LONDON MARATHON 2014 - PACERS VIEW

My mission for the Virgin Money London Marathon 2014 was to run the race in 3 hour 30 minutes as a pacer for Runners World Magazine after being recruited onto the Pacer Team. Having ran 9 previous London Marathons sub 3 hours this would not seem such a difficult task but throughout the last few months of training I have been practicing long runs at 8 minute mile pace and it was proving more difficult than first thought. I am not for one minute being cocky about being able to run faster than this pace but on training runs it was taking a lot of concentration to hold the pace steady at the desired speed but with a bit of patience and quite a few extra miles of training I finally had the confidence that I could hold it steady for 26.2 miles.

The week leading up to the race was not ideal after being involved in a smash with my car which has since been written off, still at least the girl who rammed me and myself were not injured and I get a new car.

Short flight from Glasgow to London City Airport with Michael after a wee bit of BA hospitality on Friday and the simple task of collecting our numbers and my backpack from the Runners World stand at the expo.
Not so simple as it turned out as my own original good for age entry was proving to rather troublesome with the organisers who had two of me running but no obvious system in place for issuing me my Pacer number and deferring my original number.

After three visits to the help desk and onto my third number I finally had in my hand a blue number which unfortunately had the wrong pen number on it but something I thought could be sorted ( more on this later).
I collected my back which thankfully was very light in weight and we set off for our hotel and an evening meal.

Correct number wrong pen number.

Saturday morning we had our usual pre-marathon Hyde Park 10k jog in rather glorious sunshine and all was looking good for Sunday. Pre marathon fry up and haircut and relax for the rest of the day watching footie and generally not moving more than necessary.

Not healthy but bloody tasty.

Marathon morning in London is interesting as you have so many people running their first and those who are old hands at it and used to the organisation and transport. Basically just follow the runners with the red bags and you will get to the start. Train to Maze Hill and into Greenwich Park to pick up my flag and we were good to go.

In the blue start holding area I had a small sense of celebrity status with lots of runners asking my run plans and pacing tactics for the day and lots of photo taking. The issue of the wrong pen number proved how efficient the stewards are in London as when I explained to them I had the wrong number they promptly ignored my request for leniency and pointed me in the direction of the next pen refusing my request to join my fellow 3:30 pacer. No worries really as I just went in the next pen and made my way through the crowd to get as close to where I should have been.

The race started right on time and we walked forwards with the crowd which gradually picked up pace and I crossed the start line with 1.26 already on the clock so that number had to be remembered for the rest of the race. First 2 miles were really difficult to get the 8 minute miles in so a little off pace but I managed to even it out and by mile 7 around about Cutty Sark I was into the groove. Through the half way marker in 1:44:48 with the temperature rising I felt really comfortable with the pace and by now sure I could carry it through till the end. The crowds today were larger than before which I would attribute to them wanting to see Mo Farah and I was enjoying the shouts from the crowd noticing the flag and all the people following with a time to hit. Around about 23 miles another 3:30 pacer pulled alongside me and asked how my timing was and I confirmed I was going to be between 3:29 and 3:30 he queried it as he thought we were a minute slow as we had lost signal a few times in the tunnels and the satellite signal had disappeared.

Down Birdcage Walk and on to the Mall with the clock showing 3:30 I knew it was in the bag and successfully paced the route. I slowed to watch as a few runners who had been following me pushed on under the clock remembering to duck as I reached it and not wipe it out with my flag. As I was dechipped several people thanked me for getting them under 3:30 and I felt really emotional that I had been able to help them reach a goal some of us tend to take for granted.

Splits

Split	Time Of Day	Time	Diff	min/km	km/h	Place
5K	10:26:21	00:24:56	24:56	05:00	12.04	-
10K	10:51:15	00:49:50	24:54	04:59	12.05	-
15K	11:15:54	01:14:28	24:38	04:56	12.17	-
20K	11:40:50	01:39:25	24:57	05:00	12.03	-
HALF	11:46:14	01:44:48	05:23	04:55	12.21	-
25K	12:05:34	02:04:09	19:21	04:58	12.11	-
30K	12:30:27	02:29:02	24:53	04:59	12.06	-
35K	12:55:13	02:53:48	24:46	04:58	12.11	-
40K	13:19:35	03:18:09	24:21	04:53	12.32	-
Finish time	13:30:27	03:29:02	10:53	04:58	12.11	4205

Two of my VP-Glasgow clubs mates were running alongside me for a while both hoping to hit 3:30, Christine struggled a bit with a calf injury finishing in 3:57:28 and Aisling on her marathon debut ran 3:36:51 .

Where's my bag???

LOCH KATRINE MARATHON 23/03/2014

Loch Katrine

The second running of the one-off event. Well if something ain't broken don't try to fix it just carry on as before and let's all have a bit of fun at the same time. Lots of Facebook banter and a lot of returning runner's who enjoyed the running festival last year and were more than delighted to return to take part again and also help race director Audrey McIntosh's Alzheimer Scotland fund raising into the bargain.

For those of you who have not heard about the event the details can be found at Loch Katrine running Festival but in brief there are three races which include a 10km, half marathon and marathon all sharing the route which runs alongside Loch Katrine in the Scottish Trossachs about an hour's drive from Glasgow. My brother Chris was also running the marathon although he was not full of confidence due to a lack of training but he was determined to finish as he was running to raise funds for the Teenage Cancer Trust.

Chris showing some pre race nerves

A pleasant drive up to Loch Katrine and registered in plenty of time and decision time about how many layers to wear. I always go with the more is better policy as it can always be taken off enroute so went with long sleeves under club vest, gloves and hat. Shorts as always as legs don't get cold, do they? As Audrey gave the race brief Doc Andrew Murray asked if I fancied running a bit with him and before I answered the hooter went and we were off, and when I say off I mean he was off like a hare out of a trap, apart from when he passed me on the return after the turning point I did not get an opportunity to run anywhere near him. This is not a PB course but a fairly decent time can still be done but the constant climbing and descending do take their toll and I would liken it to the first five miles at the Loch Ness Marathon only it continues here for the full race. The pictures below will give an idea of the terrain.

Add caption

Half Marathon turn point. Photo by Billy (mountain goat) Quigley

I ran 2hrs 59min 16secs finishing in 3rd place and 10 minutes behind Andrew who took 8 minutes off the course record set by Richie Cunningham last year. Chris came in 3hrs 49mins delighted and hurting at the same time.

Photo by Fiona Rennie

Chris declined a beer and settled for water

I cannot recommend this event highly enough and would think it will sell out even quicker next year.

Many thanks to Audrey and all the stewards, cyclists and time keepers.

Link to Chris's Just giving page : Just Giving - Chris's page

Results : to follow

 My Strava details

NATIONAL CROSS COUNTRY - FALKIRK - 22/02/2014

Thankfully the last cross country race of the season, a short 12km stroll around Callander Park in Falkirk.
I always see this as an indication of how the winter training has gone and gauge how I feel after the race. well today was a little different as the course was in the worst condition I have ever seen it in and the senior mens entry numbers were again up on the previous year so if you were not quick enough at the start you were going to be in one long queue of runners.

The mudhill

So inevitably I was stuck in a long line of runners on the first of three 4km laps, although not too bothered as I am naturally a slow starter anyway. Progress  was further interupted when the runner in front of me took a tumble on the descent from the mudhill, luckily I managed to stop and bodyswerve him as a couple of others tumbled over him.

A bit of an unevenful race as I picked my way through the runners feeling comfortable but really not enjoying the underfoot conditions. I knew Duncan was ahead of me as I had seen him head off in front of me but had not seen any other team mates till the final hill and I could see I was pulling Daddy Derek in. I caught him just as we come down to the finishing straight which was possibly a mistake as he is an 800mtr track specialist and as I pulled alongside him for a chat his words were " for f**ks sake, I am not having you beat me" and sprinted off like a bullet. Next time he is getting no warning and it will be a 5mtr finish.

Dereks arm I think

Finishing time of  51:11 which is well slower than last years 48:44, possibly a little to do with the underfoot conditions and congestion but I was happy with the run so no complaints.

After last years race I ran another 16 miles home but decided to ditch that plan and save it for a long Sunday run which proved sensible and I had a pleasant early morning 21 mile recovery run.

 Full results here

Strava details here

KIRKIE 12.5KM RACE 16/2/2014

1st race of the 2014 Run Kirkintilloch Series organised by Kirkintilloch Olympians.

The first test run to see how the winter training has gone and after a week in Fuerteventura all inclusive I was not starting this race with much confidence of a fast time but I did want to run it at a steady pace even though it includes 7 sharp climbs.

8:2016:4025:0033:2041:4050:0004:0005:0006:0007:0008:0009:00Pace (min/mi)Pace:07:39 min/miTime: 14:42 h:m:s

This was the first team the full Team Craig had lined up on a start line together for 6 months and only the 3rd or 4th time ever so it would be an interesting event seeing who would catch who (ha ha). Plan for me was meet Michael in Bishopbriggs and have a warm up 5 miles over to the start, race and then 6 mile run home. Michael was meant to follow the same plan but there were several doubters in the camp on the outcome of that.

The warm up run to the start lulled us into a false sense of wellbeing with a calm canal and a gentle breeze almost springlike with a welcome blue sky for a change after weeks of wind and rain. The race started promptly and a few runners blasted off along the first half km which is flat until the climbing and descending starts. The first couple of miles were fine but a stiff breeze ensued for the next two but I managed to keep the splits quite even without blowing up with the knowledge that miles 5 and 6 would be with the wind behind us with the out and back route. Mile 6 and the finishing straight were also even so I was delighted to have held them all comfortably and the only disappointment was I just did not have a finishing burst to reel in 2 guys who had been about 10 mtrs in front of me for the last 2 miles.

Splits were : Mile 1 - 5:50
                   Mile 2 - 6:23
                   Mile 3 - 6:32
                   Mile 4 - 6:34
                   Mile 5 - 6:23
                   Mile 6 - 6:23
                   Mile 7 - 6:23
                0.8 mile - 6:32     Finishing time 49.33  

Miles 3 and 4 then 7 till the finish into a stiff headwind.

Michael finished in 51:24 , Chris 56:05 and Kate 77:06 all delighted to have taken part but not particularly joyous and bursting with energy to accompany me on the recovery run.

Fellow VP-Glasgow runners were Alison Kerr 50:57 2nd lady and Andy Law 50:40 .

Michael, Chris and Ada await their coffees.

After a recovery coffee a recovery run of 6 miles took the total for the day up to 18.2 miles.

Another excellent race organised by the Olympians and many thanks to the marshalls and timekeepers standing in the cold for our enjoyment.

Strava details here

Race results here

MUD, WIND AND RAIN

After about eight weeks of consistent mileage running it was time to get a couple of races in and get the lungs opened up so I had planned a double header for the weekend. Dunbartonshire x-country on Saturday and then Scottish Veteran Harriers Club Relay on Sunday. Saturday morning at work I got soaked and there was not much of a let up as I headed for Dalmuir Golf Club for the race. One little problem I had was I had thrown away my x-country spike shoes vowing months ago not to run another so was going to have to race with my trail shoes. This would have been fine on any other course but as the golf course had decided they were not letting anyone run over their lovely grass the race had to be rejigged to a zig zag around the council park. The first 10mtrs signalled problems as my legs started moving but not much forward progress was gained, a problem I just had to endure for another 4.7miles. If there had not been trees to go round I would have been totally snookered as I grabbed on and swung myself around to head in the opposite direction. Still it was a great workout and a lesson on footwear selection.

For a laugh you can view my Strava stats here : http://www.strava.com/activities/108831786
8841

Results :  http://www.thepowerof10.info/results/results.aspx?meetingid=100529&event=ZXC&venue=Clydebank&date=25-Jan-14

Sunday morning and the relentless wind and rain continued and I was not looking forward to the lap at Strathclyde Park which is a windy course on a calm day. I arrived in plenty of time and ran a lap to gauge how bad it was going to be and the verdict was AWFUL. Miraculously just before I set off on leg two there was a break in the weather and it certainly calmed down meaning only the first leg runners got a raw deal. I ran 22.36 for the 3.8miles and was quite pleased considering the conditions.

Strava details here :  http://www.strava.com/activities/109068841

Results here :   http://www.runbritainrankings.com/results/results.aspx?meetingid=93689&event=3.8ML&venue=Motherwell&date=26-Jan-14

I have had confirmation I am now on the Runners World Pacing Team for the London Marathon in April so if anyone is going to be on the Blue Start looking for a 3.30 finish keep a look out for me and give me a shout. If anyone wants a training run at 8 minute miles on the road let me know as I will need to give it a try out a few times to adjust as I do not want to let anyone down, the pressure is on.

GLEN OGLE ULTRA 2/11/2013

Final ultra of the year and one I was really looking forward too as it is a great low key relaxing end to the season. As is the worry in Scotland in November the weather could be rather awful but the forecast for the day was favourable till about midday with rain predicted to start after that and as I hoped to finish around the 4 hour mark and the race starting at 8am all worries were set aside and only two layers of top clothing required and no need to carry a jacket, ideal!!!!

After a slap to the head at registration from Alice for a totally innocent remark on facebook about her and Ada maybe not being available today as rehearsals had began for the panto season , can't see what she was on about as I was thinking Snow White or Cinderella.

Met up with the usual suspects as we listened to the race briefing and we discussed tactics and clothing for the day and as I was thinking others were going to travel light as well.

The route starts off uphill with a climb for a the first couple of miles and the lead group set off into the distance as I found my own pace and eased myself in gently. As we descended towards the first checkpoint John Duffy breezed past on his way to an excellent time.

On up the cycle path to the next checkpoint and I missed this out as I was carrying my own juice today. Pete Buchanan was slowly catching me for the last few miles and after the descent to Killin came the long forest climb and as hills are not my strong point I knew he would catch me at some point here. Sure enough he did and we had a chat as we passed along the top of the forest but as we descended towards the checkpoint again he pulled away and that was the last I saw of him till the finish. I do really need to get out on trails more often as I am sluggish going uphill but even worse coming down. I met Craig Reid at the checkpoint and he had decided to pull out at this point and I couldn't convince him to come with me so off I went after a quick slug of coke.

Pic by Fiona Rennie.

Back down the cycle route to the next checkpoint it started raining and by the time I passed through the last checkpoint it was horsing it down and coming sideways into the bargain so it was head down and get this over with as soon as possible. The last section is basically a 10k road race with tired legs with a few undulations near the end to finish you off. I could not see anyone in front so had no target to pull in and I just tried to keep an even pace and fight off the cold which was beginning to set in. The 30mph sign and then the new shoogly bridge and over the finish line, job done in 3hr 59min 26 secs. A bit tight but squeezed in under the 4 hours, maybe shouldn't hang about at checkpoints blethering in future.

Straight away I was handed a hot coffee and it certainly sorted me out as I had cooled rapidly in the last mile or so and the sight of Grant waiting for me to give him a lift home was a picture as he was turning blue with the cold. Warm shower at the campsite and all senses had returned.

The race was won in an amazing time of 3 hrs 26 mins and the full results are here : http://racesplitter.com/races/424075A51

My garmin details here : http://connect.garmin.com/activity/398756703

Another excellent BaM production and many thanks to the lads and lasses at the checkpoints for all their help and support on a day when the elements turned rather horrible.

ANTONINE TRAIL RACE

This was a lesson on reccying a route if ever there was one. I mentioned to Sandra McDougall at the start line that as I lived not far from the start line I had ran a few sections of the route before and knew a few bits but was unfamiliar with a few others and she joked I would probably get lost then. Well she was correct.

The race started off at a brisk pace and I settled in to a steady pace with the last few miles in mind as I knew them and they were mostly uphill. I was sitting in 5th place most of the way till we came on to the canal at Twechar and as the leaders rounded a bend about half a mile ahead I was confident I would start pulling them back in calculating they had about 3 minutes lead on me. After the bend though there was an arrow pointing back the direction I had came from and presuming it to be wrong I carried on along the canal. The arrow was at the top of a staircase with ticker tape as well but nowhere in my mind did 'go down staircase' register. So as I plodded on another runner came bounding towards me asking was this correct as he had lost sight of the leaders and I just said I thought it was so we carried on but suddenly it clicked and I realised the next chance to cross the canal would be Kirkintilloch. About turn and headed back the way and now there was a steward standing waiting directing runners down the way. I mentioned to him the arrow was pointing the wrong way when we passed and he admitted it was and he had fixed it when he arrived but I did acknowledge it was my own fault I had gone the wrong way.

View from the high point of the race.

With only 4 miles to go I was now passing runners regularly wondering how many places I had lost. I caught up with Robert Rogerson just as we reached Croy much to his amazement and I am sure he had a little laugh at my rerouting. On up Croy Hill and spied more runners but could only catch another one before the finish.
James Stewart had glanced round and saw me coming in the distance and made sure I was not catching him and asked at the finish where I had got to.

Finished in 8th place in 1:42.04. The race distance should be 13.8 miles but I covered 14.4 miles and reckon I lost about 4 minutes and 3 places with my stupidity. I shall need to come back next year and see what I can do now that I know the actual route.

An excellent race organised by Adventure Zone Scotland and highly recommended.

Garmin details here : http://connect.garmin.com/activity/392994611 (the extra bit is rather obvious now)

Results here : http://adventurezonescotland.com/2013/10/20/antonine-trail-race-2013-results/