...and then, there was Magic.

I'm sure that's not what exercise physiologists call it but for me, that moment when exhausted legs come back to life after 70 miles of plodding will always be magic to me.  But I'm getting ahead of myself.

Milngavie to Balmaha.

 All set with the all important bin bag

In the beginning, there was rain, rather a lot of it.

I think all the folk who ran this year's race were watching the weather forecasts with some trepidation.  Rain was forecast and rain is what we got.

At the start of the race is was just a fine drizzle, nothing to worry about and my hopes were raised that maybe the forecasters had got it wrong but as we wended our way northwards, the rain got progressively heavier. The night had been quite mild so I'd started off in shorts and a longsleeved shirt covered with a large bin-bag.  Not terribly glamorous but it was effective in keeping me warm in rain without overheating.  The bag went on and off several times during the early hours of the race and proved very useful.

The back-scatter of light from my head-torch and the heavy rain was annoying and coping with that and wearing glasses was doubly annoying.  Eventually I had to just run without my glasses but fortunately I'm not that blind without them and the early stages up to the base of Conic hill aren't technical so it wasn't too much of a handicap.  I'd arrived at Drymen just after 2 hours of running which was about where I'd hoped to be.

Approaching Conic hill I was astonished to hear the skylarks singing their hearts out at half past three in the morning.  There was just enough light to get by on the forest roads without a head-torch now but it seemed way to early to be proclaiming one's territory!  Still, it's my favourite birdsong and it lifted my rather dampened spirits.

All the rain and puddles meant of course that my feet were soaked long before I got to Conic hill but I've never seen so much water coming down the hill before.  We were essentially walking up a river which was carrying silt and gravel into our shoes.  Consequently, for the first time ever, I decided to have an early shoe change and valseline reapplication.  Not that I was kidding myself that my feet would stay dry but there was just too much gravel in my shoes to risk continuing.  As ever, it was great to see my wife and all the other support crews and marshals. After a quick banana, chocolate milk and a shoe/sock change I headed out of Balmaha feeling pretty good.

Balmaha to Inversnaid

That feeling lasted all the way to Rowardennan and I was pleased to be a able to push a bit along the flatter sections.  The Balmaha/Rowardennan section is one where I've frequently hit low points and if can get past this section, I usually manage to carry on well.  Consequently, I was unprepared for what was to happen just after leaving Rowardennan.

I had stopped for some pasta & coffee and because of the midges, had sat down in the car.  With hindsight it's clear I hadn't been eating enough prior to that point because it took a huge effort of will to get out of the car and when I tried to run, I felt like a popped balloon.  There was just nothing in my legs.  Zilch. Nada.  It was all I could do to resist pulling out my phone and calling Muriel back to say that I was turning around.  For a while I couldn't even jog down hills.  Going for a sleep underneath the trees started to seem like a terribly attractive option.  I had to give myself a serious talking to but it was hard to remember why I had wanted to do this so bady for so long.  Now it seemed like the stupidest idea in the world.  No goblet was worth this amount of suffering and I was only just over a quarter of the way there!

The talking to must have worked as I shuffled on.  I just walked, and walked some more until gradually the pasta hit my blood stream and started to do some good.  As ever it was a relief to hit the end of the forest road and reach the single-track path.  I was beginning to feel a bit more human now and I always like this bit. I was back to running again and beginning to actually enjoy myself.  At inversnaid I swore that I wouldn't make the mistake of sitting down again and had more chocolate milk and some crisps whist standing and picked up some more energy bars for later.

Inversnaid to Auchtertyre

I was now feeling much much better, possibly slightly manic with relief that I wasn't in "zombie" mode any more.I remember catching other runners and yelling "A goblet will be mine today!" as I went past.  Goodness knows what they thought but yelling it out loud helped me. ;-)

Indeed, I was feeling so good the awful terrain after  Inversnaid barely impacted on my consciousness.  My mind was all over the place and periodically I'd look up and find that I was miles up the path without any memeory of having struggled particularly.  It was a relief though to come out of that knarly bit and see Dario's post up ahead.  I paused to touch the post and take in the fantastic view down the loch before heading off towards my next dropbag at Beinglas farm.

At last Auchtertyre was feeling close.  I stopped to use the toilets are Beinglas (which was a first for me, I've always had to make like a bear in previous races) before attacking my drop bag and pushing on up the road.  I was making steady if not spectacular pace and the miles seemed to go past without too much difficulty.  I had given Muriel instructions to provide a hot pie at Auchtertyre and the anticipation of this really helped me along.

At the top of Bogle Glen I met an unhappy looking Sandra in a lot of pain with her ankles.  Shortly after that I met Ian walking up to meet her and sadly she had to withdraw.  I've been lucky that so far, touch wood, I've never withdrawn from the race (although I've felt like doing it every time at some point).  Running it hurts, but failing to finish hurts even more I think.

I had a longish wait to cross the A82 but made fair progress pie-wards and before long I was at Auctertyre getting weighed and getting to my pie!  Only it wasn't a pie, it was a beef and onion pasty.  Still, by now anything warm and savoury would have done .  Muriel had kept it under the bonnet of the car on the exhaust shield as instructed to keep it warm and it was delicious!  My feet, although soaking, felt fine and as I only had one pair of dry shoes left, I stuck with my road shoes that I'd put on in Balmaha.  It was at Auchtertyre that I met Debbie & Sharon and I tried, rather incoherently, to congratulate her on her fantastic race on the Grand Union Canal.  My speech centres aren't too great at the best of times but when I'm running I can really struggle.  I think she got the message anyway.  I sure the big hug was a strong hint. ;-)

Auchtertyre to Glencoe

As I reached the A82 underpass I realised that the path under the bridge was completely flooded. I considered for a moment crossing the road but given how long I'd had to wait at the previous crossing I decided I would just take the "wet way".  It's not as if my feet could really get any wetter!


I hadn't planned to meet up with Muriel again until Bridge of Orchy but I'd left my cap back at the car so I was glad that they'd caught me by Brodies store to return it to me.

The wind was decidedly quixotic along the Tyndrum/BOO section.  One minute it would be in your face, the next giving you a welcome shove in the back.  Alas it was mostly in my face but I was grinding away steadily forwards and enjoyed the run down into Bridge of Orchy.

George Reid was waiting there for John Duncan and had been telling me along the way how John was catching me.  After refuelling, as I turned to go, George shouted out "Hi John!" over my shoulder causing me a moment's panic. Beating John was one of my unofficial goals in this race and George was taking great delight in winding me up. ;-)

I headed off to Victoria bridge and this was the only point at which we had a hiccough twixt runner and crew.  Muriel said that she'd meet me by the Inveroran hotel as the long hours of doing nothing were really getting to her.  I agreed to this and set off up the hill to see if Murdo the Magnificent was on jelly baby duty.  Once again, he was doing sterling duty cheering us all on and as ever, it was great to see him.

I jogged on down the hill toward the hotel but as I approached, I couldn't see any car!  This provoked a bit of unnecessary panic and I began to imagine that they had perhaps got the car stuck at BOO. I decided to carry on and pulled out my phone to ring them but there was no reception.  Well now I was worried that they'd arrive late at Inveroran and wait for me whilst I ran on ahead of them!  So I did what any crazed half mad panicking runner would do, I flagged down a passing bus.  What it was doing there I don't know but I asked the driver to look out for our car and if he saw it, tell Muriel that I had carried on.

Happier now that I had done all that I could, I carried on towards Victoria bridge.  Of course, in the next car park, there was Muriel who had decided to just go a bit further down the road.  Huge sigh of relief!

Now it was time to tackle Rannoch moor on my own.  I've done this with and without support runners and whilst I like it more with a runner than without, it always seems a bit like cheating and I wasn't sorry to be on my own.  I dislike the cobbled surface up to Ba bridge with a passion but the miles went by without dragging too much and when I reached the top of the pass by the Fleming cairn I phoned Muriel to let her know that I'd be there in about 10 minutes.  She told me that she had a hot baked potato with cheese waiting for me and that helped to put a spring in my step on the way down. ;-)

When I arrived the potato turned out to be huge but despite this I still managed to scoff about half of it.  I also changed my shoes and socks again (and more vaseline) and was now wearing a brand new pair of Adidas trail shoes.

Glencoe to Kinlochleven

 As I shuffled off down the hill with a bulging belly John danced into the checkpoint looking happy as larry.  I tried to pick up the pace but now I was affected by the "post-stuffing yourself torpor" and could only make slow progress down hill.  As I approached Auchtertyre I decide I needed to pee so after looking around, I stopped to pee with my back to anyone approaching from behind along the route.  There had been no sign of John or his support runner, Lorna McMillan, when I had looked back. Unfortunately, in choosing which direction to pee, I had neglected to take into account the wind and I was in imminent danger of soaking my new dry shoes!  Consequently I swung around to face back eastwards and lo and behold, John and Lorna hove into view!  Fortunately I think a combination of distance and the effects of cold on my nether regions rendered the risk of offence minimal. ;-)

Bill Gerrie, my support runner joined me at the bottom of the Devil's Staircase.  I was determined not to make it easy for John to catch me so I put in some determined stomping up the hill.  So determined in fact, I realised that we were catching several runners ahead.  My stomach was feeling less bloated and my energy levels were on the up.

Climbing the Devil

This was when the magic really began.

There were some runners ahead and I confidently said to my support runner that we'd pass them in the next half mile. In actual fact we passed them in the next 200 yards!  Words cannot really adequately describe just how much I love this section when I'm feeling good.  I was flying now in full downhill racing style loving every second of it.  Sometimes I do this and I'm spent by the time I reach KLL but at that moment, even though I knew the risk, I didn't care.  After so many miles of plodding it just felt so wonderful to have air under my feet and to be catching and passing folk all the way down.  I left Glencoe in 81st position and arrived in KLL in 64th place.  Three of those gains were down to retirements but it was still a good move in the right direction!

I checked in at KLL and had a great cup of tea and a couple of custard creams.  It's amazing just how good simple comfort foods can taste at times like these.  The community centre was absolutely hooching with midgies though so I didn't hang around too long.  I think I got all my bites during that one stop!

Kinlochleven to Fort William

Bill and I walked out of the community centre and I took my time easing back into a jog.  I really wasn't certain how much I had left in me.  I can never decide if the climb out of KLL is worse than the Devil or not but whatever it is, it didn't feel too awful that night.  Once up on to the Larig mor I was pleased to find that my legs still had some push left in them so we set off in pursuit of more runners.  It was still light enough to run without torches and I generally try to go for as long as possible without.  Not because I'm an Aberdonian concerned with the cost of batteries (well, not too concerned), but because I think you can see the irregularities in the path much better by the light of the sky, almost no matter how weak the light, than by torchlight.

Still, it was pretty late by now and we did have to give in eventually but wherever possible we were running rather than walking and passing other runners.  The lights of the Wilderness Response team did cause us some puzzlement as we approached.  For sometime now I had been seeing animals shapes in all the rocks and was beginning to wonder if my eyes could be trusted.  As ever though, the WRT are a welcome sight up there on the Larig mor.  It's a long and dreary stretch and I wasn't sorry that I couldn't see the path stretching out in front on me.

Lundavra at last!

It's not the end of course but it marks the beginning of the last stretch and it's always a welcome sight.  No Duncan Watson this year and just a small fire but perhaps that's just as well as it can be too tempting to linger here.

My memory of the next stretch from previous races is obviously a bit shaky as I told Bill that the next bit was more runnable.  Well it is, once you reach the forest road but I'm afraid we didn't do much running in the dark until then.  I think it's mostly down to the difference between torchlight and daylight.

As we'd left Lundavra George Reid had said that Andy Cole wasn't too far ahead.  Every year I hope that Andy will have the WHW race that he deserves and I was genuinely sorry to hear that he was doing as badly as me.  Still, that didn't stop me wanting to pass him (again). ;-)

We did catch Andy and went on to catch a few more runners.  One group that we'd passed earlier re-passed us and I told them that I'd catch them later but a look at my Bill suggested that this wasn't going to happen.  I had perhaps been a little "economical with the truth" when I'd asked Bill to be my support runner. He's a great hill runner and has a respectable time in the Pentland Skyline, a very tough and long hill race.  I had told him however that I hoped to finish around 24 hours and that he'd have no trouble keeping up with me by the end of the WHW.  Well, we were heading for a 26 hour finish and the unaccustomed miles and hours were beginning to tell.

I thought it wouldn't look good if I left my support runner out on an unfamiliar road in the middle of the night (it's probably a disqualification offence!) so we jogged down the glen together.  As we neared Fort William I could see that we would probably make it inside 26 hours, however "probably" isn't good enough so we upped our pace to guarantee a sub-6 finish.

As ever, I had to have a wee sprint at the end.  Looking a bit gaunt so probably significantly dehydrated.

I hit the doors at 25:55:53 feeling great.  I had a slightly sore foot from over tightening my laces but honestly felt the best I've ever done after a WHW race.  Amazingly, considering all the soggy miles covered, not a single blister either.

As you can see, Bill is look a bit worse for wear. ;-)

I think the choice of the right gear helped me enormously in this year's race.  From the feet up I was wearing my Adidas Kanadia Trail shoes which although not wearing terribly well, are very comfortable. I'd covered my feet in vaseline and wore ordinary short slightly cushioned cotton socks.  I had treated my "undercarriage" to a bit of Bodyglide and was wearing some seamless polyamide/polyester underwear beneath my Skins shorts.  On top I started with a long sleeved Decathlon "Kalenji" shirt which I've found great in many races.  Even when soaked the woven texture of if seems to retain enough air to provide just enough insulation for me.  I had a micro-fleece that I wore later in the race on top of my long sleeve top and a Montane Mimimus jacket to finish off.  I also carried (and used) a pair of fairly heavyweight Berghaus over-trousers.


Despite the wet, I finished in the same shirt, underwear and shorts that I started in and had no problems at all with chaffing.  The only thing I think I'd change if racing in similar conditions again would be to use a cheap hooded plastic poncho rather than a bin-bag.

Of course this is what it's all about, the pursuit of glassware. ;-)  That and testing oneself to the limit and breaking through barriers rather than breaking down.  I am hugely indebted to my wife and support runner, without whom I couldn't indulge myself in this madness.

My heart goes out to all those who tried and failed this year.  It wasn't an easy year and I hope you'll all be back to try again.

A wise man once said...

..."it's never too late to start making excuses".

Given that it's only a few days until the West Highland Way race, I thought I'd start on the excuses now. ;-)

In my last post I was full of the joys of running 3 ultras in 8 days. In fact this year I've had my heaviest ultra racing schedule ever but I've loved it. Doing lots of racing really simplifies the decisions over training. Namely, you just try and rest and recover between races with just enough training to keep you ticking over so to speak.

Unfortunately, since my last race (the Cateran trail), I've had a bit of a yawning gap in my racing schedule and this, combined with the pain of a couple of cracked ribs, resulted in a major loss of mojo over the last 4 weeks.

My Garmin Connect dashboard tells me that I've run a rather feeble 56 miles over the last 30 days. I've not be completely idle though, I have been out on my bike a bit clocking up another 220 miles which still isn't much but better than nothing. I have, where possible, always made sure that those are *hilly* miles though.



This was my ride yesterday (Tuesday). It's a great run and for once the weather was perfect. I stopped on the way up the hill over to Barr to snap this picture which really doesn't do justice to the fanatic view of Ailsa Craig that day.



I was also lucky enough to accidentally meet up with another cyclist going the same direction and having company made the hills fly by.

Anyhow, by rights, I ought to be really panicking about the race this weekend but I'm feeling surprisingly relaxed about the whole affair. Even a call from my support runner the other day to say that he had gone lame didn't faze me too much. With a few phone calls I've managed to arrange a good back-up plan should he not be fit by Saturday so no worries there.

As to how I'll do, well that's the big question. Earlier on in the year I was thinking that a sub-23 should be easily doable (my pb is 22:58) and whilst I'd dearly love to do that, given the past month of sitting on my arse, I don't think that that is likely to occur. That said, I *am* well rested. ;-) Also in my favour is that fact that I don't seem to have put on any weight in the last month and am currently the lightest I've been for years so that's gotta help.

If I can get under 24 hours I'll be well pleased. Given the weather forecasts that might be hard. It was notable just how much the wet conditions seemed to slow everybody last year so perhaps I should just relax and concentrate on snagging another goblet and let my time take care of itself.

I'll finish with a picture of some rather delicious beans I cooked tonight. I've been 90% veggie since about February and feeling a lot better for it.



This is a blend of sautéed onions, red chilli & garlic in olive oil mixed with butter beans, olives, cherry tomatoes, roasted peppers, lemon zest, lemon juice, a tad of tomato purée and seasoning. Very tasty indeed if I say so myself.

Good luck to everyone running in this year's WHW race (and the WS100!) this weekend. If you're on the start line you've already made it further than a lot of runners this year so well done! All you have to do is just keep putting one foot in front of the other and a goblet is yours.

8 days, three ultras

Is three ultras in 8 days a good idea? I suspect not but I think the photograph taken yesterday at Blairgowrie during the excellent Cateran Trail Ultra indicates that with good company, a good time can be had. That's Dave Catterick from Durham running his first ultra and we both had a great time.

Of course, having a great time didn't mean that any quarter was going to be given at the finish and in the end, I just beat him to the gate at the bottom of this hill and his fate was sealed. ;-)

To be honest, after the first 13 miles I was pretty sure I was going to DNF as I was struggling with groin pains (I've jiggered something down there, I know not what) but decided to push on to Alyth and then decide. Magically, after 20 miles the pain went and I really began to enjoy myself, particularly once I tagged up with Dave who had reccied the route which made life very easy for me. I had a bit of excitement following a heavy fall on to my chest, unfortunately with my fist between my chest and the ground so rather than falling with a "splat", it was more of a "crunch". Fortunately, the endorphins did a good job and it's only now decidedly ouchy. Pleased to finish in 11:35:08, about halfway down the field.



Huge thanks to Karen and all her cohort of helpers who have made this race what it is. Mustn't forget the Spittal of Glenshee hotel which fed, watered and accommodated us all at very reasonable prices.

A dirty weekend in Moffat

I'm just back from a great weekend in Moffat, running around the hills, lanes, forest roads, mountain tracks and bogs of rural Dumfries and Galloway. This was the Sandbaggers two day "Scottish Ultra", similar in format to some of their previous multiday ultras but slimmed down to just two days. Whilst longer event have always held a fascination for me practical difficulties about disappearing for a week to go racing had always stopped me from actually entering. A two day event however was eminently doable so as soon as I heard about it I entered, or rather I would have except it was on the same day as the Highland Fling race that I'd already entered. Oh well, a nice idea while it lasted but I dropped a line to the organiser explaining my quandary and the next thing I know it's been moved by two weeks. Woohoo! Game on! Having entered I then remembered that I'd also entered the Etape Caledonia, a cycling event the same weekend. Oops.;-) Fortunately I was able to defer my Etape entry for a year so alls well that ends well.

Anyway, after the usual restless night's sleep pre-race and getting up at 4:15 am, it was off to Moffat where we were met on the edge of town and ferried by car to our campsite, or rather "field" where were sorted ourselves out, put up tents, visited the camp loo and registered for the race. There didn't seem to be an awful lot of runners around and the pile of race numbers only went up to 24 but as it turned out, just 14 of us were running on the Saturday and just 8 hardy souls were doing both days. I recognised Andrew Murray and Donnie Campbell who formed the "elite" squad. I was also pleased to see Carol Martin and Carolyn both of who had run the Fling.

Maps and instructions were given at the briefing and I was a bit reassured to hear that no serious navigation would be required, not that I mind it too much but when it's a course I've not reccied, I'd rather just run and not have to worry about map reading too much. The course was indeed very well flagged and there was never really any time that I had any concerns about my whereabouts. At the briefing I confirmed that poles were allowed (I had already asked about this but didn't want to be at the receiving end of any glares from other runners for "cheating") and I decided that this would be a good opportunity to get some practice in with them. I have some lightweight folding poles that are very easy to carry and given the many long climbs on the route I thought they might be useful.

At 8:30 we were sent on our way and at 8:31, Andy and Donnie disappeared never to be seen again. Actually, we did see Donnie at the end but Andy "the quitter" Murray had flown off to London to attend some meeting about some sports event on down there this August and fled before the rest of us arrived back. They ran and finished together a bare 2 hours and 2 minutes ahead of me and I'm sure I could have clawed than back on day two if Andy had stayed for both days. ;-)

The route was a mixture of very minor roads, boggy trails, stony Landrover track over the hills and wider forest roads, and more bogs.

Apart from the two leaders, the women seemed to be setting the early pace but once we hit the hills I pulled away gradually and then gradually pulled away from the other men around me. I hadn't been paying attention to who had been around me at the start and fancifully believed that it might be possible that I was in third place, my highest position ever in a race! Still, I was only about 10 miles into the race at this point and still aware of folk not that distantly behind me so I couldn't let up.

About 18 miles in I found out from a marshal that I was actually in 4th position which rather burst my bubble but I was feeling good and enjoying the running. I had no aches or pains and my feet felt good. At 44km (about 27 miles) there was a checkpoint with a 4 pm cut-off but I needn't have worried as I was there by about 2:15. Hear I heard that the 3rd place man was 20 minutes ahead of me. :-(. Still, I had my bottle of Mountain Dew "rocket fuel" and this seemed like a good time to dip into it. The route turned on to a minor flat road at this point and I don't know whether it was the "rocket fuel" or a tail wind but I had a great run along this section before we climbed up and over a small hill to find ourselves at the top of a forest fire break with a rather incongruous "Scottish rights of way society" post at the top of it. Well I'm all for defending rights of way but I swear that the last person down there (apart from the course markers" was the man who put that post it. It was just a lovely trackless bog to squelch down. It was little bits like this that made you realise that the organisers "cared" and were determined to put a bit of "fun" into the route. ;-)

Anyhow, after my disappointment at hearing that I was 20 minutes behind the next man, my heart gave a little leap when I heard at the next checkpoint that I was just 10 minutes behind. This was doable! I could be on the podium with Andrew Murray and Donnie Campbell! I was on good forest roads now and none of the hills were steep and I took advantage of this to run up most of them as well as down and eventually I caught Colin Thornton who was struggling with his knee and walking. By way of showing my sympathy I increased my speed and hoofed it off down the road as fast as I could. ;-)

I mostly resisted the temptation to look back over my shoulder and pushed on all the way to the finish feeling elated. My elation was only dampened slightly when I found out that Andy had gone and my dream of a group photo of Andy, Donnie and myself wasn't going to be realised. Still, that was a very minor disappointment and it was only later that I found out that Colin was only doing the one day so technically, I was now in second position for the two days.

As soon as I stopped I commenced refuelling with chocolate milk, plain milk, a huge dish of veggy chilli and an avocado followed by dried fruit. I stayed up long enough to cheer in the rest but I was done in by 9 o'clock and headed to my sleeping bag.

End of Day 1.

I can't say I slept well that night but then I never do after an ultra but most notably, my legs weren't restless or aching which boded well for the next morning. I'd gone to bed in my skins tights. Whether these helped or not I don't know but I don't think they do any harm.

I got up at about 6:30 next morning for the 8 am start and had my breakfast of two pots of instant porridge and a big mug of coffee. I had time to to pack up and take my tent down before the start and at 8 o'clock, just 8 or us lined up for the start.

Donnie set off at a good lick with the rest of us easing into a slow jog across the field but within a few minutes I was easing away from the pack. The path started off on undulating forest roads before heading off through a small firebreak on to singletrack path. The whole of the second day route more or less followed the Southern Upland Way and consisted of a mix of paths, forest roads and a small (but long!) road. Because of the poor weather forecast the route had been cut short and the peak at the turnaround omitted due to the low cloud base. Fortunately the rain didn't start until later in the day but the wind which had been pushing us up the valley got stronger and really made us work on the return leg when any attempt to run up hills was alomost out of the question. Jogging on the level was hard enough!

Just after the turn around we were sent cross-country along a path that is marked on the OS map but in reality was pretty non-existent. This was the only part of the course that wasn't flagged but we had maps and it definitely added a bit of "interest" to the course, as well and the inevitable bog. ;-) Because of the loop at the top of the course I didn't see any other runners on the way back but there were plenty of marshals at critical points to keep us supplied with water and to keep our spirits up.

It felt like a very slow grind back along the road section as the valley had become a bit of a wind tunnel but eventually we hit a slightly more sheltered bit and I was able to pick up the speed a bit. All good things must come to an end however and I was lucky to get back before any significant rain. It had been pretty cold though and I had been very glad of my mittens. The finish was a bit "low key" but with only 8 runners I don't think we expected anything else. ;-) Donnie unfortunately had had to leave early so I didn't get to congratulate him on his run but I was able to relax in the Sandbaggers "yurt" tent whilst Dave Scott, the organiser, braved the wind and rain to brew tea and make bacon rolls for us all. Heavenly!

The final results for the two day runners were:

Name: First day time: Second day time: Total

Donnie Campbell 6.48.43 5.25.02 12.13.45 1st
Timothy Downie 8.50.11 6.57.20 15.47.31 2nd
Fred Hamond 9.43.08 7.32.03 17.15.11 3rd
Stephen Nisbet 9.30.22 8.21.03 17.51.29
Jo Kilkenny 9.54.02 7.59.52 17.53.54
Carol Martin 9.54.02 7.59.52 17.53.54
Paddy MacDonald 10.44.17 8.03.12 18.47.29
David Knox 11.02.26 DNF
Martin Myers DNF DNF

It was a shame to pack up and leave as it had been such a great weekend and I'd definitely try and do this again. The scenery had all been new to me and the course so well marked that one could relax and enjoy the running without having to worry about navigating. The organisation and support was top-notch apart from a slight hiccough which resulted in the medals and prizes getting left in Glasgow. ;-) I'd certainly recommend this event to anyone looking for fresh pastures.

Fling flung, but more to come...

Well this was my 5th Highland Fling race. One way or another I feel like I've been associated with this race forever. ;D Last year was the year of my nightmare race. My training had been interrupted by injury and whilst I was confident of finishing, it went much worse than expected. My report from that race is just below Murdo's report here. http://flingrace.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=general&action=display&thread=336

This year I was feeling a lot better prepared. I'd mixed in a lot more cycling this year and changed to an 80% veggy diet which helped me to shift half a stone of excess blubber pre-race. I'd also run the D33 for the first time which was a very unfamiliar style of running for me (i.e. relentless with hardly any hills to have walking breaks on) and learned some useful lessons from that. The two day training run over the Fling route with John Duncan and friends was also a tremendous help. Lastly, a 100 mile cycle sportive two weeks before the Fling probably helped as well.

Anyhow, the race plan was to try to control my pace early on and to EAT REGULARLY AND OFTEN! That last can't be stressed enough in my opinion. I've often been guilty of not eating until I'm getting hungry or tiring but I'm convinced that by that time, it's too late to avoid a bit of a crash, usually after Balmaha.

The last four weeks before the Fling have been confusing from a training point of view though. Having done the two day run at the beginning of the month, I then had to start training in earnest for the Scottish Bike Show Sportive, a 100 mile event that started at Balloch, then around the Trossachs, up to Lochearnhead, around to Crianlarich, down Loch Lomond, over to Arrochar, down Loch Long, over the old Glen Fruin road and back to Balloch. There were some pretty serious hills in that lot! I survived it finishing in 7:14:30 which considering my training I was quite happy with. I did have to stop once to "admire the scenery" but I never resorted to pushing my bike. ;-)

The upshot of that was that little running got done in the two weeks up to that. Following that I was tapering and doing even less running. I always find motivation a problem during the taper but I felt pretty good and I was trying hard not to "dig up my tatties early to check on them" as Fiona Rennie put it in her blog (referring to runners' tendency to always go out and do one more hard run when they ought to be charging their batteries).

I started off with the 6:00 am group at what felt to be a comfortable pace and, as always, probably went a bit faster than intended, arriving at Drymen at 8:01 (after wasting 5 minutes on a toilet stop). I'm sure it pays dividends to go slower at the start but the miles were slipping past easily and I felt like I could run all day at that pace. Of course I couldn't but it was nice to dream! ;-)

Conic hill came and went with no dramas and I jogged into Balmaha feeling good. More to the point, I left Balmaha feeling good and enjoyed the run to Rowardennan without any deep energy dips that I'd suffered in previous years. I was in and out of Rowardennan quickly and heading on to Inversnaid still feeling good. As this point I was really glad that I had done the 2 day run over the HF route as I had really good memories of the run from Inversnaid to Tyndrum. Of course that was on relatively "fresh" legs and this time I'd have no overnight stop to recharge the batteries but it's amazing how much positive memories can help you along and it didn't seem long before Inversnaid came into view. When I arrived I had developed a deep craving for some coke and I hadn't put any in my drop bags. Fortunately, a bit of rummaging in the marshal's rubbish bag there produced some leftover flat warm coke and I didn't think twice about finishing it off.

I don't mind admitting that the next section really *didn't* match up with my memories, my legs were tiring and the stumbly section seemed so much more troublesome that it had done on fresher legs and it was hard to make good progress. Still, all good things come to an end and I arrived at Beinglas after about 8 and a half hours running (14:32).

I was probably paying for my early pace now as the final section took me 2:50 to complete but I felt good and was enjoying myself. Just after the second A82 crossing I caught Keith Hughs on his walk to Tyndrum who was just beginning to struggle a bit with his knee but as ever, he wasn't letting that get him down! Now I was onto the flat run in, a section that can feel like it goes on for ever if you're walking but one that seems to flit by if you've got running in your legs and that's how it was on the day. As I passed through Auchtertyre I spotted a runner in what looked like a Troon vest walking ahead of me. When I caught him I realised to my surprise that this was Bobby Miller, a very strong runner, from my club.

Well I *never* beat Bobby as a rule but I wasn't going to pass up this opportunity so rather than being a supportive club-mate and encouraging him along, I legged it! Bobby was immediately all over me like fleas on a dog and it took some determined pushes up the small hills to put some distance between us and even then, I was sure he was going to try and outsprint me for the finish so I couldn't let up.

In the end I opened up a gap of about 30 seconds and crossed the line after 11 hours and 22 minutes and 12 seconds, a vast improvement over last year's disastrous 13:48. Not as good as my 2008 time of 10:47 but it's a time that I'm not ashamed of.

Apart from the eating regularly business, I think the only thing that I'd change next year is to add in a bit more variety into my my snacks later on and include coke and crisps in my later drop bags. No matter how good something seems early on the in race, you can be pretty sure that you'll want something different later on. Oh, and next year, I really *will* try to go slower at the start. ;-)

Not long now to the full West Highland Way race but I've got the small problem of The Scottish Ultra this weekend (2x40 miles over two days) followed a week later by the Cateran Trail Ultra (55 miles), neither of which I've reccied! Training wise I've no idea if I'm training, recovering or tapering and I think the best plan is to just run these races "for fun" and to try and not injure myself. It's going to be an interesting couple of weeks. ;-)

Maybe Popeye was right?

...and spinach really is good for you.



I have a regular hill run route that wends its way through fields. It's about 65% cross country, the rest being on tarmac. My garmin reckons it has about 260 metres of climbing and it certainly makes me work running all the way to the top of the hill. I ran this yesterday, admittedly not pushing it and just putting in the miles and was quite happy to have completed it at an average of 10:01 minutes per mile considering the nature of the course.

I wouldn't normally consider doing it two days in a row but my legs felt eager to give it another go today and since the sun was shining, it felt rude not to let them go. My legs do lie to me sometimes so I don't always believe what they say. ;-)

Anyway, I just felt good from the outset today and I bounced along in the "pleasantly effortful" way that I used for my last WHW training run. Without really trying I found that I had run a new PB for the course and knocked 39 seconds a mile off my time.

Quite *why* things went so well today I'm not altogether sure (other than perhaps being a bit rested this week) but I can't help wondering whether the large helping of spanakopitta (spinach pie) that I ate last night didn't have something to do with it. ;-)

A weekend on the WHW (and "Where did 2011 go?")

Well I've been absent from the blogosphere for a long time now but I thought I'd try and resurrect it.

Last weekend I joined a gang of runners for a 2 day training run from Milngavie to Tyndrum with an overnight stop at the Inversnaid bunkhouse. My training has been going well this year and I've been working on my speed as well as my endurance but trying to actually cut back on my running mileage and doing more cycling.

I'd run the D33 two weeks previously (in an average sort of time) and had recovered really quickly from that so I was pretty happy that I was in good shape.



Here's the happy gang minus Lucy Downie who had sped off earlier in the morning from Inversnaid. (From left to right Antonia Johnson, Karl Zeiner, Carol Martin, Carolyn Rae, Andy Millard, Donald Sandeman, me, John Duncan and Lorna McMillan)

Despite feeling in good shape I was quite apprehensive when we set off from Milngavie as it seems a very long time since I've done this section. Anyhow, off we went and before long I found myself up at the front of the pack with Karl Zeiner who was great company. We chatted and the miles went by easily and I was a bit surprised to see that we'd reached Drymen in 1:58 relatively effortlessly. I won't bore you by using that word too often but that's really how much of my running felt over the weekend. If not effortless, "pleasantly effortful" would be a good way to describe it.

I was impatient to see the "devastation" of the forests beyond Drymen and whilst the tree-huggers might hate me for saying so, I think the tree felling is a huge improvement to the area. That forest road to the foot of Conic hill has always dragged (for me anyway) but now there are great views to the loch long before you reach Conic Hill and I found the miles passing quickly. Karl and I pulled away from the group a bit more on the ascent of Conic (to be honest, we didn't do a lot of looking back) and when we reached the top we were both seized by the desire to dash down the other side. My head was saying "Don't thrash you legs! Save something for tomorrow!" but my heart wasn't listening so we pelted down scattering trekkers in our wake.

We arrived at Balmaha 3 hours & 20 minutes after leaving Milngavie which was a bit of a problem as we'd arranged to meet my wife Muriel here to restock at 3:30 (elapsed time). Oops! We made use of the local shop to restock and then went back to the car park to await the arrival of the rest of the runners. We had a bit of a worrying time waiting for Carolyn Rae who had managed to get disorientated on the "forest" section and added an extra loop to her run. If you've run this section before but not since the storm it can be disorientating and I was beginning to think that we had missed a turning too when we ran it. Anyhow, she turned up safe and sound thankfully and we all set off again after half an hour or so.

The next section is one I always find hard and while I didn't find it easy, thanks to having adopted Karls eating frequency (every 25 minutes) I never had any of the deep troughs that usually have be questioning my sanity when I'm on this section. Karl skipped off into the distance but I found I could push on too (although not quite as fast!). I think I was about an hour and 25 to Rowadennan when I just stopped for water.

The forest roads out of Rowardennan are always a bit dull for me but it precedes my absolute favourite bit (for running) of the WHW which is the last few miles before Inversnaid when the forest road finishes and you're on to the undulating roller-coaster. My legs always get a new lease of life on this section and I galloped up and down the hills all the way to Inversnaid arriving just four minutes (and a pint of lager) behind Karl with an elapsed time of 6:13.


I wasn't just showing off for the camera, I really did feel that fresh and full of energy.

After wading thigh deep in the loch for a bit I was glad of a lift up the hill to the bunk house. It's a wee bit further than you think and it's pretty steep!

The bunk house turned out to be a great place for an unruly gang of runners to chill out and "rehydrate". ;-) Muriel and I paid for a nice room in the new annex whilst the rest roughed in in the bunk house. After far too much wine and beer, we retired to bed early whilst other carried on drinking in the outdoor hot tub. Wished I could have done that too but a comfy bed seemed more attractive at the time!

The next morning following breakfast we set off together, for about 5 yards. ;-) Somehow Karl and I ended up leading off again and once Karl had fully warmed up, he disappeared into the distance. My legs felt pretty good and on "fresh" legs, the post-Inversnaid section seemed much less daunting. In fact, I reckon there's probably not much more than a mile of it that's really bad but it weighs heavily on your mind if you're tired. I tried to repeat yesterday's plan of eating regularly loong before I got hungry, alternating sweet and savoury snacks which seemed to work for me the day before. I was quite pleased to arrive at Beinglas just an hour and 28 minutes after setting off (where Norry was waiting for the main pack. He'd run down from Tyndrum earlier on). I caught a glimpse of Karl briefly before Derrydarroch about 5 minutes ahead which inspired me to keep pushing on. I knew I wouldn't catch him but sometimes you have to kid yourself. ;-)

For the first time ever I remember thinking "it's not far now" when I reached Bogle Glen. I normal hate that section with a passion but I was really enjoying myself that day and I ran past a number of walkers who called out "Well done!" as if I was in a race. Again, when I reached the A82 crossing the section to Auchtertyre seemed shorted than I remembered it and I kept pushing on.

Before I'd left Inversnaid I'd given Muriel a "best case scenario estimate" of my time to Tyndrum of 4 hours and when I checked my watch I realised that I was actually going to be close. Well, "close" wasn't good enough so I picked up my pace again. Just after the lead mine by Tyndrum I managed to trip and fall straining my abdominal muscles which pretty much knocked the wind out of my sails but it wasn't far now. Now I was shuffling and generally looking the worse for wear but I arrived in Tyndrum a very happy man in 3:57 from Inversnaid.



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All in all I couldn't have been happier with the way my running had gone. My nutrition seemed spot on and I was really pleased with my Adidas Kanadia TR4 shoes which were grippy & really comfortable. For anyone interested they're cheap too! only £40 from more on-line retailers. I've ordered a second half-size bigger pair for the WHW. You don't have to have them in orange by the way, I think that's an older model.

My new back (North face enduro 13) pack also worked well. It could perhaps do with slightly bigger pockets on the belt for storage bit I love to bottle positioning and the general comfort.

All in all a great weekend away and confidence booster for the Fling and WHW race.


Regarding 2011 (for anyone who hasn't fallen asleep yet) well 2011 was a year of big but unrealised plans. I entered the UTMB back in December 2010 and chose not to enter the WHW race on the grounds that I really didn't think I could do both. Anyway, I didn't get through the ballot for the UTMB and got offered a place in the TDS which I accepted. Having done that, my old back trouble flared up and I really suffered on and off with sciatica for most of the year. This disrupted all my training to a greater or lesser degree and I decided that there was no way I wanted to start a race like the TDS unless I could do it justice so I withdrew from that.

Despite everything, I still managed to hobble my way round 5 ultra races last year. The Fling (in a new PW), the Clyde Stride (as a sweeper), the Devil O' the Highlands, The River Ayr Way and finally the Glen Ogle 33. I was glad to have done them all but I knew that I hadn't really run well in any of them.

Anyway, eventually my back improved, possibly helped by a new mattress and I began to feel like my old self. After a gentle December with little running I felt refreshed and raring to throw myself into things in 2012. I've now entered FAR too many ultras (D33 (done), Scottish Bike Show 100 mile cycle sportive, the Fling, the Scottish ultra, the Cateran trail, the WHW race and the Glenmore 24. Who know what else I might do if I don't fall apart first. ;-)