Run For Sarah : Great Scottish Run 4th Sept 2011

If you don't know Glasgow and you're aspiring towards your 1^st half marathon. Then you could do a lot worse than plan for the Great Scottish Run. The start at George Square, in the very heart of town, is turned over to a sea of runners – all shapes and abilities – some who have no intention of even running but who will jog/walk as they fundraise. It's down to earth, it's accessible and you should do it. You get to run on a bit of the M8 before turning into Pollock Park and ending up in the park at Glasgow Green.
I've missed this race for a few years now and was inspired by Sarah to push back to the half marathon distance. The course is fairly flat and good PB potential – but alas not for me. I'm more sprint-triathlon orientated just now and have just been extending the Sunday long run to hopefully cover the distance. I think it will hurt !

Sarah and Alec

Sarah chose the Northern Ireland Chest Heart and Stroke Association (NICHS) as her charity for this race and I am proud to represent her at the event. I so hope I don't let her down. Northern Ireland (NI), like Scotland, has a terrible reputation for coronary health and poor diet – perhaps NI didn't actually invent the deep fried Mars bar – but it's got a similar “chips with everything” fondness for the deep-fat fryer. As a son of the Province I have this tendency "in spades". I think the chances of hearing “no chips please I'll take the streamed kale” is in the realms of lottery-winning likelihood. Lets review the stats provided by NICHS:

• Stroke is Northern Ireland's third most numerous cause of death and the greatest single cause of disability. In the UK 67,000 die annually from Stroke.
  
• Annually there are 2,300 emergency admissions to hospital due to Strokes. 300,000 people in the UK are living with a disability caused by a Stroke.
  
• In 2008 there were 2,096 deaths in Northern Ireland due to respiratory illness.
  
• An estimated 150,000 people suffer from respiratory illnesses, resulting in 28,000 hospital admissions a year and costing £47 million.
  
• Respiratory disease is the fourth biggest killer in Northern Ireland and includes any disease which affects the lungs, such as chronic bronchitis, pneumonia, asthma and lung cancer. Many people live a long time with chronic respiratory illness.
  

According to NICHS it seems that Northern Ireland (having once led the UK in terms of the number of stroke units/population) is now lagging in terms of provision. The final report of the National Sentinel Stroke Audit shows that only half of patients spend 90% of their time in a stroke unit. As far back as 2006, six out of ten patients had this level of access to such specialised treatment. While brain scanning within 24 hours has increased from 40% in 2006 to 57%, Northern Ireland still lags well behind England, which achieves 71% - This is crucial in determining the kind of stroke the person has suffered. NICHS are campaigning to reduce the effects of respiratory illness in Northern Ireland and support those who suffer from it as follows …

• NICHS aims to change Government and Health Service policy for the better, to improve the lives of people suffering from chest, heart and stroke illnesses.
  
• They speak out on behalf of all those who rely on our services, persuading and applying whatever pressure we can. This has resulted in - among other things - healthier school meals and shorter surgical waiting lists.
  
• They are also members of the Long Term Conditions Alliance Northern Ireland, an umbrella body that works to improve the well-being of people with chronic conditions.
  
• They operate an extensive network of support groups in every area of Northern Ireland for people affected by stroke, cardiac illnesses and chest conditions.
  
• NICHS invests for the future by funding ground-breaking research at our hospitals and universities. All the research we support is local, and benefits local people.

There is indeed some ground-breaking R&D being supported by NICHS :

“ Researchers in Belfast are investigating a ground breaking new technique to help stroke survivors regain the use of disabled limbs. Previous studies have indicated that the brain has the capacity to "rewire" itself to cope with damage. Now, psychologists at Queen's University are hoping to show that non-invasive stimulation of the brain, coupled with contractions of the muscles of the unimpaired arm, will assist the recovery of movement in the affected limb.

The project has the potential to transform the recovery of stroke survivors and others who have suffered brain damage. The research, led by Professor Richard Carson, has been funded to the tune of £45,000 by Northern Ireland Chest Heart & Stroke. Prof Carson said: "Although the areas of the brain damaged by stroke cannot recover in the same way that skin can heal itself, other parts of the brain may be able to make up for the lost capacity. This process can be accelerated by painless, non-invasive stimulation that uses magnetic impulses applied over the scalp. We believe that this brain stimulation can be enhanced by simultaneous use of the muscles in the unaffected arm and that it could transform the recovery of the 50% of stroke survivors who are left with disability in one arm."

"Team Dylan" Running For Sarah

I think the NICHS approach is deeply impressive and holistic. Amazingly dedicated staff who are involved in life-changing provision of equipment, educational support, changing the mind-set of decision makers, befriending patients, educating a whole population to enable rapid diagnosis of stroke – and even suporting

Sarah has encouraged me to run for NICHS and in doing so she has probably assisted in my own risk of stroke being reduced. Researchers in McMaster Univerity (Ontario, Canada) found compelling evidence for 10 risk factors that are associated with 90% of the risk of having a stroke.

This is summarized here. The top 5 factors actually accounted for approx 80% of stroke risk. 

• High Blood Pressure
• Smoking
• A Fat Stomach
• Poor Diet
• lack of Excercize

The “lifestyle” of the runner or triathlete would seem to immediately reduce at least 3 of these risk factors and I think triathlete or marathoner smokers are few and far between - which nails a 4th. Let's think about that a little further. Steve Walker (son of Glen) in his outstanding podcast Phedippediations 245 (here) summarized the very special and persuasive work of Stanford researchers (here) who undertook a 21 year longitudinal survey of recreational runners from California. The study followed the runners from a mean age of 59 years to an age of 78 years in 2005. When they were compared to a control group there were some astonishing findings:

• mean disability levels were lower in the runners
• the progress of disability in the runners was lower

You really should listen to Steve's podcast to get the full story but for this blogpost the important point was that Cardiovascular-related deaths were significantly reduced in the running group compared to the control. Aerobic training improves cardio-vascular fitness - and it seems it extends the duration of life and the quality of life. Other studies cited in the same paper have previously pointed to reduced incidence of dementia and several cancer types among groups of regular excercizers compared to controls. Lets look at what data Age-NI published concerning the activity patterns of Northern Ireland people aged 55 or over :

Courtesy of Age-NI : Aging Well

So an alarming 43% of the 65+ age group are "sedentary" while at best 73% of 55 year olds are doing too little exercize. What a challenge to the leisure / fitness community ! There is an urgent and compelling need to raise your game - there need to be products and opportunities to enable this demographic to get activity into their lives. If you manage a leisure centre or are personal trainer - this means YOU need to think outside the box and connect. Bevan James Eyles (multi-time New Zealand Fitness Professional of the Year) is quoted as saying "The fitness industry is losing the war".
The context here is also alarming through age-related demographic change. Check this out...

Increase of 50, 60 and 70 year olds in Northern Ireland : 2010-2050 

Which means ....

• by 2030 there will be 770,00 people in Northern Ireland aged 50 or over
• 34% of the population by 2030 will be over 60 !

An aging population that is more sedentary is bad news both for the people themselves and the tax payer. In all this we have been considering physical health and not even touched on the "quality of life" improvments an active lifestyle can bring. So what NICHS are leading today will be ever more important as Northern Ireland ages in the decades ahead. Simply put we need more education and more initiatives on the value of aerobic exercise (I'd start with triathlon - obviously). Here's specifically what Chakravarty et al. (2008) concluded ...

"Our findings of decreased disability in addition to prolonged survival among middle-aged and older adults participating in routine physical activities further support recommendations to encourage moderate to vigorous physical activity at all ages. Increasing healthy lifestyle behaviours may not only improve length and quality of life but also hopefully lead to reduced health care expenditures associated with disability and chronic diseases."

and that's backed up with what Age-NI had to say :

The link we're making next week by undertaking the Great Scottish Run and fundraising for NICHS is a perfect combination. For the good of half a million people in Northern Ireland I hope those responsible for policy and fitness in Northern Ireland follow Sarah's example. I am endebted to those who are supporting this at a Scottish Sea Farms corporate level or by personally donating at JustGiving.Com/DareToTriLife (here). A "heart-felt" thank you to all.

So what are you getting for the cash ? Well today seemed to the 1st day of Autumn and while it might be August somewhere it seems it's seems, to be October in Argyll. Beware those Men in Tights !   So it's the last long run -managed 22k through the forest trails today - I think a little slower than last week - see what you think (Click on view details and you can re-run the whole route).

Kelso Sprint Triathlon

New challenges, new approach. There's a triathlon distance for every lifestyle - and like so many others I find I'm very much "Time Crunched" just now. So that (and my Open Water Monster) is directing me away from longer distance and towards the "high octane" Sprint format : 750m pool, 20k bike, 5k run. This is a dangerous shift as it puts me in the infested pool of hungry sharks that are Peter, John, Stephen, Matt and Tim. These are the amigo's from March's Stirling Duathlon and I hate to admit that they are very talented and very committed. So if the Mid-Argyll Sprint is an "A" race goal in Sept I'd better get some experience and not be a 1 trick pony (as happened last year). The race options for a mid season realignment  have been few but one was Kelso.

Kelso is just about in Scotland, which is more than can be said of my accommodation - which turned out to be in England ! Situated on the banks of the River Tweed at its junction with the Teviot, Kelso is an ideal base for exploring the Scottish Borders, the Berwickshire Coast and Northumberland. Apparently described by Sir Walter Scott as 'The most beautiful if not the most romantic village in Scotland'. With the Lammermuir Hills and the Cheviots to the south, it lies in one of the most fertile valleys in Scotland. Being within ten miles of the English border, past history dealt the town a very hard time during the Border Wars of the thirteenth to sixteenth centuries. Kelso has a ruined abbey dating back to 1128. The landscape on the journey south of Edinburgh was of rolling hills and quality agricultural land and the trip from Argyll took almost 4 hours.

I'd been seriously looking forward to the event. The change in training plans away from longer (slower) endurance and towards higher intensity has been challenging - there are no "easy" workouts. So it would be good to test this methodology and see if I'm adapting. Race week had been "stressy" at work - laden as it was with complicated "people" things. "Fish" things by contrast are relatively easy and just take sufficient time and work to get right but the "wheels within wheels" of human relationships often defies straight-forward interpretation and you just have to cut your own path to the best possible solution & trust your own judgement. Anyway the focus on Kelso was a little blurred as work cast a long shadow into the weekend. The final training sessions all went well : brick session on Tuesday with fartlek run intervals thrown in was somewhat extreme but a training PB for 750m in the pool and an ok showing at the Mid-Argyll bike time trial on Thurs set the week up nicely.   

                              

The square : Kelso

Dearly Beloved is somewhat cultured and on Saturday had been invited to a Jolomo art exhibition held at the Archway in Lochgilphead (here). For me this this proved an excellent carbo-loading opportunity with classy nibbles and complimentary drinks. As she gazed I grazed. While she interpreted, focused on the intricate brushstrokes and considered the deeper meaning within I must have scoffed 5-600 quality calories of  crisps and matured cheese on cocktail sticks. I love this art thing. It seems Dearly Beloved's favorite painting was of a house obscured by blotchy plants (below). Astonishingly the price tag for this was much the same as a Specialized Shiv - the bike Chris MacCormack rides (with 1" upper and 1-1/8" lower H/set Cr-Mo cartridge bearings, S-Works Aero stem, S-Works Aero handle bar, S-Works Aero integrated front and rear brakes, Tektro Shiv brake levers, S-Works FACT carbon 53-39T, OS integrated BB w/ ceramic bearings, Shiv Aero Seat post with integrated-with-frame seat clamp). If I had the cash I don't think I'd be up all night wondering which to choose. But judge for yourself ...

Blotchy House

Thing of Beauty

Tillmouth Country House

Bit of culture, quick puppy walk, back to base, cuddles and off to Kelso. I'd recommend Booking.Com to anyone. I've been very lucky with accommodation booked through them and despite the fact that the "country house" surprizingly turned out to be in England - which is a country unrecognized by my Garmin Sat Nav (a bit like the Libyan Government). If you are needing overnight accommodation while attempting the Kelso sprint in years to come the Tillmouth Park Country House Hotel should be 1st on your list (here).
I had requested a breakfast to be early and available in the room - this was no problem. The Duty Manager could not have been more accommodating and conjured bananas out of nowhere. For £75 I had B&B and was upgraded to half a gate lodge - eat your heart out Holiday Inn Express.

While very very comfortable I don't sleep well away from home (and without Much Beloved) and, after all, there was the excitement of a sprint tri tomorrow. I should say that from the Argyll/Stirlingshire border it had rained, and rained, and rained and then rained some more. It rained during the night and it rained the next morning. There's a theme here ? I felt really at home - an Argyll in the East.  On the way down on Saturday evening I stopped off and drove the cycle route and... it's challenging. A lovely steep climb from Ednam to Stichill then a fast descent back into Kelso. It's an honest cycle route (23k) with a quality road surface -  and is quite a contrast to the Mid Argyll Sprint (flat, bumpy bits). The standing water from all the rain was likely to be a challenge and perhaps demanded caution on the faster return legs. You complete the cycle loops twice to cover the distance - and indeed you also loop twice for the 5k run. The run too is notable for a set of steps you need to climb not long after existing T2.

So what happened ? The tri is based from Kelso swimming pool - which does just what it says on the tin - it's a very basic clean 4 lane 25m pool with no frills. The staff are very friendly and it's informal. No race number - you just shout your number out as you pass the officials - no chip timing and no fuss. Very inclusive: the Sprint ran a half distance "Try a Tri" as a final heat in the pool and I'm sure the new cohort found themselves hooked on this amazing sport. The race information meeting gave a whole new definition to the word "briefing" - it was the most utterly minimalist I have ever heard. But there were handouts with maps available and athletes really know they need to view the course for themselves. So it was fine and actually the routes were well marked and marshalled. The cheering and support for athletes within the pool gave a lovely atmosphere and locals were singled out for encouragement. There seemed to be a club mantra of "10 steady, 10 build, 5 peak and 5 sprint" to cover the 30 lengths. I hadn't heard that before. The pool itself seemed a traditional design - with straight sides and a large gap from the water surface to the surrounding walkway. Some athletes struggled to exit the pool due to the height and a few elected to swim to the steps in the corner. There seemed to be no standing ledge at the deep end and the flush sides and extra height proved a bit tricky with open turns. As a consequence of the height the traditional "tap on the head" with a float (with 2 lengths to go) was replaced by a stab on the shoulder with a pole.
As there were only 2 of us in my lane we agreed to swim up & down on our own side rather than in a clockwise direction. This took away any draft potential though. The nose clip came off on the very first lap and it probably remains there even now. More worringly my heart rate monitor strap worked loose and was suddenly at my waist, then knees then ankles. It too joined the nose clip. I honestly thought it was my trishorts that were coming loose and was very relieved it was just the HR monitor. Access to T1 was fast but it became a fairly long transition area due running down the building to the mount/dismount zone on the main road. 

The challenge was the climb from Ednam to Stichill and I was happy to have a compact ringset - it was 6 or 7 minutes of pure grind per lap. However the descent was a perfect recovery and my aged Specialized Transition coped beautifully with the wet conditions. The fastest km split of the day was 54km/h recorded at this point. I did expect to be passed on the downhills but wasn't.

The run was to be "ground breaking" for this was to be ....  SOCKLESS !  Yes, the time had finally come to shave precious seconds from T2 and it worked out just fine. Don't be afraid to make this move but do break your feet in and don't do this for the first time on race day. Remember Vaseline though. Tried to stretch out the legs by a few bum kicks and I think that really works. Feet were numb from the cold & rain and it took a few km to get the feeling back. Was very happy with the run overall and managed 2 of the km under 4min pace - which for me is encouraging. Two run loops and it's over. I didn't manage to catch the leader of our heat and I regret not working harder to do that .

I made 19th overall and thoroughly recommend the race to others (here). A race PB for the swim distance and good progress on bike/run transitions. The cycle alone is a terrific challenge and well worth the trip. It's low key, old school and very friendly. Check it out in 2012.

        

MacQueen Brothers 2011 Athletes Companion Podcast

Race Director Stephen Whiston and A.N Other discuss the up & coming Mid Argyll Triathlon. Lots of tips and skullduggery. What should you eat on race morning ? Is Marks & Spencer smoked Lochmuir salmon enough or should you opt for porridge as well ? Does Triathlon Scotland permit your puppy in T1 ? Where is the best location to power into your bike split. Did Stephen wear Speedo's in 2002 ? All this, and more, in the 2011 athlete's Podcast Companion to the MacQueen Bros. Mid Argyll Sprint Triathlon. We left the cave and improved the sound - load this onto your MP3 and take us training. You won't regret it - well, you might but it passes the time !

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