Nationals at Falkirk

With the national cross country championships at Falkirk next week, I was disappointed to see that scottish athletics has again issued permits for races that weekend. For decades - right up until the sport became 'more professional' - there were no permits issued the weekend of the Nationals as an indicator that this was the climax of the cross country season. It also meant that clubs could be sure of turning out most of their athletes on the big day. As a further mark of the importance of the event, there were no permits issued for the weekend before the National. We all know that you don't gain a lot the week before a big event but you can lose a lot by doing too much or too little that week.

The club routine was always to have an inter club with Vicky Park and Garscube at Milngavie on the Saturday before the big race. Inter clubs were popular in an age when there were not too many fixtures during the winter season: our usual ones were home and aways with Greenock Glenpark, Springburn, Vicky Park, Maryhill and Garscube. We also had occasional ones with Vale of Leven, St Modan's and Motherwell. The shower at the Vale hut at Haldane was more of a fine mist that descended and totally incapable of cleaning anything of the black mud so it was out into the burn outside for an open air wash! The runners travelled to the venue, three packs (fast, medium and slow) ran over the prescribed trail and there was tea and biscuits aferwards but mainly there were sausage rolls or pies. At Greenock this was served up at tables for four with table cloths, in the Baths you ate them in your hand on a seat round the walls or wandering about talking and at Springburn it was "Come and get it!" The home team provided the purvey and any food not consumed was sold with the money going into the club kitty.

They were enjoyable, you met old friends and made new ones and the run put a bit of variety into the winter programme. Regardless of all that, I feel that it would be better for the sport, better for the size of the field at the National and there would be an obvious peak for the winter season.

This was a rant rather than a blog: I might even start a petition!