Pentland Runners       

Runners Council: The next gathering of the Runners council will be on Tue 10^th July at Currie Rugby club, 7.30. This is where jogleaders and runners can get together to go over things like meeting times, running group organisation, social events etc. (This is one of three activity sub-groups that sit below the club committee, the others being for coaches/helpers for Juniors/ “Athletics” and Pentland Triathletes.)

Better late than never news. Following several requests by us for the full table of positions from the cross-country season, the league have finally produced more comprehensive results. I suspect they’ve only done the calculations down to our position (to keep us quiet!) and it’s not a full table (there are about 45 competing clubs)

Our Men were 15^th, our ladies were 13^th, so the ladies can claim another moral victory over the guys.

Fleece Orders: Many of you may have noticed our models showing off the new club fleeces. We’re now taking orders, so get a form from Norma or Alex (I’ll soon have one on the website) and order yours. These will be made to order, so it’s “Cash With Order” please!

Edinburgh 10k Handicap results.

A few more times came in from folk who did the Edinburgh 10k, so the results for members are as below.

                                                Handicap               Race       (Under) 
                                                Target                     Time       / Over   
                                                Time                                                                       
Ian          MAY                       0:51:00                     0:47:45    (0:03:15)   1st Male         
Morag    TWEDDLE             0:54:00                     0:53:56    (0:00:04)   1st Female    
Alison    SMITH                    0:57:00                     0:56:59    (0:00:01)   
Paul        THOMPSON         0:46:30                     0:47:35    0:01:05        
Bev         DODGSON             0:53:00                     0:54:17    0:01:17  
Peter       McGAVIGAN       0:50:00                     0:51:46    0:01:46   
Paul        HOUSTON             0:38:00                     0:39:53    0:01:53   
Iain         CROMBIE              0:42:30                     0:44:23    0:01:53  
Iain         MORRICE              0:40:10                     0:42:24    0:02:14   
Catherine BARR                    0:47:00                     0:49:23    0:02:23    
Aileen    MACLEOD           1:10:00                     1:14:33    0:04:33     
Norma    BONE                      0:52:00                     0:57:38    0:05:38    
Sally       MAY                       0:47:30                     0:54:16    0:06:46   
Lindsey  MIDDLETON        1:03:00                     1:10:36    0:07:36    
April       BIRRELL                 1:03:00                     1:10:36    0:07:36                    

                                                                                                                           New Target
Christina DOYLE                                                   0:52:09                                 00:50:00
Elaine     SCOTT                                                    0:57:30                                     00:55:00

 Well done to Ian May who has improved tremendously since starting to run regularly with us (an example to everyone), and to Morag Tweddle who edged out Alison by a mere 3 seconds. Needless to say, Ian’s 10k target time received a large adjustment before the next handicap race at Peebles. There was a bit of fine tuning of a few others.
These are published and updated monthly on our website. Anyone who hasn’t got a target should send me some recent 10k (or half-times) and I’ll concoct one out of thin air…

 Performance Details

 Morag Goes West
Yet again Morag Leitch ventured to the mythical land of Far Far Away, beyond the place of the Wee – G’s to record some pretty remarkable times. We’ve not (yet) attempted to compile club records for road races, but it’s a pretty safe bet that Morag’s times are club records for the F60 age group, and will take some beating! 

Clydebank 10k  31 May
581          Morag    Leitch      00:55:02 
731 finishers      

Dumbarton 10k  7 June
580          Morag    Leitch      00:54:31
744 finishers

 Dechmont Law 12  June

Dave and Paul go up-down, up-down, up-down, up-down. No-one really knows if this is a full 10k … it just seems like it with that hill.

 26             David Gibson        39:26
67             Paul Thompson    44:52 

International Reports

 Leiden Half-Marathon, Netherlands – 10 June 2007
By Paul Houston; “Three days of scorching sunshine and holiday drinks prior to the race left me feeling more than a little nervous the night before race day. Fortunately several litres of water and a grey overcast sky on the morning eased my fears (and my stomach). The race started in the main shopping street in the very picturesque town of Leiden, around 30 miles west of Amsterdam. Both the Marathon and Half-Marathon started at the same time in the same single wave, resulting in about a mile’s wait to get up to around race pace and about another half mile to stop having to weave my way though a packed field. On most aspects however, the planning was impeccable, the weather was perfect and the scenery was fantastic. From starting in the centre of town it took no more than 5 minutes until we were in the country passing through beautiful villages with the streets packed with spectators making a day of it and impromptu music stations playing the clichéd motivational classics. The course was mainly run along cycle paths which cut across fields and over numerous bridges and canals, and felt a lot softer than tarmac which helped the legs survive the distance. The final few miles running back into the centre of town had a gala day feel to them with the streets covered with balloons, streamers and flags, and the support from spectators is like nothing I’ve experienced before. If no-one is inspired to sign up for next year yet, crossing the finish line found you in a lane full of stalls handing out free bottles of sports drink, water, fruit and, in typical dutch fashion, even beer (one of the only times you will see me refuse a free beer!). To top it all off the post-race organisation and planning was first class, from the free post-race party in the local nightclub to the website (www.marathon.nl) which quickly provided links to TV coverage filtered by your race number, pictures and an email within 5 hours of the race telling you your time and final position. The only downside is that the marathon is run over two laps of the half-marathon course, but its definitely one I’ll be doing next year!”

Time:      1:27:08, Position: 65th
Runners: 2381

 Running Sunday – 17^th June

 We had folk out at four events on Sunday 17 June:

17/6 - 1) Peebles 10k

By Paul Thompson “Waiting for Ian (May) to turn up and collect me I was reflecting on whether or not I could expect another good run after Dechmont Law the previous week. After what I assumed was 10 minutes (you know you just can’t tell the time by watching the sun, especially when it’s cloudy) I was wondering if I should go back and get my own car. Just about the time I started off, I spotted the familiar silver Golf coming down the road. Apparently Sally was still in bed when he’d turned up to collect her so he’d had to wait whilst she put on “her face”.
Anyway we arrived in plenty of time and I was heartened to see a whole swathe of Harmeny Pentland Runners (Iain Morris, Ian Crombie, Ian and Sally May, Tom and Pauline White, Norma Bone, Helen Robinson, Willie Cumming, Sandy Borthwick, Andrew Neilson (replete with a Stag Night hangover), David Gibson (after cycling down), Trevor Jackson, Hugh Chalmers).
The day was warm and humid and the course was fairly flat running through the town, out into the country lanes and looping back down the Edinburgh Road to finish. Willie, fresh from being beaten by Pauline and Norma in the Edinburgh marathon, was out to demonstrate how fast he really was – which was amply observed by all as he stopped 10 yards from the finish line and nonchalantly walked across. I was impressed!
Hugh soundly beat me to the finish, after I’d passed him at the 1k marker I later heard a familiar beat of footsteps as he calmly cruised on by at 6k, though I matched and beat my previous weeks PB!
All in all a great day out for the club!
Addendum - Ian beat Sally round, though she did intimate in the car on the way back that maybe he could extend his new found speed skills into the driving arena …..”

 10 Andrew Neilson               36.16 
30 Dave Gibson                    40.15
34 Iain Morrice                     41.16 
48 Tom White                       43.03 
49 Ian Crombie                      43.32 
53 Hugh Chalmers                44.16 
56 Paul Thompson               44.31 
73 Ian May                             46.36 
76 Trevor Jackson                47.27
91 Sandy Borthwick             50.13
98 Sally May                          51.28 
100 Willie Cummings           52.52  
112 Norma Bone                   55.14   
117 Pauline White                57.16   
121 Helen Robertson            58.43  
133 runners

 Handicap results

                                                Handicap               Race       (Under) 
                                                Target                     Time       / Over
                                                Time            
Paul        THOMPSON         0:46:15                     0:44:31    (0:01:44) 1st male 
Hugh      CHALMERS         0:45:00                     0:44:16    (0:00:44)     
Ian          MAY                       0:47:00                     0:46:36    (0:00:24)     
Pauline   WHITE                   0:57:30                     0:57:16    (0:00:14) 1st Female       
Helen      ROBINSON           0:58:30                     0:58:43    0:00:13     
Norma    BONE                      0:55:00                     0:55:14    0:00:14            
Trevor    JACKSON              0:47:00                     0:47:27    0:00:27       
Andrew  NIELSON                0:35:40                     0:36:16    0:00:36       
David     GIBSON                  0:39:30                     0:40:15    0:00:45      
Iain         MORRICE              0:40:20                     0:41:16    0:00:56    
Iain         CROMBIE              0:42:30                     0:43:32    0:01:02     
Thomas  WHITE                   0:42:00                     0:43:03    0:01:03    
Sally       MAY                       0:49:00                     0:52:52    0:03:52      
Will         CUMMINGS         0:47:30                     0:52:52    0:05:22        
                                                                                                                                New target
Sandy      BORTHWICK                                        0:50:13                                     0:49:00

The bulk of the field were within a few seconds of the respective targets, and for those who were well outside, the handicapper has no sympathy, but some useful advice: “train harder”. Well done to Paul Thompson who has been doing a lot of running this year, as well as taking beginner and intermediate groups every week. It goes to show that you don’t have to run hard all the time to set a new pb. And well done to Pauline, who has matched Tom’s win from a couple of month’s.

17/6 - 2) Edinburgh Seven Hills Race & Challenge

By Chris Doyle: “Meanwhile back in Edinburgh three Harmeny runners decided to compete in the Edinburgh 7 Hills event instead of the woosey 10k in Peebles.  As I’m trying to get in shape for the Loch Ness Marathon in October I was one of these “fools”.  The event, which was celebrating its 28^th year, covers about 15 miles around Edinburgh and includes a total ascent (and descent) of 2,200ft. up and down Edinburgh’s 7 hills.  After torrential rain the day and night before the weather brightened up just for us and we actually had some sunshine.  The 15 miles are covered on roads and on trails up to the hill summits so the ground underfoot was, in certain places, rather slippery going.  Many of the more competitive runners seemed to have covered much of the course on their fronts, backs, backsides, etc, etc, judging by the state of their kit at the finish.
I decided to enter the Challenge rather than the Race as the latter looked a little serious and I thought there was some risk that I might actually come last!  (As it happens I would have escaped last place but only by 4 places so I think I made the right decision.)   Anyway, things started well with fresh legs from the start at the top of Calton Hill, then down to North Bridge and up the Royal Mile to the Castle Esplanade – first checkpoint.  It was then down to Princes Street followed by a long but easy gradient out to Corstorphine.  Then came the first real hill, up through the golf course to Clermiston Tower for the second checkpoint – some walking was necessary here, but so far, so good.
After another reasonably long but flattish stretch Craiglockart Hill loomed ahead behind the tennis courts.  This was the first serious scrambling up the muddy slope.  Thank goodness for my new Saucony trail shoes I had purchased the day before which provided more grip than other people’s shoes seemed capable of.  (Yes, I know you’re not supposed to wear brand new shoes for a long race, but the only other options I had were shoes with no grip or the certainty of getting even more black toenails – I made the right decision.)
After Craiglockart the hills came thick and fast with Braid (fairly straightforward), Blackford (with its mud ski slope where even the Saucony trails couldn’t cope) and the penultimate ascent to the summit of Arthur’s Seat.   At least by this time the crags had dried out so the scramble wasn’t slippery but by this time I was seriously wishing I had opted for the easy 10k at Peebles instead of this hell.  By this stage it was more of a haulage exercise (of one’s own person) than a run but I was looking forward to making up a bit of time on the way down.  No such luck as it was very steep and rocky so care was essential if you wanted to have a chance of running the following week!  Finally I made it to the finish point back at the top of Calton Hill in a little under 3 hours – what a relief!
I was surprised to bump into mountain marathon man Stefan who, having been a Race participant, must have overtaken me somewhere (the Racers started 30 minutes after the Challengers) and it turned out that he came 6^th and got a prize – some vouchers and a rather dubious-looking bottle of Seven Hills (of Rome) wine – very appropriate and well taken by Stefan, so congratulations to him.  Congratulations too to Bill Stobie who also completed the Challenge.
The event was very well organised and I would recommend it to anyone who likes a bit of pain!  Final results for Harmeny were:

 6^th Stefan Knupfer – 1:56:44
Chris Doyle – 2:57:17
Bill Stobie – 2:58:10

 17/6 - 3) Vale of Leven 10k

Another brave adventurer tackles Wee-G-land…

44 Robert Turner    36.37  

 17/6 - 4) Flot Trot

 Whilst the competitive brigades were out at various events, ten of the lets-run-while-we’re-chatting group agreed it would be a good week-end for gliding across the Pentlands to the Flotterstone Inn. We had been a bit concerned about the weather, as most folk suffer in the summer heat, but the previous day’s downpours suggested a different weather threat. The warning had gone out – we wouldn’t go if it was snowing (heavily). On the day the weather gods were good to us, and everyone else who was out running that morning.

The good thing about starting at this side is that sensible folk like us could drive up to Threipmuir car park, warm-up jog to the avenue up trees, and then warm-up walk up it. Before we’ve really started we’re at the highest point with a scenic 9k downhill glide before us.

The previous day’s rain was evident, and some very white trainers got an early christening in a big squelch. Parts of the gravel path were a mini-stream. The stream-path became a tarmac single-track road with only the occasional puddle. “See us? Puddles, we laugh at puddles!”

We saw another runner standing by the edge of one of the reservoirs… “Is that one of us?” one of us asked. “No. He’s not wearing a fleece round his waist” I commented as the rest of the group demonstrated synchronised fleece swaying.

Down the hill at the far end we start to notice signs of approaching civilisation, … kids shuffling along with that distinctive dragged-out-by-the-parents-walking action, … folk wearing pink. Before we know it we’re in the shade of the Flotterstone Inn car park, gleefully informing everyone within hearing distance, including a busload of hikers, that we’d just run over the hills.

We had a 2-minute wait for the Inn to open. “You ran too quickly” I suggested. Time for drinks, Time for food. Time to relax.

 East Kilbride half-marathon , 24 June (PG)

(This report has been classified as PG as it contains scenes of  graphic bodily functions. You have been warned!)

 By Paul Thompson: “After watching the stair rods flatten all the flowers in my garden on Saturday I was looking for a cool, drizzley day on the Sunday to keep me company on the way round the 2 lap route. 4:30 on Sunday morning, when I woke to the raucous cacophony outside my window, the sun was shining in through the curtains. Damn, I thought this isn’t going to plan as I drifted back to sleep – or would have done if our fine feathered friends had had a touch of sympathy.
My next thought, at 6:30 am as the world fell out my bottom, was that this was definitely not going to be my day. However, having lived in Yorkshire for 3 years where frugal has an altogether different meaning, there was no way I wasn’t going to run in the event. I girded my loins, or rather cheeks in this case, and set off.
Arriving in plenty of time to secure my portaloo, I was horrified to watch the sun come out and the temperature rise to a balmy 18 degrees C. Ignoring the expletives forming in my mind, and the warm up in case of accidents, I set off with everybody else bang on 9:30am.
I remember trying to learn to ski once, another story where I spent a good deal of time sliding down backwards on my backside wondering why the sport was so popular, and an instructor telling me to imagine gripping a one pound note (now we are stepping back in time) between my cheeks – it never actually worked but I figured if I raised the denomination to a 100 I might be in with a chance this time round.
Well, all I can say is that this was a triumph of mind over matter (brown in this instance, to keep the scatological theme alive) as I managed to finish. Admittedly the time was not my best, but what the hey at least I hadn’t marked the route.”

 Results:
301 Paul Thompson 1:48:22
635 finishers

Gala 10k, 24 June

Will Cummings made a quick return to the Borders for the Gala 10k , and must have run all the way to the finish line (unlike Peebles) to produce a much quicker time:

65    Will Cummings               49:11
90 finishers            

The Next Club Medal Handicap race will be the Scottish Gas races on Sunday 5 Aug. Both the 10k race and the 5k race will be handicap events, so we hope to see a good turnout of folk in both races (.. which  start together, so you can’t do both!). Target times for the 5k will be calculated from 10k targets (=10k target divided by 2.1 ). As an extra incentive, all finishers (both races) get a medal and a T-shirt.

 Download an entry form from http://www.scottishathletics.org.uk/index.php?p=80&itemType=fixtures&itemId=997
or speak to Tom, and submit before 30 July.

 Forthcoming Races

Those marked ** have been selected as club handicap events -

 Sat 28 July              Musselburgh 6 mile road race

 Wed 1 Aug           North Berwick Law

 Thu 2 Aug              Club track race night for oldies – see club events below

 Sun 5 Aug              ** Scottish Gas / Granton 10k &

                                ** 5k We’re making the 5K a club handicap event as well.

                                Entry form at http://www.scottishathletics.org.uk/index.php?p=80&itemType=fixtures&itemId=997

 Sat 11 Aug             Haddington Half

 Sun 19 Aug           ** Club 10k-&-a-bit pursuit handicap race.    (Avoiding the Bank Holiday Week-end)

                                Bring some along friends, Medals for all finishers!

                                Handicap trophies (members only for M & F for Low & High handicap groups

 Sun 26 Aug           Blair Castle 6km x-c challenge and 3k fun run (Blair Atholl)

 Sun 2 Sep               Great Scottish Run / Glasgow half & 10k

 Sun 23 Sep             ** Linlithgow 10k  (NOTE REVISED DATE)

 Sun 7 Oct                Loch Ness Marathon / 10k / 5k

                                www.lochnessmarathon.com (& entry forms available)

Sun 7 Oct                Pitlochry 10k

 Sat 14 Oct               ** Aviemore Half

                                A good one to do, and as trophy winners, honour is at stake.

                                As an additional incentive, we’ll make this a club medal event.

 Sat 10 Nov              Glen Clova half marathon.

                                Contact Ian (449 6546) if interested

 The Scottish Athletics fixture list for the coming summer is at http://www.scottishathletics.org.uk

 Spare entry forms and race posters are available on the Games corridor notice Board in Balerno High School, at the Gymnasium end.

 Forthcoming Club Events

For the record, below is the current programme of things WE are organising for adults and juniors over and above the normal running & training times.

 Sat 21^st July           Final Forth Valley League meeting for the club’s juniors, Grangemouth Stadium

                                Come along to a real track competition and support our juniors.

 Sat 28 July             Family Fun Run (all ages): Meet at Harlaw Reservoir Car Park for 10:00

 Thu 2 August       Track Race Night at Saughton., 6:30

                                Last summer several folk who had been training hard (and some not-so-hard) came along for an evening of track races (100m, 200m, 400m 800m and 1500m) to see if they had a potential Olympic career behind them. This is open to everyone, adults and juniors.

                                (This is my only chance to challenge all you real runners over my distance!)

                  There’s been a request to do another 3.2k (8-lap) time trial, so I’ll be seeing what interest there is.

 Sun 19 Aug           Club 10k-&-a-bit pursuit handicap race.

 Mon 20/Wed 22 Aug          Training for juniors restarts at Balerno High School.

 Sat 25 Aug             Family Fun Run (all ages): Meet at Harlaw Reservoir Car Park for 10:00