Yes, I did just quote Eminem. Fittingly as well, I must add. Not because I was about to embark on a rap battle in the backstreets of 8 Mile, but rather a 1 Mile at the legendary stadium that is Hampden Park.

This media fun run is, I'm told, a tradition at all major athletics events. It's an opportunity for the hardworking press to give their hands a much needed rest and instead show the eagerly awaiting crowd how the running should be done... Or not.

Perhaps it's better described as a way to give the hosts of volunteers and select few celebrities, including in this case, a certain Darren Campbell, and the man behind the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, David Grevemberg, an opportunity for a good old laugh at us flailing journalists.

Now usually this run would be held over the shorter, and better, 800 metres distance. Being in Scotland, however, with officials no doubt foreseeing the contingent of English press that would volunteer to participate, we were given the imminently harder Mile Run.

Regardless, we pushed on. We, of course, being myself, my insidethegames colleague, Nick "No Nonsense" Butler, and our beloved Olympic and Commonwealth Games historian, Philip Barker.

Nick Butler, Philip Barker and I on the medal podium at Hampden Park, you didn't think we'd lose did you? ©ITG



Kitted out in the finest running attire money can buy, we headed to the Hampden Park track; not something I thought I would be doing two weeks ago, that's for sure.

After stubbornly copying Nick's expected time of six minutes for the distance, the pair of us, and Philip, were placed in heat one, the so called "elite heat".

Despite the innate lack of elite runners in the field (there was just some guy in green who was pretty good), the run itself was brilliant. To be given the opportunity to run around a pitch that has been graced by some of football's greatest players is a once in a lifetime thing.

Although not quite the Hampden Roar of days gone by, the wave of volunteers who urged us through all 1,600 metres was great. Mix that with overlaying commentary by Philip, who had everyone cracking a laugh as he repeated phrase after phrase of sports best commentators, and you had a thoroughly enjoyable day. And we were referred to as athletes, now there's a first...

"Thoroughly enjoyable" would probably be the words I'd choose to describe my overall experience of Glasgow thus far.

The "Friendly Games", as they are so often referred to, are just that; friendly. Friendly, enjoyable and a joy to be a part of.

Many people came here, myself included, believing this to be the "Salmond Games". An opportunity for the First Minister to spout propaganda and politics, and shift the balance of power towards the "Yes" vote, in sight of the impending referendum. I can tell you that this certainly hasn't been the case. Not in my experiences anyway.

From the moment the first bagpipe marked the start of, what I thought, was a brilliant Opening Ceremony, Mr Salmond appears to have kept his word on his "self-denying ordinance" and left the sportsmen and women to take the limelight at these Games.

A job they have done brilliantly.

David Katoatau's gold-medal winning performance in the weightlifting has proved one of the most impressive moments of these Games so far ©Getty Images



Be it the Brownlee brothers' dominant performance in the men's triathlon; Daniel Keating's near-perfect display on the pommel horse; Michael Shelley's shock win in the marathon; New Zealand's first ever defeat in the Commonwealth Games to South Africa in the rugby sevens; or David Katoatau securing Kiribati's first ever Commonwealth Games medal with gold in the weightlifting; these and many other moments have made for a spectacularly, spectacular spectacle here in Glasgow, at what are my first ever major multi-sport Championships.

Even here in Edinburgh, where the diving is taking place in the newly-renovated Royal Commonwealth Pool, the staff, volunteers and officials still have the same enthusiasm and cheer as those seen at the heart of the Games in Glasgow. Despite being an hour's journey away from the majority of action, you just know that the opportunity to be part of even just a small section of these Games is a moment to be cherished by these people.

Even the media, the hardest group of all to please, have had fairly few complaints in terms of the Games. There have been problems with buses, for sure. No free food - how dare they?! And a charge for the wi-fi - scandalous! But apart from these minor details, the Games as a whole have been a huge success.

So, with just two-and-a-half days to go, I can safely say that Scotland, you've done a great job here in Glasgow (and Edinburgh) and I thoroughly look forward to the action still to come here at the XX Commonwealth Games.

Paul Osborne is a reporter for insidethegames. To follow him on Twitter click here.