner and first and only ten in a row finisher of the West Highland Way, icon, legend and father figure, doesn't have the bottle to pick them in case the girls don't like them!!
Name and shame I say.

Back to the osteopath on Wednesday. i'll be reporting a tight butt as the only problem when running. Progress is good.
November fast approaching and I've started a moustache for "Movember" to highlight men's cancer health. OK it's still October but I'm after a wee start. Mind you if past bhistory is anything to go by, it'll be off in a few days. I can't stand the itch and Mairi can't stand the look.

Why not join in to highlight this important agenda?

EDIT: Just after posting this I joined Allybea, Keith, Dave W and maybe John K in registering for NaNoWriMo......... November is going to be a long month.
Several ideas in my head. Favourite at the moment is the tale of three ex-army rogues who set up a personal training company in Glasgow, and have be dug out of deep shit by a big flatfooted polis!

Glee Club Outing on the WHW

2009-10-18T20:04:00.006+01:00

Saturday was the first Glee Club run of the winter.Organised by Mark "Drama Queen" Hamilton and Ellen McVey, this is an occasional training group that trains on the West Highland Way in preparation for the Highland Fling and the other two races on the route, the Devil of the Highlands and the West Highland Way Race itself. An amazing 25 runners started at 10am and at least another three arrived late and caught up with the pack. They ran to Beinn Glas farm and back from Tyndrum where I met up with them to spend the day walking, but mainly to take some photos. It was a cracking day, cold and sunny, setting off the autumnal colours to their very best. I had been out to try a run in Balloch Park on Friday, permission having been granted by my osteopath to try an easy run, and could have kicked myself for leaving the camera behind. The Loch was at it's best with an atmospheric mist lending a little extra. So I set off for Balloch to try and catch it again. But as I drove over the Carman Moor I saw the sun rising over the Crags behind Dumbarton casting a beautiful light on the reservoir on the top of Carman. Out came the camera but, as the sun had just made it over the top of the Crags, the flare in the camera lens spoiled a terrific pic. I've kept it though and annotated it with a promise to return on the first similar morning to try again.
Onto Balloch, but the Vale was looking it's very best. You couldn't see it for the mist! Again, I shall return.

Onto Luss for a few views of the Ben and then Tarbet. However, mindful of the time I headed on to Tyndrum where a few weel kent faces were getting ready to run and a whole new set of "virgins" ready to join them. Arriving from the wrong car park came Debbie and Sharon, gabbing ten to the dozen and I gathered them all together for a group photo (above) before waving them off. I sneaked through the grounds of the Ben Dorain Hotel to see a few of them crossing the river and running up to the gate.
After my free coffee and my (paid for) bacon roll in the Real Food Cafe, I set off to the layby at the A82 crossing at Ewich where I walked up the Way to try and catch a few runners with a, hopefully, spectacular background. I've always wanted to send a photo to Runner's World for their "Great Run" photo feature. I had in mind the view from near the top of the forest looking north east following the direction of the river towards Loch Dochart. Damn that bacon roll! I had made good progress, but was caught by the pack before I reached the top and had to make do with pictures as they went past, then making my way down and taking more pics as the stragglers went past me. The only one I missed was DQ who had waited for Mrs Pacepusher at Auchtertyre. A technical hitch (the camera was finding it hard to focus due to a walker passing at the same time - my excuse - I told Mark he was running too fast:-) ) meant I missed this photo. Never mind it's his girlfriend I'm photo essaying!
Back to the car and down to Beinn Glas where I managed a few more photos before lunch was taken. Chicken broth and a roll - delicious! This was a chance to meet some of the newcomers and examine Georges KSO shoes as well as the F lites he was changing into. Never, never do I see myself trying either. There is more sole and cushioning in my slippers. Certainly no use to my flat feet. Outsize they may be, but they are all there is between my ankles and the ground and they have to take all my weight. Unlike a certain London fireman who probably doesn't pay VAT on his children sized shoes.
I took Nora, who decided Beinn Glas was far enough, back to Tyndrum for more (free) coffee and a (paid for) flapjack before finding a very cold and shivering Debbie wrapped in my mate Brian's jacket. She had fallen on the return journey and had done a fair bit of damage to her knees. Last I heard she had her feet up watching her collection of DVDs and her much put upon husband Marco was head cook and bottle washer.
Quite a lot of strenuous walking in Ewich forest has left my hip and knee a bit stiff
but it was nice to be out. Photos here

By the time I got home I was starting to receive texts from Tooting where Lee and Dave were supporting Ian in the Sri Chimnoy 24 hour race. That's 24 hours round a running track!
Sadly, Ian completed 100kms before dropping out, but two members of the West Highland way "family" excelled. Paul Hart was second in the men's race completing 140.983 miles and Aileen Scott won the women's race. (As I type this, Aileen's distance isn't on the interweb thingy but she had passed 113 miles with an hour to go. I'll edit this when I find out the distance.)

A Post About Not Running

2009-10-09T12:16:00.002+01:00

I'm sitting on my butt, reading Facebook and thinking about doing the exercises that my Osteopath has given me, when Rachel pops up in "chat" for a blether. She complains about my lack of blogging and, in another context describes me as "inspirational"!!!
I inspire?
Oh, well.
Even Mairi has complained I haven't been blogging. And that from the lady who complains about me sitting with my head in my laptop all the time. (She's sitting opposite me now so if this post ends suddenly......
I'd better fulfil my role then. This blog was set up as the bit on the top says to record my views on running, coaching and life in general. I've pretty much given up coaching, haven't done any jog leading since the WHW race due to my being unable to put on foot in front of the other in the required manner, and life in general is pretty bloody grim, not being able to run. I've only managed a few "runs" since the race and each led to a further period of not running due to new niggles, pains and incapacity. So this is a post about not running!
I thought tapering was a pain in the posterior, but not being able to run at all is a damn sight worse. Most of the time I'm fine. As before the first run after my blisters healed I have no pain at all, other than the slight discomfort in my sacro-illiac joint that has been present for about 10 years. I want to run and regularly get my trainers on and set off only to realise my leg muscles can't actually function at speeds above say, four miles an hour. Walking poles? A zimmer is what I need!
Several aborted attempts at a run did end in pain. I've been aqua-jogging. Borrrrrrrrrr - ing.
But I do it because I know it works. I'm getting good at it too. I actually sweat in a pool! Then one Thursday I go to the pool in the morning. Feel great and -
"I know!! I can go for a run tonight!" Down to the club I go and set off with the pack. Honest, I intended staying with the (absent on holiday) JR's group. All ladies - who stop for a blether with a former member. In the pub car park. 25 yards from the start of the run. I keep going. And find my self loping along at the front of the main pack with Big Ed who is just back from a looonnggg stint underwater with the underwater air-force. And who wants a short easy run before the Great Scottish run on Sunday; that he's trained for an hour at a time on the underwater gym's treadmill. (Could we power the sub on Neal's and Ed's running?)
When the rest of the pack carry on to the Arden Roundabout and beyond, the big guy and I turn off at Cameron House where we try and spot some of the Scotland players who are resident whilst preparing(?) for the Macedonia and Holland games. Big Ed needs a Paula so I slow to a walk while he waters the trees and when I start again......... I have a knee pain and have to jog/walk back to the club.
That was my last effort and a couple of weeks ago decided that I needed to blow the household budget and seek the skills of an osteopath. I've now had three sessions and surprisingly, given the horrendous stories of these guys treating their customers as cash cows,he reckons I'm making good progress and we are already looking to reduce the times between consultations. His thoughts are that I have at least three major muscle groups in my back that have pretty much seized up and,together, have affected my skeletal system so much that my pelvis has tilted, restricting the range of movement in my legs and was well on the way to serious breakdown. Every time I tried to run I was exacerbating the problem. No go-ahead to run again yet so I've resisted the opportunity to give it a wee try-oot. It's hard though.
I've being going to the club whenever I can, to post entry forms and fliers that have come in and last night for a committee meeting. They've given up asking when I'm getting back to training and replaced that with "Jeez, you're putting the weight on". And it shows. My troosers are tight, my shirts are bulging over my belly and my local sweetie shop is thinking of floating on the stock exchange due to the sudden increase in profits.
Mind you I'm now the proud owner of a new Nikon D5000 DSLR camera! And it worked well on Sunday at the club Horseshoe handicap race. Thanks Aviva!

Insurance Premiums - Why are they so high?

2009-09-10T14:16:00.005+01:00

Regular readers of this blog will be familiar with my photographic efforts and that I had a wee accident during the Devil's when my Nikon D50 DSLR camera was inadvertently dropped and damaged.
I took it into a Glasgow camera repair company who, a week later, gave me an estimate of £262.00 including Vat for the repair of the camera and lens,both of which were damaged but repairable.
I decided that it was time to finally make a claim on my home contents insurance that fortunately included accidental loss or damage outwith the home. All I was expecting was a go ahead on the repair and for them to send me the cost of repair, less my excess.
I contacted Aviva gave them all the details and they passed my claim to another firm IVAL who would be contacting me in a few days. So I waited, and waited and eventually I contacted them. And gave the girl on the phone all the details - again. She took all the details and put me through to their technical services department who didn't answer. I hung up and called back to the first girl who booked an appointment call for the following day. This call was prompt to the minute and I spoke to another girl and gave her all the details.... again! She told me the camera would be uplifted from me by a courier company the following day and off I went to Glasgow to pick it up. I explained to the guy at the repair firm that the insurance company wanted the camera and he seemed amused at this. I wondered why.
Again, the courier company arrived in time and took my carefully packaged camera off to Eastbourne to the IVAL technical services department. I sent the receipt for the camera and a cheque for the excess off to IVAL by recorded delivery and sat back to await my camera's return in 28 days. I was like a man who had lost his right arm, not having my camera. I presumed that the camera would be repaired by a repair firm either owned by the insurance company or at least who had a deal that would have made it more economical for the insurance company than having it done in Glasgow. How wrong was I?

This morning I received a call from IVAL. After a few security checks to ensure I was the person THEY had phoned, (what is that all about?)the lovely young lady proceeded to tell me that having examined the camera (that could be repaired for £262 remember), they had concluded that they would require to have it replaced. By a new Nikon D5000 and a 18 - 105mm lens. They will order it today and I would have it in araound two weeks. Would that be acceptable?
Is JR a geriatric?
Too bloody true it is acceptable!

But what the F--- gives here? They are ordering it from Warehouse Express and sending it by next day delivery from their place (again, why not get warehouse express to send it direct)at a cost according to WE's website of..... wait for it £754 less any discount they get if they have a contract with them.
My original camera cost me 582 quid nearly four years ago.

Now I don't have a problem with a new camera with twice the pixels of the original(12.3 mp), a moveable screen, live view (D50 doesn't,) a shutter speed twice that of he D50),continuous shooting at 4 frames per second, a lens with more range and all the accessories I'll get with a new camera. Absolutely no problem at all. No, siree! Not against getting the old camera repaired for 262 quid.
But why do we pay such huge premiums for insurance? I just can't figure it out!

Part 3 - Interlude and more from Tim

2009-09-09T11:31:00.004+01:00

A few comments on the previous two posts have raised questions about hydration that I've had to research a bit and rack my brain for exactly how Tim explained how the theory actually works.
There is one word that appears on my notes: "Homeostasis" that explains it all.Homeostasis is "The ability or tendency of an organism or cell to maintain internal equilibrium by adjusting its physiological processes". I'll try and explain.
We all know that insulin is the means by which the body reduces sugar levels in the body. However, the real job of insulin is to transport nutrients through the body and deliver them to the liver and other organs. However, as it is the only hormone capable of reducing sugar levels, it has to be used as such when we eat excessively. This means that it is unable to do it's proper job and the body reacts by creating resistance to insulin and that affects our overall health and well being as the insulin can't do it's real job.
Now the body has many systems that act and counteract to maintain equilibrium. But where they are forced to compensate for each other they are unable to do their own job.
So it is with certain hormones that work to keep our body's system in check that are forced to deal with overhydration. They can't do their own job and we damage our kidney's due to MUSCLE BREAKDOWN/RHABDOMYOLYSIS. Remember, those of you who were at the February briefing in Edinburgh for the West Highland Way race?
As has been explained by Noakes, we have evolved to operate quite efficiently when de-hydrated. As long as we deal with thirst, which is an indicator that certain hormones are about to be required, we can operate more efficiently than when overhydrated. Therefore the advice is to DRINK TO THIRST.

One other important point on this is that I'll reinforce is the use of Non-steroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs (NSAID's). These inhibit the hormones that control, hydration adding to the dangers of MUSCLE BREAKDOWN/RHABDOMYOLYSIS.

Remember the Highland Fling race where many of us suffered in the heat and humidity? I, for one, was scraping salt off my scalp and drinking, as I thought, sufficiently to replace the fluid lost. However we usually have more sodium in our body at the start of the summer and as this was the first hot days running many of us had endured, there was a lot of sweating done and sodium lost. So what did I/we do? Drank more to replace the fluid. Actually, what we were doing was diluting the remaining sodium. And that is what we are being warned against! Anyone vommited clear fluid whilst racing? Wondered what gastro-intestinal complications caused it? Probably none. What easier way for the body to deal with excess fluid!

So, to tea and biscuits in the interval. During this time, someone suggested to Yannis that we could do with hearing more from Tim so he was dispatched to the lecture room to muster some slides to continue his talk. Whilst he was doing so, I wandered back into the lecture theatre. Spotting him alone I asked him about the results of my blood check following the West Highland Way race. Much of my analysis was pretty normal, but my level of Creatine Kinase was highly elevated, with a count of 29,490 as opposed to a normal reading of less than 210. His explanation fro this was simple - "You drank too much". As he had explained that earlier I didn't need to ask any more! But I did think that there may have been a bit more to it!
How about recovery? I explained I had hardly ran since the race and struggled every time.
He said "If I were to cut you open right now, I'd find your heart and muscles in great condition. Your problem is that your brain, having had a traumatic time, doesn't want you to do it all again. It is sending out warnings to you that ensure you don't put yourself in danger again. You will have to progressively re-train your brain to run." Or words to that effect!
I'll have to learn how to run all over again. This time I'll bear in mind what I learned at this seminar. No doubt I'll also bore for Britain, so if you've read this, stop me!

I was also able, over tea and biscuits, to talk to an Norrie Hay an old acquaintance who is the coach of some of Scotlands good middle distance runners. We commented on the information on the weight discrepancy of E.African and US elite runners. Norrie has a good runner who is, by our standards, very light, but he reckons he will have to lose a few kilos to improve. I mentioned the latest revelations in US 5k running who recently ran sub 13 minutes, Dathan Ritzenhein and Matthew Tegenkamp. I wondered about their weight and lo, and behold IAAF stats show Ritzenhein's weight is 53kilos! Norrie told me that when Alan Webb changed coaches to Alberto Salazar, he was ordered to lose muscle mass, of which he was fairly well laden due to weight training. No weights until he got down to what his new coach considered a competitive weight. Interesting!

Tim Noakes continued.....
Back into the lecture and Noakes showed some videos and slides to further illustrate his earlier talk. One of these was Paula Radcliffe's disastrous Olympic marathon in Athens. Remember the bit about animals, and their paralysis of hyperthermia? Animals can't operate in conditions where their core temperature reaches 43 degrees Celcius. They collapse. Humans however are capable of passing this core temperature due to evolution. But the brain will safe guard the body and cause it to stop running before death occurs and that, in Noakes opinion, is what happened to Paula. She had her race plan that had led her to world records and marathon victories but did not have the have the mental capability to run the race according to the conditions she met in the Athens race. The brain simply shut her down.

He also illustrated the power of the brain and that faith and belief in what the athlete is capable of is paramount in achieving their goals. Some more illustrations.
John Landy, an Australian athlete, and Roger Bannister were both chasing the sub-four minute mile and Landy was quoted in February 1954 as saying the 4 minute barrier was "a brick wall, I shall not achieve it."
On 6th May 1954 Bannister told himself that weather conditions that day would preclude any attempt at the barrier. His coach Franz Stampfl disagreed. He told Bannister that he thought he was in fact capable of 3minutes 56! If he was capable of that then he should be capable of 3.59 in the day's weather conditions. Bannister had long before learnt to trust his coach and the belief instilled in himself by Stampfl led to history being achieved. having shown Landy that it wasn't a brick wall, Landy believing himself at least Bannister's equal that produced a (then) world record of 3.58!
Finally Noakes showed this image of South African Josia Thugwane 1996 Olympic Champion and second place Lee Bong-Ju. Thugwane is looking as if he could run it again, Lee less so! They had been seperated by just three seconds!(By the way third place was only a further 5 seconds away!) Noakes said in summing up "Three seconds! Lee could have run faster and won it. How do I know? He's still alive!"

Tolosa Kotu Terfe

As I stated in part 1 this presentation didn't really do it for me. Tolosa's heavily accented English was difficult to follow and I'm grateful to Yannis for operating sufficient slides to get the gist of the lecture. But there is certainly no doubting his credentials. He has been involved in the careers of many of the Ethiopian elite athletes, and is well placed to say just what makes them such sublime athletes.
The main factor is attitude. No that's not a typographical error. ATTITUDE not altitude!
Living and training at altitude is, of course, crucial in their physiological make-up, but the attitude ingrained in them by their culture and media, as well as the incentives, monetary and cultural, ensure they are best suited to succeed.
They firmly believe that their ability to run is God given. They have great faith in that ability and that, together with their need to thank God by using it, gives them their supremacy.
Selection of athletes in Ethiopia is done through regional competitions that feed the successful athletes to high altitude training camps, where the younger athletes have to do work to pay for their keep earning a token payment in addition. When they reach elite status they are separated from the other athletes in much of their training in order that their training can be tailored to the individual rather than the group. In the case of the Dibaba sisters they had to be separated in order that they did not race each other into the ground at training rather than in races!
Training for Track and field season takes the form of a three month base of intermediate and moderate paced sessions followed by an intense three month period of hard training and a main competition period of one month. Obviously they race during the training phases, but mainly as a buildup to the main competition phase. All training is on a non-scientific basis. No supplements, sports science testing (other than foreigners trying to find out why they are so good!). Measurement of training effect and fitness is taken by stopwatch and asking how the athlete feels.
Contrast that with the western attitude where everything is governed by sports science.
And we have seen, from the sports drink industry, that they do not always have the athletes best interest at heart.

He summed up the Ethiopian success as being due to
High Altitude
Natural Food
Childhood hard work (aerobic)
Hard training
and
Rewards.

Rewards. How can we reward our runners? Cars? Got 'em. Money? Not skint, but only our very elite make great money, so I might as well not even try. Fame? How many athletes can Joe Bloggs name? Paula, Kelly, emmm......
To an Ethiopian or Kenyan even the modest rewards from winning a small 10k in Britain, Europe or further afield is worth much more than it would be to you and I. That is why we find that even the smallest races here are being won by the east Africans. They don't need much to live. A group will share the costs of a house, their dietary needs are simple and certainly won't be wasteful and when they return to their home country, the pounds, dollars and euros convert rather nicely, thank you!

So that's it. My recollections of an excellent seminar. No doubt others who were present will be able to fill in any gaps, or interpret things, perhaps a little differently. I hope it is useful and that I haven't lost you midway!
One lasting impression that was left on me by Yannis and Tim was that they are willing to admit they were wrong. Scientific knowledge is always advancing. Five years ago they concluded the East Africans had genetic advantages over us mere mortals. now they admit, subject to further findings, that they were wrong. That is refreshing. In much of our society we are hindered by the refusal to amdit that our standard practices are flawed. We need to lose the pride and admit that smarter people than we are have advanced thinking. We need to follow.

I hope it's not another five years before we have another seminar!

Note: I'll go back over these posts and compile some references and sources to enable you to take your understanding a bit further.

Glasgow Running Seminar Part 2 .... water, water everywhere, but not a drop to drink!

2009-09-07T10:22:00.005+01:00

Tim Noakes was a fascinating presenter with that off-the-wall style that is so effective, continually joking and making asides, usually to himself!
His presentation started with a long illustrated guide to human evolution. I'll cut this short as I can, but that will be difficult!
Humans evolved into hot, sweaty, furless mammals for a very good reason..... hunting. And in this evolution, the environment was more important than genes. Man developed, arguably, in the High Veldt of South Africa or in East Africa.(The arguably coming from where your scientist lives, in Noake's case, SA.) When the environment left him nothing to eat he was forced to chase down animals. He did this by running after them until he caught and killed them by strangulation or with a rock. Thus, man had to learn to run long distances and to overcome hyperthermia, or overheating. Animals may be able to run faster than man but, eventually, they must slow down and stop as their core temperature reaches 43 degrees centigrade at which point they suffer from paralysis by hyperthermia. By following the animals at a steadier pace over many miles and hours man was able to catch even the fastest animals.
He managed this by adapting from a four legged beast to a biped, thus reducing the surface exposed to the sun to the head area whereas the animals had to expose their entire length. Man developed a sweat system where he cooled his body by sweating and other anatomical changes such as smaller pelvis,large Gluteus Maximus, shorter arms,longer legs, counter-rotating trunk and the ability to keep the head fixed in relation to that rotation... ensured he could run.
Due to the requirement to keep moving during the chase, man also developed the ability to delay drinking. Unlike the animals who had to drink lots at set times to avoid the predators who could catch them when they drank, man was able to drink frequently in small amounts delaying full correction of fluid deficiencies generated by exercise until the evening meal.

I'll repeat that, because Noakes did. We drink our fill at meal times and less during exercise. We fully replenish any fluid imbalance only after eating!

How is that? Humans can adapt so that they are better able to exercise in the heat due to the ability to conserve sodium.And if they were to drink excessively during exercise then Hyponatraemia could set in.
So how much water do we need?
Professor Noakes showed a video of Haile Gebrselassie running a marathon. He sipped, and I mean sipped, about four times during the race and had his bottle in his hand for a total of 58 seconds! And that was mostly carrying it while he thought about drinking. In other words he sipped only enough to take away his thirst.
So why is there a belief that we need to maintain hydration. The answer is fairly simple......... sales of sports drinks!
When sports drinks companies wanted to increase sales, they engaged sports scientists and nutritionists to encourage people to stay hydrated during exercise, with dire warnings of serious collapse or death if they failed to stay fully hydrated. However, deaths in marathons and Ironman Triathlons started to occur. When one occurred during an African ultra doctors at the race inserted a catheter in the unconscious patient and, surprise,surprise, found the patient was over hydrated! At this point they started to raise the alarm about the condition, but deaths continued as the sports drink and running magazines continued to warn against the dangers of dehydration. Noakes spoke to one magazine publisher who refused to publish his warnings as it would alienate advertisers - the sports drink industry.
He told of one runner whose husband was watching her race and waited at the 35k mark to watch her go by. She collapsed in front of him and their two infant children and her husband realised she was suffering from overhydration. Paramdics attended and said she was dehydrated and against the wishes of her husband connected up yes,IV fluid. She died. A journalist wrote in the Chicago Tribune of these dangerous practices and, within an hour, received two phone calls from "sports scientists" ordering him to retract as he was going to cause many deaths. A bit of investigation found that they were in the pay of the sports drinks manufactureres. How else, asked Noakes, could Californian scientists learn in one hour what had been written in a Chicago paper?

He then moved onto fatigue or rather the concept of fatigue. Those of you who have read the book Brain Training For Runners will be familiar with the concept that the brain controls the runner's performance. Noakes took this concept and illustrated it with his Model for Fatigue.
The brainless runner can be best described as an athlete on a treadmill whose speed is set by his coach or a scientist. There is no input from the athlete. The coach can increase the speed and keep increasing it until the athlete collapses with fatigue.
The Runner With A Brain is a different animal! He can set the pace according to the signals he receives from his brain. These continuous signals cover both physiological and psychological input from all the systems in his body. He therefore can decide how to run according to the conditions. Heat was one of these conditions on which Noakes concentrated. He asked is weight a factor in the performance difference between E.African and white athletes.
He pointed out that the average weight of the African runners they surveyed is 53.9kg whilst that of the US runners was 63.7kg. Heat loss is greater according to the heavier weight of the athlete. Therefore, the white, heavier athlete is going to suffer more in the heat. And, as he knows this, his brain will ensure he sets off at a slower pace than the African in order to ensure he doesn't overheat. Beaten before he starts.
Further, an examination of split times of Gebresellaise's world records show that his fastest kilometer is always his last. How could that be when he is so tired? In contrast, the record breaking white runners splits were normally slower at the end, a steadier run in other words. Noakes said that the indicator of fatigue should be the inability to vary speed. In other words power input should vary all the time and the loss of that variation shows that fatigue has set in. He illustrated this by saying that tests of fresh runners show that their pace and stride length vary all through the run but when fatigue sets in, their pace and stride length become uniform. Hence the ability of the Africans to constantly vary the speed of their running during races, an ability that white athletes struggle to master.
Finally in this section before the break, he stated that instead of measuring VO2max in athletes to guage fitness they should be measuring muscle function as it is the brain's ability to recruit muscle fibres in exercise that governs how fit he is rather than heart and lung function.

Noakes summed up by saying that man evolved as an endurance runner(and nothing explains sprinting evolution!) He is built to resist the effects of water loss!
The body will also excrete excess sodium through sweat and urine, but is able to withstand low levels of sodium although it requires calcium to fire the muscles. Hormones control the conservation of water and salt in the body. (These hormones are rendered less effective by overhydration and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs(NSAID).

His message: THE BODY CAN RESIST THE EFFECTS OF WATER LOSS

At this point we adjourned for refreshments.

In part 3 ...... my chat with Noakes and his explanation for my increased level of creatine kinase after the WHWR!
Also Noakes gets more time to lecture and an insight into Ethiopian training.

Glasgow Running Seminar 2009 Part 1

2009-09-06T13:42:00.009+01:00

Glasgow Athletics Association, in conjunction with Glasgow University, organised the Glasgow Running Seminar 2009, and I was privileged to attend it yesterday
In 2009, the fifth anniversary of the first East African Running Conference held in May 2004 will be celebrated, and the focus is once again on East African Running.

The presenters were to be:

*Professor Timothy D Noakes, MBChB, MD, DSc, FACSM: Founding Member: International Olympic Committee's Olympic Science Academy; Fellow: American College of Sports Medicine; 1992 Elected Fellow of the University of Cape Town for sustained excellence in original scientific work; 2001 Ministerial Commission into High Performance Sport in South Africa; Author; Lore of Running

*Dr Yannis Pitsiladis, FACSM: Research Scientist based in Glasgow who acts as Scientific Adviser to Global Sport Communications.

*Mr Tolosa Kotu Terfe: Former National Coach for Ethiopia. Has coached Meseret defar, Genzebe Dibaba. He "discovered" Kenenise Bekele and worked with Heille Gebresellaise for eight years.

*Dr Bezabih Wolde Hataou: Former Secretery of the Ethiopian Olympic Committee and the Ethiopian Athletics Federation. Dr Hataou has worked with Elite Athletes advising on injury rehabilitation, nutrition, providing physiotherapy and sport massage services.

Dr Hataou was a non-arrival but we were told that Tolosa Kotu Terfe would incorporate much of the content into his talk. Unfortunately the Ethiopian was a let down (IMO). He was intent on telling us more about himself in very rambling talk that was saved by Yannis Pitsilidis running his slides for him allowing us to take the "meat" of his talk down in notes.

The first speaker was Pitsilidis who hosted the event. He works in Glasgow Uni and his research has taken him on several visits to South and East Africa with PHd students. He also spoke at the previous Glasgow Seminar in 2004 where the (theoretical)genetic differences between the E. African elite runners and mere mortals with white skin was suggested as the reason for the huge gap in running standards.
His research has since taken him into contact with all the top runners who readily agreed to supply DNA for examination. The task - to find the performance gene. They have examined the general population in Kenya and Ethiopia as well as elite runners in 5k,10k, and marathon. They also examined the socio-economic circumstances of both the control and elite runners and their school travel habits! After all, it is said that the reason East Africans are so good is due to the aerobic base laid down by running to school.
To cut a long story short, they found that the DNA of all humans is 99.9% identical!
Scientists in Japan are in the process of examining the genome that will probably confirm the finding that there is NO genetic difference in these athletic types.(Examination of West African origin sprinters showed no genetic difference in them either!)

Yannis then went on to examine the school travel habits of the general population.
The general population were taken from the students of colleges and universities they were visiting who were not athletes. They found that 24% ran to school, 60% walked and the remaining 16% traveled by other means (car, bus, cycle).
In the elite athlete sample, 60% ran, 29%walked and 11% used transport. It was also noted that nearly all Kenyans and Ethiopians who were elite athletes lived in small areas at altitude. Indeed 80% of Kenyans were from the Rift Valley of whom 40% were from the village of Nandi and 80% were from one tribe: the Kalanjeni. (sp?)
He showed an amazing video clip of a 10 yr old boy running with a VO2max measuring mask and electronic gauge. This boy ran at 16km/hr before exhaustion came as he attempted 20Kph! He had no training background!
Older students who did the same test, again ran at fast pace of up to 20kph with no training background.
How could this be?
The answer was fairly simple. When asked how he could do it, the runner simply thought that was how you ran! This was a theme - faith in his own ability- that recurred later in the seminar. East Africans run that way because it is a natural instinct, born of evolution.
Mike Boit was interviewed as part of the research. His belief is that they are great runners due to:
Solid base;
High Altitude camps;
Non scientific approach - natural instinct;
Aerobic training;
Interval training (known to them as bone-breakers);
Altitude training different from western approach; (E.African athletes live at varying heights from 2,400m to 3,000m, but when they leave home to run they start by climbing even higher. They do drop down to do speedwork but generally the rule is "Live high, train higher) as opposed to our athlete's rule of "live high train low")
Cross country training;
African diet;
Non scientific approach to training (no drugs, supplements or technology) only high tech apparatus is a stopwatch - no Garmins!!!
Superior fatigue resistance.

As regards the diet,it is summarised as 86% vegetable, 14% animal and 77% carbohydrate. Much of the diet is maize (64%) eaten in the traditional form of Ugali.
Staple drink is tea.
Breakfast and dinner are eaten only after training (30 - 60 minutes after). (NB. In a later part of the seminar on hydration it is suggested that most of the fluid drunk each day should be taken with the main meal.)
It was noted (and again later in Tim Noake's presentation) that the E. Africans are so much lighter than their western counterparts. In 2006 it was noted that they were under eating by 9%. However their diet did include all the major micronutrients required to train effectively. They were NOT dehydrated.

One other point that Yannis made was that, in 2004 it was considered relevant that the lower leg morphology of the E.African was important in considering the superiority of their runners. That is to say very skinny legs. However that has been discredited in spectacular fashion. Just look at Bekele's legs!

Part two later.....
I apologise for an inaccuracies in this account. Blame my memory and handwriting!

I was back....no I'm Back

2009-08-26T18:42:00.002+01:00

The optimistic post previous to this was as a result of demand that wasn't really backed by performance. However,things went fairly well as long as I stuck to the flat roads and trails or gym and swim sessions. But no substantial improvements other than the ability to guess JK's time on the Devil of the Highlands. My prize is in transit and I received an e-mail from Debs tonight saying she is in possession of said prize.
On Monday I went to try a serious session of resistance work. Serious in that I hadn't done much recently and took my son and heir to keep an eye on my session.
The session ended suddenly with a serious dizzy spell although I recovered enough to manage some swimming and aqua jogging and a sauna.
However an attempt to run some hills at the club was an abysmal failure and I didn't do anything today.
So. What's the problem? I'm gubbed, that's obvious but why?
An e mail arrived from Jennifer Cuthill giving me the results of blood and urine tests from the WHW race. Most being reasonable, but one was alarming. Not from a health point of view as the notes explained that a hugely elevated reading for muscle breakdown was not harmful in itself,even if accompanied by severe muscle pains as long as they resolve themselves within a few days and you continue to pass urine normally. That's fine, I was not experiencing any muscle problems and could pee for Scotland. However, my reading was 29,490 as opposed to a normal reading of under 210. That's an elevation of over 140 x normal.

Did anyone beat that?

I may be wrong but I think I'm entitled to a longer rest!

Meantime I've put on a stone in weight. And unless a certain Mr Steele is also putting weight on I reckon I'm now as fat as a WHW family member can be unless retired for a generation or two!!

I'm back! Under Orders to Say so.

2009-08-19T18:30:00.002+01:00

I managed a pain free run last night. About five easy miles with little undulation but enough to motivate Jim to demand a post with the title "I'm Back". Woke up this morning thinking that perhaps we celebrated too soon! I've been running slowly for the past the past couple of weeks and spending some time in the pool, aqua-jogging and swimming,in the gym gradually building up my quads and loosening my SI joints. Never thought I was getting anywhere until last night!

I've been a real couch potato, armchair sports fan and one thing I inherited from my old man was my ability to spend hour after hour watching sport, even cricket!

However my sporting highlight of the week, overshadowing even Ennis, Bolt et al., came in an e-mail from an old mate, Crawford Inglis. It took two parts. One, his delight in the achievement of his 9 year old son Callum completing a 26 mile sponsored cycle in aid of a cancer charity; Glasgow Universities annual Bikeathon that helps fund research at the Beatson and related establishments.
Crawford is a two times cancer survivor who is tireless in his efforts to fight this horrendous disease. My wife is living with Hodgkins Disease and his support when she was diagnosed was a tremendous help to me and my family.

Yesterday, whilst driving and listening to the radio, I heard a mention of Lance Armstrong and a peloton riding through the Gleniffer Braes. "Windup" I thought until an e mail and this photo came into my in-box.

Yep, the bold boy's hero was staying in Paisley, whilst here to watch U2, and asked for Crawford by name and requested his presence at the front of the peloton as company for the great one on his ride through the deepest, darkest suburbs of the town whose name must never be said out loud.....ssshhh.... Paisley! The highlight of Crawfords cycling life, I would think, and just reward for someone who bravely fought the disease - and continues the fight on behalf of those suffering and those yet to suffer.

Devil of The Highlands 2009 - a spectators view

2009-08-09T19:55:00.005+01:00

I rose early on Saturday morning to head up to watch and take photos at the Devil which started at Tyndrum at 6am. As JR had an entry, I was going to offer to support him, as his sainted wife Helen had probably had enough of him at the Fling and the WHW and in any case they had had the grandkids for the past week or so. Jim hadn't recovered sufficiently from the big one,though, and decided to withdraw. However, race organiser Garry Milne asked him to support a couple of runners and he agreed to do so. He offered to give me a lift up, but as I wanted a bit of independence to take my photos, I decided to take my own car. Little did I realise that his two charges were Mark Leggett and Helen Johnson (1st lady) both of whom ran sub 7 hours!
In my last post I instructed all readers to SMILE a request that was met with a comment from the WHW RUNNER to the effect that he rarely had anything to smile about when running ultras! However, I managed to get one out of him at Bridge of Orchy so he'll have one to cherish!
After the race briefing, where I managed to speak with most of the familiar faces running, the field gathered at Brodies and set off on the dot of 6am.
I had no intention of entering and running the race, and indeed struggled to get any pace on the short run I had at Glencoe, but I really did envy them as the first section is amongst my favourites. After a pit stop I drove after the runners and managed a few long distance shots as they climbed the hill towards the rail crossing. Thomas, Neal and Caroline were amongst many who had stopped on the big layby north of Tyndrum to shout their encouragement across the glen. Driving on to Bridge of Orchy I parked south of the hotel so as not to further congest the checkpoint and after speaking to JR headed off on the trail above the railway for my next set of pics. One of Richie shows why he is such a terrific runner. He levitates!
Debbie and John were both having good runs and Ian can take smiling lessons from Debs any time!

As I left to go to Glencoe disaster struck. Placing my camera on the roof of the car whilst I took my jacket off, I promptly drove off without retrieving it. I heard it slide off and on examining it found the casing scraped and cracked. Worst, it would only work intermittently, sometimes not operating, sometimes not auto focusing, and, when flash was used, only getting a white screen. Fortunately, it worked a bit better when in sports action mode, so I used manual focus and managed to take reasonable photos the rest of the day.
On reaching Glencoe ski centre I ran to the top of the ridge onto Rannoch Moor managing to run quite freely on some sections but on rougher patches my knees sent the usual signal to the brain and I only managed about 35 minutes running - and I didn't get far. Did meet the leaders though and the only question I was asking was "Who will be third?" as the first two already had a lead of over 7 minutes as they passed me, although Paul Hart had a slight and inconsequential lead over Craig Stewart when they passed. I changed and drove down to Kingshouse where I met the Kynaston/Consani/Lohendorf/Scott supporters and managed to get a few photos although some were deleted due to lack of focus. John Foley was on his knees looking for an earring Aileen had dropped - he later found it in some clothing - and I promised him I would confirm he was looking! He reckoned Aileen wouldn't believe him!
Debbie looking really strong at this point and seemed to be having the time of her life running this race, and John was looking strong too although he would have a rough patch soon.
I reached Kinlochleven just after the leader (Craig) had gone through and saw Paul Hart about a couple of hundred yards behind. Grabbed a bite to eat before deciding that it was getting too busy in the streets and to head over to Fort William to await the leaders rather than going to Lundavra where I reckoned one less car would be one less bit of hassle for those with a need to be there. So I went to the finish and took photos for about an hour after the first finisher Craig Stewart.

I had a blether with a few supporters including Vicky, BH of second place Paul Hart. I've enjoyed reading her blogs over the past year as she recovered from injury and set about re- arranging her PB list. She ran at the Helensburgh 1/2 marathon this morning setting a cracking time at what I think was her first attempt at the distance.
Then JR appeared withgn the news that Helen was well ahead
of Debs in second place

with Aileen fading a bit to third, and that was how they finished.
Quite a few runners made the journey north just to watch the finish, including Marc Casey of Dumbarton, Davie and Sharon, Stevie, Adrian and others.Brilliant support for the race and the runners that I'm sure they appreciated.

Photos here

Due to technical problems (my incompetence) the last photo (Aileen)
appears first.

Re-unions

2009-08-05T23:27:00.004+01:00

Three re-unions to talk about. One was a very brief one with my training shoes as I set off this afternoon to see if a longer run tonight would be on the cards. Initially successful as my first steps did not involve searing pain through my knees or lower back, singing hamstrings or deep seated pain in my bum, I was soon reduced to a slow shuffle as the very short run wore on. I had stretched, exercised, cycled, aqua-jogged stair climbed and swam to little avail, but I just felt that I could get me along to jogscotland to run with one of the beginner groups. So that's what I did. About 20 minutes was all I managed although I did speed up a bit on a grassy section, but, what the heck, every journey begins but with a single step. I'll try again tomorrow. Hopefully things will gradually improve.
The other re-union was in the west end of the big city, Byres Rd to be precise. I was going with two of my former colleagues to meet up with an old colleague who had left the Strathclyde force 19 years ago to join British Transport Police, retired as a Chief Inspector and was currently on holiday from his new home in Perth, West Australia, where his wife is a paramedic. Colin is from Benbecula and, although a much reformed character, used to drink as a native born. We shifted some amount of booze back in the day, as did Billy and Jim who were with me. Surprisingly, call it age, not a drop was drunk as we met in one coffee shop, lunched on Pasta and finished up in another coffee shop. As soon as we settled into the first round of beans the volume went up several notches and the Queens English became a thing of the past as a few well chosen adjectives and verbs ensured an x certificate. When we went into the restaurant I asked the Maitre d'- ok the burd at the counter, for a table as far from decent people as possible as things would get more and more raucous. "Sorry" was her reply, "we don't use that section at lunchtime." That was a worry as there was a table of nine and ten-year-olds on a birthday outing very close. Not a problem. They made such a racket that we old fellas decided to cut and run after lunch and one round of cokes. No coffee. Couldn't wait to get away from the place where today's generation drowned out our loudest indiscretions.
We moved to another coffee shop where we continued "All Our Yesterdays". Unbelievably, four of Strathclyde's former finest had no alcohol whatsoever. No wonder the drinks business is going down the tubes. All you whisky connisseurs better lay down a good cellar. Diageos shares are about to plummet.

I also had a wee family re-union as the Hall clan of Irvine descended on Cardross in order that Darren and I could go to the pub next door to thank the staff and customers for their contribution to my fundraising on his behalf. The pub has an occasional Jazz Sunday, and on the last occasion they raised over £300. It was on the Sunday of the race so I didn't get back in time to say thanks that day.
Current total is over £1700 and there may be more to come as a few pledges have yet to be redeemed.

Finally, good luck to all on Saturday's "DEVIL OF THE HIGHLANDS". I hope to be up there taking a few photos. JR is providing back-up to a couple of runners but I'll take my own car so I'm not tied to him and I can get about that bit quicker. Remember to SMILE folks!

Kicking My Heels

2009-07-17T12:23:00.003+01:00

It's been three, nearly four weeks since the WHW race and my quads and ITB just don't want to come out to play. I've tried several times but can't raise much more than a shuffle. Linda gave me a good massage on Wednesday, but still not right so I'll continue to give it time. Annoying, though, that I'm desperate to run and can't!
So, I've spent my time reading the WHW forum and blogs that have paid terrific tributes to Dario following his sad and unexpected death on Sunday. And good to see the humour in them, a reflection of the kind of guy he was and how much loved. His goblet presentation ceremony helped attract me to the race after I witnessed JR receiving his 12th goblet last year. There was something magical about this race and it all revolved round Dario. I wanted some! If I'd known then what I know now........

Last night I held the watch and recording sheet for the Milburn Harriers "Ted Baker" Pappert Well Hill Race over 5.25 miles and 900 feet. A great atmosphere as we met at race sponsor Big Pete's house in Bonhill where the race starts and finishes. A good race followed by some nice scoff and blether. JR was MC at the prizegiving where David Somerville (guest) and his partner Karen Lees collected the handicap prizes. Jim Watters (guest) was fastest gent and Catherine Wardlaw the fastest lady. Stevie Cowper was the fastest member and retained the trophy. Need to do something about a fastest lady prize though!

Fundraising Update - Running For Darren

2009-07-07T21:17:00.002+01:00

With a few people still to be seen for their donations,due to holidays etc., the final total in my WHW Race fundraising effort, to raise some money for my great nephew Darren, looks like reaching £1600. The generosity shown has been humbling and breathtaking. Thanks to all readers who contributed!

I'm Not Lying Down!

2009-07-06T17:33:00.002+01:00

Despite the pain in running yesterday, I decided to continue my recovery today. A session of self massage (ON MY QUADS!), and heat from a hot water bottle yesterday would hopefully allow some work in the gym. Into Dumbarton with Andrew where I bummed a freebie and spent 20 min. on a treadmill, 20 min. on a bike and 20 minutes on the aqua jogger. Followed by a sauna and a good walk without any great discomfort. I'll try a gentle run tomorrow morning than attempt to run at the club tomorrow. Failing which I'll go back to the gym to break sweat and gradually return my limbs to working order.

Now I Know Why.....

2009-07-05T20:31:00.002+01:00

..... Jim tells me to slow down. It's to train me to cope with the speed I reached on this afternoon's run. I could have walked faster, seriously!
My feet are all but healed, just some lingering bruising on my heel pad that causes me some discomfort first thing in the morning, and I'm walking pretty freely and feeling quite good. So why not run? I set off just as Roddick squared at 2 sets all and was nearly home in time to see the fourth game of the fifth set! From the first step out of the gate I was in agony as my ITB and quads combined to make me shuffle like I did on the Lairig Mor. I was embarrassed running past the pub next door, as the lone smoker outside obviously looked healthier than me, and the strange looks I got from passing cars made me cringe!
I managed to hobble down onto the foreshore and along as far as the footbridge before calling it quits and heading home. A last effort on the small hill on Peel St. was my last attempt to raise a gallop, but was too painful to continue. It was as if the past fortnight's enforced rest had never happened. I was still in the same form as I finished the WHW Race in - crippled. So I need to do some rehab. Heat, massage and stretching this afternoon, and I'll try some aqua jogging tomorrow.Maybe by the end of the week I'll be able to run with JR.... if he'll wait for me!

Thoughts On A Few Race Related Subjects.

2009-07-04T22:22:00.001+01:00

Time for a bit of analysis of my race and preparations prior to starting training again as my feet start to resemble normality.
This bit is probably a bit boring and will take FURTHER two weeks holiday to read, but if your name is Sandra…. This is it!

Training
The age old question is of course “Did I do enough?” Probably not but I finished so it worked. Now I need to analyse what I did, how I did it and why I did it.
I had two basic needs to fulfil. Get used to trail running, and increase the distance I was able to run. I also had to consider my poor, aging body. Maybe not as poor as some, definitely not as aged as some but nonetheless previous experience warned me that the result previously of over extending myself was extremely painful and on one occasion left me in hospital. My ethos was then to ensure I recovered sufficiently from training runs before moving on. That said I attended most club sessions in particular the 12 mile Tuesday runs being very enjoyable and probably the most rewarding fitness wise. I didn’t always enjoy the Thursday interval sessions but did most of them. Getting onto trails was pretty much a new experience and one that I loved. Some good trails locally and the WHW and Arrochar trails were well used, either alone or with groups.
Long runs were gradually increased, although prior to the Fling I managed only a 34 miler and after the Fling I was so tired and recovered so slowly that I only went past that distance in the WHW race. So every step past Tydrum was a step beyond anything I had ever done. It was tough, but no tougher than I should have expected given the excellent advice that I was given throughout my training. I have been told that a good run in the race is a two year project, and even three, thereby rubbishing the theory that you shouldn’t start training for it until the New Year. Specific training for the race, yes, but I am realising that this race is an all year round obsession and that every step I took since this time last year was taken in preparation for the race. That said, this year already looks like it was preparation for next years! Yes I think I’m in!

Back up – When I ran the Fling, Mairi and Andrew were my backup, and after finishing and making my mind up to run the WHW race they made it clear that they were happy to carry on – or at least that is what I read into their reaction! When I confirmed to my extended family that we would be Running For Darren, my sister’s family were unanimous in offering their help. Little did I know that Mairi’s stubbornness to see the race through would mean she more or less refused to take the role halfway, as I had meant, and only at Braveheart did she get some sleep, although she allowed Grant to drive her after she parked at the Leisure centre to go to Lundavra. Ally and Andrew were both pretty much adamant that they would run part of the way, and as other options did not materialise they became my support runners. Lack of experience (in the case of all of us!) meant that in hindsight we could have improved things, but hindsight is an exact science and you live and learn. All of the mistakes were mine, I could have asked no more from my team!

Drinks - I can’t complain about my drinks strategy other than to say that my boot is still packed with un-used bottles of fluids. Fling experience meant that I would drink more and that Coke diluted 50-50 with water was going to be a staple. I also had plenty of water (and we bought more enroute!), Gatorade and Redbull or the Morrison’s own brand, both bought just because they were on offer in my local supermarket. Funnily enough, Gatorade, drunk copiously during my support of JR last year caused me to pee just as copiously and I vowed to avoid it. However, my Fling experience of failure to pee, made me put it back in the car as I wanted the comfort blanket of piddling to assure me I wasn’t having problems!

Food – definitely a work in progress. After a while I just can’t chew, so need easily swallowed stuff to keep me going. I used plenty of Honey Stingers, chew bars, supplemented by occasional fruit, PB and J sandwiches, beans, Muller rice, chocolate bars and crisps. Heaven was half a roll and Heinz ravioli at KLL – hot too!
One thing I meant to take - and forgot! – was rice crispies. I like them before a morning training run and I think I’d also add some porridge that could provide good carbs with the minimum of effort.

Blog – A bit of a controversy here! On Saturday night, drink having been taken, a few of the Millie members ( Sandra!) took me to task for the way I refer to JR on my blog. They felt I am unreasonably harsh and make fun of him. Hopefully, we sorted that out at the time. I would be devastated to find that anyone had been hurt by any comment I made, JR in particular. Yes, I write down my thoughts, but never say anything I wouldn’t or haven’t said to him in person. He added his tuppence worth to the discussion and assured me he never took offence at anything I said and confirmed to the others that when we had differences of opinion, it was face to face and usually on a Thursday in the café, post training. He further added that no matter how much I may have disagreed, the fact that I finished was proof positive that I had listened!

Writing this blog is my training diary, a plea for advice that is often fruitful, as I receive many comments and e mails offering advice and encouragement. It lets me set out my thoughts and bares my soul to my readers. As a motivational tool it kept me going in the darkest days when doubts came into my mind and allowed me to express my joy in those moments when I simply had to tell someone what was going on, and I was on my own in the wee small hours. It may be boring, corny, boastful, or just plain garbage, but it’s mine and serves me well.

Feet – Finally, the big problem I have to overcome is the damage I have incurred to my plates. Since I was born with very flat feet, that have amazed podiatrists and occasionally rendered them speechless, I will always have an uphill battle to run without problems. As I said before I have ended up in hospital with swollen feet and limbs that were suspected of having venous thrombosis and probably the result of my running gait due to the lack of arches. Over-pronator? MOI? The word has my pic next to it in the dictionary. But thanks to orthotic insoles the problem has been largely alleviated. I asked Blair at Achilles Heel if she thought the orthotic she made me would stand up to the rigours of running the WHW race. Her answer was that the insoles would survive it, but would I?
The orthotics were unfortunately the start of my problems. It may have been the socks or shoes causing the orthotics to slide about a bit, or just the terrain, but I found the edge of my foot just outside and below the ankle were getting sore from Drymen onward. If I had changed shoes then, there may have been less of a problem, but I didn’t. so the problem got worse. My feet also started swelling at about the same time and again I could have and should have changed things.
Then there were the blisters. JR’s advice was to moisturise and I followed that advice.
But the problems I had were dreadful and I will reassess this for next year. I’ll stick with it until the autumn and see if I have any problems in training. I can always go to the surgical spirit method as a trial before making my mind up.
I am however reminded of the Marathon De Sables competitor who said it was a matter of luck and you could do the race for years and have no problem and then you get a blister on the first stage and that does your race.

Next year – Although I have till August to decide whether I’ll run next year, I feel I have unfinished business and the chances are I’ll be on the entry list when it’s published. My niece wants to do support for me and I think I’ll have to fight off the boys who seem to have enjoyed themselves supporting. That said, there may be more support runners available from the club next time!

Tomorrow will be 2 weeks since the end of my race and I haven’t run an inch. I will try to run tomorrow………

A New Title For My Blog

2009-06-30T14:31:00.003+01:00

A quote taken from Tomo Thomson's blog inspired a name change for my blog. I just realised that it had happened to me during the crossing of the Lairig Mor. What a feeling. I remember thinking that those who climbed mountains every year to see sunrise on the summer solstice would be disappointed due to heavy cloud, but realising it was pretty special to be doing what I was doing, no matter how much it hurt. Many of my non-running friends had told me I was mad to be doing the WHW Race. Now I look forward to telling them I was one of the privileged few who had been lapped by the sun.

Greetings from the other BBQ

2009-06-28T19:42:00.004+01:00

I was gutted when Milburn, my club, decided to have a BBQ on the same night as the Beattie's "Official" post WHWR do, but as secretary had to do the decent thing and support my own club, not that for a second this is difficult, as Millies are definitely on the more sociable side of party animals.
Pat Burns who has several race finishes was the chef and I as usual was official photographer. Head barperson was whoever Jim Robertson nominated when his glass was empty. A sad lack of musical choice led me back to the car where I introduced the membership to the two Jackie Albums left in my CD rack by my wife last weekend. These are collections of oldies from when the Jackie magazine was required reading for all teenage girls - and their brothers! It even comes with Posters of Donny Osmond and David Cassidy (a young Davie Hall lookalike!) that had the "ladies who run" swooning in appreciation.
Food, drink, music, Strathclyde Police helicopter overhead, balloons released from somewhere nearby, and dry weather made for an enjoyable evening.
Then Jim Robertson stood up to give a small congratulatory speech and club mementos of engraved medals to the four club members who were finishers in the West Highland Way Race; Geraldine, Jimmy Brian and I and, on behalf of the Highland Fling Race, the final finishers walking stick to Christine and Geraldine.
A thoroughly enjoyable evening, that is already on next years agenda. I've asked already to avoid the clash of dates. A guy only gets out a few times a year after all.
In the meantime my feet are still burning and my darling wife has shorn all the dead skin from my soles, the last duty of a fine support crew.
Next year? Not discounted but I have to find a new driver as it really was too much for Mairi. In the meantime Andrew, my son and heir, has purloined my Camelbak and on Friday went on a 12 mile trail run! maybe I'll be supporting him. Will that still get me to the Beattie's BBQ?

WHWR 2009 Photos

2009-06-24T16:57:00.001+01:00

Posted photos here
Sorry that most are of me. My crew were a bit blinkered!

West Highland Way Race 2009 (I Have a Goblet)

2009-06-22T12:07:00.008+01:00

Like 146 others who started the race on Saturday morning I am now realising that the human brain is extremely capable of letting you know just how little it appreciates the effort required in running the 95 miles from Milngavie to Fort William. Nerve receptors are receiving loud and clear messages, whether it is the sting of raw soles, the constant ache of the achilles or the sharp objections to any kind of movement.
There is however one way of displacing the pain. Turn your head to the right, slowly now.... look at that glass goblet on top of the cabinet yes the one beside the Highland Fling bubbly (unopened(!)), and wipe the tear from your eye!

Race Report
Take a couple of weeks off work, get a glass or mug of whatever is your pleasure and a comfy seat. It's a roller coaster ride!

Pre-race
If it were up to me I would be in the car park at Milngavie at 7pm to savour the build up, but my wife and son, Mairi and Andrew, are more circumspect and we eventually left the house around 10pm. One mile along the road and I asked "Where's my wallet?" Home again I searched in the usual places, only for Andrew to find it in the car boot!
Off again with a stop and a strop at ASDA where Mairi wanted to pick up face wipes and, of course we ended up filling a basket with a few extras. Then we went to the self checkout. You know, the one that speeds you through, saves time, and gets you on your way in quick time? Cue Davie in a show of temper and frustration as everything that could go wrong, did go wrong. I'll spare the details. The language is censored anyway!
Arriving at the station car park in Milngavie I started to see many of those runners, bloggers, legends and assorted nutters whose wit and wisdom has become a part of my life. I had a wee prezzie for one of them. A Holland and Barrett "Wallaby Bar" had been purchased with Keith Hughes in mind. If I knew then what I know now, I would have had him certified. Not content with running the race in under 24 hours, he kept going! He's still on tracker as I write this....in Fort Augustus.
Blood and urine donated, weight checked and I'm nearly the fattest B****d in the race although not quite! A blether with a few friends,(nice to meet Rachel for the first time), best wishes exchanged with everyone and then the registration area emptied for the pre-race briefing at the underpass. A quick bye-bye to Mairi and Andrew and we were called to the start.

Milngavie to Rowardennan
I started near the back with fellow Milburn runners Geraldine,Brian,Jimmy and Jim; a nice steady first mile, but found myself getting uncomfortable with a short stride necessary to stop me from clicking Jimmy's heels, so moved past them. A short time later and I had moved away, although I didn't feel myself getting any faster. Quick blethers with various people before I found myself with Keith. He had been sweeper last year, but kept going for a finish and I had a lot of time in his company when I ran with JR at the end of his race to his 12th goblet. Past Carbeth and he moved away and, for the first time, I found myself pretty much on my own for a couple of miles. My head lamp and hand torch were doing a good job lighting the path in the grey, overcast, moonless night. The first time I saw Andrew was at Beechtree where I swopped my drinks bottle. I had ensured I was well hydrated prior to the start, and was relying on small, assorted energy bars to keep my sugar levels up until I got to Drymen where I would take a break. After Dumgoyach and the Beechtree we came to the section where there are an interminable number of gates. I have always disliked this part due to the "after you Claude" manners displayed. Not that I'm rude you understand but I just think it slows us down. I fell in with Davie Hay whom I knew would run a sensible race and he was a "sensible runner" marker for me. Eventually he went away but only after stopping a couple of times. He wasn't to finish so he may have been having problems very early. Next to have the pleasure of my company was the amazing Chris Moon MBE,double amputee having lost his lower right arm and leg in a minefield. I introduced myself and had a blether about his Edinburgh Marathon(4.02). At this stage of the race he was running with his "blade" prosthetic. It looked unstable on the road but he was flying on the downhills.
In the Fling I reached Drymen in 1.55 and suffered. My aim today was 2.30 and not to see any (George Reid) of those I had ran with in April. Tick the box!
As I stood with Andrew the twins Pauline and Fiona went through and as I climbed up into forest I caught them. At the Edinburgh information evening they stole the show with their infectious humour and Fiona related the story of how she was enjoying herself so much on the final stages that she started to sing to herself. The song? "Don't Stop Me Now" by Queen. We had a blether about our mutual interest in JogScotland and their forthcoming Commonwealth Championships in September.
Onto Conic Hill I pulled away from them only to be caught and passed by Karen Donaghue. Well if I wasn't to see George, I had to see Karen. The first signs of a problem came in my right foot. I was wearing my usual Mizuno Wave Riders with the insole replaced by my orthotic inserts and I started to feel discomfort on the outside of my foot just forward of my ankle. I think the orthotic was being pushed outwards by the trail surface. My feet were also swelling and may have been a contributory factor. At Balmaha I made my first mistake. Coming down the hill I was passed by club-mate Brian, and then, when in the car park getting fed and watered, Jimmy and Geraldine came in. The competitive instinct kicked in and off I went to get and hopefully stay ahead of them. And I forgot to loosen off my shoes that by this time were getting tight in the "lace" area.
My last talk with JR had been on Wednesday after training and his advice was not to chase anyone, or race anyone. One mile, later I had to stop to re-tie my laces and made a pigs ear of that as I pulled the wrong way and knotted the laces. I lost 5 minutes re-tying but, going again,felt the better of it although the swelling would return soon than I liked. The roller-coaster ride that is Balmaha to Rowardennan was going fine, better than the Fling anyway, due to the more sensible pace. I spent some time in the company of The Subversive Runner and his mate Martin Hooper, pointing out across the Loch the village of Luss where I spent four years as the village cop. Contrast that with Dave's current career as a fire fighter in "Lahndon".
I reached Rowardennan in 6.16 and promptly took 15 minutes to refuel and rest my feet in my chair. I saw the twins go past me (again)and spoke to Jimmy who was going fine. This time though, when they (he, Brian and Geraldine) left, I let them go, and concentrated on food and drink. My main energy source was Honey Stingers, Brunch Bars and rice puddings,PB and J sandwiches, grapes and bananas. Until the latter stages I was able to eat regularly and well, although some of the drier stuff was difficult to chew. Liquid-wise, water from my camelbak, mixed coke and water, gatorade kept me well hydrated.

Rowardennan to Auchtertyre
As you leave Rowardennan the Way is on probably the best continual surface of the entire course. It's a lovely run, or, on race day, walk, with spectacular views west. I really enjoyed this section although I don't recollect seeing too many people. What was worrying me that due to race rules and the impossibility of access I wouldn't be seeing Mairi and Andrew until reaching Carmyle cottage, a lonely 5 hour gap. Throughout the race, or at least until the Devil's Staircase I was able to maintain a good walking pace, strong confident strides eating up the miles. And doesn't time fly when you are enjoying yourself. My head only had one tune in it; Live and Let Die. Fast strides, slow strides, medium strides, there is a pace in there somewhere!
Even when reaching the rougher bits south on Inversnaid I was making good progress and guess what? I caught the twins just as we reached the hotel. I stopped though, they never! Chris passed me as I was munching, going well. How would he find the next bit I wondered? Rucksack replenished, nutrition taken and I was off again, on what used to be my least favourite part of the course. That title is now held by the Kingshouse to Kinlochleven section; every last millimetre of it!
Today however, I was fine although I was starting to realise that I should have changed shoes at Rowardennan as my continually swelling feet got sorer by the hour. I gradually caught up with Chris and Dinah, who was just behind him and whom I had met on one of the Glee Club training runs. We also share a Jogleader role, she in her Argyllshire village. Any worries I had about Chris were put to rest as he flowed over the terrain, and when I passed him at an appropriate place I realised he was doing so carrying his carrier bag in his artificial hand! He assured me his eggs were already scrambled! A water refill at Bein Glas Farm campsite was all we were allowed due to objections from the landowners regarding the access to the area by supporters. I was suddenly disheartened. Don't tell them, but I was missing Mairi and Andrew. In the Fling I reached here totally out of it, dehydrated and exhausted, forced to take a half hour rest. Today my legs were fine but I was worried about Mairi being worried about me! I knew she wouldn't be happy until she saw me again as she was shocked by my appearance on the Fling. I had done my best to ensure no repeat and hoped that this would re-assure her. Mark passed me somewhere around here, looking forward to meeting up with his four-legged training partner Molly. Unfortunately, although I recollect seeing them later in the race at one of the checkpoints, he doesn't appear on the finishing list. Next time, Mark!
Glen Falloch has always been one of my favourite places, but some of the climbs were taking their toll and my feet were fit to bursting. My rucksack was also causing me some back pain and I couldn't wait to get to Carmyle where I'd change shoes and get back to a bum bag. A great welcome here from Murdo and the other stewards and supporters. A smile on Mairi's face as she realised I was still going strong despite the ever gaining distance. I changed my shoes, pulling on my Salomon Trail shoes for the rest of the race. I benefiited from the better stability, but eventually blisters became a serious problem, of which more later. Quite a few came in to Carmyle as I was eating and when I got going I realised that, for once, I was getting out of a checkpoint ahead of them! They were becoming important to me as Fiona's target time was 25.59.59(!). I thought at that time it was a decent pace to set, allowing myself a fair drop off in the latter stages to finish with respectability. Although I had never set myself a time target other than a rough 3 hour period that I thought was achievable, I now realise that my good progress to here had started my brain working (never a good thing) and I was starting to look for silly targets. Off up the hill, unusually dry as I remember, perhaps the coos are constipated. Into Ewich Forest, a roller-coaster to end roller-coasters, meeting walkers on a more regular basis, buoyed by their encouragement. I love this section, even the uphills! There's something about being in the forest that gives me a good feeling. Racehorse trainers say that horses run faster passing trees. Maybe it's the thoroughbred in me!
Andrew refreshed my bottle at the A82 crossing and I knew I didn't have far to go before meeting the rest of my support team and supporters at Auchtertyre.
Regular readers of the blog will know that I had good reason for completing the race. Darren Cousar, 5 on Friday is my nieces youngest son. He has a condition known as Tetrasomy 18P and I was using the race as a means to raise some money to fund any of his future needs. He was meeting me here, and I was filling up at the thought. As I ran towards the wigwams Darren's dad, Ian, and brother, Jack, met me and ran in with me to the checkpoint for a family re-union. My sister Anne and her husband Grant, their son Ally, my 2nd support runner and his sister and Darren and Jack's mum, Sarah Jane, the daughter Mairi and I never had! Don't tell her I wrote that!
At the checkpoint I was weighed and had a massage in an effort to ease my back. as a qualified sports massage therapist I think I'm able to say that guy knew what he was doing! Unfortunately, I only managed a few more miles before the problem re-curred. I also introduced myself to the Strathaven crew who were running the checkpoint, inclding Mrs Mac's mum and dad. Then the lady herself appeared as if from no-where. She heard me and got out of the car where she had been preparing to go looking for her soul-mate the Subversive Runner who was still behind me (and would remain so as he struggled to the end and a goblet to slay the dragon of last year's DNF. Well done,Dave. As I was eating in the car park those twins went past again. I wouldn't see them again until the presentation. Time for stage 7.15, cumulative 13.31.

Auchtertyre to Bridge of Orchy
After a long break I went off again to Tyndrum where I had an appointment with a cup of coffee from my Magic Mug refilled (again) for free at the Real Food Cafe, sponsors of this and the Highland Fling races. And an unexpected pleasure of several Millies, Steph, Pat(and his son Daniel and his son) Ali and Christine and Chris. (apologies if I've missed anyone). A pleasure too, to see Julie and Jimmy from my JogScotland group. By this time I was spending a lot of time in the checkpoints, but felt that a) the additional rest would do no harm and, b)I was enjoying and appreciating seeing everyone. Mentally it was a spur; tiredness was setting in badly and I knew that every step I took from this point was a step further than I had ever run before.
I like the next bit. Open paths with few technical problems, stunning views and it isn't far! Overtaking plenty of runners, and being overtaken by a few,progress was good. Chris had gotten past me, probably at Auchtertyre, and as he approached the railway station I thought he was staggering about the road a bit and worried about him passing the scrutiny of the race marshall, the Lord of the Bridge, Sean Stone.
I was to find out later that he had actually been fine at that point, the reason for him taking up so much of the path was down to the pain in his stump.
Into the checkpoint at Bridge of Orchy in 3.03 for a cumulative time of 16.34. That included my time out in both Auchtertyre and Tyndrum, so I was pretty happy with my pace, especially the speed at which I was walking the uphill sections.
Again some time out and found the Subversive Runner's backup team included a masseur, so I wangled a back massage again. More soothing than the first one but, again, got the seal of approval!

Bridge of Orchy to Kinghouse
Knowing I had the Rannoch Moor to cross, I arranged to meet my support briefly at both Inveroran and Forest Lodge but I had an unexpected bonus as I ascended out of Bridge of Orchy when I met Steph and his dog. They had walked up the hill with Jimmy and they were kind enough to turn right round and do the same for me. That helped and Steph was good at saying all the right things about the progress I was making. At Inveroran and Forest Lodge I took on fluids prior to starting the climb over the Moor. No matter that I've been across there several times in the past year, I am always caught unawares by just how far it is! I was very much alone here. The two Americans, Sue and Rob were always in sight but even though I was catching them I never did and eventually they went away from me. A very few walkers on this section as it was getting late and suddenly I was overtaken by tiredness and backache necessitating a seat on a bridge parapet. Only a couple of minutes but suddenly I had a new lease of life and pounded on at a fast pace knowing that at Kinghouse I would have the company of either Andrew or Ally for the rest of the race. Still, the first sighting of Kinghouse Hotel seemed a bit further than I remembered. Stage time 3.58, Cumulative 20.32.

Kinghouse to Kinlochleven
It didn't seem long before I was off again, keen to get as much of the quickly disappearing light as possible. I was also spurred on by the knowledge that Geraldine was only five minutes ahead of me when I came into the checkpoint. I couldn't see her there, so wrongly assumed she had left ahead of me. Only when I caught up with the two groups ahead did I realise she had remained at the checkpoint. Ally had opted for the first section of my support, Andrew the second, and whoever survived best, the third. This section was the only section I had never ran or walked either in training or whilst supporting Jim last year. That was a mistake. It would almost end my race, but my thoughts soon after the race were that if I had climbed it before I would never have started! Hopefully that memory will fade.
After first overtaking Sue and Rob, they re-took their place and then we passed a group of four before starting the ascent at Altnafeadh. This I found to be a long arduous ascent. Enjoyable when fresh, I'm sure. But 70 odd miles into the race it was a real struggle and seemingly never ending. Ally was in his element though. 17yrs old and a keen walker he was amazed by what he saw around him in the gathering gloom. Good company and never allowing me to get too negative, even though he was finding his uncle had a few more words in his vocabulary than he realised. I struggled to the top and, only as I reached the top, realised I had nearly twice as far to come down to sea level. Oh joy! And the terrain in the dark was worst than anything I'd seen previously. Worst was to come. Just after the first steep section my left knee suddenly became extremely painful. On the outside just on the knobbly bit and I realised my ITB had decided to say it wasn't having fun. Progress suddenly became very slow and painful, my knee buckling under my weight and the blisters that I had been ignoring starting screaming at me. The lights that proved to be Kinlochleven seemed too far away to be reachable given the mileage on this section and I became more and more disheartened. Then I saw a small sign that promised salvation. Remote rescue were just around the next corner and one of them had an elastic knee brace that solved the problem for my knee for a long time. Thanks!!
They told me I had two miles to go, but either he was completely wrong or I was going so slowly that I was doing about 25 minute miles! Even when I hit the truck track below the power station it seemed an eternity before I got to Kinlochleven. On the way down we met a support runner coming up looking for Chris Moon. I hadn't seen Chris since Bridge of Orchy but his support runner had left him at Kinghouse to drive a car to Kinlochleven. Rather than wait there, he decided to walk up but was extremely concerned that the terrain would prove very difficult. We advised him of the Remote Rescue point and we continued down. Caught by two runners on the way down from the summit and another four just as we entered Kinlochleven, the field was extremely spread out, We had seen lights of about six or seven groups below us as we reached the summit of the Staircase, and I wondered where they had all gone.
I reported into the surgery and got a huge cuddle from the lovely Geraldine MacInnes. A nice surprise that had my family a bit stunned but not as much as when her mother who was assisting realised, when she saw Andrew, that two of her best friends were in fact, my mother and father-in-law! A small world with one small problem..... DQ and I are closer than we thought!
Stage time 4.03 Cumulative 24.35

Kinlochleven to Lundavra
Andrew took over support and we set off up the hill towards the Lairig Mor, a climb I was not looking forward to as memories of last year's downpour came back. It was indeed a hard climb but my knee was holding out although the heat in the soles of my feet was getting unbearable. I had decided not to remove my shoes to examine them, choosing to try and block out the pain with the help of my wife's painkillers. Doc Ellis had offered some but I'm sure the one I was using would have been a bit iffy for him to prescribe!
Then we crested the final rise and the Lairig opened up before us, a white-ish ribbon in the darkness. Weird, that in the darkness with no moon, the luminousity of the surface allows it to shine out. It was a long trudge, but again Andrew was a brick, no negativity, and tons of encouragement. We were a team so much so that we started seeing the same shapes in the rocks and grassy tussocks. I had been told all sorts of stories about hallucinations, from sheep to tank regiments. Mind you if I saw a tank I'd only think that Dave Waterman had arranged a taxi home!
A quick chat and a drink from the rescue coverage at the ruined farmhouse (together with another wonky distance estimate - I wonder how these guys measure the fish they catch?)and off to Lundavra with not another soul in sight. The gathering dawn brought even more figments of my imagination, including the second ruin looking like a ship or landing craft. How long is the run to Lundavra? I bet I'm not the only person asking that, but that road sure does go on and on. And still no-one behind us. Surely we should be losing ground at the speed I was walking.
Eventually getting there in 3.33 for 28.08 cumulative. Now I was really struggling, but I was met at the checkpoint by Grant and Ally as well as a lot of other support waiting on their charges. Red Bull didn't give me wings, but Ally joined Andrew and I setting off on the last leg. And on the first hill disaster struck when my left knee went again. I tried massaging it, and it was a painful process, as I'm sure anyone who has had an ITB rubbed will attest. I slowed to an absolute crawl and getting over stiles was a nightmare. The only light moment came when I saw a man standing with his dog just off the path. I pointed him out to Ally and Andrew and both of them agreed that was what it was. No. Another hallucination,but we were such a team we were having the same hallucination! Down into the forest where some of the descents were torture. I ended up walking with my arms round the shoulders of my two buddies and somehow we ended up at the top of the last hill. I remember last year when JR reached this point, (which has changed in appearance due to new road construction and is sadly spoiled a bit)he had a smile as wide as the Clyde on his face as he realised it was all down hill from here. I didn't, as going down was worst than going up! Suddenly two runners came past. At a speed. I thought they might be some of the support runners or elite runners out for a training run. Then I saw the number on their back! Where had they been? No way should anyone behind me be capable of such speed. Sleeping in Kinlochleven, that's where. Turned out they were knackered by going too fast earlier and now, rejuvenated, had decided to completely demoralise me by flying home. I sent Ally ahead to warn the others that I was struggling down and kept plodding on. I tried a run, well OK a shuffle and that seemed to ease things a bit for a while. Then I saw Anne walking up the hill with Ally and knew we weren't far from Braveheart. Unbelievably, I pulled my jacket and fleece off, then the T shirts (not a pretty sight) and pulled on my Milburn L/S tee before turning onto the home straight. Mairi stayed in the car, I thought sleeping, but she didn't want to see me in the state I was in. Sarah Jane and the boys who had gone to the caravan for a sleep after we left Bridge of Orchy were there too, and as they drove past me on the way to the leisure centre she shouted "You're looking good" as per race support instructions not to be negative. Then she said "Only a mile and a half to go!" What? No it can't be. Please. Pretty please?
On my own again as the entire crew went on to give Dario the shock of being invaded, I broke into a shuffle. Then realised that Fort William gets up early to either run or applaud idiots that run all the way from Milgavie. Tears streaming, I stopped at the roundabout to wipe them away and then rounded the last bend into the car park to grab wee Darren's hand to cross the line with the only person in the world for whom I'd finish the race in that state. Not that I wouldn't have gone as far as Braveheart for all of the rest of them!

Stage time 2 hrs 46.49 (felt like more) Finishing time 30.54.49

Finished! And was I glad? Well I wasn't turning somersaults, but after giving blood, a shower and a cuddle from Mairi I started to feel a bit better. The only problem was that Geraldine was still out there and they hadn't heard a dicky-bird from her, but eventually word got back that she was on her way in. I was still in the reception area when Chris finished, tired but happy. An amazing guy who is an inspiration. He had struggled but like 121 others he had succeeded in achieving the Holy Grail - a goblet.
Finally I managed a pee for the doc and headed off for some brekkie at the caravan, a 10 minute nap and a look at a paper. Then off to the presentation.
Now I was seeing some of those who have made the past year such a pleasure. Some high with the elation of success others circumspect after such a challenge and some deflated by their experience. All I could do was moan about how sore and tired I was!
Full of poor me's rather than being chuffed to bits. A note on my previous post from Ian out that in perspective.
I enjoyed the presentation and took plenty of photos to go with those taken by Andrew and Ally during the race. I'll get them sorted and uploaded tomorrow.
I managed to speak to Mark (DQ) and Dave (subversive runner) afterward, as well as posing for photos with my support team. I also had the pleasure of showing off Darren and I'm sure he has a few new fans. Several of the West Highland Way family passed on donations for the fund, and for that I am extremely grateful.
As we left the hall my sister-in-law and two nephews gave me a cuddle, having travelled up just for the presentation. A lovely gesture. Thanks guys. Unfortunately, lack of sleep and the desire to get home before the roads closure at Ardlui kicked in, we had to give the post-race party a miss. Maybe next year. Next year?

I Have a Goblet!

2009-06-22T10:11:00.002+01:00

And as I type this, I have finally realised how much I appreciate that fact.
Yesterday at the finish and the presentation I must have appeared like a spoilt child and having a real down on myself for not running "my dream race". For that, to all of you, I apologise.
I finished in 30 hours 54 minutes and 49 seconds. Sore, tired and extremely grateful to my support runners and crew without whose presence I'd never have made it to the finish.
I'll spend some time writing up a full report. I'm not going anywhere for a few days, unless someone wants to carry me!

Last Box Ticked

2009-06-17T20:58:00.002+01:00

Like many I'm now over the training and the waiting begins. Last night I went with JR's group for an easy 4 miles through Renton and back along the cycle track by the Leven. Received my usual ticking off from him for going too fast but there's only so much slow running to be done and I couldn't have gone slower had I been pulling a bus with my teeth.
Tonight was JogScotland and I took my group for much the same run as they were recovering from their 10k efforts on Sunday, and they don't do hard running twice in a week! To be fair, some had ran 5 10ks in 5 weeks all in pretty reasonable time. Tonight I told them to take it easy - and they ran as fast as they have been for weeks! Go figure! As we came along the riverside I told them to go further along the river than they thought they would be going. I was letting them avoid the hill at the Vale Academy, so some were happy! I did say that if I got any cheek I would take them up the other side of the hill. And guess what? Someone said she liked hills and was in the huff. So we ran the hill. All apart from the two at the front who weren't cheeky. Claire got to the front and actually tried to kick finish. A challenge? So I chased her and caught her and got back to the centre puffing and blowing, relatively speaking. And guess who was waiting? You are running too fast Robertson. Caught again.
So that's it. a bit of logistical work re food, drinks and organisation, but I'm ready. All doubt out of my mind and no matter what I'll be running a long Way on Saturday (and Sunday!). I'm in the local paper in Dumbarton and Irvine re my fundraising so that puts me under enough pressure to set my mind on finishing. And there is a new class of runner having their own battle. You may hear them before you see them. They are the heavyweight runners of the West Highland Way. 14st or maybe 15st of finely tuned athlete running for the privilege of the first earthquake to finish and maybe get the slimmer of the race award as a bonus. Count me in!

Runner In the Vale of Leven

2009-06-16T10:31:00.004+01:00

Geraldine ran the Vale of Leven 5k on Sunday but omitted to say so and we missed her. Or so I thought. Guess who got a piccy? That's her there: number 3014 for those yet to have the pleasure of meeting her. She's the WHW race controller and was the marshall at Beinn Glas during the Fling. One things for sure, she looks better than I did when we first met!

By chance she was just behind two local "Ladies Who Run" at Alexandria JogScotland although not with my group who were all in the 10k. Despite warm conditions on a hard course that is generally difficult even for experienced runners, they did just fine and will get their reward this Wednesday with a very easy short run disguised as a jogging session but will in effect be my last run before the race on Saturday. A special word for my two young proteges. Laura running her first 10k ran 49.33 and Morven 55.15. Both aged 15. Morven ran with Jade, an athlete whom I used to coach at West Dunbartnshire and whose mum runs with me on Wednesday.
WHW family and prospective family at the race were in the main in a watching role. Me doing paparazzi duties for the club and JR and Marco marshalling. Spectating were Jimmy Mc and Brian whose the father of aforesaid Morven. But there were a few runners, Pat Burns and Debbie amongst them.

On Monday I drove to Irvine with race info for my brother in law who is travelling to spectate with my family, and in particular my nephew Ally who has volunteered to be one of my support runners. My son Andy will also be running with me on alternate sections from whenever I need their assistance. In the meantime..... eat, sleep and worry!

Running for Darren

2009-06-12T12:24:00.002+01:00

The wee guy in the picture will be 5 on the weekend of the race and as a special treat he is getting to watch his Uncle Davie try and finish this race that has dominated his life since June last year. As I've said before, Darren has mobility and learning difficulties, but, if you get to meet him next week, I guarantee he'll melt your heart.
I have fund-raising sponsor sheets doing the rounds locally and in Irvine where Darren lives. As it is for an individual, I can't do it on any of the fund-raising websites that only make payments to registered charities, but I need to have the cash available to Darren and his parents to pay for any equipment or facilities they will have to purchase. Even in my deepest depressions when I've thought it would be too much for me to do this race, the thought of the wee guy, and what he's had to put up with in his short life, has given me the motivation I've needed and now that he's coming to watch....
Three runs this week after getting over the fall, although the back muscle is still quite painful, it's at least letting me breathe now. After Tuesday's club run I had my jogging group on Wednesday. Most, if not all of them, are running the Polaroid 10k on Sunday and many have run the full series, so I gave them, and I, an easy run of about 3 and a 1/2 miles to Balloch, round Lomond Shores and back.
Last night's club run was again easy paced, about 7 or 8 miles on the cycle track, round Balloch Park via Fairy Glen and Boturich Road and back by the outward route.
The club are busy this week with many members marshalling at the 5k and 10k and we had enough volunteers to allow me to stand down for the purposes of supporting my jogging group and clubmates and take a few photos.
I am also driving north over the weekend to familiarise Mairi with the checkpoints and meeting places where she can feed me. As the Caley Challenge is on it'll be busy on the Saturday but we've only got a week...... A WEEK!

Taper runs

2009-06-09T22:06:00.002+01:00

Even the taper has gone wrong! On Saturday night I had a collision with the footpath on the A814 near the crematorium caused by tripping over a wire hoop from a hubcap. No great damage other than a few cuts and scrapes and a rather uncomfortable Rhomboid muscle strain. Breathing was sore and so I didn't get a run again until tonight's club run, a very slow 7ish miles on the banks of the Leven....again. So slow that past chairman Chris was able to lead us home, or at least until he tried to kick at the end. Weren't having that, not since he won last years 10 mile handicap. We have long memories.
We had plenty of time and energy for a blether on the way round, discussing tapers, niggles, cars and holidays. My contribution was a suggestion for a great adventure holiday that my niece's husband told me about today. Apparently Air France are doing trips to the Titanic. (Sorry)
With 5 Milburn members running the WHW race and others doing support, most of us are a bit stir crazy at the moment. Mind you, Geraldine was at Aviemore at the weekend and managed a first prize in a race up there.
I noticed John was working out times, splits, Garmin screens etc for his run and no doubt others will be busy doing the same. As a race virgin my only ambition is to finish, and I'm seriously thinking about running without a watch! The only drawback would be that I would have no way of knowing if I was running too fast! My Fling split to Drymen was far too fast, but felt absolutely fine to me! Mind you I didn't think that at Beinn Glas.
I worry about having done too little training, but felt the same last year when running London and was happy with my run there. So. Come on clock.... tick tock a bit faster please.

Photos from Polaroid Eyewear Dumbarton 10k

2009-06-05T21:24:00.003+01:00

Link to photos taken at the above race. I was a rather late arrival after visiting West Dunbartonshire A.C. for the first time in ages. I drove out to Milton and took most of the pics before driving to the finish to see some of the club runners, joggers from JogScotland and other old friends. Morven had her first 10k being old enough by one day to run her first race of this distance. Congratulations on a 52min 20 sec debut!

Two runs to report, club on Tuesday was an easy off road following the Leven to Dumbarton before crossing the bridge and running back along the east bank to Bonhill and back via the Renton footbridge.
On Wednesday ny Jog Scotland group failed to show as they were all running at Dumbarton on Thursday. So I took my other 15 year old aspiring 10k runner, Laura, for an easy run round the Vale 10k course(+ a bit extra) which she "jogged" in 54.30 so I think I can look forward to good runs from both at the Vale 10k.
Both girls were keen to run these races so I don't see any harm in letting them try before pointing them in the direction of some shorter races to see if I can get them interested in more racing, perhaps in there own age group.

Moonlighting

2009-05-30T12:12:00.003+01:00

When I met JR on Wednesday morning he told me he was doing a night run with Jimmy,Geraldine, Ian and Brian on Friday night but of course he was also meeting three of the girls for a morning run up Whinney Hill at Balloch Park. (By the way, he also took in his judo club in the early evening!)
In for a penny, in for a pound, I decided to do both, and thoroughly enjoyed them. The morning run,about 5 miles, was very easy, despite the terrain and muddy going, and was followed by tea and rolls in the CE centre before getting the chores done and resting up for the 10 o'clock meeting at the club. Brian supplied the transport for the main group, dropping his car at Balmaha and his wife, Lesley, dropping them off at Milngavie. Jim had queried the worth of going over Conic in the dark, as it would be daylight when going over in the race, and had decided on an alternative which was to run on the way until going under the bridge at Killearn then making a sharp left and following the road to the T junction on the Stockiemuir Road where he would pick up the Cameron Muir Rd to Caldarvan on the Balloch Horseshoe. For logistical reasons, i.e. no room in Brian's car, and safety reasons i.e. not leaving the old fella on his own in the dark, I would join Jim and give him a lift home from the club where I left my car. Helen, Jim's wife was roped in to drop us at Milngavie and take their car home. Sorted!
We started from the Station car park where JK, Marco, Ian, Stan and Ritchie were gathering and met the other Millies at the official start of the way and into Mugdock Park. The first impression was that it is different in the dark and before we left it, we had made three slight navigational errors but managed to stay on track. The park was busy with youngsters enjoying he fine weather and a reddish crescent moon that was slowly sinking to the west. Brian seemed anxious to set a pace and he and Ian would regularly disappear into the darkness before waiting for us further ahead. Geraldine told us of her working(?) trip to Toronto that she had enjoyed the previous week, and JR told us that we were running at 18hour pace, in other words SLOW DOWN! Like a broken record.
JK and co caught and passed us at the Carbeth huts, where again the residents were enjoying a lovely evening by candlelight and as we descended towards the rough ground near Dumgoyach where another runner passed us with a quick hello and then Peter Halpin caught us and stayed. He was running to Drymen and back to Knightswood for 28 miles. Peter and I have known each other for a few years as we both coached,he at Clydesdale and myself at West Dunbartonshire so we took the opportunity to catch up. Jim had a fall when Peter caught us and then lost the power in one of his torches when it dropped, but neither fall was fatal!. We were still setting a decent pace and soon reached Killearn where Jim and I said our farewells and faced up to a long steady climb to the Stockiemuir Rd, an opportunity to eat and drink as we walked for a while. Across the road going left of the house at the T junction and we were on the road over the moor. This road is sometimes trail, sometimes tarmac albeit very old and breaking up. It is undulating but very runnable and we made good time across the top with views of the Whangie hill and Queens View to the east and the outline of the hills to the west. It will be revisited in order to see the full extent of the views in daylight.
Before long the tree lines and houses around us became familiar and we were descending down into the Caldarvan area and the last few miles of the Balloch Horseshoe, although I still have trouble gauging just where I am in the dark.
And then we were in the Vale, with taxi drivers and drunks looking at us as if we'd just landed from Mars! Back to the car just as Marion drove past on her way home from work, where she has the pleasure of dealing with Glasgow's more anti-social elements on behalf of the cooncil. She had run with us in the morning but I don't know what her passenger thought of the two mad men stripping off in a public car park!
We were finished in 4 hrs and 10 minutes. I hadn't worn a watch and felt the better of it, but the old fella knew exactly what we were doing! I dropped him off, picked up an early edition of the Daily Susan Boyle and some chocolate before heading home for a shower and a kip. Heading out now for a massage then home to watch the Cup Final although I'm not sure what one will be the best to watch.

Footnote; Whilst coming down through the horseshoe I found an SOS note from a child wanting the finder to contact Childline re his mother's cruelty. Something to do with being made to do training runs at age 4 months!

Off My Arse!

2009-05-27T22:52:00.003+01:00

This time last night I was sitting at the laptop, no running since Friday and feeling sorry for my self when in the bottom of the screen appeared the wee box telling me I had an e-mail; or as much of an email JR can get his Luddite head round. "What is all this crap I'm hearing. 9am tomorrow for a run!" A summons from the leg end. So I went and got my ears burnt about running slow, walking hills, smelling flowers etc etc etc. Sometimes I wish I was in JD's club!
Anyway we did a slow and I mean slow 5 miles round Balloch Park, followed by tea and an egg roll in the club before I spent the rest of the day cleaning my car and visiting the skips with garden refuge...... last years garden refuge.

*****Newsflash*******

That wee box has just appeared again. Wait for this one.........

Join jim robertson's network on Windows Live
View invitation
View profile

Accept this invitation and you'll appear on each other's online profiles and can chat using Windows Live Messenger.

FFS Jim must have a tutor! But if he thinks I'm going on windows live to listen to him he's barking up the wrong tree.

Anyway, where was I? Oh Aye. I ran again tonight with my JogScotland group. And am I glad I warmed up this morning!
I had a query from a villager re her daughter wanting to run the Vale 10k and being worried about whether she could manage. So I told her to be at JogScotland tonight where she could run with my group which has another young lady who is running the Dumbarton and Vale 10ks. A quick word prior to setting out with a group of five found that she trains with a pal on the Cardross Horseshoe, a shorter version of the Balloch one with the same amount of climbing in the shorter distance! Off we went and the young ones simply took off. Marion (a Millie)and I took up a position between them and the two regular members to try and keep an eye on both but eventually, after about a mile, I moved on to the front and Marion dropped back to form two groups of three. And the girls simply took off, dragging my sorry butt with them for about 5 miles round the cycle track and Lomond Shores. Run slower?
Eventually one of them slowed but only because her shoulder was causing her bother. She and her dad Brian are both karate exponents and she has a shoulder that keeps dislocating. A few rotations of the blade and we were off again slowing only in the last mile. Will I manage 10k? Damn right they will and in good times too!
The three ladies of a certain age had taken a short cut through Balloch and finished just ahead of us, and waiting for us was, of course, JR. Sweat pishing off me, his words of only a few hours before brainworming between my ears. RUN SLOWER! Try telling them that!
Anyway, I'm not on Windows Live.

A Poor Weekend

2009-05-25T11:37:00.002+01:00

What should have been a busy training weekend has in fact been a disaster.
Another new pair of shoes, again Mizuno Wave Rider 12s, purchased on Thursday having discovered that I could poke my finger through the mesh at the join with the sole on my newest pair and the previous pair having been past safe wearing on roads a long time ago. I set off for Milngavie by train on Friday, running home from there via the WHW and Cycle Route 7 to the Vale where I opted to catch the train home rather than drag my sorry ass over the Carman just to prove I could. Why? I set off with a pretty full rucksack, plenty fluid, plenty snacks and a skip in my step. But ended up with a hamstring that was pulling with every step, tight calfs that also felt they were about to snap and so many negative thoughts in my head, calling into doubt my ability to run 95 miles in one go in just 4 weeks time.I know that I have yet to recover from the Fling; and running in so much sand in Portugal probably didn't help. I've again taken two days off,I'm still feeling my calf and my lower back is suffering too. My pace was deliberately slow and the trip took me 4 and a quarter hours; as close to race pace as I could manage without running backwards!
JR is always on about learning to run tired and he exhausts himself every year before tapering and getting his strength back, but I am firmly of the belief that I should listen go my body, and stay as fresh as I can no matter what I'm training for. Having said that I've probably erred on the side of caution too much and I definitely should have done more mileage. My longest run has been the Fling and although I'd have liked to get a lot of miles in this weekend, I don't think I have enough time left to recover if I do a lot now or next weekend.
So it's down to getting running again, tapering from now and getting as much recovery in as I can before deciding whether or not to run the WHW race. If I'm not enjoying my training a week before the race then I won't start. As there is no reserve list left I'm not doing anyone out of their place so I'm under no pressure there. I know from reading the blogs that I'm not alone in struggling at this time so I will give it till the last moment before making my decision.

Back To Reality

2009-05-22T20:50:00.003+01:00

So the hols are over and reality has sunk in. I don't think I considered any of my runs on holiday to be good runs although they were enjoyable simply because they were different in every respect - surface,terrain, weather,you know what I mean. However I wouldn't be honest if I hadn't admitted to myself that I was still trying to recover from the Fling. I remember going to Troon for the 10k a few weeks after last years FLM and having a stormer of a run, only to find I was about 3 minutes outside what I would normally run. This year I was away when Troon was on but I don't think I would have considered running the way I am feeling.
The club run on Tuesday was a bit of a Curate's Egg, good in parts. Nice easy start on the club favourite run to the Arden Roundabout and back, then the pace picked up when Brian hit the front, only for him to get a phone call (WTF) from his mother when we got to Duck Bay, Richard kicked on as I eased off thinking Brian would catch up and we reaced the turn well spread out. There were 6 of us and as we turned Brian put the boot down at Duck Bay and I went after him. Not clever. By the top of Cameron Hill I was gubbed and it was all I could do to keep him in sight and stay ahead of Garry.
Finished knacked and after a shower, headed to the pub round the corner for a few cokes while we said cheerio to members Jan and Rob; off to be Kiwi's and as I type this they are sipping champagne in the Airport Hotel as they are now homeless in Scotland!
Wednesday night was my usual easy run with my jogging group, reduced to five due to another five running on the Thursday night at the Helensburgh 10k. We did a five mile run on the Cycle track to Dennystown and back via Renton. Made it easy because a) I'm knacked and b) two of the girls were struggling. However the younger of the two is only 14, she's the daughter of WHW entrant, the aforementioned Brian, and after running away from me on Tuesday, he took his daughter round the Dumbarton 10k copurse in 55 minutes. She can't run the first two Polaroid 10k's as she is 15 and eligible on the day before the Dumbarton Race. She looks a terrific athlete and hopefully she will enjoy the sport and progress to a good level.
Thursday night was the first of the Polaroid series 10k races at Helensburgh. I decided to run the 3 miles down,run round the course as a spectator, supporting those Millies and JogScotland members that were running and run home, hopefully managing an easy 10 miles or so.
I made the mistake of popping into the school to see who was there and ended up blethering tomore than a few friends. One of them is Debbies pal Sarah, who turned out at Milburn earlier this year for a few sessions and is a member of Garscube. She kindly invited me along to her post race bar-b-q at the farm shop and tearoom that her family run only a mile and a half from where I live. Hmmmm. Temptation!
Watch the race first Davie then decide!
So I set off along the course putting on my waterproof jacket as it was raining when nI left the school and it ALWAYS rains at the Helensburgh 10k!Of course it didn't rain again!
Got to West Montrose St. before being honked at by Debbie and, a squeezed-into-the-back-seat-to-make-room-for-Cairn, Marco. Debbie telling me she had failed to tell me I was invited to a BarB Q at Sarah's. Never mind, better late than never!
Great race and PBs by husband and wife Colin and Julie from my jogging group although Julie had fallen and finished in a crumpled heap. Welcome to the great sport of road racing!
I then ran out to Ardardan Farm shop for the barbie and found out that the runners constitution can handle some strange concoctions and still function. I had a coke, a burger, pasta and potato salad, then more pasta and declined the cheesecake and other tempting puds! Enter Debbie and Marco........ "Mmmmm Davie you really don't know what you are missing" "Davie this is soooo good"
So I had some. And it was good. In fact it was brilliant. A mile outside Cardross, on the left just before the Crematorium. 10am - 4pm everyday except Monday, I think. Go. It's that good!
So Rob said "How are you getting home. You won't run it after that!"
Watch me. The fastest mile and a half since August! And no puking!

Training in Portugal!

2009-05-19T12:59:00.003+01:00

And did you miss me? Yeh? When I was away? I took my picture down before leaving as I didn't want anyone doing a Gary Glitter and hanging it on their wall! And Mrs Mac said I didn't look much like it anyway!
So the lovely picture postcard town of Alvor in the Algarve. 3 mile beach and two mile trail on the sand dunes behind made for some nice runs, but to go longer I was forced into the back country where the going was hillier and just as sandy. Only trouble was that the trails tended to dead end at remote farmhouses or fruit farms. And the dogs! Every where you go there are dogs. Every garden has one and they stay out all night and bark at anyone passing. It was about 4 days before I got a decent nights sleep.
My first long run saw me in the village of Monte de Alvor, I found a wee track that promised much and after a few hundred yards I was set upon by a pack of about 5 wee yelping ankle biters that were firmly of the opinion that I was going no further. Even the pup joined in! Discretion being the better part of valour I retreated, knowing full weel that it's the wee ones that bite, and a mile further on came to another dead end at the back of an orchard of sorts. An English couple were tending the good earth, accompanied by two very large German Shepherds! And guess what.....
Now I've got one of them of my own and Cher is the loveliest natured dog in the world, unless you are a stranger coming to my door. That's why shares in ADT have fallen in price. So her Portugese cousins decided to see me off and ran towards me teeth bared. Well trained beasts these, though, as they retreated immediately they were called and I was able to trot on - with skin intact.
My time with JR was invaluable on these runs. The ability to keep going, knowing not where I was, just navigating by the sun, occasional glimpses of sea and sand and the scent of ripening vines........ bliss. When I'm with JR it's grey skies, moorland and the scent of cattle feeding, and shitting, stations.
Another long run, on the middle Sunday, took me along the beach, round the dunes, past the harbour, onto the trails and eventually, past the legendary Penina golf course, through Portamao, and back to Alvor via trails and roads that passed some of the loveliest houses I've ever seen. When I win that lottery you can all come and visit!
It really is a beautiful place and, if you haven't been to Portugal, get out there. Really friendly people, great food, restaurants and bars who really look after you. Watched the Old Firm game in the Sportsmans Bar run by a few ex footballers and who walked in but the newly crowned Champion of the World (no not a boxer) John Higgins, with former champ Graham Dott and Stephen McGuire. All of whom featured in my Daily Record that morning (printed in Spain) featuring their predictions for the match. Had a laugh at halftime showing them that Higgins (a Celtic fan) had got it all wrong! He left soon after to find an Irish bar, but Dott stayed until the end as befits the man who took the world trophy on a lap of honour round Ibrox when he won it.
Got back late on Monday night and I'm now contemplating my first run of the week at the club tonight after which we are heading to the pub to say farewell to two members Jan and Rob Knight who are off to pastures new in New Zealand, where Rob has a new job following his retirement from the Royal Navy.

How much weight in a pair of legs?

2009-04-30T21:28:00.003+01:00

Tonight's made three runs in a row since Tuesday following last night's JogScotland night where we hailed Christine's effort on Saturday. Don't know if we scared some of the new starts off with tales of an ultra,though. It was, after all, only the second week of the session, so the beginners would only be jogging for 1 minute x 5! Hope they were inspired. My own group were running for only 50 minutes but I was shorter than even that as one had a problem with cramp on her hamstring, so I ran with her and she only managed 45 minutes.
This morning, my wife was at hospital for a check and her consultant was quite pleased to hear we are of on holiday for two weeks. Why? well she's in my jogging group and reckons she'll get an easy time when I'm away. Little does she know I'm leaving homework!
On my way home, I passed an optician shop window. And in the display was a board congratulating staff member Christine on her Highland Fling run!

Back to the vale for the club run. we decided on an easy 5 or 6 miler along the cycle path to Balloch Park and return by whatever route we preferred. Started off easy enough but soon found myself away with Garry. We ran up Heart Attack Hill at the far end of the park, adjacent to the trail where my legs failed on Tuesday. I can report an improvement as I managed the hill, albeit in my own good time. Out the north gate and down Mollanbowie hill and back via Jamestown and the Bonhill Bridge. By this time my legs were feeling as heavy as I've ever known them, but strangely the pace was picking up and I put an effort in on the hill up from the station towards Renton. Then back along Main St to the club and a sprint finish! Speed must have reached at least 9 minute miling! About 80 minutes running, and probably near 8 miles. But it felt fast at the end! A slow walk/jog round the block to take the heaviness away and shower before JR arrived back.
Looking forward to a busy rest day tomorrow with a few wee jobs for the holiday to be done. Hopefully a few hours on my feet at the weekend on an easy run.
Good luck to Steph at the Stuc a Chroin race on Saturday.

Footnote: Just as I was about to save this post an e-mail arrived with some info on some Trail Escapades coming soon. Link here

Back in the Fold

2009-04-28T23:19:00.007+01:00

Club night tonight with a photo-shoot to provide some colour for the local press report and the club web-site. I also wanted some pics of some of our girls who had taken part on Saturday. As they had started running at JogScotland before coming to the club,I thought that the JogScotland folk at Scottish Athletics might appreciate an article.Here is a wee look at why Jim is still running!
Most of the girls made up our relay teams, but Christine, the one with Jim's leg over her, ran the whole 53 miles. Everyone is dead chuffed for her.

Now,Mrs Consani made a comment on my last entry asking if we were doing our usual 12 mile trail run this evening. She didn't think we'd dare following Saturday's race, did she?
Well guess what? Jimmy Mac suggested the run we took Debbie on a few weeks ago. It was to be easy as we were recovering and Steph is doing Stuc a Chroin at the weekend. However, there were some who hadn't run at the weekend, and the easy pace was a bit faster than that although not much. Along the Leven and Loch Lomondside (an easy section!) I stopped for a widdle in Balloch Park,leaving myself a few yards behind the others as we started the climb through Fairy Glen, a steep, twisting trail that leads us to Whinney Hill gates. I managed halfway before my legs told me they weren't going any further without the assistance of a rescue helicopter! The others carried on,but I wimped out, cutting my run to a mere 70 minutes, running across Balloch Park and through another two parks back to the club for a shower and a blether with JR who had sensibly opted for a shorter, even easier run! We were discussing Saturday, as you do, and remarked on the terrific support we had - and not only the drivers.Most of this lot below either ran or turned up at some point of the day to help, and that didn't include the family members, and JogScotland members who appeared at various points of the day. Thanks to every last one of you, your support was incredible.

The Montane Highland Fling 2009

2009-04-26T09:38:00.006+01:00

I'm up early, been for a walk, and other than red hot feet burning through my socks I feel better than I thought I would. I'm typing this and watching the start of the Flora Londo Marathon. I ran last years race and thought, at that time, nothing would ever come close to that experience. As soon as on-line entries opened my application was in, and my wife started looking forward to her weekend in the UK capital. Two weeks later, that is to say a year yesterday, I was picking up my club-mates who were running the Highland Fling, and spending the day supporting them and when some were timed out at Beinn Glas, spent the next couple of hours in the Drovers car park massaging feet. NOT A NICE JOB. By this time I knew that London and the Fling were on the same weekend this year, and the Fling looked like a possible consolation prize if my London entry was unsuccessful. Fast forward a few weeks to the full West Highland Way Race and I'm running the final few sections supporting Jim Robertson and thoroughly enjoying the experience. The presentation and the obvious camaraderie amongst all particpants, whether runner, supporter or race official, was inspiring.Come August my entry went in and I also entered the Fling in order to justify my entry for the WHW race. Now of course I was praying for a rejection from London and wondering how to explain to my better half, Mairi, why we wouldn't be going to London if it wasn't! (It was rejected, thank goodness!) Preparation started immediately and my training routine's changed to take in more trails and other off road runs. I even ran one of the club cross countries for goodness sake!
Suddenly it was April, and as can be seen from my pre-race blog I wasn't terribly confident that my preparation for the Fling was sufficient. Wee niggly things had caused me to pull back on training a bit and I missed one of the preparation runs (42 miler) due to illness. Had I done enough?
F-day arrived, my wife and son (Andrew) struggled from dreamland. They were my support for the day and dire warnings had been issued. They were helping and I wasn't to shout at them or they were off and I was on my own! We arrived at Milngavie and I registered before walking around saying "Hello" to friends I had met in the past year and to some I knew only by blog and reputation! His Subversiveness Dave Waterman, Lee, Tim, and Geraldine all came into this category and it was great to meet them all. (Mind you having read of the moment when Geraldine met Mark, eyes meeting at Race Control in Kinlochleven, there wasn't much chance of me stealing her as when I got to meet her, at Beinn Glas, I wasn't at my best and she told me I looked terrible. No romance in her soul at all!)
Soon it was 6am and the ladies and the "Auld yins" (over 50... that's me) lined up to start with a few "Good Lucks" to friends I met on the start line and off we went.An hour later, the "young yins" would start and an hour after that the relay runners. Over 300 runners would take part in one way or another a fantastic achievement for a race only in it's fourth year. A tremendous feat of organisation and all for a tenner!
A nice bright morning and I contrasted it with last year when the photos I took in Mugdock park were badly under exposed due to the dark clouds. Debbie taking photos from the wall at the entrance to the Way wouldn't have any such problems this morning. Into the park and I found myself running near George Reid,veteran of many ultras and who better to stay near to ensure a sensible pace? Wrong! Although a nice comfortable pace, and soon settling into a "walk the hills" routine it turned out we were way too fast. The first three miles were done in 29 minutes, no worries I thought, Garmin on right wrist would keep me aware of what I was doing. Keep the heart beat in my chest, and judge breathing to assess pace. Doing fine. The miles were passing quickly and easily and when we came into the checkpoint at Drymen we had taken only 1hr55. Far too quick, so much for George! Speaking to him later, he admitted that that pace was a lot quicker than he had intended. Put it down to the god conditions! I had intended stopping and changing my shoes to my trails for Conic and did so before checking in so my time is recorded as I left as opposed to arrival at Drymen. What to do now? Keep running as hard? Not really an option on this tough section so I decided to take it even more conservatively than I had intended and try to take some recovery. As I climbed towards Conic Hill, shrouded in mist, I ran very sparingly trying to save my legs for later. As I got closer, a fluttering Saltire marked the viewpoint of Murdo McEwan who had posted his intention to watch the race fro Conic and somehow you knew that it was he. A quick hello and I started the descent. Still ahead of the young yins, but that didn't last too long as suddenly a pack of four went flying past, followed by a few others just off the pace including Marco Consani who was, as usual off to a flying start. Although I had managed,with a luckily soft landing,to fall up the hill, I managed to stay upright on the descent and came into Balmaha in good time. Until now I had been eating regularly but I now started to have difficulty in chewing and swallowing and started to feel bagged up. I changed back to road shoes and set off via the loo, where nothing happened! Came out in time to see Joe Sheridan passing me and soon after the ascent of the knoll Thomas Lohendorf passed.These guys were,of course, near the front of the field and Thomas was on his way to a terrific time, passing Marco who would suffer for his early pace and finishing in 8.20. Thomas is hereby christened "The Not So Crazy German!!" By now the younger starters are starting to come by with greater regularity as did the relay teams, identified by coloured sashes. Those sashes are a Godsend as it would have been utterly demoralising for me not to know that the runners flying past me were only running 12 or 14 miles! A few were not so obvious though, tucking them inside vests or wrapping them round wrists. Please, please, please wear them in a visible manner next time! Just before Rowardennan I was passed by Gavin MacKinlay another blogger I hadn't actually met before. He had had a knee problem a few months ago and I had e-mailed him with an exercise to correct the tracking of the patella. As he passed he asked me to e-mail him another exercise for his hamstrings. But his knee is alright!
Garmin (more later) showed exactly 5 hours for 25 miles; 12 minute miles and probably my idea of a reasonable pace for that section. Rowardennan in 5.15. Bang on what I thought I was capable of, although I was careful not to have specific targets. I switched from bum bag and bottle to Camelbak and set off with some trepidation on the way to Bein Glas, knowing this would be the worst section of the race. Walking most of the climb after Ptarmigan Lodge and a good run down the hill, things slowed a bit on the rough last mile before Inversnaid. Passed at this point by Davie Bell, having a bit of a struggle but not I think as bad as I was starting to feel. Drop bag at Inversnaid introduced me to a new nutritional delight. In a plastic bag I had some PB & J sandwiches and I had put some grapes in beside them that had squashed into the bread. Delicious! But the last bit of food I'd enjoy. Off again, and the bit I dreaded. Those of you who know me will know I'm not the lightweight, nimble type and I have difficulty trusting my nervous system to connect my brain to my feet. I was overtaken by so many runners that I lost count. I'll gloss over the details but I absolutely hated this section and even where it is possible to run I had difficulty raising even a canter. The heat was also taking it's toll.
I eventually reached Beinn Glas in 9.07 3 hours 47 after leaving Rowardennan. "215!" I said. "Davie!" Trish Duffy, a Millie who had had the benefit of my massage last year and was officiating with aforementioned Geraldine at The Farm. She hardly recognised me and soon told me how dreadful I looked. Geraldine agreed and I was given a seat, told to eat drink and recover and not leave until I was feeling better. Mairi and Andrew fed me liquids including a large tumbler of full fat Coke and water. Eating was out of the question, I hadn't peed since Carbeth, and was starting to worry about over hydration/exercise associated low sodium/hyponatraemia. Now I wouldn't have known a lot about that before I started this ultra lark, but I'd been to the the WHW information night and Dr Chris Ellis's presentation was starting to worry me! Mairi and Andrew had been briefed about keeping positive thoughts in my mind and give them their due, despite G and T's best efforts they continued to encourage me.Two other things of note here; Tricia gave me a packet of crisps to try and eat something and get some salt on board. They were Salt and Vinegar and by God they were horrible! I also realised that my Garmin was about 2 miles out and probably had been for a long time. I was actually covering the ground even faster than I thought!!! After a visit to the loo, successful No.2 no No1 (sorry), and after spending half an hour resting I'm off to Carmyle Cottage, for more coke and water and then off up the hill. Suddenly I'm a new man, overtaking quite a few on the climb to Ewich, not even giving my normal mental v-sign to the farmer who works so hard to keep the path well fertilised, and catching up to Tim Downie with whom I'd exchanged places a few times during the race and shared some time as we both rested on the chairs at B.G. The agonies of the last downhill section of the race were somehow muted as I reached the railway bridge and meeting Andrew and Mairi at the A82. Andrew agreed to run the last few miles with me and whilst I had a short walk on the approach to Auchtertyre (where I had a can of Red Bull) I got into a decent rhythym and believe it or not Andrew started to struggle to keep up with me! Into Tyndrum and Silke (race doctor and wife of the Not so Crazy German) was asking for numbers. 215. What's yours, she asked Andrew. "215 Junior" I replied for him!Even my sense of humour was improving. Now I can see the finish, flags fluttering and inflatable marking the end of the 53 miles, and I'm sprinting! (ok relatively speaking). Not quite London-sized crowds, but far more welcoming, the applause for the guy finishing in 222nd place (including relays, I'm referring to the provisional results here!) was very much appreciated and I was delighted to have the energy and mental faculties to gasp out "Thank Yous" to everyone. Clubmates and club runner's families had turned out in force to watch the finish, much appreciated. Dave Waterman was first to greet me when I crossed the line in 12hrs 32.10.
Then a cuddle from Mairi and a hug from Andrew, who proceeded to drink my sponsor's Coors! Handshakes from lots of people, and I hope I managed to convey my thanks to everyone for their tremendous support. My first food since Inversnaid was a bit of Elaine's homebaking, I think it was lovely but I'm afraid my mouth wasn't capable of procesing it and it became a gooey mass. It went down eventually.
Back to the car to change and reaching it before the keys I had a bit of time to myself and Emotions took over. Tears of, what; joy, relief, I don't know, but this guy was in pieces. Changing was fun, and revealed to some, I couldn't get down far enough to see, feet that had been in better nick! Christine, who had also been a beneficiary of that 2008 massage, was asked to reciprocate but decided a photo would have to do. Se moved in close enough to omit my feet.
I walked back to the finish in time to see the presentation, meet some more friends (do I really have so many?), and drink some more coke. Thomas picked up two prizes as Male Vet (3rd?) and 2nd team for Kilbarchan. And a huge cheer, 2nd biggest of the day, for Jez Bragg who extended his course record, or should I say demolished it, now a phenomenal 7hrs 19.09, over 5 minutes faster than last year.Sarah Ridgeway,another blogger whose blogs have more photos than words, (unlike mine!) took !st lady and my wee pal Sharon 3rd lady. Murdo's presentation was muted a bit by announcing no FV55's had finished, but a little later someone advised him the first was about to finish. Cue the biggest cheer of the day before said lady was ushered straight to the podium Grand Prix style. I'm not sure she knew quite where she was!
So, what now? I have an entry for the big race in June, but I have my doubts as to whether I'm capable of it yet. The advice given to me when I entered, that my lack of experience could be a problem, was probably accurate but my bullish nature made me go ahead. Typing this, I actually feel not too bad, but I'm leaving it till after my holiday in May, where I need to keep my training going to justify running 95 miles. Failing that, there will be other ultra's this year and maybe next year.....
Finally, a huge thanks to Mairi and Andrew, without whom I'd never have finished. Not only did they keep me fed and watered, the thought of letting them down after all their support made it not an option to DNF. The only thing that would have stopped me would have been a broken leg. Mind you, if Mark Hamilton can run on one anyone can ;-)

It's Tomorrow??!!!

2009-04-24T11:40:00.002+01:00

Had along lie this morning and I'm going to bed early, so this will be brief as I've a car to load and food to prepare.
My preparation has been pretty poor since early March when I ran 31 miles. Since then I did pretty well in my medium length runs but on the weekend I should have been doing 40ish I had pretty bad diarroea and after I recovered I felt it was too late to do a really long run and recover in time for the Fling. I stepped up the number of medium runs, got on the hills and trails and in the past week I've cut down on distance and number of runs, with a lot of walks to compensate. Unfortunately I am feeling, instead of very tired and sore big muscles, pain in lots of wee wans that I wouldn't normally feel, but reading other taper stories that's not unusual. My wife and son are supporting me on Saturday and last weekend was spent on a familiarisation trip to show her the checkpoints and meeting places so that I get regular sustenance. A drop bag for Inversnaid and some bars and gels in my bum bag or Camelbak should look after the nutrition between points.
As for a time..... absolutely no idea and absolutely no concerns about how long it takes. And that's not like me. I usually weant to finish as fast as possible,but this is about increasing the length of that long run as opposed to running a race.
My next problem will be keeping it going whilst in Portugal as I fly out on the 4th of May. If I can't cope with running long in the heat, than I'm going to have a problem getting enough training in to justify running the big one. However if I manage it I'll have some valuable experience in coping with the heat in the event that June is a sizzler. Which will be first.
On checking my e-mail this morning, club-mate Brian Garry, who has been piling in the miles, has been notifies that he is in the WHW race, having been waiting patiently on the reserve list. He'll do really well, I'm sure. Brilliant news, Brian.

West Highland Way - Recce of Rowardennan to Inversnaid

2009-04-17T20:45:00.002+01:00

The only part of the Fling route I hadn't been on previously is the above stretch. I had no idea what it was like other than there is a climb out of Rowardennan. So I set off this afternoon after circumnavigating West Dunbartonshire trying to get to the bottom of my car problem. Eventually settling for the local Vauxhall dealer at Dumbuck. They should know what to do, as everyone else seems to think it's another garages problem. mechanics think it's a bodywork problem, Bodywork think auto electric, etc etc.
Anyway, as I left Lindsays I turned up to Bowling Roundabout to head back to Balloch. And just kept going due to a tailback caused by roadworks at Milton. Went the scenic route by Carbeth which took a bit longer but was a pleasant trip. I arrived at Rowardennan about 2.30 and set off at an easy pace, not wanting to blow up as I didn't know what I was going find. Plenty of walkers and I managed to keep a decent pace up the hill, evoking a well done from more than one! Poor souls had probably been walking all day and when the old guy goes past at a jog having run less than 2 miles he gets the plaudits! Anyway I found the going good,and kept up the pace until hitting a stretch of rooty,rocky,steppy going that was more like what I expected. Views spectacular on a nice cool day where the sun made the occasional appearance between clouds. The only drawback was one of Cordner's cruise boats giving the guided tour of the loch to the residents of Stirlingshire as well as their paying passengers. Does it have to be that loud?
Reached Inversnaid in 1hr 22 and took 10minutes to eat crisps and a banana. Refilled water bottle from remnants of a Gatorade I'd had to wash the crisps down and set off back. Is it my imagination or is the climb back up steeper on that side? My natural heart rate monitor started it's alarm. You know the one you see in cartoons when the heart beats out of your chest? BADANG BADANG. Slow down,boy.
Seemed to walk a lot but got back to Rowardennan in just a couple of minutes slower than the outward journey. Maybe a fast descent into Rowardennan helped. Quick rub down and change of clothes and home in time to make the tea! After a nice cool bath.

Ghost Writing Is Going Too Far

2009-04-16T22:17:00.003+01:00

I'm writing this my self! No wife, girlfriend (a what?), partner, better half or significant other will be typing my blog! Subversive and Mrs Mac writing each other's was bad enough but now DQ is doing the business on his princess..... nooooo,that's not what I meant to say!
But anyway where is this all going? Will Eilidh and Cairn be booting up the laptops to do Dad's (or Mum's). Hmmmm Maybe not a bad idea. After all Cairn did not a bad job of telling the story of his birth and the fuss made thereafter. And he could start by dissing the Godfather about that feeding bottle. A WHW feeder tasting of Midges?
And wee Eilidh could talk about climbing huge hills in Milton Keynes whereas to Dad they are wee molehills.Or maybe not. :-))
Brian's last post on the WHW website questioned his motivation and he was soon put right as to where to look. I got a wee lesson tonight to back up the kick I got from my JogScotland group last night.
Tonight was the club 5 mile handicap. I decided to give it a miss and acted as timekeeper. Steph who is our race coordinator was away on business but left a handicap list, although he left me with a bit of work to do with some newer members.
First away was Charlie, an old time Millie making a comeback last year in a bid to shed weight and get fitter. He has worked hard for a long time, struggling to keep up, but never shirking the enormous task he had in front of him. Tonight he got his reward, winning the handicap race by nearly two minutes. He thoroughly enjoyed his run being able to work away at a pace with which he was comfortable, no need to work harder to keep up, and slowing when he struggled. Then he realised that he was within a mile of the finish, no-one had passed him and he was then able to pick up his pace for a good finish, tired and happy with his effort. A minute after he finished he looked as if he could do it again! Such is the joy this sport gives us. I got as much enjoyment as he did, with none of the effort. Mind you, the aforementioned handicapper will be getting it in the neck, and Charlie has been advised that he has had his moment of glory!

JogScotland - end of block run

2009-04-15T22:28:00.003+01:00

Only 5 made it to the end of the block tonight, a tad disappointing given the efforts they had made during the 10 week session. However, one was forced to work a back shift at short notice, one has a problem with her shoulder popping out (karate injury that affects her running) and another had to miss due to the school holiday. The goal for the advanced group is to run for 90 minutes, and all five easily achieved that and indeed ran a bit more as I misjudged the route timing. From the CE Centre we ran to Renton footbridge then back along the cycle track to Lomond Shores, then turned along Luss Road to the Duck Bay/Cameron House entrance off the A82. A run through the grounds of Cameron House and surprisingly the three at the front turned UP the hill past the lodges. Nice to see as it is a tough wee climb. I followed with the two at the back and then we ran along the Main St back to the club. As we passed the magic 90 minutes mark I told the two girls they had the choice of easing off, having attained the goal or continuing as they were. The three in front at that point appeared to start racing! Now I like a wee challenge so, giving them about a 100 yards of a start I set of after them, catching them quite quickly, and continuing to finish at a pace in order to get to the Centre in order to applaud their effort as they finished. Just a wee touch of recognition that I like to give them for their efforts over the session. They covered exactly 9 miles tonight, probably the best effort of all the groups I've taken on the advanced programme. And two of them finished with a sprint!
Maybe not quite of the standard that features in the WHW blogs, but a tremendous achievement for the participants that Jog Scotland targets and it's a pleasure to be part of that success.

An Easter Disaster

2009-04-14T16:31:00.005+01:00

Running on Sunday and Monday for a total of 15 miles, Sunday's being a road run into Dumbarton and back with a loop in the town. Monday was an away day to visit my folks in Irvine and to see the progress of my neice's son Darren, who has been mentioned before apropos my fundraising aim for the WHW races. I'll post some photo's later but he has come on a treat since I last saw him, both physically and in communication. He is really finding the benefit of his trike and has had an amazing increase in the power of his legs. I also went for a run down there, using the Eglinton Park trails before running into Irvine for a nostalgic lap of the Town Moor and the recreation park where I did most of my youthful running.
Today was a disaster as I was up early to attend the funeral of a special friend's father who died earlier in the month aged 89. My wife was going straight to work afterward, so we decided to take both cars and I'm afraid the Green Gods were against me for that. First of all I discovered the car covered in birdshit, and I mean COVERED IN BIRDSHIT. A visit to the two local car washes that early meant I was disappointed, but, as there was no way I was going to any funeral in a car like that, I went to a car wash in Clydebank near the chapel. This was a brushless affair with a super-powered jet wash where the roller brushes would be. So bloody super-powered it sent the water into my air conditioning unit and into the footwell on the passenger side. I don't want to know how much it will cost to fix, suffice to say I can't afford it with my holiday in two weeks. No transport to training tonight and I'm pretty much pissed off at the world so can't be arsed going anyway.
The only good thing is reading Tim's post that it's better being 10% under-trained than 1% over-trained. The former sums me up at the moment as I know I lack at least one long run in my buildup to the Fling, but hope that my feeling of improved overall fitness isn't an illusion.

Stumble

2009-04-13T10:51:00.001+01:00

You know how it is. Sitting on my backside thinking of where to run and Stumbling through the interweb when I find this

Club Night - Solo Run for Davie Naepals

2009-04-09T23:31:00.002+01:00

The usual Thursday session is hill reps but I am looking to fire in some steady mileage so opted out. A few wavered about coming with me but team spirit prevailed and I was on my own. Set off on a slightly extended Horseshoe, avoiding Main St as it's usually busy at the shops and we usually run along Middleton St anyway.
Nice steady pace catching the men's jogging group by Tulliechewan and plodding through Balloch reaching the Gartocharn Road and the first of the hills in about 17 minutes. Soon moving quite steadily, even on the hills and as usual getting faster than I should.
The wee hill at Caldarvan Station did my legs as usual but by then I'm heading back to the Vale and shortly afterwards the Haldane came into sight. Not the nicest part of the Vale, although far from the worst, but always a nice sight on this run as it means you are well on the way home. Pretty breezy, but on my back for the first few miles and when it started to hit me head-on I had reached the mainly downhill section. Back into the town and pleasantly surprised to finish in 87 minutes. Missed the rep crowd but back well before JR whose run was extended by a police incident on the Leven. Apparently they found a body in the river near the golf club at Dumbarton.
Never a dull moment with Milburn.

Double Run Wednesday

2009-04-09T10:40:00.002+01:00

Back to running twice on Wednesday, a five mile loop of Bonhill, LionsGate and Renton before picking up my Jog Scotland group for a six mile run along the cycle track to Lomondshore, a climb of Cameron Hill and back along to the CE Centre. Six miles there in just over an hour which is faster than some ran their recent 10k race. Although a bit faster than they should have been running, they set the pace and seemed comfortable, other than when at the top of the climb behind Cameron House. Mind you hey "flew" the downhill. Next week is their "target" run week when they will be runing for an hour and a half. Should be easily achievable for all of them.

Club Run - Sorry Mr Farmer

2009-04-07T22:07:00.003+01:00

A few faces missing tonight with the Easter break obviously affecting the turn out, and a few of the regulars off walking and running on the WHW.
Whilst driving round to the club I passed Debbie and Cairn off to meet Marco off the train. The plan was to hand the boss to Marco and Debbie was coming with us on our 12 mile run, with the promise of some off road running. I got changed and then all three Consanis appeared loking a bit like drowned rats from the walk from the station. I introduced Cairn to the ladies and listened to the ooos and aaas. Last time Debbie saw them she was a little larger! I'll keep the details short to encourage Debbie to post her views of the run! Suffice to say she got wet, muddy and maybe a bit tired. We ran to the Alexandria/Renton boundary at the Vale academy where we went onto the cycle track to Balloch. Across the bridge and into Balloch Park at the hotel,following the path along the Leven to the loch. At the far end we had a discussion about whether we went to the Whinnie Hill, but the response was "12 miles, as much off road as possible". So I eschewed the usual run up Heart Attack Hill for the trail alternative, and soon the group stretched. By the time I got to the top, Whinnie Hill was off the menu, and I suggested a route JR took me on New Years Day. As I say, I'll leave Debs to fill in the details, but I will admit that a farm gate, climbed on the hinge side as recommended failed the Big Davie Test. Sorry.Back to Balloch by a more direct route and back along the cycle track having run 2 hours for the 12 miles (almost exactly, Debs!) See me, see navigation...

A Christening

2009-04-06T22:26:00.003+01:00

Back out tonight after a lengthy time stuck within easy reach of the loo. No more information as it's not a pleasant story. Pulled on the new Mizuno Wave Harriers to break them in and set off across the golf course in an effort to find a few trails that I knew were there but just couldn't nail down. As a result I had a poor mileage of 4 miles on the Garmin but given that mile 2 took 20 minutes to run you'll realise that I found some toughies. There were however a few dead ends and non existent ones, having overgrown since I saw them from the fairways a few years back. I lost count how many tree trunks I had to scramble over and combined with some burn crossings, where the Harriers, by now well and truly christened, scored lowly on slippy rocks, it turned into a tough run all in. Finished off along the shore past the sawmill in just over 50 minutes. The shoes were great on and brilliant on the trail and in the fields I crossed, but slipped on the aforementioned stepping stone and on the concrete breakwater at the sawmill where I stepped on to avoid a pothole and promptly slipped back off again.
Most of the new trails I found were pretty well worn and were within the grounds of the old St Peter's Priest College, long ago abandoned and which really should be pulled down. It is beloved of those who worship the concrete and steel architecture of the 60s and always the subject of this appeal or that appeal to have it restored. Not worth it! Pull it down and give the ground to the community who can develop the grounds and paths for recreational purposes.
The trails, to get back on subject, link up to the road that formed part of the Farmyards run of last Tuesday so I'll use them from the house to get onto the Carman without having to take my life in my hand running on the hill road. It's bad enough driving it and as I went across tonight to take my son to the Vale nearly got wiped out by a clown coming round a blind bend on the middle of the road. He was lucky it was a car he met, the next vehicle was a small lorry that wouldn't have made it through the gap he was trying to leave. A regular occurrence I'm afraid as many people can't judge where their nearside wheel is in relation to the edge of the road. The worst are the 4x4s, yep, the ones that are built to drive off road!

Stonymollan Hill Race 2009

2009-04-02T23:57:00.003+01:00

Unable to run because of the trots, I was the nominated timekeeper and drove along to the start at the bottom of the footpath to Cardross on Old Luss Rd between MacD's and the Lomond shores. 5 miles with 1060' of climbing over three tops. A turnout of 10 ladies and 9 men with Stevie Cowper the back marker 38 minutes after the first group left the start. Results here click on 2009 Hill Race results. Marion was first handicap by a wide margin, Stevie first scratch in a PB for this race. Three years ago he broke the course record and it is now held by Al Morrison a guest from Garscube who won last year. Special mention to Peter who was second scratch, still only 20. Unfortunately he is a student who works at weekends so his race opportunities are limited, but he will do well when he gets going. Several "new" routes taken tonight due to the good weather bringing out those who think it's fun to move the markers, but everyone seemed to enjoy themselves although I did hear one "never again". Thanks to Steph for organising. Managed to survive being away from the loo for a couple of hours.

No Running!!

2009-04-02T17:24:00.004+01:00

Damn. Wednesday night turned into a bit of a bourach (or should that be Boruc?). A bourach (gaelic) is a mess or a muddle hence the new spelling. Two of the jogleaders called in sick and another is in the US so I ended up with the beginners group for what turned out to be a slow mile on the cycle track and a walk back to the club before setting off anti clockwise to meet my own group for the final part of their own run of 1hr 20. Ticked all the boxes then headed home to watch the footie. Bed after that as I felt a bit tired but when I woke in the morning to take my wife's car to Lindsay's for it's service I had to make a loo stop. No more information, unless Dr Silke wants it! Suffice to say I haven't eaten since breakfast and have had sweats, shivers and other symptoms you don't want to know. So I must miss the club hill race (oh dear how sad never mind) although I have to go over to see the previous secretary (nearly said old secretary but she'd take that the wrong way) before she sets off to walk the WHW. If need be I'll hold a watch but I really think I'd better stock up with fluids and some tummy stuff......... men!

Club - Farmyards Run

2009-03-31T23:24:00.003+01:00

A new run for Millies tonight, our first run since the clocks changed and we stretched the boundaries a bit. Jimmy suggested we run over the Carman moor to Cardross and back over the Stonymollan Rd which was a good idea but he wanted to run a good bit on road and I suggested I lead them on a route that I had finally worked out after failing to connect some trails previously, resulting in electrocution (twice) and a fright from a bull. A long story previously related about July last year!
A fair pack left the club and ran along to Renton and turned up the Cardross Rd and along Upper Carman Rd, where the footpath led us round the back of the reservoir and over the moor road picking up the quarry road that leads to the trig point. However we turned left through a farm gate and after following the farm road past three farms and fording the burn, that led us to the west side of Cardross Golf Club and through the top of the village, although some managed to deduce a shortcut. Up Darleith Rd and left along a private road, much used by walkers and horseriders, through Drumhead and linking onto the Red Road. A sharp right immediately took us onto a particularily steep road where Steph and young Peter took off leaving us older guys to plod on to the best of our ability.By this time everyone knew where the road led! Straight uphill, through the final farmyard at Blackthird Farm, over the Stonymollan Road, where most of the pack saw for the first time the extent of the tree harvesting, and back down the hill into Balloch. Those of you who know the A82 will have passed the steep hill off the big roundabout at Balloch,the one with the crazy geese "artwork". That was where we re-appeared, although some would have continued down the footpath to Old Luss Road. Steph had decided to finish the run by following the A82 on the footpath on the town side of the carraigeway and finishing by taking a path into Christie Park and running along Middleton St to finish. A tiny bit short of 12 miles by G-Map the link to the route here. Just short of 2 hours and a well deserved shower to follow.
Thursday night is the club's first hill race, over the Stonymollan 5 miles and 1060 feet of climbing, a veritable sprint. Don't know if I can run it as I'm tied up during the day with my wife's car and may be pushed to get to the club in time. If I'm late I'll maybe climb the hill from Cardross and take a few pics for the website, the views from the top are spectacular.
My new trail shoes came today but they're still pristine as I wore my poor old road shoes tonight, and they are headed for a bath for the third time in a week. Tonight's run was pretty muddy in places, but generally firm. The worst bit being Jimmy's part of the route!

WHW Inverarnan to Inversnaid and Return

2009-03-29T17:37:00.004+01:00

After Tuesday's run I only ran on Wednesday, 5 miles steady round the Balloch and Lomond Shores before doing some reps and Fartlek with my JogScotland group for a total of about 9 miles. I didn't feel too good on Thursday and missed the club,although I didn't fancy reps prior to the weekend, and Friday was always going to be a day off as I intended joining the Glee Club for their long run on Saturday. On Friday night though my son who is diabetic had a bit of a virus/sickness and after failing to keep down his tea, fell asleep on the couch before I realised some time later that he was no longer with us, having slipped into hypoglycemia. I tried for about half an hour to bring him out of it, but wasn't having any success, so woke my wife, who had gone to bed early, as AJ often responds to her voice rather than mine when in a hypo. I often aggravate him when he's in that state (not on purpose, he just reacts that way)and so it proved as his mother's voice helped him accept the sugary foods and drinks we were trying to feed him and he came back out of it. Traumatic, and the worst he's been for a long, long time and indeed probably the worst I've experienced. As opposed to his mum who has had a few crackers when I'm not there! So we'll be looking for a hospital appointment for this week to sort his regime out. He's been like this ever since the doc put him on 4 injections a day. Something has to change.
We had a sleepless night as a result and in the morning I got up to go to Tyndrum and as I got dressed came across two blister, filled with blood, on both my feet. The skin was hard but I had no way of covering them and didn't want to run about 36 miles with feet like that. Back to bed and into the chemist later that day for some blister plasters. And of course on cutting back the skin, found they had been about so long that they had heeled inside and were no longer a problem! They'd probably been there since Sunday's 1/2 marathon, but I hadn't felt a thing. As good a warning as any to inspect my feet more regularly.
So plan B. I had made a decision not to run with John's group due to the travel involved, so decided to go to Inverarnan and do an out and back down the lochside. I hadn't had a good run on the very first training group run back in November and I still haven't run the stretch from Rowardennan to Inversnaid, so decided to see how I ran and play it by ear (or more exactly by legs) as to what I did. I set off a bit later than I'd planned. The clock going forward had been correctly adjusted but left me a bit tired and cuddled in again after the alarm went off. However the third (or was it the fourth snooze option) got me ejected and I finally hit the trail about 9.25. Initially a good run with snacks taken regularly enough, and the Ambrosia rice after about an hour definitely had an effect and is in the nutrition plan from here on in! I met JR and a good sized group of his ladies just north of Inversnaid and decided then to turn at the hotel and catch up for some company. As I caught them they had met up with Graham who had followed me down the loch after dropping some of the group at Rowardennan. He and I ran together for a while before hunger took over and I stopped for a bite to eat. I can't believe how quick energy gets eaten up on the trail and will have to gen up a lot more on that! Graham got away but his company had given my speed such a boost I decided to call it a day at Beinn Glas. Just over 3 and a 1/2 hours including breaks. Not too many miles but I hope to put a few in this week when my new shoes arrive. I was in road shoes as my Salomons are definitely not my favourite shoes and may now become, months after Debs warned me, "kicking about shoes". They look pretty good with jeans but are too loose around the foot for my problematic gait. Likewise my Inov 8 shoes are fine for x country or short trail runs locally, but lack cushioning for longer stuff.
SO. My good and generous wife was ordering my son and heir a new pair of trainers last night and I struck like lightening to order a pair of Mizuno Wave Harriers. Why? I love Mizuno's fit for my road shoes. I must have had about 10 pairs of various versions of the Rider, and I rarely get a good fit on Asics so the Trabuco would have required a bit of a chance, and anyway I love the YELLOW colour!

Club Run - Arden Roundabout

2009-03-24T21:40:00.003Z

After a day off yesterday when I visited my old mum with a belated Mother's Day card and pressie (well I was racing on Sunday!)and got a bit of exercise walking about the shops in Irvine looking for her. What a depressing place it is these days.
It was a pack of 10 tonight, for the 8 miles out and back run, shorter than normal as the club AGM was held afterwards. Young Peter came back and after about a mile he just ran away from us. Our first mile is usually pretty slow then everyone sets into a suitable pace, so I ran with Brian and Garry out to the roundabout, reaching it in 33 and a 1/2 minutes. Turned and ran back chasing Steph until I reached the Cameron Hill where my legs told me I'd had enough, so I slowed down having put in about 5 miles of a decent tempo. Brian felt the same as he had had a long run on Sunday. We caught JR's group about MacD's in Balloch and most of us had a comfy wee amble back to the club with them, surprisingly taking 2 minutes off the outward journey, coming back in 31.20. Shower and a bit of chocolate to replace the calories then into the AGM which was a quick meeting in comparison to some I've attended. We were losing our Chair, Secretary and Treasurer tonight so I came home as secretary. JR is Chair and Pat Treasurer. That should guarantee some fun at meetings! I had a word with club speed merchant Stevie Cowper about coming to training nights. Normally he has an easy run with us but if Peter keeps running he could help keep him company. Otherwise all we'll see is his heels.
Looking forward to June, the more sociable members of the WHW race family have organised a pissup for the Sunday night following the race. What I can't understand is that they've booked an upstairs room. From what I saw at last years presentation, most of them had difficulty negotiating a flat floor, never mind a flight of stairs!

Alloa Half Marathon March 22nd 2009

2009-03-22T16:49:00.003Z

OK. How does it happen? You race regularly, pushing hard to achieve your best time and hoping that each time you do, a PB is at the end of it. You can pick your course,decide whether the weather will be appropriate to the challenge, knock your pan in and..... zilch.
Today was my first time at Alloa. I entered mainly because I was too late to enter the Balloch to Clydebank, although I'd always hankered after a run in what is a superbly organised race. I also wanted to get a race in as I hadn't raced this year. Dire warnings from JR about treating it as a training run rang in my ears. Just have a good run. No heroics and enjoy it as a bit of speedwork. After all, goals 1 and 2 for 2009 relate to races of 53 and 95 miles.
Alloa is "undulating". The weather is windy, especially for the 4 miles along the road from Tillicoultry to Alva and beyond. There's a stinker of a climb at 11 miles followed by another about a mile later that does your legs.And you have no real speed in your legs after a winter of mileage far higher than you've ever done before.
So. I start slowly, heading wee Pat Burns for about 50 yards only because I skipped onto the pavement to get round some slower runners, but stayed ahead for only about 50 yards before letting him go off into the distance. NO. I'm not racing. I stopped for a pee at two and a half miles, losing about 150 yards on a Central AC runner who was matching strides with me. I was enjoying the race and the relaxed pace. Then I got into a wee group who kept changing places along the road. A guy from Giffnock North, a girl in a red vest, and an older runner whose stride rate was twice as fast as anyone else's. We kept overtaking each other and soon I started passing runners, including Central AC, that had been ahead pre-pee and then overtook two of our local ladies who were probably having an off day as I never can beat them. Then an Irvine vested guy who ran away from me at Grangemouth a few years ago and whom I'd never got close to again. Although mile splits had more ups and downs than an RBS balance sheet, each variation could be put down to either the hills or the headwind but suddenly I realised that instead of the wheels coming off at 9 miles as usual, this muppet was actually heading for a good time, certainly faster than I'd imagined possible. Hitting the hill at 11 miles, or rather at 10 and a 1/2 miles (ending at 11) I'd dropped the Giffnock guy and the girl. I was really delighted when the older guy asked the crowd at the top of the hill(a good crowd too, obviously aware of where and what was required support wise)for a big cheer for the over 60! As we hit the flat and then downhill he asked me if that was the last hill. I replied, "Surely to goodness it is" but no, there was another smaller but for some reason harder hill to go. Then it was all downhill and into the finishing straight and some support from Elaine, Jim and Pat from Milburn as I kicked past the old fella, stopping my watch at.... 1.41.05? (Chip time at 1.41.03) Can't be. It is! A P-pigging-B! by 43 seconds. With a pit stop. On that course. In that wind. Go figure! Handshakes with those around me, especially the girl in the red vest whose main target was 1.44 required to qualify for a guaranteed spot in a marathon (Edinburgh?). She did that OK, and some.
As I walked along for my t shirt and goody bag I met Pacepusher, waiting on Mrs Pacepusher finishing. He didn't get a PB;-). I looked for them after getting changed but couldn't see them so don't know how Caroline got on. Early results were already posted on the control caravan and I arrived home to a text confirming my time and place of 339th of 972 finishers. Not quite top 3rd. But ticking off part of one of my goals; to achieve 3 PBs this year.
Than I made the first bad move of the day, electing to drive home via the motorway to Stirling. Roadworks at the point where the Motorway from the new Clackmannan Bridge meets the M9 at Stirling. 4 lanes into one, a nightmare.

I'll sleep soundly tonight!

When Firefighters were Firemen

2009-03-21T12:47:00.005Z

Reading the Subversive Runners latest post I was stunned to see the references to less than manly attributes. I found this some time ago and if I'm to be honest, I've been waiting for an appropriate moment to post it with a smart-arsed comment about his musical taste. But this is as good a time as ever there will be.
Watch it here

A Younger "Old Face"

2009-03-20T06:08:00.003Z

On Wednesday afternoon I nipped out for a half hour run, mainly off road with a lap of a field beyond the sawmill that was runnable due to the arrival of spring drying out the ground. In the evening one hour 15 with the ladies (and one gent) in my JogScotland group. Despite the twilight we managed to get out of the streetlights and managed about 7 miles, visiting Cameron House where a bevvy of young ladies, dressed to the nines, were walking between the hotel and the marina. As we ran past them, Colin and I drooling at the mouth, the ladies in the group managed only a remark about the heels the younger ladies were wearing and how impossible it would be to walk in them. Pleased to see two of the women tackling the hill round past the lodges, but out of the goodness of my heart I kept the main group on the perimeter road, only to get it in the neck from some who had ran the lodge road before and preferred it. You can't win, but it was good to hear. Next week....! Finished by running through Lomond Shores, Balloch and Jamestown.
Club night on Thursday brought a pleasant surprise. Father and son Willie and Peter Henderson appeared at the club for the first time. Willie had ran at Dumbarton a few years ago, and Glen Stewart and I had coached Peter at west Dunbartonshire before a long term "injury" put paid to his junior career. Now 20 he is back running and running well.
"Injury" is in inverted commas due to the self-inflicted nature of it. He came to the club one Thursday and announced he wasn't training as he was going skiing on the Friday, a trip to Austria with his school. He arrived back a week or two later in plaster and crutches (as you do) telling everyone he had fallen on the slopes. However the truth came out when we discovered that on arrival at the resort he had gone to his room and seeing the snow outside his balcony promptly jumped off into the snow and broke his leg!
Anyway the session was 6 x 1.1km reps on the mis-shaped square at the Polaroid estate in Bonhill. Full lap rep with jog recovery on one side before starting again. I only did 5 reps having promised not to over-tire myself with a race on Sunday. I'd suffered from the Thursday session previously, when either racing or long run at the weekend had been affected by the effort. Proof that the older you are the harder it is to recover. Each rep within a few seconds of each other with the last the fastest, and feeling relaxed afterwards. Despite telling the group to ensure they took a full slow jog recovery, the first four just kept running, perhaps a little slower and it seemed more of a steady run for them. So much so that as I finished my 5th rep, Peter was about to lap me! A slow jog back to the club brought the mileage up to about 8 miles. I'll ease off the training for the rest of the week before racing on Sunday.

Back in the Groove

2009-03-18T11:04:00.004Z

Two runs since my last post, 13+ miles on Sunday and 12 last night.
Sunday's run was one of those forced upon me by laziness, having stayed in bed when I could've gotten my arse down to meet JR's group for some company. However my working wife only gets a long lie on Sunday and it's nice to have a bit of company so I stayed with her. Only to keep her company mind..... ;-)
So it was a solo run a bit later in the day and I headed down to Helensburgh on the main rd then up to the top of Sinclair Street and beyond before turning back. On getting to the Fruin road end I saw a sign for an off road footpath back to Craigendoran and followed that, cutting some distance from the return journey but getting the bonus of some muddy paths. Not a great run though, pacing difficult with the hills taking their toll.
Rest day Monday with a home circuit training session to allow a bit of muscle work and stretching, then down to the club on Tuesday for a steady 12 miles. Had a lot of water to drink as I was showing some signs of dehydration and, despite a visit in the changing area, soon after starting I felt the urge to go again. I ran ahead of the group to get to MacDonalds at Balloch then ran hard until the top of the Cameron Hill on the Luss Road to catch them again. That was the hardest work of the night although I put another effort in up the same hill on the way back. The run was out and back through the Carrick golf course to the Colquhoun gates, following a rough footpath at the end of the timeshare area. It was dark by this time so a bit hard to see as no-one had a headtorch, but reminiscent of the West Highland Way race last year where, when supporting Jim and in the company of quite a few others, we were doing fine by moonlight until Sean walked back from Kingshouse and met us with his torch on, effectively blinding us. The biggest problem with this run is on the cycle path near Loch Lomond Castle where the car headlights blind you and makes it impossible to see the path. Anyway, it was fairly steady back to the club although we added a loop round the Lomond Shores as Mr Garmin was warning us we were short of 12 miles by a simple out and back. At the end of the run, Steph and I ran along Middleton St whilst Ger, Jimmy and Ian went along the Main St, all arriving together. My Garmin told me i had about .05 of a mile to do so ran round to the car park whilst the other stopped just before the centre, but I didn't see them again as I met two of Jim's group in the car park so stopped for a blether. By the time I walked back the others had gone. Sorry! Pretty stiff this morning so I've left my run to this afternoon with JogScotland tonight to build some more miles at an easy pace. Race this Sunday at Alloa so if I get the miles in early this week I can ahave a day off on Saturday to rest up. I've never run Alloa as I normally run the Balloch to Clydebank, so it's something to look forward to.Hopefully it'll give me an idea of my fitness although I'm feeling pretty good and free of previous injury.

Racing Coos

2009-03-14T19:40:00.002Z

Back running again this week although little to blog about. Achilles Tendon responded well to some self massage, RICE, and some damn good stretches sent to me by Billy the Shoe I will also be using the more advanced exercises in future to strengthen the tendons. They can be found here.
After an easy run on Tuesday, when I skived off the club group after a couple of miles, as they were heading for them thar hills and I just wanted to run without risking injury, I had the unexpected bonus of bumping into Debbie, out without Cairn and having a nice easy run. That made two of us and I spent just over a couple of miles in her company. JogScotland on Wednesday, and another couple of runs both off road has well and truly tested the suspect tendon and my calfs are fine too.
I used the experience to do some nosing about some new routes and met a couple of new friends as a result. Funnily enough they are mothers too and had their off spring with them as I tried to pass them on my ascent of the Kipperoch Road from Cardross. The farmers had been out in their company cars and the going underfoot was reminiscent of the farm at Crianlarich with which all WHW runners will be familiar. Suddenly I was face to face with the two mothers and their calves, on a narrow section of road and no passing places. Fortunately the mums were in training for the bovine WHW and set off ahead of me, although I left one of the calfs trailing in my wake. Then one of the mothers tail's raised as if by magic. Sidestepping like Mike Blair round an Irishman, I just managed to avoid an unwelcome spray of the stuff we think of as a good country smell. They soon decided I was too fast for them and they ran off into a field. I made the descent towards the Renton Road but, about 25 yards before it, turned sharp right on a track marked Hawthornhill 1k. That should have taken me behind Castlehill, a wild west outpost in Dumbarton that I used to patrol as a Dumbarton beat cop. Never used this path though, and as the track split giving me a choice, and taking probably the wrong option (me?) soon found myself running out of path and into waterlogged fields. The other path might have taken me through the Knowetop Community Farm and would have been a slightly longer option to the route I took. It would have been drier anyway. The path should have come down behind some houses and onto a known right of way, but unfortunately the cooncil signs about dumping had been ignored and the local alkies had turned it into a glass strewn deathtrap, so I used some stairs and paths down through the houses and back to the village by road. A really strong wind gusting to over 50 mph made it a slow turn back to Cardross slowing me to a stop on two occasions. I'll bet the guys and gals doing the Glasgow to Edinburgh double marathon will set some cracking times given that breeze at their back.

Marshall Spectator

2009-03-08T19:30:00.004Z

To Balloch for the 1/2 marathon this morning. Not a nice day for it either, with torrential hailstones on the Carman Moor on the way over. Nice to see so many runners, the race being full two weeks or so ago. hence my lack of entry, but as I am currently resting, I'm glad I saved the money. My marshaling point was on the Renton Rd, at the Clenny Dept Recycling Centre, a busy place on a Dumbarton Sunday morning. I took the camera and was fortunate enough to be able to take some photos between watching over my runners and drivers, and keeping them apart!
Following the passing of the Last Runner Steward, I gave one of the other marshalls a lift to Clydebank where his girlfriend was assisting with the goody bags. He was Stewart, who is into Mountain Marathons although not into racing so doesn't do much in the way of road running. Tried to talk him into some "Flinging" but I don't think the charms of Conic Hill were what turns him on. Anyway on ariving I was able to take a few more photos. All I can say is that I am glad I don't work with the old 35mm or my film expenses would be horrendous. Spoke to Marco afterwards who was disappointed with his 78 minutes for the distance. Two minutes slower than last year, but last year he hadn't preceded it with a 31 mile trot on the WHW! I did comment that he was moving faster last week when he passed me. He agreed, but this time I was standing still when he passed rather than trying to stay ahead of him.
Photos from the race here and here

I've got my feet up.

2009-03-07T10:13:00.003Z

Unfortunately they are on cushions with an ice pack over my right achilles tendon which is puffed like an adder. And I'm on anti-inflammatory pills. The tightness I've been feeling has developed into something a bit more alarming although, conversely, I am feeling less stiffness - but there are some wee stings not unlike getting a jag. Hopefully it is just an instance where the sub-conscious brain has taken over from the runner's brain to protect me from myself. So no running for a few days although I'll still be on duty at the Balloch to Clydebank and if duty permits I'll get the camera out for some pics. At worst I'll jump in the car and get to the finish or nearby for some action shots.

It Snowed!

2009-03-05T20:37:00.003Z

Knowing how disappointed I was with the lack of snow, I woke to white grass this morning,but with aching calfs and achilles tendon despite all sorts of remedial work over the past couple of days. Last night I had my usual group out for 70 minutes last night and they managed about 6 and a 1/2 miles at a good steady pace. One of the girls, who had struggled last week, described herself as feeling "F*****g fantastic" last night. That cheered me up. This group are a delight to work with. All moans to start with but once running are fine. They are very supportive of each other and looking forward to some target races in the spring. Three of them have entered the Grangemouth 10k later this month. The others are looking at the Womens 10k or Race for Life 5ks. They are well ahead of their target training and will surprise themselves come race day!
Only three in the group tonight, snow gone, as JR took his group for hill reps at the hill from the roundabout to the railway bridge on Main St, Alexandria. Jimmy Mack and I were happy to have an easy run round the Vale 10k route, extended a wee bit to 6.5 miles. Richard came with us and we dawdled round in just over 59 minutes, although it felt faster due to tired legs. A quick shower and into the cafe area for a quick word with the girls who were having a meeting about their relay teams for the Fling. When I left Ali was describing the Loch Lomondside leg of the relay. I'm sure they'll enjoy it!
Jim Robertson brought some old club memorabilia with him tonight and I borrowed a booklet dated 1975 that is a history of the Vale of Leven AC. I have had a quick perusal and there are some interesting articles. I asked Jim if I could copy it as there is mention of Lachie Stewart who ran with the Vale prior to joining Shettleston. It is my intention to give the copy to Glen to pass on, although if I know Lachie, he'll have his copy somewhere! Some good reading and some of the problems in running in 2009 seem to have been about for a bit longer than we think!

Splish Splash

2009-03-03T22:10:00.003Z

Despite the BBC weather report trying it's best to tell us it was snowing, the nearest it came was some sleet on the way home from training. Otherwise it was business as usual, wet, heavy rain. Club run scheduled for 12 miles tonight but this time avoiding hills to allow some recovery after the WHW training run on Sunday.About 8 of us set off on the 12 miler with JR taking his squad on a shorter run. (Nice to welcome two more JogScotland ladies to the club including my porrige eating pal Helen.)
So we set off towards Renton, across the footbridge and through the industrial estate and out to Dumbarton where we ran the traditional "Round the Horn" circuit. Brian and I were, as usual, out in front and as we started to reach the point where we headed back to the Vale, realised that we would have to do some creative thinking to get the 12 miles in. So we started a second loop, running back down to the Central station and back along the Renton Rd, rather than returning via the outward journey. That aded a mile or just over to the run finishing 11.4 miles in 1hr 46. The run along the Renton Rd was very much waterlogged, not good news for those running the Balloch to Clydebank 1/2 marathon on Sunday. I missed my entry as the race list closed at 500 entries so it's stewarding duty for me. I'll be at the bottom of the A82 off ramp on Renton Rd about 3 and a 1/2 miles into the race.

TheBrown Stuff Hits More Than The Fan

2009-03-02T19:18:00.003Z

Taking my lead from the advice given to John Kynaston by his Hampden Sports Injury Clinic assessor, I decided that, since I was hirpling about the house like an older man, I would try some cross training to ease the tightness in my legs. Off to the Meadow Centre where I started with some cycling (easy setting) and after 10 minutes doing 30 second bursts with one minute recovery. Only on the bike for 20 minutes as I intended getting into the pool with time tight as my son was working in the sports hall and finished at 5. As always he was looking for a lift home and, as always was in a hurry. Got my swim shorts on and went to hand my locker key in to be told that the pool had just been closed as someone had done a number 2 in it! I was allowed in to the sauna, and after 10 minutes, showered and was ready for my taxi duties.
I must say though, the visit to the gym did wonders for my muscles and I feel ready for a run tomorrow. I will be avoiding the hills until later in the week though!

You can do it without back-up

2009-03-01T21:37:00.003Z

Especially when it's Debs and Cairn who are your back up! Of that more later.

It's been a bad week, Jogscotland on Wednesday 5.5miles and then Thursday's aborted reps. Probably too much good running, after Saturday's 24 miler, led to really sore knees on Wednesday so although I enjoyed Wednesday's JogScotland due to the efforts of the group, I really felt my knees and started icing them on my return home. On Thursday, I walked a bit but wasn't happy with what my knees were telling me. Common sense says don't run but Thursday is a club WHW training night and I went along hoping it was one of those "don't make a drama out of a crisis" moments. Jogged out to Balloch Park, fine. Started the reps which should have been 6 x 800m hill reps on the long climb from the main gate. Fine at the start whilst climbing gradually, but as soon as we hit a downhill, and it's only a wee drop that I wouldn't notice normally, I got shooting pains through the kneecap and stopped immediately. Jogged back to where JR's group were doing their hills and spoke to Linda who looks after my aging limbs. Agreed with my suspicions that the quads were gubbed and just to prove it, ran a single uphill stride on a steep Vale street. Fine. Walked down. Sore. Quads! Jogged back to club which made about 5 miles slow running. And pondered on the running done over the past week. I was asking for it. 24 miles on trail, Quad busting descent early on a run on Monday and running on a hilly 12 miler with a bit too much enthusiasm = danger of injury. Rested up Friday and Saturday using ice treatment and heat on Saturday before starting with clubmates Geraldine, Jimmy and Ian and Rab and Mark (and Molly his dog) at 0830 on Sunday for the 31 miles from Inverarnan to Kingshouse.
That gave us an hours start over the scheduled starting time of the rest of the group. We set off steadily before Rab and I headed off into the Ewich Forest ahead of the others. We immediately went into walking the uphills mode and it seemed to suit us all. Very muddy in places although I thought the area around the farm before Ewich wasn't quite as bad as last week! Still shitty though! Nice running in the Ewich area before the run to Auchtertyre where I started to get my mental state messed with..... by a back-up As we approached what will be the checkpoint on WHW race day I was startled by a loud blast on a car horn. Debs and Cairn, boy that kid has a heavy hand on the horn. A rebuke from Debs for wearing too much. She thought the sweat I was leaking was indicative of over heating and suggested I was training for the Marathon de Sables. I have news for Debbie. Sweat is not an indicator of fitness or over-heating! I break out in a sweat if I walk past a kebab shop and all I was wearing was a Helly Hansen long sleeve shirt and my trusty Montane Venture EVent jacket that does exactly as it says on the tin. It's freezing under it. Debbie asked me to divest myself of my very light load, but I declined feeling really comfortable.
On reaching Tyndrum in 2hrs 50, there she was again. Which meant that Marco must be through Auchtertyre! Or Debs was stalking me. "Yep. He's coming after you." Then, "Why don't you give me your stuff. I'll see you at all the checkpoints." So I gave her a bottle of diluted Ribena. And never saw her again. Until Kingshouse where she greeted me with "I hope you didn't get de-hydrated!!!" Anyway Marco, running light... shouldn't be allowed, flashed past midway to Bridge of Orchy. He ran the 31 in about 4.45 and was well into his beer when I arrived.
Into Bridge of Orchy at 4 hours and a few minutes and Rab dropped back as he had planned to eat here. Mark and Molly came past at this point, having caught us before Tyndrum and stopping for some food for Molly. We walked the uphill out of B of O, Molly suddenly appearing beside me when I had a snack, shared it, then buggered off back to Mark when she realised it was finished. They soon disappeared into the distance at Inveroran and shortly after this Thomas came flying past, followed by a few others including Neal and Harvey (another dog)which means at least three contenders for the Fling dog race. By this time I was struggling on the uphills over Rannoch Moor, being encouraged by Neal telling me how much he hated it!
The arrival of sleet and snow on the Rannoch Moor summit confirmed that my decision not to divest my clothing at Debbies command was a good idea. It was bloody freezing! However, the sight of Kingshouse as I crested the ridge was terrific, although I soon realised it was further away than it looked! Not helped by the old fellow who asked if I shouldn't be running! Although passed by Aileen and John in the last few hundred yards my finishing time of 6.46 was good enough for me! I got in just ahead of the posse, justifying the hour start. A quick change in the pub toilet before grabbing a lift from John and Aileen back to the Drovers car park. And home in time for a nice tea with my son's new girlfriend, Hazel.

Lost??

2009-02-25T11:49:00.003Z

Reading Pacepusher's blog where he took his dog Harvey for a walk and lost him, reminds me of my recent outing with Millies where they considered me lost but I considered they meant missing.

Two stories come to mind; My wife's grandfather apparently asked his father if something is lost if you know where it is. "Of course not!" said father. "That's all right then, if you're looking for your anchor it's at the bottom of Loch Fyne."

The other relates to my own dog, Cher, who was left at my in-laws whilst we were on holiday a number of years ago. Cher is a German Shepherd, now sadly getting stiff and old (they do say the dog and the master get to be like each other - I'll say it first!)but then was a sprightly year old dog who, when my in laws were out, managed to get through a slightly opened window that should have been too hard to reach! On their return said in-laws searched high and low for her, and my brother-in-laws family were also out looking. As my in-laws stay on the A82 and beside farmland they were convinced that she had been hit by a car or, worse, shot by a farmer. 36 hours later my brother-in-law heard a dog bark and looked out to see Cher sitting on their doorstep. She had been at their house once before, although she had contact with his family on a regular basis, and had never been walked there from my in-laws. How she got from one house to the other, right to the doorstep, is uncanny. I'm sure she inherits it from me. The number of times I made it home from the pub, when the laws of nature and physics say I should be lying in a ditch sound asleep, was amazing.

Anway, enough doggy tales. Last night I went along to the club for a 12 miler, having failed to get out in the morning. I really wanted an easy run so tucked in at the back of a pack of six. However, I kept running into the back of Richard and Jimmy and as we crossed a junction at the Vale Hospital, moved to the front for a blether with Geraldine. Brian moved to the front too, and the two of us were left alone at Lomond Shores. I told Brian I was looking for a slow run, and he said he was tired after a long run on Monday which, combined with his shifts had left him feeling fatigued. Twice we slowed right down to allow the others to catch up, but by the time we had reached the top of a loop through Mollanbowie, they were no longer behind us. We cracked on, onto the Horseshoe and both of us, usually at different times unfortunately, felt strong and the pace got faster. A couple of truces were called but made no difference, as it soon picked up again. Strangely, we didn't pass a single car on the Horseshoe, which was a blessing as neither of us had a headlamp, relying on natural light to get us round. No time noted, as neither of us had looked at a watch when we left the club, but exertion wise it was 8 out of 10 with the odd hill topping that. It's funny how the good runs come when you least expect them!

My Wife's on Holiday!

2009-02-23T20:06:00.003Z

For two weeks, too! Except for a course she has to attend tomorrow, I have her company for 14 days. Great! We never get enough time together and the first day? She went for lunch with her pals and I was left with the ironing. Well, OK, it was the same ironing I was doing on Friday but still...
On her return I was ready to run and we went to see her Mum and Dad for coffee and biccies and to see how he got on at the doctor this morning. Good news regarding a wee problem he was having so a bit of relief for Mairi. I ran home from their house which is about six and a half miles although the route I took to avoid traffic took me an extra mile. I started by running along the private road they stay on and then down a steep, quad bashing hill to the quarry gate at the Bowling roundabout. On arrival at which I found locked! No Probs! Three or four years ago it would have been a slog back up the hill but having lost a few pounds since then including 7 pounds in the past few weeks, I just lay down and slid under. Trust me, there were a few years in my life that would have been impossible.
A nice steady run with a few road crossings in rush hour slowing it to 71 minutes. Traffic fumes were bad where I met them but the cycle track through Dumbarton and some back streets to avoid the main roads eased things but made me realise the benefits of night time training with Millies and off road running whenever possible.
Mairi's course is in Glasgow tomorrow. If I'm driving her up I'll go dressed to run and perhaps head for Pollok Park for a few miles, but I'll still aim to get to the club at night, adjusting the length of my club run to suit. We'll see what the morning brings.

Glee Club

2009-02-21T20:11:00.004Z

Picked up at 0830 this morning to get a head start on the Glee Club's run from Inverarnan to Tyndrum. Jim wanted to get away as it takes him a while to get going and I must say I sympathise these days. Today's run took my weeks mileage to 71, a previously unheard of level, so it took me a wee while to get going too! An easy run from the Drover's to Carmyle before the splash through the climb to Ewich Forest. The cattle had obviously been on the curries this week. This was one of the parts of the WHW that I was unfamiliar with and those Millies who have been up there before me were sure to let me know it was a toughie. I didn't find it too bad, but I was sticking with Jim at this point so perhaps the pace made it easier, but I was aware from what I was running that it was going to be worse on the way back. Towards the end of the descent we were caught by Aileen, John and Jamie from the following group and I got the message from Jim to head on as he would have plenty of company from then on to Tyndrum. Right I thought "I'm off" and immediately lost it on the descent to the A82 and went over on my ankle. No real damage though and the run through Strathfillan to Tyndrum was fine, except that I was caught by Keith "Corn Beef" Hughes and his mate(?) Norman. That meant I had to put up with a "race commentary" into the Fling Finish line with a dip finish from guess who to win the world title.
Soup in the Green Welly set us up for the home leg, and after after being dumped by JR who told me not to wait on him and his new running partner Ellen, I set off feeling refreshed from our break. Ran fine until climbing through Ewich, as tough as I'd thought, temperature inside my jacket rising, until I decided to take it off, at which point I was passed by Keith and three others. Run/walk from there to the top of the hill and down through the farmyard smells to the A82 before I was forced to replace the jacket due to being freezing. As I did so I suddenly felt the right Hammy tweek, although why I put the jacket over my head as I stepped onto the flight of stairs at the A82,only I can tell(donkey).
Simultaneously, I suddenly lost energy and I had run out of fruit juice and couldn't face a Trek bar. So it was a struggle from there, although a Robertson loop (navigational error? Me?) didn't help. Garmin showed that the last 12 miles completed were done in 2.45. Good enough for me as I wanted to run at a realistic pace and as I'd now done 70 miles this week (did I mention that?) I wasn't expecting a fast time.
Some light refreshment in the Drover's afterwards, good company and lot's of laughs, although Jamie who had spent the night there certainly doesn't recommend an overnight stay! And did you know that the Loch Lomond Mongoose was hunted to extinction and the only remaining example is a stuffed and mounted one in the Drover's snug?

Club night reps

2009-02-19T21:22:00.003Z

To the club for Thursday night rep session, this time intervals on the 1.1k Polaroid Estate circuit. This is rectangular and the session is run all four sides with one side jog recovery.That means alternate recovery of short leg and long leg. Plenty involved at various paces and as we started at different times due to different warm up distances and pace we all had someone to chase most of the way round. I must say I wasn't looking forward to it but once started felt I put in a good session of 6 reps after a 2+ mile warmup, albeit not the fastest I've run. As I am intending attending the Glee club organised run from Inverarnan to Tyndrum and back on Saturday I was a bit apprehensive as I think I made that mistake a few weeks ago when I did the Balloch Park session before the WHW group run which was a disaster. However, as JR is coming on Saturday, we are leaving the Drovers at 9 (to give the old fella plenty of time :-)) so I might just manage this one! Give him his due though he'll be back out on Sunday with Mad Jim Drummond at Aberfoyle. I'll be thinking of them! Measured tonight's session at 9.5 miles making 45.5 already this week so Saturday will top that off nicely. That gives me tomorrow off. The ironing awaits.

Easy Running

2009-02-18T22:16:00.003Z

After starting the week with some hard work, I decided the club run on Tuesday would be at an easier pace than I usually manage and the absence of some of the regulars helped create the necessary ambience. But prior to starting I had another sighting of Debs and Cairn, risking life and limb by crossing the road in front of me again. They don't know how dangerous that can be!
Although still a good turn out numerically, only Ian and Garry of my normal group were there as was Stefan, an occasional guest. I sent the three of them off on what they eventually turned into about 8 miles round Balloch, Mollanbowie, Haldane and Old Bonhill. A fairly undulating run in places! That left me running with Catherine. Normally one of JR's group, but really a much better runner than she thinks she is! Anyway, although I still managed to have an easy run, I managed to get her out of her comfort zone..... nicely though. She worked really hard on Mollanbowie, had a breather when we caught JR's lot who had taken a shortcut and gotten ahead of us, then worked even harder round Haldane before heading through Jamestown and over the Bonhill Bridge with just one more hill to go. She was asked, and said she was ok so Catherine had the pleasure of running the full length of the hill right to the railway bridge and getting faster all the way up until she was sprinting at the top.
And she loved it so much and was so chuffed with her effort that I got a hug!
A slow jog back to the club to cool off and then she got to claim bragging rights over Jim's group who took another shortcut back to the club.
Catherine's 10k PB of 52 minutes will tumble this year! Note to Debs; training partner?

Tonight's Jog Scotland group was a bit depleted but still 8 in the group setting off for about 5 miles to add to the three I did prior to meeting them. All easy miles although I did have to work hard for a while when one of the girls set off on a mission. I ran after her to tell her to adjust the route to take account of the time we had still to run and that was the last I saw her as she sped off into the distance. Apparently she had eaten some porridge oats and needed to run off the energy! Add that to the WHW menu.

Change of Plan.... and Scenery

2009-02-17T10:34:00.003Z

On Sunday night, as I put away my laptop after writing a final paragraph about doing a long run on Monday, my wife suggested that, as she was having to attend a course in Glasgow and bearing in mind her hatred of city driving and me making plans,I might like to take her in and return for her, cutting four hours out of MY day. But there's always plan B! So after coming home to change, I drove to Mugdock with the intention of running some of the WHW and getting a bit of trail in within the park as a bonus. So far so good. I parked at the visitor centre, planning on a coffee at the finish of my session and set off downhill to find the Way path at the bottom. After a few Robertson loops (lost!) I got to the Way to find that these wee blue and white signs that I saw flashing past me as I descended were actually way markers for a divertion caused by tree fellers, and that to get back to the Way I would have to ascend the path I had just descended! "Like $@*&" I thought and went for plan C, a lap of the Milngavie reservoirs. Flat, boring and windy, but with an ascent to the start of my lap that made up for it...... a bit. Plan D then kicked in with some more Robertson loops that took me from the bottom right side of the park noticeboard map, to the top left without really having a clue where I was, necessitating a request from a dog walker for directions back to the visitor centre, a destination about a mile east of where I thought it should be. Never mind, great trails, paths and shoe sucking MUD negotiated totalling just under 10 miles by Garmin, that could have been a mere 5 or 6 had I known where I was going. Got back to the car to find that my good lady was going to be expecting me at 4.30 in Glasgow and wanted to go to Braehead on the way home! And me in my best shopping attire, tracksuit bottoms and muddy trainers. So I missed out on my coffee but managed home and showered and back to the big bad city in plenty of time.En route, a sighting of Debs and Cairn risking life and limb crossing the junction that I was turning into at the Renton by-pass(doesn't she know about my driving). Debs doesn't seem to be doing "putting her feet up". A quick visit to the "Waterstones" shopping centre in Renfrew, (why do they have these other shops when they could fit more books into the space?)and home for tea.

Inspiration....... from a 4 yr old

2009-02-15T17:28:00.003Z

After posting Fridays episode I set off on a local run in the village, achieved by running about 1200 metres in village streets in a 5 mile run:-). That remark aimed at a reader who got dizzy running round the village streets. Out of the house, up the Carman road, through St Peter's College and the golf course, round past the primary, up Darleith Road, through Drumhead, down Red Rd to the A814 and back along to my house. Plenty of options to extend it without crossing my path or using the same street twice! Suffering a bit of pain around my Achilles; possibly from last weeks walk.
No running on Saturday due to domestic duties in preparation for some visitors in the afternoon. My sister Anne, neice Sarah Jane, nephew Ally and Sarah Jane's two sons Jack (6) and Darren (4). My son Andrew is a casual leisure assistant in the Meadow Centre, in Dumbarton and regularly works with disabled kids through a group called Shining Stars. Darren has special needs and we thought that it would be agood idea to bring him up from Irvine to see how he got on at the group. The Saturday sessions are set up so that other family members can participate so we all went along. Jack soon found himself in 6 yr old heaven with someone paid to play football with him, but Darren was brilliant, absolutely loving being on the huge, bouncy castle-type, agility aparatus. I will admit to getting the shoes off and trying it with him, but he alone could climb the ladder to the top of the slide.(I don't think the steps are designed for 6'1" 14 1/2 stone adults. He had a ball and when Andrew took him on the trampoline it made his day. Darren has overcome a lot; even to walk has taken a lot of practice and patience, building muscles and getting coordinated enough to put one foot in front of another. He also has communication problems,although he is more than capable of getting his way!
The whole day was magical and makes me realise how lucky I am to be capable of training for the events I tackle.
Some time ago his parents were asked to pay a lot of money for the specially designed tricycle (in the picture above) to aid him in developing his leg muscles. Either that or wait a long time for funding, which would have delayed the progress he has made. They were about to start some fund-raising, when a mystery benefactor stepped in to pay, for which they are very grateful. However, I reckon that I could take the opportunity to do some fund-raising when I'm running the Fling and the WHW race, in order that, if they are in that situation again, they would have the money available. So add that to my goals. One problem will be that I can't use Just-giving or similar sites as I'm not raising for a registered charity. It'll just have to be the old fashioned sponsor sheets then!

Run today also affected by their visit. Tidying up! Then, of course, I was obliged to sit and watch the Old Firm match, and how boring was that? Saw Everton's first goal before setting off on an easy paced run which turned into a 10 miler, although it finished with the run(and walk!) over the Carman Hill road from the Renton side. Back in time to see the players shake hands and thought that would start off John Kynaston's week nicely. Pity Derby couldn't do the business! By the way, the Derby v Man U game was on Sky channel 993 (ITV London). Too late now, but maybe you'll remember for the 6th round!
Plan for this week involves a long run tomorrow and an attempt to do another on the WHW on Saturday.

Club run in snow....not in snow...in snow

2009-02-13T12:51:00.004Z

Snow. Nice to look at, nice to run in when it's fresh, but why can't it just disappear all at once never to re-appear until it's ready to snow hard? Last night I appeared at the club to find JR heading out to do hill reps, but cutting back on the reps per set per hill, if you follow me, that meant I would have had to do an extra rep on my own per set or do a full set of hills after the rest finished. Steph meantime was staying off the hills as he is doing the Carnethy 5 on Saturday and decided to do a 10miler out into the cycle track besuide the A82 beyond thge Carrick Golf Course and return. So 4 of us set off on that with Steph and Geraldine taking it a bit slower than yours truly and Brian. Mainly good surface for running but every now and again we would hit slushy, slippy snow or rutted crunchy stuff that does nothing for me except tighten the muscles in preparation for what my pea-sized brain anticipates...... a fall!
Fortunately I didn't fall but by the time I hit the climb out of Duck Bay on the old Luss road, the one covered in aforesaid crunchy icy stuff my muscles were tighter than a tight thing and I had to stop for a stretch and slow down. A pity because it was a nice run until then, apart from the white stuff!
Checking my e-mails this morning I found this from my neice and I post it without comment except to say that it continues the driving theme that the Subversive Runner started on his site.

A testing run at JogScotland!

2009-02-11T22:36:00.001Z

After Saturday's long walk in the hills I was a bit tender around the left knee, nothing serious but a wee bit worrying as I've had some bad experiences in the past with knees like footballs. Laying off running until Wednesday as a precaution, although I'd probably have gone to the club on Tuesday had I not arranged to travel to Embra for the Run and Become Training and Inspiration night. An excellent series of speakers, even if some did waffle on a bit :-)
Very informative and often inspiring, in particular the twins Pauline and Fiona whose enthusiasm for the race was infectious. My passenger for the journey was Jim Robertson who, much against his wishes was called to the floor with (Mad) Jim Drummond (25 goblets between them). Both very forthright with their views and although they have decent PB's for the race, base their preparations on good old fashioned LSD. Long, Slow, Distance. And LESD. Long Even Slower Distance! JR had previously warned me about running on the WHW training runs organised by John Kynaston, knowing, probably, that I couldn't live with the faster runners who take part. In hindsight, he was right. On the first run I got tight calfs running at what I thought was a comfortable pace for the distance, forgetting that I was on an alien surface with serious technical sections. I was knackered on arriving at Inversnaid and got injured on the way back. On the second, most of the group just ran away from me. Now that was fine, I don't expect people to wait for me, but it made it a long run although I turned back early and ran about half the planned distance. That's not to say I was slowest, but,I would have been much better starting an hour earlier. I wanted to be part of the "team" though and paid for it! I was glad to see that Ian Beattie also covered that in his talk and, although he still runs in the groups, doesn't get caught up in the "racing". JR made comment re these training runs, which I thought was a bit unfair, as no-one has to go on them, but his point that some may be put off by reading the times taken to run them and (compared to their own ability) may be discouraging runners was valid. However, that is where the information available to entrants these days, given the website, forum, blogs and e-mail gives us an advantage compared to those running a few years ago (see Ian Beatties talk).
Anyway,nice to put faces to a few names I see on the blogs and forums and look forward to meeting many more.
Back to running tonight, and after procrastinating all day about doing an easy run to try my knee, decided to go over early to JogScotland and run with Jim's group that starts an hour earlier than mine. Lottery on and papers bought saw me a bit late and playing catch up, before jogging slowly to say hello to the girls in his group. Stayed with them, on a three(ish) mile loop, with a few strides to see how the knee reacted and pushing hard up a couple of hills I detoured onto. Everything was fine so I took 12(!) out in my group, including the daughter of a "Flinger". Watch this space as she is a nice runner who is probably a good runner in the making. All managed the first run of the "Advanced level 1" with ease although it was a bit fast in places for a couple, but after explaining that I was there to run with them and not push the fast ones they settled into it and I fully expect them to stay on course.A couple of efforts where I ran from back to the front to keep the leaders on course gave the knee a good try out and absolutely no problems experienced. Must stop turning dramas into crises!

Luss Hills in the Snow

2009-02-08T13:23:00.003Z

Up at 8am on Saturday meeting Steph, Geraldine, Ian and Jimmy to travel the 15 minutes to the bottom of Luss Glen before running up the glen road to Edentaggart Farm. Just before the farmhouse we left the road to start the steep climb to Beinn Eich. On a very cold day, windy in exposed places, sometimes causing a list to the side of about 45 degrees, I started to struggle immediately, hard to breath although the legs felt ok. And by the way; this is not a post about running to borrow a phrase from the Subversive Runner. More a tale of hard walking, good views and a few original methods of progressing and stopping as the icy, snow covered tops and slopes required. Along the west side of the ridge, after a warning from Steph that the ridge top would be a bit(?) treacherous, to Beinn Lochain and Doune Hill, captivating views of the Firth of Clyde as far as Ailsa Craig and Arran, and north to the Arrochar hills and beyond. Many descents only possible by sliding on our bums with shoes braking or inching across ice covered snow ready to fall at any time, Geraldine's screams and giggles punctuating the odd curse from the males in the party. One nasty moment when I slid down and my left leg went through the ice, my knee taking the brunt of the sudden braking. After rather gingerly picking myself up, there appeared to be no damage done although I was a bit more careful from that point on and when, when descending Doune Hill into Glen Mollochan and climbing to Midhill, the others started to run I was a bit reluctant to join the dash for the top. Until Midhill we had the place to ourselves other than the solitary sighting of a lone walker about 5 miles behind on Beinn Eich. However after that point we met a few groups of two walkers before it turned into Sauchiehall St on Beinn Dubh. A pause at the cairn to wait our turn to get past a group of about 30 walkers then Steph sprinted off, followed by Jimmy and Ian. I walked. I don't do downhill. Neither does Geraldine. Good day though. Better repeated in friendlier conditions although it's a long time since I had such fun sliding (when it wasn't painful!). Thinking back it was like being a kid again, re-enacting the D-Day landings on the beach before climbing the Blue Billy bing (of sainted memory) a wonderful playground razed to build the Magnum at Irvine. Then we fought the German occupiers all along the bing before the reward of escaping down the slidy bit at the east side, ripping more than one pair of shorts over the years! Oh Happy Days!

Spam and Ice

2009-02-05T21:26:00.003Z

Jogscotland last night was a case of keeping them going on a slippery surface on which the girls were not at all happy. Therefore the run was slow and slower! Never mind, one more in the group than last week though for the life of me I can't remember which one was the extra, and with one of JR's group also running with me tonight there must have been two others.... senility, senility. The result of picking my way through snow and ice this week is an iffy knee that keeps hinting at collapsing under me.
At the club tonight it was a case of "It's Thursday, It Must Be Hill Reps". Off to the Mollanbowie Estate, Balloch's very own Spam Valley. Where every corner on the right is the start of a rep, running the full length of the street jogging back to the start of the next street for recovery. Each hill is different in length and incline with the last one probably the longest. One set this time with the threat of a second set next time we do 'em. Looking forward to it already! With a couple of miles each way to and from the estate it still tots up a total of 7.5 miles for the session. I intended starting off with a bit of care because of the knee, but as soon as I started running at a decent pace it was OK. Felt it a bit when running slower so I don't think there's any serious damage.
Tea and chips and cheese with JR afterwards undoing any fat loss from the session.

Counting Hits and Miles

2009-02-03T21:21:00.003Z

Spent yesterday evening trying to work out how to get a web counter on the blog. Not easy for a technophobe, but I was desperate to see if I was talking to myself. All I need to do now is find out if it counts me logging on to see how many have logged on!
28 in just under 24 hours so at least someone's reading.
To the club tonight where two groups set off on fairly long runs. JR taking his group to Dumbarton and Marco making another appearance to lead us round an extended Horseshoe in reverse to the normal direction with an add on loop through Lomond Shores to add a mile for a total of 11 per schedule. Setting off we ran into traffic problems and with Brian and Marco in front crossing ahead of the cars, by the time we reached the Bonhill Bridge they were already onto the Jamestown road, never to be seen again. I ran with Garry and apart from a short period where he had to tie his laces we pretty much ran ourselves as Jimmy, Geraldine, Ian and Richard followed on. It was a beautiful, clear, moonlit night with enough frost to make it tricky underfoot and a good steady pace a must. Very hilly (in my opinion more so in this direction) but at least I could see where the hills led this time. Good blethering made time stretch a bit, as it seems to take much longer to run the 7 or so miles on the country roads as it does in daylight. It's also amazing how many houses there are up there, as in daylight you don't notice them all but at night when they're lit up they are all the more visible. One strange moment when a car drew up beside us and the lady driver asked what club we were with. Don't know if she wants to join or she is one of these people who don't think runners should be allowed on her country road. I await further developments! We're all pretty well appropriately dressed for running in the dark and most of us had headlamps, the real reason for running in the dark being to get used to running with them. So if she is going to complain she will be quoted the bit from the Highway Code about drivers being at a speed to react to any eventuality! Then again if she wants to join us her house is handy for a water station.
Off to yet another funeral tomorrow, an ex-colleague who was tragically killed on the M8 a fortnight ago. Diane came onto my shift when she joined, dead keen and a very confident, capable officer. She was in the CID and possibly heading for one of the elite Crime Squads, with a great career ahead of her. Sadly missed and I'm sure there will be a huge turnout for a special person's farewell.

A golf course round

2009-02-02T16:14:00.003Z

Quite then best fun I've had on the course for a long time. £700 better off and free of club regulations prohibiting me from running thereon, I set off over the snow clad fairways for a bit of fun; additional to what I'd have on a schedule,as I'd normally have a day off on Monday. However a slower than normal Sunday run and a cancellation by Linda of a scheduled massage gave me a window to have a run on the course, as my now ex-fellow members sat in the lounge looking wistfully at the snow and wishing that snow was red in order that the balls would be visible. 18 holes, in reverse, meant I ran the steepest hill right at the start, although that gave me the benefit of running the 17th downhill. Steep and known to club members as "Heart Attack Hill", in memory of a past captain whose sudden death on the slope I had to report to the Procurator Fiscal some years ago. The first mile was a long one by Garmin as due to a lost pin I had it in my pocket and therefore the 11.57 was ridiculously inaccurate for a mile! The course is a hilly one and run in reverse mainly has the hills in the first nine. Now carrying the Garmin in my hand, 8.30 was a bit more like it for mile 2 and 7.07 and 7.30 reflected the mainly down hill aspect of the "front nine" again in reverse. About 2 or 3 inches of snow pretty much all the way round meant that I had my wits about me as it was shallow enough to allow some sliding, but the Inov8 Mudrocs, hardly used since being purchased 4 or 5 years ago, kept me firmly on course with only a couple of blips, mainly due to lack of concentration, stretching the tendons. Good fun, and I'm looking forward to repeating it in better weather, although greens staff and early morning members will require me to run at first light to avoid disrupting play. Forecast for more snow Tuesday and Wednesday gives rise to the hope of at least two more similar runs that will insure against being unable to run on roads later in the day.
Popped into The Coachhouse for some coke and soup, and found myself talking to a wee guy who's (apparently!)in the pub most days. Turns out he's an ex Comrades marathoner, who did most of his running in S.Africa but now walks most days on the Clydeshore or Carman. Tales of his running days made the soup so tasty I came home and put a pot on!

Another New Muir

2009-02-01T21:41:00.004Z

It's only when you look at the OS maps (in this case Loch Lomond South), that you realise how many moors surround the Dumbarton and Vale of Leven. In my past two long runs I've managed to knock off quite a few of them. They're all rough running and today's was rough walking! I met JR, Ali,Sandra and Christine at 8am for one of Jim's "local" runs. That only means we leave the car at the club car park. Where you end up is in the lap of the running Gods. To be fair, he often talks about these runs, but today's run was new to me, at least after we'd climbed to Pappert Well. Thereafter, we ran through the trees at the back of the trig point and across the moor to a cairn, before heading east (away from where I thought we'd be going, but that's JR) towards a fir plantation. At this point the (mainly flat) terrain consists of knee high tussocks of grass, moss, potholes and water, lots of cold water. I'm sure my next running injury will be chilblains! After about a mile and a half of this, a loup over a burn and nearly a loup over another one before I spotted a landrover track that saved the leap, we reached the trees and thereafter it was pretty easy running along a forest road, farm roads and back towards the Auchencarroch Horseshoe beloved of runners in the Vale. Arriving back after about 3 and a half hours of slow running/walking in WHW mode. Probably covered in the region of 15 Robertsons, a measure of distance that can be plus or minus whatever your guess is!
Only problem is bit of a clicky knee that has come about as a result of my wife lying on my leg when I was sleeping the other night. Woke up to a shooting pain in the knee. No great problem I hope but annoying.

Finish Strong

2009-01-30T18:22:00.001Z

Just got this from a pal.
Motivational?

Slower.....

2009-01-30T13:40:00.003Z

Jog Scotland group on Wednesday was expanded by three newcomers to my group, Jim, with whom I had run previously, and husband and wife Colin and July. Small world; I had coached their daughter, Emma, at West Dunbartonshire A.C. 5.5. miles in total and a wee word of warning to my regulars that if we had the three new joggers for the next session in two weeks time, we would be following the programme! That would mean running 1 and a 1/2 hours by the tenth week. Normally, we take them to that level and then run about 50 mins to 1hr15 depending on the weather, moods, Champions League,family comittments etc on a week to week basis. The feeling being that if they have run for the hour and a half, they can get faster by working that wee bit harder over short distances. Their main target is 10k, but those who aspire for further can do so by doing longer runs away from the club night, supported by JR or myself. Seems to work!
Following the run I had another discussion with JR that centred on...... running slower! We had a disagreement on how I should be doing this. I don't mind running slower, but I like to make progress on every run and he advocated turning back to run with slower runers when I get ahead. My wee brain can't cope with that, all it wants to do is keep going. However I also realise that I have to do the long runs at a WHW race pace, so off I went on Thursday afternoon for a run/walk over the hills/moors that lie between Cardross, Helensburgh and Balloch. Only a rough idea of where I would get to, an OS map to keep me right, and rucksack with Camelbak and snacks and warm clothing...... all needed!
After a false start, feeling uncomfortable in the Salomons which were rubbing the achilles, and returning home to swap for my road shoes, I started along the shore line at Cardross before coming back on the A814 for about 3/4 of a mile then a lap of Ardmore point, which was a quagmire in places, feet already soaking. Then up the Red Road towards Blackthird Farm before turning onto the forestry road and climbing through the forest to the farmland above the tree line leading towards Ben Bouie. However again it was a marsh and feet freezing I opted for a path down through the woods at Goukhill eventualy after some rough running and taking dead ends on the forest roads I came out down at Arden near Duck Bay. A jaunt along the old road towards Balloch before turning up the Stonymollan, back to Cardross, very dirty trails and road, before finishing by returning along the shore to finish. A total of 4.15 on the clock and Garmin and G Maps measure it at 19 miles although I was aware of various occasions where it wasn't getting a good GPS signal, and it's hard to track the exact route on G Maps so I may have gone a bit further.
One other task carried out today, with regret but also with a bonus. I mentioned that I had given up my golf club membership due to lack of use. Yesterday I emptied my locker and brought my clubs home. On the bright side, the course is right opposite my house, and is lovely running. As a member however, I have been restricted on the amount of running I could do on it as I was ruled by club by-laws that restricted access to the course for golfing purposes only. That meant I had to sneak on in the dawn or dusk when no-one could see me! Or my traditional Christmas morning run about the course, before the die hard members appeared. Now I can run without restriction under the access laws! Whoopee!!

Club 8 miles (With the New Daddy)

2009-01-27T23:00:00.003Z

Sitting around waiting on the latecomers at the club when I became aware of a presence beside me and turned to find Marco waiting patiently to ask if he could join us. A pleasure sir! Sitting right beside me, of course, was Brian, husband of Deb's midwife Lesley and a Flinger with a desire to run the WHW if he gets in. So a quick introduction before we ventured out and everyone else got a chance to congratulate him.
Condolences,and a cuddle, though for Marion who lost her father last week.
Setting off at an easy pace that soon picked up a wee bit as Pat and Marco headed the pack with Steph and I just behind. Quite a group going all the way to Arden roundabout whilst some, I presume, turned off at Cameron House. Out to the roundabout in about 35 minutes. A short break for a call of nature, before Steph set off at a fair lick. At Duck Bay, Marco went after him pulling Pat away and leaving me weel behind. I got back with a slightly shorter return trip by missing the Park St, Middleton St finish and finished with Steph, who went the other way, and he clocked the run at 66 minutes, back in 31.
Good conversation on way out with Marco chuffed with the new addition and with Debs part in it, rating it almost as hard as his dog bite experience when he was bitten in the bum by a poodle when doing reps in Kelvingrove Park. At least that is his story for an injury incurred in one of Glasgow's more notorious haunts (for love bites on the bum if you catch my drift)! At least Deb's photos are nicer.
Anyway, a good fast run for a club night and. although I faded from the front, I was pleased with the effort.

A Bad Day on the West Highland Way

2009-01-26T11:07:00.002Z

Up early for breakfast then a drive to Balmaha where about 16 WHW runners organised by John Kynaston gathered for a run to Inversnaid and back. Due to a bereavement, John had to miss the run and Ian Beattie took over the organisation. A number of runners made alternative arrangements and I was the only Millie to go with this group. And, although I hate to admit my mistakes, I should have gone with the other Millies, as the WHW group set off far too fast for my ability and after only a couple of miles I was struggling. Absolutely nothing in my legs, possibly due to lack of recovery from midweek training. Admission time; JR had repeatedly told me that I would suffer from going with this group, but I wanted a bit of their fun and decided that I would go regardless of his advice. By the time I got to Rowardennan I was mentally goosed. Decided to turn back as did another couple, one of who had sprained his ankle. On the return journey I met Joe, who had ran from Drymen and turned back at Rowardennan, reaching Balmaha 5 minutes or so after me and accepting a lift back to Drymen during which we had a good blether. Then Jo, Jimmy, Ian and Geraldine from Milburn followed by the group led by Harvey the dog, with Mr and Mrs Pacepusher and friends being paced by their canine master who got a bit of a fright when a fool screamed "Harvey" on seeing him for the first time.
Getting back to Balmaha was delayed even further by taking a wrong turning on top of the hill at Balmaha. I went left instead of right and found myself slithering down a slope towards the main road. A difficult climb back up to avoid skiting out of control before finishing at the car park. Cold, wet, miserable and looking forward to a hot bath. I am very disappointed in my long runs lately, none of which have gone to plan. Time to get back to some serious planning and club companionship rather than doing my own thing and getting more and more disillusioned with progress. That's if they'll have me!

Working Hard But Treading Water....or MUD

2009-01-23T15:45:00.005Z

After Tuesday's Blind Man's Bluff I went along to Jog Scotland looking for about 5 miles of easy running, and got in about 4.5 with a slower group than I'm used to. Linda, who takes the group below mine, wasn't feeling too good, so had the night off and as only one of my own group turned up I was asked to take Linda's. That was no problem and JR decided to add in an extra run after his 5.30pm group finished their run, bringing with him Christine who has entered the Fling and is building up her mileage. That meant the ladies ran a bit longer than they were used to, but at about the same pace so they gained and I,too,got some recovery mileage.
And I needed it as on Thursday I went along to the club, knowing we were up for 6 half mile hill reps with a jog back down to recover. A good turn out with Stevie, Adrian and Steph putting in some fast reps with their strong hill climbing background, Garry, adding youth and probably inexperience to run very fast(!!), Brian, a Flinger attending his first session, Geraldine, Richard,Ali and, in addition, a good group from JR's training squad doing their own thing at various distances within our session. The main drag from the main Balloch Park Gates to the top of the hill near the turn off for the north gate was a busy wee street. Street lighting for about 600yards then darkness, hiding the end of the run until you started meeting the leaders coming back down.A real struggle to keep going for all 6 reps, with recovery being stretched and lunch threatening a re-appearance towards the end. Legs like jelly and regretting the heroics on the first couple of reps as the young ones (and bar JR, Chris and Linda everyone is a young one to me) kept a heady pace on what everyone agreed was a good hard session. All on the main drive though, keeping the mud for Friday morning and a 9am meet with JR,Brian,Linda, Sandra from the night before as well as Catherine,her mad Dalmation "Jasper" and Lauren. An easy run said our JR. But what he meant was "you'll be running the Whinney Hill race route for next weekend, but you can go as slow as you like" Slow? Walk more like. A wee bit of jogging, rescuing of shoes from mud, swamp and kicking of branches. Five and a bit miles maybe of very hard going. On my least favourite of all the club runs. Grrrr!
Still, back to the club's HQ at the leisure centre where for a couple of quid into the kitty, JR manages to extend his OAP status to copious amounts of tea, toast, beans, jam and all served by The WHW race's oldest ever finisher! And Cowper put in an appearance to be embarrassed by the knowledge that those club-mates he had blown away the night before were back out at 9am the following day!
Now! Feet up with a rest day tomorrow and a run on the Way on Sunday.

Balloch Horseshoe In The Dark

2009-01-20T22:55:00.002Z

Club night and five of us set off on the Balloch Horseshoe for a steady ten mile run. It's a hilly circuit on country roads after the first couple of miles. Wee Pat decided he would join us for the first two miles then headed off on an easy 5 mler. Easy 5 is about a steady 10 I thought and Andy and I stayed with him, dropping Steph, Jimmy and Geraldine before we reached Balloch. The pace felt good, and when we hit the Gartocharn Rd, the headlamps went on. Mine not as strong as I would like but combined with Andy's was sufficient to keep us on the right road and allowing us to miss the worst of the puddles and potholes. As I said, it's a tough run at the best of times but as you are heading north and east you are running into complete blackout, bar the odd farm house lights. The problem then is that you know you are on a hill, you just don't know how far the hill is going to go on! Also, the lack of landmarks means it's hard to gauge where on the route you are so it just seems to go on and on and on. And the farmyard smells! Took me back to my courting days when I walked my farmers daughter girlfriend (now wife) home on romantic starlit nights. On the plus side, it's fairly traffic free, I think about half a dozen cars passed us on the horseshoe road, and the surface is pretty good when in the country. As we started the long downhill stretch back to civilisation (? the vale!) the road started to cut up and had lots more potholes due to the lorries that use that stretch of the road to access a landfill site. That meant the quads started to complain as the legs tried to pick out the safest route, Andy, who seemed to be having a wee bit of tight IT band, struggled the last couple of miles so I finished on my own in 92 mins. Very pleased with that.
Still not sure what I'm doing at the weekend as I am a bit worried that the near 30 miles with no opt out on the lochside is a bit beyond me at the moment. 30 miles anywhere else I'd be happy with, but I've missed a bit of training over the past few weeks. I'll decide nearer the time, but may opt for a run at Arrochar before going to Drovers for a blether and transport the WHWers back to Drymen. Still, I'm pretty happy with progress to this point, and may opt to visit the lochside during the weeks ahead to cover the route in smaller sections to familiarise myself.

Warmest Weekend

2009-01-19T17:53:00.002Z

I missed a weekend's training due to the lower back pain I was suffering on Thursday. I went to Linda for a massage on the Friday and felt she had released most of the muscular tension. However, whilst I could have run on Saturday, I had to wait in until my brother-in-law arrived or my wife came back from her morning visiting. However, neither happened till late afternoon and then I had to do the tidy up following the putting up of the flat screen telly. That included re- wiring the sound system, as she who must be obeyed wanted the sky+ and home cinema in a cabinet, with limited access for my mitts to get in about the wiring. Result was the back seized up again precluding any running on Sunday morning. So I gave it some serious heat treatment and stretching, hot water bottle being the favoured method. It seemed to work and when I got up this morning, things were much better. More heat this morning and a bit of massage using a Woolies thingy my wife bought me yonks ago and that I put to the back of a cupboard, where I found it this morning. Seemed to have done the trick so I set off for a wee run just as the snow was falling. Two miles out, the first fairly steady, the second up hill, before turning and pushing it a bit harder on the way back. 18 mins out 16.15 back. One of those runs that is uncomfortable as every wee niggle is looked on as a potential muscle ripper, but the upside is that I felt I was running freely enough to be able to go on a longer run tomorrow....
Now I need to think what caused it, was it being on my feet so long in cold wet weather on Sunday? My two runs on Wednesday with an hour between them, again in cold wet and snowy weather. Or is it sitting on my A*** at this laptop slouching? Or is my mattress about to go out the door? When I work it out things can only get better.

Not a Running Post

2009-01-17T11:53:00.003Z

Well, not entirely. I'm stuck in the house in case my wife doesn't return in time for my brother-in-law arriving to do a wee handyman job for me - given my hands are only for stopping my face hitting the ground when I fall.
Things are a little stiff in the sacro-iliac despite a brilliant massage from my pal Linda yesterday. I'll probably need at least another to get back to anything like full mobility. Probably a result of the slow stuff and time on my feet so I'm going for a couple of shorter long runs back to back this weekend. Hopefully I'll adapt! I would heartily recommend Linda for a sports massage if your in the Dumbarton area.
I've just watched a recording of the women's bobsleigh with Scottish athlete Gillian Cooke in the British team. I've become an addict just because I read on the Scottish Athletics website that she was in the team this year and she and her "driver" (?) Nicky Minichello are getting in amongst the medals now and I've no doubt will be heading for the winter Olympics next year. A terrible crash for one of the other teams helped them to European Championship Bronze and World Cup bronze. They had a bit of bother on one of the corners but with another year of experience they must be on for Olympic podium next year.
Although I've made comment on their blogs, best wishes this week to Debbie and Marco on the imminent arrival of baby Consani, hopefully this Thursday as that is the predictor guess I've made after a bit of mix up over dates. I thought when I made my guess that that was the 23rd, then I received my Golf Club AGM papers that had Thursday 24th on it. Big Stupid though didn't realise that was the date on the minutes of last years meeting, leap year makes Thursday the 22nd. It does, doesn't it? So I've altered my guess Debs, it's on the 10th comment of your last post!!
I went to the golf club yesterday with my resignation letter. I love golf, but haven't played at all in the past year and very seldom in the previous two years. I thought retirement would have allowed me to live on the course, but running takes up a lot of my time and leaves me too tired and stiff. And golf causes a different kind of stiffness that makes running difficult. They definitely don't mix for me. So I decided that the 700 quid was better in my bank account than theirs and if I want to play, all I have to do is ask a friend for a game or even pay the green fees. It'll be cheaper! The only problem is that I can step out of my front door and onto the course so I'll start getting withdrawals from the spring.
So, if Bro in law appears soon I'll run tonight and tomorrow, and if he's as late as he normally is, it'll be Sunday - Monday.

Reps

2009-01-15T21:48:00.002Z

Another good turnout and for once we all stayed together, heading out to the Strathleven Industrial Estate, at Bonhill for a rep session.Over a mile and a half to the estate for a warmup then running a lap of the one way system approx 1k with a jog recovery along one side. 5 reps that I ran fairly steadily although not timed. I was complaining of a stiff back (sacro iliac joint) that was probably due to tight quads pulling on the pelvis, so I didn't blast out as I normally do. Still, it was a reasonably even paced effort throughout and I'm quite pleased with them. Same run back to the club for a total of about 7 miles. A shower then a cuppa and a biscuit with JR in the cafe. OK I had some of his chips too. Another chance to steal some of his knowledge. And he had lunch this week with Mad JD, so watch this space as they'll have something up their sleeves.

Easy running

2009-01-14T21:49:00.003Z

Tonight was my JogScotland group night, but, as I have been doing, I decided to do an additional run to make sure I logged the scheduled miles before going there in case I'm asked to take a beginners group. So I met Jimmy, Geraldine and Ian who usually meet at 5pm for their recovery run of 5 miles, a wet miserable experience as the rain in the Vale was teeming down. I'd brought a change of tops but hadn't brought extra tights or jackets and the ones I had on were saturated. As I had an hour to wait until the girls arrived for their jog, I decided to go home and do a complete change. On my return I took 6 out for about 4.5 miles and by this time it was snowing quite heavily. No complaints from the girls though, even though one of them was in a gilet. It's good to see so many of them turning out on such nights, there must have been about 25 in all groups plus JR's 5.30 group who just kept running when they got back to the leisure centre and also did a double session. If they keep going in this weather they'll do fine in the summer. From my point of view it's good to have a group to run with at a pace that is more akin to WHW pacing than I get with club runs and certainly not when I'm on my own.
I've also arranged to get a massage from Linda on Friday. We used to regularly get massages from each other on an imaginary tenner basis, where money didn't change hands, but I must owe her a few. This week my quads and hammies are tight so it'll be good to get a rub.

Club Night - Taking a Pounding

2009-01-14T12:14:00.003Z

As expected on arrival at the club, the wags were waiting for me, and I don't mean Wives and Girlfriends. Those who hadn't heard the story of Sunday's escapade were soon filled in! The others had even more exaggerations and embellishments for their edification. (Sounds like that Good Old Days music hall prog). Thanked Steph for his efforts, above and beyond, in looking for me and then demanded a full route briefing for tonight's run!
8.6 miles by G map into Dumbarton with a loop through the Newton. Familiar enough that even I couldn't go astray. However, on reaching the Vale industrial estate at Strathleven we started catching the ladies of the Dumbarton Tuesday JogScotland group, seemingly hunners o' them. Running well and it wasn't until the top of Townend Rd that we caught the last of them - arguing about their route!!!! You can join Milburn anytime girls!
78 minutes after starting we were back at the clubhouse, arriving at the same time as the other group who had set off with JR. They were arriving from north and south of the Centre and were arguing about where they were told to go!
Le plus ca change le plus ca le meme chose!
Grabbed my gear and drove home to watch the mighty Rangers stutter their way to more cup glory....

2009-01-12T12:10:00.003Z

On a morning when the Met Office and MWIS were sending out severe weather warnings and stating that walking would be impossible even in the glens, I traveled over to meet the rest of the Milburn Sunday Suicide Club with the intention of maybe passing on Plan A and maybe trying Plan Sensible. I should have known better. So about 8.45, nine of us, including new Sunday runner Christine, set off from Ardgartan on the climb over the forestry road to Lochgoilhead, before continuing round the Ben Donich loop for 20 miles of windblown, rain soaked fun and games. Soon settling into WHW mode of walking the hills and running the flat and downhills I found myself alone as Steph ran ahead from Lochgoilhead, and the others stayed together. Bad move. I passed a side road marked only as 5km of Dukes Pass leading to a Lochan, nothing to suggest this this continued to Ardgartan, so I stayed on the road I was on............ for four miles before it dead ended at a narrow path. I followed this path down a hill to two cottages where further progress required Olympian capabilities in windsurfing; sans board. The penny dropped. Even Steph's go anywhere attitude wouldn't have gotten him through the stormy waters of Lochgoil yesterday. Nothing for it but to go back and look for the trail. When I got to the Dukes Pass trail I decided to go that way, for about a mile before deciding that, as I wasn't sure whether that was the right way,I should get back to the road in case darkness over took me, or by this time exhaustion. Funnily enough, I subscribe to the theory that it is the brain that tires you as a survival measure, not muscular fatigue. By the time I got back onto the road I couldn't run another step! Luckily, it's only about a mile to Lochgoilhead from where I hitched a lift from three young lads in a very nice BMW. They had been at Drumsynie for a swim and were heading home to Hamilton, so I got them to drop me at the car park where JR was sitting with Ali and Christine. Thank God JR had had a senior moment and had forgotten to lock his car. Because he had given me the key as I should have been back before him! He probably won't make that mistake again. By this time Steph had started running back along the route to try and find me and I'd actually passed Jim and Geraldine as they searched the road to Lochgoilhead for me. Fortunately there was enough light, that they hadn't panicked and sent for the Mountain Rescue teams. That would have been the last straw! Whilst I'm grateful to the lads in the Beemer, it would be remiss of me not to share the following exchange.

Driver: Where's that smoke coming fae?
Me: That's clouds.
Driver: I've never seen them that low!

Anyway, I drove back to Alexandria with Jimmy and Ger, and Jimmy's parting shot was "Looking forward to yer blog."
OK. I hand it out, so I've got to take it. And of course I logged into the Millies web site where there was an enquiry after my health and well being from Andy. Mind you he had p****d off with Ian quick enough!
He headed the post LOST DAVIE. How can I be lost if I know where I am? Missing? Maybe.
So a late tea. But look on the bright side. 22 miles by G-map.

Club run 7.5 miles

2009-01-08T21:44:00.003Z

A cracking turnout at the club tonight and we all set of together for an 8 mile loop of Bonhill, Haldane and Jamestown with the option to miss some of the loops for the less fit. As we were leaving a young lady in running gear came in and walked past us until she found Geraldine who looked less gruesome than the rest (only marginally mind) and asked if we were Milburn Harriers. A quick introduction and she was told to join in, and as we had a blether it turned out this was Sarah, a friend of Debbie and Marco's and who had been part of Debbie's support team on last years WHW. She settled into a good run and seemed to enjoy her run. She stays near me too, and we run on the same routes, so might manage to have the odd run together. After reaching the top of the hill in Haldane I found myself at the front with Richard, Andy and Stefan and after Mollanbowie Stefan found it a bit hard and dropped off the pace, so as we went through Balloch it became a bit hairy with the three of us pushing on and blaming the others. Thank God for inconsiderate cars, who broke the rhythm at various junctions and scaled the testosterone rush down a few notches.
58 minutes or thereabouts (no watch running) so considering the first mile was at the usual easy pace and the hills involved wisnae a bad run.
Off to another funeral in Campbeltown tomorrow and as we are missing another the same day near Strachur, we will have to go and visit a grave on Saturday so I'll miss the club cross country (what a shame).

The Learning Curve

2009-01-07T21:42:00.003Z

Two runs today, both very slow in keeping with instructions to sloooow doooowwn.
At lunchtime I persuaded my son and heir to don his trainers and join me for a trail run, heading for the reservoirs at the top of Sinclair St in Helensburgh. One of two reasons being that I wanted to investigate how far a new trail ran, east of the main rd and running behind new buildings built by the cooncil for either cleansing or sewage reasons. The answer is not far although had we wanted to follow a right of way across Helensburgh Golf Club I suppose it could have gone a fair distance. The other reason being that as I wanted to do about 7 miles today and, as I was going to take my JogScotland group,I knew I had to do some running on my own to get that distance logged. My wife is always nagging me to train with my son, who is more into resistance training and hates me running away from him, so I invited him to join me in the early run. He did fine considering he spent most of the run on his arse or sliding about in the mud as he was wearing his road shoes. Hope he doesn't realise I have two pairs of traillies or he'll be off with my Inov8s. I finished off with some gentle strides on the reservoir bank while he sucked in some oxygen. Good father son bonding exercise, although he'll want a return fixture with some free weights and swimming.
At the jogging group, the ladies turned up with the usual excuses for not going too far, but three of the five did as they were asked and rattled off 4 and a 1/2 miles in 50 minutes. Two took a short cut, but at least they tried. Bless them!

New Shoes and the Good, the Bad and the Ugly

2009-01-06T22:06:00.003Z

Three runs since my last post, the good, the bad and the downright ugly.(Not in that order though, it just scans better!) Saturday was a short off road canter along the shore path in the village, a circuit of the farmers field currently a frozen stubble barley field that is brilliant for running on, although a marsh when normal temperatures return. About a mile and a half to it and return but, looking for a bit more in terms of distance I headed through the golf course, again frozen solid but this time giving me no traction in my road shoes so I ruined what was a decent run, lost interest and headed home.
On Sunday I headed over to join the Millies Sunday run. Some discussion of routes, with Elaine changing to trail shoes when Pappert Well was first mooted. I however fancied a flatter road run as I had forgotten to pack the traillies, but was out voted as it would have meant Elaine changing again. So Pappert Well it was a six mile, with a few hundred feet of climbing that I normally enjoy. However, before getting above the habitation line at Pappert I decided it wasn't what I was looking for and reduced my pace to a walk uphill for a while but got my running legs back to run to the top and back to Alexandria. Steph then decided to go onto Carman and the Stonymollan, but I'd had enough, with my mindset in ugly mode, not enjoying it and headed off to the Sunday papers and bacon rolls.
Still I thought, I ordered new shoes on Friday from Achilles Heel Online and they would be delivered on Monday or Tuesday. I always wear Mizuno Wave Rider, and have done since about version 6 (now version 12) and have had God knows how many pairs over the years. I have very flat feet and wear orthotic insoles in neutral shoes. No matter how many other shoes I try, only Mizuno WR feel right in the shop. I thought when they announced a change of last at version 11 I would have to find a new shoe, and tried various other options. However when I tried Rider 11 it fitted like a glove. The new shoes are version 11 again with 26 quid off in the sale.
However, the down side is that AH use a courier company who insist on handing the goods to the customer I had to stay in until they arrived........ on Tuesday afternoon. Otherwise, if they fail to deliver them, you have to go to Cambuslang to get them. Of course I only realised that after I'd bought them. I'll go elsewhere next time!
So it was club night Tuesday before I got to try them, on an 8 mile run, out and back to the Arden roundabout, without headlamp (which I'd left in the car and couldn't be arsed going for). Fine until the wee kink in the path at the old Lomond Castle leisure centre, where I ran up the verge in the dark and nearly ended up on the A82. However this was the good run! After starting out steadily in a group of 7 doing the 8 miles, Steph stepped up the pace a bit, gaining about 15 yards and leaving me between him and Jimmy,Ian and Richard. I debated an easy run with them but decided that the pace wasn't that bad and caught Steph and had a brisk run out to the roundabout. Given the easy start 35 minutes out wasn't bad, as there is a fair hill on the old road at Cameron House and the dark paths which makes for careful footplacment. We turned immediately and set off back at a gradually increasing pace and I left Steph on the descent from Cameron House, arriving back in 32 minutes with an easy last few hundred yards, albeit I came back along Main St, after going out along Middleton St, so it's slightly shorter. Steph is happier running at constant pace and when he came back, via Middleton St, he was a minute up and seemed a bit miffed to have come back faster. Pace judgement isn't my strong point, so when I feel good I run harder. Unfortunately, as I keep being reminded, ultra running isn't about running hard so I'm on a pace learning curve from now on!

Finally - Someone worked it out

2009-01-01T21:45:00.003Z

The difference between men and women:
have a look at this

New Year New Route

2009-01-01T19:48:00.002Z

Turned up for the New Year run with Andy, Jan and Rob, and JR. met at 10am and waited a few minutes for any late arrivals before setting off on the run round Boturich that has become the standard NYD route. Jan and Rob are thinking of emigrating to New Zealand this year so it's probably their last time and Andy is a new member out on his first NYD run. I've done four or five but of course JR has been doing 'em since 1980.
Soon after setting off it was noted that JR was making the most of his passout from the family, who are home for New Year, and had quickly fallen behind the fairly easy pace. I decided to turn back and run with him,knowing how he suffers in the cold from the effects of his pleurisy of three years ago. Anyway he keeps telling me to slow down so why not?
I'm glad I did. As usual he was full of chat,tales of yesteryear and good advice. Then the real bonus. As we passed a lady with a couple of dogs we stopped to wish her the compliments of the season, and Jim was asking her if she had started running yet! He then pointed out her house was right beside one of his secret trails and then proceeded to take me round a wee loop that was a joy to run!
I'd share it with you but then I'd have to kill you.:-)
Finally following the Whinney Hill trail lower slopes into the park and down to the gates for about 7 miles, suitably slow on a lovely day for a run. A Lucozade Sport each to toast Ne'erday and home for a quick bite of lunch and then a trip to my in-laws for dinner...... another terrific meal!