4.7 miles slow, 6 miles moderate

Went out with Natasha before lunch for our longer West End route, 4.7 miles via Great Western Road, Hyndland Road and Sauchiehall Street. It was OK underfoot as we stuck mainly to the roads. In the late afternoon I ran the same route as Sunday, again in the adiZero Tempo. It came out at 5.95 miles this time, finishing time 40:09 for a 6:45/mile average. Pace splits: 6:56, 6:34, 6:51, 6:49, 6:52, 6:25.

6 miles moderate

Got a pair of adiZero Tempo for longer distances (or indeed snowy conditions) and tried them out with a loop of Garscube Road, Great Western Road, Dorchester Avenue and Maryhill Road. Set out fast and promptly got stuck at the traffic lights at St George's Road. Legs also very heavy on account of the previous day's efforts. I did manage to keep off the snow for the most part until I got to Maryhill Road. The shoes were fine in the sense that I could run on the forefoot OK and fall back onto the heel if necessary. 6 miles exactly in 39:58 (6:39/mile average). Pace splits: 6:48, 6:42, 6:34, 6:24, 7:00, 6:28. Weekly total: 19 miles.

5.2 miles moderate

I thought I would try one of my usual routes via Dorchester Avenue to see whether it was possible to run on snow in the Newtons. It wasn't. At least there was no pressure to set another route PB. Had to run on the road where possible but every time I was forced back onto the pavement my average pace would start dropping. Nonetheless, completed the 5.20 miles in 34:35 for a reasonable 6:39/mile average. Pace splits: 6:30, 6:53, 6:37, 6:48, 6:21, 7:12.

4 miles slow

Went out with Natasha before lunch for a slight modification of our usual West End run, heading up Maryhill Road instead of Garscube Road on account of the conditions, and extending the route via Cleveden Drive, for 3.97 miles in total. I gave the Nimbus another try but they were too tough on the ankles.

4.1 miles steady

Had to go to Springburn Tesco and decided running through the snow would be safer than driving. Wore the Inov8s but it was still hard work. 2.04 miles there in 15:33 for a 7:37/mile average, 2.06 miles back in 15:50 for a 7:42/mile average as I took a slightly different route, running up the hill from the cemetery gates. Pace splits: 7:41, 7:29, 8:11, 7:12, 7:45.

Santa Race

I felt quite fit playing football on Wednesday but the hip was playing up pretty badly afterwards, particularly on Thursday morning, to the extent that I thought I had made no progress whatsoever. By Thursday afternoon I thought I might just about be able to run with the club in the evening, but icy conditions ended up ruling it out, so I stayed at home and completed the remaining jogging routes in Wii Fit Plus. On Friday afternoon the knot around the left IT band turned out not to have diminished at all, and I also had my feet checked, the diagnosis being that I needed at least a token amount of support so I shouldn't run in the Lunar Trainer at all, and the Nimbus were probably a better bet for longer runs, despite the weight. Fortunately, my Newton Motus were given the green light as well.

Sunday was the day of the club's Christmas handicap race. The route had been changed to avoid crossing Canniesburn Road, and as the side streets at home had a light covering of snow, I thought my best bet would be my trail shoes (Inov-8 Roclite 285) which have been fine on snowy streets in the past. On arriving at the start of the course, however, it turned out that the roads around Westerton had all been cleared and the only snow was on the pavements. The only other shoes I had with me were the Nimbus and I wasn't about to change into them for a road race, so I had to stick with the Inov-8 and hope for the best.

The handicapping was evidently based on old times as I was off scratch. None of my fellow scratch men had turned up, so I was isolated in last place for the first mile, making up no ground at all on Marco in front. It was quite warm in the Santa suit but I managed to keep the hood up and the beard on for the entire race. The Inov-8s were clattering noisily on the road but I was just about able to stay on the forefoot in them, wishing all the time I had brought the Newtons instead. About halfway round I started to make up the odd place, and finally got to run on snow on the pavement along Switchback Road, although it was easier to run on the road when there was a gap in the traffic. This was only for a couple of hundred metres before we were back onto a side street. The route took us back onto Switchback Road for another couple of hundred metres through the snow, where my off-road shoes finally gave me a tiny advantage, before we turned onto Westerton Road. I started to make up quite a few places on this final stretch and dragged myself up to the middle of the field by the finish. My time of 17:48 was the fastest senior time of the day, and I was pleased to manage a sub-6 average in a Santa suit and completely inappropriate running shoes. The route came out as 3.00 miles on the Forerunner but SportTracks later recalculated it as 2.99, giving me a 5:57/mile average. Minor left hip tightness soon wore off, still some problems with the right hamstring. Pace splits: 5:58, 6:05, 5:47. Weekly total: 12 miles.

4.7 miles easy

The club's planned session consisted of mixed reps, so instead I tried an easy run in my normal shoes (Lunar Trainer) which I am finding increasingly difficult to run in. I ran a simple loop of Maryhill Road, Cleveden Road, Great Western Road and Crow Road which came out at 4.67 miles, completed in 35:57 for a 7:42/mile average. Pace splits: 7:57, 7:55, 7:22, 7:48, 7:19.

4.7 miles hard

Had another go at the shorter Monday night route via Station Road and Westerton to see if I could manage it inside a 6:00/mile average. I managed a reasonable 6:12 for the first mile, which contained Pendicle Road and most of the climb up Canniesburn Road, and expected to be able to bring my average down later on, although I thought I would probably miss my goal time due to tired legs. It turned out the road around the Science Park had been dug up and fenced off at the end, so I tried to make my way through on the grass, but that had been fenced off as well, so I had to turn around and pick my way along a dirt track through the buildings, which added on about 300m and also lost me a bit of time. Finished the 4.72 miles in 29:14 for a 6:12/mile average, only 13 seconds outside my PB for the shorter route. Pace splits: 6:12, 6:03, 6:05, 6:30, 6:07.

3.4 miles slow, 7 miles steady

Went out before lunch with Natasha for our usual route around the West End except in reverse, 3.38 miles at an average pace just inside 8:30/mile. I was under instructions to work back up to a normal routine so in the afternoon I ran my usual 7-mile route in the Lunar Trainers, 6.97 miles in 47:44 for a 6:51/mile average. Only really started to get into it in the last couple of miles. Right hamstring particularly tight. Pace splits: 6:59, 7:04, 6:37, 7:02, 6:53, 6:49, 6:35. Weekly total: 21 miles.

3.9 miles hard

The physio found a knot around my left IT band on Friday afternoon and on Saturday the hip was already feeling a lot better, so in the afternoon I tackled an old route of about 4 miles which I'd repeatedly tried (and failed) to run inside 25 minutes a few years back. I could certainly have done it in an actual race, but the first mile contained a long climb from Garscube Road up to the canal via Baird's Brae, and I could never quite make up the lost time on the rest of the course, with a route PB somewhere in the range of 25:15 to 25:30. Recent training performances in the Newtons suggested I could hardly fail this time around. It was quite foggy and the temperature was just a couple of degrees above freezing but I wore a t-shirt and shorts to avoid overheating.

The cobbles on Baird's Brae and the first part of the towpath were a bit tricky in the Newtons but I was ahead of schedule at this point and had possibly even set out too fast. The first mile went by in 5:51, so it looked like I could slow down quite a bit and still beat 25 minutes. The next time goal I remembered was that I had to reach the end of Lochburn Road in around 15 minutes, and as I turned onto Maryhill Road the time was 13:58, so it was all over - I could have taken it easy from that point and still made it. Maryhill Road was fairly busy and a couple of pedestrians commented to the effect that I was underdressed for the conditions. I got stuck waiting for traffic at Bilsland Drive for about 10 seconds but didn't stop the timer, even though minor delays when running at this kind of pace can really affect my average. I continued to push and felt slightly nauseous in the last half mile. Finished the 3.93 miles in 22:58 for a 5:51/mile average and a huge route PB. Pace splits: 5:51, 5:47, 5:58, 5:46.

3.4 miles hard

Had more hip trouble playing football on Wednesday, although this time it got no worse during the course of the game. On Thursday I had recovered enough by the time I was walking home from work to consider attempting to run my usual West End route inside 20 minutes, which would be a huge route PB, but might be achievable with the Newtons if I could stay inside 6-minute miles. When I got to the first mile mark in 5:59 it was definitely on the cards, and although I stopped the timer when I got stuck at Queen Margaret Drive later on, I could probably just have let it run. I lost a few seconds here and there dodging rush-hour traffic and pedestrians but finished the 3.35 miles in 19:29, average pace 5:49/mile. Pace splits: 5:59, 5:43, 5:46, 5:49. Don't really see a reason to run in any other shoes ever again (with the possible exception of racing flats) unless I'm planning an easy run.

Long reps

Went to Tuesday training for once as the planned session was long reps, which turned out to be 6x1K reps on the other side of Switchback Road, a half-mile jog from the car park. Wore the Newtons, although the road surface was a bit dubious for forefoot running in the dark. I ran the first three in 3:30, 3:28 and 3:29, a couple of seconds behind Joe each time. On the third rep the hip injury started playing up slightly on the downhill section, so I bailed out rather than make it worse.

3.9 miles hard

Restricted mileage meant I couldn't go for a particularly long run on Sunday so instead I ran my usual route around the West End, extended via Cleveden Drive. I decided to make the most of it by wearing the Newtons. At all my usual checkpoints within the first mile I was within my best previous time, and midway through the second mile my average pace had dropped below 6:00/mile, so maintaining that became my goal. I got stuck at the lights at Queen Margaret Drive, which threatened to scupper my plans, so after a couple of seconds I stopped the timer. Got back home (3.91 miles) in a clear route PB of 23:14, not far off race pace at an average of 5:56/mile. Pace splits: 6:13, 5:41, 5:59, 5:50. Right hamstring a bit tight later on. Weekly total: 15 miles.

5.9 miles hard

Football on Wednesday was much tougher than usual, but I thought with a physio visit scheduled for Friday, it was probably better to have an injury to demonstrate, and on the same premise I went along to training on Thursday. I spotted a large pack heading out and could probably have caught them up, but Joe arrived just then and had to change into his running gear, so I took the opportunity to swap the Lunar Trainers for the Newtons so I would stand a better chance of keeping up. The route took us down to Anniesland Cross, along Anniesland Road, Queen Victoria Drive, Danes Drive and back up Crow Road. I expected everybody else would be taking it fairly easy on account of the West Districts cross-country on Saturday, but we didn't catch up with anyone at all despite maintaining a brisk pace. Distance came out at 5.86 miles, time 38:16 for a 6:32/mile average. Pace splits: 7:07, 6:32, 6:19, 6:29, 6:30, 6:10.

5.4 miles steady

It was too icy to risk running in the Newtons so I ran my usual Monday night route in my Lunar Trainer, consequently a lot slower. Distance came out at 5.35 miles, time 38:31, average pace 7:09/mile. Pace splits: 7:40, 7:25, 7:10, 6:46, 6:52, 6:44.

3.4 miles slow

Went out in the morning for a recovery run around my usual West End route. Knee felt bruised, legs generally stiff. 3.36 miles in 26:01 (7:44/mile), pace splits 8:04, 7:34, 7:34, 7:44. Took the afternoon off to recover a bit more. Weekly total: 20 miles.

Dunbartonshire XC Championships

I would normally try to avoid a cross-country race as long as 6 miles but there was a chance of a team prize so I was talked into taking part, and as it turned out the weather had improved drastically by Saturday. I took along my new Brooks spikes as well as my trail shoes and decided on the spikes. I started near the front and kept up with the lead pack pretty well until I slid down the first significant downhill. It didn't cost me too much time, but there was more trouble on the far side of the course where a very muddy patch on an incline meant I had to run into a tree to stop or I would have fallen. On the way back there was a steep embankment where I couldn't find my footing at all. I tried to pull myself up using some nearby bushes but kept slipping backwards. Some of the other runners were having less trouble and I lost quite a few places. I eventually managed to struggle up at the side of the course and started moving through the field, but I had lost so much time that I was way out of contention. If I hadn't been the fourth counter for the team at that point, I might have thrown in the towel. On the second lap I had more trouble on the embankment, but on the final lap I was starting to get into it. Managed to bang my knee on a gate but picked up one more place before the end. I finished 26th in a pretty dismal 41:01. We were nonetheless second team, although due to an error with the results we were awarded third place on the day. I might have got on better in trail shoes or longer spikes than the 6mm ones which came with the shoes.

5.6 miles steady

As part of a tapering plan before Saturday's race I took a break on Tuesday (helped by terrible weather) and felt better than usual at the start of football on Wednesday, but worse after the game, and didn't go out for a run afterwards (also helped in this decision by terrible weather). I was more or less back to running condition by Thursday evening so went to training. Low numbers overall meant fewer packs than usual. The enlarged fast pack set off at a very slow pace and the two of us who would normally be in the regular fast pack broke away up Drymen Road, without really pushing it, as we all had half an eye on the cross-country - this was also why I left the Newtons at home and ran in my Brooks Racers although the sole started to peel off again in the rain. The route took us over Stockiemuir Avenue and back down Milngavie Road. Distance was 5.64 miles, time 40:31 for a 7:11/mile average. Pace splits: 8:31, 7:31, 7:02, 6:39, 6:40, 6:27.

5.3 miles hard

Both hamstrings were decidedly tight but I ran the same route as last Monday, again in the Newtons. I had some minor hip problems which didn't really improve but didn't get any worse either. Finished the 5.33 miles in a new route PB of 33:29, 6:17/mile. Pace splits: 6:24, 6:27, 6:26, 6:10, 6:05, 5:54.

3.4 miles slow, 8.8 miles steady

Went out before breakfast for the usual 3.37 miles with Natasha. In the afternoon I braved the terrible conditions to tackle the same route as last Sunday. Had no trouble this time at Queen Margaret Drive or Anniesland Cross and 7:00/mile looked just about within reach, but I got stuck for a while trying to cross Great Western Road and then Crow Road on the way back. No significant hip problems this time. Finished the 8.78 miles in 1:02:47, average pace 7:09/mile. Pace splits: 7:30, 6:47, 6:51, 7:34, 7:06, 7:40, 7:16, 6:43, 6:50. Weekly total: 43 miles.

1.3 miles very slow, 6 miles moderate

In the morning I was last runner marshal for a schools cross-country race and after a reasonably brisk start ended up having to walk most of the rest of the way. In the afternoon I didn't feel like doing anything at all but I had started a new stretching regime on Friday evening and wanted to see if there had been any improvement. I also dug out the Brooks Racer ST4 for the first time since I had glued the sole back on. The route I selected took me through Ruchill Park, up Balmore Road, along Skirsa Street, past Summerston Station and back down Maryhill Road. It went OK and I took advantage of the lighter shoes, completing the 6.04 miles in 39:44, 6:35/mile. Pace splits: 6:57, 6:28, 6:26, 6:34, 6:39, 6:26, 6:18.

7 miles steady

Didn't feel up to running with the club and the weather was terrible so I went out before dinner for my usual 7-mile route. The temperature wasn't too bad so I overheated a bit in my waterproof jacket. Distance came out at 6.99 miles, time 52:05, pace 7:27/mile. Pace splits: 7:44, 7:14, 7:01, 7:48, 7:27, 7:28, 7:25.

3.4 miles slow

Recovered well enough to get through a game of football and ran my usual route afterwards, 3.37 miles in 25:07, 7:28/mile. Pace splits: 7:45, 7:21, 7:19, 7:25.

7.6 miles steady

My legs felt a bit tight in the evening but I thought I should be OK for a run so I dodged the fartlek session and ran the same route as the previous Tuesday. Unfortunately this meant passing both packs. It was going particularly well and I thought I might sneak inside 6:45/mile overall until the hip started playing up around St George's Road, by which time I had no choice but to press on, and it wasn't until Anniesland Cross that I started to feel a bit better. 7.60 miles in 52:31, 6:54/mile. Pace splits: 6:49, 6:53, 6:42, 7:00, 7:21, 6:50, 7:05, 6:25.

5.3 miles hard

Ran the same route as last Monday, this time wearing the Newtons. It was tricky in light rain with wet leaves underfoot, although I was well on course for a decent time after the first two miles, mostly uphill. Didn't make up any time on the long downhill due to a headwind which struck up after the rain had gone off. Finished the 5.33 miles in a route PB of 33:58, average pace 6:22/mile. Pace splits: 6:29, 6:27, 6:23, 6:10, 6:22, 6:20.

2.5 miles easy, 8.8 miles steady

Went out before lunch for the Queen Margaret Drive loop just to stretch the legs a bit, 2.49 miles in 19:01. In the afternoon I felt able to tackle a longer run so tried a route that I would ideally complete inside an hour - Great Western Road, Lincoln Avenue, Danes Drive, Clarence Drive and home via Great Western Road. I thought an average of 7:00/mile should get me pretty close but I lost about 20 seconds waiting to cross Queen Margaret Drive and then another 40 seconds at Anniesland Cross when I had been starting to get my act together, so that was that. Otherwise the run went OK until the hip pain returned just inside the last mile, although I was able to run through it. Finished the 8.76 miles in 1:03:07, average pace 7:12/mile. Pace splits: 7:28, 7:19, 7:40, 7:04, 7:03, 7:17, 7:18, 6:46, 6:50. Weekly total: 43 miles.

3.9 miles steady, 5.2 miles steady

Went out before lunch for my usual route extended via Cleveden Drive, 3.89 miles in 27:43 (average 7:08/mile), fairly hard work in places, pace splits 7:36, 6:58, 7:00, 6:56. In the afternoon I ran another familiar route via Dorchester Avenue, 5.17 miles in 36:08 (average 7:00/mile), felt comfortable all the way round. Pace splits: 7:24, 6:56, 6:53, 6:47, 7:01, 6:40.

6.7 miles hard

In anticipation of a faster-than-usual fast pack I took my Newtons to training, and the pack turned out to consist of just me and Joe. We were only sure of the first half of the route so we didn't give the other packs too much of a start, and spotted some distant figures at the top of Cowal Road while we were on our way down the hill. After battling up Cleveden Road we picked it up a bit and caught the next pack on Byres Road. The part of the route we weren't sure of took us down Clarence Drive and up Crow Road, and we managed to overtake the last pack at Anniesland Cross, even though Joe was evidently taking it a bit easier than usual. Finished the 6.7 miles in 43:16 for a 6:27/mile average. Pace splits: 6:58, 6:47, 6:14, 6:18, 6:15, 6:31, 6:00.

3.4 miles slow

Went for my usual run (this time 3.38 miles) around the West End after playing football, average pace just inside 8:30/mile.

7.6 miles steady

Skipped the club's medium reps session for a longer run down Maryhill Road and Garscube Road as far as Phoenix Road, then back via Great Western Road and Crow Road. I was initially aiming to take it easy at 7:30/mile or so but going faster than this didn't take too much effort. The extra distance took the total up to 7.61 miles, finishing time was 52:16 for a 6:52/mile average. Pace splits: 7:19, 7:06, 6:39, 6:39, 6:55, 6:43, 7:06, 6:15.

5.3 miles moderate

I thought about running a few miles in the Newtons in the evening but on account of a comparatively high weekend mileage I opted for a slightly longer distance in the Lunar Trainer, at a steadier pace, and had another go at the route via Milngavie Road, Clober Road, Craigton Road and South Mains Road, starting and finishing at Bearsden Asda. I hovered around 7-minute miles for the first part of the route, feeling quite slow, but it got easier after that. Had some minor hip pain in the last half-mile or so. Finished the 5.33 miles in 35:26, average pace 6:39/mile. Pace splits: 7:05, 6:49, 6:40, 6:18, 6:27, 6:19.

3.3 miles steady, 6.9 miles steady

Went out in the morning for the same run as Saturday afternoon, this time 3.34 miles in 23:50 for a 7:08/mile average. Pace splits: 7:37, 6:53, 6:56, 7:03. In the afternoon I ran my usual 7-mile route which came out at 6.93 miles. Time was 47:55, average pace 6:55/mile. Pace splits: 7:42, 7:05, 6:43, 6:54, 6:44, 6:36, 6:38. Weekly total: 32 miles.

Glasgow University 5 Mile Road Race, 3.4 miles easy

After a bit more stretching I felt able to take part in the race after all, and although I had originally planned to wear my Newtons I opted for the lighter Lunar Racers. On arriving at Garscube Estate I jogged up to the top gate with Ben to see if the organisers had managed to open it, which they hadn't. At this point I was having some doubts about participating at all, on point of principle, but I eventually decided that at least I had some warning to get a fast enough start. Third place for Garscube looked within reach and the age-based sealed handicap might work in my favour for once. I started fast and as luck would have it I was neatly between the leading and trailing packs when we got to the gate, which meant I only had to slow down slightly and was probably delayed for no more than a couple of seconds. Didn't feel too great on the first lap, but I resisted the temptation to bail out when I passed the finish line the first time around. The second lap was even tougher, probably due to Thursday night's efforts, although I did make up a single place about halfway round. After struggling up Dalsholm Road for the last time I noticed a few runners not too far behind, but I held onto my position until the end. Finished in 28:40, 23 seconds down from last year where I had hoped to beat 28 this year, but this wasn't too bad. The distance came out at only 4.92 miles which gives me a 5:50/mile average. Pace splits: 5:40, 5:54, 5:58, 5:49, 5:50.

In the afternoon I decided to get a few more miles in and went out for my usual West End route, 3.35 miles in 24:53 for a 7:25/mile average. Pace splits: 7:45, 7:20, 7:13, 7:16.

5.5 miles moderate

I tried some assorted hamstring stretches on Wednesday night, and by Thursday morning the tightness on the outside had been replaced by a new pain on the inside, although it did seem like the kind of injury I could run through, so at the last minute I decided to go to training after all, prepared to drop out anywhere within the first mile. In any case I was planning to take it fairly easy ahead of Saturday's race. The training session started off a bit earlier than usual to accommodate a presentation later on, and the packs were condensed so the fast pack was quite a bit larger than usual. The route was a simple loop of Maryhill Road, Queen Margaret Drive and Great Western Road. A few of us started to break away after a couple of miles. As the pace started to increase I was pleased enough that I was able to keep up and decided I didn't really care that much about the race. The fourth mile, along Great Western Road, came in just inside 6 minutes, and Joe started to get away as we headed towards Anniesland station. Finished the 5.49 miles in 36:33 for a 6:39/mile average. Pace splits: 7:53, 6:58, 6:26, 5:58, 6:23, 5:55.

4.7 miles slow

Went out with Natasha for our usual loop of Hyndland and Charing Cross. We got stuck for about 40 seconds trying to cross Maryhill Road early on. The distance came out at 4.66 miles, time 39:31.

3.2 miles moderate

I took Monday off to recover and dodged the club's mixed reps session on Tuesday, preferring to try out my new cross-country spikes by running laps of the cricket pitch in Garscube Estate. It was hard to see where I was running in the dark and the ground was very heavy in places. On the third or fourth lap I was getting close to an average pace of 7:00/mile when I noticed a dark figure about 100m ahead and couldn't make out if it was a large dog or somebody in dark clothes. I stopped for a bit to see what was happening and it looked like they were doing the same thing I was, so I got moving again and eventually overtook them. I had only planned to run about 2 miles but continued until I had got my average pace below 7:00 according to the Forerunner, which happened after 3.2 miles, although SportTracks decided my average pace was actually 7:02 when I imported the data later on. Time was 22:30. Pace splits: 7:17, 7:24, 6:33, 6:23.

7.8 miles steady

Went out in the rain for my usual 7-mile route and had trouble trying to maintain a decent pace. However the slower pace seemed OK so I extended the route all the way down Great Western Road and back up Garscube Road, finishing the 7.8 miles in 57:54 for a 7:25/mile average. Pace splits: 7:38, 7:17, 7:17, 7:29, 7:09, 7:36, 7:26, 7:32. Weekly total: 33 miles.

Allan Scally relay

I still hadn't quite recovered from Thursday's training session and thought about calling off, although I knew we were having trouble getting two teams together. In the expectation of a miracle recovery just in time for the race, I went along anyway, taking the Newtons with me in case circumstances would allow me to run in them. As it turned out, I was put on the last leg for the A team, which meant it would be less of an inconvenience to my teammates if something went drastically wrong. In any case I wasn't managing to shake off the injury and the Newtons offered the best chance of a pain-free run.

Due to policing issues, the course had been changed substantially from previous years, and was now a convoluted route around Mount Vernon. Reports from the runners on early legs suggested there was a long downhill just after the start, and quite a few short climbs later on, with a longer uphill section at the end, so the advice was not to set out too fast. The original route had an infamous hill about halfway round but was otherwise mostly flat and had few turns, so times were expected to be slower on average.

Just before the start of my leg I did a quick shoe survey to see if anybody else was wearing the Newtons, but it looked like it was just me. I got the initial uphill stretch out of the way and set off in pursuit of a small group of runners in the distance. I passed the first mile marker in 5:21, although the Forerunner recorded the first mile a few seconds later, but either way this was a pretty good start so it looked like the choice of footwear was working out OK. The next couple of miles weren't as fast on account of the hilly route and possibly having set out too fast, but I still managed to overtake a couple of the runners in front of me, and after about 15 minutes I passed Natasha who was on the final leg for the women's C team. I felt a bit better somewhere between 3 and 4 miles as I closed the gap on a Bellahouston Road Runner, eventually going past and managing to pull away, but the runners up ahead from Dumbarton and Glasgow University weren't getting any closer. We finished in 16th position. The distance came out at 4.81 miles and my time of 28:16 (average 5:53/mile) was the second fastest for Garscube. Pace splits: 5:28, 5:52, 6:01, 6:01, 6:06.

6.9 miles steady

The club training session was a 50-minute out-and-back, out through the top gate, down to Anniesland Cross and along Great Western Road before turning around after 25 minutes, the idea being to get back to the start after exactly 50 minutes. A couple of the regular fast pack members had turned up, and although we were taking it slow on account of Saturday's race, we made it as far as the bus stop after the Duntreath Avenue bridge. I had some hip problems after about 5 miles, but by then we had to start easing off so as not to get back too early, and as it was, the last half-mile or so turned into a bit of a jog. We covered 6.91 miles in the 50 minutes for a 7:15/mile average. Pace splits: 8:15, 7:08, 6:38, 6:49, 6:45, 7:14, 8:00.

3.9 miles steady

Football turned out to be 4v4 which made it harder work than usual, but despite some ankle problems I was still able to go out for a run later, same route as the previous week. For the last couple of miles I found it OK to run on the forefoot (wearing Nike Free which have a sizable heel) and was able to push my average pace down to 7:15/mile by the end, so not quite the usual post-football recovery run. Distance was 3.87 miles, time 28:03. Pace splits: 7:47, 7:14, 7:07, 6:48.

4.7 miles steady

I had planned to take part in the club's hill session if it was at Westerton (which it was) or to run my alternative 7-mile route, but by the time I had bought a new pair of shorts it was too late to do either, so I cut the 7-mile route short at Cowal Road and went up the Cleveden Road hill for the first time in ages. Finished the 4.7 miles in 31:58 for a 6:48/mile average. Pace splits: 7:00, 6:55, 6:38, 6:52, 6:27.

4.5 miles hard

Tackled the same route as a fortnight ago in the Newtons. The first couple of hundred metres were fairly painful but I settled into a pace which I estimated to be slightly slower than my previous attempt. I thought I was easing off a bit on the warm-up trail but that mile turned out to be my quickest. Despite losing a few seconds at the roadworks near Bearsden Asda I was 5 seconds faster overall. Distance again 4.54 miles, time 29:01 for a 6:23/mile average. Pace splits: 6:45, 6:25, 6:19, 6:08, 6:17.

7 miles steady

Ran my old 7-mile route via Garscube Estate, attempting unsuccessfully to stay within 7-minute miles, and then to finish inside 50 minutes. Legs very heavy but hip problem definitely improving. Distance came out at 6.98 miles, time 49:52, average pace 7:09/mile. Pace splits: 7:25, 7:05, 6:55, 7:21, 7:04, 7:11, 6:59. Weekly total: 28 miles.

National XC Relays

Conditions at Cumbernauld were far better than last year and the rain had even gone off by the start of the men's race, although it was quite heavy underfoot. I was on the second leg for the A team, and Ben handed over in the nosebleed territory of 15th place which meant I lost about 4 or 5 places within the first few minutes. I tried not to get dragged along at a faster pace than I could handle, although not entirely successfully as it was a real struggle after the first mile or so, and I lost several more places in the second half of the race. I think the trail shoes maybe didn't work out too well as I had some ankle problems - certainly, nearly everybody else seemed to be wearing spikes. Finished in 15:43 which was the third fastest time for Garscube on the day and a great improvement on 2008's time, not surprisingly. Distance was somewhere in the region of 2.5 miles. Jogged the 1.5 miles back to the car afterwards.

5.6 miles steady

Numbers were down a bit at training and I was the only member of the fast pack that turned up, so with a race coming up on Saturday I was quite happy to join the next pack for the evening. The route was fairly simple and took us up Milngavie Road, over Mosshead Road and back down Drymen Road. Most of the others were also taking part in Saturday's cross-country so the pace was fairly steady. Distance was 5.62 miles, time 40:29 (7:12/mile average), pace splits 8:01, 7:21, 7:16, 7:04, 6:35, 6:44.

3.9 miles slow

After getting through a game of football fairly unscathed, I ran a slightly longer route around the West End, extended via Cleveden Drive. 3.89 miles in 30:00 for a 7:42/mile average. Pace splits: 7:57, 7:41, 7:49, 7:21.

7 miles moderate

After a day off to recover from Saturday's race, I thought about joining in with the club's long reps session but in the end returned to the 7-mile loop via St George's Cross and Anniesland Cross. Distance this time was 7.02 miles, time 47:13 for a 6:44/mile average. Pace splits: 7:27, 6:58, 6:28, 6:34, 6:36, 6:35, 6:29, 6:14.

5.3 miles slow

Tired legs meant I almost took the day off entirely, but in the late afternoon I went out for a few miles with Natasha, starting off with our usual West End route but turning right at Great Western Road for a loop through Hyndland and along Dumbarton Road and Sauchiehall Street to Charing Cross. Came out at 5.28 miles. Weekly total: 28 miles.

Dunbartonshire XC Relays

The Dunbartonshire cross-country relays moved back to Garscube Estate this year and we were fairly hopeful of retaining our title. I was still carrying a hip strain which I thought I could run through, so I tried not to aggravate it with a minimal warm-up. Joe handed over to me in fourth place and well in touch with the leaders at the end of the first leg, but after a few hundred metres it looked like I only had a chance of catching the runner in third place (by now) while the other two were pulling away. I was also concerned about being caught by the runner from the University team who I suspected might not be far behind. Jumping down the first set of steps, where Garscube House once stood, I lost my footing and fell forward, sliding along the wet grass on my shoulder, although I got to my feet uninjured and ran on. At the top of the first major climb I ran on the wrong side of a taped-off area and had to go back, which cost me a few more seconds, although it turned out later that most people had made the same mistake. The two leaders were out of sight when I crossed back over the bridge, but I did move into third place just before the course turned away from the Kelvin and headed through the trees, and by now I had got the hang of spotting the white course markers. I had no trouble with the remainder of the course and finished in 14:39, only a few seconds down from my time from 2006, on a course which if not identical was very similar and probably slightly under 4K.

On the third leg, Marco kept us in third place and made up some ground on second place, which looked like being the best we could hope for, as we were 80 seconds off the lead, but Ben started demolishing this deficit straight away. The gap had been reduced to about 22 seconds by the time he crossed the bridge for a second time, which was just over halfway, and it was only 10 seconds at the access road from the roundabout, so it was no surprise when Ben appeared from the undergrowth in first place, having run the fastest leg of the day. I was third fastest for Garscube and only about 6 seconds slower than the fastest Vet.

7.2 miles moderate

Went out with the fast pack for the scheduled 7-mile club run, all the way along Canniesburn Road and back along Alderman Road. Wore the Lunar Trainers as I was expecting a steadier run with a race on Saturday. The first two miles were OK but by about halfway I was finding it a bit tougher. Nobody felt like pushing the pace so I managed to hang on, and in fact the other two slowed right down to chat to one of the other packs just before the finish so it looked like I was the first of the fast pack to arrive. Distance was 7.22 miles, time 48:45 for a 6:45/mile average. Pace splits: 7:02, 6:51, 6:35, 6:32, 6:33, 6:51, 6:58, 6:29.

3.4 miles slow

Played football and felt reasonably fit for once, aside from a lingering hip problem. Afterwards I ran my usual 3.39-mile route at a pace just inside 8:00/mile.

5.6 miles steady

I dodged the club's medium reps session and, on account of heavy legs and some minor strains, ran a shorter version of my usual Tuesday night loop, turning off Maryhill Road at Queen Margaret Drive instead of heading all the way down to St George's Cross. 5.59 miles in 41:04, 7:20/mile average. Pace splits: 7:56, 7:26, 7:10, 7:04, 7:28, 6:44.

4.5 miles hard

Ran another few miles in the Newtons, aiming for a more comfortable pace, although I soon started to pick it up a bit. I tried one of my usual Monday night routes along Station Road and through Westerton. The first mile was the slowest on account of an easy start and the climb up Pendicle Road. Tried to ease off in a couple of places. Distance 4.54 miles, time 29:06 for a 6:25/mile average. Pace splits: 6:46, 6:17, 6:19, 6:20, 6:22.

3.4 miles slow

Didn't feel like running at all but went out in the afternoon for a few miles with Natasha, our usual route extended slightly by heading down to Maryhill Road at the start, which made it 3.42 miles. Weekly total: 34 miles.

6.7 miles steady

I still needed a decent pair of longer distance shoes so picked up the Nike Lunar Trainer, half price in Achilles Heel, and tried them out in the afternoon, despite not feeling too great. I was going to run my usual Dorchester Avenue route but felt well enough to head along the canal to Lock 27, and added another bit on by continuing down Great Western Road and heading up Garscube Road. Distance came out at 6.68 miles, time 47:45 for a 7:09/mile average. Pace splits: 7:22, 6:50, 6:56, 7:02, 7:07, 7:31, 7:18.

6.2 miles hard

The club training session was billed as a 6-mile run. Natasha wanted to give it a try so I drove up instead of running there. This also allowed me to have another go with the Newtons. As I was still changing my shoes at the car I missed the announcements at the start, when the ludicrous new organisation of the club's Winter League was described. There were three of us in the fast pack and the route took us out the top gate, down Crow Road, up Gardner Street, over Cleveden Road and Cowal Road, and back along Maryhill Road. I did OK in the Newtons although it still felt pretty strange. I thought I might have to drop off later on through tired legs but I was still up at the front all the way to the top of Cowal Road, and I only fell away slightly in the last mile, which was still my fastest mile of the evening. The slowest was the one containing Gardner Street, not surprisingly. Finished the 6.19 miles in 39:51 for a 6:26/mile average. Pace splits (more meaningful than time splits, I'll go back and edit the others at some point): 6:52, 6:21, 6:17, 6:58, 6:22, 5:58, 5:36.

3.4 miles slow

Got through a game of football with far less difficulty than usual and went out for my usual run around the West End afterwards, clocking up 3.39 miles this time, average pace inside 8:00/mile.

2.8 miles steady, 6 miles fartlek, 2.9 miles slow

For once it suited me to run up to Tuesday training, 2.81 miles in 20:51 by the time I met the others who were just setting out. The fartlek route was the same as one we ran before, through Kelvindale and Jordanhill where we followed part of the McAndrew route. I had slightly tired legs from the outset and was only really doing it for the miles, so I didn't get dragged into any races and stayed towards the back. We jogged the last mile or so and it came out at nearly 6 miles by the time we got to the bridge over the Kelvin. Ran home at a much slower pace, 2.93 miles from the far end of the rugby pitch. Wore my old Nike Skylon.

2.5 miles hard

Decided it was time for a new pair of shoes after retiring the Nimbus. Extensive research suggested the controversial Newton running shoes might be exactly the type of thing I had been after for years. The staff in Achilles Heel seemed to take a bit of convincing but I insisted I ran the 800m on the forefoot, and my biomechanics apparently checked out OK. The only pair in my size were the motion control shoes, which I would normally never have considered, but apparently that aspect of the shoe is relatively minimal, and they did feel OK on my feet. I was told to run for no more than 15 minutes first time out, and work up gradually from there.

In the evening I tried a short route from Bearsden Asda, over West Chapelton Avenue, down Drymen Road to Canniesburn Toll, and back up Milngavie Road. I set out at a fairly cautious pace but soon got into it. The pavement at the bottom of Drymen Road was in a pretty bad condition and I had to watch my footing, especially in the dark, but other than that it seemed to be going quite well so I ran a second lap. It was hard work but I felt a lot better than on Sunday and I would have been OK for at least another mile or so at that pace. Distance came out at 2.51 miles, time 15:15 for a 6:04/mile average. Splits: 6:14, 5:59, 3:00. Can't think when I ever had a sub-6 split in a solo training run of any distance (over a mile). No worse off afterwards in terms of the ongoing hip or hamstring problems. I expected sore calves, but nothing so far.

7.7 miles steady

In the afternoon I went for a longer run along Great Western Road for a loop of Anniesland Road and Southbrae Drive. I was planning to run at a comfortable pace and decided to give the Asics Nimbus another go, but after two miles it was already becoming a bit of an ordeal. I eased off a bit when I realised what was happening. The Nimbus get great reviews but are apparently just too heavy for me and don't suit my running style at all with a large heel which seems to shift slightly underfoot. It's worse on the left, and it's the left side where I've had hip and hamstring problems since I got them. I suppose I could tie the laces a bit tighter but I don't like running with tight laces, and there's still the weight issue, so I'm afraid it's the end of the road for them. As well as shoe problems I also had trouble crossing the road in a few places. Time for the 7.73 miles was 58:44, average pace 7:36/mile. Splits: 7:31, 7:15, 7:56, 7:07, 7:48, 8:09, 7:32, 5:22. Weekly total: 25 miles.

McAndrew relay

For once I was on the last leg for our Veterans team. I wasn't in racing condition by any means and would have preferred a longer distance where lack of speed wouldn't have mattered so much, but my only real concern was a toenail problem from the marathon. It seemed OK while warming up so I ended up forgetting all about it. Competition was stiff and we were already out of contention for the Veterans' prize by the time I set off. It had been howling a gale all day and the wind on Anniesland Road was a real problem. Despite feeling in places as if I was hardly moving at all, I made it to the mile mark in 5:46 and expected to close down the runner from Clydesdale in front of me, but he stayed pretty much the same distance ahead all the way along Danes Drive, and by the time we got to the dip on Southbrae Drive I had given up any hope of catching him. I finished the 3.26 miles in 19:01 which is well down on previous attempts, partly accounted for by the effort expended in battling the wind early on. On a positive note, I managed to run inside 6-minute miles (5:50/mile average) without any injury problems, and it was the second fastest time for Garscube on the day. Splits: 5:46, 5:47, 6:00, 1:27.

6.27 miles steady

The club training session took in the course of the McAndrew relay. I might have considered running there and back but for the upcoming race. The top two packs were combined into one, and we set off at a fairly steady pace, again on account of the weekend's race, only speeding up a bit when we reached Anniesland Road. Eased off over the last mile. My right foot seemed to be dragging a bit but when we finished I noticed part of the sole of the Brooks Racer ST4 was peeling off. It can probably be glued but I haven't even used them all that much. Distance was 6.27 miles, time 44:32 for a 7:06/mile average. Splits: 7:38, 7:05, 6:51, 6:38, 6:40, 7:30, 2:06.

3.4 miles slow

I somehow allowed myself to be persuaded to play football in the evening but it didn't go too badly. Went for my usual 3.36-mile route afterwards, completed in 25:19 for a decent 7:33/mile average.

4 miles slow

I dodged the club's scheduled short reps session to go on a recovery run around a single lap of the old 5-mile championship course, starting out from Garscube Estate. I had run 3.33 miles in about 29 minutes by the time I got back to the roundabout and noticed the reps were still going on, so rather than stand about for a while I joined in with the slowest group for a couple of reps, and when they had finished I trailed along behind Natasha's group for their final rep. It was this very session I shouldn't have run after the Balloch to Clydebank half marathon in March, but it seemed harmless enough this time.

Bertlicher Straßenlauf Marathon

I took advantage of the September Weekend holiday to try a marathon in Herten, Germany. A race description I found suggested the rural three-lap course was susceptible to wind, but the weather forecast for the day was good although perhaps a bit warm. On the starting line I had a look around for likely front-runners, and some fast-looking guy turned up at the very last minute. He headed off at a brisk pace and I didn't particularly try to keep up, although we were well clear of the field after the first quarter of a mile. I didn't feel any leg tightness but I was wary of setting out too fast so dropped off a bit. It was already starting to get warm at 10.30am but there was a cool breeze which I noticed somehow seemed to be a headwind no matter which way the course turned. It wasn't quite as flat as I had been expecting either, and the first half of the lap was broadly uphill. The route consisted entirely of asphalt footpaths or roads, although there was a mile or so where a lot of small potholes had been filled in and it was quite bumpy underfoot.

I completed the first lap in just over 57 minutes, with the leader well out of sight. It was getting warmer all the time but I was still feeling OK and having a drink of water or Gatorade at every other water station, mostly because the combination of sun and wind was making my mouth quite dry. I got to the halfway point in 1:27 but was starting to struggle slightly on account of having tried to stick to a sub-3 hour pace when the conditions were against it. In the second half of the lap I dropped outside 7:00 for a couple of miles, and although I was just inside 1:57 at the end of the lap and theoretically still on course to beat 3 hours, I wasn't looking forward to the last lap at all and might have considered just throwing in the towel if I hadn't been comfortably second.

On the third lap I held it together for a couple of miles before my original goal of 3 hours faded rapidly as I started using the water stations to have a brief walking break while drinking. By now I just wanted it to be over, although in the latter stages I was passing competitors from one of the shorter races, and even lapping the occasional marathon participant, albeit not at a pace which would have suggested I was in second place. I looked back every now and then for anyone catching me, as I thought one of the older runners would have been likely to do, but there was nobody. With second place secure, the last mile went a bit better and I finished in 3:06:25, 17 minutes behind the winner and 3 minutes ahead of third place. As the first M40 to finish I had to wait around for a couple of hours for the presentations, so I spent this time eating cheese rolls and drinking beer. One of the other competitors confirmed my impression of the difficulty of the course when I mentioned how I'd been aiming to finish inside 3 hours.

As always seems to be the case with athletics events in Germany it was superbly organised, with races over 7 different distances, all partly following the same course and starting at different times. Each race was colour-coded and every kilometre for each race was marked in that colour. The marathon had the fewest competitors with 55 finishers, whereas the 5K, 10K and half marathon all had around 150.

Distance was 26.32(!) miles, average pace 7:05/mile. Splits: 6:26, 6:27, 6:37, 6:36, 6:34, 6:50, 6:40, 6:36, 6:35, 6:50, 6:44, 6:55, 6:31, 6:47, 7:01, 7:10, 6:43, 6:49, 7:05, 7:24, 8:32, 8:18, 7:45, 8:11, 8:10, 7:40, 2:15. Weekly total: 42 miles.

3.8 miles moderate

Went out before lunch for one of my usual shorter routes along the canal, this time staying on Garscube Road to take the new path up to the footbridge. I got stuck for what seemed like ages at St George's Cross and also had to tackle the steps up to the canal, but I managed a decent pace for the rest of the run, finishing the 3.84 miles in 25:46 for a 6:42/mile average. Splits: 7:29, 6:29, 6:25, 5:25.

7 miles steady

I considered doing nothing at all, or even the planned club Paarlauf session, but in the end I opted for my usual Tuesday night route of around 7 miles, at a steady pace so as not to aggravate a few minor strains from Sunday's run. It came out at 7.03 miles, quite a bit short of previous attempts where I had invariably experienced GPS problems. Finished in exactly 50 minutes for a 7:07/mile average. Splits: 7:31, 7:15, 7:03, 6:55, 6:54, 7:05, 7:04, 0:10. Everybody else was doing shuttle runs again when I got back to Garscube Estate.

4.5 miles easy

Ran my shorter Monday night route at an easy pace which got slightly faster as I warmed up. The Forerunner measured it at 4.54 miles. Time was 33:49, 7:27/mile average. Splits: 8:00, 7:23, 7:15, 7:11, 3:58.

10 miles moderate

Tried a tougher run in the afternoon and set up a 6:45 training partner for 10 miles. The route consisted of three loops. The first via Dorchester Avenue was the hardest, and my first mile up Garscube Road and Maryhill Road was somewhat better than usual but still left me trailing by a few feet. After the second mile I began to settle into a rhythm. Each loop ended on North Woodside Road and the next one started with the long climb up Maryhill Road which accounts for the slower splits. Coming up for 10 miles I was well ahead of schedule, and the Forerunner promptly played a happy tune and decided I had finished, even though I was still running and was about 300m away from home. That part of the run remained unrecorded. Finishing time (for 10 miles) was 1:06:36, average pace 6:40/mile. Splits: 6:48, 6:40, 6:42, 6:36, 6:31, 6:43, 6:32, 6:34, 6:45, 6:38. Weekly total: 37 miles.

4.1 miles steady

I wanted to get in a steady run of a few miles before lunch so programmed the Forerunner with a training partner with a 7:30 pace for 4.23 miles. My first mile down Garscube Road and along Phoenix Road was pretty slow but by the 2-mile mark I had just about caught up. The distance this time came out at 4.09 miles, somewhat short of even the previous lowest measurement, but the route looks sound when traced on a map. Time was 29:42 for a 7:16/mile average. Splits: 7:48, 7:20, 6:59, 6:59, 0:34.

8 miles tempo

I finally got tired of the HTC Touch Diamond's poor GPS accuracy and battery life when used with Run.GPS, and it had also occurred to me that Ben seems to be able to get accurate splits when running along the Kelvin Walkway, so I got a Garmin Forerunner 305. I had a 101 which had terrible signal trouble with the trees along Great Western Road, and it just wasn't worth the hassle even though I really liked the training partner feature, but the 305 supposedly has a more sensitive GPS receiver, so armed with some gift vouchers for Greaves who had no running shoes I was interested in, I thought it would be worth a try. I switched it on at home with the intention of leaving it beside the window for a few minutes to see if it could pick up satellites from there like the Touch Diamond could. After I had completed the initial setup, the unit was supposed to locate the satellites, but it went straight to the timer screen. I eventually worked out that it had already picked up a signal even though I had been standing in the middle of the room. I set it to auto-lap every mile and drove up to training - decided against running there as I thought the session would be likely to finish quite late.

I arrived just as coach Lesley was going out for a run, which she kindly interrupted to tell me the fast pack had already been sent out due to low numbers, and she gave me a quick summary of the route. I set off in pursuit, expecting maybe to see the others in the distance at best, but it turned out that the top two packs had been combined into one, and they had set off at a steady enough pace that I caught up with them at the Porsche garage. It turned out that everybody who had taken part in Tuesday's session was complaining about sore legs, which might also have accounted for the attendance being down. The rest of the route took us along Drumchapel Road and Alderman Road, down Lincoln Road and back up Anniesland Road. The pace increased gradually along Alderman Road, and as the post-football hip problems I had been worried about hadn't materialised, when I felt quite fit all of a sudden going up the hill on Anniesland Road, I broke away from the pack and maintained a brisk pace all the way to the finish. Had some minor strains afterwards but nothing serious. I thought finishing ahead of the pack might have staved off relegation after some poor recent performances, but unfortunately none of the coaches was around to see. Distance was 7.99 miles, time 54:01 for a 6:46/mile average. Splits: 6:59, 6:59, 7:11, 7:07, 6:47, 6:35, 6:11, 6:07.

3.4 miles slow

Struggled through a game of football in the evening although with less trouble than before, so I ran my usual West End route at a pace just inside 8-minute miles.

7.2 miles moderate

Dodged the club hills session and ran my usual route via St George's Cross and Anniesland Cross, aiming for an almost mechanical run at a comfortable pace. I had severe GPS problems on Great Western Road, which probably contributed to the route coming out at 7.22 miles. Didn't push the pace at all, finished in 48:03 for a 6:43/mile average (assuming 7.15 miles). Everybody was doing shuttle runs beside the rugby pitch when I got back to Garscube Estate but I declined the offer to join in.

4.5 miles recovery

I originally wanted to run the Hogmanay Handicap route in the evening but it's getting too dark to try that after 8pm, and in any case I thought I should take it a bit easier if I was going to run at all, so instead I ran the same route as two weeks ago. This time it came out quite a bit shorter, at 4.53 miles. Average pace was about 7.54/mile (for the shorter reported distance).

3.9 miles recovery, 4.3 miles moderate

Went out before lunch for 3.87 miles via the footbridge over Garscube Road and along the canal. In the afternoon I had another go at the loop (4.31 miles this time) of Garscube Road, Great Western Road, Kirklee Road and Maryhill Road, finishing in 28:25 for a 6:36/mile average, which as a route PB was pretty encouraging after the previous day's long run, albeit hard work. Weekly total: 52 miles.

20.4 miles moderate

I had planned to run the same Newton Mearns route but decided to run to Paisley and back instead, expecting it to be about 10 miles going out via Kelvingrove Park, Yorkhill, Bell's Bridge and along Paisley Road West. This time I managed not to injure myself on Kelvin Way. It was warmer than I would have liked and there was also a bit of a headwind to contend with, but after 6 miles or so I had settled into a comfortable pace. Paisley arrived a lot sooner than I had expected and I had only run 8 miles by the time I reached the loop around the abbey, with an average pace at this point of 7:18/mile. I think the 10 miles I remember from a few years back must have been along the cyclepath.

Heading back to Glasgow, and no longer running into the wind, I dropped below 7-minute miles without any trouble and had pushed my average down to 7:09 by the time I reached the 14-mile mark in Govan, although I was slowed again by the wind as I ran along the Clyde and then lost some more time on the footbridge over the Expressway, so that was as fast as it was going to get. By now I was also a bit dehydrated on account of the heat, so I stopped at Radnor Street to get a drink and took a while to get moving again. On reaching Maryhill Road I was a few miles short of the planned 20 so headed up the hill to add on my Shakespeare Street route, which wasn't going to be enough on its own, so I continued all the way down Great Western Road and home via Garscube Road. After St George's Cross, Run.GPS reported that the battery was very weak, and my phone started making sad little bleeps, but it just managed to hold out and no more. Distance was 20.42 miles, time 2:27:32 for a 7:13/mile average.

7 miles steady

Ran my usual 7-mile route in the evening. This time it came out at 7.01 miles, time was 48:41 for a 6:57/mile average. First mile was the slowest, felt like I could have picked it up a bit in the last couple of miles but I was intending to take it fairly easy.

2.9 miles slow, 4 miles moderate, 1.9 miles slow

I ran up to training again for a session billed as 6-7 miles. The route took us out the top gate, down Bearsden Road and Crow Road, up Clarence Drive, along Highburgh Road and up Byres Road. The pace had increased significantly by this point and although I was quite confident of making it at least to Cleveden Road without dropping off, I hadn't quite recovered from Tuesday's session and had to stop on account of a hip niggle. Jogged home from Botanic Gardens, felt OK at the slower pace and continued all the way to the bottom of Great Western Road and back up Garscube Road. I had GPS problems after Clarence Drive which led to the route being over-measured, but it was probably slightly over 4 miles. Average pace where I bailed out was somewhere inside 6:40/mile and dropping, after a steady first mile.

5.5 miles fartlek

The club training session was supposed to be a fartlek so I took part for once. I didn't particularly feel like doing any major speedwork so just stayed near the back of the pack. The route took us up Woodvale Avenue, down Boclair Road, over Manse Road, along Station Road and over Pendicle Road, then back along Maryhill Road to Garscube Estate. The fast stretches lasted between 1 and 2 minutes with what didn't seem like a very long recovery between them. I had just about got my act together by the time we got to Pendicle Road and put in a reasonable effort on the hill.

2.5 miles steady

Went out in the evening for a short recovery run via Queen Margaret Drive, 2.46 miles. I started off quite slow but had an average pace just inside 7:45/mile by the end.

18.7 miles moderate

I had been planning another attempt at my Newton Mearns route and felt fit enough to give it a try on Sunday afternoon, aiming for a pace of 7:30/mile or better. The first two or three miles went OK although there turned out to be a diversion at the top of Salkeld Street which added an extra couple of hundred metres and made it difficult to judge my performance against the times I had memorised for reaching particular landmarks. I was prepared to cut the run short if necessary but around Shawlands Arcade I had warmed up sufficiently to decide that I could probably manage the whole thing. I got held up several times at traffic lights earlier on, but was maintaining an average pace inside 7:15 until the long climb up to Mearns Cross. The average had dropped to 7:18 by the time I got there, which was still not too bad, and I expected to gain some time on the way back, at least until I got to Thornliebank. On 11 miles I felt quite energetic and thought I might even manage the whole route without stopping for a drink. From then on I concentrated on running negative splits for the second half of the route. Got back home in 2:15:01 which gave me a 7:13/mile average for the 18.73 miles. This was a great improvement on the previous Sunday, so it looks even more like the heavier shoes don't suit me at all. Weekly total: 57 miles.

4.2 miles recovery, 4.2 miles steady

Went out before lunch for an easy run around the 4.23-mile Garscube Road and Kirklee Road loop, finishing in 31:42 for a 7:30/mile average, then later in the afternoon I ran the same route again, this time in 29:04 for a 6:52/mile average.

3 miles slow, 2x2.9 miles slow, 5.7 miles tempo

Went out before breakfast in the rain for 3.03 miles, to Lochburn Road and back, at an average pace just inside 8:00/mile. In the evening I ran up to training for the first time in months. The route was supposed to be 5 miles and the fast pack was different from previous weeks. We left Garscube Estate via the top gate at a fairly slow pace and then lost a lot of time when we didn't manage to cross Switchback Road and got stuck at Anniesland Cross. By the time we got to Danes Drive we had reached 6:30/mile or faster. The rest of the route took us up Westland Drive, along Southbrae Drive and back up Crow Road. I had some tightness behind my left knee and fell off the pace after about 4 miles, but after struggling up the last hill I managed to cut the deficit to about 50 metres by the end, finishing in 41:02. The distance turned out to be 5.69 miles which gave me a 7:13/mile average overall. Managed to run back down the road without any trouble.

3.4 miles steady

Struggled through a game of football in the evening and only loosened up in the last 15 minutes or so, but I felt OK enough afterwards to rack up another few miles on my usual West End route. After the first mile it was already looking a bit faster than the previous couple of attempts so I had to check my speed in a couple of places. Finished in 25:21, 7:33/mile for 3.36 miles (although it came out at 3.41 this time).

7.1 miles moderate

I might have been able to take part in the club short reps session for once, but I am still dodging speedwork to be on the safe side and ran the usual loop of slightly over 7 miles via St George's Cross and Anniesland Cross, again wearing my old Nike Skylon. Felt quite fit despite Sunday's long run and after a steady first half-mile I picked up the pace a bit, finishing in 47:00. This time the distance came out shorter than before at 7.08 miles, which still gave me a faster average pace for the route of 6:38/mile.

4.7 miles easy

I considered having a day off but changed my mind at the last possible minute and went out for a few miles wearing an older pair of shoes. The route took me along West Chapelton Avenue where I noticed that my legs didn't feel as heavy as I would have expected, so I continued down Station Road, over Pendicle Road and down Maxwell Avenue. I felt not too bad at all at a slow pace which was still a bit faster than the planned 8:00/mile, and going through Garscube Estate I followed the warm-up trail to add on an extra half-mile. Got back to Bearsden Asda in 36:33 for a 7:46/mile average for the 4.71 miles. This casts a bit of suspicion on the Asics Nimbus which might just be too heavy for me.

14 miles steady

By late afternoon I felt well enough to rack up a few more miles, so I headed through Kelvingrove Park and down towards Yorkhill, only to trip on the distorted pavement on Kelvin Way and suffer some hamstring pain as a consequence. I limped on for a bit and decided I would probably be able to run it off, so I continued down to Glasgow Harbour and along the cyclepath to Clydebank. After about 7 miles, as I headed back along the canal, the hamstring started to play up and my average pace began to slip outside 7:30/mile. I was quite dehydrated despite the rain and had to stop for a drink at Blairdardie. On reaching the bridge over Lochburn Road, I was just inside a 7:45 average, but I managed to pick it up fairly well for the last mile and a half, finishing the 14.02 miles in 1:47:58, 7:42/mile overall. Weekly total: 51 miles.

4.2 miles steady

Didn't have much time in the morning, with a wedding to attend in the afternoon, so I ran a route from about a month ago, a loop of Garscube Road, Great Western Road and Kirklee Road. This time it came out at 4.23 miles, finishing time was 28:57 for a 6:51/mile average.

5.3 miles steady

Went out in the evening for my usual Dorchester Avenue route, extended slightly via Napiershall Street instead of North Woodside Road to make it 5.34 miles, completed in 37:38 for a 7:03/mile average.

6.9 miles moderate

I had some lower back and hamstring tightness and thought of taking a day to recover, but in the end I went along to the club training session, prepared to drop out after half a mile if necessary. The route was the same as I run on a Tuesday when I'm not doing the club session. It was supposed to be run at an easy pace, but by the time we got to the 3-mile mark at St George's Cross, the average pace was 6:30 and dropping. I fell off the back at this point, although I did very briefly catch up with Ben and Mark when they got stuck for over 30 seconds trying to cross Queen Margaret Drive. I finished at the bridge in Garscube Estate in 46:10, which gave me a respectable 6:40/mile average for the 6.92 miles, although I was the last to arrive.

3.4 miles recovery

After playing football, which went slightly better than the previous week, I ran my usual 3.36 miles around the West End in a pace just outside 8:00/mile.

10 miles slow

Went out in the evening for 10 miles with Natasha, all the way up Maryhill Road and Milngavie Road to the pedestrian crossing before the roundabout, and back home again. Time was around 87 minutes.

7 miles moderate

While the evenings are still light enough, I had another go at the Hogmanay Handicap route, starting and finishing at Bearsden Asda. The first mile was slow and difficult but I loosened up a lot after that and just about got my average pace down to 6:45/mile by the time I got into the hills. I lost a few seconds on the climbs but it was going pretty well otherwise and I felt perfectly fit and able to speed up once I got back to Milngavie, although my left hip was hurting a bit towards the end. Finished the 6.97 miles in 46:55 for a 6:44/mile average.

3.4 miles slow, 10.3 miles steady

Went out before breakfast with Natasha for our usual 3.36 miles around the West End. In the afternoon I thought I should get in about 10 miles as I had a day trip scheduled for Sunday, so I ran one of my usual routes via the footbridge over Garscube Road and the canal as far as Lock 27, then all the way down Great Western Road to St George's Cross, followed by the long climb up Maryhill Road to Queen Margaret Drive, and home via Great Western Road and North Woodside Road. This came out at 10.26 miles, finishing time was 1:13:50 for a 7:12/mile average. Felt relatively OK afterwards. Weekly total: 42 miles.

6.1 miles steady

I had recovered a bit by the evening so ran my usual Dorchester Avenue route at what should have been a fairly easy pace, although it was a bit of a struggle and I felt quite ill after about 2 miles. Between 3 and 4 miles I suddenly felt a whole lot better and continued all the way down Great Western Road. Coming back up Garscube Road, it looked like I had an outside chance of getting my average pace down to 7:00/mile, but I got stuck for ages at the junction with St George's Road and finished the 6.07 miles in 43:02 for a 7:05/mile average. I was outside 15 minutes at the 2 mile mark so I had definitely managed to pick it up for the last 4 miles.

6.7 miles steady

This week's club training session was advertised as an 8-mile run, which sounded OK. The route was a new one on otherwise familiar roads - up Milngavie Road, over Mosshead Road, down Drymen Road as far as Bearsden Cross, then up Thorn Road and down Chesters Road. Suffering from stiff and tired legs, I stayed with the fast pack for the first couple of miles before blowing up. I almost resorted to walking but after pressing on at a much slower pace I decided I would manage to complete the whole route after all. By the time I got to Bearsden Cross I couldn't see anyone in the distance and I ended up taking a wrong turn which eventually took me to a dead end in a small housing estate, with no obvious way to get down to Chesters Road, so I followed the road back down to Bearsden Station and ended up cutting the route short by 0.9 miles, missing out Station Road, Pendicle Road and Canniesburn Road. Finished 6.7 miles in 49:24 giving me a 7:22/mile average which was OK considering how much time I had wasted looking for a short cut out of the dead end.

3.4 miles recovery

I sprained my right ankle playing football again, but it didn't swell up as badly as in April, and I was able to get in a few miles afterwards without too much trouble. Route was the usual 3.36 miles in 25:55.

7.2 miles steady

I avoided the club's 1K rep session and ran the same loop as two Tuesdays ago, via St George's Cross and Anniesland Cross. I started off outside 8:00/mile but picked it up a bit later on without too much difficulty. Finishing time was 52:07 which gave me an average pace of 7:17/mile for 7.16 miles.

5.3 miles slow

In the evening I felt just about able to get in some slow miles of doubtful value, so I ran a comparatively hill-free route from Bearsden Asda, via Milngavie Road, Clober Road, Craigton Road and back down South Mains Road. I started off outside 8:00/mile but had brought it down to 7:54/mile by the end of the 5.34-mile route.

Achilles Heel Bella 5K, 3.4 miles slow

After a couple of days' rest to try to ward off any injury problems, I attempted the Bellahouston 5K. Conditions were windy but dry. Within the first 200m my left hamstring tightened up and the rest of the race was a bit of a struggle. I still managed about 3:15 for the first kilometre but the second was outside 3:30. Between 3 and 4K I loosened up slightly and made up a few places, although I ended up having to sprint at the end to maintain 17th place, 2nd for Garscube, finishing in a fairly poor 17:35. On the positive side I am now unable to win the club's Summer League so I don't need to take part in any races for the foreseeable future and can concentrate on building up my weekly mileage. In the afternoon I limped round a 3.35-mile loop via Maryhill Road, Queen Margaret Drive, Great Western Road and Garscube Road. My hamstring is definitely slightly strained but didn't get any worse during the run and was decidedly better later on. Weekly total: 19 miles.

9.5 miles hard

The club training session was a 9-mile run, but the fast pack consisted of just me and Mark. The route took us along Canniesburn Road and onto the canal at Blairdardie. After about 3 miles, as we headed back towards Maryhill, I dropped off the pace and thought about taking a shortcut at Dawsholm Road, but by the time I got to the bridge I wasn't struggling so much. Approaching the Kelvin Walkway, my average pace had dropped to about 6:33/mile, but I didn't think it would fall much further. By this point I knew the route was going to be on the long side, and we had already been late in setting out, but after some quick calculations I pressed on, down the Walkway and over the bridge and up the steps to the Botanic Gardens. Heading back along Great Western Road, I suddenly felt quite fit as I reached the crest of the first hill. I completed the route at a slightly faster pace, even taking into account the hill up to the top gate, and finished in 1:01:40 for a 6:30/mile average over the 9.49 miles.

2.8 miles steady

The scheduled club session was "out and back", which I thought would be fine as a recovery run. However, it had been changed at the last minute to a 5K time trial. I knew I couldn't run fast enough after Sunday to post a meaningful time, so I hung around until I thought everybody was long gone and ran round the same course, although missing out the first loop inside Garscube Estate. It turned out the others had spent a long time warming up and had only started a few minutes earlier, so I overtook a few people although never had sight of the leaders. Finished 2.75 miles in 19:06, 6:57/mile. Half-mile warm-down afterwards.

Helensburgh Half Marathon

It was only on Friday that I decided to enter this race, although online entries had already closed so I had to get there fairly early to register. Not having completed a single run of 10 miles or more since the Balloch to Clydebank Half Marathon in March, I still thought I might have enough miles in the bank to attempt a 6:00/mile pace, but was prepared to slow to a jog if it was going badly.

The sun came out right before the start which made it a bit warmer than I would have preferred. I reached the first mile marker in 5:50 and eased off very slightly as I didn't think I could maintain that pace comfortably. My left hamstring tightened up after about 10 minutes but I stopped noticing it after a while. By about 4 miles I was running with a small group, but I managed to break away on the hill at the 5-mile marker and open up a gap going back down the hill towards Helensburgh, although my average pace had dropped to about 6:04/mile by that point. Between 7 and 9 miles I gained a place and then lost one, and the lack of endurance training started to take its toll as my pace dropped towards 6:30 per mile. I was outside 1:01 at the 10-mile marker, but as I reached the turn at the end of the last climb, I had a quick look back and didn't see anyone within striking distance, so I reckoned I would be comfortably third for Garscube (possibly our last counter for the team prize) and would manage to avoid a potentially damaging sprint finish. This gave me a boost and I picked up the pace slightly, gaining an extra place in the last mile to finish in 13th position in 1:20:55 - nearly 3 minutes down on last year and over 5 down on my previous half marathon, but an OK performance under the circumstances, and we did win the team prize after all. Average pace works out at 6:11/mile.

Also ran a half-mile warm-up and warm-down. Weekly total: 41 miles.

8 miles steady

Met up with Ben for a few miles as the club training session was cancelled due to the Tour of Clydeside series. We headed up Maryhill Road and onto the canal at Ruchill Street, spotting a few other Garscube refugees on route, then over the first bridge at Westerton, up the road under the railway line, through Garscube Estate and onto the new path down to Dawsholm Road, following the Kelvin Walkway as far as Belmont Street, then along Garriochmill Road and Raeberry Street. I had some GPS difficulties due to tree cover but by the time I got home, the reported distance was 7.99 miles which couldn't have been too far out. Time was 57:02 for a 7:08/mile average.

4.7 miles slow

Went out in the evening with Natasha for a run down to Yorkhill via Kelvingrove Park, then along the river and over the bridge to the Science Centre, back over the new road bridge, through Anderston and up St George's Road - 4.73 miles.

7.2 miles moderate

I dodged the club's medium rep session and instead ran a simple loop from Garscube Estate down to St George's Cross, back along Great Western Road to Anniesland Cross, up Crow Road and in the top gate to finish on the speed bump where I'd started. This came out at 7.15 miles. I lost the GPS signal completely near Kelvinbridge but it soon returned and the measurement still seemed fairly accurate. Legs felt tired but otherwise it went not too badly and I finished in 47:23 for a 6:38/mile average.

7 miles steady

In the evening I had a go at the Hogmanay Handicap route, starting and finishing at Bearsden Asda. For a while after I got into the hills it looked like I might be able to sustain a 6:45/mile average but the longer hills slowed me down a lot. Finished in 48:04, distance came out at 6.97 miles (which might even be slightly short). Average mile pace for the reported distance was 6:54.

6.5 miles slow, 3.8 miles steady

Went out with Natasha before breakfast for 6.53 miles down North Woodside Road, along Great Western Road and up to Lock 27, back along the canal, along Dorchester Avenue and back down Great Western Road. In the afternoon I felt OK for another run and repeated the previous afternoon's route although as far as Shakespeare Street, then back down Maryhill Road for 3.81 miles in 26:17, 6:54/mile. Weekly total: 34 miles.

Gym, 8.7 miles steady

In the afternoon I paid another visit to the gym to work on the hamstring curl machine for a while, and afterwards I still felt OK to get in a few more miles. I headed down Garscube Road, down the path behind Abercorn School, over the footbridge and back along the canal as far as Lock 27, then down Crow Road and home via Great Western Road and Garscube Road. The distance came out at 8.66 miles, time was 58:42 for a reasonable 6:47/mile average. I even tried to pick it up over the last half-mile or so to get my average down to 6:45, but getting stuck at traffic lights earlier on made it too difficult.

4.3 miles steady

Went out for a few miles in the evening, down Garscube Road and along Great Western Road. I was aiming for about 6 or 7 miles but didn't feel too well so cut it short, up Kirklee Road and back down Maryhill Road. 4.28 miles in 29:32, 6:54/mile average.

7.3 miles steady

Thought I would be more or less OK for the club training session as I could drop off the pace if necessary. The route turned out to be, in effect, over 7 miles of hill reps: along Maxwell Avenue, up Pendicle Road, up Chesters Road, up Drymen Road and along Manse Road, then up Kilmardinny Avenue and back down Milngavie Road, Boclair Road and Rannoch Drive. After 2 miles, at the top of Pendicle, I was having some hamstring problems so I slowed right down and let the other two members of the fast pack disappear down the hill. I thought I would just head up Station Road and back to Garscube Estate but I felt a lot better after going downhill at the slower pace, so I stuck to the planned route. I caught up with the next fastest pack on Boclair Road, although they got away from me again when they sped up going down Rannoch Drive. My average pace was about 7:04/mile for the 7.33 miles. I thought I might be facing a couple more days off but after standing around for a bit, the half-mile warm-down went not too badly.

3.3 miles slow

Went out before breakfast for my usual short route of somewhere around 3.4 miles. It came out at only 3.30 due to more GPS problems. Average pace was 8:00/mile. Hamstring was very tight so I think I have enough miles in the bank from the last two weeks to take a couple of days off.

7 miles steady

Ran my usual 7-mile route in the afternoon which came out at 6.95 miles due to GPS issues. Finishing time was 48:36, average mile pace just under 7:00. Weekly total: 47 miles.

Parkrun 5K, 3.4 miles slow

In the morning I had another go at the Parkrun 5K in Pollok Park. Without any recent fast runs I had no idea how I would get on. I spotted one runner I thought I should try to keep up with, but he headed off at far too fast a pace for me. For the first part of the race I was 7th and had heavy legs, but I picked up a few places on the first long uphill stretch and felt quite strong on the downhill, so I thought I had a good chance of beating my time from three weeks ago. On the second lap I was 4th but could still see the leaders, and I began to close in on 3rd place, moving ahead in the last half mile or so, then dropping back on the most awkward uphill part of the course, and going back into 3rd on the final downhill stretch. My time was 17:09 which was 15 seconds faster than my previous attempt. Afterwards I ran a 1-mile recovery.

By the afternoon my hamstring had tightened up but I thought I should be OK for a few slow miles, so I ran the usual 3.4-mile route, which came out this time at 3.36 miles. Loosened up a bit after the first mile.

4.5 miles slow, 3.9 miles steady

Went out with Natasha before breakfast for a run along Nezavisimosti to Park Cheluskintsev. At one point a policeman refused to let us cross a one-way street at Akademiya Nauk and pointed us towards a nearby underpass. We ran a loop inside the park and headed back down Nezavisimosti for 4.54 miles in total. In the evening, in Berlin, I ran a 3.93-mile loop inside Tiergarten and began to pick up speed in the latter half of the run, finishing in 27:01 for a 6:52/mile average.

7.5 miles steady

Felt OK to get in a few more miles, so in the afternoon I ran down Kozlova and along Botanicheskaya, which was also being dug up, and along the trail around the back of the Botanic Gardens. I headed up part of the marathon loop from last year and through the grounds of the new library, then straight back down Nezavisimosti. I had been slowed down early on by conditions underfoot, but in the last few miles my pace dropped below 6:30 in places as I fought to get the average below 7:30. Finished the 7.54-mile route in 56:19, average pace 7:28/mile.

9.4 miles steady

By the late afternoon I had recovered fairly well and had also more or less got used to the heat, so I attempted to run as far as the new velodrome on Pobediteley by the most direct route, all the way along Kommunisticheskaya and over the footbridge to Masherova, then straight out towards Zhdanovichi. It was broadly uphill but there were very few road junctions to get stopped at. I reached the entrance to the underpass in a reasonable time and ran back the way I had come. Got back in 1:09:36, distance came out at 9.37 miles for a 7:26 average.

4.4 miles slow, 3.2 miles slow

Went out with Natasha before breakfast for another few miles. We went under Ploschad Pobedy and along the river to the pedestrian bridge near Hotel Yubileynaya, then back on the other side of the river apart from the bit at Zhuravinka, and home through Park Gorkogo - 4.41 miles. In the afternoon I was suffering from some hamstring tightness and ran a couple of loops inside the park, although the tree cover caused some GPS problems and the distance was certainly further than the reported 3.24 miles.

6.1 miles steady

In the afternoon I repeated the previous morning's route as far as the park, then followed the near side of the river as far as the bridge before Komsomolskoe Ozero, and came back on the far side, apart from the stretch beside Zhuravinka which was being dug up. It felt incredibly hot and was probably in the low 30s. There was a headwind in places on the way back which felt like running into a hairdryer. Got stopped at some traffic lights and discovered it was actually better to run than to stand still. Distance came out at 6.12 miles, time was 44:52 for a 7:20/mile average. Weekly total: 41 miles.

4 miles slow, 7.2 miles steady

In Minsk. Went out in the morning with Natasha for a run down Rumantsyeva, Voyskovoy, along Frunze and through Park Gorkovo, then back up Slesarnaya and Platonova, up Gikalo and back down Nezavisimosti, which came out at about 4 miles. In the late afternoon I went out for another run in the heat, heading straight up Nezavisimosti as far as Vostok underground station and back again, 7.17 miles in 53:20 for a 7:26/mile average.

7.7 miles moderate

I felt capable of racking up a few more miles in the evening so ran a slightly longer route up Maryhill Road and along the footpath near Canniesburn Toll, down to Anniesland Cross and back along Great Western Road. I was keen to push my average pace down to 6:45 and had plenty of energy to attempt this in the last couple of miles, but running faster caused some upper leg tightness so I eased off again very slightly. Finishing time was 52:18, distance 7.74 miles, average pace 6:45/mile.

2.5 miles slow, 6.2 miles steady

Out before breakfast again for the same route as yesterday, which was slightly more of a struggle and took a couple of seconds longer. I had recovered enough by the evening to go out again, so I tried a different route, onto the canal near the fire station and all the way to Lock 27, then down Crow Road and back along Great Western Road. Pace was comfortable all the way round and had dropped towards a 7:17/mile average by the end. Distance came out at 6.21 miles, time was 45:12.

2.5 miles slow, 5.2 miles steady

Went out before breakfast for 2.5 miles via Queen Margaret Drive at an easy 8:00/mile pace. In the evening I ran the usual Dorchester Avenue route, 5.19 miles in 35:08. The first mile was well outside 7:30 but by the end my average pace had dropped to 6:46/mile. Felt pretty comfortable all the way round.

8.8 miles steady

I felt quite a bit better by Sunday afternoon so had a crack at a route which would normally take me around an hour and didn't have any major hills until the second half - Great Western Road, Lincoln Avenue, Danes Drive, Clarence Drive and Great Western Road. I started off at an easy 7:45 pace and gradually picked it up. Had a few twinges in the last mile but was otherwise OK. Distance was 8.76 miles, finishing time was 1:03:30 for a 7:15/mile average. Weekly total: 21 miles.

3.4 miles slow, gym

In order to make it into double figures for the week, I went out before breakfast with Natasha for our usual route around the West End. She picked up the pace for a stretch on Kirklee Road and for once I had to look sharp to keep up. In the afternoon I paid the gym another visit and spent about half of the 40-minute session on the hamstring curl machine.

6.2 miles steady

I felt just about able to go out training with the club. The route took us out the top gate and along the canal towards Blairdardie. I was fine for the first couple of miles but the third was becoming a bit of a struggle, so as we approached Great Western Road I decided to drop off the back and cut the run short. The rest of the fast pack then waited for me to catch up as it turned out they weren't exactly sure of the route. Somebody mentioned Alderman Road so I guessed we were supposed to head down Lincoln Avenue. I said I'd be staying on Great Western Road but I soon decided the slower pace was manageable and followed the others at a gradually increasing distance. As I got to Alderman Road I saw some of the other packs, so we had evidently cut the route short - it turned out we should have stayed on the canal for another half-mile or so. I made it back to Garscube Estate at a fairly slow pace and was being caught by the second pack in the closing stages. Finishing time was just over 43 minutes for about 6.2 miles. I felt somewhat the worse for wear afterwards and prepared to take a couple of days off.

3 miles steady

Didn't fancy the club's fartlek session so I ran a few laps of the warm-up trail. 6 laps came out at just over 3 miles, average pace 7:02/mile. Still not 100% but gradually recovering.

4.7 miles slow

I wanted to get closer to 40 miles for the week so went out in the afternoon for a route intended to be as flat as possible - down Garscube Road and along Phoenix Road and Great Western Road to Hyndland Road, then along Prince Albert Road and Dowanside Road, by which time I wasn't exactly sure where I was going. I felt a bit better than the previous afternoon so I continued up University Avenue and along Bank Street, then home via North Woodside Road. It came out at 4.7 miles, average pace just outside 8:00/mile. Weekly total: 36 miles.

Parkrun 5K, 6.5 miles slow

In the morning I took part in the Glasgow Parkrun 5K in Pollok Park. I didn't really feel up to a race but knew I wouldn't have another one for a few weeks. I had heard it was quite a hilly course so thought I should make the most of the downhill start, although with no kilometre markers it was hard to judge my pace. I was in third place for most of the first lap, but at the start of the second lap we reached an unmarked fork in the path and had to shout back to the stewards at the previous junction, losing a few seconds in the process. Shortly after this I moved into second spot and stayed there until the end, with the leader mostly out of sight. My finishing time was 17:24 which was OK for the difficulty of the course. Afterwards I jogged about half a mile with Natasha to warm down.

In the afternoon I tried an easy route down Garscube Road, over the footbridge and along the canal to the Kelvin Walkway, which I followed all the way to Kelvinbridge. I was having trouble moving for the first couple of miles but gradually loosened up a bit. The route came out at 6.48 miles, although I was having a few GPS problems and it might actually be slightly shorter than that.

5.9 miles moderate

The club training session was supposed to be a steady 6-mile run, so I thought it should be safe enough. The route took us out the top gate and along the canal to the Kelvin Walkway, then through the Botanic Gardens and along Great Western Road. It became apparent that the pace was far from steady and was only going to increase, so I eased off for the climb up Cleveden Road and let the leaders get away, although I could still see them in the distance by the time I reached Dawsholm Road. Got back to the gates in 38:50 for a 6:36/mile average, assuming the measured distance of 5.89 miles is correct, although it might have been slightly overestimated.

3.4 miles recovery

After playing football for the first time in ages, and getting through it reasonably well, I went on a slow recovery run round the usual 3.4-mile route.

5.7 miles steady

I decided to get in some steady miles instead of doing hill reps with the club. I was going to dodge hills entirely but I wanted to check out a footpath off Drymen Road which I had spotted on an old OS map, so I headed straight there from Garscube Estate. The footpath was still there and ran behind the ski school, so it turned out to be more of a climb than Stockiemuir Road. It was also somewhat overgrown towards the Stockiemuir Avenue end. The rest of the route took me back along Stockiemuir Avenue, over Mosshead Road and down Milngavie Road. Got back to Garscube Estate in 42:21, a steady 7:31 average for the 5.65 miles.

6.6 miles steady

Ran the longer Craigton Road route from Bearsden Asda. It was a struggle from the start and it was a few miles before I felt reasonably comfortable. In the closing stages I managed to push my average pace below 7:00/mile which had been looking very unlikely. Distance came out at 6.63 miles, time was 46:11 for a 6:58 average.

7 miles steady

Feeling a bit fatigued, I ran my usual 7-mile route via Garscube Estate in a steadier 48:34, 6:56/mile. Weekly total: 32 miles.

3.9 miles slow, 5.2 miles moderate

Went out in the morning with Natasha for 3.93 miles via Shakespeare Street, Cleveden Drive and Napiershall Street. In the afternoon I had a go at the Dorchester Avenue route which came out at a more realistic 5.2 miles this time, completed in 34:02 for a 6:33/mile average.

9.4 miles hard

The club training session was supposed to be a choice between 6 and 10 miles. After having taken Wednesday off I felt able to try the longer route, which took us up Maryhill Road and Milngavie Road, then around the course of the Hogmanay Handicap, and back down to Garscube Estate. The fast pack was larger than usual to begin but not everybody was running the 10 miles, and by the time we reached the rugby club there were four of us leading the way. I was feeling some hamstring tightness, mostly on the left side, but nothing too serious, and my main handicap was lack of fitness. After about 5 miles, on the climb up to the mill, I was finally dropped, although I did drag myself back into third with a couple of miles to go, finishing a minute or two off the pace. It came out at 9.42 miles, timed at 1:00:37 for a 6:26/mile average, which I would normally have described as a moderate pace but for the distance and difficulty of the route.

6.5 miles steady

I took a break on Monday and felt just about fit enough to turn up for Tuesday's club training session, mostly because it was an out-and-back where I could run at whatever pace I liked. The plan was to run along the canal for 23 minutes, then turn around and run back to the start in 22. The hamstring was causing me a few problems on the way out but nothing I didn't feel able to run through. We stuck to a steady pace and almost made it as far as the footbridge to the Student Village. I duly picked it up on the way back although it was hard to judge the pace, and I arrived back at the start nearly half a minute too early, even with a lot of easing off towards the end. The distance came out at 6.52 miles, completed in 44:35 for a 6:50/mile average.