The Long and Winding road - back to fitness

Another week without training for me, it's driving me up the wall. However, Mo managed to do her most miles in a week for a long time. I was optimistic in the middle of last week that I was at last on the mend particularly after having a couple of days pain-free. We even managed to walk to the village hall on Friday night for the annual village quiz. Modisty prevents me from saying how well we did but we have the trophy to prove it. Forever the optimist, at least my mind was being exercised.



On Saturday we headed to Strathclyde parkrun where I was Race Director and Mo was again in the relentless pursuit of her 50th parkrun. Mo managed to get under 23 minutes for the second week in a row.  Unfortunately I was starting to feel pain again and was starting to dread what the next few hours would bring. Alarmingly, I was booked in for a session with Grant McLullich, the sports therapist we use. If I thought I was in pain now, Grant was the man to show me what real pain is! Grant as always was able to come up with a diagnosis and provided me with exercises to do to aid my recovery - after that he proceeded to inflict his very own brand of pain, sorry I mean deep tissue massage. Still, after the visit to Grant I was more optimistic about resuming training in the middle of next week, all being well..

On Sunday, Mo donned the running shoes and running kit and headed off for a long solo run round the country roads in Harburn. Mo completed her 10 miles in a quicker time than we normally do it together so clearly I am holding her back in these long training runs. However, as I mentioned I am more optimistic about resuming training this week - just in time to take my place at the Speed of light runleaders training day - bring it on.

A great week for one, hell for the other!

After the excitment of the Super Sunday it was back to training for the main event. We had intended to return to Arthurs seat on the Monday but through the day I decided that I needed to rest my ankle. Mo continued to train while I battled against the will to run and tried to keep sensible. I succeeded but only just. Mo takes over from here.

I always enjoy the pacer Saturdays at Strathclyde parkrun, on the first Saturday of the month we ask some of our runners to don the pacer vests and run at a steady even pace so that those runners out there wanting to achieve a particular time have someone to follow or try to stay ahead off. It has proved popular with both runners and pacers alike.

We both quite often don one of the vests, last month I wore the 27 min vest and paced on of our regular runners Mike Ward round the course to a PB. Of course it’s the runner who does all the hard work but one of the thrills of being a pacer is encouraging the runners around you and the joy of seeing them get a PB. This month I decided to go for a PB myself, I’d been trying to get under 23 mins almost since we started our parkrun and had been so close on several occasions. Standing in the starting pen with my 23 min pacer Ian (Devoy) our race director Ian (MaCauly) gave us the usual important start announcements, you run at your own risk, we don’t have priority in the park, be considerate to other park users, listen to the marshals instructions and remember to say thank you to the marshals as they have given up their opportunity to run to deliver you a great parkrun, and then Iain (Yuill) the timer set us off. By the way you don’t have to be called Ian to help out at parkrun!!!!

The first km was tough as I hadn’t warmed up properly but Ian set a steady pace and I fell in behind him, a quick wave and a thank you to the first two marshal (Anne Smith and Mairi McGowen) and the 2k marker was upon me. So far so good. 

I wasn’t sure marshal 3 (Paul Smith) would get a thank you as I was beginning to struggle a bit, but I managed. Once round the turn I told myself we were on the home strait and I could do this. Ian kept looking at his watch then looking back to check I was still with him. 3 km done and he tells me quite cheerily that we only have 2k to go. Marshals 2 then 1 only got a wave on the way back as I couldn’t speak! The 4k marker was just ahead and I was beginning to flag at this point, would I be able to make it? Ian must have realise I was slowing down a bit as he kept looking back telling me I was doing fine and to just dig in. Funny how things turn around, just a month ago I was telling Mike the exact same thing! 800m out and I caught up with Ian, 400m to go and he tells me to get ready to go for it. The 200m marker appears and I start to sprint ahead, I could hear Ian behind me telling me to go for it. Then the long awaited finish line! Well did I manage a PB? Yes I did 22:40! I was chuffed to bits.

The pacers are great and a big hit. I also enjoy being a pacer and I suppose it’s a bit like being a jogleader, which I also really enjoy. Maybe that’s why I’ve naturally fallen into the role of runleader with Speed of Light.

Wondering what else happened to Jo this week? Well,  as well as resting up his ankle in a bid to be fighting fit for the next instalment of the Speed of Light adventure in a couple of weeks time, he has been keeping himself busy, organising The Jammys summer tour..  More to follow in the coming weeks.

 Runners know exactly how hard it is to be injured and not able to run. Although I have been told to keep my grumpy-ness to myself. That won’t stop me blogging about it! (comments removed in the interest of the fairness to readers – Mo)

Springtime in Edinburgh

Last Monday evening we returned to Arthur’s seat for some hill work ahead of the next Super Sunday and were greeted with perfect conditions. The sun was shining, there was next to no wind, it was beautiful up there on the Crags and we had a good run round a lot of the paths that will feature in the Speed of Light choreography. However, it was at a cost – my ankle problem flared up again and I ended up hobbling to the car.

On Monday evening I made the decision to rest up for the rest of the week to give me a fighting chance of making an appearance at the Super Sunday scheduled for the end of the week. Runners the world over will know how hard it is to stop training for a week. Grumpy doesn’t begin to describe how you feel.  You keep telling yourself – that feels better – perhaps I could just go out for a wee run. Thankfully Mo was on hand to nip that thought in the bud.  It was a long week without running, especially when Mo was getting out running every day of the week and enjoying it to boot.  Still we both remembered last year when the positions were reversed.

On Saturday we headed once again to Strathclyde parkrun, and I took the decision to test out the ankle, firstly with a freedom run round the 5k course. The ankle seemed to hold up quite well. However, standing about waiting for the main parkrun to start it was starting to niggle. Right up until the start I was debating with myself – will I, won’t I. Yes, I ran the 5k. All the way round I was aware of the ankle and felt I was holding back and was pleasantly surprised when I clocked 21:54. The ankle seemed OK and I went off to cool down, waiting to see if there was a reaction. It was fine, that was until I went for a hot Chocolate – I ended up limping to the car.

Super Sunday arrived and I convinced myself that my ankle felt better without the support I had been using so I decided to head off to the speed of light without it. We had studied the choreography a few times ahead of setting of for Arthur’s seat but still felt nervous.  Angus and Litza addressed the run leaders, settling nerves – not exactly, suddenly it felt daunting again. I am sure I wasn’t the only one asking themselves – Can we do this? Of course we could, we had managed on the other occasions we had been on the hill. Besides as run leaders we have to inspire confidence in our team.

The fun started with being suited up in the light suits, as soon as you put on the light suit excitement takes over and you are ready for the task ahead.  Before we knew it the runners were arriving and being assigned to their Run Leaders, time for action. Our group of runners were ‘up-for-it’ right from the off. I was paired with Kristi and Mo with Leo, it was then time to brief the runners – explaining the signals, emphasising the importance of distance between runners.

 Before we knew it we were getting the command to get to our start position – SHOWTIME!

Thanks, Jenny Von Svan for the photo

We led the runners on to the hill, and answered their questions about the night’s proceedings, although we asked for questions during the briefing it seemed that the hill prompted the runners to ask more questions. Once in the start positions, looking across the hill you could see that another magical night lay ahead of us. The visual impact was amazing and it wasn’t even dark yet.  We ran through our choreography legs, trying very hard to concentrate on the job in hand but it was impossible not to try and get a sneak preview of the ‘Big Picture’ – it is going to be an incredible spectacle.  All too soon it was time to head back to the change-over area to hand over our light suits to the incoming session of runners, another example of choreography. As we headed back the heavens opened and suddenly the cold wind was accompanied by sleet and heavy rain. Fortunately my group got off the hill before the torrential rain took hold, poor Mo was up at hub 1 running round in circles waiting for her next command.  The runners on session 2 were unfortunate as they were out in the brunt of it. Despite the wind and rain, the runners’ spirits weren’t dampened.  

Debriefing our team at the end was rewarding, each and every one of our runners were exhilarated by the whole experience.  As for the ankle well it held up for the night but I will be resting it again this week – don’t want to miss Speed of light in August.

"Whit's fur ye'll no go past ye."

It’s been a funny week, the time between the Lochaber marathon and the London Marathon. Lochaber was a marathon we had contemplated doing but if and only if we were mentally and physically ready for the challenge. The training through the winter had been going well but a combination of factors resulted in us deciding that Lochaber was not for us this year. It was the correct decision as we had so much on our plate especially has we had decided to become run leaders at the Speed of Light in the summer. However, it didn’t stop us wishing we were entered as Lochaber marathon day approached.

Just to emphasis the correctness of our decision, last week I started to notice that the problem with my ankle was getting worse, this was a strange injury. I seemed to be able to run freely but after running I was limping on my right ankle for a couple of hours. It didn’t stop me running Strathclyde parkrun on Saturday. I did, however, give my freedom run a miss which gave me the opportunity to partake of the pre-race banter much of which featured the marathons both London and Lochaber.

We were having a quiet weekend but made the mistake of tuning into the television coverage of the Virgin London Marathon. There is nothing surer to get you uttering those words – must enter the ballot for next year! The event was overshadowed by the tragic death of Claire Squires in the final stages of the marathon.  Although what happened next was proof if proof were needed of the power of social networks and television and indeed the nature the sport of running when her donation site went into overdrive – testament to potential of charity runners.

The marathon does remain the ultimate challenge and will always have an enormous pull for people. Make  no mistake, the runners that complete the distance deserve RESPECT, and are worth a donation to their favourite charity, we are sure we all know someone that is looking for a donation. Go on make their day!

Thanks to Ross Goodman for the photographs

2nd Anniversary……………. Already

Over two years ago we got involved in the organisation of the Strathclyde parkrun, up until that point we were regular parkrunners and volunteers at Glasgow parkrun. We stated at the time that we would help out but that we were looking to move closer to work in Edinburgh. Funny how some decisions can change your life plans completely. We did move in August 2011 but not as far to the east as we originally intended, the reason – Strathclyde parkrun. Through Strathclyde parkrun we have gained many friends and were loathed to give them up.

Anyway I digress, this Saturday we celebrated Strathclyde parkruns 2^nd anniversary. Fittingly, Mo was race director on Saturday just as she had been for our very first event two years ago. It was on that first event that home baking was introduced to Strathclyde parkrun and it has become an established feature of our parkrun.  Mo’s rocky road has become synonymous with the parkrun experience at Strathclyde park. Several of our parkrunners regularly contribute some home baking

Saturday was no different; there were tons of home baking and goodies for the post-race celebration. However, although the sun shone, it was a biting wind that drove most of our parkrunners to their cars in preference to hanging around to polish off the goodies. That just means that there will be plenty of goodies for after the run this Saturday, well the goodies that are still in date.

I was fortunate to get the opportunity to run our anniversary event and experience that biting cold head wind on the way out and on the way back. As is my routine now I ran a freedom run before the parkrun, a chance to suss out the course so the head wind was not a shock to me. Once I crossed the line I was on the registration gig, collecting barcodes and tokens – for me that is a great gig. You get to talk to the runners and find out their run was! The parkrun experience is not just the run it’s the whole social side to the experience that makes it irresistible.

After packing up, it was off to the Waterside café to process the results and a nice warm cup of hot chocolate for Jo and a hot latte for Mo. Happy, it’s what Saturday morning were made for!

Back to the Racing

They said that there would be snow, but we didn’t believe them. Sure enough on Tuesday morning when we woke up there was snow in Harburn. Not only that but it stayed with us until the Thursday. So from shorts and short sleeved running kit it was back to the longs. Running tights and long sleeved running tops were back in the bag.

Training this week was low key with the Tom Scott 10 mile road race firmly in our sights. Tuesday saw us doing some hill work and skipping the Circuit classes – it was just too cold! In reality it wasn’t as cold as December/January time it was just a shock to the system after the glorious weather of the previous week. Wednesday was even more of a disaster, there was nobody turned up for the Beginners session. However on Thursday we ended up taking two groups out, one a leisurely 3 miles and the other a slightly more challenging 5.5 miles.

Strathclyde parkrun saw a return to pacing Saturday and we had almost all the pacing vests out. Jo was running with the 22 on his back and recorded 21:55 – not bad, Mo was running with 27 on her back and recorded 27:11 – room for improvement.

Sunday saw us once again head for Strathclyde park for the Tom Scott 10 mile road race. Maybe we should move through to the West as we seem to head there every weekend – no wait a minute we just moved from there! Anyway as always the Tom Scott brings out a large number of club runners which can be a bit intimidating. After registration, where they presented you with a wee shield, we gathered the troops and got them psyched up for the ten miles ahead.

Before we knew it we were heading for the Start line and the big race. It was a busy start with a lot of now-familiar faces. The race itself is basically two loops, a big 6 mile loop and a small 4 mile loop. We were all pretty soon in the zone and setting off in our own personal challenge – mine was to run under 8 minute miles.

The best part of race day is always the finish line where you catch up with all your group and friends for the post-race banter. All our jogscotland group that took part in what for most of them was there first 10 mile race did amazingly well – we were so proud of them. It’s a great feeling when your group achieve their goals. How did MoJo get on – well we both achieved what we set out to as well. 

Photo courtesy of Reynards Nursery

(Thanks, Andrew)

Summertime - or was it?

Last week saw a return to Speed of Light duties. With the glorious weather and the clocks springing forward, we headed for the hills or Arthur’s Seat to be precise. On Monday night the Craggs were surprisingly busy with people and runners, in particular, as we headed with stopwatch and map in hand to familiarise ourselves with paths on Arthur’s seat. Coming to a halt on the hill we looked across the Craggs and to our astonishment there in the distance was our mirror image a couple of runners poring over a map and clutching a stopwatch – it’s an amazing place Arthur’s seat where all things are possible. After an hour and a half on the hills we decided enough was enough and we headed home, noting that we really do need to up the hill work, some of these paths are pretty steep.

The rest of the week was spent with our jogscotland group taking them on longer runs to get them ready for the Tom Scott road race in a couple of weeks. Must admit, they are all doing really well but it is an awful lot easier to go out running when the conditions are so good. The true test will come when the weather deteriorates and you need to drag yourself out there.

Once again on Saturday we headed for Strathclyde parkrun for our weekly parkrun fix. Again we were blessed with perfect running conditions although for some unknown reasons we both found it hard going this week could have had something to do with burning the candle at both ends. Again something else to avoid in August!

Sunday saw April arrive and us heading into Edinburgh at five am for our gig at the Kilomathon. Surprisingly we had to scrape ice of the car! We were responsible for the Start area and had to get it set-up before the runners arrived. As a runner you never appreciate how much work goes into setting-up one of these events or for that matter how many people are beavering away behind the scenes to deliver the event. Anyway when you have The Jammys at your disposal then anything is possible. All too quickly the runners left the start area and we got the start area back to normal and headed home – home by 10:30 not bad, the rest of the day was our own to do as we wished in the spring sunshine.