Methven Hornet

Dogs seem to enjoy it so much. As usual, the run director's instructions were all but drowned out by the excited barking at the start.

I achieved my highest ever finish in a Parkrun: 21st (out of 31 ?). At one point it looked as there were going to be more volunteers than runners.

I shall have to try that one (next spring/summer ?)

Hey! I'm only half soft Jock, I'm part soft Nigel as well. ? And, yes, ramps can be cruel. Perth is as flat as a pancake but it has two ramps up to the flood defences at crucial points of the course, near the start and finish. I've been out for three weeks with quite a prolonged bout of manflu and I've only been running since Monday. At that point I was struggling to run 5K, with a pair of lungs that felt a couple of sizes too small, but things got easier as the week went on. Loch Leven was just as I expected: cold with a biting wind. And quite a climb that they made you do three times. I just placed myself to ensure I got round but ended up with my highest ever finishing position, coming 21st! (the field was only 31 strong + dog). A slow time but enjoyable. And I beat the two runners who had worked so hard to catch and pass me. It never ceases to amaze me how people put so much effort in just to stop on the last climb. Forget being out of breath, you can breathe when you've finished!

What? You've never been to Kirkcaldy? You've not lived!

Choices of a Parkrun Tourist The athletics club I'm a member of - Perth Road Runners - have organised a low-key (but very serious) winter competition based upon nearby Parkruns. To qualify for the final table you have to complete five nearby Parkruns during the period beginning of November to end of February. Your average time is then calculated and presented as a percentage of your best time from the Perth Parkrun (flat and fast course). It's called How Low Can You Go (which judging from last week's Christmas social is pretty low - gutter low in some cases, almost River Tay in others), and the lower your percentage, the higher up the table you finish. Now, as my running in 2018 has been shockingly bad, and my base time is poor, with a bit of effort I could do quite well in this. The problem is that I've only done the one run - Lochore Meadows in the old Fife coalfields - and I'm running out of opportunities to complete the challenge. With holidays, a wedding and my cross-country commitments, I have just 5 Saturdays to complete 4 runs. So, I've got to run tomorrow regardless of the promised wintery weather. My dilemma: Which parkrun do I choose? Camperdown (Dundee) 2°C (feels like -4°), no snow, 22mph wind (NE), elevation grading 4/5 (Perth is 1/5) Loch Leven (Kinross) 0°C (feels like -5°), snow (1 flake on BBC Weather), 12mph wind (NE but very exposed), elevation grading 3.5/5, Kirkcaldy 2°C (feels like -3°), no snow, 18mph wind (NE), elevation grading 3.5/5, travelling time double that of the above two. Dunfermline 1°C (feels like -5°), snow (1 flake), 16mph wind (NE), elevation grading 4/5, travelling similar to Kirkcaldy Mm, choices, choices. I think I'm going to go for the quality of the post-race cakes and coffee, which will be Loch Leven. Quicker to get to as well. But it's going to be so cold.

Thay an' a' gang aft agley.

I'm not sure but I just got the impression from seeing many kits over the years that they emphasize the blue and gold more. Could be wrong.

Roads not far from here closed today. Snow gates shut and everything.

He certainly seems to have something. What he did with Hamilton was extraordinary, and although Norwich are a much better club it is no small achievement to get them pack in the top flight.

Cup final - come on Caley Thistle (St Johnstone qualify for Europe if they win).

That should be a cracking tie; is it winnable do you think? If so, will they be at home in the next round on 17th July? I ask because I'm in mid-Wales that week (daughter's graduation) and I wouldn't mind popping along. St Johnstone have drawn FC Luzern from Switzerland, which is certainly more welcome than last year's tie with FC Minsk. The authorities don't seem to understand the needs of travelling football fans regarding visas.

Cup Final Day! Come On You Saints!

We love you Saintees, we do... St Johnstone beat Aberdeen 2-1 to reach the Scottish Cup final for the first time in our 130 year history. A Tayside derby with Dundee United awaits.

Hibs too, perhaps.

Of course, I'd forgotten all about that. A very versayile sportsman.

Can't even win the 'diddy' cup!

Yes, Dennis Waterman captained the side.

There's always Gretna (2008) in the Lowland League.

I've just realised that Rochdale are mathematically safe from relegation.

Proxima, by Stephen Baxter. Mr Baxter like to blow things up - in Moonseed he blew up Venus in the first few pages, eventually followed by Arthur's Seat, Edinburgh, Scotland, Greate Britain, and then pretty much planet Earth - and in Proxima his destructive instincts haven't deserted him. Before that, though, there is our migration to the stars to describe...

Yes, it is.

Rendezvous with Rama is the first book in the series, surely? I've read it a few weeks ago after I spotted it in a charity shop - it is good and I'm looking forward to the others. Series:- Rendezvous with Rama (1972) ISBN 978-0-553-28789-9 Rama II (1989) ISBN 978-0-553-28658-8 The Garden of Rama (1991) ISBN 978-0-553-29817-8 Rama Revealed (1993) ISBN 978-0-553-56947-6

Moth Smoke - Mohsin Hamid A good bit of sex, drugs, and general decadence.

Sums the whole thing up.