After 16 weeks of training the day of the 1/2 Marathon road race in Glasgow had finally arrived.  As Ginny and I stood in George Square enjoying the sound of the Proclaimers through the loud speakers we watched excitedly as the first runners crossed the start line and headed off through the streets of Glasgow.  We waved to Lindsay as he passed us by heading towards the start line although it wasn’t long before we were heading there ourselves.  As we crossed the line we set off at a nice steady pace.  The weather was perfect – a slight breeze and a light drizzle.  We were both surprised how quickly we reached the 1 mile sign.  It’s amazing how you just get carried along when you are running alongside so many other people.  Along the mainly flat route there were bands playing, pipers piping, children handing out sweets as well as people cheering and encouraging us on.  Through the streets of Glasgow we ran then into Bellahouston Park after that we headed towards Pollok Country Park.   After passing the 6 mile sign (which Ginny and I managed to reach in under 60 minutes) we parted company.  I knew that this road race was going to be much harder for Ginny than for Lindsay or myself as due to a calf injury Ginny had not managed to do much training in the previous 6 weeks.  I headed off at a slightly faster pace allowing Ginny to take it a bit easier if she needed to.  After running through Pollok Country Park I headed along Pollockshaw Road, Haggs Road, Shawmoss Road to name but a few of the streets but of course every one taking me closer to the finish line in Glasgow Green.  We all agreed that the last mile was hard work.  It was however a great feeling crossing the finishing line.   For Ginny and myself completing our first 1/2 marathon was a great achievement.

Race date: Sunday, 6 September 2009

On 16th August 2009 I took part in The Sheriffmuir Challenge, an 11 mile Road Race which started off and finished at the Sheriffmuir Innn near Dunblane. Although rather windy it remained dry with only a few seconds of drizzle which I can recall finding very refreshing at the time. The race started at – for me – was a fairly fast pace. There was a steady climb up a hill then onto an undulating course. After a few miles I realized that I was thoroughly enjoying this road race. I was running at a fairly good pace, the scenery was beautiful, the wind was behind me and we now appeared to be constantly running downhill. It then occured to me that there was a good chance we were going to have to run back up a hill to the finish. Although I had been told by a friend to expect it to be hilly I had not looked at a course map – ignorance is bliss as they say. I turned to the other four females that I was running alongside and asked ‘do we have to run back up this hill?’. After hearing one reply ‘Yes’ I came down to earth with a bump and decided to slow down a bit. I reached the 5.1/2 mile sign (the halfway mark) at the bottom of the hill and as I turned I knew that I was facing a challenging run back up the hill to the Sheriffmuir Inn. After having run for approx. 7 miles I started running alongside a girl called Lindsay. As we were now running into the wind she suggested that we take turns to slot in behind each other using the leader as a wind break. I found this helped me enormously and will use this tip in the future. Unfortunately as I am small in height I was unable to offer much of a wind break to Lindsay who was taller than I am so I spent a lot more time behind Lindsay than she did behind me. Our spirits were raised when we reached the 1 mile to go sign and we all got a new lease of life. Heading down the hill towards the Sheriffmuir Inn was a great feeling and I even had a smile on my face as I ran across the finishing line. I can see why they called it The Sheriffmuir Challenge as it certainly was that.

The first home was Neil Renault who ran it in 1 hr 00 mins 11 secs. I managed it in 1 hr 43 mins 39 secs.

This year’s North Berwick Hill Race was blessed with fantastic weather, a good field and the usual excellent but low key organisation. The status of the Law has changed and as a result much of hill was out of bounds and the route was restricted to the obvious path. This did cause a slight problem with the ascending and descending runners had to share the same space. Not a huge problem but it did mean that a degree of care had to be taken.

I was only the only runner from the Run For Dr Hadwen Team taking part.  I have this race several time before and have always really enjoyed it and this year was no exception. The race started down by the Harbour with registration (on the night only) at the RNLI station. The course is pretty represented a  fairly unyielding uphill “charge” form the Harbour through the town and up the rocky path to the summit of the law. Although the weather was bright and sunny and clear  there wasn’t really any time to enjoy the spectacular views, across East Lothian and out to sea, before picking  my way back down onto the road for, what seems like, a sprint all the way to the finish.

197 runners took part ,a reasonable field for this type of race and it represented a good mixture of abilities ages (for 10 years old upwards) and even a few dogs. The first male runner had a winning time was 20:35, Dave Wright, of Hunters Bog Trotters although this is bit behind the course record of 17:53. The first female coming in at 23:15, Kate Jenkins again with the Hunters Bog Trotters Last man home was George Armstrong of Haddington and East Lothian Pacemakers with a still credible 42:34.

I was happy with my time of 28:49, which placed me 103rd.

This is a great run both for experienced runners looking for a mid week challenge and for runners who fancy giving hill running a try for the first time. The varied field means that runners of any ability will feel welcome whilst still enjoying a real challenge.

Race Date: Wednesday, 05 August 2009
Start Time: 7:30pm
Distance: 4.8 km
Climb:   180 km

This run is a bit of a short sharp shock but represents a nice challenge and is great fun. Despite taking place in one of Scotland’s sunniest seaside towns the weather can be a bit unpredictable. Last year the race was cancelled (very unusual) because of torrential rain and previous years have seen a harr (sea mist) so thick visibility was down to a few feet at the Law’s summit. However when the weather is good it is spectacular.

The race itself is fairly short at only 3 miles, and whilst the Law is not the highest hill in the world it is pretty steep despite this the pace is pretty fast and the field competitive but friendly.

Not one if your looking for a pb  but a good one if you are looking for a real sense of achievement.