MONDAY 23RD MAY

Ran from work to scotstoun, then ran home after coaching.Total miles 10.02.
It was very windy at scotstoun tonight so claire and mark did 6+110m sprints.

SUNDAY 22ND MAY

REST DAY

Total mileage for week. 62 miles.

SATURDAY 21ST MAY

Was working at sculpta this morning so i ran along the canal to kelvin walkway then to kelvingrove park giving me 5.15 miles in the morning. Then i ran too gri to get my clothes i left at work giving me 2.22 miles, to meet suzanne for a late lunch in waxy's.
Total miles. 7.37miles.

FRIDAY 20TH MAY

Well what a day, i set out to do my run at 12.30 and during the first 3 miles it was sunny, then hail stones, then pouring, then some heavy hail stones and then the sun was out !
Today i did the same run as last friday so along the canal to spiers wharf the through charing cross to kelvingrove park, then kelvin walkway garscube estate and home. When i was on the kelvin walkway to young students passed me, so i stuck in behind them and passed them about 2 miles later, its nice to be back to myself as before the fling race. The last 2 weeks of training have been hell, as i felt constantly tired falling asleep early every night, being grumpy and in general spiraling into a sort of deep depression. So now i feel 100 times better and still running, so what happened ! well after the fling the next week i trained too hard and basically over trained and my head went down. So back on track and aiming to get a few decent weeks training till the whw race and probably do a 36mile training run next week, which will be on the whw.
Total mileage. 12.6m
Well done to all the harriers who ran the helensburgh 10k, a total of 12 runners from the club ran.

THURSDAY 19TH MAY

Ran home from work was late in leaving so didnt manage any extra miles.
Total 6.69 miles.

WEDNSDAY 18TH MAY (coaching)

Ran to scotstoun tonight and once again it was cold / wet / windy. Tonight andrew, james and mark were all at training so it was 5 + 100m with acceleration at 50m. I ran home after training giving me 8.5 miles for the day.

TUESDAY 17TH MAY

Was late leaving work so wasnt going to get to clydebank in time for training at st peters, so it was plan b. Ran from glasgow royal along clyde walkway, then headed up to shawlands cross then headed to pollock park then headed past ibrox to the clyde tunnel and home giving me. Total mileage 13.1 miles.

MONDAY 16TH MAY

Ran to work this morning giving me 5.5miles.
Ran to scotstoun to coaching  5.8 miles.
Ran home for scotstoun 2.4 miles.
Coaching, the kids had been racing on sunday so it was a easy session of 6 +50m for the sprinters and 6+150m for the middle distance group.

SUNDAY 15TH MAY

Not sure if today will be anything other than another rest day. After my fling and the week afters training i have been suffering with calf cramp and a nigglie calf. My plan was to run the 10ks in the next few weeks but with only 5 weeks till the whw race im not sure whether to risk it. So plan is for next week to be high mileage and see how i feel.

SATURDAY 14TH MAY

Today i was working in labelle forme clinic and so a run looks as though its out the window so its a rest day today.

FRIDAY 13TH MAY

Today i was off work so did the school run and went for a run at lunch time. I met one of my old athletes today michael kinsella he is at medical school and doing triathlons at the moment.
Ran along the canal to spiers warf and along charing cross to kelvingrove park. Went along kelvin walkway to garscube estate the headed through cairn woods in westerton then home.
The weather today was awfull i started in rain, then sun, then heavier rain, the sun, then hail stones, then sun and rain again. Hope its not like this on the 18th june.
Total mileage. 12.6 miles.

THURSDAY 12TH MAY

RAN HOME FROM WORK 6.4 MILES.

WEDNESDAY 11TH MAY

Ran home frome work 6.4 miles.

TUESDAY 10TH MAY

Ran home from work 6.4 miles home.

MONDAY 9TH MAY (COACHING)

Ran to scotstoun after work giving me 6.7 miles.
Session 2(4+200)M at 800m pace.

SUNDAY 8TH MAY

Rest day.
Total Weeks Mileage. 63.77 miles.

(PARK RUN) SATURDAY 7TH MAY

Ran to pollock park and my calf was a little sore, so plan was to see how it felt during my strides. I had no pain during my strides so i was going to run as hard as i could. After a quick chat with the ever young/ bobby. It was to the start line, one of the main problems with this race is the start being very congested.
Today seen alot of harriers running this 5k it was nice to see so many familiar faces.
My times were,
1m - 6m 31 sec.
2m - 6m 45 sec.
3m - 6m 36 sec.
Finish Time, 20 min 15 sec in 37th place/ unofficial result.
At the end i got set to run home and met 2 surgeons i work with and ran with them to the start of the womens 10k tomorrow, which was at his house. My run home was a bit sore with calf cramp and a sore back. I met mark gormley of cambuslang at victoria park and had a 10 minute chat with him.
Total mileage. 18.5 miles

FRIDAY 6TH MAY

This weeks training has been going well, infact too well ! the miles are building up and iv been feeling good. So with only 1 rest day after the highland fling and in danger of running a big mileage for the week i have reluctantly decided to have a rest day. I dont particulary like having rest days as i would rather have a easy or short recovery run, but my calf has been getting a bit nigglie so im having a day off. Tomorow im doing the Park run and this usually gives me a 19 / 20 miles for the morning with a fast for me 5k.

THURSDAY 5TH MAY

Was back to work today, so it was a run home from work along the canal and home for a glass of wine after a hard 1 day at work week.
Total mileage 6.35 miles.

WEDNESDAY 4TH MAY ( coaching)

Ran to scotstoun and back for coaching, andrew was warmed up and ready to start his session as i arrived. We had decided to do block start at the 100m start and 200m start in preparation for his age group champs at the weekend.
Total mileage. 4.41m.
Days total mileage.14.1 miles.

WEDNESDAY 4TH MAY

Ran from my house to forth clyde canal to maryhill and ran down queen margret drive, cut through botanic gardens onto kelvin walkway then through garscube estate then dawsholme park then up through cairnhill wood and home. I felt tired the last 3 miles, must be tired from yesterdays training.
Total mileage 9.7m

CLUB - TRACK SESSION

Ran from my house to my brothers at clydebank, we headed of to st peters and did a 2 mile warm up. I was never going to do the club session but had decided to do some stretching and strides. So i ended up running 10 laps of the track with a 100m stride every lap. Ran with derek for the warm down then jogged home to knightswood.
Total mileage 13.5 miles.
TOTAL MILEAGE FOR DAY -  21.7 MILES.

HIGH COURT (Jury Duty)

I had jury duty today but wasnt needed, so being a typical runner i had pre-planned this and packed my running clothes and managed to do a superman change in the high court toilets. I may have looked a bit strange leaving the building but im sure im not the first person to go running out the building.
Ran along clyde walkway to kingston bridge then headed up to kelvingrove park, then along kelvin walkway home. What another lovely day with the sun out and the wind keeping you cool, i really enjoy running this time of year and it makes up for the winter of snow and ice.
Total Mileage. 8.21 miles.

HIGHLAND FLING - RESULTS

A big well done to heather calderwood for her outstanding run in the fling on saturday she not only finished as 3rd scottish athlete, she was 3rd uk runner and ran an outstanding time of 9hrs 42min 59seconds. This was only 3min 27seconds behind 2nd place and a runner who was running for scotland a month ago in the 100k champs in perth.
Another harrier on top form was john kennedy who ran 10hrs 13min 30seconds for 3rd place over 50 vet in a top quality field and a big well done to craig calderwood for finishing the fling in such hot dry conditions.
This years race was the worst iv seen for athletes falling, it seemed that every check point i reached, there was athletes cut/bruised and bandaged up.

MONDAY 2ND MAY (coaching)

 With it being a bank holiday i was only expecting andrew to turn up to training as everyone was racing on sunday at scotstoun. This was still one more athlete than on wednesday when i left scotstoun at 7.15pm with no runners. So andrew did 6 +120m fast strides and a jog warm down to jordanhill school, a good warm down for a sprinter.
I myself managed to run to scotstoun and ran back home with a slight cramp in my calf, but i felt good running in the sun, even though it was freezing when u stopped.
Total Mileage 4.02 miles.

SUNDAY 1ST MAY

What a way to start a new month  REST DAY !!!

Weeks total mileage 73.88 miles.
APRIL MONTHLY mileage. 285 miles.
YEARS MILEAGE 982 MILES.

HIGHLAND FLING 2011 (5TH)

Well what a day !
I arrived at milngavie at 6.40 after a impatient wait for my taxi, collected my chip and dropped my drop bags in the boot of the cars. It was a bit chilly still, so kept my sweat top on till the race brief and 5 min before start.
I had seen a few people i know and had a quick chat, it was funny to see how some runners had full running kit with rain jackets, with others with vest and shorts. I had decided on t/shirt with 3/4 length tights and my trail shoes. The reason for this is, i always feel at the start the people well wrapped up start sweating and are loosing fluid from start to finish..

My race plan was to go for 11hr split times, luckily a runner did split times for the race and had said that 90% of the field would start too fast. So to the race, the first check point was drymen which was 12+ miles, i had wanted to reach here at 1hr 56min and arrived about 1hr 57min 58. The next check point was balmaha at 19 miles and the first major hill of the day conic, i felt good and met keith hughes/ ian beattie on this section and had a good chat up the hill and down. We were all hoping to get to balmaha before the elite runners went whizzing past and so on the descent jez bragg went hurtling down like a hill runner in the need of the toilet. My hat of to all the guys who can sprint down a hill and not get injured, for me a track/road runner it is only a pipe dream. Sogot to balmaha at 3hr 20min total running time.
At the change over i had rice pudding/ custard pudding and quickly filled my water bottle. I met with a guy called ian who was running with keith and going for 11hr finish he said ian / keith were both just ahead, i only seen keith at the end finishing in about 11.30 approx. So off to rowedenan and it was starting to get hot, at this secton last year the first relay runner had past but nobody yet, there was lots of walkers who were all very kind and let all the runners past. Got to rowerdenan and felt good and this was my next check for my pace was 4hrs 50min. I arrived at 11.47 am giving me 4hrs 47min aprox, so going well. It was hot now and id stopped eating my rices here, only had 1 with with a few jelly beans.
Rowerdennan to inversnaid, this section is hilly and never seems to stop, but with people around makes it easier, i felt i was still strong but it was getting hotter , but thankfully there was a nice wind and this section is shaded too.
Inversnaid to beinglass farm, this is the hardest section of the run, being technical and most difficult under foot. The problem for me during this section is im a (track/road runner) to trade, i have no sense of balance and im one of the slowest runners in this section with old grannys passing by saying your doing well son. At the start of the section a vet who i caught at the start of the section ran with me and ran just behind me making me run the runable sections alot harder than normal, he got away from me near the end of the section as i stopped for a drink and chased him to beinglass farm. The wind at this section was very strong and a life saver as it was very hot at this section, this section takes longer than the miles say. I arrived at beinglass at 15.15pm giving me a total running time of around 8hrs 20min aprox. My slit i was aiming for was 8hrs 30 min. So my plan was perfect, after another quick stop refuild with water and drank about 400mls of water.
Beinglass farm to Tyndrum , i knew that in the past iv ran this section in 3hrs so if the wheels didnt fall off id manage 11hrs 30 min giving me a new pb. This section climbs and climbs to crainlarich forrest where you have a roller coaster 3miles in the forrest, your time here just gets eaten up so much and you really cant wait to get down the final hill to the road section where alot of the back up crews and spectators meet there runners. It was at this point that a back up crew gave the runner a can of coke, i nearly cried as i was so dehydrated and a can of coke would have been great. The final 3 miles i was trying to keep going but was getting tired quickly and with looking at my watch every 2 seconds i knew i would be inside 11hr 30min.  The Fling finish is something to behold as you get to about 400m to go the sound of bagpipes in the distance can be heard, i passed  3 kids on the river who said well done and as i passed they threw a brick at me, but i kept going as i just wanted to sit down. Once passed the pipes, it was 100 yards to the finish so wiped away the sweat and try to look good for the finish. Stopped my watch at 11hrs and 11min and then got shouted at by the timers to swipe my chip.
So a new pb and a great day out on the west highland way, this race has a relay race as part of the day with the sections between 12/ 13miles it would be great to get a clydesdale team involved as its a great day out !

FRIDAY 29TH APRIL

With just under 1 day to go to the biggest ultra race in britain this year, i really am getting excited at the prospect of the top ultra runners in britain passing me on loch lomond and running my 5th highland fling race.
The weather looks as though its going to 19 degrees tomorrow, so will be a long day on the whw route. Does the weather make any changes to my race, well i might change to 2 water bottles for the section between inversnaid to beinglass farm as this section in previous years can get very hot and nowhere to get a extra drink and catches people out at how long it takes to do this section. I may decide to dilute my carbo drinks as i expect i will be drinking more.
During the glasgow to edinburgh race i lost 8lbs after the race, with me drinking 5.5 litres of fluid during the race.
So plan tomorow is to weigh myself before i leave for the start, get plenty of sun screen/vasoline on and try to be well hydrated for the rest of the day. Bad news is my wife suzanne is going to a wedding reception tonight in motherwell which i cant make, due to getting up at 5am and suzanne will be lucky if she can make it home for 3am. So not long to go and wishing everyone a good holiday weekend again and happy running.
J4J.

THURSDAY 28TH APRIL

Was at work today and stopped off on my way home to get some energy drinks from sweatshop at anniesland. Once again was given great service and managed to get the box of gels for £30. Today is a rest day so no plans except to try and get as good a sleep tonight as possible for the fling on saturday.
Must admit im getting excited and a bit nervous as my ankle got sore running home on tuesday after my track session, but i cant do anything about that except, use my portable ultra sound on ankle and do ankle rolls.
Rest Day.

WEDNESDAY 27TH APRIL (COACHING)

Ran to coaching from work and arrived at 6.50. I left at 7.10pm, i had been told a few of the athletes werent coming tonight but was expecting 2 kids, suppose the lure of the champions league semi - final was too much. Ran home.
Total mileage. 6.64m and 2.2m. 8.8Miles.

TUESDAY 26TH APRIL TRACK SESSION

Tonight was to be a light track session of 12 + 150m with the rest of the lap recovery. Felt ok during the session and it was great having lots of bodys on the track. My ankle started to get sore running home, never mind ! Iv only got 2 more runs to go before my race on saturday.
Total mileage 12 miles

MONDAY 25TH APRIL

Due to all my athletes for tonights session calling off, it was easy just to cancel the session and make today a rest day.

EASTER SUNDAY RUN

After my duties of rolling eggs and easter egg hunt and having to watch the old firm game with my father inlaw it was my turn.
So i set out onto grt western road along  to the botanic grdns, kelvin walkway then garscube estate and dawsholme park then westerton forrest home.
Total mileage.8.27 miles in 1hr 8m 52sec.
Weekly Mileage.56miles.

To Taper Or Not !

I have my next ultra on saturday, the highland fling. This race is one of my favourite races of the year and it will be my 5th time running the event. Last years race was going well till i was running down the nice section at conic hill on the path and lost my consentration then went over my ankle at 19 miles. I managed to get to the finish but it was later that i discovered i had a grade 3 twisted ankle with torn ligaments.

So do you taper when iv only got 50 odd days to the westhighland way race, well after my glasgow to edinburgh race, i had not tapered and did find it harder than it should have been. But i recovered alot quicker than before in this race. Cause the race is 53 miles i only need to run 22 miles monday to thurday to give me 75 miles for the week. So im coaching on monday and wednesday so plan is 10 miles each day and a jog for jesus on thursday.

Plans for the race,
                            I am probably fitter than iv been anytime doing ultra races, so will i do as the g2e and go at a steady pace or easy at the start with the plan being not to slow down as much, well i think that it will be plan (a)
 Steady at the start and make the most of the 7am start and a flatish 12 miles to drymen.

SATURDAY 23RD APRIL

Today i went for a run with my brother derek, we ran along the forth and clyde canal to maryhill loch and onto the kelvin walkway, up through dawsholme park and through the forrest at westerton. The weather was wet and  mild.
 Total distance was 5.55m

FRIDAY 22ND APRIL

Off work today and did my 10 mile loop, which is actually 10.39 miles. I wore a pair of shorts and vest which is very unlike me. The sun was shining and it was a little breeze. Wish i had weighed myself as i was constantly sweating buckets. My average miling was 7.34m a mile and i felt steady all the way, i really enjoyed my run and as i was going along i was remembered of the saying PAIN IS THE BODYS WAY OF GETTING RIDE OF WEAKNESS ! ! !
Total mileage 10.39m

THURSDAY 21 APRIL

Ran from glasgow royal infirmary to glasgow green and ran along the clyde walkway into glasgow and crossed over into govan and ran through the clyde tunnel and ran through victoria park and up through jordan hill to knightswood. My legs were tired before the run i was tired and so the run was very hard just to keep going but i did manage to add a few extra miles which is always good when your counting your miles.
Total mileage. 9.75m.

WEDNESDAY 20TH APRIL

Rest day.
Was at work till 10.30 pm and didnt get a run done, legs were sore anyway, but a run would have eased them off maybe.

TUESDAY 19TH APRIL ( CLUB TRACK SESSION )

Today i made arrangements to meet my brother derek and go to clydesdale harriers new venue for training at  Saint Peter's in clydebank. The facilitys in the school were excellent, the running track is closed off to joe public and only way in was through the school. The track was quite soft and the weather was perfect. A perfect venue for running with toilets close bye.
I met up with derek at his house and ran round the corner to the school, the senior athletes met outside and ran a 2.25m loop on the road as a warm up. Tonights session was 15 + 200m with a jog back infield to the start, i had intended doing 20 reps and derek had decided on 16 reps - why ? well my reason was when i did 200m reps it was always 20 reps and derek always did 16 reps. The session was alot harder than i thought due to a few reasons.
 (1) The last proper speed session done was 1994
 (2) I had intended doing a 200m jog recovery this wasabout 90m.
 (3) There were lots of bodys about so this made the session more competitive and intense.
My session was probably 41s average for the 20 200m reps and my warm down was 4 miles home with my head a little dizzy on the way home due to either trying to hard or maybe it was running round the track so much.
So verdict on the new venue PERFECT it will be a magnet for new recruits (kids) and with some publicity in the local papers about our new training facilities and easy to find the mighty DALE will be in good hands in years to come.
Sad news this week another harrier runner has left the dale ranks and joined another club, so whats my conclusion to all this stupidity i can only assume that tha radiation fallout from japan has arrived in clydebank and sent these athletes mad clydesdale harriers are one of the biggest clubs in scotland we have a great tradition in the club that has disappearedin recent years due to being evicted from our home in whitecrook and our winter headquarters the old swimming baths. I believe that the new track in clydebank is a great start to bringing back the good values which is installed in all the harrier runners in the past and good times are round the corner.
 It was great to see so many age groups together tonight and the clydesdale harriers training as a club again.
Total mileage. 8.91 miles.

MONDAY 18TH APRIL

I was doing a back shift today so ran to work at 11am in shorts and sunglasses what a wonderfull day it was along the forth and clyde canal to glasgow royal infirmary. 6.4 miles

Finished my shift at 9pm and ran home in the rain along great western road to knightswood.5.91miles.
Total mileage today 12.32 miles.

SUNDAY 17TH APRIL

Ran to work via clydebank giving me 10.84 miles
Weeks mileage. 30.95m.
Wrotten weeks training due to sore ankle and kids on holiday.

SATURDAY 16TH APRIL

Ran from gri to house 6.34 miles.

FRIDAY 15TH APRIL

Rest day. watching the kids.

THURDAY 14TH APRIL

With my new shift pattern in work i am working sat/sun and was off work mon/thur. So did a run from knightswood to grt western rd / botanic grns / river kelvin / garscube est / dawsholme then through westerton forrest to my house. My run was ok and my legs only got sore the last 2 miles, ankle a bit niggly but not stop me running. Went to la vitas in george square for late lunch and we all had a lovelly time and wine with lunch during the week is just the business.
Miles today. 8.58m.

WEDNESDAY 13TH APRIL

Was meant to be coaching tonight but got held up in work so had to cancel the session.
Ran home from work tonight this was my first run since the glasgow to edinburgh race. My legs felt fine, thighs a bit heavy and only 1 twinge in my ankle.
Total milles 5.44m.

TUESDAY 12TH APRIL

REST DAY

MONDAY 11TH APRIL

Had a plan in the back of my head to run back from coaching tonight but my right ankle is like a balloon and bruised so will try and rest as much as my 2 kids let me.

SUNDAY 10TH APRIL

Rest day

Total mileage for the week 81.75 miles.

Comments, ankle swollen, hip feels ok, lost 6 lbs during the race and looking forward to my next training run " GOD KNOWS WHEN"

RESULT 9HRS 39MIN 52SEC  ( 18TH )

GLASGOW TO EDINBURGH 56M

Well this was my first ultra of 2011 and its been the hardest iv trained for a long while, so what was my plan for this race - failing to plan is planning to fail. My normal tactics is start at the back and try to slow less than everyone else a good tactic when running ultras. So what was my plan for today Pain - i had decided to make the most of my training and see how a faster start would be like in a ultra. The start of this race is in ruchill park just opposite partick thistle ground and i thought of bobby ross ( why would you leave a club you had ran for the last 39 years i was told that is twice as long as a morgage, marriage and in britain 3 life sentences.
Start, 9am my plan went as normal i ran close to the top 20 runners and felt comfortable with my first mile in 7m 51 o my god i normally only run at this miling for 1 or 2 miles of my 10 miler run o hey ho it was a down hill start. The miles ticked by and i had averaged 8.40 for the first check point at 13 miles. My plan had been 9 minute miles average so not so bad. My right ankle was starting to get sore at 14 miles and seemed to locked at the extended position but my calf was good and it was getting warmer as every mile went by.

The second check point was at the falkirk wheel at 22 miles which were all inside 8.50 miling and it was getting warmer again i stopped here as this was were drop bag point for the rest of the race. I had 4 gels to pick up and 2 rice pudding which i eat up the hill to the tunnel the chocolate all got left at the check point as i knew it was hot and getting hotter and choc is not what you want in the heat.

The third check point was at about 34 miles my average miling was getting slightly slower with the average miling 10.20 miling, so what happened here first i went through the marathon in 3hrs 58 min and hit the halfway point in 4hrs 20 min. My ankle was agony and slowing me down the heat was slowing me down and i had ran too fast the first half. This check point i had a longer break i took my shoes/socks off and put my feet in the union canal and changed my socks.

Check point four was at at 43 miles and my average miling had slowed more and i had made a mistake in my sis carbo drink i had made up a double dose for the next 2 check points but mixed it into 1 bottle which was only just about sip-able. Average miling sub 11 minute miling but my ankle was ok for a few miles but started getting sore again halfway through this leg.

Check point 5, this was the shortest leg of the race and i was limping badly and getting hip pain in the right side due to my ankle. Average miling this leg was sub 12 minute miling.

Final leg, my ankle was very very sore, my early pace had left me struggling more than usual, the heat had taken its toll on my body, my right heel was burning and my right hip was in spasm. Average miling for this leg was sub 13 minute miling and my last mile in 10.36.

I had finished a broken man i was very uncomfortable and only able to shuffle along at a snails pace, after a chat with the race organizer for 15 minutes and a hand shake to the wnner grant jeans ( he clapped everyone who finshed ) cant say iv ever seen a road or cross country winner stay at the finish and cheer the other finishers. Ultra runners are different from other runners, but in a really good way.
I finished in 19th place in a new pb of 9 hrs 39min, pb by about 8 min.

So what did i get out of the race well i loved all the sweat all the pain and all the discomfort of trying so hard. Would i do it again, yes but only when i can walk properly again What did i do wrong all of the above and didnt ease up for the race, would i change anything, no i bloody loved every pain staking second of it and it will make me tougher for the WHW in june 18th.

So why did my ankle get sore was it the new trainers or the thicker socks that cost £11 or was it the camber of the canal or that in april of last year, during the fling i twisted my right ankle at 19 mile and ran the next 34 miles in agony. Was it that after the WHW race that after a month that the swelling had went down to reveal a lump of ligament on the outside of my ankle floatting about. Who knows but i wouldnt change anything cause this is the joys of JOGGING FOR JESUS and as one of my many many training partners said (gary higgins) he always called me "no gain without pain HALPIN."

FRIDAY 8TH APRIL

Ran from house onto canal and along to next generation centre and went into the sweat shop, had a quick look round and got 2 pairs of socks for cheaper than 1 pair out of achilles heel and i was served straight away and the chap serving was very helpfull and its close to my house. So need to remember to go to the sweat shop rather than achilles heel, who are taking advantage of folk just wanting running shoes and leaving with a big credit card bill or even a new morgage.

GLASGOW TO EDINBURGH 56m
Spent this morning getting my drinks ready for tomorrow, there is 5 check points and so iv got 5 sis drinks ready with 5 gels to take. Food wise i will be taking my no brainer rice puddings at each check point and a bar of choc at each check point. I certainly wont take everything at the check pionts but at least its there if i want it. Most important thing for tomorow is the £5 in my bum bag to get a pint at the finish and unlike last year where i kept thinking for 56 miles a nice cold pint of guinness and was served a warm pint i will go for a glass of magners with ice. So heres hoping for a nice day tomorow and lots of interesting people to talk to and not to many dogs, people cycling and walkers with prams.
Good luck to everyone who is racing at the weekend !

THURSDAY 7TH APRIL

Got a phone call to ask if id work today in the afternoon in the harley medical group to do a vasor, as suzanne was taking the kids to a friends for lunch i decided to work. So as usual if im working i run to work and run back as well. The sun was shining and i left the house for 1.30pm i ran along the forth and clyde canal onto the kelvin walkway and stopped off to get a new pair of socks and some gels for my race on saturday. So i stopped of at achilles heel and had to wait 5 minutes to be ripped off for 11 pounds for a pair of socks, while i waited for my hard earned money to be passed on the place was jumping with people talking about running shoes and being natural or pronator or as i heard a chap say "well your feet arent slapping," all i can say is i hope the people in the shop all have good jobs cause i couldnt afford a pair of shoes out of there. I really dont see the point of someone paying £80 to £100 for a pair of shoes that they will wear for 10 to 20 miles a week in the summer.
I have this week invested in 3 pairs of new shoes 1 pair from sports direct £48 for a pair of cumulus 12, cheapest price on the internet and 2 pairs of shoes from mnm direct costing £55. Now im trying to decide which pair to wear on saturday but maybe i should have asked someone in achilles heel and they may have got me to buy a pair of high mileage top of the range trainers, cause im running 56 miles on saturday. Well having worn the 3 pairs iv decided to wear the cheapest pair cause they feel the best for the canal and for me, so maybe im old fashioned but when i run i just bloody run and god willing i get to the end of the race and i might have a couple of pounds left in my pocket cause i never bought my shoes out of achilles heel other wise known as DAY LIGHT ROBBERS and i can afford a pint at the end of my run.
So ran 5.5m to charing cross and back 5.9 miles
Total mileage 11.39 miles.

WEDNESDAY 6TH APRIL (coaching)

Organized coaching to be at 10am today so set off at 9.30 and ran to coaching at scotstoun. Andrew was the only athlete that i expected and once id arrived he had already warmed up and done his strides. There was a athletics camp on inside so we went out and did some drills outside, then took a break and went indoors. We had decided to do sprint starts so did 6 + 20m. After a talk about everything it was 11amand time for me to run home again. Luckily the rain/wind had stopped so it wasnt too bud running home.
Total mileage 2.83 and 3.83 giving me 6.66 m.

TUESDAY 5TH APRIL

Due to being on holiday this week and getting a niggle in my left calf (again). I have taken the day off my main aim this year is to run a sub 26 hr westhighland way in june the 18th so i will try to keep my mileage at 75ish miles a week till then.

MONDAY 4TH APPRIL

Im on a weeks holiday this week so spent the day with the family and ran to coaching and back, my calf was sore today so 2 races in a weekend wasnt a good idea, but i did enjoy it.
Roshen, claire and james did 2(4 +200)m. With the 2 andrews and mark did 100/200/300m + 2 sets.
Total mileage 6.1 miles.

SIX STAGE RELAYS

Did the six stage relays today i was the last runner in the b team, i was happy to just finish the race with no injuries so objective 1 completed. Average mile pace 7.02 for the race so faster today than the 5k yesterday 7.04 with double the distance and a bit windy today so happy with today. Total mileage 12.08
Weekly mileage. 74.54 miles.

2ND APRIL POLLOCK PARK 5K

Decided to do this race last night and not to run too hard so it was up at 7.30 and get ready to leave for 8am. Felt tired running to pollock park, think i had a bit too much wine last night. It was 8.06 miles warm up and a steady 5k round the park. Warm down was 8.54 miles home. Result, 21m31sec.
Total mileage 19.65 miles.

1ST APRIL

Today i ran onto the forth and clyde canal ran up to maryhill where i ran onto queen margaret drive then into the botanic gardens and onto the kelvin walkway. Once i got to garscube estate it was through there and into dawsholme park and into westerton forrest and home.
This was a longer run than planned but thought id get a few extra miles in the bank for the week.
Total mileage 9.5 miles.

TOTAL MILEAGE FOR  MARCH WAS,      224.33 MILES.
TOTAL MILEAGE FOR FEBRUARY WAS  212.96 MILES
TOTAL MILEAGE FOR JANUARY WAS    263.10 MILES

THURSADY 31ST MARCH

Wanted to do something different tonight so i ran from gri along the clyde walkway then headed up pollockshields rd to minard rd then up past my old hockey club clydesdale and ran up to pollock park. Once in pollock park i did my usual route when doing the park run.
Total mileage. 12.87 miles

WEDNESDAY 30TH MARCH (coaching)

Today i ran from glasgow royal infirmary to scotstoun via the clyde walkway, govan and clyde tunnel. Giving me 7.55 miles.Training for andrew tonight was sprint drills and some run throughs and accelerations. Ran home from scotstoun giving me 2.55 miles.
Total mileage today 10.10 miles.

TUESDAY 29TH MARCH

Today was my wife suzanne birthday she is on her 40th birth year and i had no option but to have a rest day even though i went to work and took my running gear i was given the big ear !
Total mileage 0
Meaning i need to make up 10 miles in the next 5 days.

MONDAY 28TH MARCH (COACHING)

Ran from work to scotstoun via charing cross/kelvin walkway/annieasland/ scotstoun. Total miles 7.84
Coaching - sprinters- did 4 + 150m with accelerating last 50m.
                  middle distance- 2(200/300/200)m.
Ran home after coaching 2.5m
Total Mileage 10.34 miles.
Felt tired today but just plodded away.

SUNDAY 27TH MARCH

Started my run at 7.30pm and the sun had set at 7.45pm it got dark at just about 5 miles and the weather was just perfect had a easy run and speeded up the last mile to catch the train.As i arrived at milngavie the train had just left, so it was 30 minutes to the next train i set of on my way home with a few extra miles.So only 1 fall and only managed to kick 1 stone and 1 very large rock. Wildlife on the way was 1 deer, 1 duck and wild geese flying over my head.
Total mileage 19.07 miles.

SATURDAY 26TH MARCH

Awoke this morning and felt wrotten so my plan to do 10 miler went down the drain, so plan b was just to get a run done cause thats what i am a runner and not a man who has rest days 7 days a week. So i did the canal kelvin walkway and garscube estate through the forrest and home giving me a 5.57 miles my average heart rate was 176 which had me worried, till i remembered my heart rate monitor slipped down to my waist O GOD I MUST BE LOOSING WEIGHT better not mention this to the wife.
Total mileage 5.57 miles.

FRIDAY 25TH MARCH

After a quick trip to the doctors to check i am not suffering from a infection and i wasnt, it was back to training again. Iv been feeling not that great for 4 weeks now and im sure i will be fine for my first ultra on the 9th april which is the Glasgow to Edinburgh along the forth and clyde and then the grand union canal. This race is now in its third year and this will be the third time iv ran it. Last year i did the D33 as my first ultra and decided not to do it this year as it involved a nights stay in aberdeen and i thought the expense would be better used in a ultra in england over a bigger distance like caesurs camp endurance run 100 miler.
Today i was looking forward to running in the sun with shorts and t-shirt. So once i got out at 1pm it was no sun but shorts on and long sleeved top with a t-shirt on. I was going to do a ten miler as iv seemed to do 10 miles nearly every day this week, but i had to do the school run at 3pm so decided with 43ish miles this week i would do a 6 miler and make my mileage to 50 miles in 5 days. Sound right if your a runner and daft if ur not. So my run was canal / kelvin walkway / garscube estate / dawsholme and along through westerton forrest to my house in knightswood, giving me 6.67 miles and 50.38 miles for the week.
Tomorrow im working all day on my day off, in the sculpta clinic in the morning and labelle forme in the afternoon so if im hoping to get a run in, it will be early morning which might not happen but well see.

THURSDAY 24TH MARCH

Ran from work to glasgow green then along the clyde walkway to govan then ran through the clyde tunnel to victoria park, then headed through jordanhill to knightswood cross then home. Today's run was at 4.30 and the weather was great it wasnt that long ago we had snow, im really looking forward to my first ultra on the 9th april ( glasgow to edinburgh) 56miles along the forth and clyde and grand union canals.
mileage total 9.85 miles.

WEDNESDAY (COACHING) 6PM

Ran from my house along the forth and clyde canal to anniesland crow road and through victoria park and round the back of scotstoun giving me 4.06 miles.
Andrew was the only athlete to come tonight so we did 3+300m in 45s 46s and 46s. The running track was getting busy when we had finished with the spec saver referees and the rugby guys in the infield.
Ran home via the back of scotstoun to victoria park onto crow road to great western road and past knightswood cross then home giving me 3.81 miles.
total mileage for night 7.87 miles
Total mileage for the day 14.3 miles.

WEDNESDAY 23RD MARCH

Ran from my house at 6am to work along the forth and clyde canal, still not feeling great but alot better than mon / tuesday. Total of 6.43 miles.

TUESDAY 22ND MARCH

Ran from work down to glasgow green and over the clyde river and through the clyde tunnel. Along through victoria park and up through jordanhill giving me 9.57 miles for the day.
Once again iv been feeling terrible with another throat infection and feeling quite miserable, but will try to keep jogging for jesus and try to keep my miles up and try not to hard while running i also need to try harder not to be grumpy.
Total mileage 9.57 miles.

MONDAY 21ST MARCH (COACHING)

Ran from work down to the clyde walkway and ran across the squinty bridge and headed through govan to the clyde tunnel and headed to scotstoun for my coaching session. 7.45 miles.
Tonights session was a 800m session of 2(3+300)m. The weather was milder tonight and it was almost light when i arrived.
Ran home at 8pm giving me 2.55 miles.Once home i felt terrible it had been very hot today in the operating theatre and everyone was sweating and having run twice with no drink i must have been a bit dehydrated.
Total mileage 10 miles. A good start to the week.

SUNDAY 20TH MARCH

Had a case in sculpta clinic this morning and today is our wedding anniversary so cant get for a run today, so another rest day.

SATURDAY 19TH MARCH

Tomorrow is my wedding anniversary and we are all going out for dinner so today has become a rest day.

FRIDAY 18TH MARCH

House to forth and clyde canal to maryhill locks and along the river kelvin and dawsholme park / garscube estate and through westerton to my house.
Tolal mileage 6.62 miles.

THURSDAY 17TH MARCH

Ran home along the clyde walkway and ran over to govan and through the the clyde tunnel.
Mileage.9.79 miles

WEDNESDAY

Ran from work to scotstoun added a extra mile to my run. Gave andrew 4 + 80m  4+40m.
Claire/ caitlin  arrived and did 2 (4+200)m at 800m pace. Ran home the usual 2miles home.
mileage 6.98m and 2.55miles

TUESDAY

REST DAY

MONDAY 14TH MARCH

Ran from work to coaching and at the end of the session i was frozen, after eventually my legs got going forward again i ran the 2 miles home. Session 6 + 120m.
Total mileage 7.89 miles

SUNDAY 13TH MARCH

Was working today in sculpta clinic so once again another rest day. I will restart training on monday with the focus of my first ultra of the year the glasgow to edinburgh double marathon on the 9 th april.

SATURDAY 12TH MARCH

Did my first new shift in work today so took another rest day.

FRIDAY 11TH MARCH

Rest Day today,
                        with my thoughts and prayers going to the people in japan and everyone else involved.

THURSDAY 10TH MARCH

Rest day, my calf had got sore on thursday after my run so as training has been going well this week is becoming a easy week.

WEDNESDAY 9TH (COACHING)

Ran from work to scotstoun as i get bored doing the same run i decided to run through the south side of glasgow and head for the clyde tunnel. First thing was i ran past pollockshields east train station got a bit lost and ended up running a bit further than i intended which is normally ok but not when your coaching at 7 pm.
The weather tonight was terrible so with only claire training outside the session was changed to 6 +150m, with andrew and david staying indoors.
Mileage 9.4 miles + 2.2miles.

TUESDAY 8TH MARCH

Was going to run home but decided a rest day was best, having run the last 30 years it it still the hardest thing in my life to say im having a rest day !

MONDAY NIGHT (COACHING)

Ran to scotstoun and back giving me 4.24 miles
Sessions Middle distance, 2 (4 + 200)m and sprinters 2 ( 5 +50)m.

MONDAY 7TH MARCH

Off work today so did my 10 mile loop round grt western rd, bearden and faifly, i dont run on this route very often so it was a nice dry day so i ran the loop in1hr 26 min 51sec. Mileage 10.41m and Avg HR/ 145.

6TH MARCH

Up this morning at 6.45am and out the door 4 7.15 i was working in sculpa clinic in charing cross so my run really was jogging for jesus as my legs were quite sore from yesterday, so 5.89 miles and Avg HR 123.
After my 4 hr shift it was the sweaty running gear back on and run home via garscube estate giving me, 6.75 miles and Avg HR 125, as i said i did feel wrotten and tired so the HR really didnt give it away.
TOTAL MILEAGE ; 61 MILES
Not bad for a easy week, but i really did find this week to too hard.

SATURDAY 5TH MARCH (pollock park 5k)

I havent ran the pollock park run for a while now so with no work commitement it was up at 7.30am and out the door 4 8am. I have been trying when im doing long  runs to run fasted, so with just a glass of orange i set off for the 8miles to pollock park my garmin gave me 7.36miles but adding the clyde tunnel which i guess is 0.6m so iv called it 8 miles. Avg. HR 132 in 68min 51sec.

Had a 15 min wait till the start of the race so jogged a bit and talked to joe doyle and lindsay Mcneil for a bit .My last race here was my pb so with a niggle in my calf from yesterday i was just going to run steady. I normally go to the back of all my races but i stood beside joe and lindsay and was quickly passed by a few people, as the race went on i was running comfortable but hardish and i came to the finish speeding up to not let the person behind me pass " very unlike me now". So my mile splits were, 6.54 / 6.58 / 7.05. Avg. HR 162.
My result was 53rd in 21min 19sec. PB.

After a quick drink of water with 2 vitamin c tablets still getting over the cold, i set back home via a wrong turn in pollock park and ran 8.10 miles home with the 0.6miles of the clyde tunnel for 8.7 miles in 78 min 24sec with Avg. HR 136. So in total 8 + 8.7 + 3.1 = 19.8 miles for the day.

FRIDAY 4TH MARCH

Todays run was decided by my son who wanted a pokemon game, so i ran from my house to tesco in milngavie and back home again. Total mileage 7.16m average H/R. 141.
Got a twinge in my calf so my weekend plans may change, so the nigel barge may not be happening this year.

THURSDAY 3RD MARCH

Finished work at 5pm and it was nice to run during the week in daylight, ran from work to the forth and clyde canal home. Due to having a light run monday and rest day tuesday i added a loop of 3 miles.
Total mileage, 9.14 and average H/R. 134

WEDNESDAY 2ND MARCH (COACHING)

Ran from work to scotstoun, then home later giving me 8.27 miles and average H/R 130.
Coaching session 2 (50 +100 + 150 + 200)m. 400m pace session.

TUESDAY 1ST MARCH

REST DAY

MONDAY 28TH FEBRUARY

All my plans fell apart today due to having to go to the dentist, so my run to scotstoun was only 4.17 miles.Which in the end of the day my legs were thankfull and my head was to i think. Average H/R 127.
Todays session was 6 + 150m with a walk back recovery.

MONTHLY MILEAGE  248.94  MILES.

SUNDAY 27TH FEBRUARY

Did a run at 12 noon my legs were heavy, ankles sore and still tired, so this was just going to be a recovery run which it was, my heart rate was 180 the first half mile and my average miling was 11min. This run was almost harder than my run yesterday but im sure i will feel the better tomorrow.
5.51 miles average H/R 127.

SATURDAY 26TH FEBRUARY

Awoke at 5am and got all my kit ready for a day out. My plan was to get the 05.55 sleeper train to bridge of orchy and run down to balmaha, giving me a 40.5 mile run. Todays run was my first long long run of the year, so my plan was to run steady to the top of loch lomond and see how i got on from there.My first 12 miles were all under 10m a mile, then my next 11 miles were all under 13m a mile.
My next and last 7.5 miles were all inside 16minute miles. I had a stop at rowerdenan hotel for a coke and extra water to the finish. I arrived at balmaha at 5.50pm and the bus was due at 6pm.I arrived home at 7.45 pm and had a large glass of wine by 8.15. Used my garmin 305 and the battery lasted 9hrs 30min so will try my next long run with the heart rate monitor and see how long it will run.
Total mileage 40.6 miles 9hrs 24m 44s

FRIDAY 25TH FEBRUARY

REST DAY (feeling a bit better).

Tomorrows plan was to run from bridge of orchy to fort william (36)m.
But having been unwell and with birthdays and working weekends iv decided to reverse my run and do bridge of orchy to balmaha. 35ish miles.
The reason for this means i will be home for 7pm rather than 10pm ish travelling from fort william at 7.10pm bus.So hope the cold is better tamara. 

THURSDAY 24TH FEBRUARY

REST DAY (cold).

WEDNESDAY 23 FEBRUARY

Ran home from work today but added a extra loop to make this run a bit longer, iv been feeling a cold coming on and been having a sore throat, so my plan for a long run saturday may be out the window.
Total mileage 7.83m av/Hr - 133.

TUESDAY 22 FEBRUARY

Was meant to have a half day today at work as i was working at 5.30pm at charing cross clinic, but after a 1.30pm finish i was held up and managed to get away at 4.30pm so it was only a 3.81 mile run rather than the 10 mile+ run. So this weeks mileage will be lower.
Average h/r 133

MONDAY 21ST FEBRUARY

Today was a busy day at work and when i was finished my shift it was with a light heart that i knew that im not coaching this week. So no running to scotstoun and just my usual run homeof 6.3 miles and in the house for 6.30 rather than 8.30pm.

SUNDAY 20TH FEBRUARY

Today was meant to be a long run but was just happy to be running, so ran to clydebank to meet jolene and headed towards dalmuir golf course for a loop then headed back home.
Total mileage. 11.67m and average h/r 137.

TOTAL MILEAGE FOR WEEK  64.81 MILES
AVERAGE PACE   9.06 .
MILES FOR FEBRUARY 180.23

SATURDAY 19TH FEBRUARY

I wasnt able to make the national cc champs due to working today, but the good news was i had a break between patient 11 till 2pm. So i was a run from merchant city onto the clyde walkway and headed up stream. The last time i ran this way was during the clyde stride race, so it was 6 miles out then turned back and ran up to gri hospital for a quick shower.
Today my calf was a little niggly as im pretty sure i had torn my calf yesterday again.
Total mileage. 12.97m average h/r 144.