GO! Festival Ayr 10k

I slashed my PB by almost a minute in Ayr and got to finish it all off watching the most amazing plane-firework spectacle.

A new PB for me!

Why Ayr

As I was sorting out my running calendar for the year, I realized I didn’t have any races planned in Scotland.

Not that I didn’t want to run in Scotland, but in the quest to see new places, most of those were south of the border.

However, the GO! Festival Ayr 10k was the first one I came across this side of the border that was a) in a place I’ve never been before and wanted to go, and b) had some unique selling points.

These points included a late afternoon start time (I don’t like morning running) and a firework and air display at night after the race. All for £20, which is cheap in the racing world.

To be honest, I wasn’t expecting much from the display, but boy-oh-boy was I wrong to have to little faith. But we’ll get to that later.

The journey

No drama to report. I successfully changed trains in Glasgow. In all, it takes a little over 2 hours to get to Ayr.

Only thing of note was practicing my train photography skills. I now have several photos of Royal Troon Golf Club on my phone that I took to send to my dad.

Royal Troon Golf Club from the train.

Perfect weather

When I got off the train, the station was undergoing construction works, which meant using one extra porta-potty than I was expecting to use on a race day. Joy.

The weather I walked out to was absolute perfection. It was a proper sunny day, barely a cloud in the sky, a high of 60F, and a nice breeze along the shore.

This after it had been pouring buckets in the area, including the day before. I really lucked out.

The road to Brig o’Doon

I only had 2 destinations in mind pre-race: Brig o’Doon and walking along the beach.

Brig o’Doon is a late medieval bridge in the neighboring town of Alloway, where Robert Burns was born.

The bridge is featured in a Burns poem, and Burns is a big selling point in the area. His face is everywhere.

It was a shorter walk to the bridge from the train station than my accommodation, so I headed out for the 50-minute walk right from the train carrying all my stuff with 5 hours until the race start time.

Of course, a 50-minute walk doesn’t actually take 50 minutes when you don’t know where you’re going and get distracted by things.

Rozelle Estate

This distraction mainly took the form of the Rozelle Estate, which I had not come across in my (limited) Ayr research.

It’s a massive estate with a fancy house in the middle, woodland walks around it, and funky sculptures in the grounds.

Funky tree sculpture at Rozelle Estate.

On a perfect day like it was, I really would have liked the chance to walk around it more, but time was ticking so could only take a minor detour.

Alloway sights

Once officially in Alloway, I passed the cottage Burns was born in.

Burns Cottage.

Right before Brig o’Doon, there’s also the Burns Monument and Memorial Gardens. It’s just as massive as Edinburgh’s own monument to Burns.

Burns Monument.

When I realized you could climb it, I of course made the (surprisingly short) trek up it. It had a nice view of Brig o’Doon.

Brig o'Doon in the distance from atop the Burns Monument.

I finally arrived at the bridge and took a congratulatory selfie for tiring myself walking there carrying more weight on my back than I should have done.

That's right, I'm in sunglasses.

Not the woods, again

I learned that the way you walk onto Brig o’Doon is the way you should walk off it. The other side is entirely unkempt. It’s basically like walking through the woods. Very muddy woods.

Warning: don't walk this side of the bridge.

We all know the woods (again, next to a river!) are not good for me. I ended up with some dirty shoes.

Can't wait to run off the mud.

All this because I thought I would get a better shot of the bridge from the other side. But the best shot was from the road bridge, which wasn’t quicker to get to from the other side. Sigh.

Brig o'Doon from the road bridge.

Beach walk

With now 3 hours to the start time, I needed to make the long walk to my accommodation, and I decided to do this along the beach.

I really wasn’t expecting that much of Ayr as a place to visit, but the walk to Alloway was quite lovely and I was not prepared for how beautiful the coast was when I got to it.

To the south, there are massive cliffs (that had it been another day, I would have loved to climb).

I want to climb, but I need to run.

In front of you are the hills of the Isle of Arran.

Isle of Arran in the distance.

Along the way, I had a Tenby flashback when I passed a jellyfish. This one was much smaller. And browner.

Little jelly fish.

I also saw the planes practicing for the night’s air display. Still, this was not preparing me for the awesomeness to come.

Planes practicing.

The race

A stretch to get a PB

When I got back from Bath, I was hoping to try and aim for a new PB at Ayr. Like the Anglesey 10k and the Scottish 10k, it was a flat, coastal route, so this seemed like the element I needed for victory.

However, in my runs post-Bath, my pace had slowed down quite a bit. And I had just spent the hours leading up to the Ayr 10k walking around for 8 miles carrying heavy things on my back.

I had already accumulated 23,000+ steps heading into the race. I would have been happy to just complete it without my legs falling apart.

A Wales 10k reunion

Regardless of any PBs, this run was already a win on the social front. I got to catch up with Sally, who I met on the bus over to the Wales 10k and she ended up running the Ayr race as well.

Tenby runners reunited in Ayr.

Since Tenby, we’ve become each other’s biggest kudos cheerleaders on Strava, so it was great to meet up with her again.

It’s funny to think I met Sally on the race I did furthest from Edinburgh, only to run with her again a lot closer to home.

I honestly didn’t expect running buddies as an outcome of doing a random 10k each month, but it’s very much a welcome one.

Getting ready for the start

Waiting until September to race in Scotland, it only felt appropriate that there were bagpipers at the start line.

The bagpipers were actually Canadian.

One of my 2 complaints about this race, though, was that there was pretty much no direction given in the lead-up to the start. All the 10k runners were standing around in a haphazard formation.

Around 5 minutes before the 4:35pm start time, we began lining up for the start, but not because an announcement told us to. (Though someone did end up speaking. A bit too late.)

A fast 5k

Once the race started, my legs felt surprisingly okay, all things considered. My first mile was in 8:41, so it was a positive start.

About 2 miles in, getting a bit hot in the sun, I was saved by a local woman handing out water from her home. You bet I took 2 sips and poured the rest over my head for a cool-down.

When Strava told me my 3rd mile pace also under 9 minutes, I knew there was PB potential. My 5k time ended up being my 2nd best ever.

A new PB

I slowed down for mile 4, but picked it right back up again as the race finished up alongside the water.

Not only did a PB become clear, it was clear I was going to absolutely crush my record. I crossed the finish line with my arms in the air, literally shouting, “It’s a new PB!”.

Then the second I stopped running, I literally felt like I was going to throw up. I didn't, but I guess that's what happens when you run faster than normal.

My final time ended up being 56:05. 55 seconds faster than Anglesey. An average mile pace of 8:58 per mile.

I honestly couldn’t believe I averaged under 9-minute miles. It’s very rare I run that fast, and I’ve never run that fast on any distance over 5k.

I keep saying I don’t need a PB each race, but it sure does feel awesome when I get one. I had a permanent grin the rest of the day.

A not-so glow in the dark medal but a well-fitted shirt

I still kept my grin despite my 2nd complaint of the race. I was promised Tunnock’s products at the finish line, but there weren’t any.

It’s a minor complaint, but it’s a race in Scotland sponsored by Tunnock’s. I wanted a caramel wafer.

Like Bath, there was a unique feature of the Ayr medal: it glows in the dark. Except it doesn’t. I tried it out later, and it absolutely does not. But it does feature Robbie Burns’s face. Of course.

Proudly showing off our medals.

This was also my last race of the year I get a shirt. Again, small was sadly the smallest size on offer, but this one thankfully wasn’t a dress on me. I can actually wear it out running.

Back of the shirt is the route maps with the local attractions pointed out.

I’m quite excited by this as I like the idea of wearing the shirt for the run I got my best time at.

What makes a PB run

I want to close out my race section by summing up the parallels between Anglesey and Ayr. In other words, I think there might be some factors that go into making a PB run (for me).

1. Flat, coastal routes: I like being by water. Water makes me happy.
2. A banging playlist: In Anglesey, I had my hip-hop favorites; in Ayr, I had a Taylor Swift-only playlist in honor of the recent release of her latest album.
3. A simple breakfast: Peanut butter on toast with a banana seems to do the trick.
4. People supporting you: As much as these runs are about experiencing things on my own, I can’t lie that having people there puts me in a more positive mindset. Last time it was Jamie, this time it was Sally.
5. Having my period: I’m sure this was more info than you wanted to hear (remember, though, this blog is for me), but I can’t help but wonder when my 2 best times were during what is an otherwise painful time of the month.

So what made this race different to get my best time? I like to think it was something in the Ayr.

BOOM. I was really looking forward to using that pun.

And, no, I won’t apologize for it because you bet everyone in that town is making use of it for business purposes.

I see what they did thAyr.

The most amazing air show

No rest after my post-race shower. I had to get back to town for the air and firework display.

Not even enough time for a proper sit-down dinner. I went to the store to grab a sandwich and then literally had to run to catch the sunset.

I was on the west coast after all. On a sunny day. Although with the Isle of Arran in the way.

The sun setting on a beautiful day in Ayr.

Still, I think it was worth it, and it provided the best backdrop to the magic about to take place.

I thought some planes would fly back and forth and they would shoot off a few fireworks.

No. This was a full-on half hour of multi-colored-lit-up planes doing somersaults in the air with sparklers and fireworks coming out the back of them.

Pretty, sparkly planes.

Not to mention, for a solid 10 minutes, a never-ending loop of Katy Perry’s ‘Firework’ was playing in the background which delighted me greatly.

Um, so like, this is cool.

It was one of those times where I didn’t want to miss the moment by taking photos and videos, but I’m actually glad I did because they look awesome and I like that I will be able to revisit this moment.

I've even taken the time to upload 90 seconds of the spectacle for you all to enjoy.

Hands down, this was one of the coolest experiences of my life.

I’d even say it was one of the best days of my life. It topped off what was already a great day out in the sun, exploring new things, accomplishing amazing feats.

I was so proud of myself and I was feeling so positive. Definitely one to remember.

Wanted to capture how I looked as I ended one of the best days ever.

Oh, and I ended the day with 44,940 steps. Don't want to forget that fact.

Bye, Ayr. I will miss you.

Next race

Tweed Valley Tunnel Trail Run 10k

I’m back to running through a tunnel, but this time much closer to home in Peebles.