Buchlyvie 10k Race Report

Post date: Feb 2, 2017 8:51:30 PM

By Ewan Smith

The drive to Buchlyvie gives you plenty of time to get your excuses in order before you've even started but despite trying, I really couldn't

think of any. I've been injury free for months and as life has got in the way of training for the past week, the legs were fresh. There is

the fact that the Christmas sweeties have all gone from the drawer and are now hingin over the top of my shorts but that's not really a proper

excuse.

By the time I reached Buchlyvie the sleet was pretty wet though it had obviously been lying in odd places. Having left my jacket at home, as

you do in January, the warm up was anything but warm and consequently not of a length which would have gained Graeme Crawford's approval.

It's an out and back course with 8k on a forestry track and conditions on the forestry section were best described as "slippery underfoot".

Trail shoes might have been an advantage but they were in Tarbert keeping my jacket company and anyway breaking the ice as you run through

the puddles fair stops your feet getting too hot.

The first 4K were fine though I was aware that my pace was slipping a bit but I was at 4.75k before before I started to meet the proper

runners coming back which seemed to give me a lift and I started to pass some of the guys who had passed me a few minutes before. Soon I was at

7K and while my running left a bit to be desired I also remembered that one previous year I had been so tired and sore at that point, I could

easily have sat down at the side of the road. This year, though the pace was falling a bit, I wasn't in any doubt that I would finish.

And so it was back onto the road for the uphill section and a finish time of 41.34 (winning time 36:26) which isn't exactly amazing but it

was enough to be 2nd Old Fla and when you're knocking on a bit you take comfort where you can get it. The one thing about a January race is it

gives you a chance to think about what needs to be done and so for me sweeties need to go (for a while at least) and when the marathon is past

some speedwork will be in order. It might be that sub 40 10ks are behind me but I would still rather try it than take up the bools just yet.