Two good groups at the club with Jim Robertson leading his group and Steph, Geraldine, Big Ed and I heading off for a long run, accompanied by Rob for the first couple of miles whilst on his marathon prog.
My choice of run, so decided to do the run that Geraldine and I had done a couple of weeks ago but without going into Rossdhu and looping through the Carrick Golf club a couple of times. the first time that Steph and Ed had been on this run and they gave it a pass mark. Basically a road run with forestry type trails through the golf course. A steady if easy run of about 11 and a 1/2 miles in 1hr 42, looping back a couple of times to re group with a strong finishing couple of miles.
Last year during preparation for the London Marathon and/0r Highland Fling we did long runs of up to 14 miles at night and some of this was done on roads with no lighting. I suggested that we shouldn't be running tonight's run in the dark. I should shut up! Steph suggests that we should do it using head torches!!! Something about running the WHW race at night.
Car lights on when coming home from training, the lights are fair drawing in.
Tuesday, 26 August 2008
Monday, 25 August 2008
A Bank Holiday Run
A day off imposed upon me as my company is based in Yorkshire and they gave everyone the English bank holiday. I was making breakfast when my dog went berserk and when I investigated found a young lady ready to go running. I don't remember joining Running Singles, and Mairi might have had something to say about that in any case. Then it clicked that this was Kim, who is my son's training partner, and he was supposed to be running with her this morning. He of course was still in his scratcher. So we had a wee blether about her running programme and I of course went into coach/jogleader mode. Suffice to say she has run 2.2 miles as her longest run and spends her time trying to beat her fastest time each time she runs. By the time he was ready she had a better idea of what she was doing and, when he returned, they had done a six mile run/walk on hills. He'll never learn, but then he was a sprinter and they know it all! I wonder how many potential runners are put off by going about programs in all the wrong ways. I know my injury problems all stemmed from running too fast when I was coaching kids and accompanying them in 200m reps.
Hopefully I know a bit more about what is appropriate for me. However, I still think that too much slow running, whereby the joints aren't put through their full range of motion, leads to lots of injuries when the runner suddenly decides to speed up. That is one thing about running the WHW that worries me. Hopefully I can deal with it by ensuring some sessions that put the knee (especially) through full ROM.
Today's run was on a small part of the Way. I was out for a run in the car looking for some holiday clothes, but dressed to run as I intended doing a run before going home. I went down to Balmaha and did 6 miles on the trail and road. Quite difficult to get a good run as the Way was full of walkers and other tourists, and getting past them broke up my running. But good in parts and as it was intended as a recovery run (although yesterday was a rest day I still felt Saturday's ru in my legs) it served the purpose. Very muddy in places and perhaps would have been better in trail shoes.
Hopefully I know a bit more about what is appropriate for me. However, I still think that too much slow running, whereby the joints aren't put through their full range of motion, leads to lots of injuries when the runner suddenly decides to speed up. That is one thing about running the WHW that worries me. Hopefully I can deal with it by ensuring some sessions that put the knee (especially) through full ROM.
Today's run was on a small part of the Way. I was out for a run in the car looking for some holiday clothes, but dressed to run as I intended doing a run before going home. I went down to Balmaha and did 6 miles on the trail and road. Quite difficult to get a good run as the Way was full of walkers and other tourists, and getting past them broke up my running. But good in parts and as it was intended as a recovery run (although yesterday was a rest day I still felt Saturday's ru in my legs) it served the purpose. Very muddy in places and perhaps would have been better in trail shoes.
Saturday, 23 August 2008
Stood Up
Turning up as arranged with Jimmy at 8.00am ready for a mixed terrain run of about 12 - 15miles, how surprised was I to see him already waiting - with his ordinary clothes on. Obviously there to give me the bad news, and it,of course, involved copious amounts of alcohol and home at 0230. Plan A cancelled. Plan B? Go ofr the papers, go home put kettle on and re-consider todays plan.
Recent solo long runs have been a disaster and end up with me cutting them short due to boredom, so I decided that as my wife was going into work this morning (in Greenock)she could drop me somewhere and I'd run home. This would mean I couldn't cut the run too short, although I did start it at the south side of the Erskine Bridge intending to take a convoluted route back but with the option of heading back more directly should I be suffering.
Onto the cycle track over the bridge, down to the canal bank cycle track at Old Kilpatrick and along through Bowling to the Milton Inn where I cut back to Milton Brae and ran up the mile long climb (steep at that) to Overton House before descending a mile to the Police Office at Dumbarton. Straight back from there to Cardross for 12 miles in 1hr 48. Not fast but other than my heart thumping against my ribs going up Milton Brae exertion probably a steady 6 out of 10.
Fastest mile 8.10 slowest 10.35. Strangely enough descending and climbing to Overton House respectively. The rest between 8.30 and 9 minutes so steady enough.
Home in time to catch the 800 metres final and then the Rangers game on Setanta.
Bagel and scrambled eggs a la Andrew for lunch and then some paperwork.
Recent solo long runs have been a disaster and end up with me cutting them short due to boredom, so I decided that as my wife was going into work this morning (in Greenock)she could drop me somewhere and I'd run home. This would mean I couldn't cut the run too short, although I did start it at the south side of the Erskine Bridge intending to take a convoluted route back but with the option of heading back more directly should I be suffering.
Onto the cycle track over the bridge, down to the canal bank cycle track at Old Kilpatrick and along through Bowling to the Milton Inn where I cut back to Milton Brae and ran up the mile long climb (steep at that) to Overton House before descending a mile to the Police Office at Dumbarton. Straight back from there to Cardross for 12 miles in 1hr 48. Not fast but other than my heart thumping against my ribs going up Milton Brae exertion probably a steady 6 out of 10.
Fastest mile 8.10 slowest 10.35. Strangely enough descending and climbing to Overton House respectively. The rest between 8.30 and 9 minutes so steady enough.
Home in time to catch the 800 metres final and then the Rangers game on Setanta.
Bagel and scrambled eggs a la Andrew for lunch and then some paperwork.
Thursday, 21 August 2008
Club run Thursday
One other wee story to add to last night's report. Iwas speaking to Andy Rennie after the race and he told me that a cop, who was directing the traffic for the race, had said to him that he recognised Andy from when he was a member of Irvine YMCA Harriers then proceeded to rhyme off names from the club, John Surgenor, Chic Forbes, Brian Morrison and myself amongst them! He was Willie Jamieson, who was a cheeky wee rascal who would arrive at training for a few weeks, run the legs off us then disappear before coming back months later and doing the same again. He wouldn't believe Andy when he told him I had been in the police since 1975 (until retirement).
I must get in touch!!
Club tonight was an easy run. A whole lot of new faces, mainly girls from Jim Robertsons group and my group at JogScotland. Plus a new senior man Andy. Stevie Cowper came down so we sent Andy and Garry with Stevie whilst the rest took it easy. I had an excuse, as I had raced but soon found myself running with the front three, before turning back to meet Steph, Geraldine and Jimmy and join in the training programme discussion for the Fling and WHW race. All keen to run in John Kynaston's organised runs, but varying opinions as to when to start specific training.
After a while Steph nand I found ourselves ahead so we stopped and ran back to where Ali and Chris were shepherding the new girls and we took on some of the responsibility. Fine until Catherine decided that she had to be back at the clubhouse (and home in 7 minutes as she had to run her kids to karate. She ran on and I joined her. Can that girl run! 3/4 of a mile at a pace faster than the previous nights. I knew she could be a good runner but didn't realise that she has been hiding her light under a bushel. She tends to run with the girls at their pace and when she is at the front at JogScotland I am usually at the back with the slower runners so haven't realy seen her at her best. I think I will need to talk her into doing a bit of racing for herself rather than to help her pals!
Turned out to be 5 easy miles and 1 very fast one as I finished with a drive up the hill at the finish.
I must get in touch!!
Club tonight was an easy run. A whole lot of new faces, mainly girls from Jim Robertsons group and my group at JogScotland. Plus a new senior man Andy. Stevie Cowper came down so we sent Andy and Garry with Stevie whilst the rest took it easy. I had an excuse, as I had raced but soon found myself running with the front three, before turning back to meet Steph, Geraldine and Jimmy and join in the training programme discussion for the Fling and WHW race. All keen to run in John Kynaston's organised runs, but varying opinions as to when to start specific training.
After a while Steph nand I found ourselves ahead so we stopped and ran back to where Ali and Chris were shepherding the new girls and we took on some of the responsibility. Fine until Catherine decided that she had to be back at the clubhouse (and home in 7 minutes as she had to run her kids to karate. She ran on and I joined her. Can that girl run! 3/4 of a mile at a pace faster than the previous nights. I knew she could be a good runner but didn't realise that she has been hiding her light under a bushel. She tends to run with the girls at their pace and when she is at the front at JogScotland I am usually at the back with the slower runners so haven't realy seen her at her best. I think I will need to talk her into doing a bit of racing for herself rather than to help her pals!
Turned out to be 5 easy miles and 1 very fast one as I finished with a drive up the hill at the finish.
Irvine Marymass 10k
A sentimental journey for me. Irvine were my club when I was a nipper and the race organiuser Andy Rennie was a clubmate. I met Andy a few times this year at the Polaroids and Troon and I had made myself a wee promise to run in this race. Marymass was always a family outing when I was a kid, the Saturday parade through the town, the horse racing on the Moor where my father would generally end up legless, and the"shows" on the golffields at night. Also the traditional Irvine Meadow v Irvine Vics football derby on the Friday. When I started running the Thursday night gala night always included the one mile championship of Ayrshire, a huge field on 4 laps of the old ash track at Quarry Rd. One sad thing for me, looking back, was that my parents never came to see me race as they had no car and on the days where races were local they were too involved in their bowling club to see me run.
Last night fixed that. I visited my sister and then my mother in the afternoon, and my son Andrew, disappeared off to Kilmarnock with his cousins to see them play football. I went to register for the race and then ran round to the start and went to see the finish as a warmup. My neice was bringing her kids and Andrew to the finish and I got a pleasant surprise when my mother and sister turned up at the start.
The race route itself was like a step back into my past. Registration at my old watering hole Irvine Sports club, then the start was near the aforementioned Irvine Vics ground just round from the church where I attended BBs. The race followed a route passing landmarks in my early lifetime; Gailes Golf club where I caddied, and played golf when the greenkeeper wasn't looking; the various pubs where the young Hall descended into a lifestyle not suited to the athlete I used to be; the harbour and beach where I walked, ran, swam and fished; the sawmill, now a new housing development, where my father was a driver, and the finish itself; yards from my first home, from birth to 5 years.
I phoned my neice to tell her where the finish was and told her it was on Harbour Street at the swingpark (this call made when I was still at registration). "There's no swings there " she replied. "Well there was when I was a kid" said the 51 year old! There's now a puffer boat on the quay where they used to be, part of the maritime museum. Funny how I still go up and down that road when I'm down visiting and never noticed.
Anyway, the race. I started off steadily enough, and then increased my leg speed as opposed to my usual driving my stride harder, and the change semed to make a huge difference. I got to 3 k in 12 .56 and 5k in 21.56. The course had a few gentle hills and one dip in the cycle track where it dropped to the level of a lower path before regaining it's height. They didn't cause me any problems until I hit the drop on the return journey where my legs turned to jelly. I eased off for a few strides and soon regained my stride pattern. A bit of wind as we ran past the Magnum into the breeze coming off the sea, and turning on to the harbourside at 9k I realised that with a bit of effort on the last K I could beat 44 minutes, which I hadn't done for a couple of years. I managed to finish strongly and my watch stopped on 43.40, unofficial as results haven't been posted yet. Delighted with that as it was the best run for ages, negative splits and emotionally, for me at least, a good place to have a good run. Even happier with the rousing reception my fan club gave me at the finish. Even more of them turned up at the Sports Club after the race, possibly alerted to the moths escaping from my wallet as I bought them all a drink afterwards!
Nice to get a blether with John Kynaston and to meet Mr and Mrs Pacepusher, Neal and Caroline Gibson. Hope to see a lot more of the WHW family in the future weeks and months.
Last night fixed that. I visited my sister and then my mother in the afternoon, and my son Andrew, disappeared off to Kilmarnock with his cousins to see them play football. I went to register for the race and then ran round to the start and went to see the finish as a warmup. My neice was bringing her kids and Andrew to the finish and I got a pleasant surprise when my mother and sister turned up at the start.
The race route itself was like a step back into my past. Registration at my old watering hole Irvine Sports club, then the start was near the aforementioned Irvine Vics ground just round from the church where I attended BBs. The race followed a route passing landmarks in my early lifetime; Gailes Golf club where I caddied, and played golf when the greenkeeper wasn't looking; the various pubs where the young Hall descended into a lifestyle not suited to the athlete I used to be; the harbour and beach where I walked, ran, swam and fished; the sawmill, now a new housing development, where my father was a driver, and the finish itself; yards from my first home, from birth to 5 years.
I phoned my neice to tell her where the finish was and told her it was on Harbour Street at the swingpark (this call made when I was still at registration). "There's no swings there " she replied. "Well there was when I was a kid" said the 51 year old! There's now a puffer boat on the quay where they used to be, part of the maritime museum. Funny how I still go up and down that road when I'm down visiting and never noticed.
Anyway, the race. I started off steadily enough, and then increased my leg speed as opposed to my usual driving my stride harder, and the change semed to make a huge difference. I got to 3 k in 12 .56 and 5k in 21.56. The course had a few gentle hills and one dip in the cycle track where it dropped to the level of a lower path before regaining it's height. They didn't cause me any problems until I hit the drop on the return journey where my legs turned to jelly. I eased off for a few strides and soon regained my stride pattern. A bit of wind as we ran past the Magnum into the breeze coming off the sea, and turning on to the harbourside at 9k I realised that with a bit of effort on the last K I could beat 44 minutes, which I hadn't done for a couple of years. I managed to finish strongly and my watch stopped on 43.40, unofficial as results haven't been posted yet. Delighted with that as it was the best run for ages, negative splits and emotionally, for me at least, a good place to have a good run. Even happier with the rousing reception my fan club gave me at the finish. Even more of them turned up at the Sports Club after the race, possibly alerted to the moths escaping from my wallet as I bought them all a drink afterwards!
Nice to get a blether with John Kynaston and to meet Mr and Mrs Pacepusher, Neal and Caroline Gibson. Hope to see a lot more of the WHW family in the future weeks and months.
Club Run TUESDAY
Breaking this up into three posts as I haven't had much time to update the blog over the past few days. On Tuesday I turned up at he club everyone at the session decided to go out together although I made it clear I would be doing a short easy run as I was racing on Wednesday. We decided to head out the Old Luss Road so that those wanting a longercoulf continue to Arden and I would turn back through Cameron House. so it was an easy pace with Pat, Steph, Garry, Chairman Chris and I at the front and everyone else just a short way behind. I turned in at the hotel gates with Pat and suddenly we were on our own. Haven't a clue where they all went but on Thursday found that those who didn't go to Arden, turned off onto the hill path behind the hotel. Anyway, Pat reagled me with stories of his travels, air miles and his flight the following day to....... Madrid!
Hope the Spanair plane missed him!
Hope the Spanair plane missed him!
Monday, 18 August 2008
Whinney Hill as a recovery run!
Day off yesterday whilst Mrs Hall and I went to Gretna for some retail therapy, needing some stuf for holiday, not to mention looking at some gear in the outdoor shoppies! How nice it was to see all the newly weds walking back from the blacksmiths, but as for the couple in the horse and trap........
all traffic comes to a halt for the strangest things.
Today I broke in a new pair of street shoes with a few miles walk in Carntyne and Shotts, so my feet were feeling it a bit. I needed to run though, and as I had a letter to drop off at the Vale Hospital went suitably attired for a trail run in Balloch Park. Paying heed to the fact I'm racing at Irvine on Wednesday I decided it would be an easy run and I'd walk a few bits, especially those going up the hills...... so 4 and a bit miles logged in pretty muddy conditions, but only one near fall and I felt a lot more confident coming downhill although I didn't get carried away. Still engaging brain before engaging legs but one of these days........
Met an old colleague at the bottom of the hill and spent ten minutes catching up before running up the hill and back to the car.
It is now sinking in that I'm an entrant in The Race. I emailed my mate Glen Stewart who is joining the police next month, enquiring as to his start date and telling him I was in The Race. He reckons I'm mad, but I still asked him if he fancied running up the Devil's Staircase by moonlight as a support runner. Funnily enough I think he'll be on a double shift that night.
Glen and I used to coach together at West Dunbartonshire A.C. and I remember doing a warmup with his dad, Lachie, who had brought down a young girl to train and stayed with her until she got over her shyness. we were discussing my running and the JogScotland groups and he told me never to allow my group to go much further than the half marathon. He was of the opinion that the marathon was too much for the recreational runner. Until this year I stuck to that advice, but I wonder what he'll think now!!!
John Kynaston has posted some dates for training runs on the WHW over the winter. They were very popular last year and I anticipate joining the groups, perhaps not the fastest groups though!!
I'll be on the Way with my regular training group in between times and I also intend hill walking and trail running at least once midweek, perhaps in Arrochar.
all traffic comes to a halt for the strangest things.
Today I broke in a new pair of street shoes with a few miles walk in Carntyne and Shotts, so my feet were feeling it a bit. I needed to run though, and as I had a letter to drop off at the Vale Hospital went suitably attired for a trail run in Balloch Park. Paying heed to the fact I'm racing at Irvine on Wednesday I decided it would be an easy run and I'd walk a few bits, especially those going up the hills...... so 4 and a bit miles logged in pretty muddy conditions, but only one near fall and I felt a lot more confident coming downhill although I didn't get carried away. Still engaging brain before engaging legs but one of these days........
Met an old colleague at the bottom of the hill and spent ten minutes catching up before running up the hill and back to the car.
It is now sinking in that I'm an entrant in The Race. I emailed my mate Glen Stewart who is joining the police next month, enquiring as to his start date and telling him I was in The Race. He reckons I'm mad, but I still asked him if he fancied running up the Devil's Staircase by moonlight as a support runner. Funnily enough I think he'll be on a double shift that night.
Glen and I used to coach together at West Dunbartonshire A.C. and I remember doing a warmup with his dad, Lachie, who had brought down a young girl to train and stayed with her until she got over her shyness. we were discussing my running and the JogScotland groups and he told me never to allow my group to go much further than the half marathon. He was of the opinion that the marathon was too much for the recreational runner. Until this year I stuck to that advice, but I wonder what he'll think now!!!
John Kynaston has posted some dates for training runs on the WHW over the winter. They were very popular last year and I anticipate joining the groups, perhaps not the fastest groups though!!
I'll be on the Way with my regular training group in between times and I also intend hill walking and trail running at least once midweek, perhaps in Arrochar.
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