Well, Glasgow Green was frrrrreeeeeezing this morning!
But, despite the cold and later the rain, we did it!
Tag: outdoors
Getting Ready to Mo!
By the time you read this, I’ll be on my way through to Glasgow to run the MoRun on Saturday. Woo Hoo! I’m so excited!
I have my race number, so registration tomorrow morning should be pretty straight forward.
I’ve also organised my race day gear, and it’s all safely packed away, ready. I’m still debating whether to wear a long sleeved base layer under my T-shirt. What do you think? The forecast is for light rain, with temps at around 5C/41F.
Would you like a sneak peek at my outfit?
And we have our snacks sorted: overkill for a 10K, right? I like to be prepared. We have enough to share!
I’ll let you know how tomorrow goes, wish me luck! 😀
What are your plans for the weekend? Are you running?
Challenge Check-In
Well, here we are, a whole week into Movember November already!
And so, that means I’m already one week into the Pile on the Miles 2013 Challenge!
I’m slightly off track. I should have achieved 35K by now, on the basis that I planned to do 5K per day. So far, I’m sitting at 30K, so I’m 5K adrift. I could be a lot worse!
Some of my distance has been walked rather than run and I was hoping to run it all. But with a 10K race on Saturday, I’ve been keen not to do too much running. I want my legs to feel fresh on Saturday, so that I can enjoy it 😀
But, after Saturday, I have no more races planned for 2013 (yet). Though I may try to sneak in a Santa Dash or two 😉
I’m looking forward to running purely for pleasure next week, with no training plan to stick to.
No doubt, after a few days I’ll be feeling a bit like a ship without a rudder!
How are you getting on with your November challenge?
Movember Motivation
Is anyone else out there participating in Movember?
By participate, I don’t mean that I’m growing a moustache (fortunately, I couldn’t do that, even if I tried 😉 ), but supporting someone who is,  or doing some fundraising, or participating in a MoRun?
Here, chez TartanJogger, we’re doing just that.
After supporting Pinktober, promoting and fundraising for breast cancer research, November is the turn of the guys and supporting men’s health.
@TheWelshWookie started on 1st November, clean shaven, and his ‘tache is coming along nicely.
I’ve been wearing my moustache scarf 🙂
And, on Saturday, we’re both Mo Running, in the Glasgow 10K event. We have our moustache T shirts at the ready, and I have a neon green moustache to wear 😉
It’s a really good event, to both fund raise and raise awareness at the same time.
For more info, visit here.
On an aside, you’ll all be familiar with the classic, mo’ logo:
Every time I see it, I snigger.
Last year, @TheWelshWookie and I were at a Christmas Fayre, and overheard a conversation between two stall holders. They were looking at a doormat with a similar moustache logo on it, and the conversation was:
Lady 1: ‘I really like that doormat. The moustache on it is really cool’
Lady 2: ‘The what?’
Lady 1: ‘The moustache’
Lady 2: ‘Is that what that’s a picture of? A moustache?’
Lady 1: ‘Yeah, of course it is!’
Lady 2: ‘I always thought it was two whales kissing!’
Lol! So, to us, that moustache is now and forever two whales kissing 😉
Pile on the Miles 2013
Welcome to the Weekend!
Oh, and to a new month too 😉
Do you have any plans for November, aside from Santa Dash training, Christmas shopping and keeping your toes warm?
This month, I’m joining in on Run Eat Repeat‘s November Challenge: Pile on the Miles 😀
I’ll let Monica explain: she tells it better than I could…..
This is from her blog:
Pile On The Miles is an annual event in blogland where we challenge ourselves to walk or run more during the month of November. The goal is to pile on extra miles not pounds during this food filled time of year!
This is the 5th Annual Pile on the Miles Challenge!
The first one was in 2009 and I won 2nd place for the most miles. I took it over in 2010 and would LOVE for you to participate.
What: FREE Online challenge to walk or run more during turkey month.
Who: Everyone is invited to join. Everywhere around the world!
When: November 1 – Nov 30.
Where: Virtual! Sign up on this form and come back to RunEatRepeat.com each week to stay accountable and be entered in a drawing for prizes.
Why: To challenge yourself and encourage others to move more this month. This is about setting a goal and staying accountable with check-ins. It is not a competition for the most miles any longer – it’s about YOUR GOALS.
Me again, TartanJogger….
I’ve taken the plunge and signed up to complete 150K during November, which works out at 5K per day. Having done the 5×50 Challenge earlier this year, this should be achieveable. I’ll give it my best!
Is there anyone else out there joining me? Has anyone else signed up yet?
Happy Samhain!
Happy Samhain, or Hallowe’en!
I hope you’ve all had a fun day 😀
I’ve been to a seminar, and on my way home, I treated myself with a trip to Costa. I had spotted a new, festive drink on their Facebook page that I fancied trying, and so I rolled up to the drive thru, and as I opened my mouth to order I could not remember what it was called! I ended up asking for ‘one of those new apple-y things’ 😮 Fortunately, the  barista knew what I meant!
It’s called an Apple Spice, BTW, and it was delish.
In other news, @TheWelshWookie and I found out that our photo is in the local Dunbartonshire newspaper this week, The Lennox Herald.
That was a little Hallowe’en shock for us 😉 It’s of the Zombie Night Run, pictured at the top of the post.
We’re stocked up, ready for any kids who come guising tonight 😉
Race Report: Zombie Night Run
Date: 19th October 2013
Profile: Hilly
Terrain: Trail
Weather: Raining!
Website:Â Zombie Night Run
Positives: great fun run, brilliant support from marshals and other runners
Negatives: the weather, no medal, cost
This was our first ever obstacle race, and @TheWelshWookie and I had planned our outfits far more than we had planned the run itself!
My sister-in-law, Janice, transformed us into zombies, and she did a great job:
We arrived at Helensburgh Rugby Club with plenty of time to spare, before registration opened, and so we were able to use the WCs before most people arrived, and watched the end of the rugby:
As soon as we were able to, we signed our disclaimer forms and collected our bibs:
And then soaked up the atmosphere. We had our photos taken with quite a few of the other runners: these are a couple from the ZNR FaceBook Page:
 
I wore my base layer compression top, and long running tights with my Nike LunarFly GTX trainers. I don’t have a pre-race gear check pic 😦
The facilities at the start/finish were good, with runners having full access to the changing and shower facilities. if I knew then how much these were needed…… more of that later! There was music playing, and the runners, both zombies and survivors, were milling about, chatting and taking photos. There was a mix of runners who were, and weren’t wearing fancy dress.
The race was due to start at 5.30pm, but we were told that there would be a short delay. At around 5.45, we were asked to enter an enclosed area for the pre-race briefing and warm up. As the ground was a little marshy, people (us included) were trying to find dry-ish areas. Turns out that was just daft!
The ‘survivors’ were then asked to head to the start line, and they headed off, with a five minute head start. Each survivor had a belt with two ‘life tags’, and the zombies were supposed to chase down the survivors, and take a life tag. After what seemed like forever, we were allowed to go; and we entered the forest in a cloud of dry ice- very atmospheric!
After only a couple of minutes, we were towards the back of the pack, but those in front of us took a wrong turn, and before we knew it we were leading the zombies! Of course, this only lasted for a few minutes, before we were swiftly overtaken!
The rain had just started as we began running, and the grass was wet and slippery. The light was beginning to fade, and I realised that this was going to be great fun! We reached our first obstacle, and had to crawl under a bridge, into a river, under a cargo net and up the muddy riverbank. Only then did I remember that I had my iPhone in my waistpack, and I was soaked through! Fortunately, my phone was OK!
So, even in the first kilometre my feet were squelching and I was dripping wet. We ran up a farm track, in the mud, where we were joined by a cow on the path! At the top of the muddy track was a large bog which we had to cross, and I managed to get my left leg well and truly stuck- fortunately I was able to drag myself out, and the next part of the race was through the dark forest, which was really, very muddy.
Some parts of the course were in complete darkness. Other parts of the race were lit with glow sticks, or had strobe lighting. It was slow going, but so much fun. On more than one occasion, I found myself hugging trees for dear life!
The marshals were excellent, they were very supportive and really encouraged us to keep going and kept us in character!
There were two water stops on course, with jelly babies at both, which was ideal, as much of the ‘race’ was walking, or wading through mud!
Towards the end of the run, I was able to pick up some speed, and run along a forest track road. Despite the squelching and the mud, I managed an OK pace! At around this time, the rain started to fall, really heavily, which didn’t help with visibility or the conditions; but added to the atmosphere.
At the last kilometre, we had to wade through a burn, which was icy cold. I couldn’t stop smiling! And there was one final surprise in store- a series of hay bales to climb over and cargo nets to clamber under. Fortunately, @TheWelshWookie was able to give me a shove over the hay bales: I’ll really need to work on my upper body strength! Finally, we crossed the finish line.
I’m happy to report that we finished ahead of several survivors, even though we didn’t get any life tags.
We then had to give our numbers, to make sure that all runners made it across the finish line!; and we were given our goody bags. We then grabbed our dry clothing and headed to the clubhouse to change.
Here’s the map of the race:
The goody bag was OK: a biscuit, a snack bar, a Buff sticker and tattoo and a bottle of water:
There as an after-run party which I’m sure was fantastic. We had planned on going, but I had a baby shower to go to and so we couldn’t stay for the party. Maybe next year!
I have two bruised and scraped knees, but I survived!
Here’s a short video clip:
My Stats:
Time: 1:35:42, but I came up a little short on distance.
The Medal: There was no medal, though I was sure that the website did originally say there was going to be one. Maybe I dreamed that.
Goody Bag: a paper bag which was sodden in seconds, with a biscuit, a snack bar, a bottle of water and a Buff tattoo and sticker.
T-shirt: a black technical T shirt. The design is good, but it was only available in men’s large, which was a little disappointing.
This run was a little on the expensive side, given that there was no medal or choice of t shirt size, but brilliant fun.
There are some great pics on Dougie Coull’s Website you should check them out!
Race Report: CowalFest 5K Trail Run
Date: 12th October 2013
Profile: Hilly
Terrain: Trail
Weather: Cloudy, and cool
Website: CowalFest
Positives: relaxed event, well organised, good & supportive marshalls, fab goody bag
Negatives: I missed hearing the pre-race instructions
This race was the first ever CowalFest running event held as part of CowalFest, which is held every October celebrating walking and the great outdoors! This was our first ever, proper trail race, and so we opted to sign up for the 5K rather than the 10K event.
@TheWelshWookie and I left in plenty of time, as we had an hour and a half’s drive ahead of us, and we wanted to make sure that we had plenty of time before hand. as the traffic can be slow.
We managed to get there with plenty of time to spare, so we registered and collected our bibs, and then soaked up the atmosphere while debating whether to wear jackets or not!
It was a cold, fresh day, but we knew that we’d warm up when the run started. As I was wearing my brand-new birthday jacket 😉 I opted to keep it on.
Here’s my pre-race gear check pic:
The facilities at the start/finish were great. Benmore Gardens, the location of the race, has a lovely coffee shop, and so toilet facilities were better than the usual portaloo! The staff had set up an outdoor sales area, with tea, coffee and snacks available for runners and supporters. It was great!
The race was due to start at 1.30pm, and about five minutes before, we all walked towards the start area. The 10K runners were asked to keep to the front of the group, with the 5K runners further back, which made sense. There wasn’t a loud speaker, and in the beginning, I could hear what was being said. Then, after about 30 seconds or so, the people to my left started talking and laughing, which meant that @TheWelshWookie and I couldn’t hear a thing. Nice one – so thoughtful!
Not only did I miss the briefing, but I actually missed the start of the race! 😮 People headed off, and so I was playing catch-up early on. I pressed the button on my Sport+ watch, and ran!
After we settled into the run, we decided to increase our pace slightly, as we were running well. That was until we reached THE HILL. Never having run here before, I had overheard other runners talking about The Hill, but I thought I’d wait and see it for myself. It was a long, winding monster of a hill! I managed to run for the first third of it or so, and then I power walked the best I could to the top of it. I was pretty out of breath!
The downhill was amazing, though, the view was great (sorry about the finger in the pic!):
I did take it easy, as I was a little worried about slipping on the shale. But I didn’t. 😉
Next, in the middle part of the race, was an out and back section, which was great: I saw that there weren’t many runners ahead of me who were running the 5K, and so my confidence grew a little. I ran a little faster (having recovered from the hill) and began picking off other runners.
In the final part of the race, I just ran. It felt great, I was really enjoying myself, and I picked off another three or four girls heading into the final stretch.
I had a couple of false finishes, though! I came around one corner, and saw a large group cheering, including my sister and three nephews. I assumed that was the finish line, and slowed down! People then started shouting ‘keep going’ and, literally, ‘this isn’t the finish line!’ lol!
I then reached the start area, and thought that I must have missed the actual finish, so again I slowed, and jogged over to the goody bags (priorities, and all that!) when I realised that I hadn’t quite reached the finish line for a second time! Doh!
I had a quick chat with the race officials, told them how much I had enjoyed the race, and then @TheWelshWookie finished.
The whole event was very relaxed, well run, and I loved it, even the big hill. I’d love to do this one again!
The gardens were beautiful:
Here’s the map of the race:
The goody bag was really great: I love the reusable bag. Here’s the contents of it:
As the 5K was a fun run, it was untimed. BUT- I placed! I was the third female home! Yay! I’ve never placed before, and will probably never place again, so I’m going to enjoy this for a long time!
It was a great run!
My Stats:
Time: 30:02, but I came up a little short on distance.
The Medal: I was glad to have one, and it was engraved
Goody Bag: reusable tote bag with a lovely logo, 9bar, water, an orange, jelly beans and some great money off vouchers from local businesses including Portavadie Marina and Loch Fyne Oyster Bar.
T-shirt: no t shirt, but we didn’t expect one, given the entry fee.
I’m hoping that this run will be a regular feature!
Race Report: Great Scottish Run
Date: 6th October 2013
Profile: Flat
Terrain: Road
Weather: Cloudy, cool, dry
Website:Â http://www.greatscottishrun.com/
Positives: well organised, goody bags, well supported
Negatives: narrow route in places; poor water station placing
After the excitement of the Family Mile, we had spent the evening before the race at my sister’s house, celebrating two of my nephew’s birthdays, Ryan and Aidan, who’s birthdays were on Monday and Wednesday. We had a great family party; but @TheWelshWookie and I were very good and only had a couple of beers to celebrate 😉 We carb loaded with fish n’ chips and birthday cake!
I had my gear all prepared and ready:
We drove to Glasgow Green, and parked the car near to the finish line, for a quick get away later and walked along with lots of other runners to the start line in George Square.
Well, when I say George Square, we didn’t get near the square itself today, as the green muster area was just along Cochrane Street, back towards Merchant City. We had a long wait of about 20 minutes for the portaloos, but fortunately we had left plenty of time for this. We then headed into the corral, and it wasn’t too long until we heard the elite runners start, and we could see the big hill facing us to start the race, heading up St. Vincent Street. Here’s my view from the start:
Very quickly, we were moved to the start line, and we were off!
We headed up the dreaded hill, and this year there seemed to be far fewer walkers here than there were last year; or maybe we were just more prepared for it? Who knows, but it was much better. The hill finishes just at the 1K mark, and by then @TheWelshWookie and I had settled into a comfortable pace.
We ran along, past the slip road we used to use, to head over the Kingston Bridge. This year, we ran along the Clydeside Expressway instead, past a few highlights of the Glasgow Skyline: the SECC, the Armadillo, the Hydro (which is a brand new venue, opened earlier this week).
As we came off the expressway, we ran around the amazing Transport Museum, which is a fantastic building.
But, here’s my biggest criticism: the running width narrowed substantially here, at around the 3K mark, and it stayed quite narrow for the out-and-back to the ‘Squinty Bridge’ at 6K. This definitely affected my time, and that of many other runners, who had to dodge and weave, and run on the soft verge to get past.
Fortunately, a lot of runners followed race etiquette, and walked to the right, but not all did this.
As @TheWelshWookie and I carry water, we didn’t need to pause at the water stop which was at the 5.5K mark; it was a crazy place for a water station, as it was far too narrow, the rod as still open to traffic along our left hand side, and runners were tossing bottles right into the way of traffic! That’ll need to be thought out again!
We then ran over the Squinty Bridge, and I was feeling great!
We headed past Pacific Quay, and could see the Glasgow Science Centre, before we turned around, headed back over the bridge and ran along the Broomielaw alongside the River Clyde, towards Glasgow Green.
At around the 8K mark, @TheWelshWookie was slowing, but only ever so slightly. We had a half kilometre of a slightly slower pace, and with one mile to go, he told me to run on. I set off, still feeling really good, buoyed by the fantastic support along this stretch.
The final kilometre took me though Glasgow Green, to the finish point: again, the road narrowed, which I remembered from last year; but it was difficult to weave in and out; so my finish wasn’t as strong as I would have liked. But, all in all, I was pretty happy with my whole run!
Here’s the map of the race:
As I crossed the finish line (and remembered to stop my SportWatch this time), there were a lot of runners  taking sick bags, and using them. A LOT. Yuk. I kept walking, and had to de-tag my trainer myself, with no scissors. I’ve bruised my leg, accidentally punching it as I pulled it off. Oh, well.
Shortly after, I saw that @TheWelshWookie had finished, so we queued to collect our goodie bags, which contained our medals and finisher T shirts. Here’s the contents:
And we posed for a couple of photos:
There was then another bottle neck, trying to get out of the finisher’s area, which was crazy. Then, we weren’t able to get out because so many spectators were standing about waiting to met finishers: hello, people- that’s what the meeting area is for?? Hmmm.
Other than that, it was a great, well organised event, which we thoroughly enjoyed!
My Stats:
Time: 57:45 19 seconds short of my PB, but given the issues, that’s OK. I finished 3331st out of over 8000; 484th in my age group, and the 960th female to finish. @TheWelshWookie PB’d with 58:32
The Medal: pretty simple; the same medal was given out for a events this weekend.
Goody Bag: draw string bag, discount leaflet, chocolate bar, power gel, gel shots, Eat Natural bar
T-shirt: A grey marl T shirt, with ‘Finisher 2013’ on it. I already had the technical shirt.
Now, do I register for my third GSR 10K in a row, or for the half next year?
Rainy Run Road Test
I’ve been waiting all day, to road test some of the new gear I bought over the weekend. I decided to try out my cool stripy tights 😀
We’ve had dreadful weather here, with gale force wind and really heavy downpours, but nothing was going to stop me from trying out these babies!
Instead of heading to the harbour, we turned left, and ran along the Campbeltown road. @TheWelshWookie suggested running up the hill on the main road, instead of running to the West Loch: a suggestion he later regretted when he realised how steep the hill was! It was tough, but I’m really feeling the benefit of the hill training paying off.
You can see the elevation 🙂
The hill gave me a chance to put the tights to the test. OK- so I know these are workout tights, not running tights. I know that I’ve gone for style over substance. BUT they are really comfortable to wear, and ideal for short runs. They did slip a little, so I probably won’t wear them on longer runs, or to races. But I do really like them.
@TheWelshWookie liked his new gear, too, including the new knee support, which is for his oldmanitis!
We were absolutely soaked by the time we got home, but I felt great! Autumn has definitely arrived, and I might have to dig out my running gloves soon…. my fingers were a little cold; it was around 10C/50F
On another note, the ticket ordering for the Commonwealth Games 2014 closed tonight: I hope I get some of those I’ve requested!
Today’s Stats:
Run: 2 mile, hills
Time: 20:26 pretty good!
Weather: Rainy, and quite cold
Trainers: Nike LunarFly GTX
Today’s Life Lesson: Why do socks always come out of the washer in odd numbers?
What is your favourite running outfit?
TartanJogger 