3k on the Green, July 2012

27th July 2012

Results

Possibly a record turnout of 48 for this month’s blast along the side of the Clyde, augmented by the demented – yes, my namesake Grim “Definitely No Relation” Orr was out for his first crack at the lunchtime lope.

The race continues to attract some real whippets, with Andrew Mackenzie’s winning time at 9:35. Grim clocked 14:15 mins, a PB! (Not sure if that’s an age category PB or just because he’d never run this particular distance before.) However, I must out him for his sartorial slip-up – an ancient, possibly home-made, GUHH vest! Where’s yer Westies vest, man?! A Brennan-esque blunder for sure.

I had improved last year’s 11.11 to 10.28 back in April but today’s breeze didn’t seem to bode well for fast times. Training with the Lunchrunners group suggested that Dave Thom would still be out of my reach, so I kept company with my Garscube friends, the father and daughter duo of Alex and Lesley Chisholm. I reached the turn just behind Lesley with Alex on my shoulder, but wondered if I’d set off too quickly as they used the homeward twist as a cue to up the tempo and try to close down Dave. Gaps began to open, then the painfully long straight to the finish emerged. I started to reap the benefit from plenty of core work as I kept my running form, focused on the still-accelerating Dave in the distance, and pushed myself to the max to claw back past Alex and finish 8th just behind Lesley as she destroyed her own course record of 10.30 with a run of 10.13.

I clocked 10.15 (a huge new PB) with Alex right behind me on 10.17 – an excellent V55 time. Very pleased with my result and hoping that a wee period with less work-related travel will allow me to build on it.

…and in the ducking and manoeuvring of the dogfight, I was totally oblivious to the breeze (if indeed there was one). Absorbing racing, as it should be.