Adventures Down South

The Turners keeping our tradition alive!

Australia is about as far from Scotland as it's possible to go, but wherever I am, I still (usually) love to get out and run. The marshals at the parkrun I did on the Central Coast with my cousin on my first weekend out there were amused to hear that my last one was in Kirkwall, Orkney. The next weekend I met up with some friends with whom I've kinda developed a tradition of visiting for a Friday night dinner and a Saturday morning parkrun on every recent trip to Oz. This time, they ensured I joined the "Cowell Club" by running my 100th different parkrun (though it was only the second time I had to double up as post-run doctor, as an older gentleman came a cropper when a child stopped running and cut across directly in front of him).

I've also managed to squeeze a race in.......the Fernleigh 15. I don't think I've ever run a 15K before so as long as I crossed the line, I'd manage a PB. I vaguely remembered the route from a visit a few years ago, along an old railway line which has been made into a cycle track (from Adamstown to Belmont, up near Newcastle). I was meant to be doing it along with my cousins (who had debated entering individually or as a relay team) but in the end I was the only one who ran.

Approaching the finish line...

Registering on the morning was chaotic to say the least, but luckily the start line was not far away. I decided not to start with my "age group wave", but to go off with the open wave a couple of minutes earlier. I know my starts, and figured it was safer to start at the back of the open group, than try to head off near the front of the age group pack and risk a tumble. As it was, it was rather surreal to spend the first couple of kms negotiating my way past people wearing tutus and other Halloween fancy dress (well, it was marketed as "Freaky Fernleigh" with extra prizes for good costumes).

I hadn't got a clue how I would do, as I knew the sharp end of the field would be well ahead of me, as it appeared that the race was doubling up as the NSW 15K champs. At the start, the announcer had described the race as an uphill parkrun, a downhill parkrun and then a flat parkrun, so although I felt distinctly out of my comfort zone in the first part of the race, I figured it would get better. 

It was nice to see how many people were out waiting at the relay changeovers (in fact, there was a total of 1417 finishers on the day, 375 of whom were relay runners), as again I'd settled into my own pace, and for some stretches, could see no one ahead of me (though again I'd have periods so some odd guy doing a kind of fartlek around me.....sprinting past and away and then slowing down so I'd pass him again, only for the cycle to be repeated!).

I'd passed a few ladies in the first 5 or so kms but didn't know how many were ahead of me.....if I'm honest I think I would have been disappointed not to sneak into the bottom of the top 10. After about 10-11k there was a slight odd out and back section to a water station, and so I could see that a decent sized pack I'd been gradually closing down contained a girl surrounded by male runners. When I caught them, I thought about slotting in, but as it happened I was going just that bit quicker and so I had to just keep on running by. I heard their "leader" say something about being "40s up on their pace" and that if they were feeling good, then people should push on. Not really working in kms, I couldn't quote work out what pace he was talking about, but them pushing on meant that they came back to close enough behind me for me to hear whether they were 35 or 40s up on their pace several times.

The comedy podium

The girl in the pack looked like a better runner than me, so I fully expected her to come past me in the last couple of kms, if not fly by sprinting for the finish, but I just tried to concentrate on not slowing down myself. With about 400m to go, someone shouted out "2nd lady".....for a minute, I thought "wow.....keep it up and even she sprints past you'll still make the podium" but then I remembered there were also age group champs  and they must have been referring to that.

In the end I kept my position and crossed the line 10s ahead of her (more if you look at chip time as I started much further back, whereas she was on the front line).....but it turned out that I was second overall (albeit 4 minutes behind the leader). I was so surprised......and even happier when I looked at my watch, as although my 10mile PB is a good minute and a half quicker, that was a long time ago, in my younger/fitter/competitive days. It was only slightly embarrassing to stand at the podium presentation and work out that my age was about the same as that of the first and third placed ladies combined 😂!

The Coastal Trail

So many steps in the
Royal National Park

Apart from that, various friends have taken me out running whilst I've been here.....and each time has been very different.

On Hyam's Beach

My Bondi beach slog!

I've run round the streets of northern Perth, along paths beside the Indian Ocean, on coastal trails through the Royal National Park south of Sydney, around the Opera House, through the Botanical Gardens, and even a barefoot soft sand beach run at Bondi (though that nearly killed me.....and made my soft British toes bleed)!

How great it is to get out there and enjoy the world, wherever you are and whoever you are with!

Another Random Weekend of Running

Go VOOM!!!

Having finished my stint working in Wick, I was due to drive south for a week in Stranraer via home, but fate had another slightly random weekend in store for me. Voom nutrition asked me if I would like to represent them in one of the multitude of races occurring that weekend in Kinlochleven/Glencoe, but when I looked at the event timetable, it appeared that the only one I could possibly squeeze in was the vertical K. This is a "running" race where you climb over 1000m whilst covering less than 5k in distance, and something which I had never even considered attempting in the past. Still, they said they didn't expect me to be competitive so I agreed as it sounded like it could be a fun thing to try......and a great excuse to catch up with various friends who would be racing, working and generally organising the whole weekend. In hindsight, staying with a friend and catching up over 2 bottles of red wine the night before might have been the most sensible pre-run prep!

Scotland at its most beautiful!

The drive down to Fort William along Loch Ness was stunning (I was giving a lift to a Swiss girl so chose the scenic route) as it was a rare, still, sunny, beautiful warm Scottish autumn day. I dropped the girl in Fort William and picked up Tim, another friend who'd come up on the overnight sleeper. He was also doing the VK (as well as staying for the rest of the weekend) so we got some food, drove down to Kinlochleven, registered and braced ourselves for the run. Tim had done it in a previous year, so pointed out the peak we were going to climb, and then set off slightly ahead of me. 

The Finish of the VK
seen from the Start

Runners are spaced out in terms of start times, with the faster runners coming later, but I wanted to start relatively early so that I would have time to catch my breath, enjoy the views and then be able to cheer on the elites running up as I was heading back down again (that and the fact that I knew I wouldn't be very fast heading up.....when I say it was a "warm" day, it was roasting.....and I'd just had 2 weeks of solid chilly rain in Wick).

Looking back to the Start from
just below the Finish ridge

This meant that although there was a fast girl who started ahead of me, and I never saw again, nobody overtook me on course..... At first I thought that I'd never catch anyone either as the trail just wound up and up ahead of me, getting steeper and steeper all the time. I tried to run as long as I could but it was exhausting. I met a couple of friends on their way back down, and then suddenly the field seemed to concertina in ahead of me. Once you caught one person, you caught another four or so. Most were walking/climbing, and though I wished I could have run it, the gradient had me powerwalking too. There were many false summits and though those descending were mainly encouraging, some of them were not prepared to give you any priority over them as you tried to scramble up rocky sections whilst they descended them. 

On the "summit ridge"

With Tim at the summit

Even when you reached the summit "ridge", the trail continued to climb, but eventually I saw the last rocks guarding the summit pole and Tim was there cheering me on. What a relief to have made it......but what amazing views! I don't think I've ever seen it so clear in that part of the world, and so although it was "rather warm", I definitely chose the right day for my VK debut (and possibly only VK). After a few pictures and a snack, we started to descend but it probably took us longer than going up as we chatted all the way, cheered on some of the others that we knew as they climbed up, and I also ended up making a makeshift sling for a lady who taken a wee tumble but was adamant that she was going to finish (I did check to make sure her arm seemed sprained rather than broken first).

After food, drink and a catch up with friends I carried on my journey south, desperately wanting a night at home in Dumfries (no matter how late) to do laundry etc before heading over to Stranraer.

It was going to be a double "Medal Monday"

I'd decided that I wanted to go for a relatively long run (for me) on the Sunday before heading off, but I spotted that my former club were holding the Dumfries half marathon on part of my usual running route that day. I figured that it would be rather rude to go for a run in the opposite direction while the race was on, and that I should support the club so I entered (last minute as ever). Unfortunately this meant that I felt that I was committed to taking part, even though the weather had changed (yet again) with Sunday dawning rather cooler and very wet.

A lonely wet run on the way out

It was fun to catch up with a couple of old clubmates before the run, and we chatted merrily whilst warming up/getting wet. I quite like the Dumfries HM course as it's designed for strength rather than speed......and even though most people know this, they still set off hell for leather, leaving me trailing along behind. I actually quite like this, because as long as I don't panic, then it becomes a bit of a game for me......working out how long it will take me to catch runners that I've known and run against for years. 

This race went true to form......as I reeled in my old cronies in the first few miles and then ended up splashing down the road alone with several other men way off ahead in the distance. There is a long gradual drag uphill on a minor road, which probably plays to my strengths as I caught another couple of guys there. The weirdest thing about the race was the fact that on this section we had huge ankle deep puddles stretching across the road, made worse by having mud mixed from tractors and ploughs. I never thought I'd end up much filthier after running a road HM in the Lowlands than a VK in the Highlands!

In the finishing straight

The HM spoils :-)

I successfully negotiated the section I always dread.....a steep, slightly rough (slippy in the wet) descent to the end of the minor road......and high fived the daughter of a former colleague who was marshalling and cheering with her mum. By then, I knew I was more than halfway round, and I just had to keep my legs turning over to get back home. Another few sharp hills and long drags meant that although I was tired and so couldn't increase my pace, I gradually worked my way further up the field. 

I finished in an almost identical time to the Caithness HM, further down the overall field, but still over 9 mins in front of the next lady.....not a bad weekend of running to unwind from work!