Everything I give you – parkruns and Jimmy Irvine 10k, and a newer outlook

Forgive me blogpeeps it has been a month since my last blog.

And to be perfectly honest there nearly wasn’t another one. In the last few months as my running has become directionless while my form slides from all recognition, so has my desire to do blogs. With the shortlist for the Running Awards looming I also realised I have nothing to say compared to the others who have been nominated. I actually am a different beast from the bulk of these people whether I like it or not as I identified last year when I was at the awards. My blog has always just been about me and my wee struggles, and my wee views about specific things. You know it would be nice to hit that short list again but I don’t expect to because I don’t play the game. It isn’t important to me. I got the silver last year and I got a nice wee trophy and that was it. I didn’t get any writing jobs, any ambassadorships, nothing. No one cared. No doors were opened. I got one wee writing task from a retailer prior to the awards but was never invited to do another. So why care? I see bloggers who seems to be blogging for what they can get out of it. That ain’t me. It sits uneasy with me, and I don’t want to be seen like that. And you know? That’s what got me to the awards last year. No angles and just being me. I was really pleased to be asked to contribute to the unveiling of the new The Run Bible website, and wrote a wee blog about starting out running and my experiences and thoroughly enjoyed that. In 2 weeks over 2000 hits and some great feedback and that’s all it was, writing for the love of writing and running. The blog can be found here and you know what? I’m really proud of it. So you want to start running?

So what’s my pitch here? I don’t care about the endorsing, the trying to impress anyone, and with that I am more than happy to slip into the shadows again, because at the end of the day I started this blog for myself to keep myself running. Yes I love it when people like it, but not enough that I will compromise who I am. Ladies and gentlemen, everything I give you is my own. Aye the song coming early this blog. I love the songwriting of Mr Daniel Wylie, a Glaswegian singer/ songwriter and founder of the Cosmic Rough Riders with a string of superb solo albums also under his belt. This song “Everything I Give you” he actually gave to Elaine and I for our wedding. Crazy eh? Not had the royalties yet :p From his “Fake your own death” largely acoustic album it is one of my favourite songs of all time. Please enjoy it, and check his stuff out.

So in truth I have been utterly scunnered with racing for a while. My form has been poor. I haven’t trained as I would have liked, and my work environment wasn’t conducive to any type of training. Post breathing op as well there had been no improvement and I have ate crap like an utter pig as I dealt with all my issues. For weeks now. But I am sitting here, having never intended to blog again, having been utterly scunnered, over my racing weight by a fair bit etc etc and telling you all about it. Why?

The mojo is back!

I am really enjoying running again because I am not racing. I am currently just running. I’ll build it up slowly and hopefully be in OK shape at the end of the year. Not bothered. My mojo has been brought back by the delights of parkrun. Really! I had got to a stage that I hated parkrun. As I took it too seriously and got stressed out. Dropping out of them. I have now done 5 in 5 weeks having not done one since June before that. Thank you to my mate Kev for getting me back into it all again. My last blog I had dipped under 20 in the first. The following week myself and Kev went to Pollok parkrun. Hadn’t done this since my first MAC champ race in 2014, and a PB of 20.55. Like the week before the plan was consistency. Met a few friendly faces, Scott McCue from Bella, Neal Gibson of Giffnock with Buggy in tow and friendly by nature rather than by face Gavin Harvie of Kirkintilloch. Tricky up and down course but I really enjoyed it. Decided to do the first loop steady and then up it for the second, but the legs on the second told me to behave, but came down that last hill in 19.46 for 14th place. Magic fun and genuinely enjoyed it, and a course PB to boot.

The next week was another go at Strathclyde with the before and after display of shoes as below. Aye remember Strathy finishes on the grass…. doh 🙂 Great fun again and 19.23 for 8th place. Steady all the way and really pleased. Was good to see Bella’s Garry Porch there getting a PB.

The next week with McCue in tow it was onto Springburn. Another undulating course but a really enjoyable one, and despite icy conditions a decent last k saw me round in 19.24, 6th place and first in my age category. And that was just going round steady again. Good to see Tony McGale of springburn.

Great fun for Team Notsosleek.

I actually gave myself a wee aim for that weekend. Despite my lack of training, sleep and with stress levels through the roof as I was trying to change jobs, I set myself an aim of sub 20 parkrun, then sub 40 at the Bella Jimmy Irvine 10k on the Sunday. Hadn’t done consecutive hard runs in a long time, and didn’t expect to get near it but I thought why not. Now this not real racing. That is more than 2 mins outside my best. I even turned up without my Motherwell vest as didn’t want to get involved in racing, and (I know) didn’t feel worthy of wearing it.

Was great to see a lot of people who I hadn’t seen in ages, and I realised that although I hadn’t missed racing I had missed the camaraderie of the events. And off we went. The course was hilly, windy in parts with some tight turns and I mucked up my pacing. It also took my legs 4 or 5 k to stop being heavy from the day before, but you know something? I failed in my task, just, but was really happy with running a time of 40.11, just 11 seconds outside my aim. As an aggregate I guess I done it ….

Some pics from the run, thanks Kenny Phillips and June Duggan.

Maybe wasn’t my favourite course for how I felt on the day, but really well organised and with a cracking t shirt. Job done and Mr Mojo Rising. Talking of job done, the Monday saw my last day in my job of 9 years and a change I was needing, but a big thank you to my staff who knew me well, and a leaving present of a pair of 130 quid Nike Zoom Fly trainers was really appreciated. More than the pic on my wall was …. 🙂

Started the new job which I am really enjoying so far, but over the last few weeks training has been non existent. Decided on Strathy parkrun again, and despite taking a while to get into my stride, the sight of Garscube’s Danny Burns chubby arse in front after returning from his all inclusive honeymoon gave me the drive to put down a 3.33 last kilometre to finish just ahead of him for the first time ever. Great to see him, Barrie, winner Paul, the Legend, Christie and Kev amongst many others, and a decent 19.25. Until I had a look at my history.

Getting a second slower each week. It’s all downhill. Or its bloody consistent and at a decent level for no training. So very happy with that. Really if you haven’t done parkrun in a while, or before then do it! It might be the reboot you need, it worked for me.

This morning was brilliant. Two hours of running through trail and road, 6 miles climb up hills to the Blackhill transmitters, the highest point having gorgeous views of Lanarkshire below. Seeing nature at its finest with deer, rabbits, squirrels, highland coos, birds of prey, and very few people. Forgetting about the watch and just loving being out there, ice and all. I got to the highest point, exactly 10k from my house after a non stop climb and threw my hands in the air like Rocky and shouted “Yeessss”. Looking around me at nature at it’s finest was refreshing instead of just running through it. What a tonic.

I worked for my views and earned them. So that’s me up to date. I’m guessing the blog continues because I want to do it for me. I’m sure at some stage Mr Competitive will reappear but it’s not where I’m at just now. So you are more than welcome to stay along for the ride. You are more than welcome to vote for the blog below.

publications and online/ blog. markgallmac – the most irritating runner in Scotland ? VOTE FOR MARKGALLMAC HERE.

It would be nice. If you don’t want to it doesn’t bother me at all. I’m just happy being me, running Marko, and for now there’s no going “The full Haddock” if a run doesn’t go my way. So two things for you. Firstly here is a present. Have a parkrun for xmas, use this to clear it with your other half, it’s legally binding.