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Club members Raymond and Susie recently tied the knot, and celebrated as any good running couple should, with a trip to a far away marathon. Here’s their full report:

The Boston marathon was on Monday 20 April, with the build-up kicking off in earnest the previous Friday with our wedding.

Conscious of the endurance benefits of alcohol me and the best man squeezed in a couple of sneakies at a windowless pub in Garscube Road to calm our nerves prior to the ceremony. Susie claims not to have troubled the champagne beforehand but even I know that it beggars belief that she married me sober.

After the ceremony – and some obligatory stretching shots outside the ski centre – the carb-loading continued inside the House for an Art Lover with both grape and barley energy drinks.

As the night wore on there was time for a final pre-marathon session: 1 x tango (warm up); 3 x Strip the Willow (tempo) @ 2 pints recovery; Gay Gordons / Dashing White Sergeant / St. Bernard’s waltz (continuous loop); Auld Lang Syne (cool down). 

Experienced marathoners will appreciate that this is all textbook stuff.

Shamelessly hawking our newly-wed status at check-in the following day earned us an upgrade to club class and a passport to the BA executive lounge at Heathrow. There we were surrounded by a dizzying array of complimentary fine foods and drink. Susie retained her dignity whilst I treated it as an against-the-clock all you can eat/drink buffet. Once on the flight the hospitality continued in the same vein. By mid-Atlantic I felt like a goose being fattened for foie gras.

Having registered at the expo on the Sunday – and given our livers a well-earned rest – it was up at around 5am on race day to wolf down some contraband porridge and head off to the start. The Boston marathon is a point to point race and so fleets of yellow school buses left central Boston from 6am to get all 26,000 runners out to the town of Hopkinton in time for the 10am start. The organisation was superb. The only downside was that once at Hopkinton there was the grim prospect of hanging around for a couple of hours in a field that doubles as the high school sports ground. It was a bit like T in the Park but without the neds.

New England can be pretty cold at that time of year. You could tell the Boston veterans: they were the ones with thermals, bivvy bags and tents. Susie wasn’t too badly off with her bella hoodie and a couple of tops. I’d taken one look at the early morning blue sky from our hotel room window and figured that a vintage men’s health 10k T-shirt would be more than enough. Whilst I sought refuge in a portaloo Susie managed to cadge a few spare bin liners that proved just about enough to stave off hypothermia.

The race itself was unforgettable. It’s a tough up and down course that leaves your quads feeling pretty beat up. Still with more than half a million spectators lining every inch of the course – from the packed pavements of Hopkinton to the screaming girls of Wellesly college at mile 14 to the grandstands of the finish straight – there’s just no way that your not going to keep going. The club colours went down well too with enthusiastic shouts of “Go Bella-Houston! Go Texas!”

Ever the romantic, Susie and I ran it together…. and ever the competitor I dipped her on the line by a second. From just married to married just in 3 hours 39 minutes. Fantastic!

A great turnout at yesterdays Jack Crawford 10k. A total of 29 Bella’s taking part, and some good performances in less than ideal conditions. A stiff and chilly wind, plenty of mud and puddles, and the infamous canal path. With a much bigger field this year (347 participants, compared to 262 last year) meant passing on this narrow course was more important than ever, and no doubt frustrated a few ambitions for pushing PB’s or gaining positions. 

Certainly a great set of results at the front of the pack from Andy, Greig, Alasdair, Liam and Bryan, but no details as yet on whether a team prize was taken. 

Norman, Ian and Tom certainly continue to battle it out in the vets championship, with a complete mirror of positions from their Nigel Barge results. Tom took the well deserved honours this week, leading the group throughout. A surge from Norman in the last stretch of the course just wasn’t quite enough. 

Special mention also to Lynne Andrew. Great to see her back running again after her operation last year, and I’m sure I speak for everybody in saying we look forward to seeing you back at the club again soon! 

See also:

• Full results at Springburn Harriers website here.
• Danielle’s pics.

Over the Christmas period there are a few changes to the usual schedule:

• The club is meeting as normal on 22nd December and 29th December. Ready to run at 6.30pm from the Ski Centre.
• There’s a tubing session after training on the 22nd, with mulled wine, mince pies, and games 8-10pm.
• On Christmas Eve and New Years eve, the Ski Centre closes at 5pm, so the club won’t be meeting at the usual time. There will, however, be informal club runs from the Ski Centre earlier in the day. Meeting at 12pm, ready to run at 12.15pm, and probably hitting the trails in Pollok Park. 
• The club’s Festive 5k on Sunday, 21st December. Meet at the ski club from 10.30am for “registration” the Race starts at the track in Bella park @11am and follows the Bella 5k route. £5 entry, and will be given to charity. Fancy dress mandatory. Mince pies afterwards back at the Ski Centre.
• The Ayr Turkey Trot on Boxing day is always popular with the club.
• The Glasgow parkrun will, as usual, be taking place on Saturdays, with events on 20th and 27th December and 3rd January, at 9.30am. Feel free to help by volunteering too.

The winter training is now in full swing and already some reports of a few accidents involving some of the club’s runners have come in. Last Monday I suffered a torn ear from a bramble bush hanging out over the pavement and then caught my side on a cable tie holding a banner on a railing at the edge of Pollok park. Nothing too serious but sore enough at the time. Before anyone gets it in it wasn’t anything to do with my advancing years. Over previous winters a number of sprained ankles and running into bins or bollards while out were reported. 

Running is an enjoyable activity but athletes of all levels and at all times must remember that so many of our roads and pavements are full of potholes, raised slabs, loose stones and other obstacles. This can be made worse when the leaves on the pavement can hide things which could cause harm. 

We must always be vigilant. As well as pavements in poor condition, there are invariably bits of wood, broken fences, strands of barbed wire, low branches – some with thorns which can cause severe eye injuries – protruding from walls, fences and hedgerows. 

Add to these the propensity of people to step out of closes, shops. parked cars, round corners etc and the potential for accidents is quite high. So keep in the middle of the pavement as far as possible to avoid collisions. Avoid running too close to walls, sides of buildings and kerbs where a trips or stumbles could see you end up in the middle of the road. 

You should at all times, look straight ahead and keep your eyes firmly fixed on the pavement or road ahead of you. If running in a large group and you move out for a post, bollard or bin an audible alarm for those running behind you would be welcomed. Best not to turn your head or face sideways to sustain a conversation with your training partners as this can leave you venerable. 

Please report all dangerous surfaces and situations which you feel strongly about to a coach or committee member so we can warn athletes in advance of the dangers or try to do something about the problem.. 

Final point for the winter running is that when you are running as part of a group where possible major road crossings should be made at traffic lights or controlled crossing points. Where this doesn’t happen you need to be aware that you a responsible for getting yourself across the road safely. You shouldn’t follow blindly but ensure that the road is safe before you cross. 

Running is an enjoyable sport – but each and everyone of us must play our part to ensure it is a safe activity for all members of the club. 

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, try to ensure you’re easily visible at all times: Hi-viz tops, light coloured outfits, reflective gear all help ensure motorists and other road users can see you a good distance away.

Adapted from Oscar, Jonathan and Ian’s recent forum posts, here and here.

Here’s Brian’s report from yesterday’s “Eddie’s half marathon” in Fort William:

Greig and I, with support crew of Danielle and the dogs, headed north for this half marathon in Fort William. Excellent weather conditions allowed for some spectacular scenery on the drive up, and indeed throughout the race. Snow capped hills all the way. The race starts and finishes on the shinty pitch next to the Nevis Centre, and it’s an out and back course. We headed out through a housing estate and onto a cycle path for the first mile or so, then onto the roads all the way to a turning point at half away with only a few turns to get us there. It was a bit hectic for traffic with runners on both sides of the road and the cars having to get between us. Limited marshalling, and this caused a problem for Greig on the way back as he and the group he was running with ended up on the wrong path for a short time (about 19 seconds worth claims Greig!). I was delighted to get a new PB 1:21:43 and finish in 10th place, but hats off to Greig for another stunning performance. He finished 5th in 1:19:18. That’s his first sub 1:20 and he did it in style. Afterwards there was loads of biscuits, tea and coffee for the presentation. Slightly disappointed that with the range of prizes on offer Greig didn’t manage to bag one but I don’t think that took the shine off the day for any of us. Thanks to Danielle and dogs for support once again. The race was won by Robert Gilroy in a time of 1:10:46. Highly recommend this one.

More here, on the forum.

Please find the new Group B schedule below. For the eagle-eyed amongst you, you will immediately see hard work all the way to Christmas. This is to reflect the fact that for many people, the festive period is a lighter training time anyway so it seems to fit quite well…it also gives a slightly more compelling case (if one were needed  ) for Christmas over-indulgence. 

There are lots of hills and track work in this block. This is deliberate as the winter period is a good time to build strength and hills are a good way of doing this. Also, due to the well-lit nature of the track reps can be easier. 

The Monday runs will remain Coaches’ choice in terms of composition, and there may be some evolution in this block now that we’ve had practice on the routes. 

Please use other runs, cross-training (e.g. Club Circuit sessions) to complete your weekly training.  All the coaches are happy to answer any questions you may have about this or any other aspects of your training. 

Jonathan 

3/11 – Orange Run [Savings Bank] 
5/11 – Gower St – 5 – 6×5 minutes, short hills, continuous – with 1 min recovery between sets (Jonathan/Michael); Mosspark Hills (Oscar/John) 

10/11 – White Run [Crookston] 
12/11 – Track – 3-4 X (4 x 400 @ 5k pace 45 sec static recovery; jog 200 between sets) 

17/11 – Green Run [Glasgow Green] 
19/11 – Sherbrooke Hills – 3-4 sets, hard up, recovery jog to next hill 

24/11 – Red Run [Eastwood Mains Rd] 
26/11 – Mosspark Hills (as per wk 1 – Jonathan/Michael) Gower St (as per wk 1 – Oscar/John) – Jonathan’s group option for track with Group A 

1/12 – Pink Run [Newlands] 
3/12 – Track – 3-4 X (400, 800, 400) @ 5k pace; 60; 60; 45 static recovery; jog lap between sets 2 & 3 

8/12 – Blue Run [Queen’s Park] 
10/12 – Sherbrooke Hills – 3-4 sets continuous run 

15/12 – White Run 
17/12 – Optional Session: either Gower St Long Hills 6×5 minutes continuous with 1 min recovery between sets or Track (6-8 X 800 @ 5k pace 75 sec static recovery)

Here’s the latest schedule which includes plenty of hill work, long reps and intervals on Mondays, with a view to building a wide endurance and strength base moving into the Winter months. On Wednesdays, the sessions will be a mix of road and track and will be shorter and slightly sharper. The track sessions in particular will be useful for focusing on pace control. Please note that easy run options may be available on Mondays where races have taken place over the preceding weekend. 

There is no ‘easy’ week 7 included in this schedule. An easy period will be included at the beginning of the next 7-week schedule to coincide with the Festive period. 

The hill sessions in weeks 1 and 5 will be run in conjunction with the Shettleston Harriers training group, making use of a couple of the local parks (these sessions will actually take place IN the parks, so be ready with your ‘night vision’!). They’ll be run on tarmac. 

The Wednesday sessions in weeks 1, 4 and 6 will be at Nethercraigs (so remember to bring your extra track fee!). 

Mon 03/11/2008 (Week 1) 
Hills (Shettleston) – 6 x 3mins with jog down recs. (Bella Park) 
Wed 05/11/2008 
Track session: Distance pyramid (2 x 400 / 2 x 800 / 2 x 1000 / 2 x 800 / 2 x 400) with 60-90secs recs. @ 3k-5k pace 
Weekend of 08-09/11/2008 
Glasgow Uni 5m Road Race and/or 12-14 miles steady (road) 

Mon 10/11/2008 (Week 2) 
6 x 5mins with 90secs jog recs. 
Wed 12/11/2008 
10 x 600 @ 5k pace with 75secs recs. (Science Centre) 
Sat 15/11/2008 
Brampton to Carlisle Road Race or 12-14 miles steady (off-road if possible) 

Mon 17/11/2008 (Week 3) 
Hills (4 x Sherbrooke loop / continuous pace) 
Wed 19/11/2008 
3 x (120 / 90 / 60 / 30secs brisk) with equal jog recs. (Festival Park) 
Weekend of 22-23/11/2008 
Renfrewshire Individual XC and/or 2hr hill run 

Mon 24/11/2008 (Week 4) 
3 x 10mins with 90secs jog recs. 
Wed 26/11/2008 
Track session: ‘Downhill’ session (1600 / 1200 / 800 / 2 x 600 / 4 x 400) with 90secs/200 jog recs. @ 5k-3k pace 
Sat 29/11/2008 
12-14 miles steady (road) 

Mon 01/12/2008 (Week 5) 
Hills (Shettleston) – 7 x 2mins with jog down recs. (Queens Park) 
Wed 03/12/2008 
20mins ‘out and back’ tempo plus 6 x strides (Haggs Road) 
Weekend of 06-07/12/2008 
West District Individual XC and/or 12-14 miles steady (off-road if possible) 

Mon 08/12/2008 (Week 6) 
7 x 1200 @ 10k pace with 75secs jog recs. (Festival Park) 
Wed 10/12/2008 
Track session: Parlauf (10k per pair) 
Sat 13/11/2008 
12-14 miles steady (off-road if possible) 

Mon 15/12/2008 (Week 7) 
Hills (4 x Sherbrooke loop / increasing pace) 
Wed 17/12/2008 
10 x 600 @ 5k pace with 75secs recs. (Science Centre) 
Sat 20/12/2008 
2hr hill run 

The detailed sessions should be supplemented with easy/steady runs and longer weekend runs as appropriate to upcoming racing targets. See the message board for details of any organised weekend group runs.

Craig Ross submitted this race report:

On a warm and uncharacteristically sunny day, four Bella teams participated in the West District relay champs, this year held at the Royal Academy, instead of the beachy Magnum Centre. 

Despite torrential rain in the days leading up to the event, the course was relatively dry underfoot, which suited many of us unaccustomed to the dark and mysterious arts of off-road running. Some say that it’s not a real cross-country unless it is chucking it with rain, and you end up covered in mud, but I’ll take a dry track any day thanks. 

The men’s A team was lead out by novice stand-in captain Craig Ross, who muscled and cornered econmoically around the course to have the team well placed after the first leg. Marcos SanzGomez then took over and finished stronlgy before tucking into a meal of home-made pasta in a trademark plastic container. Jim O’Hara in his debut XC ignored all advice and took off like a rocket, and worked hard in the final stages before handing onto Gordon Durnan, up until this time a Bella race virgin. The A team finished in a respectable 20th place in strong field. 

For the B team, Euan Black started well before handing onto a hungover Dougie MacGregor, and then onto Norman Boyle who despite fancy new bold spikes had his efforts impaired by a bad cold. The team was anchored by Chris Doak who had a strong run, to bring the B team home in 44th. 

For the ladies’ team, Louise Ross finshed looking remarkably fresh before handing onto Emma Simpson, who had been out of XC for 16 years. Iona Robertson finished typically strongly, and clawed back several places to bring the team back in a commendable 10th. 

For the ladies’ vets team, Karen Clarkson (who had been roped in after a few drinks the night before at the Awards night) started things off, before passing onto the consistent Julia Harris, and finally Maddie Smillie brought the team home in 17th, after some time spent running the wrong way. 

All told, a great day out, and notable for the number of athletes who made their XC debuts.

In what was one of the biggest turn outs from Bella at the George Cummings Relay Races, four men’s teams and three women’s teams from Bella RR helped to make up the 48 men’s teams of 4 and 27 women’s teams of 3 in a 2.7 mile race in dreich conditions.

New women’s Captain Carla got of to a winning start as the women’s vet team team won 1st prize.

Full results at the Kilbarchan AAC website (PDF), and individual club results available on the forum. Photos here (facebook, courtesy of Greig) and here (Ian), and course map here. Thanks to Ian for the write-up.