Scolty Hill to Stonehaven

So, the mrs and her pals came up with a plan that involved driving multiple cars to Scolty Hill so they could run there and drive back. My modified plan was to meet them there then for me to run back. A nice 21 miles through the forest which for some reason, I decided to document by recording video. The result is fairly rubbish but here it is.....

Update: Now with sound!

Just Swimming In The Rain

(What a Glorious Feeling, I'm Happy Again)

My main target for the Stonehaven Half Marathon was to get round in a decent time, quicker than last year, hopefully quicker than my 2008 Clova time, and definitely ahead of any really old blokes. And I almost succeeded!

In fact, I felt like I had a really good run and paced it well. I ran quite a bit with Jonathan whose company helped eat up the miles. Like with Finlay from Livingstone on the club run on Thursday, it was good to be reminded by someone from further afield how nice the countryside around Stonehaven is to run in - even in the dismal weather.

Nice to see Fiona and Annie at the Fetchpoint and to be able to ditch hat and gloves (I want them back at some point, though).

We hit the 8 mile marker (just as the long downhill starts) at about 1h15 which meant roughly 9mm to the finish would do for a sub 2 hour. The previous mile had been 9:20 ish but that felt distinctly doable so we pushed on. The next couple of miles went well, but I felt I was slowing slightly so urged J to push on himself and gradually watched him pass other runners and disappear into the distance (great run by him, especially when he'd done 11 miles the day before). I felt that I was still going at a decent enough pace and passed a few groups of runners myself (not generally something I'm used to at the end of a race). I was raging at the wind a bit, worried that it was slowing me down so I was going to miss the 2 hour mark, and it sapped my strength a bit.

The last mile back through the town felt tough but it was good to see some familiar faces, marshalling or out spectating in the rain. As I swung into the park, someone confirmed that I was just about 2 hours so I gave it a last push to get over the line and into the welcome seats to get my chip sorted out. Just over 2 hours by my watch but I hadn't stopped it immediately so I wasn't sure but the timing screen was showing 2:00:18 against my name. Damn. Still, not a bad time and better than I'd dared hope so I was actually quite chuffed.

Regrouped with mrs s who'd smashed her PB, then spent a little time catching up with a few other runners - great PBs from Conor, Mike, Jo and Jonathan, club standard for Jane (who also won her age group), and probably others but my memory isn't great - before heading home through the increasingly heavy drizzle.

Later on we took L and C for a swim in the outdoor pool - we could hear thunder and the rain was stotting off the surface of the water but it was fun and not too cold as long as you kept moving.

The day ended with the traditional trip to the Marine for drinks and a blether. Good times were had by all, despite the spilling of drinks and mrs s almost coming to blows with our youngest drinking companion :)

I also found out that my chip time was 1:59:56, so I had sneaked under 2 hours :) although not quite good enough for a PB (not that I really care that much about such things). Sadly I think that I was again beaten by the oldest man in the race - I might be wrong but we think the oldest runner finished in 1:27:58 taking the 60+ prize and ahead of most of the field!

I'm so excited

"Why, why, why are you excited?" I hear you ask. Well, our new running clobber has finally arrived as you can see from the photos below.

 

And just in time too. I am also just a little bit excited about the prospect of running almost 14 miles over a couple of wee hills which ought to be tremendous fun, especially as there will be a decent turn out from Stonehaven. Stonehaven will also be well represented at Balmoral, and apparently Dave is taking part in some wee charity run down South this weekend. Good luck to all.

Chasing Vikki

2008-12-28 Splash n Dash Xmas 5k

Despite some cold and wet weather, a decent sized field turned out for the Stonehaven 5k Beach Fun Run (or whatever it's called) with a lot of runners in fancy dress. I really like this event - the handicap system and the course mean you get a chance to say hello to everybody and it's generally a very friendly race which is good fun.

The handicap system is based on estimated finish times and it worked out that Vikki started 30s before me (and Santa), so I spent the whole race just trying to gradually close the gap so we would finish together - I didn't quite make it, finishing roughly 10-15s behind her. Vikki's time was recorded at 22:14, but they didn't manage to get my time recorded properly for some reason, so I didn't get an official time. The first video clip (in album, click on picture above) shows Vikki at about half way, and you can just see me at the end of the clip.

As part of the fun run, you bring a gift and randomly take a different one away. The second video clip in the album shows one of the gifts we took away; a colour change candle. It's ...erm.... interesting. We also got some leaf tea: unfortunately we don't have the necessary devices, but will try to get a hold of them because it smells great.

So, that's it for running this year, at least as far as events go. Time for a break. Until 2nd Januaury when it all kicks off again at Lumphanan. Hurrah!

Last Run of the Year

This is me crossing the finishing line of the Stonehaven Splash 'n' Dash 5K Fun Run - an annual event that takes place between Christmas and Hogmanay - with a time of 22:15 which I was very pleased with. The race is run as a handicap and I'd put down my expected time as 25:31, so I was quite a bit quicker than I thought I'd be (possibly partly because the route was a bit shorter than 5K). It was good fun - the handicap format meant that everyone started at different times and got closer together as the race went on and the route doubled back on itself so there were plenty of chances to say hello to people and for spectators to get some photos. Vikki took a couple and Dave (who didn't run because of a bug) took quite a few which are on flickr. The boys came down to watch but got bored and had to go and play at the park, but not before Vikki got this shot of Calum...

So, that's the last race of 2007 out of the way and it seems like a good time to look forward to 2008. For next year, I've set myself a couple of targets:

• set new PBs at each distance I enter races for (1/2 marathon, 10K, and 5K probably)
• run under 1hr in all 10K races I go in for
• run a 10K in under 50minutes (and thereby beat Vikki's 10K PB)
• run a hill race (if I can persuade Vikki I'm not going to break my ankle)
  
• keep enjoying it

The 50 minute one is the toughest, but I think it's possible, especially after yesterday's run so we'll see how it goes. I've already signed up for a couple of races with plans to do a few others. Look out for posts on the following:

• Lumphanan Detox 10K - 2nd January (entered)
• Balmoral 10K - 26th April (entered - the boys are both doing the 1.5K as well)
• Ythan Challenge Multi-Terrain Adventure Race - 29 June
  
• Stonehaven 1/2 Marathon - July
• probably others depending on how I'm feeling

Best wishes to all in 2008.

Life's a Beach

Yesterday, our friends Bill and Leslie came to visit with their kids. As expected with a total of five wee boys in the house, much chaos ensued but the sun was out so we went for a walk down to the harbour for ice cream and to let the kids play on the beach. Calum got his trousers soaked but everyone seemed to have a lot of fun.

I managed not to get any pictures of Bill, Leslie, or their youngest son, Miller. I've no idea who the kid 2nd from left is in this picture.

I wanted to get a panorama of the full sweep of Stonehaven bay, complete with sailing boats, surfers, and kayakers. However, autostitch wouldn't put it all together, probably because the waves kept changing or something like that. Click below for the views South and North.

SCAREd yet?

Well, you probably should be if you were going to take part in the Stonehaven Carties Annual Race Event. We went along last weekend to watch the thrills and spills at Mineralwell Park and enjoyed the sight of a bunch of idiots hurtling down the slope. Unfortunately one of the contestants was injured as described here which is giving me second thoughts about entering at some point in the future, although the blogging opportunities (the build, the events, "cartie-cam") may keep the dream alive. And then of course, there's the chance to take part in such fantastic surroundings as Catterline and Monymusk.

I took a few photos (below) but search for "stonehaven carties" on youtube for some decent videos from last year's event.

Stonehaven in Sunshine Shocker

Yesterday evening, it was nice and sunny so we decided to take a wee stroll down to the harbour. I thought it would be a nice idea so that the boys could have an ice cream and a play in the sand.....

...Vikki could get a bit of sunshine....

...and I could enjoy a little (ahem) fresh air! Very refreshing.