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 […]
Winter running safety
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 […]
With the new Club Championship season already under way, we thought best to update you with the details! The Championships are there for EVERYONE to take part in. So make it your challenge to complete the criteria, you will be motivated to get out there and race, and see how you progress from last year! How does it work? There are 23 championship races each for men and women, spread throughout the year, starting with the Brampton to Carlisle 10 Miler in November 08 and finishing with the Great Scottish Run 10K/HM in September 09. Points are awarded for each race you complete, based on your official finish time and recognised scoring tables. The faster you run the more points you earn. Each race is classified as Short, Medium or Long. To fulfil the Championship qualifying criteria, you must complete at least 8 races in total…comprising 2 short, 2 long and 2 medium PLUS any other 2 from the list. At least one of the long races MUST be a half marathon. This might mean that you have to run a new distance or stretch yourself to complete the criteria – why not use the Championship as an incentive to achieve a new goal this year? Please submit your race times on the message board following each Championship race. The points total from your 8 qualifying best-scoring (fastest) race times will be ranked against your club-mates, with updates as the year progresses. Awards EVERYONE who completes the Championship criteria will be awarded a special Club Championship memento! Prizes will be awarded to the overall Club Champions i.e. the highest scoring male and female from either senior or vet category (35+ for women and 40+ for men as of 1st January 2009). The winner of each category takes home the annual Club trophy. The first 3 senior men and women overall PLUS the first male and female vets in each age category will win prizes as shown below. The details The full details are available here. A printed copy of this information will be available for all club members. In the meantime, best of luck, and get racing! Thanks, Nick and Carla 🙂
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.
John Milligan sent in this report about a jog in the country he took part in yesterday: This is the story of 7 brave Bellas who entered the 19 mile race through hell known as the Two Breweries. Of the 7 who entered only 6 made the start, death intervened for the 7th (un)lucky runner – not his own. Of the 6 who started 2 ran the race finishing in the first 20 Kenny 16th 3.07 Mark J 17th 3.09. The other 4 barely survived their journey to the battlefields of Peebles. I was next Bella in 4.25 closely followed by Alan S in 4.28. Dave Boyle made it home in 4.33 with John S dipping the line inside the 5hr cut off. Big thanks to the support crew/drivers Nikki, Sally, Sandra & Tracy without whose support, Lucozade and freshly peeled Mars Bars etc we would never have survived. Bring on the Man or Mouse I might be able to move again by then!
Huge congratulations from the club to member Gavin, who completed the UK Ironman. Gavin wrote a superb summary of his experience: First of all, thanks for all the support over the last few months. I managed to complete my first triathlon in 13:53:29. I took 1:32:59 to cover the 2.4 mile swim; 7:22:30 for the 112 mile bike and 4:32:19 for the marathon, with the other few minutes in transition changing and sorting myself out! The swim start was delayed unitl 6:30 due to the overcast and dark conditions, visability above water was very low and underwater you could see about 6 inches. So the mass start of 1500 swimmers all thrashing about and jockeying for position means that you get punched, kicked, pushed and prodded a fair bit for the first mile or so. I had planned to take it easy on the swim and expected to come out the water at the back of the crowd. Safely through the swim it was onto the bike for 3 laps of a undulating and windy course. The feed stations every 12 miles never came quick enough, there were 3 big hills on each loop, and a fun fast downhill section reaching speed of upto 48mph!!. After 112 miles of physical and mental highs and lows it was a quick descent back to the transition area. After another changes of clothes and liberal application of vaseline I was on the run course. This was a very hilly figure of 8 loop that you ran three times. The first mile was a surprisingly easy 9 min/mile which set the pace for the first loop. On the second loop, things where getting tough, so I took full advantage of the aid stations, positioned every 1.5-2 miles. Which had Gatorade, power gels, pretzels, water, bananas and flat coke, I stuffed myself with everything except the coke and walked through them. By the 3rd and last lap my speed was getting seriously slow and I figured that unless I puled my finger out I would be over the 14 hour mark. So now I took onboard the flat coke and my last 4 miles was done in under 32 minutes (fast for me!). So running along the final 100m in my ancient Bella vest in the dark towards the finishing chute was a proud moment.
We’re today launching a brand new website for the club. We hope you like it, and find the revamp refreshing, and the new setup easier and more informative. Please feel free to feedback to Linda, Scott and Richard about anything – typos, suggestions or ideas for new content. Some of the highlights include: New look and feel. Nice and shiny, we hope you’ll agree. Template based system, so much easier to make changes and add new sections. News page for announcements, big club results, training schedules. Note you can subscribe using your RSS reader (or click here), and we’ll have an e-mail subscription soon too. Photo gallery, powered by flickr. If you’re a flickr user, just join the ‘bellarr‘ group and submit photos to it and they’ll appear (in a few hours) on the Gallery page. Forum integration. The latest posts to the forum are summarised on the News page. Fully up to date club records so you know what targets to aim for 🙂 Online back issues of The Bella Blether, so you can complete your collection if you missed any. Pages can be bookmarked. No more frames. Woo!
The summer edition of the bella blether is out now. Available to pick up at a great running club near you now, or click here to view it online! Past issues are available on the newsletter page.
Here’s new schedule major change is Monday will now be the Run night not Wednesday as in previous years. Where possible i have put estimated milage for the runs. Any queries speak to myself or one of the other coaches. Week 1 15/9/08 Mon Newlands Run(Pink) (8.5miles). Route here (courtesy of Colin). Wed Meadow Session Week 2 22/9/08 Mon Crookston Road(white)- l (8 miles). Route here (courtesy of Richard) Wed Pollok Park bike trails 2-3 reps on either side ran at 3 to 5k pace – as fast as people dare basically. 1min recovery between reps. Option of Track session with Group A (schedule here) Week 3 29/9/08 Mon 29/9/08 Silverburn run(blue?) (7miles) Wed Meadow Session. Week 4 6/10/08 Mon – Eastwood Toll (red) Wed – hill reps front of Pollok Park – progressive hill sets to be decided on footing/light softer terrain less reps or 1k reps at Festival Park 6-8 reps 10k pace. Last Pollok session of the year 🙁 Week 5 13/10/08 Mon Green Run – New Route (9.5miles) Wed Track session – 300’s with 100m jog recovery 14max ran at 1m pace. Week 6 20/10/08 Mon Queen’s Park(blue)(7miles) Wed Gower St short hills 5 sets of 5 reps with 1min recovery. week 7 27/10/08 Easy Week Use this to run new routes again if necessary. John
Mon 15/09/2008 (Week 1) Hills – 10 x continuous Meadow loops (Pollok Park) Wed 17/09/2008 10 x 650 @ 5k pace with 75secs recs. (Bella Park) Weekend of 20-21/09/2008 12-14 miles steady (road) or Millport social run Mon 22/09/2008 (Week 2) 5 x 1 mile @ 10k pace with 75secs recs. (Bella Park) Wed 24/09/2008 Track session: 3 x (800 / 1min rec. / 400 / 30secs rec. / 400 / 1min rec.) @ 3k pace Sat 27/09/2008 12-14 miles steady (road) Mon 29/09/2008 (Week 3) 10 miles inc. 6 x 5mins with 75secs jog recs. Wed 01/10/2008 3 x (120 / 90 / 60 / 30secs brisk) with equal jog recs. (Festival Park) Sat 04/10/2008 12-14 miles steady (off-road if possible) Mon 06/10/2008 (Week 4) Hills – 4 x Sherbrooke loop (continuous pace) Wed 08/10/2008 8-10 x 600 @ 5k pace with 75secs recs. (Science Centre) Weekend of 11-12/10/2008 West District XC Relays and/or 2hr hill run Mon 13/10/2008 (Week 5) 7 x 1200 @ 10k pace with 75secs jog recs. (Festival Park) Wed 15/10/2008 20mins ‘out and back’ tempo plus 6 x strides (Haggs Road) Sat 18/10/2008 12-14 miles steady (road) Mon 20/10/2008 (Week 6) 10 miles inc. 4 x 8mins with 90secs jog recs. Wed 22/10/2008 Track session: Pace pyramid (1 x 800 / 2 x 600 / 4 x 400 / 2 x 600 / 1 x 800) with 1min recs @ 3k-5k pace) Weekend of 25-26/10/2008 National XC Relays and/or 12-14 miles steady (off-road if possible) Mon 27/10/2008 (Week 7) 8 miles easy Wed 29/10/2008 8 miles easy (optional 4 / 3 / 2 / 1min brisk with half jog recs.) Sat 01/11/2008 1hr 30mins-2hr hill run The detailed sessions should be supplemented with easy/steady runs and longer weekend runs as appropriate to upcoming racing targets. The long run options detailed above provide a mix of road, trail and hill running, with a view to removing reliance on pace for a period of time and allowing for strengthening of many muscles not often used in ‘straightforward’ road running. See the message board for details of any organised weekend group runs.
4 Bellas braved the horrendous head wind yesterday in the Quiraing 10k in Skye, myself, Scott, Emma and Andy. Scott was 2nd overall with a pb of 33.33, Andy was 3rd with a pb of 35.21, Emma won the ladies challenge in 39.45 and I was 3rd with another pb of 45.26. It was a great day out, a very friendly race, £1.50 for all the cakes you can eat and the added entertainment of a belly dancer…..just don’t ask!!! Scott and I have had a deal on for the last 4 years that we could only drink the bottle of champagne he got for his club marathon record when we both got a pb in the same race……..at last!!!!
Well done to everyone to ran in the Bella 5k this year!! Prize winners and results below, or click here for the full 2008 results. A huge thanks from me (Linda) to everyone who participated today, whether it be running or helping out. It was a huge success yet again and i’m looking forward to seeing everyone back in 2009!!!! 1st Male – Paul Sorrie, Shettleston Harriers, 15.28 2nd Male – Matt Williamson, Bellahouston Road Runners, 16.16 3rd Male – Sean Fontana, Victoria Park City of Glasgow, 16.26 1st Female – Michelle Hetherington, Helensburgh, 18.52 2nd Female – Emma Birnie, Bellahouston Road Runners, 19.15 3rd Female – Donna Finlayson, Victoria Park City of Glasgow, 19.29 1st Male 40 – Alastair Douglas, Victoria Park city of Glasgow, 16.50 1st Male 50 – Graham Crawford, Springburn Harriers, 16.52 1st Male 60 – Tony Hall, unattached, 23.10 1st Male 70 – David Murchie, Eastleigh RC, 23.40 1st Female 35 – Sarah Dowling, Bellahouston Road Runners, 19.56 1st Female 45 – Pam McKay, Broomhill, 19.58 1st Female 55 – Janie Hall, JogScotland, 26.35 1st Female 65 – Sallie Lloyd-Jones, JogScotland, 36.37 1st Male Team – Bellahouston Road Runners: 2nd Matt Williamson, 5th Scott Kennedy, 7th Colin McGill 1st Female Team – Bellahouston Road Runners: 2nd Emma Birnie, 4th Amanda Wilson, 6th Sarah Dowling Also a huge well done to Emma Birnie and Andy Birnie (no fix honest!!!!) for winning places into the Great Scottish Run. And Colin McGill for his place in the Edinburgh Marathon or Team relay…….get training guys!! Enjoy the race? Why not complete the Runner’s World feedback form (link)?