club members blogs

Last Sunday myself, Neil and two of my friends from Southampton, Nick and Hannah, headed up to do the Perth 10k. It was a nice sunny day but it was blowing a gale! The race starts off on the track at Perth Grammar School, we run a couple of laps and then follow the river before doing a couple of laps of the Inch. Part of the Inch was fairly sheltered, but as soon as we turned back it was like hitting a brick wall. I felt strong from the start and decided to start off steady and try and maintain it, rather than go off too fast like I usually do!
The course was really scenic and the marshals were very encouraging. I had wondered what position I might be in, when one of the marshals told me I was third lady. I could see 2nd just ahead of me (as well as Nick) so I tried my best to close them both down, but they were just out of reach. I came through in a PB of 41min 36 seconds, which was unexpected and I was really pleased with.
Nick came in just ahead in 41:32. Neil also got a huge PB by 3 minutes, coming in at 43:35!! A great run from Hannah too, who is coming back from injury. I think they may well have been the only Southampton AC runners to have run the Perth 10K.
After the race we headed into Perth for a well deserved pub lunch! What a great race! I'm now feeling confident for my attempt at a PB in the Wolverhampton Half Marathon this weekend!

I couldn't run this last year due to injury, so felt I should have a go. Beautiful night for it, with clear skies, and not too warm or windy. Too fast a start as usual. After 1 1/2 laps I heard Gillian right behind me and knew I'd never hold her off. Each lap just seemed to slower as the climbs took their toll. By the end my legs felt like jelly and welcomed the finish line. A great wee tester of a race.
Owner:	nickbroon
Location:	--
Activity Type:	Track Running
Event Type:	Race
Distance:	3.85 Mile
Time:	00:24:24
Elevation Gain:	288 Feet

Baños is a place for tourists. Ecuadorians and Gringos alike go there to get a hot bath, go bungee jumping, whitewater rafting or to rent a mountain bike and cycle downhill to Puyo. It seems like the big cycling attractions are always downhill (the big hitter being "The Road of Death"). Its a shame as, truth be told, some of my favouirte cycling has been uphill.

I too headed to Puyo. I hadn't yet been to "The Jungle" and I fancied cycling downhill for a bit. (I know, I know, what goes down must come up...) Also, I had been told that the road from Baños to Puyo is a great cycle ride. And it was. Along the way there are many waterfalls and the scenery is never less than dramatic.

Puyo is a medium sized modern hot and sweaty place full of shops selling flashy jeans and people sitting at tables eating hamburgesas and wearing shiny jeans.

I resolved that it was probably too much of a detour to go further down into the rainforest (plus there are insects down there I'm told) and so I rode out to a zoo, of which there are 100s, in order to see some jungle wildlife. I feel a bit weird about zoos, but anyway I went. The place I wound up at had monkeys, turtles, parrots, crocs and some tigrillos (miniture tigers). All very nice. Most of the monkeys just run free around the place. Gringo volunteers were working in the zoo which I imagine must be a fun way of spending a few weeks, and really I think that would be the length of time required to get any enjoyment out of a place like that, or even to suss it out. Putting together a zoo like this would cost very little. Just knock up some cages from bamboo and chicken wire, drive 3 hours east, fill your van with animals, drive back, put up a sign, and charge people like me $2 for a 20 minute walk round. If you call yourself an "Animal Refuge" instead of a zoo, it makes people like me feel better. But in order to remain in existance they need customers and so they need animals, so the "refuge" aspect is only really wordplay. I suspect.

Anyway, I got back on the hot and humid road and cycled to Tena through countryside of strange trees and cobbled together shacks. In Tena, I stayed with a guy called Jorge and his father, called Jorge, and tried not to get confussed. We ate fantastic breakfasts, had fried fish and yuka dinners and went to a kareoke. Then it was time to head on.

From here the weather took a turn for the worse, and as I climbed back up into the mountains, it was cold. A stop in a small mountian town proved a lucky find as the hostal had a small scalding hot swimming pool in a basement.

I pressed onwards through Ecuador's hilly north, crossed the Equator and crossed into Colombia. The change is noticable straight away. You are no longer in an "Andean Country" but in a "Caribbean Country". People are more relaxed and friendly, you get given gifts of fruit on a regular basis and salsa-pop thumps louder than ever from every house.

Had a massage after work, so just went for an easy 4 miles through Craiglockart and along the canal. Legs felt loose. Lovely night for running.
Owner:	jkirby13
Location:	--
Activity Type:	Running
Event Type:	Training
Distance:	4.11 Mile
Time:	00:33:39
Elevation Gain:	186 Feet

Drank way to much beer the night before, so bit of a late start. Sweated most of out on the long initial climb. Cracking views on a lovely day (it was pissing with rain the day before) as we scrambled along the ridge, taking all the difficulties head on. Lunch stop before the last top and then the long walk down to the Glen. I managed to hitch a lift back up the glen to pick up the car (no I cannot run at 40mph) and met the girls back in Clachaig for some food.
Owner:	nickbroon
Location:	--
Activity Type:	Hiking
Event Type:	Recreation
Distance:	15.11 Mile
Time:	06:20:07
Elevation Gain:	4,320 Feet

Sunny, but very windy conditions! Lap of track then along the river and a couple of laps of the Inch. Very windy around the Inch. Tried to go off steady and keep constant pace. Only slowed on windy sections. Splits: 4:01/4:08/4:04/4:00/4:15/4:03/4:28/4:21/4:10/4:00 Final time: 41min36s (PB), 3rd woman. Really pleased!
Owner:	jkirby13
Location:	--
Activity Type:	Running
Event Type:	Race
Distance:	6.22 Mile
Time:	00:41:35
Elevation Gain:	50 Feet

Far hiller than I was expecting! Felt like I was running up hill for the whole race. Went off too fast as usual, but settled into a reasonable pace. Was distracted by the need for a pee most of the way round, and felt it held me back particularly on the down hills, on the last one in particular I lost about 2 places. Rekon it cost me about a minute all told. Beautiful course though.
Owner:	nickbroon
Location:	--
Activity Type:	Trail Running
Event Type:	Race
Distance:	6.15 Mile
Time:	00:42:16
Elevation Gain:	543 Feet

Started off pretty normal along the canal, but by sighthill it had revved up into a flat out race for usual regroup point at Calder road. After Tuesday speedy session I couldn't quite hold in with Mike/Graeme/Tim in the last quarter mile. After that speed session between road crossing where I faired a bit better.
Owner:	nickbroon
Location:	--
Activity Type:	Street Running
Event Type:	Training
Distance:	6.12 Mile
Time:	00:44:54
Elevation Gain:	118 Feet

Ran fast along canal, through Wester Hailes, back through Sighthill. Felt good.
Owner:	jkirby13
Location:	--
Activity Type:	Running
Event Type:	Training
Distance:	6.13 Mile
Time:	00:45:38
Elevation Gain:	109 Feet

Only 3 laps today, with the mini circuit session.
Owner:	nickbroon
Location:	--
Activity Type:	Track Running
Event Type:	Training
Distance:	0.76 Mile
Time:	00:07:19
Elevation Gain:	0 Feet

Owner:	jkirby13
Location:	--
Activity Type:	Running
Event Type:	Training
Distance:	0.80 Mile
Time:	00:07:02
Elevation Gain:	0 Feet

A run after work with Susan. Not been so regular with Wednesday long runs, though they are usually at lunch time. Pretty easy paced, especially in the second half. Made a change to be running up the Water of Leith in this section. Back along the cycle track before it was dark.
Owner:	nickbroon
Location:	--
Activity Type:	Street Running
Event Type:	Recreation
Distance:	8.97 Mile
Time:	01:16:50
Elevation Gain:	272 Feet

A bit of variation. The usual up the Water of Leith, but instead heading up Gillepsie road and back via Wester Hailes and Sighthill. Got faster and faster on the down hill back along the side of the tramline, when we should have been taking it easy. Felt pretty strong.
Owner:	nickbroon
Location:	--
Activity Type:	Street Running
Event Type:	Training
Distance:	6.94 Mile
Time:	00:51:54
Elevation Gain:	284 Feet

The usual.
Owner:	nickbroon
Location:	--
Activity Type:	Track Running
Event Type:	Training
Distance:	1.02 Mile
Time:	00:09:29
Elevation Gain:	0 Feet

On Saturday morning I headed down to Cramond with Neil, and a couple of Neil's friends up from London to have a go at the parkrun. It had been 5 months since the last time we did one, and with a frustrating summer of injury I was interested to see how I would get on.

I started off a bit far back in the pack and was frustratingly boxed in for the first few 100metres, but once I got a gap I managed to get in a good fast couple of first kilometres. They felt pretty easy, perhaps I hadn't lost as much fitness as I thought?! Neil was running just behind me, and I was pretty confident he'd be on for a PB today!

As we approached the corner to head back down the promenade, it became clear why the previous 2.5km had felt easy - it was the strong wind pushing us along which we were now having to run against on the way back. The next couple of km's were just a push to the end. I still felt fairly good, and was pleased to go sub 20, in 19:55 (4th woman). Neil was close with a big PB of 20:30. And Duncan and Sapna also both had PBs, so a successful morning all round!
Off to Falko for a German style breakfast and the morning was complete :-).
Now looking forward to the Perth 10k this coming weekend.

Out along the canal in the rain past the biggest bunch of discourteous persons ive ran by in a good while..anyways rain flinging down it was nice and refreshing. Took a wee turn off down through the park then back along the road before getting a wee bit carried away on the wide pavements and pushing the pace on. Right achilles a little tight, but more tired than anything worse i feel.
Owner:	iamc0b
Location:	--
Activity Type:	Street Running
Event Type:	Training
Distance:	5.20 Mile
Time:	00:36:49
Elevation Gain:	138 Feet

Long Sunday run with Susan. After a night drinking and only about 15 minutes after eating and as a result got a sore gut after only 1 mile that I simply could not shake. As such it was total effort the whole way round, an felt like I could have walked faster. Stopped half round on the hill above Bonaly and sat in the heather for 1/2 hour. A absolutely shocker of a run.
Owner:	nickbroon
Location:	--
Activity Type:	Street Running
Event Type:	Recreation
Distance:	13.36 Mile
Time:	02:03:09
Elevation Gain:	978 Feet

A daytrip to Newhaven Sweatshop to spend last weekends hard earned prizes of vouchers was decided to be rolled into a long run. BC made a valiant effort to get up and run with us despite being ill prepared and the 15min wait wasnt too bad considering, Moray also ran the first 25mins before turning so was great to have both for company along with Grant for this the first leg of the long run. Picked up the Innocent Railway at the Commonwealth and followed a hunch right down to Portobello it was a great little route actually. Pace was pretty easy but did the trick, and with the sun high and wind in our faces after we made the turn at the front tired legs were definitely weary. Kept a good pace ticking over though. Met Steven at Newhaven for the run back and took 25mins in the shop. BC was definitely worse for wear here so the stop was well timed. Good run with the group, hopefully can do it more often, as it definitely makes it easier. Topped out the week at 100miles+ again with the run home, so pretty chuffed with that.
Owner:	iamc0b
Location:	--
Activity Type:	Street Running
Event Type:	Training
Distance:	11.62 Mile
Time:	01:23:02
Elevation Gain:	118 Feet

Felt good on the way out, but a strong wind on the return. Foot been sore this week, so wondered how I might do, but pleased to get a sub 20. Splits: 3:44/3:48/4:03/4:17/4:00
Owner:	jkirby13
Location:	--
Activity Type:	Running
Event Type:	Race
Distance:	3.09 Mile
Time:	00:19:54
Elevation Gain:	25 Feet

Couldnt really decided what to do today and when did strike out despite being a bit tough going at times with tired hammys and calves it was a pretty enjoyable meander. The last 6K all down hill was especially good fun.
Owner:	iamc0b
Location:	--
Activity Type:	Street Running
Event Type:	Training
Distance:	10.16 Mile
Time:	01:12:42
Elevation Gain:	824 Feet