Sunday 6 October 2013

Great Scottish Run 2013

Chip Time: 01:54:28  Position: 3754

The Great Scottish Run has to be one of my favourite half marathons in Scotland. It may not have the shortbread tin views that many of the rural races do, but what it lacks in scenery, it compensates for with atmosphere and character. It's not everyday that swathes of Glasgow city center are cordoned off just to allow you out for a carefree, traffic free run. (The opportunity to run over a temporarily pedestrianised Kingston Bridge is fantastic!) I'd previously completed this race back in 2011 in a time of 01:59:53, however the course route changed this year, so unfortunately I am unable to directly compare this year's time with that one.

Glasgow will always hold a fond place in my heart. Having spent four years drinking studying there in the mid nineties and a few more working, I know the city well and we have been through a lot of great times (and a few hard ones) together. Some of both I can even remember. So the chance to go back again for a weekend (with the added excuse of undertaking a healthy pursuit) was irresistible to me. We booked a family room in the Novotel on Pitt Street just along from the Strathclyde Police HQ (around the corner from an old favourite drinking haunt of mine.. Nice 'n' Sleazy.)

The Novotel is a good hotel. I have very few complaints about it. The staff are friendly and very accommodating, the food is good, the underground car park is handy and the gym, sauna and steam room are also very welcoming. On this visit the running machines were of particular interest to my partner, Clare. She is in training for her first 5K and was keen to use them on both nights we stayed. (Although she claims she's not born to run and that I have just gradually worn her down, I don't believe a word of it! I can see the medal envy in her eyes and I know she just can't wait to get her hands on her first one.) My only complaint with our stay, which certainly couldn't be held against the hotel,  was the incessant car alarm which went off for about four hours through our first night. It kept my children awake and therefore us awake until the early hours. I'm sure I was not the only person that night, who fantasised about smashing that car up before setting it on fire, whilst it's owner looked on in horror.




These days I usually eat healthily before a race, but after heading down to the dining room for breakfast and gawping in awe at the fine selection of items on offer, I opted for three mugs of strong coffee and a full Scottish breakfast. I can hear the "Tut! Tuts!" of so many disapproving runners, but hey, I'm happy and still alive at the time of writing. Besides, I pride myself at doing things the hard way.

The Great Scottish Run starts in George Square, in the heart of the city. The runners are separated into starting areas by the colour on their race numbers (which correspond with their expected finish times.) My estimated time of completion meant that I started in Cochrane St. (approx. 150m from the chip timed start line). As I consider myself an amateur (or even a non-runner), it is always exciting to know that I am running a race in which truly great athletes are competing in. (I can always tell my grand-children that I ran in the same race against Haile Gebrselassie.)




Having the support of my family at the start and end of a race means a lot to me. Unfortunately this is not always possible as pre-registration for events often starts very early in the morning, miles away from home, whilst my young children are sound asleep. So having them with me in Glasgow was a great bonus. Clare hung around with the children as long as she could until the proposed start of the race, but as it was delayed and I had to go and stand in a crowd, she wisely decided to take them off to Hamley's toyshop in the St. Enoch centre (As opposed to playing Where's Wally to find me waiting amongst the other runners.) In the photo below, my son Jack (always the ladies man), seems to have just spotted a group of extremely pretty ladies who were running for Macmillan Cancer Support. :-)




The first mile of this urban race takes you up St. Vincent Street and over the brow of the hill, past King Tut's Wah Wah Hut and the former Britoil building. There I had previously spent two miserable interesting years working for a popular mutual assurance company in their pensions department (before it was purchased by a large Spanish banking group.) From this point the route crosses Charing Cross past Tay House which is part of the Bridge To Nowhere. (Ironically that nickname sums up my feelings for the place when I worked there for Barclays Bank as a night shift data inputter during my student days.) Memories (some repressed, some very funny) came flooding back as I ran past these once foreboding financial institutions.

The second mile of this race sees you cross the Kingston Bridge and the third takes you onto Paisley Road West. The route is designed so that for the two miles you are running down Paisley Road West toward Bellahouston Park, you see faster runners heading up the other side to turn toward Pacific Quay at around mile eight. Somehow I managed to completely miss the first water station. (I blame Lemmy Kilmister, who was blasting out his very own take on Rock n Roll on my mp3 player.) The only reason I know of it's existence is the amount of discarded water bottles I noticed just after I passed it.

After a circuit of Bellahouston Park and the return trip back along Paisley Road West, the route takes you over the Clyde Arc (AKA the Squinty Bridge), up Stobcross Road (passing iconic sites and structures such as the Finnieston Crane, the Clyde Auditorium and then around the Riverside Museum.) After this, miles ten, eleven and twelve double back eastwards, heading down Pointhouse Rd., Lancefield and Anderson Quays, then onto Clyde Street for mile thirteen, through the McLennan Arch to the long awaited finish on Glasgow Green. 

As I was still recovering from the Inverness Marathon the previous weekend, I was satisfied to complete this race in 01:54:28. Although Haile Gebrselassie won't be quaking in his boots, I am happy with my time and of course another medal to add to the collection.


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