Off Road Weekend
Buchlyvie 10k 26/01/08
I often enjoy the seeming paradox of holding 2 contrary ideas in my head at the same time. For instance the notion that Mercury in Aquarius goes retrograde for the next three weeks, and you have no choice but to go with the flow and cope with life's little frustrations. And the opposing notion that in fact astrology is twaddle. Also Buchlyvie 10k was a good race / not a good race.
Mercury is the messenger of the Roman Gods and when he goes retrograde expect trouble with transport and communications. Strangely this seems to effect even sceptics and this weekend was blighted by car trouble and miscommunication. Firstly the Buchlyvie 10k, and where do all the entrants come from? I'm guessing the West, as its past Stirling, directly North of Glasgow. Between five and six hundred are off doing the Devil's Burden Relay in Fife and some (Julia) are saving themselves for the 4k x-c in Bella Pk, Sunday. So where do they get over three hundred for this trail 10k out and back on a disused railway line in a place you would only ever drive through after a wrong turn?
Remembering last year's nearly missed start we set off 2 hrs before the race (with Scott F in tow) in plenty time to pick up our numbers. Its all online entry this year which might be a good idea but they left it too late to send out the numbers in time. Friday night and we emailed to say as much. Never mind, they said, your numbers will be in the village hall. Not the same venue as last year nor was the course identical but nobody thought to say. Mercury stirred it all up. We arrived and in the confusion ended up making our own numbers up, though they were probably behind the counter. We went for trail / off road shoes thinking that all the rain that flooded a lot of the local fields might have left swamps on the course similar to the photos in myRace of the Buchlyvie Half. It hadn't and you would have been fine in road shoes for all but the last 300 yards of the course.
I had told Scott there was probably less than a kilometre of tarmac but I had forgotten that there was about 1200m of road at the start and finish. Julia and Andrew had swapped their traditional roles with Andrew running for Helensburgh and Julia taking photos. Julia stood down the road and cheered us on just before the road turns right onto the old railway. The trail was firm and gravelly and continued to about the 5km mark travelling slightly downhill though so slightly you're not absolutely sure its downhill. Most of the way I was hounded by the imp-like dude in the tights, vest and bald head who seemed to be going very fast but not overtaking. I knew Scott would be on my heels also but not wanting him to beat me twice in four days I kept the needle in the red. At the turn he was so close that after I beeped my watch I looked up and he had already turned behind me - he said afterwards he heard the beep.
I was pondering the course and trying to remember last year - we had run further before turning, which might go some way to explaining negative splits (last year) if the turn was more than half way. (The course doesn't finish where it starts down a cul-de-sac.) As this was one of the few times I have ever run negative splits there was a sense of realisation & disappointment. I kept thrashing away and at some point started to focus on overtaking the guys in front, not noticing I was outrunning Baldy and Scott as a result. Scott said I pulled away about the 6km marker and gradually built up a 40 second lead. I saw three guys drop off the pack ahead and made the effort to overtake. Everyone runs on the tyre tread either side of the grassy path. To overtake you have to go into the rough increasing your effort then duck back onto the path after going past the guys in front who may try to pick up the pace as you do. I got a few and soon enough the end of the trail came up and we got back onto the tarmac. One biggish hill and we could see the village with the school ahead. This was where we finished last year and so I put an effort in not to drop any places in the sprint. As I went past one guy he gestured and said "after you," or the like and I was so amused I completely forgot to say the same when he went past me about 200yrds later. Because we hadn't finished. My questions about the course and the halfway point being shorter than last year were answered by a marshal pointing us up a lane behind the school where we could see a big red finishing arch - sprint number 2 begins but trails off sharpish as we hurdle up a short grassy incline (this is where "after you" went before me) and see that we have to go round three sides of a waterlogged field. Finally I am glad I'm wearing trail shoes, though the pace has dropped to a jog as we splosh through deep soggy mud. Places swap and curses are uttered. On the final 100yrds, sprint 3 is begun but my heart is no longer in it and I finish behind the 2 guys more anxious to cross the line than myself. What a dreadful way to finish a reasonable race.
So lots of good things, lots of bad. £12 is expensive for a race 55 miles away that doesn't give out medals, but you did get a (poorly emblemed) t-shirt (cotton) and if you had applied weeks in advance your name was in small letters on the back. A caramel wafer biscuit in the goody bag alongside an apple cheered us up though we didn't hang around long enough to see if there were showers, which had become far more pressing in the last 250 yards. We scraped off the mud then drove in the rain (unhappily) to a petrol station where (happily) they had replacement wiper blades and the little bits of plastic that attach them to the arm. (Thanks Mercury.) I'm sure the chewing gum would have worked if it hadn't been raining, but of course we wouldn't have needed the wipers on. Fixing the in-car music was less successful. After a night of not being on the results listing (and some terse emailing) Mary and I were finally re-instated with times 4 seconds faster than we ran (which might have been a complimentary gift) (brought me under the 39 minutes) and I appeared to have been promoted to second mv40 ahead of the 2 guys with the same time as I was given. (Which might have been a mistake.) Still, since no flowers have arrived as a prize yet I won't need to send them back.
Team photo - hang on its the wrong team - that Julia....Report pb
Photos Julia HendersonPentlands 27/01/08
Scott was so obviously impressed with the Hunter-mobile that he decided to cycle to the Pentlands the following day rather than drive with us. This was a bold move as the winds were somewhere between 30 and 60 mph depending on which hill you were at the top of. We set out from Flotterstone and went up Turnhouse which was exceptionally windy. However as the day panned out the sun tried to break through and the wind lessened in ferocity up towards West Kip and the Drove Road. Take note all those anxious to get up at 6am at the weekend to run 20 miles before 9am. Sometimes the best part of the day is towards sunset, not in the cold dark hours before sunrise.
Scott wearing his batwing jacket nearly lifted off a couple of times.Our route took us from Turnhouse to Carnethy then Scald Law where we followed the Carnethy 5 course to West Kip then took the Drove Road round to Black Hill before dropping down to the path and skirting the reservoirs (back to their normal fill) back to Flotterstone. The place was hoaching with folk - some runners getting a few hills in but mostly walkers out for a windy jaunt.
Turnhouse to Carnethy - leaning into the wind.
Face flapping in the wind.
Mary had been concerned that Scott and I would be too fast for her, however she led the way up Scald Law with 50 walking paces / 50 running that left Scott and I in her wake. Go Mary!
East Kip
Picture your landing before the take off.
The day began to brighten up over Black Hill
A great run. 12.5 miles, 2hrs 36. Scott was surprised to cycle past us as he left Flotterstone - we had stopped to see if we could fix the blower in the car which started playing up again. We couldn't and drove home in the cold. I leave you to draw your own conclusions.
Photos pbps Here is what others chose to get up to on Sunday; a fine photo - thanks Andrew - of the 4k cross country round Bellahouston Park. Julia's in there somewhere. Course looks a bit flat. Notably the unstoppable Freya is a couple of steps ahead of everyone.
photo Andrew Henderson
