Race 2 of the Weekend!...been thinking back and it must be 20 years since I ran 2 races one day after another(I think it was the Alan Scally relay followed by the Stewarton CC next day in 1992!) In fact there has been a few years 2007-2009 where I didn't do much more than 2 races in a year!
Last time I ran this race was 2008 and I was probably the least fit I have ever been, hardly training and nearly 2 stone overweight .I remember finishing the race that day in 37 odd mins, absolutely exhausted and thinking it was time to pack it in altogether....I just didn't enjoy it anymore.
So 5 years on I was going into this race with a really hard 5k the day before in my legs plus the 3 sessions that i had done during the week...I wasn't exactly fresh but at least i'm fit and loving my running again!... My legs were stiff and sore during the first 2k ,which included a fair bit of climbing, but after that I felt not bad at all and got into a good race with Andy Little of Shettleston. Andy outsprinted me at the finish to claim first vet but I was happy with my time of 33.19 considering i'd raced the day before and the Vale course isn't the fastest. No more races for a the rest of June as I get ready for the Arran Half and Arran Relay next month.
Four years after registering for Parkrun I finally run one! The Eggy parkrun has been going since March this year but I've only been available to run once or twice in that time due to work. Couldn't have picked a better day to make my debut however! Arrived at 8.30 am and it was really warm even at that time of the morning and managed a good warm up.Having been off work the week leading up to the race I had taken the opportunity to get some quality training ,including 3 sessions...so wasn't sure how the race would go.Got off to a good start and was working hard,with Alex Allardyce hanging on round the first small lap. Heading into the next lap, a large one, I started pulling away and by the time I reached the final small lap I knew I was gonna win,it was now just about the time I could run.I knew the course record was 17.24 (which Alex ran) so was well chuffed to clock 16.29 withAlex beating his pb with 17.07.....this was only race number 1 of the weekend for me,Vale of Leven 10k the next day! I must have the running bug again!
A better run! Felt a lot fresher than Troon a fortnight ago and finished 9th in 32.54.Got into a decent pace straight away and went through 5k in 16.15 feeling pretty good. Got a bit isolated 2nd half and slowed a wee bit. Didn't realise till after I finished that the first 8 had been taken the wrong way near the end and had missed a bit out making me the first to actually run the full distance! 1st vet prize again so happy with that, starting to feel myself getting race fit again
This was my first trip to the Troon 10k in 4 years. I've always had a love / hate relationship with this race, having had some great runs (and some absolute stinkers) since I first ran it in 1990.That year ,aged 19, i hung on to Brian Craig and Colin Miller ,clocking 33.30, in what was my 2nd ever 10k.Over the years i gradually got my times down until the late 90s when i clocked my pb of 30.48 ( finishing 6th in the year that the first 12 were under 32 mins!!!)The highest placing i ever got was 2nd in 2004 in 30.57, just holding off Lee Richardson and Davy Millar who were just over 31 mins.
It was 5 years before i raced Troon again in 2009 and i just wisnae fit plodding round in over 36 mins.Injuries and lack of motivation had taken their toll.... So fast forward another 4 years to this years race and i'm fitter and training harder than i have for years so was looking for a decent run.... The first kilometre was slow into the wind but as soon as we left the prom and out of the wind the race changed and spread out .I was hanging onto Robert Gilroy for the first 4k but didn't feel that good and just before 5k my left calve ,that had been bothering me for the previous week, started to stiffen up. So from 5k to the finish i ran myself trying to consolidate what i had and hang on for 1st vet. Was really toiling by the finish but hung on to finish 4th in 33.42. All in all ,not a great run but not the worst I've had at Troon so can't complain
5.30 am rise on the first day of a weeks holiday ...must be mad. After cycling the length of the Crinan canal 2 years ago I really wanted to run this race, so entered last year but couldn't make it due to injury...arrrgh! So I was determined to make it this year....Set off at a decent pace getting to 3 miles in 15.20 and 6 miles in 31 odds but was tiring a bit over the last few miles. Was really happy to win with my finishing time off 46.17 though ,just 22 seconds outside Davy Millars from last year....good race and feel like the trainings starting to pay off now
Looking back at some past results from this race its amazing how things have changed over the last few years...hard to believe we were 2nd overall and only 20 seconds away from winning back in 2006!! That day I was the slowest of our long leg runners with 29.50!...changed days indeed. For a club like Irvine to get a silver medal at the Scottish Championship was something special indeed. Since then its been a pretty poor championship for Irvine with us struggling to get in the top 30 some years with the main problem being to get all our best runners fit and injury free at the same time. So this was probably our strongest team for a few years, this year and we knew we had a decent chance of a masters medal.
After a last minute change of running order Jim Sneddon started us off on the opening short leg .Jim went off a wee bit too hard and suffered later in the race but hung in well. Alex was next up on the 2nd leg, which was the 1st long leg. Alex had a great run bringing us through the field and handing over to the evergreen Colin Miller. Colin had a solid run on the short leg before Jamie Findlay who had a fine run despite being isolated most of the way. Mark Livinstone ran the last short leg leaving me to run the last long one.I set off steady hoping to pick it up 2nd half of the race but felt a bit sluggish.During the last mile I could see the Killie boy up ahead but didn't think I would catch him .I dug in as much as I could to catch him by the bridge but the legs were totally gone when it came to sprint finish! Never Mind.....Irvine finished 12th overall, respectable and 2nd masters team......so another hard earned silver medal at this race, hopefully next year we can get a few boys back and try and get that Masters title!!
Thought i would get a half marathon in early this year ,having only run 2 in the past 5 years (neither of which were particularly good in terms of time),it was a good chance to test my fitness after my best winters training for many a year.It must be at least 10 years since i last ran this race and what memories i had of it were mainly about the hills in the last 2 miles.
Set off at a decent pace,sitting in a pack with ,among others,Robert Gilroy of Cambuslang.Glanced at some of my mile times and was surprised how comfortable i felt at what was a faster pace than i had raced Halfs since my pre-injury days.The hills at 11 miles were not as bad as i remembered but still tough enough to make the last 2 miles testing.Was outsprinted by Gilroy at the 13 mile mark to finish 9th and 1st vet in 73.05...was convinced i was on for a sub 73 until the last mile when i could feel it slipping away.Still,good run and feel i'll take a chunk off that time later in the year.
Special thanks to Lesley and James for their Support.When Lesley dropped me off at the start James said ,unprompted ,"Good luck with your race Daddy!" just as i was getting out the car.Makes it all worthwhile!
