ANOTHER one bites the dust.The Bank of Scotland Great Scottish Run has been seen off.

Two hours 34 minutes was my time on Sunday, an amble rather than a chase, but a thoroughly enjoyable outing, for me and the other members of Team Lafferty plus 15,000 others in our half-marathon.

The 10k was also a triumph for its 10,000 competitors.

Indeed if you add on the children and family events on the Saturday, it was a weekend of athletic achievement for a huge chunk of the Glasgow population and visitors from all over the world. I loved it.

The day was clear and dull, ideal for running, and started with the four of us donning our Batman tops at home and heading out to George Square where the race started.

The race went well, though my experience for the first nine miles was being passed by runner after runner as I trundled round the streets. But I stuck to the game plan - just keep going at the same pace, and do not stop to walk at all. Do my best on the up slopes, and trot briskly down the other side to make up the lost time.

My team-mates Jonathan, Lucinda, and Hannah ran on ahead from the start and I saw nothing of them until the end.

I was, however given a progress report by the First Lady, who was among the spectators at the end of Shawmoss Road where the route turned into Pollok Country Park.

She waved over and shouted something encouraging, and I replied by asking if she had seen the others. "They're miles ahead!" she shouted, helpfully, and all the others around her started remonstrating with her, whereupon she apparently had to explain to them that she was not dissing me, but as the other team members were each at least 30 years younger than me, it was no particular surprise that I was way behind them.

I assume she avoided a lynching, as she was at home waiting for us after the race with the bacon rolls and a beer.

But let's not get ahead of ourselves. Two miles of Pollok's wooded lanes, then back out to Haggs Road and a further five miles beyond remained.

I have said before here that the new GSR route is a winner, and thus it proved.

There were so many handsome views, interesting corners and a mix of old and modern - running past the media centre with the new BBC and STV buildings giving way to the Squinty Bridge made you feel as if you were running in Manhattan, while turning at the old High Court building across the place where executions used to be carried out in public was a run through Glasgow's bloodthirstier history.

And the final two-mile run-in all the way along the Broomielaw is almost as good as the Paris Marathon finish that takes you down the Champs-Elysees.

Well, ok, maybe I exaggerate, but it is a superb idea to take runners along the Clyde into Glasgow Green.

At the finish line, there was a great crowd to cheer everyone in.

Those bacon rolls and a cold drink were waiting for us after a shower, and that was the end of the formal proceedings for Team Lafferty. Jonathan did 95 minutes, Hannah just under two hours, Lucinda two hours 15 minutes, and Dad brought up the rear.

These races are the high point of my health and fitness regime and philosophy. I find it easier to train and in particular to go out and run in our streets when I have a goal beyond just keeping fit.

The excitement and achievement of these big public events is worth all the soreness and hassle of training.

And although I began this column to describe my training for one race - the Belfast Marathon in May, two things have become clear to me.

One is that I now again enjoy running in public races, so will continue - my acceptance for London next year is another brick in that particular wall.

The other is that maintaining and improving fitness, and thereby health, is not a one-shot deal.

It is a process, and needs constant, or at least regular, attention.