Last night I decided to head up the road to Crieff for the Knock Hill Race. I don't normally do hill races, and I wasn't particularly in the mood for it after a hard day at work. However it is part of the Strathearn Harriers club championship, and as I was one of the people who suggested that a club championship would be a good idea, I felt somewhat obliged to support it. If I'm being completely honest, I also went along because I thought it was a race where I thought I might score quite a lot of points. The club championship scoring system is fairly complicated, and I won't bore you with the details here (if you are really interested you can find more information on www.strathearnharriers.org.uk), but there seems to be 3 key factors which influence your points: your own time, the winner's time, and your age. I can't do much about my age, but I didn't expect the winner's time to be particularly good, as it is not a high profile race. I therefore hoped to score quite a few points.
Well, I ended up finishing 17th (out of 46) in a time of 36.54, and I think I scored 13.8 points. This has put me in 2nd place in the club championship, 0.1 points behind the leader, Gordon Morrison. I should really point out that both Gordon and I have both done 3 events, while quite a few of the other serious contenders have only done 2. The race was a lot harder than I expected. I have been for a walk up Knock Hill with the dogs, and I don't remember it being particularly steep. Last night it seemed like a real slog. It didn't help that I was desperate for the toilet and had to stop half way up the hill, losing at least 30 seconds in the process. However I worked hard throughout, and passed 4 people in the second half of the course. All in all it was a good workout - a good hard run, without killing myself.
John's blog (www.west-highland-way-race07-training.blogspot.com/) has a timer to the start of the West Highland Way race, and when I looked a few seconds ago it told me the race starts in 29 days 3 hours 39 minutes and 10 seconds. That doesn't seem too far away (and since I've been typing this it has changed to 29 days 3 hours 38 minutes and 8 seconds). I'll try and have another couple of weeks of relatively high mileage, then start tapering down for the race with about 3 weeks to go. My taper will be helped by the fact that I'm backing up one my friends Bobby (free Bobby! - anyone who listens to Robin and Cat on Real Radio will get it) in the Devil O' The Highland Footrace on 9 June. This race covers the second half of the WHW, from Tyndrum to Fort William. (Free) Bobby came with us for last week's long run, and looked in good shape. I'm confident he'll do well in the Devil O.
Thursday, May 24, 2007
Sunday, May 20, 2007
2 days on the West Highland Way
Well, that was a good couple of days. On Friday morning we left Balmaha just before 9am to run the 41 miles up the West Highland Way to Bridge of Orchy. Feeling that was not quite enough, we followed it up with the 35 miles from Bridge of Orchy to Fort William on the Saturday.
4 of us did the full 2 day session - Hugh, John, Phil and me. We were joined on Friday by Bobby, who came with us to Tyndrum, then on Saturday by John, Peter, Joe, Ellen, Mark and Aileen. My wife Alison and Phil's wife Liz joined us at Bridge of Orchy on Friday night, and provided exceptional backup services throughout Saturday's run. Friday turned into a bit of a race, with us reaching Bridge of Orchy in 8 hours 39 minutes. We decided to take things a bit more gently on Saturday, but the pace was still good. I put my foot down half way along the Lairig Mor, completely ignoring our previous agreement to stick together (that was my revenge for the toilet stop incident the previous day, which I have described further at 2 below) and reached Fort William in 7 hours 28 minutes. This may sound quite impressive, but in fairness I should point out I was more than half an hour behind the group in front, and about 4 hours behind John.
For most of the weekend the weather was awful. It was showery on Friday, but at least we had some reasonably long spells where the rain went off. That didn't happen on Saturday, when it poured for pretty much all of the day. Despite the weather it was a great weekend, made all the better by the fantastic company. I've jotted down some of the highlights and lowlights, in no particular order. Highlights are marked with an 'H', and lowlights with an 'L'.
1. Starting out from Balmaha in a monsoon. Fortunately it only lasted about 10 minutes, although by that time we were soaking (L).
2. Stopping for a quick toilet stop on the route from Rowardennan to Inversnaid, and finding myself almost a minute behind the other 4. Guys, thanks for waiting for me... I realised then that this wasn't a friendly training run but a full blown session, and that no quarter would be given. In fact, I'm sure John referred to it as a 'race' on more than one occasion - a freudian slip, no doubt... (L)
3. Getting a coffee at Beinglas Farm, my first coffee for almost 7 hours (H).
4. Covering the section over Crianlarich without getting cramp (H).
5. The hot shower at the Bridge of Orchy bunkhouse (H).
6. Buying a round of drinks for 6 of us at the Bridge of Orchy hotel, and being told that the total bill was £1.40 (4 pints of water, a coke and an orange juice) (H).
7. Trying to decide whether to have the full West Highland breakfast on Saturday morning. My heart said yes, my head no - I went with my head, and had porridge and toast instead. Mind you, the full breafast didn't do Hugh any harm - he shot off before Kingshouse and we didn't see him again until Fort William (L).
8. Saddest moment of the 2 days was the look on Alison and Liz's face as they stood waiting for us in the middle of the storm at Kingshouse. Ladies, you went far beyond the call of duty. In fact, it was so wet there was a man beside them rounding up animals two by two into a nearby ark... (L)
9. It was so miserable that Aileen packed it in at Kingshouse (L)
10. But the rest of us went on (H).
11. I made it to Fort William just before the Leisure Centre closed, and managing to get a hot shower (H). However, I feel I have to comment on Lochaber Leisure Centre's opening hours. Why does it close at 5pm on a Saturday? Does no-one in Fort William want to do leisure after then?
12. Finally, having a fish supper at Tyndrum (H+).
All in all a great couple of days. Can't wait for 23rd June, when we get to do it all again, plus a bit more, and all in one go!
4 of us did the full 2 day session - Hugh, John, Phil and me. We were joined on Friday by Bobby, who came with us to Tyndrum, then on Saturday by John, Peter, Joe, Ellen, Mark and Aileen. My wife Alison and Phil's wife Liz joined us at Bridge of Orchy on Friday night, and provided exceptional backup services throughout Saturday's run. Friday turned into a bit of a race, with us reaching Bridge of Orchy in 8 hours 39 minutes. We decided to take things a bit more gently on Saturday, but the pace was still good. I put my foot down half way along the Lairig Mor, completely ignoring our previous agreement to stick together (that was my revenge for the toilet stop incident the previous day, which I have described further at 2 below) and reached Fort William in 7 hours 28 minutes. This may sound quite impressive, but in fairness I should point out I was more than half an hour behind the group in front, and about 4 hours behind John.
For most of the weekend the weather was awful. It was showery on Friday, but at least we had some reasonably long spells where the rain went off. That didn't happen on Saturday, when it poured for pretty much all of the day. Despite the weather it was a great weekend, made all the better by the fantastic company. I've jotted down some of the highlights and lowlights, in no particular order. Highlights are marked with an 'H', and lowlights with an 'L'.
1. Starting out from Balmaha in a monsoon. Fortunately it only lasted about 10 minutes, although by that time we were soaking (L).
2. Stopping for a quick toilet stop on the route from Rowardennan to Inversnaid, and finding myself almost a minute behind the other 4. Guys, thanks for waiting for me... I realised then that this wasn't a friendly training run but a full blown session, and that no quarter would be given. In fact, I'm sure John referred to it as a 'race' on more than one occasion - a freudian slip, no doubt... (L)
3. Getting a coffee at Beinglas Farm, my first coffee for almost 7 hours (H).
4. Covering the section over Crianlarich without getting cramp (H).
5. The hot shower at the Bridge of Orchy bunkhouse (H).
6. Buying a round of drinks for 6 of us at the Bridge of Orchy hotel, and being told that the total bill was £1.40 (4 pints of water, a coke and an orange juice) (H).
7. Trying to decide whether to have the full West Highland breakfast on Saturday morning. My heart said yes, my head no - I went with my head, and had porridge and toast instead. Mind you, the full breafast didn't do Hugh any harm - he shot off before Kingshouse and we didn't see him again until Fort William (L).
8. Saddest moment of the 2 days was the look on Alison and Liz's face as they stood waiting for us in the middle of the storm at Kingshouse. Ladies, you went far beyond the call of duty. In fact, it was so wet there was a man beside them rounding up animals two by two into a nearby ark... (L)
9. It was so miserable that Aileen packed it in at Kingshouse (L)
10. But the rest of us went on (H).
11. I made it to Fort William just before the Leisure Centre closed, and managing to get a hot shower (H). However, I feel I have to comment on Lochaber Leisure Centre's opening hours. Why does it close at 5pm on a Saturday? Does no-one in Fort William want to do leisure after then?
12. Finally, having a fish supper at Tyndrum (H+).
All in all a great couple of days. Can't wait for 23rd June, when we get to do it all again, plus a bit more, and all in one go!
Sunday, May 13, 2007
A quick update
I haven't much blogging time tonight, but I know many of my readers get frustrated when there is no update. So, with apologies for the summary format, here goes:
I had a bit of niggle in my left groin for the first part of the week. It was possibly brought on by playing football at my son's 9th birthday party last Sunday, or even by falling down a hole on the moor when I was out walking the dogs. Whatever caused it, I thought it was better to be cautious and that meant I missed the Troon 10k on Wednesday night. It was disappointing to miss it, but probably the right decision.
I had an easy run on Thursday and another easy run on Saturday. My groin felt ok. So today I went up to the West Highland Way and ran from Tyndrum to just beyond Forest Lodge and back, 20 miles in total. I felt pretty good, covering it in just over 3 hours.
Next Friday and Saturday I'm doing most of the West Highland Way with a few other race entrants, including Phil and John. The plan is to run from Balmaha to Bridge of Orchy on the Friday (40 miles), then stay at Bridge of Orchy overnight and run from there to Fort William on the Saturday (35 miles). I'm looking forward to it. There is a chance we'll be interviewed by a reporter from the Independent on Sunday who is doing a feature on the race, so look out for that.
Today was the Glasgow Women's 10k. A large number of women from our firm were doing it, including 2 from my department, Linda and Morag. Morag has done it a few times but it was Linda's first. They finished in very good times, so congratulations to both of them. Hopefully they will have caught the running 'bug', and will be thinking about doing the half marathon in September!
I had a bit of niggle in my left groin for the first part of the week. It was possibly brought on by playing football at my son's 9th birthday party last Sunday, or even by falling down a hole on the moor when I was out walking the dogs. Whatever caused it, I thought it was better to be cautious and that meant I missed the Troon 10k on Wednesday night. It was disappointing to miss it, but probably the right decision.
I had an easy run on Thursday and another easy run on Saturday. My groin felt ok. So today I went up to the West Highland Way and ran from Tyndrum to just beyond Forest Lodge and back, 20 miles in total. I felt pretty good, covering it in just over 3 hours.
Next Friday and Saturday I'm doing most of the West Highland Way with a few other race entrants, including Phil and John. The plan is to run from Balmaha to Bridge of Orchy on the Friday (40 miles), then stay at Bridge of Orchy overnight and run from there to Fort William on the Saturday (35 miles). I'm looking forward to it. There is a chance we'll be interviewed by a reporter from the Independent on Sunday who is doing a feature on the race, so look out for that.
Today was the Glasgow Women's 10k. A large number of women from our firm were doing it, including 2 from my department, Linda and Morag. Morag has done it a few times but it was Linda's first. They finished in very good times, so congratulations to both of them. Hopefully they will have caught the running 'bug', and will be thinking about doing the half marathon in September!
Saturday, May 05, 2007
Scottish elections
This is my first ever political blog. Up to now I've tried to steer clear of politics and concentrated on running instead. However I have always had an enormous interest in politics, and I think the results of Thursday's Scottish elections merit some comment. So here goes.
First of all congratulations to the SNP for ending up the largest party - 47 seats compared to Labour's 46. At the time of writing it isn't clear what is going to happen. However my preference on the way forward would be the not so obvious solution - why don't the SNP and Labour form a coalition government? It has to make sense - between them they have 93 of the 129 seats, so a coalition between these 2 parties would provide a great chance to deliver 'the will of the Scottish people' - and isn't that what it is all about? Labour would have to accept that the Scottish people are entitled to a referendum on independence. In my view this isn't a bad thing. I'm actually moving more and more in favour myself. It would also give the SNP an opportunity to learn from Labour's many years in power, and to make sure that knowledge was not lost.
One of my main concerns about the SNP manifesto was their proposal to abolish sportscotland. I am a board member of sportscotland, so I have a particular interest in this. However, trying to put my personal interest to one side, I just do not see how replacing the sportscotland board with a group of politicians makes any sense at all. The sportscotland board is made up of independently appointed people, all of whom are (from my experience) very high quality individuals. Sportscotland was established by Royal Charter to ensure it remained independent from the normal political process, and I just don't see how changing this will improve sport in Scotland. I applied to be part of it because I believed I could make a difference. I would be disappointed if this was opportunity was taken away, with sportscotland replaced by another yet another government department.
I am actually very supportive of pushing for Scottish representation in all sports, i.e. having a Scottish team at events like the Olympics and World Championships. I cannot see how this can be a bad thing for Scottish sport. It will give significantly greater opportunities for Scottish athletes to appear on the world stage, and that will in my opinion lead to far greater motivation from our athletes, resulting in improved performances. We already see improvements in performance standards in Commonwealth Games years across a number of sports - athletes suddenly have an achieveable target, so are prepared to push themselves that bit further to get there. I hope that the SNP and Labour, working together for the benefit of the Scottish people, take this on board.
There is no doubt in my mind that sport needs to be a higher priority for any Scottish government. There are 2 aspects to this - as outlined in the recently published strategy for sport - which are to increase participation and to improve performance. Both are equally important. We need to get this right - I worry greatly about our ability to fund the health service in 10 to 15 years time if we don't take steps now to improve the fitness of the population of Scotland. Initiatives like jogscotland have such an important role to play in this. I think it can be done. Next week is the Glasgow Women's 10k, and we have around 50 women from our firm taking part. When you bear in mind that we only have about 400 people in total (both men and women) then I think that is a fantastic response. It just goes to show what happens when you get a few enthusiastic people in a workplace and it becomes 'cool' to take part. The London Olympics in 2012, and hopefully the Glasgow Commonwealth Games in 2014, have the potential to be a key influence in helping people moving to a better and healthier lifestyle. Let's hope everyone makes the most of these fantastic opportunities.
First of all congratulations to the SNP for ending up the largest party - 47 seats compared to Labour's 46. At the time of writing it isn't clear what is going to happen. However my preference on the way forward would be the not so obvious solution - why don't the SNP and Labour form a coalition government? It has to make sense - between them they have 93 of the 129 seats, so a coalition between these 2 parties would provide a great chance to deliver 'the will of the Scottish people' - and isn't that what it is all about? Labour would have to accept that the Scottish people are entitled to a referendum on independence. In my view this isn't a bad thing. I'm actually moving more and more in favour myself. It would also give the SNP an opportunity to learn from Labour's many years in power, and to make sure that knowledge was not lost.
One of my main concerns about the SNP manifesto was their proposal to abolish sportscotland. I am a board member of sportscotland, so I have a particular interest in this. However, trying to put my personal interest to one side, I just do not see how replacing the sportscotland board with a group of politicians makes any sense at all. The sportscotland board is made up of independently appointed people, all of whom are (from my experience) very high quality individuals. Sportscotland was established by Royal Charter to ensure it remained independent from the normal political process, and I just don't see how changing this will improve sport in Scotland. I applied to be part of it because I believed I could make a difference. I would be disappointed if this was opportunity was taken away, with sportscotland replaced by another yet another government department.
I am actually very supportive of pushing for Scottish representation in all sports, i.e. having a Scottish team at events like the Olympics and World Championships. I cannot see how this can be a bad thing for Scottish sport. It will give significantly greater opportunities for Scottish athletes to appear on the world stage, and that will in my opinion lead to far greater motivation from our athletes, resulting in improved performances. We already see improvements in performance standards in Commonwealth Games years across a number of sports - athletes suddenly have an achieveable target, so are prepared to push themselves that bit further to get there. I hope that the SNP and Labour, working together for the benefit of the Scottish people, take this on board.
There is no doubt in my mind that sport needs to be a higher priority for any Scottish government. There are 2 aspects to this - as outlined in the recently published strategy for sport - which are to increase participation and to improve performance. Both are equally important. We need to get this right - I worry greatly about our ability to fund the health service in 10 to 15 years time if we don't take steps now to improve the fitness of the population of Scotland. Initiatives like jogscotland have such an important role to play in this. I think it can be done. Next week is the Glasgow Women's 10k, and we have around 50 women from our firm taking part. When you bear in mind that we only have about 400 people in total (both men and women) then I think that is a fantastic response. It just goes to show what happens when you get a few enthusiastic people in a workplace and it becomes 'cool' to take part. The London Olympics in 2012, and hopefully the Glasgow Commonwealth Games in 2014, have the potential to be a key influence in helping people moving to a better and healthier lifestyle. Let's hope everyone makes the most of these fantastic opportunities.
Wednesday, May 02, 2007
A sprint finish - but who was it against?
During Saturday's Highland Fling race I ended up in a sprint finish, as I reported in my race review:
Just after coming into the forest before Tyndrum I passed someone else, then managed to trip and had my first fall of the day. I shouted a few well chosen words, picked myself up, and powered towards the finish, determined to stay in front of the person I had just passed. I succeeded, but only just. I'm not sure I needed a sprint finish at that stage.
Well, the results of the race were published on Monday and I was very surprised that there was no-one listed as finishing just a couple of seconds behind me. Steven King was 36 seconds in front and Kendra-Anne White was 2 minutes and 3 seconds behind. Being a very pedantic person, this puzzled me greatly. I could only think of 2 possible explanations: either Murdo (the race organiser) had mixed up Steven King and me in the results, and then got the times wrong (which seemed unlikely), or the person I had the sprint finish with wasn't in the race at all.
As it was still puzzling me today, I e-mailed Steven King to ask him if he was in a sprint finish with someone - in other words to check out the first possible explanation. He came back and said that he had indeed finished about 36 seconds in front of me, and remembered my sprint finish well, as he was sitting on the ground beside the finish line at the time. The results had confused him too, as he had thought there were 3 people between him and his clubmate Lynne Kuz, but the results only showed 2.
So the only possible explanation would appear to be that I got involved in a sprint finish on Saturday, over the final quarter mile of a 53 mile race, with someone who wasn't even in the race. I have to say that I find that greatly amusing.
Just after coming into the forest before Tyndrum I passed someone else, then managed to trip and had my first fall of the day. I shouted a few well chosen words, picked myself up, and powered towards the finish, determined to stay in front of the person I had just passed. I succeeded, but only just. I'm not sure I needed a sprint finish at that stage.
Well, the results of the race were published on Monday and I was very surprised that there was no-one listed as finishing just a couple of seconds behind me. Steven King was 36 seconds in front and Kendra-Anne White was 2 minutes and 3 seconds behind. Being a very pedantic person, this puzzled me greatly. I could only think of 2 possible explanations: either Murdo (the race organiser) had mixed up Steven King and me in the results, and then got the times wrong (which seemed unlikely), or the person I had the sprint finish with wasn't in the race at all.
As it was still puzzling me today, I e-mailed Steven King to ask him if he was in a sprint finish with someone - in other words to check out the first possible explanation. He came back and said that he had indeed finished about 36 seconds in front of me, and remembered my sprint finish well, as he was sitting on the ground beside the finish line at the time. The results had confused him too, as he had thought there were 3 people between him and his clubmate Lynne Kuz, but the results only showed 2.
So the only possible explanation would appear to be that I got involved in a sprint finish on Saturday, over the final quarter mile of a 53 mile race, with someone who wasn't even in the race. I have to say that I find that greatly amusing.
Sunday, April 29, 2007
The Highland Fling
"Ding, ding, the Highland Fling,
The Highland Fling, the Highland Fling
Ding ding, the Highland Fling
The Highland Fling for me"
Yesterday I took part in 'The Highland Fling', a 53 mile trail race on the southern section of the West Highland Way from Milngavie to Tyndrum. With the benefit of hindsight I think I ran well, finishing 17th in a time of 10 hours 39 minutes. That was my fastest time ever for that section. Below I've jotted down the key highlights of the day.
3.30am - alarm went off and I got up. Spent next hour rushing around checking I had everything I needed. Decided to have a boiled egg for breakfast, but ran out of time and didn't get a chance to have it.
4.30am - Liz and Phil picked me up.
5.30am - we arrived at Milngavie station. It was a lot busier than last year, when only 17 people took part in the inaugural event - this year there were more than 70.
6.00am - race started. Still quite cool. Ran most of the first section with John K and Allan M. Reached Drymen in 1 hour 50 minutes, which was fast.
9.10am - arrived at the first checkpoint at Balmaha. Time was 3 hours 10 minutes - my fastest ever time to reach there. John kept saying how good he felt. I was a bit worried it was too fast, but felt ok so decided not to panic.
10.42 am - reached Rowardennan in 4 hours 42 minutes, which was fast. I had fallen a bit behind John on this section, but was quite pleased about that as I felt he was going a touch faster than I wanted to run. I forced down a rice pudding and banana, although my stomach didn't feel great - no surprise there. Liz did a superb job as support person, towelling me down and spraying on my suntan lotion. It was starting to get hot.
12.13pm - arrived at Inversnaid (6 hours 13 mins), having had a very good section. Tim, who was taking the times, made me a coffee. However I had to rush off when 4 other runners arrived, including Rosie Bell from Strathaven and Hugh Kerr from Central, as I didn't want them to get in front of me.
1.57pm - reached Beinglas Farm (7 hours 57 mins). Before the race I reckoned if I was away from Beinglas in 8 hours I would be doing well, so I was still very much on schedule. I had passed a couple of people on the difficult section north of Inversnaid, including Erwin from Helensburgh. At Beinglas it was about 3 more miles to the next checkpoint at Derrydarroch. I covered that part really well and passed another couple of runners who were struggling. As I arrived at the checkpoint at Derrydarroch I was surprised to see John K, as I thought he would be much further in front. I think he was surprised to see me too. He left the checkpoint 4 minutes in front of me - not an insurmountable gap at that stage, particularly as everyone would be starting to tire.
2.54pm (8 hours 54 mins) - went through the A82 underpass feeling good, and came out the other side feeling terrible. For the next 45 minutes or so I had terrible cramp. At one stage I could not move at all as my legs seized up in about 5 places at the same time. I tried to eat and drink as much as possible: 2 gels, a scone, some Lucozade sport, some water and some jelly babies, but despite my best efforts I couldn't get rid of the cramp. I even had cramp in my arms. At least 2 other runners passed me, which was irritating, but there was absolutely nothing I could do about it. After what seemed like hours of suffering I met a support person for another runner who gave me some crisps. I don't know whether the crisps made a difference, or whether it was the other food kicking in, but eventually the cramp went away just before I crossed the A82 for the second time. What a relief to be able to run again.
4.03pm (10 hours 3 minutes) - crossed A82 for the 2nd time. As the cramp had gone, and I had walked so much of the previous section, I felt really fresh and strong. I fairly motored passed Auchentyre wigwams and up towards Tyndrum. I passed the 2 people who had overtaken me on the previous section - one of the girls had a really sore knee, but she had kept going well, even though she was found the downhill sections really painful. Just after coming into the forest before Tyndrum I passed someone else, then managed to trip and had my first fall of the day. I shouted a few well chosen words, picked myself up, and powered towards the finish, determined to stay in front of the person I had just passed. I succeeded, but only just. I'm not sure I needed a sprint finish at that stage.
4.39 (10 hours 39 minutes) - finished. I felt really good at the end - seemed to have got over the cramp and was running strongly. I found out that Debbie C had finished 6 minutes earlier (in a time of 10.33) and John K was only 3 minutes in front (10.36). I congratulated both of them, although felt a bit gutted as I reckon the cramp had cost me at least 10 minutes on the section above Crianlarich. Still, that's life, and overall I can't really complain about my time.
Phil finished in 12 hours 24 minutes. He felt he ran the first 20 miles too fast, but overall was quite pleased with his performance.
Anyone interested in reading more about this fantastic event, and looking at some photos, should have a look at John K's blog:
http://www.west-highland-way-race07-training.blogspot.com/
Race results can be found here:
http://www.highlandflingrun.co.uk/
Many thanks to Murdo, Ellen and all the other helpers for putting on such a high quality event.
The Highland Fling, the Highland Fling
Ding ding, the Highland Fling
The Highland Fling for me"
Yesterday I took part in 'The Highland Fling', a 53 mile trail race on the southern section of the West Highland Way from Milngavie to Tyndrum. With the benefit of hindsight I think I ran well, finishing 17th in a time of 10 hours 39 minutes. That was my fastest time ever for that section. Below I've jotted down the key highlights of the day.
3.30am - alarm went off and I got up. Spent next hour rushing around checking I had everything I needed. Decided to have a boiled egg for breakfast, but ran out of time and didn't get a chance to have it.
4.30am - Liz and Phil picked me up.
5.30am - we arrived at Milngavie station. It was a lot busier than last year, when only 17 people took part in the inaugural event - this year there were more than 70.
6.00am - race started. Still quite cool. Ran most of the first section with John K and Allan M. Reached Drymen in 1 hour 50 minutes, which was fast.
9.10am - arrived at the first checkpoint at Balmaha. Time was 3 hours 10 minutes - my fastest ever time to reach there. John kept saying how good he felt. I was a bit worried it was too fast, but felt ok so decided not to panic.
10.42 am - reached Rowardennan in 4 hours 42 minutes, which was fast. I had fallen a bit behind John on this section, but was quite pleased about that as I felt he was going a touch faster than I wanted to run. I forced down a rice pudding and banana, although my stomach didn't feel great - no surprise there. Liz did a superb job as support person, towelling me down and spraying on my suntan lotion. It was starting to get hot.
12.13pm - arrived at Inversnaid (6 hours 13 mins), having had a very good section. Tim, who was taking the times, made me a coffee. However I had to rush off when 4 other runners arrived, including Rosie Bell from Strathaven and Hugh Kerr from Central, as I didn't want them to get in front of me.
1.57pm - reached Beinglas Farm (7 hours 57 mins). Before the race I reckoned if I was away from Beinglas in 8 hours I would be doing well, so I was still very much on schedule. I had passed a couple of people on the difficult section north of Inversnaid, including Erwin from Helensburgh. At Beinglas it was about 3 more miles to the next checkpoint at Derrydarroch. I covered that part really well and passed another couple of runners who were struggling. As I arrived at the checkpoint at Derrydarroch I was surprised to see John K, as I thought he would be much further in front. I think he was surprised to see me too. He left the checkpoint 4 minutes in front of me - not an insurmountable gap at that stage, particularly as everyone would be starting to tire.
2.54pm (8 hours 54 mins) - went through the A82 underpass feeling good, and came out the other side feeling terrible. For the next 45 minutes or so I had terrible cramp. At one stage I could not move at all as my legs seized up in about 5 places at the same time. I tried to eat and drink as much as possible: 2 gels, a scone, some Lucozade sport, some water and some jelly babies, but despite my best efforts I couldn't get rid of the cramp. I even had cramp in my arms. At least 2 other runners passed me, which was irritating, but there was absolutely nothing I could do about it. After what seemed like hours of suffering I met a support person for another runner who gave me some crisps. I don't know whether the crisps made a difference, or whether it was the other food kicking in, but eventually the cramp went away just before I crossed the A82 for the second time. What a relief to be able to run again.
4.03pm (10 hours 3 minutes) - crossed A82 for the 2nd time. As the cramp had gone, and I had walked so much of the previous section, I felt really fresh and strong. I fairly motored passed Auchentyre wigwams and up towards Tyndrum. I passed the 2 people who had overtaken me on the previous section - one of the girls had a really sore knee, but she had kept going well, even though she was found the downhill sections really painful. Just after coming into the forest before Tyndrum I passed someone else, then managed to trip and had my first fall of the day. I shouted a few well chosen words, picked myself up, and powered towards the finish, determined to stay in front of the person I had just passed. I succeeded, but only just. I'm not sure I needed a sprint finish at that stage.
4.39 (10 hours 39 minutes) - finished. I felt really good at the end - seemed to have got over the cramp and was running strongly. I found out that Debbie C had finished 6 minutes earlier (in a time of 10.33) and John K was only 3 minutes in front (10.36). I congratulated both of them, although felt a bit gutted as I reckon the cramp had cost me at least 10 minutes on the section above Crianlarich. Still, that's life, and overall I can't really complain about my time.
Phil finished in 12 hours 24 minutes. He felt he ran the first 20 miles too fast, but overall was quite pleased with his performance.
Anyone interested in reading more about this fantastic event, and looking at some photos, should have a look at John K's blog:
http://www.west-highland-way-race07-training.blogspot.com/
Race results can be found here:
http://www.highlandflingrun.co.uk/
Many thanks to Murdo, Ellen and all the other helpers for putting on such a high quality event.
Saturday, April 21, 2007
This week's training
An amazing thing happened on Thursday night. I actually made it along to a Central AC training session - I'm almost positive that's the first time that's happened this year. I was one of the first to arrive and we did a decent warm up, then some 'diagonals' on the football pitch, then a warm down. I quite enjoyed it, although it was a bit disconcerting to be lapped during the warm up by Robert Russell, even though he is an ex Scottish National XC champion, and won last Sunday's Grangemouth 10k.
As well as going to the Central training, this week I've managed a fantastic run round Arthur's Seat in Edinburgh, another good run round the south side of Edinburgh, a lunchtime run along the canal and past Firhill in Glasgow, and a 20 mile run today round Strathearn. I guess you could say I get about a bit. Today's run round Strathearn was really good. I ran with the 2 Phils (Phil T and Phil M), both of whom are 1) Strathearn Harriers 2) experienced hill runners and 3) to be honest, a lot more comfortable on the hills than I am. We started somewhere near the Glenturret distillery, headed through Crieff, over some hills to a wildlife park near Comrie, through Comrie, and back over some even steeper hills passing a resevoir before returning to our starting point. For the vast majority of the run I has a fantastic view of the two Phils' backs, and I had no idea where I was. I tried to pretend that I was feeling great, and that it made more sense for me to sit behind them a bit, but I don't think either of the Phils was fooled for a minute. The only consolation was the time - Phil T had told me before the run that 3 hours was a good time for the route and that today he expected 3 hours 20 to be more likely. We finished in 2 hours 51 minutes, having run the last 2 (downhill) miles in something close to 12 minutes.
This is a big weekend for long distance runners, with both the London and Lochaber marathons taking place tomorrow. I know a number of people who are taking part, so good luck to all of them. They'll be hoping the conditions are better than Rotterdam last Sunday or Boston last Monday. At Rotterdam the temperature reached 34 degrees, and eventually the officials decided to close the route because so many runners were passing out due to the extreme heat. Boston was the complete opposite, with very heavy rain and wind gusts of up to 50 mph. The winning time at Boston was 2 hours 14 minutes. While I may think that was not too bad a time at all, and I would probably be quite pleased with it, it should be pointed out that it was was the slowest winning time for something like 30 years. The women didn't fare much better, with the first lady something like 2 hours 34 minutes - not great by international standards.
The forecast for London is for the temparature to reach 23 degrees. No doubt Brendan Foster, Steve Cram et al on the BBC will say something like "absolutely ideal conditions for marathon running", but the reality is that these temparatures are far too hot, especially if you have spent a winter training in Scotland in average temperatures of around 5 degrees. It would definitely kill me. I have never run particularly well at London - I've done it 7 times (1992, 1993, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2002) and my best is a not so great 3 hours 7 minutes. Almost every year I've found it too warm. Tomorrow I'll be sitting in front of the television, hopefully eating a couple of bacon and sausage rolls, knowing full well that it just isn't the kind of event where I could expect to run well. Won't stop me wishing I was there, however....
As well as going to the Central training, this week I've managed a fantastic run round Arthur's Seat in Edinburgh, another good run round the south side of Edinburgh, a lunchtime run along the canal and past Firhill in Glasgow, and a 20 mile run today round Strathearn. I guess you could say I get about a bit. Today's run round Strathearn was really good. I ran with the 2 Phils (Phil T and Phil M), both of whom are 1) Strathearn Harriers 2) experienced hill runners and 3) to be honest, a lot more comfortable on the hills than I am. We started somewhere near the Glenturret distillery, headed through Crieff, over some hills to a wildlife park near Comrie, through Comrie, and back over some even steeper hills passing a resevoir before returning to our starting point. For the vast majority of the run I has a fantastic view of the two Phils' backs, and I had no idea where I was. I tried to pretend that I was feeling great, and that it made more sense for me to sit behind them a bit, but I don't think either of the Phils was fooled for a minute. The only consolation was the time - Phil T had told me before the run that 3 hours was a good time for the route and that today he expected 3 hours 20 to be more likely. We finished in 2 hours 51 minutes, having run the last 2 (downhill) miles in something close to 12 minutes.
This is a big weekend for long distance runners, with both the London and Lochaber marathons taking place tomorrow. I know a number of people who are taking part, so good luck to all of them. They'll be hoping the conditions are better than Rotterdam last Sunday or Boston last Monday. At Rotterdam the temperature reached 34 degrees, and eventually the officials decided to close the route because so many runners were passing out due to the extreme heat. Boston was the complete opposite, with very heavy rain and wind gusts of up to 50 mph. The winning time at Boston was 2 hours 14 minutes. While I may think that was not too bad a time at all, and I would probably be quite pleased with it, it should be pointed out that it was was the slowest winning time for something like 30 years. The women didn't fare much better, with the first lady something like 2 hours 34 minutes - not great by international standards.
The forecast for London is for the temparature to reach 23 degrees. No doubt Brendan Foster, Steve Cram et al on the BBC will say something like "absolutely ideal conditions for marathon running", but the reality is that these temparatures are far too hot, especially if you have spent a winter training in Scotland in average temperatures of around 5 degrees. It would definitely kill me. I have never run particularly well at London - I've done it 7 times (1992, 1993, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2002) and my best is a not so great 3 hours 7 minutes. Almost every year I've found it too warm. Tomorrow I'll be sitting in front of the television, hopefully eating a couple of bacon and sausage rolls, knowing full well that it just isn't the kind of event where I could expect to run well. Won't stop me wishing I was there, however....
Sunday, April 15, 2007
Number 2 in the Scottish rankings
Uk Athletics operate a ranking scheme for all events and distances known as the 'Power of 10' rankings. This can be found at the link below:
http://www1.powerof10.info/
As of today (Sunday 15th April), I'm ranked number 2 in Scotland for the marathon! It won't last beyond next weekend, when the London and Lochaber marathons take place, but for the time being I'm going to savour it. I've e-mailed the compilers and asked them to fix my club - at the moment they have me down as belonging to Arbroath and District AC, but that is actually the other Ian Beattie - hopefully it will be fixed soon.
To access it go into the link above, select 'Scotland' for the region and 'marathon' for the event.
Ian - Ranked No 2 in Scotland for the Marathon as at 15 April 2007
http://www1.powerof10.info/
As of today (Sunday 15th April), I'm ranked number 2 in Scotland for the marathon! It won't last beyond next weekend, when the London and Lochaber marathons take place, but for the time being I'm going to savour it. I've e-mailed the compilers and asked them to fix my club - at the moment they have me down as belonging to Arbroath and District AC, but that is actually the other Ian Beattie - hopefully it will be fixed soon.
To access it go into the link above, select 'Scotland' for the region and 'marathon' for the event.
Ian - Ranked No 2 in Scotland for the Marathon as at 15 April 2007
Back on the West Highland Way
It's only 10 weeks to go until the West Highland Way race on 23rd June. That means it is time to start increasing the mileage, focusing more specifically now on long, steady off-road runs, a lot of which will be on the WHW route itself.
Yesterday I met up with Ellen, Debbie, Aileen, Mags, George, Bobby, Alasdair and Karen at the car park at Bridge of Orchy, setting out for Fort William around 8.30am. Weatherwise it was a brilliant day. If anything, it was a touch too warm at some sections, although it seems a bit churlish to complain about the heat in Scotland in the middle of April. We took the first couple of sections to Kingshouse relatively easily, but worked a bit harder up and down the Devil's Staircase to Kinlochleven. By this stage we had split into 3 groups - Debbie, Aileen and I had pushed on a bit at the front; Ellen and Mags were working away steadily not far behind; and then George, Bobby, Alasdair and Karen were just behind them. The last group (the 'Troonies') are training for the Devil O' The Highlands Footrace on 9th June, and were only going as far as Kinlochleven.
I arrived in Fort William 7 hours and 32 minutes after setting out. This was probably a bit faster than I had planned to run, but was about 8 minutes behind Debbie, who had pushed on very strongly towards the top end of the Lairig Mor. I suffered a bit from cramp on the last sections, probably as a result of the heat, and although it was never enough to stop me running it did slow me down at quite a few points. It's something I'll have to have a think about - it does cost a bit of time when it happens, and I'm sure it can be avoided by eating and drinking the right things. If there are any nutritionists out there with any advice, please get in touch!
We had plenty of time to get a coffee at the local Morrisons - I even had time for a shower at the Fort William Leisure Centre, which meant I wasn't as smelly as the others - before we headed back to Bridge of Orchy on the 5.40 train. All in all a great day out, and one which should set us up nicely for the 53 mile Highland Fling race from Milngavie to Tyndrum in a couple of weeks time. Bring it on!
Yesterday I met up with Ellen, Debbie, Aileen, Mags, George, Bobby, Alasdair and Karen at the car park at Bridge of Orchy, setting out for Fort William around 8.30am. Weatherwise it was a brilliant day. If anything, it was a touch too warm at some sections, although it seems a bit churlish to complain about the heat in Scotland in the middle of April. We took the first couple of sections to Kingshouse relatively easily, but worked a bit harder up and down the Devil's Staircase to Kinlochleven. By this stage we had split into 3 groups - Debbie, Aileen and I had pushed on a bit at the front; Ellen and Mags were working away steadily not far behind; and then George, Bobby, Alasdair and Karen were just behind them. The last group (the 'Troonies') are training for the Devil O' The Highlands Footrace on 9th June, and were only going as far as Kinlochleven.
I arrived in Fort William 7 hours and 32 minutes after setting out. This was probably a bit faster than I had planned to run, but was about 8 minutes behind Debbie, who had pushed on very strongly towards the top end of the Lairig Mor. I suffered a bit from cramp on the last sections, probably as a result of the heat, and although it was never enough to stop me running it did slow me down at quite a few points. It's something I'll have to have a think about - it does cost a bit of time when it happens, and I'm sure it can be avoided by eating and drinking the right things. If there are any nutritionists out there with any advice, please get in touch!
We had plenty of time to get a coffee at the local Morrisons - I even had time for a shower at the Fort William Leisure Centre, which meant I wasn't as smelly as the others - before we headed back to Bridge of Orchy on the 5.40 train. All in all a great day out, and one which should set us up nicely for the 53 mile Highland Fling race from Milngavie to Tyndrum in a couple of weeks time. Bring it on!
Saturday, April 07, 2007
Sub 3 hour marathon - so what?
Tonight is confession time. I am not good at celebrating success. Once I have achieved something that I have been aiming for, such as my sub 3 hour marathon last weekend, my reaction tends to be: well, I'm glad that's done, but what is my next target?
I'm sure it is a flaw in my personality, and one which I know frustrates my wife enormously. I had exactly the same feeling many years ago when I received my exam results at school, the same when I passed my driving test, the same again when I received my final results at university, and I have had the same feeling on many other occasions since. I just don't seem to be able to do anything about it - it's just seems to be something I am stuck with.
In terms of last week's run, why do I not feel more delighted with it? I started running seriously towards the end of 1990, and managed my first sub 3 hour marathon at Inverclyde in August 1991, when I finished in 2.59. At that time I thought it would be the first of many sub 3s, but despite a lot of attempts I did not manage it again until 1996, when I ran 2.56 at Crossmichael. This was followed by a 2.57 in 1997 at Nottingham, and then a 2.56 in 1998 at Inverclyde. Since then the closest I have come was a 3.02 at Loch Ness in 2002, and a 3.03 at Leicester in 2003. As it had been almost 9 years since my last sub 3, I had my doubts whether I would ever achieve it again, although it was interesting to have a look back at what I wrote at the end of December 2006, when I was setting my targets for this year:
Marathon: pb - 2.56 (in 1998); last year's best - 3.18; 2007 target - under 3 hours 10 mins. Call me a dreamer, but I actually believe that I still have another sub 3 hour marathon in me, although only if I give up all the ultra running and make a sub 3 hour marathon my main goal for the year. Realistically, that isn't going to happen, so I would be delighted with anything under 3.10.
Having now done it, I can't help thinking it wasn't as difficult a goal as I have been making it out to be. In fact, in general I don't think I have run marathons as well as I have been capable of - in far too many races I have probably been a bit apprehensive about the distance, and held back rather than push myself to the limit. Of the 42 road marathons I've now done (I've also done 15 ultras and non road marathons, so my official 'total' is 57), my times have been in the following categories:
Less than 3 hours - 5
Between 3 hours and 3.04.59 - 3
Between 3 hours 5 and 3.09.59 - 13
Between 3 hours 10 and 3.14.59 - 3
Between 3 hours 15 and 3.19.59 - 9
Between 3 hours 20 and 3.24.59 - 3
Between 3 hours 25 and 3.29.59 - 2
More than 3 hours 30 - 4
So there you are. Sorry it's all a bit deep and analytical tonight, but you've probably sensed that I'm on a bit of a down at the moment. My mood hasn't been helped by the fact that I've picked up another of these bl**dy viruses that is going around which has meant that, for the last few days a) I've been feeling lousy and b) I haven't been able to run. I guess the break from running will do me no harm at all, and should mean my body gets a chance to recover properly from last week's marathon. That's the theory, but in practice it is still very frustrating. At least we have a long training run planned on the WHW for next Saturday, and then it's the Highland Fling on 28th April. I'm looking forward to both of them. After all, there's no point in looking back when you can look forward instead...
I'm sure it is a flaw in my personality, and one which I know frustrates my wife enormously. I had exactly the same feeling many years ago when I received my exam results at school, the same when I passed my driving test, the same again when I received my final results at university, and I have had the same feeling on many other occasions since. I just don't seem to be able to do anything about it - it's just seems to be something I am stuck with.
In terms of last week's run, why do I not feel more delighted with it? I started running seriously towards the end of 1990, and managed my first sub 3 hour marathon at Inverclyde in August 1991, when I finished in 2.59. At that time I thought it would be the first of many sub 3s, but despite a lot of attempts I did not manage it again until 1996, when I ran 2.56 at Crossmichael. This was followed by a 2.57 in 1997 at Nottingham, and then a 2.56 in 1998 at Inverclyde. Since then the closest I have come was a 3.02 at Loch Ness in 2002, and a 3.03 at Leicester in 2003. As it had been almost 9 years since my last sub 3, I had my doubts whether I would ever achieve it again, although it was interesting to have a look back at what I wrote at the end of December 2006, when I was setting my targets for this year:
Marathon: pb - 2.56 (in 1998); last year's best - 3.18; 2007 target - under 3 hours 10 mins. Call me a dreamer, but I actually believe that I still have another sub 3 hour marathon in me, although only if I give up all the ultra running and make a sub 3 hour marathon my main goal for the year. Realistically, that isn't going to happen, so I would be delighted with anything under 3.10.
Having now done it, I can't help thinking it wasn't as difficult a goal as I have been making it out to be. In fact, in general I don't think I have run marathons as well as I have been capable of - in far too many races I have probably been a bit apprehensive about the distance, and held back rather than push myself to the limit. Of the 42 road marathons I've now done (I've also done 15 ultras and non road marathons, so my official 'total' is 57), my times have been in the following categories:
Less than 3 hours - 5
Between 3 hours and 3.04.59 - 3
Between 3 hours 5 and 3.09.59 - 13
Between 3 hours 10 and 3.14.59 - 3
Between 3 hours 15 and 3.19.59 - 9
Between 3 hours 20 and 3.24.59 - 3
Between 3 hours 25 and 3.29.59 - 2
More than 3 hours 30 - 4
So there you are. Sorry it's all a bit deep and analytical tonight, but you've probably sensed that I'm on a bit of a down at the moment. My mood hasn't been helped by the fact that I've picked up another of these bl**dy viruses that is going around which has meant that, for the last few days a) I've been feeling lousy and b) I haven't been able to run. I guess the break from running will do me no harm at all, and should mean my body gets a chance to recover properly from last week's marathon. That's the theory, but in practice it is still very frustrating. At least we have a long training run planned on the WHW for next Saturday, and then it's the Highland Fling on 28th April. I'm looking forward to both of them. After all, there's no point in looking back when you can look forward instead...
Sunday, April 01, 2007
Zurich Marathon
I'm sitting here in our hotel reception area in Zurich, trying to get a grip of the Swiss keyboard which has some of the keys in strange places. A few hours ago I finished the Zurich marathon in 2 hours 59 minutes and 40 seconds, finishing in 373rd place out of 4,642 finishers.
I was really pleased with my run. My plan was to stay close to the 3 hour pacer, but right from the start he went off more quickly than I wanted to run so I let him go. The race gave official times for the quarter, half, three quarter and full marathon distance, and I was through the quarter marathon point (slightly more than 10.5 k) in 44.51. At that stage I wouldn't have given myself much chance of beating 3 hours, and the 3 hour pacemaker (with his yellow balloon high in the air) must have been about a minute and a half in front. I surprised myself by picking up the pace, and by the half marathon distance (1.29.10) I had caught the pacemaker and his group, and was going well. I stayed with him (and the rest of the group, which was quite large) until the three quarter marathon point (just less than 32k) which I went through in 2.14.08. At that stage I was feeling good and knew I was on for sub 3 hours if I could hold it together. For some stupid reason I pushed on in front of the group at the 35k point, and by 36k they had come back and passed. I started to struggle badly, and went through a very poor section from about 36 to 39k. I was pretty sure at that point that my chances of sub 3 had gone, but as I checked my watch going through 39k I realised I could still do it if I was able to up the pace a bit. The last 3k were, as you would expect, very painful, but I was absolutely determined and as I came up the final straight I knew I was going to do it. I crossed the line in 2.59.40. I had done it - absolutely thrilled to bits - my first sub 3 hour marathon since 1998, and the first time I have done it in a big city race.
I have to say that the course and the organisation at Zurich were fantastic. The race started at 8.30am, so it didn't get too warm - I think the temperature ranged from about 9 to 14 degrees, which was ideal for running. The course went out and back along the lake, so there was hardly a hill on it. I received a text about 20 minutes after finishing, giving me my official time and splits. All in all a brilliant event, which I would highly recommend. It obviously helps when you run well :)
I was really pleased with my run. My plan was to stay close to the 3 hour pacer, but right from the start he went off more quickly than I wanted to run so I let him go. The race gave official times for the quarter, half, three quarter and full marathon distance, and I was through the quarter marathon point (slightly more than 10.5 k) in 44.51. At that stage I wouldn't have given myself much chance of beating 3 hours, and the 3 hour pacemaker (with his yellow balloon high in the air) must have been about a minute and a half in front. I surprised myself by picking up the pace, and by the half marathon distance (1.29.10) I had caught the pacemaker and his group, and was going well. I stayed with him (and the rest of the group, which was quite large) until the three quarter marathon point (just less than 32k) which I went through in 2.14.08. At that stage I was feeling good and knew I was on for sub 3 hours if I could hold it together. For some stupid reason I pushed on in front of the group at the 35k point, and by 36k they had come back and passed. I started to struggle badly, and went through a very poor section from about 36 to 39k. I was pretty sure at that point that my chances of sub 3 had gone, but as I checked my watch going through 39k I realised I could still do it if I was able to up the pace a bit. The last 3k were, as you would expect, very painful, but I was absolutely determined and as I came up the final straight I knew I was going to do it. I crossed the line in 2.59.40. I had done it - absolutely thrilled to bits - my first sub 3 hour marathon since 1998, and the first time I have done it in a big city race.
I have to say that the course and the organisation at Zurich were fantastic. The race started at 8.30am, so it didn't get too warm - I think the temperature ranged from about 9 to 14 degrees, which was ideal for running. The course went out and back along the lake, so there was hardly a hill on it. I received a text about 20 minutes after finishing, giving me my official time and splits. All in all a brilliant event, which I would highly recommend. It obviously helps when you run well :)
Sunday, March 25, 2007
Tapering down
I'm doing a marathon next week so have been trying to take it a bit easier on the running front. (We call it tapering, for any of you non runners who happen to be reading this blog). Last week I only ran 5 days, rather than the 6 or 7 days I've been doing for the last couple of months. Despite my tapering, I decided to go up to the WHW yesterday to meet John Kynaston and a number of others for a run. John was doing the 42 miles from Tyndrum to Fort William, while Ellen, Graeme, Michelle and Mags were meeting him at Bridge of Orchy and doing the 35 miles to FW from there. Debbie joined up on Rannoch Moor, and Mike joined at Kingshouse. I didn't want to do too much so drove to Kingshouse, ran south across Rannoch Moor for about 9 miles until I met up with the group, then turned round and ran with them back to the car at Kingshouse. It was a fantastic day and I was really quite sorry I wasn't doing the whole thing. I won't say any more about it as John has written an excellent article about the day, along with some brilliant photos, which can be found on his blog:
http://www.west-highland-way-race07-training.blogspot.com/
I'm sitting here typing at 7.20pm and, thanks to the clocks going forward last night, it is actually light outside. Brilliant! Summer is here at last! I love this time of year. I often get up very early on Saturday mornings in April and May to go long training runs, and there is something completely wonderful about being out on the road at 5am, pretty much on your own, in broad daylight.
Finally, commiserations to Tim, who has had to pull out of this year's West Highland Way race because of injury. Hopefully he'll have better luck next year.
http://www.west-highland-way-race07-training.blogspot.com/
I'm sitting here typing at 7.20pm and, thanks to the clocks going forward last night, it is actually light outside. Brilliant! Summer is here at last! I love this time of year. I often get up very early on Saturday mornings in April and May to go long training runs, and there is something completely wonderful about being out on the road at 5am, pretty much on your own, in broad daylight.
Finally, commiserations to Tim, who has had to pull out of this year's West Highland Way race because of injury. Hopefully he'll have better luck next year.
Sunday, March 18, 2007
Falkirk 1 Celtic 0
We were at the football today to see Falkirk beating Celtic 1-0 in the televised Setanta game. It was superb: absolutely freezing, but completely superb. We scored in 15 minutes and to our great surprise managed to hang on for the remaining 75 minutes to record a famous win. That's us beaten both Celtic and Rangers at home this season: we beat Rangers 1-0 a few months ago, again in the televised Sunday game. As I'm sure most supporters of the 'smaller' (i.e. non old firm) Scottish clubs would agree, there are few better footballing experiences than beating either Celtic or Rangers.
Saturday, March 17, 2007
Lairig Mor
I went up to Fort William today for the annual Lairig Mor race - a 14 mile race starting from Mamore Lodge (just above Kinlochleven) to Fort William. The race route follows a trail for about a mile and then joins the West Highland Way all the way to Fort William Leisure Centre. I've always fancied doing this, but for various reasons (most of which I can't remember) I've never actually done it before. The thought of racing this section of the WHW when I hadn't already done 80 miles was very appealing, I have to say.
We set out at 12 noon, and quickly discovered what a wild day it actually was. The first 5 miles or so up the Lairig Mor were right into heavy rain and a strong wind, which made it very hard going. That section is also very rocky. The route was probably as wet as I have ever seen it. I read somewhere that Fort William's shinty team haven't been able to play a home game since January because their An Aird pitch has been constantly flooded, so I guess they have had a bit of rain up there over the last couple of months or so. However once we turned the corner (both literally and metaphorically) it all seemed a lot better and I felt my pace lift accordingly. I finished in a time of 1 hour 49 minutes and 42 seconds, which I was delighted with. I don't know my position yet. John Kennedy, with whom I had car shared to and from the start, finished 3rd in 1.33 - a great performance.
One of the things I found mildly amusing was my split times for various sections, compared with my normal times for these sections in the WHW race. In the WHW I normally expect to cover the last 7 miles from Lundavra in about 1 hour 30 minutes, if I am going well. Today I did that section in 51.53. Quite a difference. I also checked my time for the last 3 and half miles from the stile to the leisure centre after coming out of the forest. In the WHW race this takes me about 40 minutes; today it was 23.11. My challenge is clearly to reproduce today's times on 23rd June.
We set out at 12 noon, and quickly discovered what a wild day it actually was. The first 5 miles or so up the Lairig Mor were right into heavy rain and a strong wind, which made it very hard going. That section is also very rocky. The route was probably as wet as I have ever seen it. I read somewhere that Fort William's shinty team haven't been able to play a home game since January because their An Aird pitch has been constantly flooded, so I guess they have had a bit of rain up there over the last couple of months or so. However once we turned the corner (both literally and metaphorically) it all seemed a lot better and I felt my pace lift accordingly. I finished in a time of 1 hour 49 minutes and 42 seconds, which I was delighted with. I don't know my position yet. John Kennedy, with whom I had car shared to and from the start, finished 3rd in 1.33 - a great performance.
One of the things I found mildly amusing was my split times for various sections, compared with my normal times for these sections in the WHW race. In the WHW I normally expect to cover the last 7 miles from Lundavra in about 1 hour 30 minutes, if I am going well. Today I did that section in 51.53. Quite a difference. I also checked my time for the last 3 and half miles from the stile to the leisure centre after coming out of the forest. In the WHW race this takes me about 40 minutes; today it was 23.11. My challenge is clearly to reproduce today's times on 23rd June.
Sunday, March 11, 2007
Inverness Half Marathon
Yes!!!!!
I finished in 1 hour 24 minutes and 45 seconds - my best half marathon time since Inverness in March 2005, when I was a mere 10 seconds faster (and I was under 40 then). I was in 68th place out of 1,150. Earlier this evening I was checking my 2007 targets which I set last December, and to my great delight found this:
4. Half marathon: pb - 1.17 (1996); last year's best - 1.27; 2007 target - 1.26 or better. Not much to say about this one - 2006 wasn't the best year for my half marathon times, so it would be nice to get back to something a bit more respectable. My best chance is probably at Inverness in March, as the WHW training tends to take over after that.
So I've achieved one of my targets for the year. It was hard work, particularly the last couple of miles which were into a strong wind, but I managed to hang on. I was very pleased to finish just in front of Julia Henderson from Helensurgh, who I don't think I've ever beaten before. I passed her at 5 miles, she passed me at 11 and a half, then I passed her again at 12 and a half and managed to hang on. Not that I'm competitive or anything. I was also delighted to beat my friend Kim, who ran a PB of 1.26.23. I suspect my days of finishing in front of Kim are numbered, so I'm going to enjoy it when I can.
I'm away to have a glass of wine.
I finished in 1 hour 24 minutes and 45 seconds - my best half marathon time since Inverness in March 2005, when I was a mere 10 seconds faster (and I was under 40 then). I was in 68th place out of 1,150. Earlier this evening I was checking my 2007 targets which I set last December, and to my great delight found this:
4. Half marathon: pb - 1.17 (1996); last year's best - 1.27; 2007 target - 1.26 or better. Not much to say about this one - 2006 wasn't the best year for my half marathon times, so it would be nice to get back to something a bit more respectable. My best chance is probably at Inverness in March, as the WHW training tends to take over after that.
So I've achieved one of my targets for the year. It was hard work, particularly the last couple of miles which were into a strong wind, but I managed to hang on. I was very pleased to finish just in front of Julia Henderson from Helensurgh, who I don't think I've ever beaten before. I passed her at 5 miles, she passed me at 11 and a half, then I passed her again at 12 and a half and managed to hang on. Not that I'm competitive or anything. I was also delighted to beat my friend Kim, who ran a PB of 1.26.23. I suspect my days of finishing in front of Kim are numbered, so I'm going to enjoy it when I can.
I'm away to have a glass of wine.
Saturday, March 10, 2007
Crufts
I was in Birmingham for a meeting on Thursday, and found myself with a spare hour before needing to go for my flight. What better way to pass the time than going to see Crufts at the NEC, which is right beside Birmingham International Airport?
At £14 a ticket it probably wasn't the best value event I've ever been to, but it was fascinating to see it live. I wandered around, looked at a lot of dogs, and watched a few of the demonstrations. Not surprisingly I spent more time at the Labrador stall than anywhere else. One of the labradors on display was the double of my younger dog, Lucy.
I like going to major UK events, partly to see what they are really like and partly to say that I have been. A couple of years ago I was in London during the Wimbledon fortnight, and went along to it after my conference had finished for the day. I arrived about 5 o'clock, queued for an hour, then watched about 3 hours of tennis. I have to say that it was an absolutely fantastic event, and I would strongly recommend it to anyone. I even sat on 'Henman Hill', eating strawberries and drinking Pimms, so I could say I had the proper Wimbledon experience.
We have some brilliant sporting occasions in this country. The London Marathon is right up there with the best of them, and it is one of the very few top sporting events where you actually get the chance to take part rather than just watch. I've done 7 London marathons, and although it isn't my favourite race from a purely running perspective I wouldn't argue with the fact that it is a fantastic occasion. I've also been at a few Open golf championships - at Troon, Turnberry and St Andrews - and on each occasion it was a great day out, even though I didn't get the chance to play. I was lucky enough to spend 2 days at the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester. Completely brilliant - I'll never forget it. I saw Paula Radcliffe win the 5,ooom, Lee McConnell win a silver in the 400m (and come agonisingly close to winning gold), and Jamie Quarry win a decathlon bronze. I've even been to a European Cup final, many years ago in 1976 when Bayern Munich beat St Etienne in Glasgow.
If I ever win the lottery (which may be difficult, as I don't play), then I'm going to spend a year going round the world attending all of the top sports events. Can you imagine it? Melbourne for the horse racing, the Monaco Grand Prix, the Champions League final, the US Open (both golf and tennis), Wimbledon, the Olympics, the New York marathon - I'm sure I've missed some, but it would be a pretty good year. I'd even go to Fort William for the Camanachd Cup final, and to the Falkirk Stadium to see Falkirk win the SPL. It is my dream year, after all.
All of which suggests that the Olympics in London in 2012 are going to be fantastic, hopefully followed by the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in 2014. From an athletics perspective I think we have a number of promising UK athletes coming through who will be real prospects in London, despite the general gloom in the media. The results at last weekend's European Indoor Championships were very encouraging. I would highlight Nicola Sanders (400m) who looks world class already. She is just in her early 20s so will hopefully get even better in the next few years. UKA's performance director, Dave Collins, has taken a lot of stick, but it was never going to be an easy job and I think we are starting to see signs of improvement, particularly in the attitude of our athletes. Let's hope it continues.
At £14 a ticket it probably wasn't the best value event I've ever been to, but it was fascinating to see it live. I wandered around, looked at a lot of dogs, and watched a few of the demonstrations. Not surprisingly I spent more time at the Labrador stall than anywhere else. One of the labradors on display was the double of my younger dog, Lucy.
I like going to major UK events, partly to see what they are really like and partly to say that I have been. A couple of years ago I was in London during the Wimbledon fortnight, and went along to it after my conference had finished for the day. I arrived about 5 o'clock, queued for an hour, then watched about 3 hours of tennis. I have to say that it was an absolutely fantastic event, and I would strongly recommend it to anyone. I even sat on 'Henman Hill', eating strawberries and drinking Pimms, so I could say I had the proper Wimbledon experience.
We have some brilliant sporting occasions in this country. The London Marathon is right up there with the best of them, and it is one of the very few top sporting events where you actually get the chance to take part rather than just watch. I've done 7 London marathons, and although it isn't my favourite race from a purely running perspective I wouldn't argue with the fact that it is a fantastic occasion. I've also been at a few Open golf championships - at Troon, Turnberry and St Andrews - and on each occasion it was a great day out, even though I didn't get the chance to play. I was lucky enough to spend 2 days at the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester. Completely brilliant - I'll never forget it. I saw Paula Radcliffe win the 5,ooom, Lee McConnell win a silver in the 400m (and come agonisingly close to winning gold), and Jamie Quarry win a decathlon bronze. I've even been to a European Cup final, many years ago in 1976 when Bayern Munich beat St Etienne in Glasgow.
If I ever win the lottery (which may be difficult, as I don't play), then I'm going to spend a year going round the world attending all of the top sports events. Can you imagine it? Melbourne for the horse racing, the Monaco Grand Prix, the Champions League final, the US Open (both golf and tennis), Wimbledon, the Olympics, the New York marathon - I'm sure I've missed some, but it would be a pretty good year. I'd even go to Fort William for the Camanachd Cup final, and to the Falkirk Stadium to see Falkirk win the SPL. It is my dream year, after all.
All of which suggests that the Olympics in London in 2012 are going to be fantastic, hopefully followed by the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in 2014. From an athletics perspective I think we have a number of promising UK athletes coming through who will be real prospects in London, despite the general gloom in the media. The results at last weekend's European Indoor Championships were very encouraging. I would highlight Nicola Sanders (400m) who looks world class already. She is just in her early 20s so will hopefully get even better in the next few years. UKA's performance director, Dave Collins, has taken a lot of stick, but it was never going to be an easy job and I think we are starting to see signs of improvement, particularly in the attitude of our athletes. Let's hope it continues.
Sunday, March 04, 2007
One week until Inverness
Next Sunday I am heading north for the Inverness half marathon. It's an event that I enjoy a lot, and I have only missed one year since I took part for the first time in 1994. Last year, on a bit of a whim, we decided to travel up the day before and stay overnight. This proved to be a complete masterstoke as the A9 was closed for most of the day because of snow, and many people (including the Troon minibus) didn't get there.
I've tended to run quite well at Inverness over the years. I've had a couple of 1.19s, back in the mid 1990s, and I have never been any worse than 1.27. I've been training hard over the last few weeks - 173 miles in the last 3 weeks - so it will be interesting to see how I get on this year. Whatever happens I'm sure it will be a good day out, with one of the highlights likely to be the homebaking at the Macbeth experience on the way down the road.
I've tended to run quite well at Inverness over the years. I've had a couple of 1.19s, back in the mid 1990s, and I have never been any worse than 1.27. I've been training hard over the last few weeks - 173 miles in the last 3 weeks - so it will be interesting to see how I get on this year. Whatever happens I'm sure it will be a good day out, with one of the highlights likely to be the homebaking at the Macbeth experience on the way down the road.
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
I'm Gonna Be (211 Miles)
To celebrate my February mileage I've written a wee song. It's called 'I'm Gonna Be (211 Miles)', and is sung to the tune of '500 Miles' by the Proclaimers. It goes like this:
But I would run 211 miles
And I would run 211 more
Just to be the man who ran 211 miles
To fall down at your door.
Tomorrow I'm going to a karaoke night at the Shanghai Shuffle in Glasgow, organised by a number of my work colleagues who are running in this year's Glasgow Women's 10k. I'm hoping to get the opportunity to try out my new song there - I'm sure it will go down a treat.
Till then, singers.
But I would run 211 miles
And I would run 211 more
Just to be the man who ran 211 miles
To fall down at your door.
Tomorrow I'm going to a karaoke night at the Shanghai Shuffle in Glasgow, organised by a number of my work colleagues who are running in this year's Glasgow Women's 10k. I'm hoping to get the opportunity to try out my new song there - I'm sure it will go down a treat.
Till then, singers.
Saturday, February 24, 2007
Scotland 17 Italy 37
The domestic female and I were at Murrayfield today as guests of a couple of close friends. Apart from the 80 minutes of the game it was a fantastic day - excellent hospitality, great company, and plenty to eat and drink both before and after the match. Maybe not the ideal training preparation, but hey - sometimes you have to have a life. My long run tomorrow will be interesting.
I have to say that the 80 minutes of rugby were quite unbelievable. For those that didn't see it, Scotland conceded 3 tries in the first 5 and a half minutes, which meant we were 21 points behind before the game had really started. We gave away the first try within 20 seconds of the start. All 3 of these tries were a result of individual errors and were entirely avoidable. Despite this appalling start the game was still there for the taking, but the Scottish team seemed to forget that 3 points were available for kicking penalties successfully. We counted 10 occasions where Scotland gave up the chance to kick 3 points from a penalty, each time attempting to score a try, but with no great success.
Having said all that, many congratulations to the Italians. Before today they had never won an away match in the 6 nations championship, so the win today was a noteable achievement on their part. But one thing has been puzzling both the domestic female and me for the last few hours. The Italian flag is green, white and red. Why then do Italian national teams (both in football and rugby, and probably in most other sports) play in blue? Answers directly to me, please, or else use the 'comments' functionality on this blog. I'd really like to know.
Finally, congratulations to John Kynaston, who completed a 32.5 mile training run on the WHW today. I received texts from him at various stages, letting me know how he was getting on. It sounds like he did really well.
I have to say that the 80 minutes of rugby were quite unbelievable. For those that didn't see it, Scotland conceded 3 tries in the first 5 and a half minutes, which meant we were 21 points behind before the game had really started. We gave away the first try within 20 seconds of the start. All 3 of these tries were a result of individual errors and were entirely avoidable. Despite this appalling start the game was still there for the taking, but the Scottish team seemed to forget that 3 points were available for kicking penalties successfully. We counted 10 occasions where Scotland gave up the chance to kick 3 points from a penalty, each time attempting to score a try, but with no great success.
Having said all that, many congratulations to the Italians. Before today they had never won an away match in the 6 nations championship, so the win today was a noteable achievement on their part. But one thing has been puzzling both the domestic female and me for the last few hours. The Italian flag is green, white and red. Why then do Italian national teams (both in football and rugby, and probably in most other sports) play in blue? Answers directly to me, please, or else use the 'comments' functionality on this blog. I'd really like to know.
Finally, congratulations to John Kynaston, who completed a 32.5 mile training run on the WHW today. I received texts from him at various stages, letting me know how he was getting on. It sounds like he did really well.
Sunday, February 18, 2007
Avoiding the burn
Some of you may remember my previous comments about the 2006 Central AC cross country championships at Dunblane. This was the event where I fell in the burn and ended up spending the following afternoon at Stirling Royal Infirmary to see whether my thumb was broken (which, thankfully, it wasn't). Anyway, I resolved not to do this race again, because of concerns about my personal safety when trying to jump over burns - I am over 40 now, after all.
It was therefore a surprise to many in the club when I turned up this afternoon at Queen Victoria School for the 2007 edition of the race. I didn't run particularly fast - 25.44 for the 4 mile course, which was a minute and a half slower than last year - but in my defence I did a hard 20.5 mile run yesterday, so took things reasonably easy today. We had to cross the burn a total of 10 times, at 3 different parts of the course. I worked out my 'burn crossing' strategy beforehand: this was all about finishing in one piece, with the time taken to get across being almost irrelevant. I was hugely relieved to implement my strategy successfully and to finish in one piece.
I've run a total of 65 miles this week. That's a lot higher than my normal weekly mileage, but I wanted to get some good running in the bank at this stage of my training programme. I'm feeling quite tired now, perhaps not surprisingly, but hopefully I'll get the benefit in due course.
It was therefore a surprise to many in the club when I turned up this afternoon at Queen Victoria School for the 2007 edition of the race. I didn't run particularly fast - 25.44 for the 4 mile course, which was a minute and a half slower than last year - but in my defence I did a hard 20.5 mile run yesterday, so took things reasonably easy today. We had to cross the burn a total of 10 times, at 3 different parts of the course. I worked out my 'burn crossing' strategy beforehand: this was all about finishing in one piece, with the time taken to get across being almost irrelevant. I was hugely relieved to implement my strategy successfully and to finish in one piece.
I've run a total of 65 miles this week. That's a lot higher than my normal weekly mileage, but I wanted to get some good running in the bank at this stage of my training programme. I'm feeling quite tired now, perhaps not surprisingly, but hopefully I'll get the benefit in due course.
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