Hoka Highland Fling - A fling to far...

Set out on saturday morning at 7am knowing it would be a tall order to just finish todays race, which in retrospect why was i on the starting line. As the heading says iv done the highland fling 5 years in a row and going for my 6th. So that was the stupid reason my toe was on the line.
My run was uneventfull until the 2nd last step going down conic hill, i stood on a rock fell over like a manchester united left back, looking for a penalty. Result was twisted left ankle/neck and a poke in the back from the step, a minute later up and running. So uneventfull till 26m and half a mile before the next check point and took my eye of the ball/ground and did a derek johnston in the box, but this time right twisted ankle and i didnt hit the grass it was heather instead. Its not often i have a sensible idea but i called it a day, got to the check point and passed a ambulance. Which i later found out that my friend ellen who organizes the race had went head first and injured her shoulder. So i was pretty glad i came to my senses and DROPPED OUT.
So this will be my last blog on the clydesdale harriers website, well it was taken off by the club committee on march due to some reason or another. This being the first reason for me stopping my blog for the club/ committee. Second the club blog is in my opinion a accident waiting to happen and with the club president seeming to be negative and dismisive of the young athletes running in the club over the years. I can go on and on but as my post says a fling to far and i believe that my time as a clydesdale harrier has been a year too far. I will ask the web manager to remove my blog and my letter of resignation will be in the post. So for a second time in this blog im calling it a day.!
I am planning to keep my blog running for my personal training and for self motivation.
Thanks for reading my blog and happy jogging...
Jogging For Jesus.

Saturday Night

On saturday night i have a evening wedding reception at the house of a art lover, thankfully my wife is going with a friend leaving me the option of trying to get home as quick as possible and try to get dressed for the night or go for a protien bar and watch the kids.
So the plan is, if im not injured, i will atempt to turn up at some point for the event...

Day Before Highland Fling

Getting excited about tomorrow, my thighs are heavy and iv only got a 53 mile trail race, over GODS COUNTRY... So plan is pasta for dinner tonight, up at 5am tomorrow, then pasta for breakfast and head to milngavie for 6ish for a 7am start. The weather forecast looks good, so wont need sun glasses or sun tan lotion.

Another Run

Went for a run this morning, just did the same run as yesterday. So another 4 miles and legs arent too stiff from my run/massage. The guy who does my massage was telling me, Bobby  The Knees Rossburgh has taken early retirement, so good on ye and hope your running is going well.

MASSAGE

Been to achilles heel sports injury clinic, had a good massage legs a bit tender.

25th april

Just back from my run in the rain, my back was ok and i wasnt sick, so a 4 mile run done.

A RUN

Just got my new shorts and hat on to try a run, heres hoping !

PEOPLE WHO I MISS

Well the list would be enormous though i think on a personal view it would be my old coach Derek McGinley. I first started training at the dale as a 1st year in secondry. A strange fellow had come along to the school sports at st andrews and asked me to join the harriers. This small man with a big heart, coached all the young kids at whitecrook and the only thing that was bigger than him, was the two holdall bags he always carried. This legend of a harrier was eventually to leave the club due to with, the committee not entering a boys team as one of the kids hadnt paid his fees. The end result was no team entered even though they would have won.
When i sat on the committee the entries were being filled in for the national champs cc, a runner called ian murphy hadnt paid his fees, so no entry. So hand in my pocket i paid his club fees and he was first finsher for the club that year. Sometimes its a bigger man that says enough is enough with these stupid games that go on in clubs and so Derek McGinley left the club was involved in the administration of athletics meetings all over scotland. Derek was a real gentlman with a heart of gold that i still dearly miss.

TUESDAY 24TH APRIL

Today i got a massage for my back, so a step in the right direction. Tomorrow iv booked a deep tissue massage at achille heel sports injury clinic. There are a few things in life that i hate, one is the achilles heel shop, i was told once if i didnt have anything nice to say, dont say it so. I wont.

Blogging or not to blog that is the question.

After some thought of my life in athletics, i have decided to stop blogging, i have been told by a scottish international runner that it  was just a blog about a guy running, with no pish involved. I have always tryed to keep my love of running which hasnt stopped over 30 years. Unlike my 30 year love with the harriers i knew a while ago the nail was in the coffin, when i was told by a parent that my name was being brought up on the club committee meeting and not in a nice way. Then the committee decided to remove my blog without notice and later sorry wasnt mentioned,  i had in the past asked the committee to put my contact details and venue with times on the club blog. Once again ignored as i am only able to coach mon/wed nights. Which i asume is the reason the commmittee didnt add my details.
I still coached athletes till the end of this year from the club namely claire/ roshien/ rachael, as well as andrew hunter, who i am still coaching. So i will do my best, to get fit and run as many races as possible either as a unattached runner or even join a club who knows. 
I am planning to run this saturday at the highland fling and this race will be my last blog entry.

CLUB BLOG

Not quite sure whats going on with the club blog, with some of the head lines, by the club president and the remarks about younger athletes in the national. Maybe someone has been drinking and blogging at the same time or maybe it is personal attack on coaches and young athletes.
I seem to remember coaching a u15 boy athlete who was 2nd with 800m to go, and finished 4th and ran his best race of the year, in the nationals. I also seem to remember another athlete  i coached wnning a medal at the nationals cc champs. But maybe the club president was still eating his breakfast, when i was already at the event shouting on the young harriers who had trained all through the winter to turn up for the club.
I believe this comment by the club president, to be personal and vindictive to the coaches in the club who go unpaid and spend half there life helping the athletes they coach.  This is the first time in 30 years of running and coaching in the harriers that a club president has said such things about coaches and these young clydesdale harriers who try there hardest for the club and i believe the only thing to do is to resign from the harriers and id hope that the club would have the decency to mention the fact at the AGM,as a harrier who left last year after 40 years running for the club didnt even get mentioned.

FRIDAY 20TH APRIL

Been injured since easter monday, lifting a plant pot at my mums house. On loads of pills and slowly getting better the Highland Fling race is next saturday and i am struggling to make it for then. I have finished the fling 5 times before and this race is my favourite of the year, so God willing i will be happy to be at the start and finish.
Hope to see some friends at the AGM tonight.

FRIDAY 6TH APRIL

Today, i went for a run with Derek, we decided to go to cochno rd and run from the car park, up fishermans path to the jaw reservior and onto the old kilpatrick hills. We managed a very enjoyable run of 6.5 miles in 1hr 16minutes. There was a few hills involved to make it a hard run as well.

THURSDAY 5TH APRIL

Was working till 8pm tonight, so ran home along great western road, to give me 5.3 mile run today.

WEDNESDAY 4TH APRIL

Ran home from work tonight along the canal giving me a 6.4 mile run. Ran quite strong for the whole run, thighs still tender.

TUESDAY 3RD APRIL

Ran from to partick to clydebank, to give me a 4 mile run, had a coffee at my mums, then ran home for 2.5 miles.

MONDAY 2ND APRIL

Ran home from work along the forth and clyde canal giving me a 6.5 mile run. This run wasnt pretty and it probably looked quite funny.

SATURDAY 31ST MARCH

Ran the G2E race today, happy that i ran the whole race and a pb of 13 minutes. I was happy with my race as last year, i was alot fitter, but still managed a pb, though i think that my legs are alot worse than last year. Happy ! but with sore legs.
Weeks Mileage. 84 miles.

MONDAY 26TH MARCH

Ran home from work via my coaching session at scotstoun, giving me 8.5 mile run for the day. Only four days till my first ultra of the year.

SUNDAY 25TH MARCH

Today i ran over the old kilpatrick hills giving me a wet and hilly 20 mile run.