22 runners for this Westies club handicap race.
7.8 miles on track and road. Managed the route more than 4 minutes faster than in 2005 to finish in 45:05. Very close to my target time of 45 minutes. Hoping I can recover in time for Ben Nevis on Saturday.
A classic new race traversing the Ochils. Similar in some ways to Pentland Skyline and Two Breweries, but with KIMM-style rough ground and tricky navigation thrown in for good measure.
I enjoyed jogging along with Graeme Campbell, Dave Cummins and Ali Hubbard up until Ben Cleuch and Ben Buck. It was after that we started to drift apart and do our own things. Graeme & I ran together through the horrendous peat hags to Blairdennon, but Ali seemed to get a better (higher) line to our right and pulled in front. I caught Ali as he stopped for a bearing off the summit of Blairdennon. We ran together until Ali collapsed in a heap with cramp, allowing me to take the lead down to Jerah.
I was fairly confused at finding the track past the ruins to below the dam and had to stop a few times to check the map. This allowed Ali and Andy Kitchin to start catching me. They looked like they were closing me down fast on the final climb to Dumyat, but I figured if I could just top out before them, they would never catch me on the descent.
Arriving at the summit I was surprised to hear I was 2nd, since I thought Donald Naylor was in front, as well as Andy Symonds. With this extra incentive I hammered the descent as fast as I could, slightly nervous about taking the correct left forks off the main path. Luckily I didn't get any twinges of cramp until after finishing, when trying to change my shoes and socks was a bit of challenge!
Monsoon-like conditions for the Drymen 10k.
Alastair Morrison successfully defended his Drymen 10k title, interestingly wearing a Garscube vest, instead of his usual Dumbarton colours. I finished 2nd in 35:44, probably around 600m adrift of Alastair. Other Westies running were David Riach, Hamilton Semple and Catriona Miller who finished as 3rd lady, and only a few metres behind ladies 1 and 2.
A brand new race around Broadwood Loch at Cumbernauld.
The race was won by Allan Ramsay of Kirkintilloch in 16:42. I finished 2nd in 16:53.
A brand new race in the Pentlands to finish off the 2007 Bog and Burn series.
Pleasant cool rainy conditions for a jog around quiet backroads of East Lothian.
Scraped another half marathon PB, finishing 2nd in 1:16:45, but not without a fight - mainly with my bowels - which necessitated a diversion into a field at 9 miles. Thereafter I was chasing the remaining 4 miles, trying to claw back 2nd spot which I managed with a last ditch effort 400 metres from the finish.
The race was won by David Gardiner of Kirkintilloch Olympians in 1:14:04. In 3rd place, and breaking the women's course record was New Zealand athlete Rebecca Moore who finished just a few seconds behind me in 1:16:50. 4th overall, and 3rd male was Martin Ferguson of Edinburgh AC in 1:17:07.
