What’s another year?

A Eurovision winner by Irish crooner Johnny Logan apparently but I have no idea what it goes like and it’s not going to darken the playlist. Some things would just be a stretch too far, you know?

Bad writer, poor runner, but good playlist.

Anyway, this is only my second blog post this year as it has pretty much been retired, though it pops out of cold storage every now and then, like Aly Bain at Hogmanay. The only other blog this year highlighted my appearance on the Tartan Running Shorts podcast (which was great fun, especially being interviewed by someone with no idea who I was, but it did the job in getting a wee bit of exposure for Athletics Trust Scotland). I do get asked about the blog at races and it’s nice that people remember its existence but to cut a long story short the dark side triumphed and it really wasn’t worth continuing it as a regular thing just to become a target. I simply can’t be bothered.

So why I am I writing this? For myself really. Not even sure if I will share it anywhere, but I’ve done my wee review of my running year for quite a few years now, and it’s good to have a wee look back on sometimes. So Daft Punk go on the playlist, as I send my irritating literary meanderings into cyber space One More Time.

So what is another year? A lot when you are in your 50s and in the 4^th year in your age group. In short the niggles last longer and exacerbate a lot faster, the 50 year old “youngsters” coming into the age group are faster and have better hair, in fact they have hair,  and crikey malarkey, or words to that effect, it’s been sore arse territory falling from challenging in events to being an also ran struggling to just make my own club relay team. I’ve found this year tough in more ways than one both mentally and physically.

It started off so well though.

I had had a really solid winter’s training and an early January 17.15 parkrun had set me up well for the SVHC masters relays at Strathclyde park. Cumbernauld were strong favourites going into the race on what was a ridiculously windy day, but absolutely immense runs by Mark King, Justin Carter and Richard Cooper had us ahead going into the last leg. By one second.

Aye, over an hours worth of racing and there is one second in it and yep, I was on the last leg against Stephen Allan. Call it bravery. Call it the run of fear (I prefer that as it’s more accurate) but I went out really hard, toooo hard, a 3.21 first k albeit with the wind behind me. I continued hard and at halfway maybe had around 15 – 20 seconds of an advantage. Coming back into the wind was really tough and coming through 5k in 17.06 realised the course was going to be longer than expected and there was still over a k to go. Wobbling like Barbapapa on ice as I approached 6k and the last 200m or so was like a blur as the struggle became just to finish. I had seriously left everything out there, and the legs had gone before the finish, I was a bit all over the place and hit the deck as soon as I crossed the line. I don’t even think I could have gone a further 20 metres I was that gone. Just got away with it, but victory was ours by 50 seconds and it was the 3^rd fastest M50 leg of the day.

A great start to the season and full of optimism that maybe I could have another semi decent year before I fell off the age cliff edge but it wasn’t to be. I really did over do it that day and should have taken a week or so out but I convinced myself I was on the cusp of a good year and wouldn’t ease it. The quad pain from that day lingered but I pushed through, overcompensating here and there, and it was no surprise that within weeks my hamstring had gone, then my calf, then the other hamstring and everything basically crumbled.

Tried a run on my birthday, broke down again. Unhappy Birthday ( aw man, another one for the playlist, come in Smiths).

Time after time I came back too early trying to make my early season aims of the DBTR 10k, Scottish Road Relays, the Tom Scott 10 miler to defend my Scottish title etc etc. I missed them all, and more, although I did jog round the Tom Scott as it’s on my doorstep and had mixed emotions as I presented my clubmate Justin with the trophy after being asked to do so by the organisers. Again, the jog round wasn’t wise, the upping of paces wasn’t wise and in April I am once again sidelined by a hamstring injury.

Of course I can look back now and realise how much of it was self inflicted but we get that runner’s mindset that we can’t take the time out and it ends up costing you more time, and unfortunately derailing the whole year.

At some stage I did a film with English Athletics about the benefits of running for mental health. Filming was delayed a week after I got injured again (sake Marko). It’s here though and I hope it did someone, somewhere, a bit of good.

It’s mid May now and I can’t even break 18 at parkrun anymore, but I start to string a wee bit of training together. Into June and it’s getting there, but life and perspective takes over as I have a family bereavement and the day after the funeral go down with COVID.

July and I manage to get back under 18 at parkrun and target sub 17.30 for the QA 5k at the start of August. Make a return to the track and have a shambles of a1500m as the cobwebs are stickier than I had hoped. Not eaten by a spider (good shout, Lullaby by the Cure going on the playlist) but annihilated by a lot of runners that in previous years I would have expected to have given a race to. Confidence low going into the QA 5k but on the night in the absence of any accurate GPS reading I dug in well and gave everything that was in there to finish in a very pleasing 17.12.

To be honest my training had been all over the place and I had overcomplicated things too much so asked coach Iain at Cambuslang for a bit of help and he agreed to help me get back on track with a program for the forthcoming block of races. I/ we aimed high, no point otherwise and the aims and actuals below:

Monument Mile: Aim: Sub 5, actual 4.57.96. With only 1 sub 5 to my name on the track, and that while being part of a track squad a couple of years ago, to aim high for another one after the year I have had was maybe a bit rich, but Iain gave me some right good sessions towards it, and I even got applauded by a couple of guys at a track in Scarborough after an 800 rep while on a break away. Found that a bit creepy to be fair. On the night the execution was just right, I hit my splits where I needed to be, didn’t lose the head on the last lap even with it being tight and the time of 4.57.96 was a run I was really proud of. A pleasure to race young Alexander too, a big talent.

3000m: Aim sub 10, actual 9.53.06. The single best race I ran this year. Took on some really good runners, even taking the pace on with a few laps to go to ensure the sub 10. Didn’t get phased when the lead changed hands a few times over the last lap and a half and when I was ahead at 250 to go I knew no one was going to take it from me that night. The head was there, the legs were there and the last 200 was faster than my last 200 of the mile, taking 3 seconds off the four racers I had gone through the bell with.

1500m: Aim sub 4.35, actual DNF. Felt cumbersome on the warm up. Had jarred my hip on a session two weeks before it and it wouldn’t settle down. Through 800 on pace but at the back and with nothing there to respond. Decided to step off track and save it for another day. Wasn’t for risking injury again.

10k: Aim sub 36, projected 35.40 by coach, actual 35.37. Stirling 10k and a stacked field as Scottish champs. Coming back to finish 8^th in the M50 was decent enough, and raced as well as I could have on the day.

5k: Aim sub 17, actual 17.08. Flat n fast 5k. Thought I had done the work for it, thought I was in shape for it, on the night it just didn’t happen. My takeaways from it?  I should have tapered a little prior to it as my legs weren’t fresh. That’s on me. I let a group go away first lap who all finished around 16.55 as I wasn’t confident enough, I ended up leading a group too slowly. Again that’s on me. My head never really believed it on the day and my run reflected it though I finished well. You know I can accept not hitting my targets when I know I have given everything and done all I could. That didn’t happen here.

Cross Country: Aim make the Cambuslang team to defend Scottish Relays title from last year. Actual. Made team and defended title, although fortunate in selection. Last year I was fastest in the team and one of the fastest in the whole race, this year it would be a struggle to make team. For various reasons a few guys who I had ahead of me didn’t put themselves forward and a decent run at the West relays where my B team took the silver medal was enough to get me selection. In between races the hip started playing up again aggravated by the uneven XC training surface, so I had to withdraw from the Scottish trials to ensure I could run the club relays. Disappointing as I felt I could have given a few of them a race, and although I didn’t expect to worry the selectors I was looking forward to doing it, but the nationals had to come first.  On the day Chris had a phenomenal run and I got to set off in first place with a lead of around 25 seconds so I was able to exercise caution the first half whereas last year I had gone out like a man possessed. Steady up and whilst I could feel the hip it wasn’t going to hinder me and I was able to start striding out, getting to have a good wee tussle with the legend that is Gordon Barrie and although he was faster over the course starting behind me, I will take the glory of finishing just ahead of a guy I really respect, and a guy who would go on to have an excellent run at the international. Although about 10 seconds down on last year I had run my leg to plan and had extended our lead to well over a minute and Justin brought us home in gold. A great achievement to have the same team as last year, in the same running order, retain the title. Beyond chuffed to have made the team, probably for the last time, and to have gained an unexpected gold medal. This one is treasured.

In other races I returned to Linlithgow 10k for my 3^rd M50 title and had a total stinker in the Scottish short course XC  at Kirkcaldy, getting boxed in early and just not manging to get out of trouble and respond. This one persuaded me to end my XC season early and start a new block aimed towards the indoors again, purely for my own enjoyment as I wasn’t enjoying the XC training, and although I’m too far off the pace to challenge others at the indoors I am hoping to have a block to challenge myself, and that’s what its about eh?  The difficult part as the year has gone on is the realisation that I can’t compete with the top guys in my age group anymore. There is no shame in admitting the guys in the age group are simply better than me now, and by margins that I couldn’t even fathom trying to close.  I start my winter block with a lot of positivity because what others do doesn’t matter to me anymore ( I mean that competitively, of course I like to see others do well, always have and always will). Back in the shadows and it’s simply me against me, and if I can get the best out of myself then brilliant. For now I have rekindled the love and am really enjoying my training and block, and if I can maintain that over the winter then I’m winning.  

Here’s some pics. I can’t remember who took them. Then Daft Punk, The Smiths and The Cure. Maybe see you here at the same time next year.