5.5-mile time trial

The scheduled club training session was a hard run of somewhere between 5 and 6 miles, but with the last relay of the season on Saturday afternoon I was planning on taking it a bit easier. However, it turned out to be a time trial. Not everybody in the fast pack was aware of this and some participants said later they had wondered why the pace was so fast from the start. The route was via Maryhill Road, Queen Margaret Drive, Great Western Road and Crow Road, finishing back inside the sports complex at the barrier. I kept up with the leaders for the first half of the course but dropped off the pace after three miles, with Saturday's race in mind, and slipped into fourth place, although as some of the others started to flag a bit over the next mile or so, I moved back into second and held that position until the end. Finishing time was 33:37, about 6:06 per mile.

2.5 miles recovery

Went for a slow recovery run around the West End after playing football.

Hill reps

The club training session was hill reps on the gentle incline beside the Vet School - three sets of three short reps to the speed bump at the top of the first hill and a longer rep right to the gate. I would have preferred a steeper hill but the session ended up suiting me quite well. I coasted a bit on the first two short reps in the final set. Numbers in the fast pack dwindled slightly as the session went on.

2.5 miles moderate, 4.6 miles moderate

To take advantage of the clocks going back, I managed to drag myself out before breakfast for the first time in ages, although only for two and a half miles via Queen Margaret Drive, completed in a reasonably brisk 16:13, 6:29 per mile. I made it to the corner at the Botanic Gardens just inside 10 minutes and eased off a bit after that.

In the evening I had another go at the route from two weeks ago via South Mains Road, Craigdhu Road and Stockiemuir Road. This time I was a few seconds slower at 29:25, 6:23 per mile. I could have pushed it a bit more on West Chapelton Avenue but had really heavy legs by then.

3.2 miles slow

Went out in the morning with Natasha for 3.2 miles via Shakespeare Street and Great Western Road. I had planned to go out later in the afternoon for a longer run but felt so tired that I abandoned that idea.

National XC Relays

The weather for this race was terrible, with howling gales and driving rain. If it had been just a couple of degrees colder I might have had second thoughts. I was first off for Garscube and settled into a reasonable pace although the conditions made it hard to judge, and there seemed to be a lot of runners in front of me. After what might have been a mile, some of them were clearly slowing a bit and I managed to go past quite a large group, although this left me exposed to the elements. There was a long uphill stretch in the second half of the race where it was almost impossible to move on account of strong winds. I lost a place on the subsequent downhill section but made it up again within the last couple of hundred metres. I had been expecting to finish in just over 15 minutes, judging by the the previous year's results, but my time for the 4K course was 16:34. This did however compare fairly well with other times on the day, and I posted the second fastest time for the club. I opted for my trail shoes again and I don't think spikes would have been any better as the going was very heavy. Several hours after the race, it felt as if I had run a marathon instead.

5.5 miles tempo

The club training session was a 5.5-mile run around Hyndland. I wasn't sure if I'd have to pull out as I had slipped and landed awkwardly on some steps at lunchtime but after the first steady mile it seemed OK. The wind on Crow Road made the going quite difficult although it got easier on the way back in, over Cleveden Road and along Temple Road. The fast pack started to split up halfway round but I stayed on the pace all the way round and finished somewhere inside 39 minutes.

2.5 miles recovery

Went for a slow run around the West End after playing football.

Hill reps

As the club training session didn't suit us very well, I jogged to the top of Queen Margaret Drive with Natasha and tried a few hill reps up Oban Drive while she continued up Maryhill Road to the Science Park. Each of the three reps took just under 80 seconds at a moderate level of effort, with a 3-minute turnaround which included a jog/walk recovery back to the bottom.

4.7 miles steady

I felt much too lethargic to do any running but when the weather improved I convinced myself to try the Craigdhu Road loop from the previous Monday, except this time via Park Road instead of South Mains Road, although it turned out I had run the correct route the previous week after all. I took it a lot steadier and finished the revised 4.7-mile route in 32:46, just inside 7-minute miles.

3.5 miles slow, 8.8 miles moderate

Went out in the morning with Natasha for a 3.5-mile loop via Byres Road and St Vincent Street. In the afternoon I had another attempt at the Auchinairn loop from last Sunday except via Woodhill Road this time. With about three miles to go I seemed to have an outside chance of finishing inside an hour, as the remainder was mostly downhill with the notable exception of the steps beside Springburn Road. As I battled a strong headwind on Keppochhill Road I thought I would be just outside my target, but I made it with a bit to spare in 59:33 for the hilly 8.8-mile route. In the evening I had some hamstring pain which disappeared completely after 3 or 4 hours.

Dunbartonshire XC Relays

Once again I allowed myself to be talked into running in the Dunbartonshire cross-country relays, this year at Posties Park in Dumbarton. It was quite windy and there had been rain on and off, but it stayed off for the duration of the race. I was first leg runner and broke away with the lead group of four, moving briefly into second after about half a mile but soon dropping back into third. After what was probably a mile (I hadn't managed to start my watch) I started to feel vaguely nauseous and was also suffering from heavy legs after Thursday, but the laps were short enough that it wasn't going to make too much difference. I finished third in 12:32, 47 seconds behind the leader and 7 seconds behind second place, on a course which was somewhere between 3.75 and 4K. I might have been a second or two faster with spikes instead of trail shoes. We gained a place on each of the second and third legs, and our anchor leg runner held onto the lead which meant we retained our title. My leg was the fifth fastest of the day and the second fastest for Garscube.

7.3 miles tempo

I met the fast pack just as I was arriving at the Science Park and set off in pursuit once I had parked the car and got ready, probably about a minute behind. They were already out of sight but I had been given brief directions and headed up Rannoch Drive at something like race pace. I finally spotted a couple of figures at the very end of the road and caught up with the pack on Boclair Road, where I was able to ease off a bit. The route took us over Mosshead Road and Stockiemuir Avenue, and the pack started to break up down Drymen Road where I found it quite hard to hold on for a while, but on Canniesburn Road I was able to pick up some speed to try to stay in touch with the two leaders, and I finally caught up towards the end of Westerton Avenue, although one had stopped on account of not knowing the route. I completed the 7.3 miles in about 45:30 which was probably a bit too fast less than 48 hours before a race.

Medium reps

The club training session was 10x600m reps at the Science Park, with something like 1:10 recovery. I ran them untimed at what seemed to be a consistent pace and a reasonable level of effort. Bailed out out after the 7th rep when I felt some hip pain.

4.6 miles moderate

In the evening I tried a different loop from Bearsden Asda, one which I ran with the club about a year ago. It took me up Milngavie Road and onto South Mains Road, over Drumcarn Drive onto Craigdhu Road, then back via Stockiemuir Road, Drymen Road and West Chapelton Avenue. It came out at about 4.6 miles and I finished in 29:11, 6:20 per mile. Felt quite comfortable all the way round.

3 miles slow, 7.5 miles steady

Went out in the morning with Natasha for 3 miles down Garscube Road and around the Craighall Business Park.

In the late afternoon I ran a new route over Keppochhill Road, up Springburn Road, along Auchinairn Road, then down Beech Road, along Springfield Road, down Kirkintilloch Road and back home. I intended to run up Woodhill Road but turned off Auchinairn Road too early - hadn't planned the route properly as I had originally intended only to run as far as Colston Road but it would have been too short. It worked out at 7.55 miles and I arrived back home in 52:19, about 6:55 per mile. Hamstring was quite tight on the way back in.

1K reps

I plotted out a mostly traffic-free kilometre around the Craighall Business Park and gave it a try although I wasn't feeling 100%. It was broadly downhill to enhance the speedwork aspect although there was a significant climb in the middle. I aimed to run at 5K pace or better. Ran the first rep in 3:03 with a jog/walk recovery back to the start, and the second in 2:58 which I considered to be not bad at all for a solo speed session, and I wasn't quite flat out. By that time I was getting even more nauseous from the distillery fumes so ran back home.

2.5 miles recovery

Went for a 2.5-mile recovery run via Queen Margaret Drive after playing football.

3.75 miles moderate

I didn't feel like doing anything at all but eventually dragged myself out for a few miles. The route was down Maryhill Road, through the (flooded) underpass onto New City Road, up Maitland Street, under the M8 for an anticlockwise loop of Craighall Business Park, then back under the M8 and home via Garscube Road. I felt quite slow in places but tried to maintain a consistent effort, particularly on the hills. Finished just inside 25 minutes for a 6:38/mile average.

4.4 miles steady

I tried a new route from Bearsden Asda, taking it fairly easy on account of tired legs. It took me along West Chapelton Avenue and past Bearsden Station, over Pendicle Road, down Maxwell Avenue and then down Netherton Farm Lane to the canal. The map showed a path on the other side of the bridge but it turned out to be narrow, overgrown and unlit, so I wouldn't go this way again. I crossed the canal again on Howth Drive and headed straight back along Switchback Road and up Milngavie Road, 4.4 miles in total, in exactly 32 minutes.

7.5 miles steady

I originally planned to run a steady loop of Milngavie Station from home, and was making reasonable progress, crossing Killermont Bridge (the 3-mile mark) in exactly 20 minutes, but succumbed to tired legs just before Bearsden Asda and ran back home instead - 7.5 miles in 51:18.

McAndrew relay

I had no significant injury worries on the day of the race and had memorised all the kilometre points so I could try once again to maintain a 3:15/K pace. I tried to get a good start so I could sit at the back of the fast pack, and went through 1K in 3:15 as planned, although there was a blustery wind so I was having to work slightly harder. The mile point was right on the corner of Anniesland Road and Queen Victoria Drive, and I got there in 5:14 which was still exactly on schedule, although by the 2K mark my pace had slipped by a couple of seconds. It was between 2K and 3K that my legs started to feel tired. Up until now I had been swapping places with the same Pitreavie runner as in the previous week's race, but I wasn't able to take sufficient advantage of the hill on Westland Drive and was starting to fall behind when we reached Southbrae Drive. In the final kilometre or so I passed a couple of flagging fast starters but began to lose another battle with a runner from Inverclyde. I finished in 17:51 which was nonetheless 7 seconds up on last year and also my fastest time since 2003. I might have done better if I had set off slower, or taken it easier on Thursday night, but probably both.

I was 15th on the first leg and we finished in 10th place overall - 1st team in the Masters category. I also ran the fastest leg for Garscube by a very narrow margin.

10K tempo

The club training session was a tempo run from the Science Park down to Anniesland Cross and round the course of Saturday's relay. The fast pack set off at quite a brisk pace which increased along Anniesland Road and Danes Drive, before the pack split into two on Westland Drive, after about 4 miles. On reaching the relay changeover point on Helensburgh Drive we joined up with two of the earlier packs and headed back to the Science Park at a steadier pace, before picking up speed again on way up from Anniesland Cross. The distance came out a fraction under 10K and I finished in exactly 40 minutes. Some tightness around both hips but nothing serious.

2.5 miles recovery

I appeared to come through a game of football relatively unscathed and went out afterwards for a steady 2.5-mile run via Queen Margaret Drive.