Pentland Runners       

Admin Stuff:

Another membership year begins: We start again collecting membership fees for 2007/08, so we’ll be handing forms out at training, and you can also download the membership form for the current year. (our membership year runs from 1 Oct – 30 Sep).

Membership fees remain the same as last year. Runners who have children attending Mon / Wed Harmeny training can (& should) use the same form.

My email circulation list includes virtually everyone who’s run with us over the last 4 years, so if there’s anyone who no longer comes along who wants to come off the circulation list, please let me know.

Running Fleeces: The first batch has arrived and been distributed. The next batch will be ordered in early December, so get your order into Norma by Nov 30^th.  An order form can be downloaded, or ask for one at training. (www.pentlandrunners.org.uk)

Forthcoming events:

An evening with Liz McColgan
Mon 22^nd Oct, 7:00, St Brides Centre, Orwell Place. (Organised by Run & Become and Asics)
Admission free, by ticket only, tickets available from Run & Become, 66 Dalry Rd, Edinburgh, 0131 313 5300, Edinburgh@runandbecome.com
Book your ticket NOW to avoid disappointment.

Club Social event
Our own club “Fun Night” is now planned for Friday 16 November, upstairs lounge, Currie Rugby Club, 7.30 -12 pm. We’re not quite sure what Martin and Norma have in store, but you’ll be kicking yourself if you miss out. Tickets (only £5) will be available asap, so get the date in your diary NOW.

Running through the winter:
Yes we do – all meeting times continue, but obviously evening runs are limited to areas with adequate lighting.

Meeting times:
Sundays, Balerno HS car park @10:00 am – all levels/ different ability groups
Mondays, Balerno HS car park @ 7:00 pm – easy run
Wednesdays, Balerno HS car park @ 7:00 pm – all levels/ different ability groups
Thursdays, Saughton track @ 6:30pm – speedwork (Not sprinting, unless specially requested!)

2 more jogleaders
Tom & Pauline have taken the plunge and have now completed the jogScotland jogleader course.

New JogScotland Beginner Groups:
Pauline White will be starting a new beginners group on Sunday 11 Nov, meeting at 10:00 am
Norma Bone will be starting a new beginners group on Monday 12 Nov meeting at 9:30 am

 Spread the word around to any potential beginners, and please let us know of likely attendees.

 Performance Details

 Paisley 10k

“Nice sunny day, rather wayward and confusing kilometre markers”
242 Beverly DODGSON      48:22 (Chip time)
307 Allan PRICE                    50:03 (Chip time)

Stirling 10k ( aka Tom’s 50^th Anniversary 10k )
By Ian May “Unusually for a 10k within 40 miles of Balerno the normal display of the red and green shirts of Pentland Runners was not seen – they had been replaced by a very stylish white cotton T-shirt with an attractive (well, in Pauline’s eyes only) picture of a certain Tom White. Accurate in minute detail, ie a notable shiny dome, we caught him out doubly by ensuring the poor guy organised his own birthday bash! Reaching the grand age of 50, and becoming a supervet, was something we weren’t going to let him get away with quietly.

Unfortunately most of the runners thought this would be a standard race not one that should have been held under the ASA – (amateur swimming association).  It rained before the race, during the race and after the race!!   Times were not what they should have been due to the weather.  Paul T would like to add that his excuses for not running well extended way beyond the light drizzle experienced by the others. Full of cold (man flu by all accounts), with a blocked nose and ears, the day reached a pinnacle when his crown worked lose part way round.

For those unable to attend there are photos on Norma’s web-site  http://www.normabone.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/tomdo/index_tomdo.html , where the dual function T-shirts could be seen in their second phase as they slowly stretched beyond the knees.  However, it was generally agreed that as expected for Tom – who of course was not aware of what was to happen – that it was a tremendous turn out of Pentland runners, the organisation was excellent and the goody bag was one of the best anyone can remember! 

In the evening celebrations continued at the Caley Sample Rooms, yet again Tom was caught unaware – pity we didn’t have the camera!” 

Results
39             Andrew Neilson     36:52
106          Kenny Tindal          40:33
116          Staphan Knupffer  40:53
143          Iain Morrice             42:27
165          Tom White               43:19
229          Ian May                    45:39
306          Paul Thompson      48:06
325          Bev Dodgson         48:40
461          Elaine Scott              53:33
522          Will Cummings       55:51
538          Pauline White         56:37
539          Norma Bone            56:37
567          Karen Mackay        57:58
594          Monica Evans        58:56
674          Helen Robinson     1:05:36 

Linlithgow 10k
By Ian May: “After swimming round the Stirling 10K course the previous Sunday it came as a pleasant surprise to have dry warm weather for the Linlithgow 10K.  This was the last 10K in the clubs handicap series and there was reasonable turnout of Harmeny runners. A nice touch was the local drum band that lead us up the main street to the start.  The description of the route indicated that “Linlithgow is quite a hilly town” – having now completed the race I can confirm this is untrue, Linlithgow is actually a very hilly town.  The rather unusual course included a section on a narrow footpath round the loch and passed through the front garden of a house.  The organisation and marshalling were excellent and I even managed to get the correct size of t-shirt!”

Robert Turner                        35.05
Ian May                                  44.59
Beverley Dodgson               48.01
Allan Price                              50.31
Fiona Quinn                           55.08
Norma Bone                           59.01
Helen Robinson                   1.00.38

This was the last 10k handicap this year, and the results are:

                                                Handicap               Race       (Under)
                                                Target                     Time       / Over
                                                Time                                    
Ian          MAY                       0:46:30                     0:44:59    (0:01:31)   1^st male
BeverleyDODGSON             0:49:00                     0:48:01    (0:00:59)   1^st Female
Fiona      QUINN                    0:55:00                     0:55:08    0:00:08
Bob         TURNER                 0:34:30                     0:35:05    0:00:35
Alan       PRICE                      0:49:00                     0:50:31    0:01:31
Helen      ROBINSON           0:58:30                     1:00:38    0:02:08
Norma    BONE                      0:56:00                     0:59:01    0:03:01

Ian and Bev just keep on going faster! Handicap target times will receive a suitable adjustment.

Cross-Country season
The season of muddy fields is upon us. There are three fixtures in the East league which we’d like as many folk as possible to run in so we get M & F team scores again… and we might even move up a place or two in the respective league tables. The minimum to get F & M team scores are 3 ladies and 6 blokes (resp). The girls are going for a 3-in-a-row over the guys, so honour is at stake.

The blokes have a Masters sub-category (40+ ) with 3 to score, so we should aim for a team score in that section.

This is an inter-club event where we pay the league entry fees, so there is no individual charge for entry, but club colours are required.

Dates & venues are:
Sat 20 Oct               Broxburn
Sun 25 Nov            Kirkcaldy (Beveridge Park)
Sun 19 Jan              Livingston (Deans)

 Venue details can be found at http://www.eastleague.freeserve.co.uk/

Blokes who like mud should contact Tom White (346 1458)
Girlies looking for an alternative mud treatment (good for the complexion) should contact Verity (442 4614)

To provide even more encouragement we’ve nominated the Kirkcaldy race as a club handicap medal event, so a bit of complex regression analysis will be used to produce appropriate target times.

Foreign News

Mark’s Oz e-news From Mark Doughty (Now residing in Melbourne

“I have just been reading through the Harmeny News and was well pleased to see that you managed to prevent any of those "younger" Middle Distance runners from taking your Sprint Crown at the track. I think you need to be working them harder on those 400 reps on Thursday nights.

Quite often when I am training with my local club over here at the track on a Thursday night I think of you guys back home. Take last night at the track for instance, I really could have done with having somebody to chat to about that fantastic James Macfadden goal. However most of the guys over here think football is Aussie Rules football.

On the flip side they can run fast. Last night we did 5 x 400m with 60 sec rests. Then a 5 min break and then another 5 x 400m. Some of the guys do 64sec laps each time. If anybody has tried this, its blooming quick. I managed mine in around 72 secs, which is OK for me. The guys here just call me "Scotsman". I have some work to do before my nickname could be changed to Flying Scotsman !

 We are just coming out of winter. I ran a few cross country events to keep in shape (no mud though, we are still in drought). Track season kicks off in Oct so I am gearing up for that, and will race every second Sat afternoon....1500,800,400,long jump, shot putt, you name it, I will try it. I think this year I will try a couple of sprints to see if I could beat Bob off a 5m start. I will let you know how it goes.

We are having fun out here. .Just bought a house. Work is going well. Kids are doing well, including at all sorts of sports. Rachel seems to excel at the triple jump to the extent that she has won against a whole region of schools (thanks to her Monday night coaching at BHS with Harmeny!).

It’s good to read about you all.” 

(For new-comers, Mark came along to the running group a couple of years ago, did a half-year of “hard” track sessions at Saughton, and was also a regular helper at the junior training.)

 Forthcoming Races

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

Sat 20 Oct               Broxburn Cross Country (E League)

Sun 28 Oct              Jedburgh Half  www.jedburghhalfmarathon.org.uk

Sun 28 Oct              Xcite 10k & Fun Run, Craigswood, Livingston

Sun 4 Nov              Templeton 10 mile road race, Dundee (www.dundeeroadrunners.co.uk)

Sun 4 Nov             Lasswade Cross Country races, Gorebridge in Midlothian
                                Juniors races from 12:30; Women 2:00, Men 2:30

Sat 10 Nov              Glen Clova half marathon.
                                Contact Ian (449 6546) if interested

Sat 10 Nov              Edun Univ Hare & Hounds CC races, Braid Hills

Sun 25 Nov           ** Kirkcaldy (Beveridge Park) Cross Country (E League)

Sun 16 Dec             Queens Drive CC races, Holyrood Park

Fr 28 / Sat 29 Dec New Year Sprint Meeting

New Years Day     Portobello Promethon (4 Miles)

Sun 19 Jan              Livingston (Deans) Cross Country (E League)

Sat 9 Feb                 Scottish Masters CC Championships, venue tba

Sun 17 Feb             Grangemouth 10k 

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