It’s 2.45, in the morning, when the alarm goes off, not that I’ve slept much anyway. You know what it’s like, need to sleep, can’t sleep. The more you try the more it just isn’t going to happen. Betsy the doodle gives me a suspicious, or is it a “get it right roon ye” look as she rolls over back to sleep. Quick breakfast, last minute kit check, moaned at by three cats, gear on and in the car. Sat Nav set for Edinburgh airport. The daft things we do to get a wee race.

What am I doing and why? This wasn’t part of my plan or on my timetabled schedule. This weekend was supposed to be the QA 5K, coming off a 16.52 over 5000 on the track I had high hopes of getting back down into the 16.40s again, maybe even troubling my 16.38 PB. But that quickly changed. Too much track work too soon in the spikes and the calf gave up. A wee week out which was fine, but during that week I got asked if I would consider a late call up for the Scottish Masters team for the inter area 3000m at Nuneaton. I’d done it the last two years but having previously intimated that I would like to be considered for selection this year I had subsequently asked to be removed from the selection process mainly because I was scunnered with track running and didn’t feel I was in the necessary shape for anything under 5k. The previous two years I had had a (fantastic) track squad to train with, a plan and a focus but now without a squad and doing it on my own I was rudderless. There were better runners than me in the age group anyway so I was no loss to anyone and wouldn’t have been picked. But the call came. The lad who was supposed to be running had picked up an injury. My two 4^th place finishes in the previous two years had me as a suitable reserve, short notice and all that, but was I up for it? Let’s be honest here, it is just over 2 weeks away. I am just about to try my first run on my calf after a lay off. I have no sharpness. It would be daft to say yes.

I said yes.

Every chance to represent my country is an honour. Every time has been an unexpected bonus and I didn’t expect another opportunity as I am well aware there are better runners in my age group. I’d pretty much chucked the track and after my below par run in Dublin at the international cross country last year there’s no chance of selection for XC again. I scratched from the QA 5k, again, (I’ll do it sometime Dan, honest) and set about, with a lot of help from Iain Crawford at Cambuslang (thank you for the track and rep sessions Iain), targetting a few sessions that could increase my chances of avoiding humiliation without aggravating the calf so much that I could end up out long term.  Two weeks isn’t a lot but I have run 8 sub 10 3ks in a row, I was sure a 9^th would avoid the wooden spoon. Two weeks of solid sessions without wrecking the calf, I had to be careful, but here we are and after a final run out pacing 22 at Strathclyde parkrun I am at the airport.

Saturday sessions under Iain’s watchful eye

 

Pacing the 22 squad

Its 4am on a Sunday morning and it’s mobbed. People going on holiday to sunnier climes, scantily clad with their obligatory pints and fry ups. I am flying to Birmingham and I am jealous. I watch the airport pints being savoured while I eat a cereal bar and question my life choices.

I arrive at the track just after 11 am. I have had the flight, two trains, a wait of an hour at Coventry as the train to Nuneaton didn’t start until later because it was a Sunday, and a mile walk from the station. I am already over 8 hours into my day and my race isn’t for 5 hours. Ah the international jet set life of the masters athlete.

I just want to go back to bed but instead I watch the racing. It’s great fun. The atmosphere is brilliant again. I am just in time to watch the 1500s and it sets things up for the day.

To explain the format. It’s the English Inter areas champs where the 7 areas of England put their best athletes together to race. This has been extended to invite teams from Scotland and Wales too. So in each race there are 9 competitors and each athlete scores points based on their finish, so 1^st gets 9, 2^nd 8, 3^rd 7 and so on. This is done for all track events from 100 to relays, and all field events from jumps to throws. The points are then added up and the most points wins the Challenge. Every place basically counts for your team.

 As my race approaches I already know my tactics. Forget the time, although I hope I am in shape to put together ks in the region of 3.15 – 3.20. I am going to hold onto the main 50s group for as long as possible, and then see how I feel with 2 laps to go. Gordon Lee from Midlands masters was running. He is still the inter area record holder and has some pedigree and he had beaten me the last two years, by 14 seconds in 2021  and 7 seconds in 2022. A good guy that I had been following on Strava. I expected him to be in the mid 9.40s so would try and hang on as long as I could.  Although I genuinely didn’t know what was in the legs I felt no pressure, I was a reserve, there was no expectation for me to do anything except grab a point for last. Keep the heid, stick to the plan, and see what happens.

Gun goes and some of the M35s, who are in the same race, go flying off, taking one of the M50s with them. I made that mistake last year and suffered. This lad is a real runner though, he would be fine and stayed well clear of the rest of us. As expected there was an M50 pack led by Gordon and Steve Barnes. I was trying to hang onto them alongside Steve Davies of Wales. I am finding it tough but just managing to stay in contact as I go through the k in around 3.16.

This is fine. Stick there. As we go through the second k I am struggling to hold on and I am over the 3.20 for this k, around 3.24 I think, about 6.40 for the 2k and spot on 10 minute pace. A few times myself and Steve are off the back off the group and at the worst part I was back in 10^th and in danger of dropping totally, but we work hard to get ourselves back and we are starting to reel in some of the 35s too. 2 ½ to go. 1k. I am back in the group.

There’s a few folk straining and the pace drops a little. I am straining but as we approach 2 to go I go to the front of the group and take it on. I try to break them but the legs not quite there although we have the first couple of drop offs as the group of 6 becomes a group of 4. Gordon won’t let me go though and as we get to 600 to go he counter kicks. I try to respond but I simply don’t have it. He opens the gap and it’s the fight for M50 3^rd between myself, Steve and Steven. The bell goes for the last lap. Gordon is away, he isn’t going to be caught but I feel confident I can keep my form, and indeed manage to kick off the last 200. A 3.12 final k, and a good last lap brings me home in 9.52, only 4 seconds off my best and only 3 seconds behind Gordon (getting closer big chap), and in 3^rd place, 5 of the M50s had went under 10.00. Really pleased with that one, that was fight and discipline today, and over the couple of weeks before it, that had got me there. I don’t expect another chance in that blue vest but I hadn’t let the team down. I can go off into the sunset with my head held high. Myself and Chris Loudon, who had won the m35s were even happier when we heard Alex Greive had scored a late winner for St Mirren at Easter Road. The first thing that happened post race though was that Gordon asked me to go a cool down with him and we spent a couple of miles having a chat and a bit of banter. This to me epitomises what racing should be about. Go out and race each other hard, and do everything you can to beat them, but remain respectful and remember at the end of the day it’s just a hobby. Try and kick arse on the course, but be respectful off it. Meeting people like that at the events is a big part of the racing for me.

And there it was, planes, trains and automobiles part 2 and I got home about 11.30 at night. A long day. A tiring day. But I got to wear the blue vest of Scotland one last/more time and I loved every second.   

Back to the training now. For what I am still not quite sure. Rudderless? Perhaps. But enjoying it? Yep.

Three songs this week. The Either /Or closing double whammy of the late, great Elliot Smith’s 2.45 am and Say yes. Then the Lemonheads with rudderless. All songs on the playlist. Enjoy.

Thanks to everyone I pilfered pics from, Iain Burke, Strathclyde parkrun, NEMAC, Graeme Gemmell, Allan Cameron, William Ewens, myself and anyone I forgot. Because I always forget.