Monthly archives: February 2016

As I am currently training for my first ultra in April (Glasgow to Edinburgh) I figured I really should do a marathon first. So in December I decided to sign up for Glentress Trail marathon, having never really run on trails either. Due to take place 5 weeks before Ultra race day I figured I should be in a healthy enough state to manage such a tough event as long as I never got carried away and entered into a race or set any target times,which could ultimately jeopardise my #1 goal which is G2E. Up at 6:30am to make the journey down to Peebles, it was a pleasant -3 degrees rising to -1 at the start(should have been 9:30am but delayed until 9:40am due to crowd disturbances also known as long queues at registration). There were three separate races 10k, half and full marathon, and this being the inaugural event nobody was too clued up on how it would pan out. Of we went and immediately into an ascent, and this carried on for around the first 6 miles with the odd mini descent for variation. Sticking to my plan of no racing and with no target in mind I casually took in the sights of the Tweed Valley national park from high up the mountain we had just climbed. Once at the highest point, snow became part of the obstacles that apparently come naturally with rail running ie.. razor sharp rocks, tree roots and with it being February ice, lots of slippy ice, that only seemed to be there on descents where stopping was not too much of an option. I was joined by a runner from Edinburgh who kept me company until the halfway point (back at the start). He stopped for refreshment but I decided to carry on as I was carrying my own nutrition as a test for the Ultra marathon. I didn’t see him again. However, after a mile back into the climbing I realised having the guy with me was a boost, I was now running alone up the cruel ascents for a second time and it wasn’t easy. Its amazing how chatting rubbish with a complete stranger can distract you from the total elevation of just under 6000ft. Coming down the final descent tired legs and A tired mind, I lost my footing 3 times on the aforementioned ice and razor sharp rocks. No cuts just bruise after bruise after bruise. If nobody broke a bone that day I will be surprised. Finally after 4hrs23mins and 26th place the finish line came and and I had survived a very cruel unforgiving training run. Although it was painful with the falls, the scenery once up high was amazing the people were very supporting toward each other and the organisation for the first ever Glentress Trail marathon, in my opinion was a success. I would obviously recommend as a training run for and aspiring ultra runners and definitely as a race to any avid […]

I have it from a good source that this race was described on Monday, in a Spanish newspaper, as a ‘ great race in windy conditions’.The journalist has obviously never been to Greenock !!! This is a fairly flat, well organised race (apart from the number of porto loos !) but who cares when there is a local park nearby. Don’t know how many runners there were but it wasn’t too congested at the start with the run taking the shape of a figure 8 through the wide boulevards of the city, finishing where we started. I made the trip with three ex Bellas – Anne Marie, Frances and liz and we all thoroughly enjoyed it. The only incident was me tripping over a bollard at 12k, falling flat onto the road and completing the race with blood pouring down from both knees, hands and elbows- it is the first time I have done a negative split in a race- well worth it !! Shona   Photo https://www.flickr.com/photos/ok-apartment/12844126063 by www.flickr.com/laiabuira  

A great way to add an extra element to running is to give races, events or challenges a shot that you’ve not taken part in before. The Kirky 12.5k is certainly a unique – as far as I can tell – race distance. Having heard many great things about this event, I figured it was high time to give the event a shot last Sunday, 14th Feb. Number collection at the primary school had me briefly pondering how good it’d be if all running events used primary schools for registration: The fantastic posters and art projects on the walls a pleasant start to the day, and reminder of primary school times, and then the small tables, chairs and facilities offered a pre-run comedy experience: I’m sure parents attending PTA meetings will probably feel differently! To the event itself, and the main challenge was going to be the underfoot conditions on this undulating course. A sharp dip in temperatures on a clear night meant lots of scraping to get cars ready, and snow on the hills as we approached pretty much told us what to expect. Sure enough a large expanse of ice in the start area outside the school. But the sun, and vigorous attempts to clear away the worst of it by volunteers made it safe to start, but out on the course itself constant vigilance was required by participants to avoid expanses of ice mostly caused by runoff from fields where the sun hadn’t quite reached. For me, with the Balloch to Clydebank half marathon my principle target just now, I’d decided I’d aim for Half marathon effort (if not pace; I had no idea what the hills would be like!). Largely managed to stick with that plan, and settled in with a group of runners running from Springburn and Maryhill Harriers for the first 6k or so, but – surprisingly for me at least – started to build out a bit of a lead on them after the large hill (reminiscent of the gradient on the steeper parts of the Sherbrooke Hill loops, just several times longer!) coming out of Kirkintilloch for the return leg. I was myself soon passed by Michael Lancaster running an excellently paced, and surely negative split effort: he quickly eased away I and only just managed to keep him in my sights through the second half, even as I struggled to remember whether there was an uphill or downhill section around each corner as we traced our route back to the start. A total of five Bella’s took part. Michael was first Bella home in 54:26. I was pleased with my time (55:17), pretty much spot on my HM target pace, then Paul McGunnigle (57:18), Terry Nimmo (69:16) and Lynn Reid (75:50) completed the Bella field. First runner home was James Stewart of Victoria park, City of Glasgow in a time of 45:41, and first lady Joanna Murphy of Carnegie Harriers in 49:28. Full results online at kirkintillocholympians.co.uk. A Strava segment for the […]