Training Log Archive: Spur

Queens Park parkrun. Concerted effort despite an icy headwind on the uphill slope to the flagpole. Course PB.

Scottish Score Champs at Dalkeith. 4th M45/10 behind Walter, Paul H and Al H. A few scrappy errors but decent run overall on a lovely autumn day.

First visit to Springburn parkrun. Blustery and slow start at the back but pushed on by racing a few around me to a best time in 8 years. 18th/110.

C • well done! 1

Bannockburn urban race. Good course with lots of route choices. Was pretty clean for most of it. Didn’t go on the route I’d planned for 17, as from a distance could see barricades at top and bottom of a wooden staircase, maybe lost about 30-40 seconds changing plan. Looking back, think my other routes were good (not sure there’s much between left or right, leaving 15). 9th MV/16 - quite happy with that as lots of fast FVOs out today. Finished 2nd overall in the MV urban league.

Tollcross parkrun. Not sure the official time is right but I’ll take it. Hilly course on a cold sunny morning. 18th/73.

Long walk to assembly

Scottish Relays at Fairy Knowe and Doon Hill. Somewhat demoralising outing. Was running 2nd leg and Al put me out ahead of DonP who was on our other team. Our 3rd runner hadn’t arrived by this point, so I wasn’t feeling hugely motivated from the outset. Muddled straight away by the distant start kite with a number on it, and hesitant to 1. Couldn’t make sense of 4, must have ran past it a few times, found a couple of other controls, and binned about 8 minutes. Saw DonP and Walter going past while still circling, and was then running on my own in a quiet rugged forest with no relay feel to it at all. On the way to 9 slipped on a log and almost smashed my back on another log, and pretty much lost interest at this point. Jogged round the rest trying to avoid injury. Had been looking forward to running here, but didn’t really enjoy it today.

Long walk back to parking

Round Kings Park and old golf course

Jog round Strathclyde Loch

Livingston SOUL. Pretty intense course! - long sprint style with plenty of traps, and also dreadful wind & rain conditions. Did a lot of it well, but struggled to read a few fences on the 1:5,000 map in the lashing rain, and made scrappy mistakes at both 13 and 17, getting on the wrong sides. Pleased to avoid mistakes in the greenery near the end, and to check the last control was ‘under’ the bridge. Joint 6th MV/15. Results revised due to map corrections - now 5th.