Stupid bl*&dy targets!

Like most runners I'm sure, I'm apt to set myself targets and then stick to them come what may. Today, I was really regretting that decision.

Dunno if anyone else has ventured out but it's wild here in south Ayrshire. I'd set myself a 200 mile target for February and was 12 miles short this morning. Nothing for it but to brave the elements! It was, without a doubt, one of the most unpleasant runs I've done in a long time. Running two miles along Ayr seafront into the teeth of the wind took me over 30 minutes. I swear it was nearer 40. The constant wind was bad enough (much worse than last weekend even) but the gusts meant that there were occasions when I only went up and down, not forward.

The irony of it all is that I had time yesterday but squandered it! Still, what doesn't kill us must make us stronger (I hope). ;-)

It's a funny old world...

I was running last month along with a group of other WHW runners. After the run and on the way back in the minibus I was chatting a bit with George Reid. You can see him in the picture on the right, a screen capture from John Ky's video.

Well I have to be honest and say that his face didn't ring any bells with me and it was George who realised that we'd met before and who dropped me a line to confirm that I was who he thought I was. When I last saw him, he looked more like the second picture on the right! (Taken by my brother circa 1977-78)

Of course chance dictates that people from your past pop up in all sorts of unexpected places but I wouldn't have anticipated anyone turning up in the WHW race.

If you're reading this George, I hope you'll forgive me posting this little slice of history. ;-) I dare say I've changed a bit too in the last 30 years.

Looking forward to getting together again and doing a bit of catching up.

Running scared

There's nothing like the fear of dying to make you feel more alive. Such was the intensity of the wind and rain today over the 30.6 miles that I ran from Tyndrum to Kingshouse & back to Bridge of Orchy, stopping running, or even walking, would have been a sure fire ticket to hypothermia.

I picked up Dave McLelland from his home before heading up to Tyndrum. It rained steadily all the way up, varying in intensity, but never drying up. We had planned to set off at 8:30 but having told Dave about my bacon sandwich for breafast, we couldn't leave until the Welly Boot opened. ;-) After Dave had scoffed his roll, we set off into the wind and rain which alternated between pellety lumps of rain and sheets of windblown low cloud, all equally wetting. The first climb out of Tyndrum always feels like hard work, being an uphill drag before your body has really accepted the idea that you really do mean to run 30 miles.

The dry feet lasted for about half a mile. After that, flippers might have been more appropriate footware. ;-) Nevertheless, we made good time and arrived in Bridge of Orchy after 61 minutes, which was a bit unfortunate really as we had a 17 minute wait for all the other runners to arrive, 17 minutes of getting progressively more chilled as we huddled under any cover we could find.

Ellen, Lorna & Mark were already there (having arrived early) and then Michelle & I think Steve arrived to complete the group. We set off and I tried to stick with the group but I was too cold to run too slowly and felt I had to push on just to rewarm. Shame really as I was looking forward to the social side of the run but I was running easily and and beginning to really enjoy the run, despite the atrocious conditions.

After Inveroran, Dave & Steve caught up with me but then Steve had to drop back as he was carrying a camelbac for Michelle. That left two of us out front making good time as we headed towards Kingshouse arriving there 2 hours and 8 minutes after leaving BoO. At Kingshouse we enjoyed a coffee & a bag of crisps and after about 5-6 minutes the rest of the group started to arrive. The coffee incidentally was the only thing I drank for the whole distance. I can't honestly say that I was thirsty at any point despite this. Perhaps I was absorbing the rain through my skin. It was certainly wet enough! ;-)

After 28 minutes, a dry shirt and a heavier waterproof, it was time to head back. We'd had the wind predominately on our back whilst heading west (although it contantly changed direction and force - at times blowing so hard it felt like we were being sandblasted instead of rained upon) but I knew the headwind on the way back would suck the heat from our bodies given half a chance.

The run back was tough. Whilst the run out had felt pretty easy, almost like freewheeling, the return was more akin to grinding up hills in low gears. Still, once again Dave and I soon lost sight of everyone. I'd like to say that I wasn't holding Dave back but in truth, he's such a strong runner. Fortunately for me, he's an incredibly patient guy who seems to not mind slowing down for others. Still, despite the weather, we managed 2:15 for the return trip, again well ahead of the pack. Our overall time (including stops) was 6:09. Minus stops, 5:32. Measured off Memory Map this comes out at 30.6 miles.

After the run, the plan was to get a lift back to Tyndrum with Mark or Ellen but we realised that they'd need to change before setting off (our dry clothes were back in Tyndrum) and we were cooling fast. I popped into the hotel to enquire about public transport (a long short but always worth asking). The train was going to be about 3 hours but the next bus was due in 18 minutes. Rather than wait getting colder, we decided to try hitchhiking back to Tyndrum. About four cars went by when a couple came out of the hotel and took pity on two drowned rats standing in the rain and offered to give us a lift back. Fortunately I had a black binbag in my rucksack so we were able to sit on this to save soaking the car seat. I'll always carry one now. ;-)

10 minutes later we were stripping off under the hot air hand dryers in the Welly Boot and enjoying more coffee and bacon sandwiches feeling like we'd survived some of the worst conditions we could possibly expect in June. All in all, a tough but good run.

No pictures alas, it was just way too wet to risk getting a phone or camera out.

No DOMS & mile reps

The delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) that I had feared after Carnethy never materialised and I had a good run out on Monday evening whilst watching an absolutely glorious sunset.

Last night was our night for "mile repeats". I say "mile" as I don't think it's ever been accurately measured but that's less important that having a consistent distance loop to run. Last month I had a horrid run round the same circuit. I started slow and just kept getting slower. The following day I had to cut a training run short I was feeling so weak.

Yesterday though, I started reasonably quick (6:11), then ran my second lap at 6:07 and my third lap at 6:03. Now that was a much better session. Ideally I should probably do more reps but the enthusiasm wanes pretty darned quick, particularly when all your club mates have had enough too. Think I need to trade them in for a faster lot. ;-)

One thing that I'm never sure about is the relative benefits of long (say 4 minute) over short (say 90 sec to 2 minute) recoveries. Last night I was taking 4 minute recoveries which certainly helped me with repeating (and improving) my times) but in a race situation (well road race anyway), you don't get time off to recover so I'm never sure whether shorter recoveries would be better. Any opinions gratefully received.

Things are looking good for a long run this weekend (Tyndrum to Kingshouse and back to BoO). If it goes as well as my last run on the WHW I'll be pleased. My hydration & nutrition seemed to work out well on that occasions. My biggest worry is about stopping for too long in Kingshouse before returning. I actually found the last run more enjoyable because I stopped less. I fear the sunny frosty weather is over but as long as the company's good, it really doesn't matter what the weather's like.

Baaa... buzzz...

Nothing to do with running really except that the first one was taken during my evening run up the river Ayr last weekend. The sun had set but the sky was still glowing and the sheep were gently steaming in the field as the frost developed. Could have been a nice shot with a proper camera.






The second one was a rather surprising find in my loft. Had it been occupied, I would have been running - for cover. ;-)

Carnethy 5

Whilst John K et.al. were enjoying an easy 31 mile jog along the WHW I was doing some real running over 6 miles of the Pentland hills. ;-)

The Carnthy 5 is one of the classic scottish hill races, taking in five peaks in the Pentland hills. Superbly organised by the Carnethy hill running club, 500 runners are bussed out the the start line and then returned the the school for showers & lunch.

This was my third time running this race. First time in 2005 (1:13:11) and again in 2006 (1:17:18). This year wasn't a PB or a PW at 1:16:21. Looking back at my logs I can see that I was running about 30sec/5K faster at around the time I ran in 2005. In 2006 the course was much icier which I think accounted for much of my slowdown. This year, the ground was frozen in many places which I find very hard to cope with on the descents. Having good descending skills really does make a huge difference in this sort of race.

As to the actual race, I was rather dreading the waiting around in the field to get started, but the weather was kind to us (for February) and apart from a bit of a wind, we had blue skies and sunshine. Indecisive as ever, I couldn't decide whether to run in shorts or leggings and opted for leggings, a move I was regretting within the first 200 yrds. Not that leggings were really a problem, just that they were unnecessary as my legs really don't seem to feel the cold once on the move.

The race plan was to sprint to the first gate/stile where there's a bottle neck and then just hope to hold my position as best as I was able after that. As ever, feet were soaked almost from the outset in the bogs preceeding the gate and I managed to take a tumble (on to soft grass fortunately) by tripping over a rock sticking out of the ground. Still, I was almost immediately back on my feet and shortly thereafter, through the gate.

A race of this length with 500 runners means that getting past folk when you're going up hill is hard, it's jst so tempting to settle into the pace of those around you, even when you could go a bit faster. Consequently, I think I lost quite a bit of time in the early stages that I could only hope to make up on the flat bits. Every time we came to a downhill bit, I lost a lot of time (and position) due to my lack of downhill technique. In particular, I lost a lot of time and places coming down off West Kip and off Carnethy. My hill works on the roads hadn't done much to prepare me for running down rough hills although I think it has reduced the damage to my quads which feel fine today. Either they're going to hurt like b*ggery tomorrow or I wasn't going fast enough. ;-)

Anyhow, not too displeased with my time. Sub-75 would have been nicer and sub-70 a lot nicer but without better technique and doing a lot more hill racing, it's probably as much as I could have expected at the moment. Still, having dipped a toe back in the hill racing water, maybe I'll try my hand at a few more races, if only to stop Alex having it all his own way in the club hill running championship. ;-)

Today, I've been for an easy run along the cycle path again (my 6.9 mile route) and the legs feel fine. Looking forward to a run on the WHW next weekend with Mark & Ellen.

New look blog, hill reps and an easy run

Hope you all like the new look. The old one was very boring and it really put me off posting so I thought it was about time I made my blog look a bit "classier". Doesn't make the content any better but maybe I'll update it more frequently. ;-)

On Tuesday it was "hill reps" on Troon's tiddy hills over the railway line. The sprints aren't really long enough but you have to make do with what's on your doorstep and I enjoy blasting up the hills. I tend to wear my flats for these sessions as I just love the feel of the contact with the road and extra leg turnover speed it seems to give me. Having said that, my feet and ankles are complaining a bit today so maybe it's not sure a smart move at the moment.

Wednesday was a rest day as I very much don't want to overdo things before the Carnethy 5 this weekend. I have to say, I'm getting quite nervous about it. I'm not sure if it's the thought of being humilated by Alex (our club's resident mountain goat) or just the thought of shivering whilst standing round in a boggy field waiting for the start. I really don't like getting cold! (I'm such a wuss).

Today was another easy jog out to Craig Tara and then back along the beach to the Ayr India restaurant before wending my way home. About 8.25 miles at a nice easy pace.

New shoes

Well, my new Landreths arrived yesterday. I had forgotten that new shoes could be so white! heck if I'd had those on Sunday evening I don't think I would have needed a torch! ;-)

Anyway, I was itching to try them out and thought I'd take them for a gentle spin out the cycle path towards the beach. I was halfway along the cyclepath, heading towards Greenan Castle when I remembered what a mudbath the farm road was. Not wanting to dirty my shoes *quite* yet, I diverted south to Craig Tara (aka Wonder West World, aka Butlins) to head down the tarmac road down the the shore. Unfortunately buiding work at Craig Tara had rendered the road almost as muddy as the farm track and the tide was so far in I was jogging through piles of rotting seaweed. No doubt this was some sort of divine punishment for my sin of pride. ;-)

In a way, I'm glad. I no longer have to agonise about keeping them clean. Way too late for that. ;-)

Off now to pick up a copy of Running Fitness. Rumour has it that I feature in their Loch Ness marathon report

A great run and a lesson learned

I planned my long run today to start from home and finish at the Failford Inn, a distance of 20.9 miles according to Memorymap.
I started at 3:00pm in sunshire and (relatively mild conditions) in shorts & a t-shirt. I'd decided just to take a bottle belt which doesn't leave room to carry too much so the gloves and headtorch stayed at home. I did take a small windy-up LED hand-held torch though as I knew it would be dark before I reached Failford.

It was great running weather but it cooled down quickly after 4 o'clock and my fingers really began to suffer. That wasn't too bad though until I got past Stair when I started to need my torch.

Charging the torch before I started would have been smart, trying to charge it by winding the handle with frozen hands, in the dark , whislt running isn't to be recommended. ;-)

Still, I made it to Failford, largely down to knowing the route well. I think anyone not familiar with that part of the route would have really struggled. Once there, after a swift pint of milk (very obliging folk the Failford Inn staff) and a change of clothes, it was time to enjoy some real ale and pub grub. A perfect way to end a long run. ;-)

Pacewise, I felt strong throughout which was nice and finished in 3:15 (about 9:20 pace) which given the terrain and darkness, I more than happy with.

Weirdest find whilst out running?

I was out running today along a quiet, narrow country lane over the Carrick Hills when I spotted these in the ditch by the side of the road. At first I assummed that they must be bent or damaged in some way but as you can see, they're in prefect conditions.

The mind boggles as to why they were there. Anyone got any suggestions? Before you ask, no, there wasn't and unconcious (or dead)body nearby ;-)

Being a bit of a packrat, I'm keeping them until I decide what to do with them. Naturally I want to keep them "just in case", but in case of what, I don't know yet. ;-)

Forgive me for I have sinned

Today, for the first time ever, I ordered my first ever pair of running shoes on-line.

Okay, I know that for many runners that's no big deal but I've always been a firm believer in supporting specialist running stores. The only specialists within easy reach for me are Achilles Heel and Greaves, both in Glasgow. I've always felt (and still do) that if we aren't prepared to pay a bit over the odds for shoes (that subsidise the service that specialist stores provide) we've only ourselves to blame when they shut up shop and we lose a valuable resourse.

So why have I gone against my pronciples this time. Well.... (wishy washy justification coming up), firstly, like a lot of more experienced runners, these days I'm not so wowed by having the latest version of a shoe. I'm also less inclined to experiment. If a shoe works for me, I'll stick with it. Consequently, I'm not really interested in any of the "extra" services offered by the shop.

Secondly, the shoe I want (the Asics gel Landreth) is, I feel, a good "cooking" running shoe. It fits my foot well and is nice an comfy. It does have two faults though. Namely, the price and its durability. Every pair of Landreths I've owned have headed into the bin because the upper starts tearing away from the sole near my little toe which is long before there is significant (visible) wear in the rest of the shoe.

I'm still getting 4-500 miles out of them but it annoys me, particularly when they cost the between £70 & £80 quid in the shops. On-line, I can get them for £39.99 (+£3 p&p). That's a big saving and one I find hard to ignore.

Do I feel guilty? Yep. Will it keep me awake at night? Probably not. What'll probably happen is that I'll feel duty bound to buy something hideously overpriced from Achilles heel in the next month or so to assuage my guilt. ;-)

Strange yellow thing spotted in the sky...

I saw something today I haven't seen in ages. My shadow! I really can't remember the last time the sun tried to put on a decent show but this afternoon suddenly felt like spring.
I had intended only doing a gentle 5 or so miles after yesterday's 5K but it seemed way too nice to turn back for home so I kept adding bits on until I'd done about 8.3 miles. Golly it felt good!

It's good to be back...

...under 20 minutes for 5K again. I've missed it badly and it's 15 months since I last managed it.

Tonight was a perfect night for it. Cool (needless to say really) but more importantly, nearly windless. I was determined to give it my best shot tonight so I wore my Vapourflys, my lightweight racing shoes.

Looking at my splits, I overcooked the first km a bit with a 3:49. Next one was a more reasonable 3:57 and the third km was completed in rather poor 4:09. (Clearly paying the penalty for setting off too fast). The fourth km was a 4:04 but by now I was beginning to hear the sound of approaching footsteps behind me. Charlie caught me at the 4km mark but rather than pass me, he hung on to my back. I really didn't feel like I had anything left to fend him off with but it seemed he didn't have quite enough left to pass me with. As we got to the last 400m, I pushed as hard as I dared and just sqeaked in under 20 minutes with a 19:59. (3:59 split)

Only just under 20 but it's enough to make me a happy man tonight. ;-)

A run in the snow

May be nothing special for a lot of runners, but here in Ayrshire, it's a pretty rare event. ;-)

My legs seemed fine after my run down the Carrick hills (possibly helped by the fact that I couldn't run flat out due to the hailstones) but I rested on Friday before enjoying a run down the River Ayr Way from Failford again. Probably as well that I had rested as my legs were a bit tired (though not hurting). We started the run in gently sleety snow/hail but that soon stopped and the weather was fine for the rest of the run. Rather disappointingly, the snow disappeared as we ran downstream until there was nothing visible by the time we reached Annbank.

On Sunday I finished the week off with an easy 6 miler taking my weekly mileage to 49 miles. Not a humungous amount, but a satisfying number to have clocked up nonetheless.