This one is all over the place today. I have been feeling my age recently. Which is a right damn cheek when I see how well the Scottish Masters have done in the recent European Championships. Embracing it and kicking arse. My old training partners Forbesy and GG, my clubmates Chris, Dave, Colin and Jacqui, and so many others.

Totally inspiring. But these guys are a different breed from me. I couldn’t feel any less like them despite being an old man in the same sport.

Listen this is my wee hobby and I know that I am full of contradictions, a bigger one being that I did the Great Scottish Run after slamming it last year. Mr all over the news condemning the Man, calling out the baddies. Where are my morals, my scruples? Where is your integrity you little baldy purveyor of running cliches? Steady now Marko, lay off yourself that’s for others to do, though having said that even the trolls are bored with the blog now. I even got pulled up for it by Greenock’s M50 legend Andrew White in the starting pen who questioned why I hadn’t been blacklisted before he galloped away from me never to be seen again, but what can you do? (As an aside I still find it mad when people like him know who I am, it must be my shorts). It’s been pointed out before, I am Abe Simpson, that old man yelling at a cloud, and I won’t change.

Also when someone passes me a really good discount code then I’m happy to use it. I’m easily bought.

This one was to be run as a free hit, a “no stress no expectation” run, as my 10ks recently haven’t been great, plus I wouldn’t be tapering for it at all, I would be running every day in the run up to it, including a couple of really good club sessions (including a XC one) and a windy tempo. I would like to go back under 36 again, but that was all hope rather than expectation.

On the day itself the expected wind was still there but I hoped I could get out to the turn in around 18 flat and hopefully pick up a little on the way back. As always the atmosphere was great from the Green up to the Square and it’s always exciting to get put in the Fast Club Runner’s pen. The way I am going that will finish soon, but wee Fat Marko of not that many years ago would have loved this, so I’ll savour it while it lasts. In the pen and caught up with a few folk as well as chatting to a few folk that I hadn’t before despite having seen them at races. Aye I do all this writing but I am introverted and shy. I turn up to races on my own and I leave them on my own. Unless I can make a club session I do my training and long runs on my own, I am never going to be inundated with invitations to run with people. It’s who and what I am and the social side is difficult for me so when people do have that wee chat with me it does mean something, and I know it’s a cliched part of my blog for people to dig at, but I’ll never tire of being grateful.

While I knew I wasn’t in the form of last year that had me sub 35 over the shortened course (I estimate would have been around 35.15 to distance), I still knew my rough splits and sometimes you know straight away how near or close you are going to be. Up the first hill and through the first k and I was already 9 seconds down on last year. I could blame the choir for not singing Super Trooper this year ( I had my troopapap troopapa all ready) but really I just wasn’t with it, I was toiling. I felt heavy legged and couldn’t flow, and I was struggling against the wind but it’s what it is. The people I was trying to stay with were moving away and I was sliding further down than I had hoped. I tried hanging in with a group and ended up playing a bit of cat and mouse with Richard from Helensburgh and to be honest it was no surprise when I went through half way in 18.26, well down on target and 34 seconds slower than last year. From a wish list of a sub 36, a sub 37 would be an effort from here, and a season worst looking odds on but I rallied a bit and managed to negative split, doing the second 5k 35 seconds faster in 17.51 to finish in 36.17. Narrowly avoided that seasons worst (Cumbernauld can keep it’s crown) but I know it was a bit below par. The M50 2nd place was a better position than I deserved and although I had been closing on Andrew towards the end, I was never near enough to trouble him. A good run out though and the support throughout the course was brilliant. A selection of photos here.

Not my worst run ever, but a mile off where I had been. That’s fine though. There’s always lessons to be learned. Never too old to learn no matter how old I feel. Or look. This time? I learned that age is indeed creeping up on me and I do need more recovery. I need to be wiser pre race now, as Jurassic Mark evolves I have to adapt a bit better. And I really need a plan instead of snatching from everywhere because I am getting myself in a hell of kerfuffle (before I get inundated again, I am not looking for online coaching just now. I know it works for people and I know the results can be great, and at a different time I’d embrace it, but financially there are other priorities for me just now than my wee hobby.) I need to decide what I want to focus on now and plan accordingly. Do I want to do another marathon? If I do can I actually make London work logistically? For now though it’s a bit of cross country which will hopefully be a bit of fun. With my recent form I don’t expect I’ll feature in any of the club A teams so I can concentrate on just jumping about in muddy puddles like a slightly less demonic Peppa Pig.

My XC relay team practising, yesterday.

Let’s see where it all goes. The solid realisation is that when I moved up to the 50s age group I thought I might get maybe one semi good season in before more and more talented runners joined the age group. That steeplechase was my one real target. But I have been really fortunate to have stayed age group competitive for around 3 of the 5 years you get in the older age groups and that is sooo much more than I could have dreamt of. It’s been a right blast but I am pretty sure that my abilities are decreasing as younger faster ones are coming into the age group so it is starting the dialogue in my head. Deal with it Marko. Sort your heid out and where you go now and just be happy that you can still get out there.

Thanks to Simon Gold, Gavin Harvie, Kathryn King, Mark Ashby, Bobby Gavin (thatonemoment) for the pictures.

The song? The mighty Pulp with Help the Aged.