Gas 10k 5/08/07
With my running having slowed down over the summer I thought I'd better try and get some races in to improve my endurance and speed. I wasn't looking forward to the race as it is known to be fast and flat and I had no excuses for a predicted poor time when I reluctantly turned up at Granton on a wet, Sunday morning - no alcohol for 3 days, good sleep the night before, no hot sunshine, no wind.
Only a handful of select PRC runners turned out for the occasion. Fiona Mayfield and I seemed to be the only females. The boys appeared up for the race though. Iain Duckworth was looking lean and laddish in his 1995 PRC hoody. John F was wearing his flash, racing flats. Douglas was sporting a go-faster baseball cap and Paul's beard even appeared to have been trimmed for the race. Paul and Stephen Maley must have been hard up after the holidays and appeared to have avoided registering officially as they arrived with hand-written numbers on their vests. However, they assured us their numbers were legit. Jim Scott and Willie Murray had turned out to offer support. Both are nursing injuries at the moment (Willie's is related to his groin and Jim has a prolapsed disc) so we wish them a speedy recovery. Willie foolishly said he would be waiting at the finish line so he was promptly handed a variety of car keys, sweatshirts and caps to hold until the runners got back.
We all went tearing off with me determined not to let Duckie and Paul get too far ahead. I felt I was running at a steady pace but by the 6 km mark I felt like stopping and it took great strength not to pull over at the turn and take a bottle of water from Jim Buick. However, Duckie was still in sight and Paul was still catchable (I thought) so I persevered. The final hill didn't seem too deadly and I caught sight of Paul's legs as he turned round the front of the Gas HQ just as I turned up the side of the building and I crossed the finish line in 43.16. Pipped again by Paul and this time by a mere 24 seconds. Iain ran well and finished just over 42 minutes. Douglas has obviously decided not to grow old gracefully. Having trailed John F since the 2k mark he dashed past John in a very ungentlemanly manner as they headed to the finish line and pipped him by a few seconds. I was a bit disappointed to have gone over 43 minutes but reckon with a few more races under my belt I can improve. Finally, having rushed out the house shouting "See you at the finish line" to Andrew and children, knowing full well they wouldn't bother to turn up to see me race in the rain, I was delighted to see them cheering me on at the end of the race. Off to read these Runner's World articles on "How to improve your endurance".
Report Shelagh McLeish
Photos Andrew HendersonMore photos of the Gas 10k on this great new website: roadrunpics.com
Paul, with Shelagh 24 secs behind.
