Stride Magazine - Spring 2014

Spring 2014

the jogscotland magazine jogscotland.org.uk

WIN! Places at the jogscotland Challenge Series 2014 Inspiration: Celebrating my 70th birthday with my jog group Cross training: Parkour Going Dopey: Running at Disney World plus‌ the best Spring running events for your diary

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contents 04

jogscotland magazine Spring 2014

contents Warm-Up Elissa Steven

06

Mini Strides

25

News and Events

08

Scottish Slimmers

26

Are you Dopey Enough?

10

Event Previews

28

New Jog Leader Course

12

Meet Jo Skead

30

Membership Changes

13

In Shorts

32

Inspiration Anne Sutherland

15

Cross Training - Parkour

34

Doing it for Dad

36

jogscotland Challenge Series

18

Event Review - Tri Trail

28

Christmas Cracker Pics

20

Cool Down

40

Red Run

22

David Syme - Jogging Along

42

Race Directory

23

sponsors and funders

Front cover photograph: BUPA Great Winter Run 2014

Designed and Printed by

Meet the Jog Crew 05

jogscotland magazine Spring 2014

Meet the Jog Crew

Billy Mitchell Head of jogscotland

Ann Davidson Programmes Co-ordinator

Sue Gyford Digital Communications and Press Officer

billy.mitchell@ scottishathletics.org.uk

ann.davidson@ scottishathletics.org.uk

sue.gyford@ scottishathletics.org.uk

07801 634198

0131 539 7341

0131 539 7350Winning is not everything, but the effort to win is.

Jo Skead Membership Development Officer

Jog Scotty

Main Office

The Jog Dog! Mascot of jogscotland

jogscotland@ scottishathletics.org.uk

0131 539 7341

joskead@ jogscotland.org.uk

0131 539 7341

Stride – the jogscotland members’ magazine Editor: Sue Gyford sue.gyford@scottishathletics.org.uk Designer: Simon Gray, 3-56 Media Ltd Photographers: Bob Marshall Photography (p38) Other photographs submitted by jogscotland members and supporters.

Published four times a year by scottishathletics. Copyright©2014 Scottish Athletics Ltd.

www.jogscotland.org.uk

www.twitter.com/jogscotland

www.facebook.com/jogscotty

Warm-Up 06

jogscotland magazine Spring 2014

Warm-Up: Northern Exposure In each edition of Stride, a guest contributor shares their love of running…

Turning 30 inspired Elissa Steven set up Kyle of Sutherland Joggers – and now she’s passing the inspiration on to others.

I turned 30 at the beginning of 2013 and after a friend had devised her '30 list' I decided to make up my own list of 30 things I wanted to do while I was 30. I have been a keen runner for a few years, completing 5Ks, 10Ks and one half marathon. Running (for me) isn't just about keeping fit, it's a great way to see the beautiful area that we live in and make new friends.

On my list I put ‘attend a Jog Leader course’ and at the start of February my work colleage had organised a course at Tain Royal Academy Community Complex.

Obviously I wanted to start a local group once I was qualified but realised I didn't want to do this myself so I managed to recruit three other ladies to attend the course with me - Caroline Cook, Gemma Murray and Karen Reid. I then applied to the Kyle of Sutherland Development Trust to help fund our places, and was successful.

The course was excellent and really equipped us with the necessary information and advice to set up the 'Kyle of Sutherland Joggers'. We held an initial meeting to gauge the interest in the group then got started in March with two sessions a week, Monday and Wednesday. With posters around the villages and a page on Facebook we were ready for the crowds and to get out jogging. Both sessions proved popular with a good mix of complete beginners to more experienced runners. Every six to eight weeks the meeting place was changed so we experienced a different route and tried new surfaces and gradients. We have a large variety of routes in the local area, some more technical and hilly and others nice and flat.

Once the event season was upon us, some of our joggers were taking part in local 10Ks as well as Gemma completing the London Marathon, Caroline completing the Edinburgh Marathon and Karen working towards the Kielder Marathon!

We joined forces with the local Youth Group to organise Kyle of Sutherland 'Get Active' which consisted of a 10K, 5K, walk and cycle for all the family to take part in. It was a great day for the event and we saw quite a few of our joggers completing a 10K, some their first. It was so brilliant to see how far they had come. It wasn't the easiest 10K with a long hill at the start, but a lovely run alongside Migdale Loch.

The two sessions ran throughout the summer with the Monday night sessions meeting at local woods. Even though some of the joggers weren't so keen on the hilly sections, over time they enjoyed the route, mostly the down hills. As it was completely off road we were accompanied by the joggers dogs! It was good for the joggers to experience a different running surface than just tarmac. After a while the Wednesday night numbers started to drop.

Caroline and Gemma got their heads together and decided to start up a Thursday session leading up to Christmas Get Fit for Christmas, a 10 week programme which saw some new faces, which was really encouraging. We also introduced Sunday runs, starting in October, as the dark nights were upon us.

There is a lovely trail at Ferrycoft at Lairg so we met there, did our session, then had a cuppa and cake in the cafe. Our second Sunday run was also hosted at Lairg but one of our joggers led us on a lovely loop which crossed a swing bridge and through a forestry followed by a lovely tea at her house!

opposite page top (L to R) Xmas Meal at Bonar/Ardgay Golf Club; Sunday Run at Lairg - October 2013; our Xmas jog in December 2013. opposite page main coming home through the cut down forestry.

Warm-Up 07

I had envisaged that we would stop the sessions for maybe a month or two over Christmas but I was pleasantly surprised when no-one agreed and they all wanted to continue up to and then straight after Christmas. I know we have quite a few new joggers who never thought they would enjoy jogging so it is fantastic to see them coming back each week and trying their hardest.

We had a Christmas night out in the local Golf Club, it was nice to get together to have a sit down meal, a blether and see each other in something other than lycra!

After Christmas we gained some more new members who have continued to come along, some even going to both sessions.

We now have a core of around 15 joggers who attend the weekly sessions and brave the Sunday sessions too. The most recent Sunday jog was at the start of February, the

weather was lovely when we started out but after 10 mins the heavens opened and it was verging on sleet. We kept going to the end with the knowledge that a cuppa and cake awaited us in the new cafe in Ardgay.

It certainly was welcome and much needed!

We are now looking forward to the Inverness Half Marathon and 5K Fun Run on 9 March; a few of the joggers are doing the Half Marathon and others are doing the 5K, it will be great to see so many from our group at the event.

The ethos behind our group is not just about getting fit and running for longer, we really enjoy the chat on the way around and having time for ourselves. I know that as long as we continue to make the sessions enjoyable that people will come back each week and see jogging as part of their week not a chore they make themselves do.

Elissa Steven

News and Events 08

jogscotland magazine Spring 2014

News and Events

above Billy, Jo, Scotty and Dalbeattie Civic Running Club

It’s been a busy time at jogscotland HQ. This year we’ve welcomed a new member of staff, Jo Skead, to the team – see page 30 to find out all about her! We’ve also been working on our new, simplified membership scheme, which will launch on 1 May – see page 13 to find out more. Our Jog Leader course has been revised (p12) to make sure it’s bang up-to-date, and we’ve launched the jogscotland Challenge Series 2014 (p18). What a year it’s been already!

with around 2000 runners taking a speciallydesigned GPS baton around the coastline of mainland Britain. With 7000K and 594 stages to cover, it’s quite an undertaking.

The Asco group have signed up for three consecutive stages. Freddie Dick, Euan Simpson and Kelly Green will take a 10K leg each, and will be joined on parts of the route by another six colleagues. The team will be raising money for Macmillan, via Asco’s charity section, Lifestyle. Visit www.gbrelay.com to find out more.

Scotty on tour

Happy birthday, Inverness!

Jog Scotty travelled to Dumfriesshire in January to help the Dalbeattie Civic Running Club launch its first ever jogscotland beginners’ group. He was joined by jogscotland staff Billy Mitchell and Jo Skead for the gathering (see pic above). Despite the rain, an impressive 32 people turned up to the first session, and the group has been such a hit that there already plans to train more Jog Leaders so it can continue to grow.

Inverness Leisure jogscotland group (below) received congratulations from the organisation’s Chief Executive James Martin on its second birthday. Mr Martin said: “I would just like to thank all the Jog Leaders and volunteers involved in making our jogscotland group one of the biggest and we believe best in the country.

Full steam ahead!

Record relay Joggers from Asco JogWorks jogscotland group (above right) will be taking part in the Great British Relay 2014.

The joggers will be making their way from Boddam to St Combs in Aberdeenshire as part of the event, nicknamed The People’s Relay. The relay is an attempt to break a world record for the longest ever 24/7 relay,

above Inverness jogscotland

“I can only hope that this successful formula continues to develop and grow over the next few years and attracts many more people to become involved in recreational activity.”

The group is led by Mike Dignan, who said: “We have seen some amazing achievement over the two years we have been running.

Examples of this would be people who had never actually ran recreationally in their lives and who have now completed 10K

jogscotland Aberdeen Bridge of Don Group 10th Anniversary above Jogworks ASCO

runs and even half marathons with many of these self-same people eyeing up some of the more famous marathons including the Loch Ness one.”

5x50 Challenge This year’s 5x50 Challenge kicks off on 30 March and there’s still plenty of time to get involved. The challenge encourages people to run, walk, jog or cycle 5K (or 30 minute exercise equivalent) every day for 50 days with the aim of changing exercise habits for a lifetime.

The £5 sign-up fee goes to Sport Relief and you can track your progress online, as well as creating teams so you and your friends can support one another. Last year’s event saw 803,865kms tracked by 4029 challengers, raising £83,000 for charity. Go to www.5x50.org to find out more.

Congratulations to members of the Bridge of Don group, who have just marked their 10th Anniversary. The group started on 6 January 2004 and was one of the first in the Aberdeen area, the result of Raymond and Margaret Simpson’s inspiration. There were only six joggers in the group for the first few weeks, of whom five still run on a regular basis. It quickly grew, however, and its first race as a group was the Baker Hughes 10K race in May 2004.

Since then, members have taken part in a variety of race distances including marathons and ultras, from the Aberdeen area to as far away as Dubai.

The number of joggers and coaches has increased over the years to a membership of about 100, and they now offer several training programmes for different abilities two nights a week.

Run Garioch And last but not least… a team from jogscotland HQ will be taking part in this year’s Run Garioch 10K event in Inverurie on 23 March. Already confirmed on the team are our staff members Billy Mitchell, Ann Davidson and Jo Skead. We’re looking forward to seeing lots of other jogscotties there, thanks to the organisers’ generous offer of £100 cash prize to the jogscotland group with the most runners across all of the festival’s races. We’ll see you there!

above Run Garioch 10K start

The group has also contributed generously to local charities including CLAN, Grampian Autistic Society, Aberdeen Mountain Rescue and Befriend a Child.

The group’s Dave Barclay said: “Our coaching philosophy is to support, be friendly, helpful and have a great sense of humour - we have a lot of fun and lots of laughs.”

Great Groups 09

Great Groups:

Dopey Challenge 10

jogscotland magazine Spring 2014

Are you Dopey enough?

Jog Leader Charles McDonald from Dalkeith sure was…

I’ve always been someone who’s up for a challenge and when I found out that there was a marathon in Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida then I knew I just had to do it. Then I found out that they were introducing a new event called the Dopey Challenge and the event would take place from Thursday 9th to Sunday 12th January 2014. The Challenge is a 5K run on the Thursday, a 10K run on the Friday, a Half Marathon on the Saturday and Full Marathon on the Sunday.

I got booked onto the Dopey within minutes of the registration opening in April 2013 and I’m glad I did, because all 7000 of the entries sold out within 24 hours. January 2014 came around very quickly and we were off to Florida. What a fantastic place it is - and Disney World is a magical place where you can relax and just be a big kid again.

If you stay at a Disney Resort then they put on buses to take you to the start line, which is a good thing because the 5K starts at 6.15am and the other three runs start at 5.30am! I was out the hotel room by 3.15am each morning to get the buses since the resort was heaving with runners and spectators trying to get to the start.

The first run was the Pluto 5K and it was still dark, but the start line and corrals were well lit up. The atmosphere was totally electric with 10,000 runners around me.

Each corral was started with a magnificent firework display and since I was in corral B, I got to see them twice. The plan was to take the run as easy and as slowly as possible since it was basically just around Epcot. When I got into the park I was overwhelmed by the place with a sensational “wow factor” because everything was lit up in the dark and looked brilliant. As it turned out, the slow easy run was a definite because I ended up stopping

to take pictures and to get my photo taken with some of the Disney characters. The medal at the end was a brilliant colourful Pluto and well worth the effort.

The following day, the inaugural Minnie Mouse 10K also started with fireworks and we then headed out along the roads around Disney for a few kilometres before turning back into Epcot and following the same route as the 5K. The temperature at 5.30am was 25 degrees Celsius and 100 per cent humidity. Sweaty wasn’t the word for it!

On Day three, the Donald Duck Half Marathon was a little different to the start of the previous two runs because there were 20,000 runners taking part. After more fireworks the race was started by Donald Duck and we were off. The heat was 21 degrees Celsius and 95 per cent humidity so this was going to be another tough, draining run. I just had to keep stopping for those “wow factor” photos and to get my picture taken with a few of the characters. It was still dark and once inside Magic Kingdom at about mile five, you run up Main Street and that has to be the most spectacular thing I’ve seen with the buildings all lit up and the crowd of spectators cheering us on as we head towards the magnificent Cinderella’s Castle.

At mile six we ran through the castle and at that point I have to say that even this big soppy git had a tear in his eye and a lump in the throat!

I got so carried away with the photo taking inside Magic Kingdom that I actually forgot I was doing a race! In the end I did a slow three hour half marathon but it was the most enjoyable and memorable race I’ve ever taken part in.

The last day was by no means least, with the Mickey Mouse Marathon. This time it was 26,000 runners taking part in a much more comfortable 22 degree Celsius heat and a low 60 per cent humidity, perfect! The start was exactly the same as the previous day’s half marathon but this time it was started by Mickey himself with support from Minnie, Goofy, Donald and Dopey. Brilliant!

I finally crossed the finish line after covering 26.74 miles on the day and over 48.6 miles over the last four days. It was possibly the proudest moment of my life and I was in tears.

This time I didn’t stop for the photos quite as often so got through the park and back onto the main roads at about the seven mile mark, where I was overwhelmed by support from the spectators and the on-course entertainment. I just had to stop to get more photos!

I walked up to the finishers’ area to get my marathon medal, the Goofy Race and Half Challenge medal (for doing the half and full marathons) and finally the one I’d been waiting for, the Dopey Challenge medal.

What an achievement and what a sense of pride!

Once past mile nine we had loads of Disney characters to stop and get our photos taken with as we started heading towards the Walt Disney World Speedway. Now that is the point where I wasted about 45 minutes walking around the hundreds of race, vintage and custom cars that were on display to get my photo with each and every one of them!

I am now hooked on doing Disney runs and I’ve already booked up to do the Dumbo Double Dare (10K and half marathon) in Disneyland in Anaheim California in August this year. I’m also going to do the Walt Disney World Tower of Terror 10 miler in October 2015. I better win the lottery soon to pay for all these runs - sorry - holidays!

Once out of the speedway we headed towards Animal Kingdom and entered the park near the animal enclosures. We went through the park, running past Everest, Nemo and a few other things before heading back onto the roads for the long hard slog towards ESPN Wide World Sports.

The spectators are so friendly and were handing out jelly babies, oranges, bananas and other treats. It was mile 20 when we left ESPN and headed towards Hollywood Studios. There was another breathtaking moment around some of the back lots that the public don’t get to see, where there were lots of props lying around with loads of characters, presenting even more photo stops. By this time the parks were open to the public so when we finally got into the main bit of the park we were being cheered on by thousands of spectators.

Charles McDonald

Dopey Challenge 11

We left Hollywood Studios at mile 23 and headed towards Epcot and the finish line.

As if by magic, there was the 26 mile marker and a choir was singing the songs from Sister Act. It’s amazing how this changes your mood and spurs you on. I rounded the next corner and there was the most beautiful sight in the world, the finish line. It was just up ahead but so were some more characters and photo stops. I could even see my wife Michelle and son Nathan in the spectator stand cheering me on which brought a tear to my eye.

New Jog Leader Course 12

jogscotland magazine Spring 2014

Lead on!

New Jog Leader course If you’d like to help others while getting fit, why not take our newly-revised Jog Leader course and help them follow in your footsteps?

We have refreshed our Jog Leader course this year to make sure it is bang up-to-date and give the best possible training to people who want to help others on their jogging journey. You don’t have to be super-fit to be a great leader – in fact, some of the best are those with recent memories of being a beginner themselves.

Once you’ve taken our comprehensive one-day course, you can set up your own jogging group or help lead at an existing group.

The revised version of the course will be launched in April. It builds on the previous curriculum and with the same subjects and ideas that have made the course such a success in the past. The new version of the course includes some improvements based on feedback we have gathered from the experienced tutors who deliver the course, making the content as relevant and useful as possible to people wishing to become Jog Leaders.

The changes also bring the course into line with the UK Athletics Leader in Running Fitness course, so anyone who wants to build on their Jog Leader course by taking further training in future will find the progression smoother. Keeping the course up-to-date and relevant also makes sure that our insurance can be maintained, so qualified Jog Leaders can continue to take their members out with confidence.

The course is divided into theory and practical sessions which will give you the knowledge and skill to lead groups of walkers and/or joggers. The classroombased sessions involve interactive group exercises, discussions and feedback while the practical ones deal with leading beginners and mixed-ability jogging groups.

When you complete your course, you will receive a hi-vis Jog Leader bib (pictured) and become a Jog Leader member of jogscotland. This membership entitles you to a Jog Leader’s manual, a jogscotland logbook, a quarterly edition of Stride magazine, access to the Jog Leaders’ facebook group, and depending on your requirements, insurance.

At the same time the new course begins, the cost will increase to £75. We always strive to make our training as affordable as possible, and this is the first time we have increased the price of the Jog Leader course since 2007. The actual cost of the course is now £85, but during 2014 we are delighted to be able to make a £10 subsidy for each Leader, enabling us to charge only £75.

For more information contact your local group or the jogscotland office on 0131 539 7341 or email ann.davidson@scottishathletics.org.uk

Membership Changes 13

jogscotland magazine Spring 2014

Membership Changes

By Billy Mitchell, Head of jogscotland During the past year I have had the chance to look at the ways we support our wonderful network of groups, Jog Leaders and joggers and to speak with many of you about how we can adapt and improve what we do. This year will see the introduction of some changes to the way we do things, which we hope will make jogscotland even better for everyone, from our newest jogger to our most experienced Jog Leader.

FREE AND FULL MEMBERSHIP The biggest change is that we will be bringing in a new membership structure from 1 May. Instead of Bronze, Silver and Gold memberships, we will be moving to a simpler, two-tier structure, offering a choice of Free or Full membership. The free Jog Leader membership will remain for everyone who has completed our training course (see p.12 for details of exciting developments here).

ANNUAL RENEWAL The other major change is that we will require all members to renew their membership annually – even those with free membership. This will ensure we have up-to-date details for you and will also make sure we know how many active jogscotland members there are.

FREE MEMBERSHIP Free membership will remain essentially the same as our current Bronze membership. Free members will still receive a logbook, four free copies of Stride magazine mailed to their address and the ability to join in sessions with local jogscotland groups. After your first year is up, you can renew your free membership and receive digital copies of Stride via email, or take the option to pay a small annual subscription to continue to receive hard copies of the magazine.

Membership Changes 14

Membership Changes cont’d FULL MEMBERSHIP The great news is that Full membership, at £18, will be much cheaper than its predecessor, Gold membership, which was £27. The package no longer includes a Tshirt, but we were aware that offering a Tshirt every single year with membership renewal meant that many of our most loyal Gold members were groaning under the weight of their collection of identical jogscotland T-shirts! (Don’t forget you can now buy a whole range of jogscotland kit from Run 4 It – see page 38). In addition to all the benefits of free membership, Full members will receive membership of scottishathletics, discounted race entries at scottishathletics permitted events, and the option to receive hard copies of either Stride magazine, or PB, the official magazine of scottishathletics.

Existing Gold members who renewed their membership between the One Big Weekend events in August last year and 1st May this year will still be able to claim their free entry in an event in this year’s jogscotland Challenge Series 2014 – just email joskead@scottishathletics.org.uk for details. If you are a Gold member whose membership expires before May, and would like to take advantage of this, please make sure you have renewed your Gold membership by 30 April. Gold memberships will no longer be available after that date.

Free

Full

Jog Leader (Open to qualified Jog Leaders only)

WHAT DO YOU NEED TO DO? Nothing! We will contact you when your membership is due for renewal, reminding you the details of the new membership benefits, and you can choose then which type of membership you would like to take up. We will also contact you every year after that, asking you to check your details and confirm that you are still an active jogscotland member. You can, of course, change your membership type at renewal time if you wish.

The new membership scheme will be administered directly from our offices, by Jo Skead, who joined us as membership development officer in January. She will be helping to recruit new members, support existing groups and guide new ones. Jo will be assisted by scottishathletics membership administrator Carol Robison.

Ann Davidson will take on a new role focused on Jog Leader education.

You can see a simple table summarising the new membership packages below, but if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us using the details on the contact page.

Benefits • Able to participate in jogscotland group sessions • Free copy of jogscotland logbook • Subscription to hard copies of Stride magazine for one year, with option to pay a subscription annually thereafter or receive electronic version • 10 per cent member discount at our sponsor, Run4It • Able to participate in jogscotland group sessions • Free copy of jogscotland logbook • 10 per cent member discount at our sponsor, Run4It • Full membership of scottishathletics • Discounted race entries at scottishathletics permitted events • Option to receive either hard copies of Stride or PB magazine • Able to participate in or lead jogscotland sessions • Free subscription to hard copies of Stride magazine for (Continuation requires you to renew your free membership annually, updating your details) • 10 per cent member discount at our sponsor, Run4It, plus special Jog Leader-only offers

Cost Free

£18

Free

Inspiration – Anne Sutherland

Inspiration 15

jogscotland magazine Spring 2014

below Anne with her giant birthday cupcake

When a nervous Anne Sutherland turned up to a jogging group at Grangemouth Stadium in March 1984, little did she know that almost 30 years later she would celebrate her 70th birthday there – with her fellow joggers.

The retired school helper tells us about the decades of enjoyment and achievement – and that she has no plans to hang up her trainers.

I started jogging in March 1984, after a few years of watching my brother-in-law doing marathons. In August 1983 a member of Falkirk Victoria Harriers, Ian Cluggie, had started a jogging group in Grangemouth and my friend’s daughterin-law, Caroline Lawless, was a member of the group so I kept hearing about what she was up to. Eventually I went along, because I’d been quite taken with watching my brother-in-law run.

I found it quite difficult to begin with, and I had thought I was quite fit! They didn’t build up as gradually as they do now with jogscotland – there was no walking included. But although I was a bit nervous, and found it hard work, I absolutely loved it from the moment I went. When we first arrived, Ian, asked what our intentions were and I said I wanted to run a marathon, so from March 1984 until September the following year was build up to that.

I ran the Glasgow marathon in September 1985 – I’ve got mixed memories of that! It was raining and we had bin liners on, even on our heads, for about 13 miles. My training had gone well, but my friend and I got caught up in some congestion at the beginning of the race, so we lost a bit of time at the start and tried to make it up and tried to go at a different pace than we should have, so it was a difficult finish.

Fortunately, the experience didn’t put me off running. I ran regularly until 1999 when my grandson was born, and I took five years off to look after him.

But I started again 10 years ago, in February 2004. I’d been in and out of the stadium for a while checking if there was a jogging group, and then I met

Inspiration 16

jogscotland magazine Spring 2014

Inspiration continued…

above Anne (no 50, second right) with the rest of jogscotland Grangemouth

someone who was taking a jogscotland group in Linlithgow, so I joined them. But after a while I decided I would do a bit more and I went to Grangemouth Stadium on my own to train, and found that by then they had a jogscotland group there too, so I went to both groups for a while.

Before I started back 10 years ago, I came off the phone to the group organiser and told my husband I was starting running again, but then suddenly thought ‘I don’t feel confident enough to do it, they’ll be all young ones, I’ll never keep up with them’, so I was about to call her back and tell her I’d changed my mind, but my husband said ‘You’re going!’” I’m so glad he did. I wasn’t fit at all when I started back and had doubts whether I’d keep up with the group but because it was so gradual and we started off on the same foot, it was great.

It’s really the love of running that keeps me going along, I absolutely love it and jogscotland couldn’t be better at helping - they’re absolutely fantastic. I wouldn’t be out there at nights now without the group, as I don’t really like going running on my own now when it’s dark.

I just wouldn’t feel right if I wasn’t doing it, it gives you such a buzz. It motivates you for doing things with your days rather than doing nothing at all, and I get all the benefits of being a bit fitter. I would advise anyone who’s a runner to keep going as long as they’re able. Even if you slow up, what does it matter? And one of the benefits of going to the group is that without them you’d just go at your own pace, but with a group you want to keep up, so you don’t slow down as much as you might running on your own.

It was absolutely fantastic when jogscotland Grangemouth held a party for my 70th birthday at the Stadium in August – it was a very big surprise! I didn’t even realise they knew my date of birth, but I’d been away and had left my details with someone so she could enter me into a run, and I think they must have spotted my date of birth.

At the start of the session, just after the warm-up, Caroline made an announcement and I was chatting away to somebody beside me and suddenly realised she was talking about me! It was a tea and scones night, which we have every five weeks after the run, and they announced that they’d make it into a party for me that night. Jeanette Stevenson baked me a cake - it was absolutely beautiful, like a giant cupcake, and I got lots of lovely gifts.

It’s not just the long-time members that make Grangemouth jogscotland such a great place to get active – new members like Grant Glading are also an important part of the group. above Anne far left (no.173) at Stirling half marathon, June 1989

I now go to jogscotland in Grangemouth every Thursday, and meet up with some people from the group at the stadium on a Monday night. On a Sunday, I go out running with a friend from the Linlithgow jogscotland group. I ran the Vale of Leven 10K last year, and will probably do it again this year.

All the Jog Leaders have been particularly good, especially Caroline.

She puts a lot of effort into making things very sociable – she organises nights out after our breaks for Christmas and summer, and even bakes cakes and brings picnics. She arranges transport so that we can travel as a group to events, which makes a big difference.

I would never have got as far as I have got today if I hadn’t been going to jogscotland for 10 years. It gives us all the motivation that we need.

Grant was just like many parents, chauffeuring his children to training sessions with the local athletics club, Falkirk Victoria Harriers, while a busy job meant convenience food and big calorie coffees were his staple diet. Towards the end of 2012 he realised he had to do something about his fitness, and lose weight. He had seen members from the jogscotland Grangemouth group during his frequent visits to Grangemouth stadium and knowing some of the Jog Leaders, made enquiries, thinking he would not be fit enough to join. Reassured that jogscotland is for everyone, with programmes for all abilities, Grant signed up at the start of the first block in the dark, cold winter nights in January 2013.

The evening classes are scheduled to dovetail with the Harriers training times, allowing Grant to train at the same time as his children instead of sitting in the stand or cafe watching with a large coffee. This, combined with a family commitment to eat healthier food, resulted in weight loss, and Grant was bitten by the running bug! He learnt that the group organised an annual outing to the Vale of Leven 5 and 10K races in June and set his sights on being able to complete the 5K in under 30mins, on the day finishing in 27mins. He has since completed 5 mile and 10K races.

Grant is now in the top level group at Grangemouth jogscotland. His lifestyle has changed from that of junk food-eating spectator to passionate health conscious runner. He has achieved almost 4 stones of weight loss, feeling the healthiest he has in most of his adult life and gaining a whole new social circle.

above Anne receiving her flowers from Caroline and friend Helen Reilly (right)

Grant Glading 17

Glad to be here

jogscotland Challenge Series 2014 18

jogscotland magazine Spring 2014

Challenge Series 2014 We are delighted to launch our 2014 Challenge Series, which will be bigger and more diverse than ever before.

This year we are joining forces with local event organisers to help stage events suitable for beginners. They will take place in locations right across the country, and range from one-off events to routes which are part of larger running festivals.

Talks are well underway to finalise the full series, taking in as wide a range of locations as possible. The first to be confirmed are listed opposite.

WIN! You could win one of two free places at any one of the Challenge Series 2014 Events!

Email sue.gyford@scottishathletics.org.uk with the words “CHALLENGE 2014” in the subject of the message.

In the message itself, include your name and the event you would like to enter.

Entries close midnight March 31st

Head of jogscotland Billy Mitchell said: “We’re really excited to be launching this series of events, which will take place throughout the year and right across the country. We’re currently working on a final schedule that will include trail runs and road runs, reaching the Highlands and the Islands as well as cities and towns.

“The routes and locations might be fantastically varied, but one thing we can guarantee is that when joggers see that an

event is part of the jogscotland Challenge Series, it will be fun, friendly and welcoming for beginners, as well as being suitable for more experienced runners.

“By linking up with other organisations to back their events, we can make the most of their local expertise and help them reach an audience of joggers right across the country. It also means we can host our Challenges in a much wider range of venues than ever before, giving more people the opportunity to take part in a jogscotland event.”

Chairman of Run Balmoral, James Knowles, said: “We are delighted to be working with jogscotland to promote opportunities for less experienced runners to sample some fantastic new events.

“Our Wee Trail race is held over a spectacular three mile route within the grounds of Balmoral Castle on Royal Deeside. It's a new addition to our programme of races for 2014 and its purpose is primarily to give people the chance to sample trail running in an attractive and safe environment.

“The Royal estate provides a unique and stunning setting for a run of this type and the whole family can enjoy the occasion.

We are looking forward to welcoming everyone to what promises to be an exciting day.”

Sarah McMillan, event manager for The Men's 10K Festival, said: “We are absolutely delighted to be working with

jogscotland and to be able to introduce a Men's 5K event to our Festival this year.

More information on individual events can be found at the web links below:

“It's so important to us to be able to provide events that encourage all men to be fit and active, so to include a Men's 5K for those for whom the 10K is unachievable, or just not their distance, is really exciting for us. We're especially thrilled that the 5K will be part of this year's jogscotland Challenge series and that both the 5K and the Men's 10K will be Scottish Athletics affiliated events. We hope to welcome a whole new batch of guys to running events this summer and hopefully inspire them to keep fit and active all year round with the help and support of the excellent jogscotland programme.”

27 Apr •Run Balmoral 3 mile Wee Trail Race

James Quinlan, One Big Weekend event manager said: “We’re proud to be working again with jogscotland to bring four runs to four cities over one unforgettable big weekend.

“After last year’s success, jogscotland One Big Weekend is fast becoming a worthy addition to the Scottish running calendar. Go for Glasgow, Edinburgh, Perth or Aberdeen - whichever 5K you sign up for, it’s the perfect chance for some actionpacked fitness and fun this summer.”

Entries for each of the events should be submitted directly to event organisers – for the latest list of events and entry links visit www.jogscotland.org.uk/challenges2014. jogscotland Gold members can claim their free sign-up for an event in the Challenge Series by emailing joskead@scottishathletics.org.uk.

www.runbalmoral.com/eventinfo/weetrail 18 May • Monklands 5K Fun Run, North Lanarkshire Leisure link tbc 14 Jun • Glasgow – Men’s 5K –

a new distance for the Men’s 10K Festival www.mens10k.com/events/mens-5k-june14th-2014/ 29 Jun • Peterhead Running Festival Shell

5K Walk/Jog/Run www.peterheadjogscotland.com/peterheadrunning-festival/ 2 Aug • One Big Weekend 5K, Aberdeen (am) www.jogscotlandonebigweekend.com /?aberdeen 2 Aug • One Big Weekend 5K, Perth (pm) www.jogscotlandonebigweekend.com /?perth 3 Aug • One Big Weekend 5K, Glasgow (am)

www.jogscotlandonebigweekend.com /?glasgow 3 Aug • One Big Weekend 5K, Edinburgh (pm)

www.jogscotlandonebigweekend.com /?edinburgh 14 Dec • Christmas Cracker Festive 5K, Strathclyde Park, North Lanarkshire Leisure (provisional date) link tbc

Xmas Cracker Pics 20

jogscotland magazine Spring 2014

Christmas Cracker 5K Challenge A festive crowd came along to the 2013 Christmas Cracker Challenge in Strathclyde Country Park on 15th December – scores of jogscotties pulled on their best fancy dress and joined us for our last Challenge of the year.

Run with the

HAPPY HAPP PP PY FEE FEETT TEA TEAM M &h help l Ch C Chest Heart & SStroke k SScotland l d beat Scotland’s Biggest Killers

Put a Spring in your training and join the Happy Feet Team today Now supporting runners in the Edinburgh Marathon Festival, Scottish Half Marathon, Loch Ness Marathon and 10K and many more!

We W e Are Are Scotland’s Scotland’s Health H Charity C harity

www.happyfeetteam.com ww w.happyfeetteam.com Contact Contact us on

0300 1212 444 or hap happyfeet@chss.org.uk pyfeet@chss.org.uk Chest Hea Heart rt & SStroke troke SScotland operating Chest, Heart Association Charity Registration No. egistered Scottish Scottish Cha rity R egistration N o. SC018761. cotland and CHSS aare re ope rating names of TThe he Ches t, Hea rt & SStroke troke A ssociation SScotland, cotland, a rregistered Registered byy gua guarantee R egistered in SScotland cotland as a ccompany ompany limited limited b rantee No SC129114

Red Run 22

jogscotland magazine Spring 2014

Red Run Glasgow FrontRunners held their inaugural Red Run in December to mark World AIDS Day. The day, which falls on December 1st, is an international event dedicated to raising awareness of HIV and AIDS. As Scotland’s largest LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) sports club, Glasgow FrontRunners took the opportunity to help members and friends better understand HIV and AIDS while encouraging everyone out for a Sunday morning run.

Cheered on by a group of spectators, 36 runners took to the canal supported by jogscotland Jog Leaders. Runners were encouraged to wear red, the traditional colour of HIV awareness, and take part in a 5K group run along Glasgow’s Forth and Clyde Canal.

The morning’s strenuous activities were followed by a bake sale where the club raised over £230 for the Terrence Higgins Trust.

The group was joined by Sandra Anderson from Terrence Higgins Trust in Glasgow to tell them more about the charity and offer the runners support. Fellow FrontRunner clubs in Edinburgh and London also jogged with the group for the first time.

The run was organised by club Committee member Eamonn Butler, who said: “Although HIV isn’t the terminal illness it was in the 1980s, it is still life-changing for those diagnosed and for their families and friends. We believe that it doesn’t have to be that way and that we can all play a role in beating the virus. Regular testing and accepting that HIV is nothing to be ashamed of will make a difference. Just as importantly, HIV doesn’t have to be a barrier to a healthy and active life. Running is an important part of that.”

For further information on Glasgow FrontRunners please visit www.glasgowfrontrunners.org

FrontRunners had a visit from Jog Scotty and jogscotland staff member Jo Skead on 16 February. Jo and Scotty took part in the group’s annual Rainbow Run, donning their coloured T-shirts to join the running rainbow alongside the canal.

Race Directory – Events in pink are part of the jogscotland Challenge Series 2014 –

9 March

13 April

Resolution Run 5k and 10k, Bellahouston Park, Glasgow

Resolution Run 5k, Aberdeen

16 March

Tom Scott 10 mile and 6k road races, Carluke

Resolution Run 5k and 10k, Dundee

Glenlivet 10k, Glenlivet Distillery

Errol 6k Fun Run, Errol

26 April

30 March Elgin 10k and 3k Fun Run, Elgin

Run Balmoral 1.5k, 2.5k, 5k and 10k, Balmoral Castle Estate

Resolution Run 5k and 10k, Kirkcaldy

27April

Running Sisters Tayside 5k, Monikie Country Park (women only)

Crinan Puffer 8.5k, Ardrishaig

5 April

Run Balmoral 3 mile Wee Trail Race, Balmoral Castle Estate

Dunbar 10k, Dunbar

3 May

6 April

Mud Run Mayhem 5k, Scottish Assault Courses, Kilmarnock

Round the Houses/Jim Dingwall Memorial 10k and 2k, Grangemouth

Tiree 10k, Isle of Tiree

12 April

10 May

Deafblind Scottish Canal 5k and 10k, Leisuredrome, Bishopbriggs

Loch Leven Half Marathon, Kinross 11 May Castle of Mey 10k, Thurso

There’s an event for everyone, go to www.jogscotland.org.uk/events for full details.

BUPA Great Women’s 10k, Glasgow (women only) Inveraray Jail Break 7k, Inveraray

Race Directory 23

jogscotland magazine Winter 2013

Race Directory 24

jogscotland magazine Spring 2014

Race Directory cont’d 17 May

2 August

Langholm Trail 10k and Half Marathon, Langholm Rugby Football Club

One Big Weekend Aberdeen (5k)

18 May City of Aberdeen Baker Hughes 10k and Fun Run, Aberdeen

One Big Weekend Perth (5k)

3 August One Big Weekend Glasgow (5k) One Big Weekend Edinburgh (5k)

Monklands 5k and Half Marathon,

Coatbridge 24 May Edinburgh Marathon festival 5k and 10k, Edinburgh 25 May Edinburgh Marathon Festival Half Marathon, Marathon and Team Relay, Edinburgh 14 June Men’s 5k and 10k and Family 3k,

Bellahouston Park, Glasgow 29 June Peterhead Running Festival, including Shell 5k, Peterhead

Free parkrun events every Saturday at 9.30am at: Cramond, Edinburgh Strathclyde Park, Lanarkshire Pollok Park, Glasgow Tollcross Park, Glasgow Victoria Park, Glasgow Callendar Park, Falkirk North Inch, Perth Eglinton Country Park, Irvine Beach Esplanade, Aberdeen Bught Park, Inverness Craigtoun Country Park, St Andrews Camperdown Park, Dundee And Park’n’Run, Balloch www.parkrun.org.uk

– Events in pink are part of the jogscotland Challenge Series 2014 – There’s an event for everyone, go to www.jogscotland.org.uk/events for full details.

Mini Strides 25

jogscotland magazine Spring 2014

Mini Strides for Junior jogscotties Girls 2 Run Groups of girls can be seen striding along the tracks around Stirling University, a workout that will ultimately lead to a 5K run. Before their cardio exercise, they take part in brief interactive sessions centred on building self-confidence and reinforcing social skills.

The eight-week program, called Girls2Run, seeks to help girls aged 10-13 with issues around self-esteem, healthy lifestyle and social skills while they train for a celebratory 5K run. The Girls2Run goal is to address all aspects of girls’ development including their physical, emotional, mental, social and spiritual well-being.

This initiative is headed by Kristin Henderson whose lifelong passion for sport, combined with her own desire to prepare girls for a lifetime of self-respect and healthy living, led to the first pilot program at Wallace High School. After a great response, Girls2Run started at Stirling University and is run in the Autumn and Spring Terms.

“I knew what running had done for me. It made me feel empowered,” said Kristin. “I wanted to share my love of exercise with girls particularly because research consistently shows that there is a huge drop off in sports participation when girls reach their teen years. I have twin eightyear-old daughters of my own and want to make sure that exercise remains an integral part of their lives. My main focus with Girls2Run has always been to create a program that improves self-esteem and builds confidence through running.”

“It feels good when we run and learn new things,” said participant Meg, from Dunblane: “People encourage me.”

Friends Sophie and Katie said: “On the first week of Girls2Run we were both a bit unsure, as neither of us liked running and we weren’t very good at it. We got to know all the girls in the group and we found out more about each other. We went over running technique and that helped us both a lot. We also learnt to be strong, confident girls. On the third week, we talked about our body language and how it made up 55 per cent of our communication to other people”.

Rebecca and Bethany, S1 pupils who took part, said: “We really enjoy Girls2Run, its lots of fun and we have learned a lot. We think that the first lesson on running techniques was very good. We now know that when we run our shoulders have to be back, we have to land in the middle to ball of our feet and then roll on to our toes, look ahead and SMILE! We think that Girls2Run is a great chance for us to learn to run and enjoy it. We love everything about Girls2Run and it is great.”

For more information, please contact Kristin Henderson at info@therunningcompany.co.uk

Scottish Slimmers 26

jogscotland magazine Spring 2014

Reaching new heights!

Name: Mhairi Jack Occupation: Research Assistant Height: 5’7” Age: 31

Before Weight: 18 stone 12lb Dress Size: 22

Now Weight: 12 stone 11lb Dress Size: 14 6 stone 1lb lighter

Mhairi Jack from Strathaven gained weight when she went to college – but she wasn’t sure how much as she didn’t weigh herself.

Mhairi joined Scottish Slimmers after leaving college and was horrified to weigh almost 19 stone, but the weight soon came off.

However, when Mhairi saw photos of herself at her 30th birthday party, she realised that the weight had come back. “I lost nearly 3 stone the first time round and I felt great – but I stopped going to the Scottish Slimmers class and slowly the weight crept back on” she says.

Coming back to Scottish Slimmers, Mhairi says her life had to change. “I knew the Scottish Slimmers eating plan worked, and that as I am quite a fussy eater I knew it’s the only eating plan I can stick to.”

As well as changing the way she ate, Mhairi decided to make even more changes to her life. “As the weight came off, I started to feel fitter and healthier than I had in a very long time, so decided I could use this new energy to get fitter – and raise money for some really worthy charities as well.”

At first Mhairi started military fitness classes 3 times per week, as well as cycling and running. She took part in the Rob Roy running/cycle Challenge, Etape Caledonia and the Corrieyairck Challenge.

Recently Mhairi climbed Ben Lomond, took part in the Great Scottish Run and is now preparing to head to Everest Base Camp in September. “I am going with two friends and we are raising money for Yorkhill Hospital,” she said.

“I can’t believe how much life has changed since I lost weight,” says Mhairi, “I love running and cycling – and now I am adding climbing to my list as well!”

If you would like to support Mhairi’s Everest climb, visit www.yorkhillyetiyomp.co.uk.

A perfect post-workout treat!

Serves one Prep: 15 mins Cook: 10 mins 245 Calories 10 Checks 6.5g fat per serving

Put the sweetcorn in a small pan with a little water to cover. Bring to the boil and cook for 2 minutes.

Drain well and set aside.

Sift the flour into a bowl, add the salt and pepper and make a well in the middle. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolk and milk and then beat in the flour until you have a stiff batter.

Ingredients 60g canned sweetcorn, drained 30g self-raising flour salt and freshly ground black pepper 1 medium egg, separated 2–3 tsp skimmed milk ¼ small red onion, finely chopped few sprigs of fresh parsley or coriander, finely chopped spray oil 1 tbsp sweet chilli dipping sauce Green salad, to serve Lightly spray a non-stick frying pan with oil and place over a high heat. When the pan is hot, add spoonfuls of the mixture, flattening them a little with a spatula, and cook for 1–2 minutes until set and golden brown underneath. Flip the fritters over and cook the other side.

Serve the fritters immediately with sweet chilli dipping sauce and some No-Check salad.

Beat the egg white in a clean, dry bowl until stiff, then fold it gently in a figure-of-eight movement into the batter.

Gently stir in the sweetcorn kernels, red onion and herbs, distributing them evenly throughout the batter.

Stride Special Offer Join today for just

£1

O Take this voucher with you to any Scottish Slimmers class before 30th June 2014 to claim your special offer.

O This coupon entitles you to join at a reduced fee and save £9 (pay weekly class fee only).

R: 539687 N: 539687

Call free 0800 36-26-36 or visit scottishslimmers.com

Scottish Slimmers 27

Sweetcorn and red onion fritters

Event Previews 28

jogscotland magazine Spring 2014

Event previews: Bupa Great Edinburgh Run The famous streets of Scotland’s capital have hosted the Bupa Great Edinburgh Run since 2005. For 2014, the event has moved to the spring date of Sunday 27 April and there is a brand new 10-mile course to enjoy too!

The launch of this spectacular ‘ten-mile running tour’ will see runners make their way past iconic landmarks such as the Royal Mile, Scott Monument and Edinburgh Castle.

There is also the opportunity to make it a day for all the family with the Bupa Junior & Mini Great Edinburgh Run. The junior category features a 2.5K course and is suitable for 9-14 year olds, while the mini event is 1.5K and suitable for 3-8 year olds.

Once everyone, little and larger, have crossed the finish line there will be wellearned, goodie-filled Finishers Pack waiting. Medal and T-shirt are included.

For further information on how to enter, visit greatrun.org/edinburgh. You can also follow @Great_Run on Twitter, use #greatedinburghrun, or join the conversation on Facebook at facebook.com/greatedinburghrun.

Bupa Great Women’s 10k The Bupa Great Women’s 10K Glasgow is a unique celebration of female camaraderie.

One for the girls, every spring the streets of Glasgow welcome more than 10,000 women to the soundtrack of drummers and pipers as they run through Scotland’s largest city.

Every stride towards Mosspark Boulevard and the finish line is special as the anticipation grows for the big day on Sunday 11 May.

This year, the event expects to see thousands return to experience the fun and friendship, as well as the post-race cake and coffee!

So if you like the sound of women getting together to share and accomplish their individual goals, then this is the race for you. Enjoy the training and get involved in this special, uplifting event.

Find out more and enter at greatrun.org/womens10k and keep up to date with event information at facebook.com/BupaGreatWomens10k or follow @Womens_Run on Twitter.

Bank of Scotland Great Scottish Run The Bank of Scotland Great Scottish Run is returning to the streets of Glasgow over the weekend of 4 and 5 October, live on BBC Television.

Featuring a full timetable of running, the weekend will include family events on the Saturday, followed by both 10K and half marathon distances on Sunday. A fantastic opportunity for family, friends and people of all ages and abilities to participate together.

The Bank of Scotland Great Scottish Run will be the first major mass participation running event post Commonwealth Games and will provide a unique opportunity to experience the host city.

Entry is now available via the website www.greatscottishrun.com and you can keep up to date with event information at www.facebook.com/GreatScottishRun or follow @GreatScotRun on Twitter.

Discounted entries available for runners entering both the Bupa Great Women’s 10k and the Bank of Scotland Great Scottish Run (10k or half marathon).

Event Preview 29

Meet Jo Skead 30

jogscotland magazine Spring 2014

Meet Jo Skead above Jo and fiancee Chris Stevens at Edinburgh half marathon

The jogscotland Team has a new member, with the arrival of Jo Skead as membership development officer. Jo might be new to the staff team, but she is a long-time friend and participant of jogscotland, as she tells us here…

I started running at the age of 23. A guy I was going out with at the time was a footballer and he encouraged me to start running. I really struggled early on to get to the end of the street without buckling over holding a stitch but I set myself little milestones like “get to the end of the street”, “get to the end of the next street,” and built it up gradually.

After I’d been going for a little while, I joined a jogscotland beginners’ group in Penicuik.

Like everyone, I started out a bit nervous and unsure if I was able to run – I had all the usual beginners’ stresses and worries.

It took me over a year of being a runner before I signed up for an event. I was adamant that I was never going to run a race - I just didn’t want to. (I also refused to wear proper running clothes for a long time, I wouldn’t buy any leggings!) I think the first one I did was the Bupa Great Winter Run 5K around Arthur’s Seat so I chose a hard one, but I got the bug, and did the British Heart Foundation 5K and the Race for Life.

In 2010 I did my first half marathon - the Edinburgh half marathon. I didn’t follow a training programme, which wasn’t a good idea! I think I ran about 10K as the longest run during my training and just assumed I could do the rest of it! It was tough, but I was really chuffed with myself when I finished.

In 2012, I saw the advert in the jogscotland emails for leaders to help at the Speed of Light.They were recruiting people to lead groups of runners over Arthur’s Seat wearing light suits during the festival. I just thought it sounded great, and thought “I’m going to do that”. It was a good experience, and it encouraged me to start something new - hill running.

Meet Jo Skead 31 above Jo with the jogscotland team

I had done the jogscotland Jog Leader course around 2008 but I didn’t really lead very much with the group at the time as I wasn’t that confident. Then, eventually, I left the beginners’ group because the timing didn’t work for me and felt I’d progressed on from the level the group was at. I assumed the group was still going until July last year, when I bumped into the guy that had been organising it, and he said he wasn’t doing it any more. I thought ‘That can’t be!” So I decided to start a group myself.

My sister is a “Keep Well” nurse, and she and I joined together to start up a weight loss group called Happy Healthy Active in Penicuik. The idea was to do away with the fads that people take up to lose weight which mean they never keep it off, and to have a group for people who wanted to make lifestyle changes and stick with them.

As part of it, we offered a jogging course which ran for eight weeks, and at the end, some of the people involved said they wanted to keep going so we made it weekly.

Glasgow, recruiting volunteers and so on. I also gave healthy cookery workshops, taught a course called Health Issues in the Community, and we organised the NG 5K run once a year.

It’s been great to come to jogscotland and be a part of such an enthusiastic, vibrant network of people right across Scotland.

The first week that I was here I got out and about really quickly, as Billy and I took Jog Scotty down to the launch of Dalbeattie Civic Running Club’s first ever jogscotland beginners’ course – what a great way to start a new job! Back at the office, I’ve been busy updating all the group information on our website, which has been a good chance to speak to lots of people. Best of all, it’s just brilliant to have a job that is so closely related to your hobby – it doesn’t feel like work!

You can contact Jo on joskead@scottishathletics.org.uk or 0131 539 7341.

It’s been great seeing people that joined to lose weight who are now at their target weights. People who had got stuck at a plateau have found that since they’ve added running their weight loss has speeded up a little bit. One of the girls in the group has lost five stone since she first started adopting a healthier lifestyle, and her confidence has transformed - she’s just trained as a Jog Leader and is really motivated to help others achieve the same things that she has.

Before coming to jogscotland, I worked with North Glasgow Healthy Living Community. I’m a trained Walk Leader with Paths for All and part of my job was to coordinate the walking network across above With Penicuik group member Diane Kirkwood at the BUPA Great Winter Run

In shorts…men’s running 32

jogscotland magazine Spring 2014

In Shorts… jogscotland and top running magazines Men’s Running and Women’s Running have teamed up to deliver the latest headlines, tips and gossip straight from their pages to the pages of Stride.

Men’s Shorts If you want to improve your running, then the April issue of Men’s Running really is a must-read. From purging your body of life’s toxins to improving your sleep – and hence your recovery – we’ve really got it covered.

For marathon first-timers, we cover the 10 most common mistakes – and how to avoid them. This includes everything from not prioritizing your rest and recovery to not practicing your nutrition strategy; it also explains how to tell if you are overtraining.

Fortunately, as Jeff Archer explains: “For marathon preparation, overtraining is very common and also very easily remedied with a few days rest.”

On the subject of rest, we have a fascinating article on how sleep is a vital part of your training programme. During sleep the body rebuilds itself and balances hormonally. It is when the recovery process takes place within the muscles. “Think of your schedule as three key components: training, nutrition and rest. If these three are treated with equal importance, you have a recipe for success. And that includes lots of sleep,” says author and running coach Phoebe Thomas.

REST AND RECOVERY

8 st s eps to sweeter dreams

Here are a few changes you can make that will improve your sleep

2

IT’S NO TA NOT LIE-IN

t of us have to be up early. he extra sleep needs to be ed on in th added the evening: thinkk earlier nights, not err mornings.

ONSISTENCY 1 CONSISTENCY

the same way we te consistency of ng and nutrition, tency of sleep is vita ng minimal amounts eek and then trying t up with a huge week r one-off early nigh fool your body into ng itt’s recovered. d A lil sleep consistently e ery will work better.

TEPS 3 SMALL SSTEPS

Try getting to bed ju 30-60 minutes earlier ev night. This may sound like minimal improvement bu the accumulative effect w make a big difference.

AVOID VO OID 5 AV STIMULANTS S TIMULANTS

Caffeine, sugary drinks, sweets, alcohol, social me work emails, last-minute replies to texts – all will lea body and mind stimulated before bed. Avoid them or risk compromising your sleep quality.

LOCK DO DOWN WN 4 LOCK

Begin the getting rea for bed process much earli than you think necessary.

Leaving the washing up, ki packed lunches and lastminute emails to ‘just befo bed’ will mean you get to s an hour or so later than intended. Have a time at w you start all of these jobs s that bedtime isn’t constan being pushed back.

6 GET NAPPING

If you are someone who hass the time or lifestyle, ernoon naps, particularly on e a long run day, will work onders in terms of recovery and d energy levels.

HYGIENE YGIENE GIEN 7 SLEEP HY

Dark rooms, alarm clo that exude light rather than sound (so that you wake up more naturally) and no electronic devices by the bed are all good ways of improving your sleep hygiene.

But this issue is as much about inspiration as it is about performance. Our feature on finishers’ medals is a perfect example.

Whether it takes pride of place on your mantelpiece or is stuffed down the back of your sock drawer, every finisher’s medal has a tale to tell. Medals come in all shapes and sizes and range from the classy to the downright gaudy. But it’s the story of how you earned that bit of bling that makes it more than simply a chunk of cheap metal with a fancy ribbon threaded through it. In this issue, four readers share their medal stories.

You can also catch up with all the progress of our Project 26.2 team. Colds, niggles and the incessant rain can all play havoc with spring marathon preparations. Fortunately, our team seems to be riding the storm, both metaphorically and literally. With the help of coach Martin Yelling, the sessions are being bagged and mileage is heading up. Not that it hasn’t been challenging. But being part of the team has added that little bit of extra impetus and motivation to keep clocking up the miles, no matter what the elements throw at them.

RACING P I M P YO U R R U N

8 ROUGH CALCULATION CALCULA LAT TION

A rule of thumb us used by many ports scientists is to take the umber of miles you run per week and add that number in minutes to your usual nightly leep time (so someone running 30 miles a week should hould add 30 min minutes). It’s a road calculation but I have ried it myself and advised many runners to do the same certainly has a positive ffect. Aim for this for a period f three to four weeks and see he effect it has.

April 2014 014 • mensrunninguk.co.uk mensrunninguk.co.uk 43

Men’s Running Order your FREE copy today

Helping you improve your running.

We also have the usual mix of recipes and tips on how to stay healthy and improve your running life, plus a comprehensive test of the latest running kit and reviews of three of the best running cameras on the market.

STRIPES

Looking oking forr some o e sleek racing a ing kit for o your ne ext eve en nt? MR R edit ditor Dav vid Cas astle eg gives e you u a round-up und-up d u of the year’s early ly leader leaders

BROOKS

IFFLEY ROAD

Equilibrium SS ll,, £28 This h is a harrd-working rking g garmen rm t, ( o I acccording d tto Broo oks (although guess it depends on how hard the individual n d wearing r ng n itt is working).

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5” Essential Short, rt, t £26 Ther h e’s an old Fry r and d Laurie u skketch h where the ttwo main protagonis a sts e best type of are discussing the trrouserr fly y. “Are you a zip or button man?” says the F Fry ry char h accter.

“Neither Neither, I’m a Velcr e o man,” comes To h deba b te the h reply. At MR RT owers, the rages a about the acceptable length of short – are you u a 3.5”, a 5”, 8” or even 12” 2 kind n of guy? Forr those who g for a halfwa h e, this arre looking w y house 5” short from Brooks offers a good solution. o Definit e e part ely a off our e war summer u a drobe ob b . www.brooksrunning. ning.co.uk

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Shorts, £60 I oncce stood behind e ind d Noel Gallagher l g e in Paul a Smith’ m s flagship agship Floral a Stree e t store. While the assistant didn’t i e the he same ame m fus uss about o m my makke quit suitt purchase h , she e did complimen o i t me on my choice. Apparently Noel had bough g t the he same ame m one n . That suit u details, was stockked full off design de very y much like these hese shorts from Iffley Road, a which hw were definit definitely m t tailorred the mos d on offer e. www.iffle eyroad.com

r runninguk. n April r 2014 1 • mensrunninguk. co.uk 79

Women’s Shorts The new issue of Women’s Running is packed with advice, motivational tips and inspirational stories to help you get the most from your running and stay motivated during these rainy winter and spring months.

Age is no barrier to running, so long as you’re healthy, as one lady found out. 65year-old Penny Lovegrove took up running at the age of 60, after telling her neighbour that she wasn’t interested in doing embroidery on the doorstep like an old person. She has since run over 40 marathons and not only that, but she is getting faster with each one. Find out what her secret is to improving her race times and how she went from strength to strength with her running. Penny says: ‘Running has helped me become the person I always imagined myself to be: a tall, slim woman with a ponytail running outside,’ she says.

‘It’s also given me self-belief – and a host of new friends.’

Anyone starting out running for the first time may be daunted by how it feels if they start too fast or too soon. Setting a comfortable pace from the beginning is the best way to start and Women’s Running’s 12 top tips for new runners will also make it easier. In her feature, which reveals how to start running the easy way, WR Sub-Editor Claire Chamberlain also talks about the importance of having a goal.

‘Knowing what your goal is and keeping it in mind is the best kind of motivation. Importantly, your goal should be yours and yours alone. It should also be achievable, so you don’t lose heart, and not so far in the future that you lose sight of it.’

If you are running a spring marathon and your training is going well, then make sure you stay on target and avoid injury by reading the feature on common marathon mistakes. Personal trainer, marathon runner and triathlete Jeff Archer, talks about things that can often go wrong, such as not getting enough rest. He says: “It can be very tempting, particularly when training is going well, to run more and more often. It's likely, however, that your training has been successful so far precisely because you've observed a good balance between training and recovery. Time to rest and recuperate should be viewed as an active part of your training schedule and so rest days should be planned and respected.

Obstacle races are increasing in popularity, with more and more of us seeking a new kind of challenge that isn’t just about how far or how fast we can run. Obstacle races, which involve us getting from a start to finish line by running but also climbing, scrambling or weaving our way through numerous obstacles, offer variety and stimulation. And they’re fun too. But you have to train for them in a different way, says Advanced Personal Trainer and running coach Phoebe Thomas in her extensive guide to getting obstacle race fit. ‘This is brilliant for building strength, endurance and power, all of which are essential components to an adventure race.’

Developing upper body strength is also key.

‘Many of the challenges will involve heaving yourself over, under and through obstacles, so getting good at lifting your own body weight, with exercises such as press-ups, chin-ups and dips are essential. All of these can be achieved in the gym.’

The UK’s first running magazine just for women.

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Cross Training 34

jogscotland magazine Spring 2014

Cross Training Parkour Before going to my first parkour class, I thought it was all about leaping off high roofs and somersaulting over railings. But when I got in touch with John Hall of Edinburgh-based Access Parkour, he reassured me that his classes were suitable for beginners.

As I love exercising outside, I thought it might be fun and decided to go along.

Parkour, also known as Freerunning, is defined by the sport’s governing body, Parkour UK, as “the non-competitive physical discipline of training to move freely over and through any terrain using only the abilities of the body”. It developed in France from military obstacle course training, and there have been a few documentaries about it which show people doing incredibly daring – and dangerous – urban climbs and jumps.

But Access Parkour offers two classes suitable for beginners, an access class and parkour class. They are taught by John, who is a Level 2 coach certified by Parkour UK, and certainly knows his stuff.

The access class takes place indoors, and is aimed at those with little experience of exercise. It aims to boost physical wellbeing by practising specific movements to improve the way you use your body. John says: “The class is parkour, but the aim is that we want to provide access to movement - we’re talking about the ability to have a full range of motion, the ability to pick up something heavy, to reach the top shelf, to reach behind you, to be free from trying to get up from the couch and find your quads are cramping. It’s about

by Sue Gyford relearning how to move properly so that you have less pain in your life - basically to move in an inherently safe manner so that when you go to other sports you’re using good movement patterns.

“What I’m also trying to do is teach the nature of challenge, the idea that what we’re doing is overcoming a challenging environment. You can overcome any obstacle, and that is the basic philosophy of Parkour - we challenge ourselves and we overcome challenges.”

In this spirit of challenge, I decide to go straight for the outdoor class, which is also aimed at beginners, but perhaps those with a little more confidence and fitness.

We met at Bristo Square in Edinburgh at 7pm and warmed up with a jog and some joint mobilisation exercises. We started out with a very simple, safe exercise – jumping from the ground onto a step about 6 inches high. The aim is to land with both feet together and bend your knees right down so that you come to an immediate stop, rather than falling or stepping forward – it sounds simple, but is surprisingly difficult to get right. John offered us advice to improve our jumps – going higher to absorb some speed, or jumping with our feet out in front of us rather than underneath. There was something quite relaxing and meditative about doing the same small jump again and again, and I could quickly feel improvements – though the muscles just above my knees were exhausted.

Then we moved to the walls - fortunately just small ones a couple of feet high. John introduced a series of simple moves – rolling on and off the walls in a sitting position, jumping on and off them using the skills we’d just practiced, and turning

Cross Training 35

around while standing on them. Even simple moves were quite tricky to execute precisely but it soon started to get easier as we practiced them, and felt almost like ballet when we got them right.

Then we moved onto the flat ground to practice quadripedal movement –walking on your hands and feet. It sounds easy, but you should try it some time – really tough, but brilliant exercise. Not only does it get your heart pumping, your core and arms will have to work harder than ever before, and you need to co-ordinate the whole of your body.

As I stood up to stretch my aching thighs, John told me I had ‘classic runner issues’.

He explains: “The classic runner is normally quite fit, has probably been wearing big trainers most of their life so they have a heel strike, they often sit a lot so their hip flexors are tight, they have tight quads, and haven’t got much mobility. Their cardiovascular system works well but they might find themselves getting injured regularly and perhaps aren’t as mobile as other sports people.

“It’s a really great basis to work from because you’ve got that basic fitness, but it’s got very standard problems. Runners need to relearn how to squat, to extend those hip flexors, and branch out to do more movement than running. I’m not going to make them faster, but I’m going to reduce the risk of repetitive injury that they have.”

Then came the only part of the class where I felt out of my depth – John announced we were going to do this quadripedal movement along the tops of the walls all the way round the square. He leapt onto a high wall to demonstrate. I was determined to give it a go, but the first moment of balancing on top of the wall and looking straight downwards to the ground scared

me, and I decided this needed adapting to my own abilities. Fortunately there were plenty of low walls, so I started on those. It only took a few metres until I was exhausted and had to rest, but John gently encouraged me to keep going, at one point showing me some stretches to loosen my aching thighs.

About half way round the square, I suddenly realised I was concentrating so hard on the movement that I was going along one of the high walls without any concerns. In fact, my main worry was that I was mostly on my own by then as the other class members were going faster than me. All the students going into the neighbouring Teviot student union for a drink must have thought I was some kind of crazy Spiderwoman, clambering around the walls on my own with my bum in the air.

Much to my surprise, I eventually made it all the way round the square, and got a real sense of achievement at doing something so far beyond my expectations.

By this point I was exhausted, but we tried a few more moves, practicing the building blocks of vaulting over low walls; again, there were some things I found too difficult, but John showed me how to break them down into smaller, easier moves.

I left the session very tired but buzzing with achievement and having enjoyed doing something so different from my normal exercise. My legs were very sore for the next few days from the unaccustomed moves, but my days were brightened up by suddenly finding myself looking at walls and street furniture with a whole new sense of possibility!

See www.accessparkour.com for more information.

Doing it for Dad 36

jogscotland magazine Spring 2014

Ali Figures Doing it for Dad When Ali Figures father Roy died from pancreatic cancer two years ago, it was a huge loss. But the bereavement inspired teacher Ali, 33, to raise money and awareness for Pancreatic Cancer UK by taking on 13 challenges in 2013. Not only did she raise thousands of pounds, the challenges brought her jogscotland buddies closer than ever before.

I’ve been running with jogscotland for about seven years, with the groups in Dunfermline and Dalgety Bay. I just took a whim about getting fit and looked it up online. I was really quite nervous to start with, but after the first week it was fun.

Last spring I started jog buddying, giving support to newer members of the group, and then in November I took the Jog Leader course. It’s been great becoming a Jog Leader - I’ve been working with the same group of people since then, so it’s great to see them coming on and asking for advice.

My dad passed away in February 2012 of pancreatic cancer. It was all quite sudden – with pancreatic cancer, by the time you find out you’ve got it, it’s really serious. By then, it’s terminal and progresses quickly. It also doesn’t get much funding from the government for research, so I wanted to raise money and awareness for Pancreatic Cancer UK.

A few of the jogscotland group had decided to do the Edinburgh marathon last year, and that’s where the challenge idea started. I thought I’d have to do some training events before that, and before I knew it I was up to six events and thought I might as well do 13 and find some different types of challenges. I chose 13 because it was 2013, and I thought I’d better get on and do it before the number went up!

Tough Mudder was probably the most challenging. I did that with my sister and hadn’t done a lot of climbing or upper body training so it was difficult, but there were lots of people to stand on, so it went all right!

I also did the Lime Kilns Dragon Boat Race.

That was a team of six of us, and most of them were from jogscotland. It was just a fun thing, but we got into the final - and it was great the way that everyone helped me to get a team together.

I did the Edinburgh Marathon, and it was my first and probably my last marathon – it was hard work and I was quite emotional. I had a sign on my back explaining why I was running and people were speaking to me about it and so that was making me emotional. I had family and friends and people from jogscotland cheering me along most of the way, but after mile 18 I didn’t see anyone I knew, and it was tough. When I first crossed the line, I couldn’t quite believe I’d done it. I was totally nonemotional and then I went over to get the

Doing it for Dad 37

medal and saw my family and had a wee bawl. But I think it took a few weeks for it to really sink in - now I can’t quite believe I did it.

I set out to raise £2,000 and hit £2,500, and with the rest of my family doing fundraising events as well, we probably raised about £3,000 in all.

It was quite a hard year - there was something on every weekend. I couldn’t have done it without the help, support, advice and listening ears of my fellow jogscotland members. They helped organise runs and service vehicles with food and supplies, they organised runners to meet the marathoners at various points on run routes for company, they took part with me and came to watch and cheer me on - as well as listening to me moan, groan and ask for advice.

The great thing is that it’s actually brought the jogscotland group together a lot. I had lots of people coming to do different events, and I was posting on our group’s jogscotland facebook page a lot saying “Join me in this race”. Since I completed the challenge we’ve kept that going, doing different races. A few of us are going to do the Isle of Skye half marathon together and we’ve never done an away half marathon before. For some people it’ll be their first half marathon, so I think it’ll be a great weekend away. It just shows that we’ve become such good friends – and all through the running.

Ali Figures

Event Review 38

jogscotland magazine Spring 2014

Event Review Tri Trail 14K Foxlake,near Dunbar, East Lothian 2nd February This trail race is part of a series of trail runs organised by Edinburgh’s Tri Centre, but this one had a twist – while it was over the same route as the other events in the series, it was also part of the John Muir Winter Carnival. That meant that, as well as the 14K run the day included cyclocross, an outdoor swim, (with hot tub to warm up afterwards!), outdoor rowing competition, and food stalls.

right by the water’s edge, then alongside the fringes of some woodland, and then we dashed across the wet sands before turning back. Fortunately the tide was out so our feet were only slightly soaked!

I went along with a few friends, none of us very fast. There was a five-minute walk from the car park down to the registration and start line, which were located by the lake.

After a short race briefing, we were off. The first section, around a field, was really muddy, but the scenery was great if you remembered to look up from your feet occasionally! Then we were down and running right alongside the coast. Again, it was very slippery, but beautiful. There was a very strong wind blowing throughout the morning, which made it a tough run as there wasn’t a lot of shelter on many of the stretches. The route is roughly a figure of 8, with a water station at the point where the paths crossed, so you got to top up on fluids twice.

By the time we were heading back to the finish line, which was at the same point as the start, the variety of Carnival activities and sunny weather had brought lots of people out to enjoy the event. Sadly the finish line was a short distance away from the crowds, so we didn’t get the benefit of being cheered over the line by bystanders, but it was close enough to walk straight into the huddle afterwards and enjoy the atmosphere. If you’ve never tried it, I can also recommend a hot tub as a great way to relax your legs after a tough run!

It’s a very varied route - one minute you’re

It was a fast field – not many fun runners here. That meant I quickly dropped to near the back and stayed there, with the frontrunners heading home past me before I’d even reached the half-way point. It was a shame to be so far back, but my time of 1h33 was about what I’d expected, and I certainly wasn’t alone.

It was a well-organised but relaxed and friendly event, with fantastic scenery and an interesting, varied route. I’d definitely like to go back and try the route again by taking part in another event in the series – maybe on a less windy day!

by Sue Gyford

Official Merchandise 39

A great range of jogscotland Official Merchandise is available from our partners, Run 4 It. Everything in the range comes with jogscotland logos as standard, while T-shirts, vests, hoodies and jackets can all be customised, so you can add the name of your group. What’s more, as a jogscotland member you can use your 10 per cent member discount at run 4 It to unlock reductions on the entire range.

Just visit www.run4it.com/shop/ jogscotland and order online using the code jog2014 to get your discount.

You can also pop into your local Run 4 It shop to try samples.

If you’re going to put yourself through hell, you might as well do it in heaven.

28.09.14 Marathon | 10K | 5K | Wee Nessie lochnessmarathon.com

The Event Frontrunners

Cool Down 40

jogscotland magazine Spring 2014

Cool Down Ever since I started working at jogscotland, it’s been on my To Do list to take the Jog Leader course. The courses are very popular and usually book up well in advance, but I managed to persuade Ann, who takes care of the bookings, to let me in!

I took a course based at Heriot-Watt University and found myself rolling up to a busy classroom for an early start with tutor Sarah Robertson. Sarah’s an Exercise Development Officer at the Uni, and has also been a tutor on this course since 2008, so she knows her stuff.

She was also really cheerful and relaxed – and broke the ice by admitting that she although she loved most sorts of exercise, she actually didn’t like running very much!

We started out with a ‘getting to know you’ exercise where we had to work in pairs to find out a wee bit about each other. It was really interesting to discover how different everyone was, even though we were all there for the same reason.

The course was based in Edinburgh, but participants had travelled from as far afield as Berwick-Upon-Tweed and Perthshire to take part.

There were long-term professional fitness trainers who wanted another string to their bow, and people fairly new to exercise who were enjoying a new lease of life having recently achieved incredible weight loss.

Some folk had come up through jogscotland as joggers and now wanted to help out at their group in the same way that they themselves had been helped. Others wanted to set up their own groups from scratch and bring jogscotland to their area for the first time.

The best thing was that the atmosphere was really friendly and supportive, which I think was a relief to some people who had feared that having lots of sporty people in one room would create a competitive atmosphere – not at all.

Sarah started out with an introduction to jogscotland and then moved on to talking about joggers and leaders. We talked about the different reasons people have for jogging, and for wanting to be leaders; about the attitudes and approaches of successful Jog Leaders, such as patience and encouragement. There was information on the benefits of exercise and we learned about the process of coaching and helping members’ to improve their fitness, as well as discussing the practical aspects of running a session, like choosing a venue and advertising. We also learned about some of the different activities and games that could be used to provide variety for jog sessions.

After a busy morning of classroom learning, we ventured outside for practical sessions in small groups. One person did a warm-up, then we took it in turns to put our colleagues through their paces in one of the sessions we had learned from Sarah. It’s one thing to read about it, but doing it for real was quite different – in a good way. I actually found it quite liberating to hear my own voice shouting instructions across the playing field for the first time – and then see people following my guidance and looking to me for more.

The weather was pretty wild, but we braved the mud, wind and horizontal rain, and practiced leading a cool down before heading in to the gym, where Sarah showed a full range of cool down stretches.

We’d all been advised to bring a change of clothes, and were glad to get out of our wet, muddy kit before breaking for lunch.

Cool Down 41

The afternoon session started off with some group work. We were given cards with the different possible roles of a Jog Leader – coach, friend, - even dictator! We were then asked to decide which were appropriate roles for leaders to take on in relation to different types of jogger and which (such as dictator!) were not appropriate. It was quite thought-provoking. Soon we were having discussions about issues I’d never really thought about – for example, where do you draw the line between encouraging joggers to achieve their goals and getting them to take responsibility for improvements in their own fitness?

I’d really recommend anyone who has ever thought about taking a Jog Leader course to give it a go. It doesn’t matter if you’re not the fittest or fastest person in the world – the ability to work well with people is by far the most important thing. In fact, knowing from personal experience how tough it is to start jogging can be incredibly helpful.

The Jog Leader course is being updated (see p.12) so some of the contents will be slightly different in future from the course that I took, but it will take the same approach to making sure leaders are equipped with all the knowledge and skills they need.

As well as learning how to help others, taking the course helps you to reflect on your own running and think about the physical and emotional aspects of what makes you run and keeps you going. The practical sessions were also fantastic for building confidence.

By the end of the day, I felt like I’d learned a lot about the grassroots of jogscotland, and got a whole new appreciation for our wonderful Jog Leaders. At surface level, it might seem as if they just turn up, make friendly chat and jog with their group. In reality, they are making all kinds of decisions all the time. How do they keep sessions varied and interesting? How do they make sure joggers of different abilities can take part without the faster ones feeling bored or the slower ones getting left behind? Is the route they planned safe in today’s weather conditions? Is someone in the group struggling but reluctant to speak up? What is an appropriate challenge to motivate members them rather than discourage them? It takes a very special person to balance all of these – so next time you turn up to your jogscotland group, take a minute to say a special thank you to your Jog Leader. They might just look like a Jog Leader, but they’re actually by turns an organiser, teacher, motivator, role model and friend!

By Sue Gyford

Jogging Along 42

jogscotland magazine Spring 2014

Jogging Along

by David Syme Nice day for a run

Racing with acronyms

I was out on a solo run the other day when I came up to a postman’s van. Sure enough, our friendly postie, David, came out of a gate, recognised me and said: “Nice day for a run....” I agreed and jogged on.

Every runner who takes part in races knows the acronym PB for Personal Best. We strive for it, we applaud it. Even the runner who comes in far behind the winner is rightly delighted if he or she achieved a PB in a race! At 71 years old I have reached the stage in life when PBs are highly unlikely, but I still want to take part in races – so what should be my aim? An obvious one is a high place in the age group – let’s call this an Age Group Podium Finish, or AGPF; that’s a fine achievement! However, there are races where anyone over 45 is classed as a super-vet, so the seriously vet runner has little chance of beating the 46-year-old.

Here a more realistic goal might be simply the Decent Time or DT.

He was right, I thought, it was a fine day for the time of year. It was dry and bright with a gusty wind – not bad for the middle of winter. I mused on - as you do on a solo run. What day is not a nice day for a run?

Let’s say you have planned a run but it’s windy and cold, so not a nice day. When you look out of a rain-lashed window you have second thoughts – ignore them. As long as you have hat, gloves and a cagoule to keep the wind out you’ll be OK. After ten minutes you will be comfortable with the weather, and your trainers will dry out after a day or two. In fact, the wilder the day, the more alive you feel when you are out in the elements. As you lean into the gale, or splash through puddles a perverse feeling of elation will conquer the weather. Bring it on!

If the weather is good, of course it’s a nobrainer. How lucky you are to be outside on such a day, how wonderful it is to see the countryside at its best! In such conditions you should head for the more remote routes in your area; choose a challenging runners’ route away from pram-pushers, horseriders, cyclists and dog-walkers and enjoy the freedom, the views and the sense of achievement such a day will offer.

Yes, I thought as I reached my home, you are quite right, David. Today was a nice day for a run. But really every day is a nice day for a run!

A sub-classification might be Decent Time, Strong Finish or DTSF – that would be one to cherish in the logbook! Variations might be Decent Time Despite Toilet Stops DTDTS, or DTDA – Decent Time Despite Alcohol for a race after an evening out.

Acronyms in any social group are useful inhouse slang; we make them up, we enjoy using them. There is only one which we hope never to use – DNF or Did Not Finish.

What’s your favourite running jargon?

Email sue.gyford@scottishathletics.org.uk and we will publish the best.

jogscotland group finder

www.jogscotland.org.uk/local-groups With hundreds of groups across Scotland, here’s how to find your nearest one‌

1. go to www.jogscotland.org.uk/local-groups 2. enter postcode 3. find your nearest group 4. join in!

Local Contacts 43

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