Buchlyvie 10k 27/01/07
Buchlyvie lies 15 miles beyond Stirling. Due to roadworks and me dragging my heels we arrived very nearly too late. As we pulled on to the car strewn verge where marshals were guiding the last cars to arrive into the last spaces available, it became evident that a huge number of runners had turned up for this unlikely event. I suppose it is handy for East and West alike, as well as all the central Scottish competitors. We jumped out the car and dashed around like headless chickens until eventually finding the school near the start where they kindly allowed us to register just minutes before the 1.30 start. Still in street clothes we ran back to the car, pinned numbers on vests jumped into shorts and shoes, and ran back to the start via a very hasty visit to the roadside facilities. Not recommended for those of a nervous disposition.
Next year it will all be pre-entry; be warned. We had been unable to get event details off any website but the few references we found spoke of trails through the woods and a disused railway. I had hoped to get an idea from the other runners what shoes to wear. I had taken a couple of pairs and was going to ask around but there was no time and I settled for normal road shoes.
We set off on tarmac but after a couple of turns and a downhill we turned off the road and onto a path. This is the disused railway and it is the majority of the 10k route, following an out and back across the alluringly named Flanders Moss. Similar to the disused railways that Edinburgh has turned into cycle-paths, but without tarmac. A mixture of soft packed earth, hard packed earth, sprinklings of large-sized gravel, stones, turfy grass and mud. Although trail shoes would be okay I think my road shoes were the right choice as the softer muddier parts were in the minority. I was glad I hadn't worn thinner soled racers as the sharp stones would have been uncomfortable underfoot. A lovely path for a training run, but not a fast route for a 10k. At first trees and scrub either side of the path, then later the views opened out. But it wasn't the place to admire the scenery. You had to keep your eye on the path ahead, or what you could see of it, past the runner in front. I think I saw a meandering river in a muddy mangrove swamp to the left at one bit, and snowy hills up ahead later.
Everyone ran in one of the two flattened tyre tracks, either on the left or the right, changing from one to the other depending on approaching terrain, or to overtake. I never enjoy running directly in the footfalls of the person ahead but there was little choice, unless you wasted energy dodging back and forth. You would see some obstacle ahead (muddy ruts or golf ball sized gravel) and everybody would move to the opposite side. I particularly resented a Bellahouston runner dodging onto my side right ahead of me then slowing down slightly.
All the side swapping stopped just before the halfway point as returning runners took the right side and we had to stay on the left. The first couple of guys were doing a great job and looked untroubled. There was then a long space before the third runner, then some much more distressed and mortal looking types. I believe I was looking fairly troubled by then. I felt I was working quite hard but was below par - failing to keep up with a couple of familiar faces. I only found out why when at last I came to the turning point and suddenly the wind - what there was of it - was in our favour rather than against us. I picked up the pace and began to overtake the runners ahead going from one to the next, looking out for Richard who would be along shortly. (No pun intended.) We hadn't had time to meet up before the race but waved hello just after the turn around. Mary wasn't far behind. I had noticed at the halfway point my watch said 19 something and realised I would be running a much slower time than I had hoped. I felt I was putting down a 36/37 minute effort but heading for a 39/40 minute result.
The course was really quite strange - at one point I felt we had come down a long incline just before a wooden bridge. Yet on the return trip there was no discernable rise. I think the surrounding landscape of distant hills might have encouraged this mirage. Or it could just have been the lack of oxygen, or maybe the favourable wind made it seem flat on the return trip. I definitely enjoyed the second half more, greatly savouring catching, then steaming past my colleague from Bellahouston, eventually going 15 seconds quicker than the first half. As we came to the end of the trail there was a wind in our face. I ducked behind an enormous guy, then once onto the tarmac and out of the wind, I pulled past and enjoyed the increased speed of the road. It was encouraging to feel the difference in tempo immediately stepping off one surface and onto another, even though there was a rise as the road entered the village of Buchlyvie. I watched as up ahead Fiona Matheson managed to keep her slim lead over the number 2 girl. I have been overtaken by Fiona on a hill in the latter stages before, and suspected she would retain her advantage. (She did.) At least I had reduced some of the distance between us in the second 5k. I could hear the big guy stomping down the road behind me and sure enough, he just had more in his tank than I did over the last hundred yards. But I didn't drop many - if any - other places after half way and consequently felt pretty good about the slowest 10k I'd done in a while. (Over 38 mins). Curiously the finish line wasn't very evident - the guy there was slowing you down to avoid a pile up or something.
Richard sprinted home (as usual gaining closing seconds' places,) just outside a pb, as did Mary. (I was 2.5 minutes off; what's their problem? - it so wasn't a pb course.) We didn't stay to see if there were refreshments or showers and the car was parked too far away to get the camera and take photos.
In summary, a good off-road, picturesque 10k, well attended with a strong field. PB unlikely. Only pre-entries got t-shirt & goody bag. After much searching eventually found their website. Google doesn't seem to have heard of it. Results seem to be a bit awry (from 5 to 10 secs the wrong way) but I've seen worse. And they managed to cope with a turn out of 449, some of whom only turned up to register 15 mins before the start of the race, the dogs! Thumbs up. And home before dark for a hearty dinner.
Report pb
Photo pb
Results/info here
