Mugdock Turbo X and bunking off

Last Saturday, I raced the latest in the Saab Salomon Turbo X series in Mugdock Park. Billed as a 10mile trail race with plenty hills, mud, trail, mud, hills and more mud, it lived up to its billing. Over 400 people set off on a beautiful sunny Saturday morning on a route that took us through Mugdock Park, onto the West Highland Way and back up through woods and bog back into Mugdock Park again. It was a brilliant race and as it bears no resemblence to any other race , there is no pressure to make a certain time. For the record, I finished in 1 hour 33 mins in 60th place.

Picture courtesy of Chris Upson

I decided to take Wednesday afternoon off work to take a "fitness test" in readiness for the Longmynd Hike in 2 weeks time. I have completed the Longmynd the last 2 years and it's a tough course over 50 miles with 8,000 foot of ascent so it's not to be taken lightly. As I have banged on about in recent weeks, I 've had foot and ankle problems since the WHW and this has meant a reduced volume of training. Yesterday' s run was meant to provide a final decision as to whether I was going to get to the start line or not.

I decided to run an out and back route from Milngavie to the Beech Tree Inn and back but on the outer point, I would cross the road and run up Dumgoyne twice. Kind of extreme hill reps! this was a total of about 22 miles that I hoped would feel "comfortable". The weather was brilliant and I felt great up till the last couple of miles through Mugdock Park but kept my head down and pressed on quite well. As I sit here typing this, my legs are a bit stiff and my PF is giving me some gip but I've decided to go for it and head down to Shropshire for a wee trot through the hills! - wish me luck!

Great Scottish Run 1/2 Marathon

Sunday morning saw me line up for my 20th Glasgow Half Marathon. I have spent a lot of time in the last few weeks whinging about my sore feet and ankles and how my legs have been tired and how my running just wasn't going well. Generally the kind of attitude that really annoys me in other people and so I'm not overly proud of my own self pitying. I had decided that I would run on Sunday with the plan to just get round in somewhere under 1:40 and to try and enjoy it.
The race got under way 10 minutes late and just as the rain started. Not heavy rain, but just enough to keep the temperature down. I was determined not to set off too quick and managed to settle in to a 7:15/mile pace feeling surprisingly good. The first few miles went in fast and I was enjoying the atmosphere and all the crowds who were standing in the rain cheering us on.
6 miles in and I was still on pace and feeling really fresh so I decided to step it up a bit and brought the pace up to about 7:00/mile.
I normally hate the section through Pollok park as there are some sneaky wee hills that sap your legs at about 8-9 miles in but yesterday I kept pushing on and came out of the park still with plenty left and starting to think that a reasonable time might be on the cards.
I decided that I would wait till 10 miles and then see if I could up the pace again for the final 3 miles in to the finish. I hit 10 miles and, feeling strong, I pushed hard and stayed at about 6:40 ish all the way to the finish to come in on 1 hour 31 mins.
I was absolutely delighted, not only with my time but at how good I felt all the way round.
I have an entry for the Longmynd Hike, the first weekend in october and I've been unsure as to whether I should start or not as training hadn't been going well and my feet are still bothering me but after yesterday's run I am much more positive. I am running in the Saab Salamon Turbo X race at Mugdock on Saturday and, if that goes ok then I'll commit to the Longmynd.

Thank You Darling!

I'm not much of a Political animal. I have no allegiance to any particular political party and have little time for the petty squabbling and points scoring that goes on at Holyrood and Westminster. As a business owner, I have to have a weather eye on what is happing in government circles particularly as most of my work is within the public sector and just occassionally, something comes out that is actually of tangible benefit to us, the working public. I'm not talking about policy reviews or complex and inpenetrable incentive schemes. Alistair Darling will help you buy a bike! How cool is that.

A number of years ago, the Government introduced the Ride to Work scheme which lets employers purchase a bike on which they claim back the VAT, the balance is then deducted as salary sacrifice from the particular employees monthly pay over a 12 month period meaning that the employee doesn't pay NI or Income Tax on the monthly amount. In real terms, what this means is that we, the bike riding public can save around 45% on the cost of a brand new bike and pay the balance on a 12 month, interest free loan. Good eh!

So being the kind, understanding employer that I am, I registered with Evans Cycles Ride to Work scheme last year and have recently acquired my second bike through their scheme. Isn't she nice?...............

So my training is now interspersed with the occassional bike ride to and from work made all the more pleasurable by knowing that Mr Darling is helping to pay for it!

Good times, bad times

Last Sunday saw me on the start line for the Helensburgh Half Marathon, trying to better my time of 20 years previously. The weather was unusually warm and with not a breath of wind, it was going to prove to be a harder run than planned.
I didn't realise how much harder until, the race began to unfold.
I had decided to set off at 7:00min mile pace, thinking that if I could hold that as long as possible and maybe push on the last two or three miles, I may just sneak in a 1hr 30mins. My first mile was 6:45min, a bit fast but ok. The second one was 6:59mins, bang on schedule. Mile 3 was 7:15mins but that was ok as there was a bit of a hill here. That was when it all started to go wrong!
By the time I'd got to mile 4 my legs felt completely done and I was struggling to keep going. I couldn't figure out what was wrong as I was only 4 miles in, the pace was high but not excessive but there was just nothing there. My mind started to get in on the act too by saying that this could be my first DNF, I may as well just stop there and then coz it was only going to get worse! I had given up looking at my splits by now and just decided to keep my head down, plod on and hopefully things would pick up.
Miles 5 to 9 were a battle between body and mind but my body was just managing to keep on top and the miles crawled by. By mile 9, I knew I was at least going to finish (phew!) and so resolved to try and make a reasonable attempt at chasing my 1989 time. I was enouraged on route by Ellen McVey and Aileen Scott who were marshalling and supporting respectively and their presence kept me going so thanks ladies!
I tried on a number of occassions over the last two miles to pick up the pace but each time I tried, nothing happened. The final mile is along the main street which is flat all the way and I was determined to salvage some dignity and managed to hang on to the heels of a couple of guys who passed me to cross the line in 1:38 and 130th place out of about 350.
So, what was my 1989 time.................1:44. Despite my physical stress, I had manged to run 6 minutes quicker than I did 20 years ago. I don't recall anything about how that race felt all those years ago but I'll bet it didn't feel as hard as today's. I also have the certificate for the following years race but if I want to beat that time I'm going to have to have a hell of a lot better a day than this year!
Looking back, I don't know why I struggled so much on Sunday. It was pretty warm which didn't help but not roasting. I had had a hard 10 miler on Thursday night but I felt that was out of my legs so I've just put it down to "one of those days".
I've been hobbling around this week a bit as the PF in my right foot is playing up and there seems to be some nerve damage in my left ankle which has never really recovered from the WHW Race. I've booked in to see my Physio next week to try see if she can keep me going as September is looming with a couple more races followed by Longmynd at the beginning of October.
I also have some big plans for next year, but more of that in a future post.

Holding back the years

I was having a bit of a tidy up at home the other day and came across a couple of finisher certificates for the Helensburgh Half Marathon for 1989 and 1990. At the time, I was a young, fit 23/24 year old exploring my running limits and training for my first Marathon.
Co-incidentally, I have entered this Sunday's Helensburgh Half Marathon (which I don't think I've run since the aforementioned dates) and so I find myself, 20 years older, wondering whether I can still run the times I did as a younger man.
I'm not giving too much away at the moment but suffice to say that, on a good day, I think I may be able to pull one out of the bag. I'll divulge both past and current times in my next post.
Helensburgh was also the venue for my 10k pb of 35mins 12secs back in 1990 something which I can confidently say I will never come close to again. Last year I ran my first marathon since 2001 and came very close to a pb but due to an over enthusiastic couple of sub 7 min miles early on, I died horrible in the last three miles coming in at 3:29.
In recent years, I have joined the ultra running community having now notched up 8 ultras over the last 2 1/2 years and, with the exception of this years Highland Fling, I have gone faster in each race.
As I get older, I therefore seem more suited to the longer events. This is no doubt in part due to the combined effect of years of training and running resulting in a deep reserve of fitness but it must also be down to the mental approach of running longer. The requirement for patience and to "think" your way round a course that perhaps isn't there in the youthful enthusiasm we exhibit in shorter events. One look at the age profile of a typical ultra is clear evidence of this with many competitors well into their forties, fifties and beyond.
One other trait which seems to benefit me in these longer races is my sheer bloody mindedness not to give in. I have never yet experienced a DNF and whilst I'm sure it will no doubt come, it will not be for lack of trying. In my first year running the Longmynd Hike (50 miles) I was in a pathetic state after 20 miles and was considering throwing in the towel when I grouped up with a couple of other guys who knew the route and so I tagged along behind eventually finishing in 12hours 15mins, totally spent. During those 30 miles running with the two guys we had chatted away and it was clear to them that I was only just hanging on in there. We sat down after the finish to enjoy the hospitality at Church Stretton School and one of the two turned to me and said "you are one stubborn bastard!" Now there's a compliment!
So, what happens on Sunday will be as a result of being a fit, middle aged, stubborn bastard - that's got to look good on my CV!

Best Interview Answer Ever

I came across this today whilst clearing out some old files. A friend of mine sent it to me a few years ago and I thought it was brilliant then..........and still do:

Q
In order for the admissions staff of our college to get to know you, the applicant, better, we ask that you answer the following question: Are there any significant experiences you have had, or accomplishments you have realized, that have helped to define you as a person?

A
I am a dynamic figure, often seen scaling walls and crushing ice.
I have been known to remodel train stations on my lunch breaks, making them more efficient in the area of heat retention. I translate ethnic slurs for Cuban refugees, I write award-winning operas, I manage time efficiently.
Occasionally, I tread water for three days in a row. I woo women with my sensuous and godlike trombone playing, I can pilot bicycles up severe inclines with unflagging speed, and I cook Thirty-Minute Brownies in twenty minutes.
I am an expert in stucco, a veteran in love, and an outlaw in Peru. Using only a hoe and a large glass of water, I once single-handedly defended a small village in the Amazon Basin from a horde of ferocious army ants. I play bluegrass cello, I was scouted by the Mets, I am the subject of numerous documentaries.
When I'm bored, I build large suspension bridges in my yard. I enjoy urban hang gliding. On Wednesdays, after school, I repair electrical appliances free of charge. I am an abstract artist, a concrete analyst, and a ruthless bookie.
Critics worldwide swoon over my original line of corduroy evening wear. I don’t perspire. I am a private citizen, yet I receive fan mail. I have been caller number nine and have won the weekend passes. Last summer I toured New Jersey with a travelling centrifugal-force demonstration.
I bat 400.
My deft floral arrangements have earned me fame in international botany circles. Children trust me. I can hurl tennis rackets at small moving objects with deadly accuracy.
I once read Paradise Lost, Moby Dick and David Copperfield in one day and still had time to refurbish an entire dining room that evening.
I know that exact location of every food item in supermarkets. I have performed several covert operations with the CIA. I sleep once a week; when I do sleep, I sleep in a chair.
While on vacation in Canada, I successfully negotiated with a group of terrorists who had seized a small bakery. The laws of physics do not apply to me. I balance, I weave, I dodge, I frolic, and my bills are all paid.
On weekends, to let off steam, I participate in full-contact origami. Years ago I discovered the meaning of life but forgot to write it down. I have made extraordinary four course meals using only a mouli and a toaster oven. I breed prizewinning clams. I have won bullfights in San Juan, cliff-diving competitions in Sri Lanka, and spelling bees at the Kremlin.
I have played Hamlet, I have performed open-heart surgery, and I have spoken with Elvis.

It's been a few weeks since my last post and this is down to a few reasons.


I went off on holiday for a fortnight the week after the WHW race and had planned on writing a full account of my family's exploits navigating a 23 foot camper van around the North of Scotland but on my first day back at work, I received an email telling me of the tragic death of Dario Melaragni whilst on a training run with friends around Lochnagar.


I didn't know Dario well and my only contact with him was as a participant in the West Highland Way Race which he organised for the last 10 years. What was clear was his endless enthusiasm and love for what he did and his encouragement and concern for the wellbeing and success of all the runners he came into contact with. Other people who knew him much better have written some very touching and heartfelt comments and reading through them all has confirmed his position as the ""Father" of the West Highland Way Family. He will be sorely missed.


Eve is down visiting her parents with the kids for a few days just now and so I have been left to fend for myself (and the cat). It has meant that during this brief spell of solitude, I have had time to reflect on recent events and to how the death of someone you know with still so much to give can have an impact on your own perspective. I had planned a weekend camping trip on my bike last weekend and spending 14 hours pedalling away gives you the opportunity for a lot of thinking time

I've long been an advocate of the "seize the day" school of thought. It is easy to spend time sitting around talking about things you would like to do or places you would like to go and for many people, this is a far as it gets. The next time you hear yourself saying "one day, I'd like to........." why not make that "one day" tomorrow? To live your life and look back and say, "if only I'd done this" or "if only I'd done that" is a life unlived. What is painfully clear from recent sad events is that you never know what is round the corner and when your time will come so don't sit back and think, "maybe next year". We all have plans and dreams and it is times like this that give me the impetus to bring these to the fore and start to make them a reality.

I lost another good friend to cancer at Christmas last year. She was only 40 and left behind a husband and two small children. Her death and Dario's have had a profound affect on me. Perhaps more so than elderly relatives who have passed away who, although closer in relationship terms, had lived a full and active life. To have all of your dreams and possibilities wiped out when you had so much more to give is tragic indeed.

I have spoken many times before on this blog of "enjoying the journey". In an ultra, if you keep going, persevere and endure you will reach your destination but the key is to enjoy the journey on the way there. In life, we all have a cast iron guarantee of reaching our destination so I for one fully intend to enjoy the journey.

Rest in Peace Dario and Jo.