Cover photo – Robin, Jeff, Peter, Bryan, Bex and Karen at Pitlochry
Couch to 5k
This week our Couch to 5k members were featured in local newspaper the East Fife Mail. Reporter Jamie Callaghan attended the Tuesday evening training session and interviewed several of the group.
The Couch to 5k group were featured in East Fife Mail on 13 September
The group have now completed 6 weeks of their 10 week programme.
Tuesday Training
Jog leader Allen took the group to Lower Methil for a hills workout. Great to see lots of effort from everyone!
Edinburgh Self Transcendence 2 Mile Race
Allen Marr donned his PH Racing Club vest for the last Self Transcendence race of the season at Edinburgh Meadows. Any thoughts of the rain staying away for the duration of the race were thwarted when a huge downpour started about 15 minutes beforehand. Absolutely nobody bothered to do a warmup, preferring instead to stay under the cover of the park pavilion, and all had to be urged to make their way across the park to start at 7pm. It was not a night for running too fast with large parts of the course covered in water and the sharp corners requiring care to avoid slipping over. Allen stuck to a steady pace, completing the first one mile lap in 6:14 then picked it up slightly for a 6:07 second lap. His official finish time was 12:21, a new course and distance PB by 3 seconds, for 27th position and 2nd MV60.
Allen at a wet evening in the Meadows (photo by Run and Become Edinburgh)
Parkruns
Allen Marr followed up his midweek 2 mile PB with his best performance so far over the 5km distance at St Andrews parkrun, setting a time of 19:18.
Allen is now second on the MV60 all-time list at St Andrews parkrun
Pitlochry 10k
The Pitlochry 10k is a highly popular event incorporating the jogScotland Pitlochry 5k and attracts hundreds of runners of all abilities.
There was a change to the 10k course this year and someone must have got their measurements wrong as the race distance turned out to be more like 10.25km, causing everyone’s times to be a little bigger than expected.
There was a 5 person LLV contingent in the 10k comprising Bex Oakenfull, Bryan McLaren, Robin Pate, Jeff Taylor and Peter Rieu-Clarke. Also running in the 10k was occasional LLV representative Nigel Donnell while Karen Britten took part in the 5k.
Pitlochry 10k start – Bryan and Jeff in pole position while Bex sets off in the pack
Bryan was first LLV to finish in the 10k, achieving a very creditable top-30 place while super veteran Peter was among the prize-winners with 3rd place in the over-70 age category. In the 5k Karen was first to finish in her age category.
Photos from the finish line of the 10k and 5k (photos by Sam Ridsdale)
Team LLV with their 10k and 5k race medals
Race results (10k):
- Bryan – 29th 44:30
- Nigel – 66th 48:13
- Jeff – 70th 48:48
- Robin – 82nd 49:26
- Peter – 285th and 3rd MV70 1:02:26
- Bex – 296th 1:03:27
Race results (5k):
- Karen – 48th and 1st FV50 35:09
Auchterarder Half Marathon
Josephine Lenachan took part in this event which started and finished at The Gleneagles Hotel, and made its way through Strathallan Estate passing Strathallan Castle.
Josephine at Auchterarder Half Marathon
Copenhagen Half Marathon
Well done to Lorraine Davie who has been living in Denmark for the last few months and ran the Copenhagen city half marathon amid a spectacular mid-race hailstorm and flooding on Sunday in a personal best time of 2:10:48.
Lorraine in Copenhagen
Read here about the incredible weather at Copenhagen Half Marathon.
Upcoming Events
East Neuk 10k – Sunday 24 September
Bryan, Bex, Gozde, Karen and Chris are running in this friendly local event, renowned for the quality of the post-race buffet laid on by the Anster Haddies. Peter and Jeff are competing for Falkland Trail Runners.
Scottish Half Marathon and 10k – Sunday 24 September
Jim and daughter Michelle are in the 10k along with Gillian and Jemma.
Loch Ness Marathon – Sunday 24 September
Anyone doing this?
Further ahead:
- Scottish Long Coastal Relays – Saturday 30 September
- Giffordtown 5k – Sunday 1 October
- Tufty Trail Race – Sunday 1 October
- Great Scottish Run Half Marathon and 10k – Sunday 1 October
- Linlithgow 10k – Sunday 8 October
- Kielder Half Marathon – Sunday 8 October
- Lochore Meadows 10k – Sunday 15 October
If any events or participants have been missed out, please let the editor know.
Whoever is at any events, please remember to take lots of photographs and post them on the club Facebook page.
Runner of the Week
The island adventures and participation in the world’s largest half marathon of LLV members last week overshadowed another notable achievement by John Kay who smashed the 20 minute barrier for the first time over the 5km distance at the Stuart Duncan Memorial race. John has had some great performances over a range of distances in 2017, for instance:
- Stirling Scottish Marathon – 21 May – 3:26:41
- Ravenscraig 2*1 Mile Relay – 22 August – 5:47
- Great Aberdeen Run Half Marathon – 27 August – 1:34:37
- Stuart Duncan Memorial 5k – 5 September – 19:35
But perhaps John’s greatest achievement is that he has run at least 5km every single day in 2017, proving that consistency of training is the key to improved performance.
John in action
On the subject of running every day, the annual Ronhill #RunEveryDay challenge is now open. This fun competition challenges runners to run every day in October and to post images of their daily run on Ronhill’s social media feeds, with the chance of winning some great prizes.
If he can do it, you can too!
Sign up here for this year’s Ronhill #RunEveryDay challenge.
The Retired Runner 