BIT OF A BEACH RUN

Last night saw us head off on a bit of on one of our longer/tougher club runs.

Through John Muir, up the Tynninghame road, down by Tynninghame Links then out on to the beach. Down the beach for a bit before having to wade over the Tyne and then across the muddy muscle beds at the other side before heading back through John Muir and back to Hallhill.
A “testing” 12 miles at a relatively brisk pace. Again, the run was actually just under 12 - so Ian and me just ran round the track at Hallhill till the GPS tipped over to 12.
A stunning summers night though. Exactly the sort of weather you want for a run like that. Saw a few other runners out and about as well as loads of dog walkers and families out for a stroll.
We always try to do that run once a year, and this is the earliest I can remember us attempting it. Conditions were perfect as well for the river crossing as the water barely made it to knee level – more often than not it’s lapping about your waist.

Had a premonition though that last night’s run was going to be something like that and the old shoes got packed in the kit bag before I went out.

Could be that the idea of a river crossing in a training run, a few days before the Traprain Law race just appealed to everyone. Whatever the reason, I enjoyed it immensely.

Tyne Sands

 
The run obviously took its toll though. Went out today for a bit of a five miler. Oh dear…the fuel tank was empty and the legs were just not playing by the rules at all. Obviously my small bowl of pasta last night when I got back and my two Weetabix this morning for breakfast were insufficient fuel. Felt crap today.

YOU KNOW IT'S SUMMER WHEN.....

It's been 160 days since last Christmas.

It's now 205 days till next Christmas...

See? We're not even half way yet.

Which can mean only one thing. yes indeedy..... the [un]civil servants are emailing round the lunch menu for their Christmas "do".

F.F.S. - endless weeks of "I'm starting with praws, then having slamon"etc. etc. and countless discussions about what party frock they are going to wear (and that's just the blokes).

Feck off!!! Not even got my holidays sorted out yet.

HADDINGTON 10K

Did the Haddington 10k on Saturday.
First time I’ve ever done it – but then again it’s only been going for a few years. I’ve done the previous incarnation a few times (the “Haddington 5” as was) and always enjoyed it.
In fact, it’s very similar to the old five mile race. But where that used to do a loop in an anti-clockwise direction the loop has been slightly extended and now goes clockwise.
As often is the case at Haddington races the weather was really good – nice and sunny but, thankfully, not too hot (this time).

Trying to stop the 2 Edinburgh AC guys catching me!(didn't work)

Photo: Steve Pattison

 

Started off with a loop and a bit of the park before heading out to the short sharp shock that is the climb over Waterloo Bridge.  Your just starting to get a bit of breath back after the climb up to and over the bridge and your onto Cockmilane Brae – nothing too steep, but just enough to keep you working over your comfort level.
Get to the top and turn right onto a long, long straight that takes you past Colston Mains and over Colston Bridge. Had a couple of runners ahead of me at this point – but no matter how I tried I just couldn’t reel them in. Sadly the two boys, from Edinburgh AC, behind me managed to reel me in no bother! Tried to hang on tto them as they passed me but they slowly pulled away.
Back via Grant’s Brae’s towards Waterloo Bridge again. At the end and you get a nice slight downhill to try and pick the speed up again. Though the turn into the park and the last couple of hundred meters can be a bit cruel.

It was eyeballs out the whole way for me. Never felt comfortable and just tried to push it as hard as I could.

Chuffed with my time (36:08).

Not got a marathon till October this year, so I’ll start to worry about the really long training runs in July or so. Decided yesterday just to do 12 or so on the “trails” through the wind farms and then a bit of a detour through High Wood. The High Wood section was probably a bit of a mistake – jeeze you could just about see the bloody pollen clouds – never mind smell or taste them.

LOTS OF TRANE-ING

I appear to be over Trane-ing  at the moment. And I am benefiting from it immensely.

That private space that I inhabit called Planet Jazz is teaming to the sound of John Coltrane these days; the man himself, Coltrane influenced sounds and sounds simply associated with the great man.

I love the “early” Blue Note works and the Atlantic records are really good. The Impulse albums are a bit of a problem (for me). They are situated either side of a dichotomy; either out of this world – A Love Supreme … or…. I simply don’t “get” them – I know I should like Ascension – but I just don’t.

A painting of St. John Coltrane from the African Orthodox Church
(this dates from the 1970s - but note the spelling of his middle name - nothing is original).

Anyway. There is no getting away from the man’s influence. You’d be hard pushed to find a sax player who doesn’t name check Coltrane as one of the great influences on their art.

I’ve been listening to a couple of Coltrane influenced works recently. Alan Skidmore’s “Impressions Of John Coltrane” which does exactly what it says on the tin. However, I’ve also been listening, again, to a lot of Nat Birchall. A saxophonist whose sound is absolutely steeped in the essence of John Coltrane’s sound at its most spiritual. A wonderful player. I’m only sorry I didn’t come to listening to his stuff until relatively lately.

I’ve also dug out a fair bit of Pharaoh Sanders music lately – perhaps because he’s coming to the Edinburgh Jazz festival (still not got tickets though).

Another disc that’s been giving me a lot of joy lately is from a guy who can’t help the association with John …. His son Ravi.

Got hold of a fantastic “bootleg” of a live recording done at the recent Cheltenham Jazz Festival. Really good quality recording – it must be lifted from a digital radio broadcast.

Must be a heavy, heavy burden to carry.. To be the son of such a significant figure and then to opt to go into the same sphere of business (must be worse if your old boy is literally considered to be a saint, by some). So it’s great credit to Ravi that he’s found his own sound and forged his own place without trading on the family name.
This is “modern” jazz, edging [back] towards mainstream that probably sits closer to the music of the late Michael Brecker than it does to the music of dad.
A great recording of a great concert. One of those occasions when a “live” recording beats a studio album hands down.

VEGGIE - BUT WITH A BIT OF CLASS

Out for a meal last night …. And it was lovely. David Bann’s on St Mary’s Street.

Nice place. A vegetarian restaurant with a bit of class.

 

I’ve been to too many “veggie” places that go a bit too far down the old road of “eco-green-warrior, knit-your-own-sandals-from-organic-nettle-fibre”, type of thing. Where none of the cutlery matches and all the bowls and cups look like they've been "thrown" by a blind potter with no thumbs.

Other specifically vegetarian restaurants are often “type” specific – Indian vegetarian for example (not that there is anything wrong with that mind). This seemed, to me, to be a really good mix of styles. Something for everyone.

Not like me at all, but I actually had three courses, it was that nice. Highly recommended.

Though I did question the wisdom of doing a fast paced 6 miler at daft o’clock this morning. Less of a training run and more of a bit of penance for being a bit of a breedy gastard the night before! A distinctly “heavy” feeling to my run today.

Didn’t help that as I tried to pick up the speed at Salamander Street I got passed by a club mate going into his work (twice - he got caught at traffic lights) . No matter how bad you feel – you never want to let it show when someone you know sees you. :-)

NATIONAL TRAIL RACE

Me, Anne and Ian Sills went off to Falkland on Saturday for the Scottish Athletics National Trail Championships.
The sky was clear and blue, the sun had his hat on and there was hardly a breath of wind at all! It was a beautiful day.
And, as it was to turn out, it was a beautiful location for the race.
We arrived in Falkland with loads of time. That combined with the fact that none of us had any clue where we were to register etc offered us a great excuse for a wee look round.
I'm sure at some point I must have been to Falkland before - I just cant remember it.
I remember in the 70's my Granny used to read the People's Friend magazine. It always had a painting of some wee village or "landmark" on the cover that was always painted as though the whole of Scotland had been frozen in time in the nineteen thirties - everywhere looked really "nice".
Well .... visiting Falkland is pretty much like stepping into a cover painting from that great journal.
We had enough time to go for as welcome coffee and cake before the race then tootled off to get our numbers. Even the tea shop had a sort of thirties feel about it.

The start was at Falkland House - a beautiful setting. So much so that I did state to Ian that it was a shame we had to race. Wouldn't it have been so much nicer if we'd all agreed, by consent, just to treat it like a big training run and savour the surroundings.
Sadly, twas not to be, once you get that number on your chest it means one thing only - eyeballs out effort - and for all the notice you will be taking of your surroundings you might as well be running down Leith Walk than some tree lined glade!!

I'd taken my trail shoes and my road shoes with me, and after hearing a description of the route and going out for a bit of a recce with Mr Sills opted for the road shoes.

The course was pretty much on well defined forest roads, with the odd marrow grassy path thrown in, but even those were very dry and fairly firm underfoot.

The route, for the men, was two big loops and one little loop (15k). The women did one of each loop (10k).
The first mile was on a tarmaced road and I decided that if I was going to try and make time - that was the time to do it.
For a lot of the race I was "between groups" with some runners ahead of me that I was desperately trying to catch and a few behind me that ia was desperately trying to keep away from.
The course was described by Alex Jackson as  "undulating", which, as every runner knows, is a euphemism for "bloody hilly".
The trail roads reminded me of the type of road we have to the back of the cottage, up towards the windfarms.
There was a real sting in the tail when you came out of the woods and back onto the drive UP to the house. The last couple of hundred metres was up a pretty steep climb - not quite as severe, but a bit like the finish at the Black Rock 5. I had nothing left for a sprint finish at all.
Happy with my time of 57:48 and position (4th vet).

Fife AC had laid on a fantastic race. A well organised event, a well set out and marshaled course, great venue and a nice feed at the end.
One I'd happily go back for.

TOO MUCH OF A GOOD THING

Can you have too much music? I’ve always thought “no”. But I’m starting to have my doubts.

My MP3 player “only” contains about 90 albums or so, and they are  my most “recent” acquisitions. I’ve not even loaded any of my long time favourites onto it.

I’m finding these days that I listen to an album once or maybe twice – and then it’s time to move onto the next new one.

I’m sort of harking back to the old days. In the 80’s for example I used to cycle to work from Musselburgh to Newtongrange, and  I remember at one point I had the same cassette tape in my Walkman for about a month: just for the commute. It was a tape of Woody Herman and his orchestra - and I loved it. I knew the running order of all the tracks. I knew the names of most of the soloists and I knew the name of each track: Opus de Funk…Blue Flame…Woodchoppers Ball (or as we called it “The Timber Hackers Knackers”)…etc. I could, probably even now, “time” where I should be on that cycle trip by what track was playing at any given point. If I wasn’t passing the Cockatoo before North West Passage was playing I was probably going to be late.

I don’t feel I’m getting that familiarity with my music at the moment. I’ve listened to some really good stuff lately, but that’s the problem I’ve “listened” to it when I should be “Listening” to it. Too much is washing over me rather than immersing me. Does access to a huge amount of music devalue the individual pieces? I really don’t know.

 I’m not suggesting that I ditch the mp3 player and go back to tape (as I believe some “hipsters” do). Maybe I should just “force” myself to keep the shuffle function off for a wee while. OR I could get rid of some of my music (Jesus – wash your dirty mouth out, Stuart, for even suggesting that) OR I could slow down my acquisition of new stuff ……. Problem with that is – now that the idea is in my head I really, really want a copy of Woody Herman playing Opus De Funk.

I suppose it's a bit "off" to be "complaining" about having too much of something. Anne keeps accusing me of being a "glass half empty" type. Well... that's not really true. I'm more a sort of a "glass not only half empty; but it's a chipped and dirty glass to begin with- and some bugger has put an old fag end in it while I was away at the bogs" type.