LASSWADE.

Well, that's Lasswade done and dusted for another year.
 The day didn't bode well to begin with, with rain and snow. It was also, quite frankly, Baltic compared with the balmy weather we have got used to of late. Not nice. But... a race is a race is a race and if the going was bad it would be bad for everyone else. As it was the crap weather "bookended" the race but for the race itself conditions were nigh on perfect.
We got there with loads of time to spare and collected our numbers. Now. I'm all in favour of a good warm up. But I felt that over an hours warm up for a ten mile race would have been a bit much so we trotted of to sit in the car for a wee bit and try to keep warm as well as enjoy a little moment of tranquil relaxation.


Oh lucky us!! A runner who is obviously a bit of a "boy racer" was parked about two cars down and was kind enough to play his shitty "drum n bass" loud enough for us all to enjoy (or whatever shit it is they listen to these days - Benny Goodman it was NOT!).

Regardless of how much we enjoyed Captain Brain-dead's music we eventually felt we had to do our warm up so trotted off for a couple of miles at a nice sedate pace.
Got back just in time for me to extend my warm up by running down to the finish line and placing an old top and jacket under a tree. Then trot back through the leafy boulevard that is Lasswade High Street towards the start.

Met up with Ian and Rhona at the start line and had a brief natter.

A few words. The bang of a gun. And we were off....
As ever at this race, pacing goes out the window, but I did decide to try to get some time in the bank on the first couple of miles before we hit the hill coming out of the Glen.
Spent the first few miles in the company of Ian and a bloke from Lasswade and we managed to keep in a tight wee group through the Glen and up the hill.
Miles 4 and 5 are pretty fast, so again it's time to get a bit in the bank before you hit the climb out of Auchindiny.


Photo © P Buchanan



A couple of the mile markers were [slightly] out, but I was keeping an eye on the GPS and started to think by about mile 7 that a sub hour was possible.

All the while Rab from Musselburgh was ahead of me (a good bit ahead - but visible) and I just used trying to reel him in to keep me going. It did keep me going..... but I didn't.

Crossed the line in 59:52 - a stonking three seconds quicker than last year. But importantly within my target time of one hour. Came in 10th.



The jacket and top that I had left at the finish were still there and a welcome addition to try and keep warm while I watched others come in.

Down to the registration area afterwards for the welcome sight of trestle tables groaning under the weight of sandwiches and cakes!

So... this week and last have, sort of, assured me that my speed isn't too bad. I know that conventional wisdom is to do a half a couple of weeks before a marathon and part of me wants to do Alloa (if the mara was a week later I would love to do the Heaven and Hell half at Perth). BUT, I'm aware that I haven't done quite as many long runs of 20 and over that perhaps I should, and that time is running out. Week days are limited with what I can do - I really only have weekends for long runs. There's only really 4 more weekends of training before the mara' (I know there are really 6, but even I have a taper of sorts) ... so I might just decide to spend my free time at weekends concentrating on long runs, rather than doing any races....

But, as with all my plans, that's all open to change.