11.5 miles moderate

I waited until the rain went off a bit and then had another crack at making it along Great Western Road as far as the Drumry Road roundabout and back inside 80 minutes. By the time I reached Knightswood Park I was already a couple of minutes up on my previous attempt. On 38:50 I set foot on Drumry Road East then turned around and ran back - did briefly think of continuing along Great Western Road to see where I could get to in 40 minutes, but there were no significant landmarks coming up, and I was worried about taking longer on the way back which would have wrecked my plan. Instead I concentrated on running negative splits and tried to lengthen my stride a bit when going downhill. Arrived home in 1:16:13.

Indoor 800m

My warm-up for the race was a walk/jog down to the Kelvin Hall, during which I thought I'd managed to strain something (and subsequently contemplated pulling out right up until the gun sounded). I put my PB on the entry form as 2:12 - no point in telling the truth, SB will have to suffice - and expected time as 2:12. For once the seeding worked out quite well as the first heat had 3 entrants who must have anticipated running inside 2:10, although only 2 appeared. I fancied my chances in the second heat and was drawn on the inside lane. After a comfortable 32-second first lap I was placed three of four, and I moved into first shortly after 300m in another 32-second lap. After that I tried to maintain the same pace and 33 for the next lap was fine. I reckoned at this point the race was in the bag although I could hear a battle for second place behind me. Then I made a stupid mistake, not having run 800m on a 200m track in over a year, and only kicked in the home straight, which is of course only about 30m long. I was accelerating as I went through the line - should have done it before the bend as I still had enough in reserve. My watch showed an SB of 2:11.78 but a few minutes later my official time was announced as 2:12.07. I only have myself to blame though!

In the evening I dropped Natasha off at Asda and ran across Bearsden to have a go at Chesters Road. Planned to run three reps, time permitting. In the event I only ran one because it was pitch dark - no street lights! - and the hill was huge. I didn't have my head-light thing or running jacket with the lights but it's doubtful they would have helped. It was hard to gauge just how steep the hill was because I was in darkness all the way up. Probably a great session to try in daylight.

Short recovery

Not really a recovery, I suppose, given that I didn't do anything on Friday. I just wanted to stretch the legs a bit so went out with Natasha for a couple of miles and didn't think I could do anything else worthwhile with a race coming up tomorrow. There's the 4.2 mile Hogmanay Handicap I have taken part in for many years in a row, even last year when I more or less had to hobble round, but this year it clashes with an indoor 800m. There aren't many of these and there are loads of longer races coming up, so I think it's the 800 for me. The thought of doing both did cross my mind but I can't get from one to the other in time. I am certainly fitter than I was the last time I ran an 800, but I haven't done much speed training recently. Probably looking for 2:12 or better.

7+ miles tempo

I woke up yesterday still with a cough and not feeling too great so had to give the 10K a miss. By the time I went to bed it was definitely wearing off so this evening I tackled my usual route of 7 miles or so (probably not as much as 7.5 after all) and tried to make the best of a bad lot by doing it fast, having tapered for a race I ended up not running. I felt quite heavy for the first couple of miles but got to the gates of the Science Park in 18:something and passed the last barrier before the Kelvin in exactly 20 minutes, which was as fast as I'd ever reached that point before, so it looked like I had a shot at my route PB of 45:24. Felt OK on Great Western Road where I might normally start to flag, and reached the bin opposite Hughenden in 33:25 - 35 minutes is the usual benchmark for how I'm doing at this point. I had some good luck with traffic lights and sub-45 was definitely on the cards when I passed the pedestrian crossing near Achilles Heel on the 40-minute mark. 3 minutes from Kelvinbridge to home is just about as fast as I've ever run it, so 41:44 at that point gave me a real chance - by now the PB was in the bag anyway. I picked it up as if it was the end of a race, only lost a couple of seconds crossing Maryhill Road, and arrived home in 44:44. It wasn't quite race pace, probably just over 6-minute miles. Very pleased to go through a barrier before the year is out - reminds me of the old days where I'd run the same couple of routes every week and scribble down a note of my times on the back of an old envelope.

Slow recovery

Went out for a slow 5K with Natasha in the morning just to stretch the legs a bit. I'm planning to do a 10K tomorrow but I seem to be coming down with something and have a bit of a cough, so I'll see how I feel in the morning.

Short recoveries and 11 miles steady

I had some work to do in the office so ran in after breakfast, slightly over 1.5 miles. It took a bit longer than expected, and as the heating isn't on at weekends, it actually seemed warmer outside when I ran back. Went out a few hours later for a proper long(ish) run - this time the plan was to run along Great Western Road for about 40 minutes at a steady pace to see how far I could get (ideally as far as the Drumry Road roundabout), then turn back and arrive home inside 80 minutes. As it turned out, I made it to the gates of the Edrington distillery, just a few hundred yards short of the roundabout, which will have to be the goal for some future run. I managed to make up a little time on the way back but lost most of it waiting to cross Maryhill Road. Finishing time was 1:19:55.

Short recovery and hills

Went out in the morning for about 4 miles with Natasha as she felt up to attempting a longer route than usual. I was absolutely fine all the way round and appear to have made a full recovery. In the late afternoon I jogged up to Cleveden Road for some hill reps - it was too dark to go to Kelvingrove Park. Did half a dozen with a jogged recovery, contemplated ten but it would have been a long way to run back (over two miles) if I had strained something. Afterwards, I ran back along the canal to Maryhill Road. There are no lights on the towpath and I didn't have my new head-light thing with me but the moonlight was bright enough that I didn't fall in.

7.5 miles moderate

It was bitterly cold so I bought new thick socks and as well as a head-light thing so I could go out for a run in the dark. Also took the opportunity to wear an orange and grey running jacket which has lights built into it. After getting ready I turned all my lights on to check it out - Natasha said I looked like Easyjet. The head-light is too conspicuous to run through Maryhill with, even switched off, so I put it in my pocket. Suspected I might overheat with all that stuff on and sure enough, it started happening after about 10 minutes. My route took me through the Science Park so I took the opportunity of switching all my lights on at the darkest bit, although they weren't terribly useful as all the lights on the path were working for once. This gear would be really useful for running along the country roads near Baldernock in the dark. In any case I felt very fatigued, probably spent too long on the cross-training machine on Thursday night, but just under 51 minutes was faster than I felt. I might have made it closer to 50 but got a work-related phone call near the Botanic Gardens, just as I was overtaking the only other person I'd seen out running, and had to stop to dig the phone out, only to pass my fellow runner a few seconds later while still talking on the phone. I wonder if that was annoying!

Gym

Felt a bit stiff after playing football in freezing temperatures so I dodged the club training session tonight and went to the gym instead - I only had half an hour to spare so tried to cram in as much as possible. On one machine I extended the reps by one set at the end, and on the machine I am worst on I went for more reps with fewer weights.

Short recovery

The club training schedule had a fartlek session for tonight but I always give that a miss in dark, freezing conditions - it's just too dangerous on frosty pavements to run fast enough to make it worthwhile. Ran a few miles round Kessington instead, at a moderate pace, just to stretch the legs a bit. The injury was nagging at me in the cold and my leg felt really tight after I had finished, but only for a few seconds. Definitely a lot better than it was, although I should probably have been doing more stretching. Tomorrow is my last game of football until January 9th so if I make it through that OK I can use the holidays to get loads of training in, to make up for recent inactivity.

Santa Race

Started second from the back with what seemed like no chance of catching anyone - the thigh injury was a bit better but not 100%. I dropped into last place within the first mile and stayed there all along Switchback Road. This meant I was the first Santa seen by any of the drivers going in the same direction as the race, and a lot of folk tooted their horns. By this time I had forgotten about the injury on account of the heat under the Santa suit, even though the temperature was just above freezing. Managed to catch and pass a few people, including some non-Santas (evidently not forced to start off scratch), and finished probably somewhere in the middle of the bunch in the second fastest time, 19:10 or so. Faster than I expected, and I don't seem to have made the injury any worse.

Short recovery and gym

Another slow 5K in the morning with Natasha. I felt OK at that pace but putting in a proper effort at tomorrow's Christmas Handicap is probably out of the question, and although not turning up at all is quite appealing, I might as well take part wearing a Santa costume which is now more or less obligatory as if you don't wear one, you start off stratch. So there's a time-based handicap - with a turkey at stake - and you have to wear a Santa costume or you'll trail in behind everybody else and get last pick of the presents. I remember when this was quite a serious race, even if it was usually decided by an over-generous handicap, and a couple of folk usually turned up in fancy dress for a laugh, but now that social aspects have overtaken sporting ones, there's really no point to it. It's not even for the benefit of spectators. The route runs almost entirely through residential streets in Westerton and nobody is watching.

In the afternoon I went to the gym for 35 minutes or so, again staying away from anything which might have strained my legs. This time I did some proper reps on the different machines which I can try to extend or repeat with heavier weights in future weeks.

Thursday session

Had a groin strain of some sort after playing football on Wednesday, but thought all day that it would probably wear off, even as I was running to the car to drive up to the Science Park. I ran a few laps of the car park and decided I should probably go straight back home. The fast group was fairly depleted (in fact turnout was pretty poor overall) and as they ran off into the distance I changed my mind and caught up with them - on the basis that Friday would be a day off anyway, and it felt more like a footballing injury than a running one. I was able to maintain the steady pace OK but I felt like the injury was getting worse as we were going up the hill towards Bearsden Cross. Gave up at that point and walked/jogged along Roman Road and back to the car, by which point I was feeling slightly better. Should be OK in a couple of days, I think.

Paarlauf

I was in the mood for a tough session so made a special effort to arrive in time for the scheduled Paarlauf. Very pleased to see that in t-shirt and shorts, I was wearing less than anyone else - gloves being my only concession to the temperature - so my winter acclimatising is clearly working. The rules of the Paarlauf were to run hard anticlockwise round the 850m circuit until you meet your partner, then jog back clockwise until you meet your partner again, and so on for 30 minutes - the rules apply to both members of the team. Mine was in the lead early on but slipped back into second after a couple of circuits. The new leaders (or at least one of them) must have started running out of steam, though, because I moved back into the lead after an almighty tussle near the end, although it didn't last. It wasn't a competition or anything but that was the incentive to keep pushing. Bit dangerous in the dark though, at least early on when you would turn round and immediately have to fight your way through the pack.

Gym

It would have been a good evening to go on a run but I felt like I needed a break so went to the gym instead, staying well clear of anything which might have overstrained my leg muscles. This didn't leave much choice as a couple of the other machines are out of order. However I warmed up quite intensively on the elliptical trainer and went straight onto the lat pulldown machine. I was ready to call it a day after a few minutes but stretched it out to 35 by returning to that particular machine between sessions on the others, with a couple more minutes on the elliptical trainer to warm down.

Short recovery and 11.5 miles moderate

Went out in the morning with Natasha for two slow miles. My legs were quite stiff in the same places as after my previous hill reps in Kelvingrove Park, so maybe Saturday's session did have an effect. In the afternoon I ran the same Milngavie route as four weeks ago, a little faster this time, although maybe too fast over the first mile as it started getting quite tough about a mile afterwards. I pressed on and reached the halfway point in around 42:30 so sub-1:25 was on the cards, as the route back in is broadly downhill. Managed to pick up the pace after 8 miles and really pushed it on the last 800m to be sure of finishing inside 1:24 - actual time 1:23:46.

Short recovery and hills

Went out in the morning for the usual slow 5K with Natasha who was trying out her new Vomeros. It was pretty cold with light rain. In the afternoon I went back to Kelvingrove Park to run up that hill again - by now the rain had turned to snow although it hadn't yet started to lie. My sixth rep was interrupted by the attentions of a dog. "I'm really sorry, he's just frightened," its owner said as she finally put a lead on the thing - of course, Doctor Doolittle, that's why it made a bee-line for me from a distance. As soon as they were out of sight I resumed the session which was rapidly turning into a waste of time in the conditions. Went to the Granite Staircase to try to run up it a few times (another idea stolen from "Debs/Marco on running"), but the snow had made it too slippery. By now my feet were soaked through so I just went home. I'll find out tomorrow if the hill session made any difference at all. Should probably have gone to the Kelvin Hall instead.

6 miles tempo

Arrived on time for once. I was determined to try to keep up a bit better than usual, with no race this weekend, and managed to stay with the fast pack until about the 4 mile mark when the other three started to pull away to varying degrees. My legs were starting to ache a bit by this point - I had strained something playing football on Wednesday night (or more accurately, climbing over a wall to get the ball back) and had had to go in goals for a few minutes and do a bit of stretching before I was able to run it off. Got my act back together for the last mile or so and finished quite strongly.

Hill reps

I wasn't in time to train with the club (supposed to be doing short reps) so went back to Westerton to tackle Crarae Avenue again, five times. Put in a good effort on the hills and also tried to keep my pace up on the recovery jog, which got tougher every time. Normally when doing this session on my own I would start walking at the top of the hill but I managed to resist the temptation. It was unseasonably warm. Felt a lot fitter than I did last week.

3 miles recovery

I was intending to go to the gym this evening but I had the chance to kick off a download at the office and save a bit of time tomorrow, so I ran there and back instead - about 3 miles in total, just to stretch my legs.

Hugh Wilson 10K

Felt in decent condition for this race and the weather was OK too - a bit drizzly but not cold enough for gloves. I set my 10K PB of 33:51 here several years ago and hadn't run it since. The course seemed to have changed a bit, didn't remember turning round at the halfway point before. Goal time was anything less than 37 minutes.

I set out trying to keep to an ambitious 3:30 per kilometre as long as I could, and managed 3:31 for each of the first two before dropping to 3:38 and not bothering to work out my splits after that. I was a shade over 18 minutes at the 5K mark, fourth for Garscube. There were about about 10 places between me and the third Garscube runner in the distance. I thought if I kept a steady pace I would probably go past a few runners - as it turned out, I made up about 6 places before the end. Legs felt really heavy on about 8K but I managed to pick it up for the last kilometre or so. My finishing time was 36:14 which was not a bad outcome for my longest race in a few years. This was 3 seconds per mile slower than I ran in the Glasgow University race (5:49 vs 5:46), but a fairly reliable race time predictor I have used in the past said I could expect 36:30 for 10K based on 28:50 for 5 miles. I have still never run 35:anything for a 10K (33 once, and 34 and 36 several times each) but that curious record may have to go in the near future.

Stewarding

Friday was a rest day, and I didn't have much planned for Saturday either as a single day off has proven not to be enough rest between a hard run and a race - still aiming for tomorrow's 10K. (I think I will set my M35 10K PB by default.) In any case I was stewarding the Garscube schools cross-country races in Mugdock Country Park. I was posted at the furthest point of the course and stood there for a couple of hours, trotting back over the hill between races to chat and watch for the next set of runners in the distance. Don't know what went wrong on the first boys' race but some of them passed me two or three times despite there only being a single lap. The course actually seemed pretty decent, if a bit muddy in places.