Chris Moon Half Marathon

Ran a great race today - the Chris Moon Half Marathon. Partly off-road around the Whitelees Forest windfarm and then by road to the finish at the Strathaven Gala. The route has an overall drop of 600ft but it didn't feel like it with some steep climbs particularly around the forest tracks.

I finished 5th overall in 1.22 - full report to follow.

Recommended Reading

Life on the Run: Coast to Coast (by Matt Beardshall)

The idea of crossing Britain on foot has interested me since I first read Wainwight's Coast to Coast book many years ago. The thought of running it is even more appealing and so Matt Beardshall's account of his cross country adventure was a must read. Two runners decided to repeat Wainwright's original route from St Bees to Robin Hoods Bay - 180 miles in 7 days. Matt and Vin, accompanied by friend Mal on his mountain bike attempted this challenge back in 2006.

This book is a compelling account of their adventure and the challenges they met along the way. What makes this an interesting read is that these guys are every day runners - they are not Dean Karnazes - and so this was not an easy target they set themselves. Of course I won't tell you whether they all made it across to the east coast in one piece - you should get a copy and read this one for yourself.

I have to admit that despite the enormity of the task, after reading this I couldn't help but be inspired to attempt this myself...one day. I have lent my copy to a few running pals in the hope that they would be similarly motivated but nae luck so far.....maybe there is something wrong with me to even think about attempting this! Even if you are not inclined to race accross Britain, I recommend you at least read about it.

How to run a PB at London!

I was amused by the story in the press this week about Anthony Gaskell the 69 year old Merseyside runner who was about to be awarded the 'fastest pensioner' title for his stunning performance at the London Marathon this year. However, his 3.05 time aroused suspicion because he was previously unheard of. After studying his split times it emerged he had completed the second half of the race in just over 40 minutes! Gaskell admitted taking a short cut and knocking 10 miles off. However, he claimed he didn't cheat, he had to drop out due to injury and took the shortest route to the finish to collect his belongings. Yes, presumably crossing the finish line and collecting his finishers medal on the way!

The fastest pensioner title was eventually awarded to its rightful owner, Cheshire based Colin Rathbone who finished in a speedy 3.05.51. Well done Colin - I only hope I am still running those sort of times when I reach 65!

More stories of famous marathon cheats

Polaroid Series - Dumbarton 10k

Tonight was the third race in the Polaroid Series, at Dumbarton. This is normally the fastest in the series, but not tonight! The temperature was still around 23c when the race started and I decided to take it easy for the first few km and then try and work my way through the field. All went to plan until about 6km but it was humid and it became a struggle to keep the pace going. At one stage I worried my time would be worse but I crossed the line in 37.38. Most of the talk after the race was about how difficult the conditions were and everyone's time seems to have been a little slower this week. A tough one tonight but this is the first of 5 races I am running in the next two weeks. My next race is the Chris Moon Half Marathon at Strathaven on Sunday.

Sunday Club Run

After my epic walk yesterday it was good to get my running kit on again for a more familiar workout. Six of us set of from the Allander this morning for a 12 mile training run. We headed along the Rangers path towards Dobbies Garden Centre and then along the road through Bardowie before heading cross country past Cawder Golf Club to the Forth and Clyde Canal. We ran a short distance along the canal before heading by road towards Torrance roundabout then along the river back to Balmore. From there we came back the same way as we ran out. I seemed to have no adverse reactions to such a long walk yesterday and it was a comfortable pace until the Victoria Park young guns upped the pace with about 4 miles to go and I had to work hard to keep with them.

Route on Garmin Connect

Tour of Cumbrae

Today's training felt a little different - a 20 mile walk! My wife, Yasmin is doing the Moonwalk in Edinburgh in just three weeks time and I volunteered to accompany her on the longest of her training walks. So we found ourselves on the 9am ferry from Largs to the Isle of Cumbrae to attempt two laps of the island - 20.25 miles in total. Despite some pretty grim weather to begin with, we put our heads down and battered on through the wind and rain, completing the first lap in just 3 hours. It brightened up for the second lap but it took us a little longer after a quick pitstop for a coffee in Millport before completing the final 3 miles back to the ferry. Back in Largs we headed straight to Nardini's to refuel. Just over 6 hours is a long time to be on your feet - hope I am OK for the club run in the morning.

Polaroid Series - Clydebank 10k

After the excitement of the weekend it was back to the serious business of 10k racing for me. Tonight was the Clydebank 10k, the second race in the Polaroid Series. I was hoping for a significant improvement in my poor start to the series last week at Helensburgh, not least because Clydebank is a flatter faster course. It was good to see a few more Victoria Park runners out this week - I think there were five of us competing tonight. All started off OK and I went through the first 2 or 3 km at a reasonable pace but by half way my pace had slipped back and I felt I was working very hard. Finished in 37.08 - a bit quicker than last week but I was still some way short of my target - where has my speed gone?

Another well organised race and I got a text on the way home to confirm my time and position - 46th position, gun time 37:10 and chip time 37:08.

Next up is Dumbarton, the fastest of the 4 races in this series.

Results