I just wanted to say a thank you to everyone who voted for this blog in the first round of voting in the 2018 Running Awards.

I am very proud to have made the top 12 short list out of more than 90 blogs and for the second year running I appear to be the only Scottish representative in the final of the blog category, which will be held at the O2 in April. I was very fortunate to have sneaked the Silver award last year behind Ben Smith’s 401 challenge.

To be honest I am still not sure how I managed that, and I was like a rabbit caught in the headlights and wouldn’t expect to be anywhere near the top 3 this year as having looked at the other blogs and bloggers the majority are what I would define as seasoned pros at playing the blogging game. Tens of thousands of instagram and twitter followers (I am in the low hundreds in both :)), brand ambassadors, always in your face on all types of social media, schmoozing with the running elite, featured writers in magazines, endorsing here there and everywhere, multiple competition and award winners being put across to the masses as amongst the most influential people in the sport.

Oh man.

To some it’s a numbers game and rewards are what blogging is all about but that’s not me. I hope if you have read and enjoyed the blog then you’ll give me a wee vote, but whether you do or you don’t the blog will remain the same. Irritating rants and woes from a (never) has-been struggling to juggle life, getting old and running with a wee song at the end, typically written in 10 minutes at lunchtime or in the evening when my wife is watching River City.

Running, writing and music are magic and outwith my family they are what it’s all about for me. I’ll never be a self-proclaimed help guru or pretend to be an expert at shows. I’ll never win popularity contests or have my face all over running events, and you’ll be glad to know that I will keep my top on on instagram, the surgical stocking shot after my operation is about as racy as it gets.

So genuinely, thanks for getting me this far. This blog is what it is. And the biggest part of that is honesty, I’m probably too honest at times but if you like honesty and the running highs and lows then please consider a wee vote for Markgallmac on the link below. If it’s all about the glitz and glamour or if you need a new messiah then vote for one of the others, plenty of that about.

Vote for Markgallmac here – Publications and online / Blogs (personal)

So here’s the song, an old belter from back in the day. It sums up my blog for me as I’m as contrary as they come. It’s all about my ever changing moods. The Style Council, maligned by many for not being the Jam, for doing what they wanted to do with messy results. As a bonus have TWO versions, the album version which is Weller accompanied by a piano, and then the full band version. Both very different but still very lovely. Enjoy 🙂