Stonehaven half marathon

I'm not long back from Stonehaven where I took part in today's half marathon. Stonehaven is a seaside town a bit south of Aberdeen, but to get there you have to drive up the A90. So what, I hear you ask? Well, never in my life have I seen so many speed cameras as we passed today on the A90 from Dundee onwards. There must have been one every couple of miles. And to make things worse, occasionally the road speed changes from 70mph to 50mph, in a blatant attempt to catch you out and raise more money for the exchequer. Now I don't have much sympathy for people who speed on our roads, but I get totally hacked off with speed cameras being used like this. If the objective really is to reduce people's speed, why not set up average speed cameras, which a a lot fairer and a lot more successful in reducing speed? Probably because they don't generate the same level of revenue.

Before you think that my angry tone suggests I was caught out by one or more of these cameras, I should quickly point out that I was not driving today. My main role in the car was to act as Chief Speed Camera Spotter, and to shout THERE'S ONE in enough time for Phil T to make sure he was safely within the speed limit - which of course he always was.

Anyway, time to get off my soap box and talk about the race. It was hard, but not as hard as the Heaven and Hell half marathon which I did in April. Today I finished in 1 hour 29 minutes and 39 seconds, and think I just made it into the top 30. Phil T was delighted to finish in 1.31.14, a couple of places behind. In many ways I was jealous of his run. After I slogged up the hills for the first 4 miles or so, I knew I would be round about the hour and a half, so worked really hard the whole way round to try and beat the 90 minute target. That meant the 2nd half of the course was a really painful struggle, particularly over the last few miles when my legs were reluctant to move as quickly as my brain wanted them to move, and I had to dig really deep to keep it going. The only time I felt confident of making it when I came into the park and saw the finish banner a 100 yards or so in front of me. Phil T on the other hand set off at a relatively gentle pace, had no great worries about his time (he has had a knee injury and is just getting back to form), and felt so good at 7 miles that he speeded up for the second half, passing a lot of runners on route. He crossed the line saying what a great run it was, while I was lay on the grass coughing, spluttering and trying not to be sick.

After a drink of water, a shower and then a coffee, I was able to reflect on the fact that this was a really good, well organised half marathon. Sure, it was hard, but very enjoyable nevertheless. I would certainly recommend it, and will hopefully be back some time in the future.

Late addition: I've just updated my race records and noticed that today was my 80th half marathon. All but 8 of them have been below 1.30. So it probably was worthwhile pushing myself hard for that second half of the course :)

More than a one trick pony

Many readers of this blog will think I do nothing except run. It may therefore be a bit of a surprise to read that I played a round of golf on Wednesday night, and actually played well. It was my first game of golf since 2nd January, so when I turned up at Auchterarder Golf Club (a club I am hoping to join) I had little expectation of producing a good performance. It was however a lovely night, warm and still, so if nothing else I was looking forward to getting out and having a good catch up with my friend Keith.

There is probably nothing more boring in the world than reading a blow by blow account of someone's round of golf. "I hit a good drive down the right of the first, then I hit a 5 iron just short of the green, then I pitched on to the green, then I left my putt a yard short, yawn, yawn..." I am the first to admit that type of report doesn't make good reading, so I'll spare you any of the boring detail (except for mentioning my 7 iron tee shot at the par 3 12th, which I almost holed...) Suffice to say that I played out of my skin. I hardly hit a bad shot all night, beat Keith 7&6 (if you don't understand golf that means I was 7 holes ahead with 6 to play), and I played the 2nd 9 holes in 38 (which is only 5 over par, not bad for someone who hasn't played since 2nd January). I loved it. There are some great feelings in sport - one is obviously finishing a WHW race (although I have to think back a bit to remember that feeling), another is setting a personal best time at any distance (ditto), but hitting a great drive right down the middle of the fairway ranks right up there. And I did it time after time after time. Superb.

I also did some running this week. On Wednesday night I went to the picturesque village of Bridge of Earn, just outside Perth, for the 5 mile 'Brig Bash' race. I ran quite well and was pleased to finish 30-somethingth in a time of 31 minutes 47 seconds. It is quite a long time since I have run at that fast a pace, and I had forgotten that amazing feeling where you think that you can't run another step, that you are right at the edge of your running capabilities, and that there is no way you will be able to keep that pace going for the remaining 2 miles. Then you pass someone, realise everyone is feeling exactly the same, and by some miracle you actually manage to speed up. Although it is incredibly painful at the time, going through that type of experience is probably one of the reasons why I enjoy running so much - it is a brilliant feeling to push yourself beyond the point you thought you could cope with.

I'm racing again tomorrow, at the Stonehaven half marathon. It's a new race for me and I'm looking forward to it, possibly because it is advertised as one of Scotland's toughest half marathons. I like tough half marathons, so it should suit me fine. Phil T from the club is running as well so that should keep both of us on our toes. I'll report back in due course.

One week on

I have been quite overwhelmed by the number of comments, emails, phone calls and other messages I have received since dropping out of the WHW race. Thank you to everyone for your support - it has greatly helped me get over the disappointment, and to put things in a bit of perspective. I enjoyed catching up with the gang at the barbeque yesterday and despite the showers I thought it was a great day, even if the WHW race did tend to dominate the discussion somewhat!

I haven't done much running this week, although I did turn up at the 2 mile race at the Meadows on Wednesday night. 2 miles is not my distance at the best of times, but I thought it was a good chance to blow the cobwebs away so slogged my way round to finish in 12.37. It was a struggle - 2 mile races always are - but, unlike last weekend, at least I managed to finish. The only other run I did was a steady 4 miler today, but I'm hoping to feel a bit more motivated next week and run more often. Depending on how things go I might even go up to Stonehaven with a few people from the club for the half marathon next Sunday.

Gutted

I'm gutted. Yesterday I dropped out of the West Highland Way race after 27 miles, at Rowardennan. I hadn't been feeling good from the start - during the 1st section my stomach had been sore, and I had to stop for the toilet in the bushes, then I felt incredibly tired all the way from Drymen to Balmaha. I kept trying to tell myself that this was normal, that this was how it always felt, but deep down I knew something wasn't right at all. I came into Balmaha and was in a right state - with the benefit of hindsight this was where I should have sat down, taken a few minutes to pull myself together, and told myself to forget about times, targets and so on. Instead I rushed to the toilet (again), grabbed a soup and a coffee from the backup team, and headed out in a worse state than I had come in - in less time in total than I stopped last year. I didn't feel any better heading up towards Rowardennan, and by the time I was a few miles short of there I was really stuggling, and having to walk most of the path. I kept telling myself that there were always bad patches, that it would get better, that I just needed to get some food in me, but in my heart of hearts I knew it was not looking good. Alex Simpson passed and tried his best to get me going, but it was no use. By the time I reached the road at Rowardennan I knew I was done. I reached the car a few minutes later and sat down, hoping for a miraculous recovery. Unfortunately it didn't happen, and after 10 minutes or so I accepted it was just not going to be my day. I walked back to the checkpoint and handed in my tag. Race over. I was absolutely gutted.

I wanted to watch the rest of the race, as did allybea and George, so we dropped Sandy off at Milngavie and drove up to Auchtertyre Farm. After that we headed to Bridge of Orchy for a while, then Kingshouse, and finally to Fort William for the finish. I found it fascinating to see how everyone was doing - I've never seen the leaders before, so it was really interesting to see how they looked at the various stages. Jens Lukas was first finished just after 6pm, in a time of 17.06. We also saw Phil M finish in 7th position in an absolutely incredible time of 19.14, and John K sprint to the line in 11th position to dip under the 20 hour mark in 19.59 - brilliant performances from them both.

The prize giving today was quite difficult. I was delighted to see so many friends receive their goblets, but it was hard knowing my name was not going to be on the list and on more than a few occasions I felt close to tears. I spoke to Dave and Thomas, who had both dropped out at Kingshouse, and I think we shared the same feelings - delighted for those who had done it, but so disappointed that we were not amongst them. I felt the same driving down the road, and on a few occasions I had to wipe the tears away from eyes so I could see where I was going. Already I've had many supportive comments and messages - people have told me that I did the right thing, that they are pleased I took the sensible option, and that I would have done myself more long term harm had I carried on, and so on. I appreciate the comments, and they are all reassuring words, but to be honest it doesn't mask the pain or the disappointment: this was my main running target for the year, and I have failed to complete it. It will take me a while to get over that.

It's nearly time

Just a very quick note to wish everyone good luck for the West Highland Way race. As I write this the start is less than 8 hours away, and I'm sure everyone running and supporting is feeling nervous, excited, apprehensive, terrified, or a combination of all of these. At this stage I'm just looking forward to getting going and giving it my best shot.

My final message to everyone would be this: it is a personal challenge, and the most important thing is to finish within the time limit. It will hurt, you will feel exhausted at stages, and there will be points where you will wonder why you are doing it, but it is a wonderful event and we are all privileged to be able to take part. Good luck, and I look forward to sharing another fantastic race experience with so many great friends.

5 sleeps to go

Well, only 5 sleeps to go to the BIG one - the 2008 WHW race. I've done this race a few times now, and you would think I would be a lot more relaxed and able to take it all in my stride. Sadly, I'm not. I still get ridiculously nervous, worry every time I walk along the road in case I injure my foot, and panic in case ill people come near me and pass on their germs. Last Friday I got on the train home from work and sat in an empty seat. When I looked up, I noticed the guy opposite had a bit of a red nose, and shortly afterwards he sneezed. That was just too much for me, so I got up and moved through to the next carriage, finding a seat with no-one nearby.

I'm working until Wednesday, then taking Thursday and Friday off on holiday. My plan is to have a gentle 5 run tomorrow (Monday) and a very easy 4 mile run on Wednesday. I'll try and get my race haircut tomorrow - probably a No.3 all over - as I like my hair to be really short for this race: it could be worth a few minutes off my time. On both Thursday and Friday I'll try and have a long lie, doing very little except pack my kit for the race and think through my race strategy. From 4 o'clock on Friday afternoon I expect to be pacing around like a bear at the zoo, driving the family nuts with my nervous chatter and inane drivel. And then it will be time to go.

I am fascinated to see how all of the group I have trained with get on. Many are first timers and have no idea of what lies ahead. Others have done it before and should have a better idea. There were some fantastic performances in the Highland Fling - can these be replicated in the full race? Not long till we find out...

They are all going mad

I am getting more and more worried about the mental state of some of my fellow WHW'ers. Have a quick skim through some of the WHW blogs and you will come across a completely obscure WHW diagram (Thomas), a most bizarre interpretation of Big Brother in which people go out running (Neal), and a recording of a story called 'Braggity Rabbit & Slo Mo Turtle' (John). When you combine that with Dave's ongoing pirate saga, Brian's desire to blog in pirate language, and Murdo's wife's very odd dreams, it is clearly becoming more and more of a madhouse with each passing day. Just as you thought it couldn't get worse, listen to this: Debbie and Marco have bought a caravan, and are planning on bringing it to my house for the WHW post race barbeque. This race can certainly do funny things to people.

I, of course, am remaining as sane and normal as ever. No emotional rollercoaster for me - I'm just getting on with things in my usual calm and collected way. It's only a race, after all.....

Tagged

I've been tagged by allybea, which means I need to answer the questions that have been set. I'll try my best.

1. How would you describe your running 10 years ago?
I was just about to attempt my first WHW race. With the benefit of hindsight I was hopelessly underprepared, had no idea about what lay ahead, and on the day I dropped out at Tyndrum. I'm embarrassed to admit it, but I actually carried a spare pair of shoes in my backpack all the way from Rowardennan to Beinglas Farm. Today's first timers don't know how lucky they are having access to such high quality advice from the likes of me :) However every cloud has a silver lining: the failed attempt was a great learning experience for my successful attempts in later years, and as a bonus I ran some fast race times later that year, no doubt a result of all the training I did for the WHW race (for example Irvine 10k in 36.23; a club 5k in 17.41; the Glasgow half marathon in 1.20; and the Inverclyde marathon in 2.56.)

2. What is your best and worst run/race experience?
Best - I have great memories of many races. Every WHW finish is great, particularly last year when I ran a PB; all 5 of my sub 3 hour marathons were fantastic experiences, but Zurich last year was particularly good as I didn't think I would ever run a sub 3 marathon again; I was on a high for days after my 1.17 half marathon at Ayr in 1996; and I was chuffed to bits to beat the hour (59.07) at the Round Cumbrae race in 1996, probably because I had gone to Millport for my summer holidays for about 10 years as a boy.
Worst - I try and put the bad runs out of my mind, so I'm struggling to think of too many. One sticks in my mind, however, from the beginning of May in 2002. Allybea was away, and I took the boys to my parents' house in Kilbarchan and went out for a quick 4 mile run. About half way round I tripped, landed hard on the pavement, and dislocated and fractured my right shoulder. It was excrutiatingly painful and I spent the night in hospital in Paisley. Even worse, I damaged a nerve in my right hand, and couldn't write for 3 months. Not a great running experience.

3. Why do you run?
I love being able to compete against others and against myself. I love feeling fit. I love the cameraderie amongst runners - particularly the WHW runners, many of whom have become my closest friends. I love doing things other people consider unachievable at best and insane at worst. I love being able to eat and drink whatever I want. I love the feeling of release I get from running, whether it is through towns or through some of the world's best scenery.

4. What is the best or worst piece of advice you've been given about running?
This is a hard one. There was a saying in the original scottishathletics business plan which I found quite inspiring - "the only limits are self imposed". In terms of general sports advice, I'll never forget the time when, 18 years of age, I was standing with a friend in the clubhouse at Old Ranfurly Golf Club, watching the pouring rain outside, and considering whether to go out or whether to give up and head back home. One of the older members came up and asked us if we were going to play. When we told him we weren't sure, he came back with the unforgettable line "Well boys, just remember that a faint heart never fucked a pig". He had a point. We played.

Worst advice - in 2000, I had a pain in my foot for a long time after the WHW race. My physio was convinced it was a stress fracture. I knew it wasn't - it only hurt some of the time, and I was convinced that a stress fracture would hurt all of the time (obviously having a much better knowledge of sports injuries than senior members of the medical profession). After a few months of no progress at all I was sent for an MRI scan - I'm not wanting to make any political comment here, but there are times where private medical insurance can be of great benefit - and guess what the MRI scan showed? No stress fracture. The (now ex) physio was embarrassed, but once he realised it wasn't a fracture he was able to treat it properly, and I was running again a few weeks later.

5. Tell us something surprising about yourself that not many people would know.
Here's a selection:
Despite looking in my late 20s, I'm actually 42. Last week at Sainsburys the checkout boy asked me if I was over 18 (honestly!)
In first year at secondary school I played Oliver in the school production. For the next 3 years peope used to shout Aw-lee-ver whenever they saw me in the playground, which was hugely annoying. 30 years later, I still remember the words to all the songs.
In my teens golf and football were my main sports. I managed to get my golf handicap down to 8 at one stage, although now I struggle to play to 18. In football I played in a school team that won the U16 Scottish Cup.
I worked for two summers as an auxiliary nurse in the Western Infirmary, Glasgow.
I love karaoke and think I am great. Not everyone agrees.

Still around

After making a great song and dance about people not updating their blogs, I've now left mine lying for over a week without a hint of some new and exciting story. I haven't even responded to allybea's tag. I can only apologise, and offer the somewhat pathetic excuse that I have been 'too busy', along with the fact that I've been struggling to think of any decent advice that anyone has ever given me, or think of something about me that would surprise people - or at least something that I can write about on a public forum. No doubt I'll come up with something soon, in which case I will respond properly. So keep watching.

I have entered my WHW taper phase, but it didn't stop me doing a 20 mile Tour of Strathearn run in the scorching heat (22 degrees) on Saturday, or running in the Auchterarder 10k tonight. I like the Auchterarder 10k - it is not an officially permitted race, which means very few people know about it, which in turn means I have a much better chance than normal of winning a prize. And win a prize I did - I was 3rd vet (6th overall) in a time of 39 minutes and 21 seconds, for which I received a fairly hideous medal. That doesn't matter: I've never been one for prizes, medals and so on - experiences and memories are much more important in my book, and after all how will I ever forget the experience just after the half way point where I thought my bottom was going to explode into the surrounding countryside, or that feeling of how I was about to be sick after crossing the finishing line? Fortunately neither of these things actually happened, although it was a close run thing, I can assure you, particularly the exploding bottom scenario. As you might have guessed it was a tough course - downhill for the first half, which lulls you in to a false sense of security, then uphill for the second half - so I was quite pleased with my run, although I would have been even more pleased if I hadn't been overtaken by a clubmate in the last 100 metres.

It would be remiss of me not to mention the fact that we had an incredible turnout of 17 runners from my club, Strathearn Harriers. I didn't know most of them, which shows how out of touch I am at the moment, but it was definitely a record turnout for a club championship counter. Well done to everyone for making the effort. A few years ago the club had only 17 members in total, so it shows how well things are progressing.

And yes, allybea, I got another t-shirt :)

Reflections on the weekend

I've had a few glasses of wine tonight and a barbeque to celebrate the bank holiday, even though I was back at work. It seems like a good time to post a few reflective thoughts on the weekend.

1. Despite a lot of advice to the contrary (Coach George, allybea, John K etc etc), I'm glad I did the 2 marathons. I don't think it is any harder than the 2 day WHW training run, and it is good training to get the body used to running tired.
2. Stornoway was a really hard marathon. Running up a hill and into a strong wind non stop for 15 mile is hard going. No wonder I felt tired at the end.
3. I liked Stornoway. I should really try and do more of the Scottish island races - they all seem to be really friendly and well organised. And they appreciate people making the effort to turn up.
4. I also enjoyed the long ferry crossing. The journey took 2 hours 45 minutes, the same time it takes to get to Islay. It was particularly good meeting the Trotters on the way over and having a couple of beers.
5. With the price of petrol I might have been better going in the bus, rather than taking the car. Having said that I always enjoy the drive up north, and having the car is a lot more convenient.
6. I might also have been better staying at a B&B rather than a hostel. Then I might have had a decent night's sleep.
7. That's me up to 64 marathons and ultras (47 marathons and 17 ultras). At this rate I might get in to the 100 marathon club by the time I'm 50. A lot of the runners at Stornoway were members of the 100 marathon club, and I felt a bit envious.
8. Well done to Caroline (mrs pacepusher) on her PB at Edinburgh. She smashed her previous PB, and came in under 4 hours for the first time. Brilliant performance. WHW race next year?
9. I'm a bit surprised to be saying this, but the Edinburgh marathon was really good. I even enjoyed running in a reasonable sized crowd. Maybe I had just been lonely running on my own for so long the previous day.
10. I got a couple of new t-shirts! The Stornoway one was a proper technical running shirt - none of this cotton nonsense. I might even throw out a couple of my old ones :)
11. It's now less than 4 weeks until the WHW race. In the last 2 weeks I've done 86 miles and 66 miles. So this week I should do 46 miles, then 26 miles the next week. That would be a very structured taper.

Stornoway and Edinburgh

Well, it's done. 2 marathons in 2 days, which is a first for me. So what was it like?

I had never been to the Outer Hebrides, so part of the reason for wanting to do the Stornoway marathon was the chance to visit one of Scotland's remote islands. I left the house just before 12 noon on Friday and arrived at Ullapool around 4pm, in plenty of time for the 5.15pm ferry. I was not at all surprised to meet quite a few people I knew on the boat, and passed the 3 hour ferry crossing very pleasantly having a couple of beers with some of the Hunters Bog Trotters, who happened to be staying in the same hostel. Aftet arriving I registered for the race, checked in to the hostel, met Ellen and Murdo for a (non alcoholic) drink, and headed back to the hostel, which was full of excited runners, including a couple of members of the 100 marathon club. Its been quite a few years since I've stayed in a hostel and the dorm of 7 was quite noisy, but at £15 a night (including breakfast) I can't really complain. After a few hours sleep I was up just after 5am, had some breakfast, then caught the bus at 7am to head to the marathon start at Callanish Stones.

Callinash Stones was an incredible place. The stones are reputed to have been there since 3,500 BC - that's a long time by any stretch of the imagination. It was also "blowing a hoolay", as the locals would say. I was glad that we didn't have to hang about for too long, and the race started on time at exactly 8.30am.

The course was one of the most difficult marathon routes I have run. We ran north for 7 miles along an undulating road, then turned onto a minor road which headed east across the moor. I am not exaggerating when I say that the road climbed for the next 15 miles across barren moorland, with the entire section being into a really strong headwind. It was a real struggle, and I was very relieved by the time I reached the outskirts of Stornoway at mile 22, even though we still had 4 miles to run through the castle grounds. I had managed to keep my pace below 9 minute miles across the moor, and managed to pick things up on the more sheltered castle grounds. I passed a few of the half marathon backmarkers and finished strongly, managing to dip under 3.40 in an official time of 3.39.52, in 15th place from 89 finishers.

The post race buffet was fantastic, and after a few sandwiches and cakes I dragged my weary body to the pier for the 1.45pm ferry. I arrived in Ullapool just in time to hear the end of the Scottish Cup final (how disappointing Queen of the South didn't manage to get an equaliser), and with the roads being quiet I was back home by 8.30pm. The thought of doing it all again the next day was not appealing at all - my legs were stiff and I felt really tired -but it is amazing how quickly the body can recover. I went to bed around 11pm and slept like a log.

When the alarm went off at 5.30am this morning, I wondered why on earth I had decided to do 2 marathons in 2 days. It seemed a totally idiotic idea. I felt shattered and my legs were a bit stiff, although not as bad as I had feared. Another 5 hours in my bed would have gone down a treat. However within 15 minutes I felt a lot better: my legs had loosened, I enjoyed my pre-race meal of beans on toast, and left the house for Edinburgh at 6.30am. I parked and the office and walked the mile or so to the start at the far end of Princes Street. There was a big race feel to the event, and by the time we were lining up for the start I was actually looking forward to it, but determined to run at a sensible pace.

And I did. I set off at just below 8 minute mile pace, and felt good. We hit the wind on the promenade at Portobello. It was strong and into our faces, but nowhere near as bad as yesterday's wind on Lewis, and I just worked away at a steady pace. I was through the half way in about 1.46.30 and was still feeling good: by the time I turned at the far end of the course (around 18 and a half miles) I was still feeling good and beginning to think I could better yesterday's time, which would be a great result. After running into a gale force wind for the best part of a day and a half, it was lovely to have the wind behind for the final 8 miles or so, and I managed to pick things up and pass quite a few people, including Duncan from the club (who incidentally was wearing the largest rucksack I've ever seen anyone wearing in a marathon. I'm not really sure why. Maybe he thought the course was too easy and wanted to make it as hard as possible).

I felt remarkably comfortable over the last few miles, which were still at 8 minute mile pace, and crossed the finish line at Musselbrough racecourse in a time of 3 hours 34 minutes and 44 seconds. I was more than 5 minutes faster than the day before, and felt a lot better. To be fair was a much easier course, and running in a bigger field did make a difference.

I've been a critic in the past of the Edinburgh marathon, but I have to give credit where credit is due. It was a really good course and very well organised. The facilities at the start and finish were good - there were even plenty toilets at the start, which has been a criticism in the past. The baggage trucks worked very well. The finish at Musselbrough racecourse was great, with spectators able to see it all from the stand, and the route was varied enough to be interesting throughout: through the city, along the prom, through towns, along a rural road, and through a big estate. I'll would definitely recommend it and will hopefully be back.

All in all a great weekend, but with less than 4 weeks to go it is now time to start thinking about tapering for the WHW race. In the meantime I plan to have a bit of a rest.

Another big weekend of running coming up

This weekend I'm going to attempt something I've never tried before - back to back marathons. The plan is to drive up to Ullapool on Friday to catch the 5.15pm Stornoway boat, stay overnight at the bunkhouse, then run the Stornoway Marathon on Saturday morning. I should be able to get a boat back in the afternoon, giving me just enough time to drive home, grab some sleep, then head through to Edinburgh on Sunday morning for the marathon there.

Needless to say I'm not expecting brilliant times, but I'm just using it as another good training weekend in preparation for the WHW and a chance to visit the Outer Hebrides, where I have never been before. Hopefully the weather will be cool and overcast on both days. Light drizzle would do perfectly.

John K is running the Kirkcudbright (almost) half marathon on Saturday. As you can guess from my sarcastic use of the bracketed word 'almost', various questions have been raised in the past about the length of the Kirkcudbright course. I ran it one year in 1.20, although I found it hard to believe I had been running that quickly. To add to the doubts, the number of people who came in with PBs was truly astonishing - almost every person who crossed the line looked at their watch and commented on the fact they had run a PB. To be fair that was quite a few years ago, in the days when the course was rumoured to be measured with a car mileometer, so hopefully it will be properly measured now.

Two days on the Way

This was a BIG weekend in the training for the WHW race on 21 June. A 2 day outing: Balmaha to Bridge of Orchy on Friday (41 miles), followed by Bridge of Orchy to Fort William on Saturday (35 miles). In this age of technology, I'm expecting to read numerous blog tales, look at various photos and even watch the 'training run film', but I thought I would jot down my various thoughts while they are still fresh in my mind. Which means I'm doing my 2nd blog posting in 2 days - surely some kind of record?

Anyway, to the run. We were a bit late leaving - no surprise there - and didn't arrive at Balmaha until about 10.15am. From the sounds of it John K, Neal and Richard had been there for hours and hours, and had been in to the Oak Tree Inn to have a pre-run cuppa and generally pass the time. Richard had started running before 10, expecting to be a bit slower, and we finally started about 10.30. The conditions were 'pleasant' - sunny but not too hot, at least at first, although as the day went on it became warmer and warmer. Allybea had very kindly offered to provide a mobile snack van, and met us at Rowardennan after just less than an hour and a half with a welcome cup of coffee.

About 2 miles before Inversnaid, disaster for Neal. He went over on his ankle, and the loud expletive showed that it had hurt him a lot. When we had a look at Inversnaid it had swollen up quite a bit. It didn't look too good, but he seemed to be able to keep going at a reasonable pace: in fact after Crianlarich he shot off up the hill, not to be seen again until Bridge of Orchy. Unfortunately his ankle had swollen up like a balloon that evening, and was even worse the following morning, so he wasn't able to run at all on Saturday. We're keeping our fingers crossed that he'll recover in time for the race.

By Beinglas Farm the day had turned into a scorcher, and I was dripping in sweat as I made my way up and over the hills towards Crianlarich and Tyndrum. John and I were both beginning to moan about the heat, and saying that we could do with it being much cooler. By the time we left Tyndrum the rain was teaming down, and for about 15 minutes we were feeling a bit cold. What a change - you can never predict the weather in the Scotland, and it was yet another reminder to make sure you carry waterproofs on a run like this, even though the weather might look perfect. It doesn't take long to cool down, and if you body is depleted you can get chilled very easily. Despite the rain John and I arrived together at Bridge of Orchy with smiles on our faces, 8 hours 24 minutes after setting off, completely soaking but delighted to have had such a good day's running. We enjoyed a meal and a couple of beers (the service was very slow, so we didn't eat until 9.30pm), before heading off to bed. This year we were in the hotel rather than the bunkhouse - allybea did not enjoy the previous year's bunkhouse experience - although to be honest neither of us was convinced it was worth the extra cost.

I am a big fan of cooked Scottish breakfasts, and I was determined to get my money's worth on Saturday morning - despite of the fact I was going to be running in a little more than an hour's time. It may have been a high risk strategy, but I'm pleased to report that the bacon, sausage, eggs, mushrooms, black pudding, potato scone, beans and toast went down a treat and didn't re-appear at any time throughout the day. At about 9.15am we set off from Bridge of Orchy in absolutely perfect running conditions - still, dull and overcast -having been joined for the day by Tim, Morgan, Iain and John.

We all arrived at Kingshouse together, the only incident of note to report being a hilarious fall by John K when he was walking backwards and filming with his camera. Thankfully he was fine. The other 4 picked up the pace heading towards Kinlochleven, leaving John and me to bring up the rear. We were still behind leaving Kinlochleven, but by the time we had reached allybea's snack van at Lundavra we had managed to catch up with and pass all of the others. I didn't hang about long at Lundavra - I just wanted to get it finished - and, having watched John K pull away into the distance as though he was just out for a 5 mile training run, worked away well over the last stretch and down to the leisure centre in Fort William. I was delighted to see I has covered the full run in under 7 hours - 6 hours 56 minutes to be exact, and had been particularly pleased with the fact I had done the last bit from Kinlochleven in 2 hours 43 minutes. I'd certainly take that on race day.

I look forward to reading everyone else's tales of the weekend. Thanks to everyone for their company, and a special big thanks to allybea for her support. It definitely makes it a lot easier to run when you have such high quality backup - even though I admit that I may, on the odd occasion, not be very good at fully expressing my appreciation :)

A distinct lack of blogging

It must be about 2 weeks since I last blogged, which to be perfectly honest is not very good. I get a bit hacked off when I go to look at someone's blog and it is just the same story from the last time I visited - so there really isn't any excuse. In case you think I am a boring person who hasn't done anything, I'll try and give a very quick round up of what has been happening since my last post.

Sunday 4th May - son no 3 and I went to Liverpool for the Liverpool v Manchester City game, as a birthday treat for son no 3. It was a great day and a fantastic experience. Liverpool won 1-0 which pleased no 3 son greatly. It was a 5 hour drive back up the road in terrible weather, so given it was a 4 o'clock kick-off we didn't get home till close to midnight. Tired for a few days afterwards.

Wednesday 7th May - the Troon 10k. It was a hot night, but that was really no excuse for my disappointing time of 39.39. John K ran something like 38.47 (I thought he would do better than that as well) to go 3-2 up in our series - a series I had been leading 2-0 in the middle of February. Not good.

Friday 9th May - night out in the office. Decided to forget about the last train and treat everyone to a fantastic rendition of Robbie's 'Angels', using a TV remote control as a microphone. It didn't seem such a good idea the following day, what with my splitting headache and realisation that the taxi home had cost a fortune.

Saturday 10th May - didn't attempt the 20 mile Tour of Strathearn run I had been planning. Instead did a gentle and slow 8 mile run on the local back roads, which was a hard slog and more than enough.

Tuesday 13th / Wednesday 14th May - in Belfast for a UK Sports Cabinet meeting. It must be at least 10 years since I was last in Belfast, and the place has changed beyond recognition. It seems like a great city, and the hotel we stayed in was brilliant, with fantastic views over Belfast Lough. I hope to go back for a holiday sometime.

Thurday 15th May - completely gutted to read the Subversive Runner's blog and find out it has all been made up. Wife No 3 doesn't even exist! (Just kidding Dave - not gutted at all - your ex partner's comments amused me greatly).

Friday 16th / Saturday 17th May - 2 day WHW training run, from Balmaha to Bridge of Orchy on the Friday (with an overnight stay at Bridge of Orchy), then Bridge of Orchy to Fort William on the Saturday. 76 miles in 2 days. I'll write about it in more detail tomorrow when I am not so tired.

Happy birthday

No 3 son is 10 today. He's a Liverpool supporter but has never seen them live, so as a special birthday treat we are going to Anfield tomorrow for the Liverpool v Manchester City game. He's really excited about it. John K was able to get tickets for us from his Liverpool contacts, which was absolutely fantastic. I'm just disappointed that Liverpool lost to Chelsea on Wednesday in the Champions League semi-final, as it might mean the atmosphere will be a bit flat - although I'm sure it won't detract in any way from No 3 son's enjoyment, or from the whole experience. Let's hope they cap a great day with a home win!

I was thinking earlier on about what I was doing in 1998. At the time we stayed in Troon, I ran with Troon Tortoises, and I worked in Glasgow. I was just about to attempt the West Highland Way race for the first time, just 6 weeks after the birth of No 3 son. In hindsight that was not great timing. I was nowhere near as well prepared as I am now, and dropped out at Tyndrum after 53 miles. Despite the disappointment I felt at the time it was still a great experience, an experience which set me up well for successful attempts in future years. It also gave me a great base for the rest of the year, and I ran PBs at both 5k and the marathon (17.41 and 2.56 respectively) in September of that year. Today these remain my best times for both distances.

The WHW race experience today is considerably different from 1998. In 1998 the race was organised by Jim Stewart, and had only 20 finishers - although the 20 did include Adrian Stott, Jim Drummond, Alan Kay, Jim Robertson and Pauline Walker who are all still competing today. Dario was a competitor rather than organiser, although still a great source of advice. There was no internet and no blogs, so almost all the training tended to be done on your own, without the chance to share experiences with and learn from other competitors - other than speaking to Dario on the phone. The race started at 3am, not 1am, which changed the whole way you needed to approach it. The route was rougher in quite a few places, particularly the section before Inversnaid where the path was not as well developed, and the section between Beinglas and Derrydarroch where you had to negotiate the riverbank for a short section. And fewer people had heard of the race, or knew anyone who had completed it.

Since 1998 we've moved house twice and I've changed job 4 times, with spells working in London, Edinburgh and Glasgow. Back then the 2 older boys were not even teenagers; now they are adults. Our old dog, Isla, was just a puppy. Despite the fact I've changed my first claim running club twice (from Troon Tortoises to Central to Strathearn Harriers), running remains one of the 'constants' over the last 10 years. I still enjoy it, still go to a lot of the same races and still see a lot of the same people, most of whom have slowed down a bit, but not by too much. The great camaraderie of the sport was there in 1998 and remains one of the things I love about running today, particularly the camaraderie amongst the ultra running community.

So what about my own running this week? Not much to report, to be honest. I did an easy 4 mile run on Tuesday and another easy 4 on Thursday, but both times I felt a bit stiff after last weekend's Fling, particularly around my groin. I decided to take it easy this week and make sure I recover properly. I'll try and do a steady run later this afternoon, then start to think about the Troon 10k on Wednesday night.

A Fling in the Highlands

Yesterday was the 3rd Highland Fling, a 53 mile race along the West Highland Way from Milngavie to Tyndrum. The records show that I came in 28th from 104 finishers, in a personal best time of 10 hours 28 minutes and 30 seconds. A more detailed account of the race is given below.

Pre race
I han't been feeling good all week, and had been really busy at work. So it was a bit of a relief to get up at 3.15am on Saturday morning and feel a lot better. I had a breakfast of macaroni and wholemeal toast (the night before's leftovers), had a final check of my bags which I had packed the night before, and then headed out at 4.10am to be picked up by Phil, Liz and Duncan.

We arrived at Mingavie at around 5.15am, and it felt like a running reunion - I seemed to know just about everyone there. After chatting to a number of friends I had a quick Muller rice, a visit to the nearby Tesco toilets, listened to the race briefing, and then we all made our way to the start under the bridge beside the station. I stood quite near the front, a couple of rows back from Jez, Lucy and the other speed merchants. John K was trying to hide a bit further back. Right on the stoke of 6am past winner Debbie Cox blew the starter's whistle, and we were on our way.

Section 1: Milngavie to Balmaha
I set off at what I thought was a comfortable pace, but all my time checks suggested it was fast: Carbeth in 33 minutes (normally 36 - 38 minutes), and the Beech Tree in just under the hour (normally 1.05 to 1.10). It therefore was no great suprise to get to Drymen and find the time a quite ridiculously fast 1 hour 43 minutes. Despite the steamy pace I felt fine, so headed on towards Conic Hill and Balmaha with no great worries. Conic Hill was miserable - Murdo M was at the top with a St Andrews Cross, absolutely soaking - but I descended reasonably well (at least reasonably well for me, given my hill descents have been compared to those of a big girl's blouse) and arrived at Balmaha in a time of 3 hours 3 minutes. Last year I reached Balmaha in 3 hours 10 minutes, and thought that was quick: this year was even faster. I just hoped it wouldn't cause problems later on. I was so far ahead of schedule that allybea almost didn't make it in time, arriving at Balmaha just a few minutes ahead of me. I stopped for a quick cup of soup and a visit to the toilet, and I was on my way again.

Section 2 - Balmaha to Rowardennan
Devil O' The Highlands record holder John Kennedy had been out for a training run, had met up with us a few miles before Drymen, and had waited for me as we left Balmaha. I ended up running with John all the way to Beinglas Farm. It was good to have his company. This section was uneventful - my watch showed it took me 1 hour 31 minutes from Balmaha to Rowardennan(total time 4 hours 37 minutes), but although that may sound a bit slow it did include a few minutes in the toilet at Balmaha. I met allybea at the Rowardennan car park, had a quick 5 minute break for some more soup, then headed off.

Section 3 - Rowardennan to Inversnaid and Section 4 - Inversnaid to Beinglas Farm
Not really a lot to say about either of these sections. I felt quite good on the way up to Inversnaid, and arrived there in 1 hour 23 minutes (total time 6 hours 5 minutes). I was still a full 8 minutes ahead of my previous best time. A quick stop for some cold beans and Lucozade sport, then on to the wet and slippy section up Loch Lomondside. This is never my best bit but I just worked away at my normal pace, arriving at Beinglas Farm in 7 hours 45 minutes. It is fair to say I was a bit grumpy here, and was not at my most civil with my long-suffering backup team. In my defence I was probably starting to feel a bit tired.

Section 5 - Beinglas Farm to Tyndrum
My grumpiness lasted for about 15 minutes after leaving Beinglas, before the food began to kick in and gave me the boost I needed. By the time I reached Derrydarroch Farm I had cheered up and was going quite well again, and I met allybea just at the point where the WHW goes under the A82. I grabbed some more soup and took my back-pack for the first time, so I could carry a bit more food for the final section. I've had problems in the past with cramp in this section, so wanted to be sure I had plenty of food in case it was needed.

As I was running along the filthy, muddy section just before Crianlarich, I tripped and fell. What a bummer. Not only did I cut my hand, but I landed in one of the muddiest section of the entire West Highland Way - in fact possibly one of the muddiest in the whole of Scotland - a piece of land where cows regularly trample and where the local farmer is rumoured to drive his quadbike to make it as unpleasant as possible for walkers or runners. I was filthy but fortunately did no damage to my legs. A quick wash in a nearby stream and I was on my way again.

I continued reasonably well up, over and down the hills around Crianlarich, and reached the A82 again after 9 hours 45 minutes. I was looking good for sub 10 and a half hours. I felt fine as I passed Auchtertrye Farm, but with only a few miles to go I began to feel the onset of cramp. My solution was to throw a combination of chocolate milk, ready salted crisps and jelly babies down my throat, perhaps not the best combination when your stomach is not at its best after running 51 miles. It was no great surprise when the whole lot made an unwelcome re-appearance a few minutes later, and I was left to walk/jog into Tyndrum trying to keep the cramp at bay. I just about managed, although it did cost me quite a bit of time, and I arrived at Tyndrum in a time of 10 hours 28 minutes and 30 seconds.

I was quite pleased with my run and with my time. It was faster than last year, and I felt I had quite a bit left in the tank when I got to the finish - or at least I would have had a bit more left in the tank once I had eaten some more soup, which would have stopped my legs cramping. All in all I had a relatively comfortable run - if you can be comfortable after running 53 miles - in what were fairly pleasant running conditions. Bring on the full WHW race on 21 June!

However I do have to be honest and admit that my time looks very pedestrian compared to some of the incredible results achieved yesterday. Thomas, Hugh, Phil, John, Brian and Davie all came in under the 10 hour mark - outstanding performances from each of them. Tim finished in a fantastic 10 hours 47 minutes, and picked up the first supervet prize into the bargain. Ellen not only organised the race with Murdo, but finished in an excellent 11 hours 51 minutes. Incredible perfomances all round.

Finally, a word of thanks to Murdo, Ellen and everyone else involved in the organisation of the event. I thought everything about the race was first class. Putting on a race of this nature for around 150 people is no small task, and it is a great credit to everyone involved that it all went so well.

Tour of Strathearn - now that was tough

I'm trying to build up my mileage now we are into April, so today's session was a 20 mile run around the 'Tour of Strathearn'. This run was first shown to me by a few of the Strathearn Harriers, and it is an absolutely brilliant route, with a bit of everything: some roads, some hills, and some trails. You can start at any point, as it is a circular loop, but today I started about a mile north of the Famous Grouse Experience, and headed south in a clockwise direction. I went through Crieff via a number of paths and trails, then headed up on to the hills on the south side of the town along a track that eventually comes out at Auchengarroch Wildlife Centre. The paths here climb quite a bit for about 4 miles, with some incredible views of Strathearn from the top, before dropping down steeply off the hill and into the wildlife centre. I ran past a few ducks and other strange looking birds, then followed the road for 2 miles into Comrie. So far so good - in the first 2 hours I covered 12.8 miles, although the hard bit up and over the hills to Loch Turret was still to come.

And hard it was. I was running into a strong wind, there were a number of steep hills (mostly up), and I was getting tired. It was a real struggle all the way to the reservoir, and then I had the best part of 3 miles down a really steep road back to the car. My legs were shot by the time I got there, although the last section was covered at around 7 minute mile pace, entirely due to the steep downhill. The total run time was 3 hours 9 minutes, and the distance per my GPS was 20.4 miles. I managed to get out the car at Somerfield (although it was a bit of a struggle), picked up a few bottles of beer, then headed home for an easy night in front of the television. What a glamorous and exciting social life I have - I spend my Saturday nights reading running magazines, watching a bit of televsion (usually the sports news), or sitting blogging. Who said accountants were dull?

Finally, a note to the subversive runner http://www.subversive-running.blogspot.com/ , who is a big boxing fan. I was thinking about watching the Calzaghe fight later tonight, but I don't think I'll be able to stay awake that long as I'm shattered after my run, as explained above. However we do have Setanta Sports, which is showing it live at 2am. As well as the boxing, Setanta covers Scottish and English football and US Tour golf. It's only £9.99 a month and, even better, you don't need to sign up to an annual contract. I would go for it.

My thoughts on the Highland Fling

Here's my thoughts:
The distance: it goes without saying, but 53 miles is a long, long way.
Weather: the last 2 years were roasting. Hope it's cooler this year.
Race organisation: I'm just loving Murdo's amusing email updates on the race. The 'international' competition is brilliant.
Start time: I know the 6am start makes sense, but getting up at 3am on a Saturday morning is barking mad.
Pre race toilets: how on earth did Murdo persuade Tesco to let 150 nervous runners use their toilets? Incredible.
Race pace: 8 weeks isn't a lot of time to recover before the WHW race. So maintaining a steady pace is vital.
Race history: assuming I finish, I'll be one of only 6 people to complete all 3 Flings, which means I'll be a race legend. What an honour. Pity I didn't remember that last year when I was in agony with cramp above Crianlarich.
Food: I need to remember to get gels, Muller rices, beans, and Lucozade sport. Hopefully allybea will bring soup and coffee.

So there you go. That's it. No videos or in depth discussion from me :)

Bridge of Orchy to Fort William

It is only 2 weeks until 'The Highland Fling' (a 53 mile race along the West Highland Way from Milngavie to Tyndrum) and 10 weeks until the full WHW race. That means I need to get some decent long runs in, so yesterday I decided to do the 35 miles from Bridge of Orchy to Fort William. Much to my delight my wife allybea very kindly offered to come along to provide support and backup. As we set off for Bridge of O conditions for running looked quite good, although there was a chill in the air for most of the day and the hills were covered in snow.

At Bridge of Orchy I was getting ready in the car park and spotted WHW legend and ex record holder Kate Jenkins heading through Bridge of Orchy and up the hill towards Inveroran. It turned out Kate had started at Tyndrum and was running to FW with her dog Ben. We must have been running at fairly similar paces throughout - allybea saw her at most of the stopping points and reckoned she was between 5 and 10 minutes in front. I finally caught up with her at the Braveheart carpark, just before FW.

In general my run went very well. I reached Kingshouse in 2 hours 3 minutes, despite a lot of faffing about in the first few miles when I changed out of my tracksters and into my shorts, put my jacket on then took it off again, put on my buff then took it off again, and so on. The only other problem in this section was a bout of sickness immediately after taking a salt capsule. This has happened a few times now, so I think I'm going to ditch the capsules and try something like salty crisps instead.

At Kingshouse I stopped for 9 minutes for a quick cup of allybea's excellent home-made soup, then headed off to Kinlochleven. I arrived at Kinlochleven in 3 hours 59 mins, had a 10 minute break for some more soup and a Muller rice, then left for Lundavra. I made good time on this section - I think I arrived at Lundavra after about 5 hours 36 mins then stopped for a drink of chocolate milk, before setting off for the final 7 miles. I covered this last bit in 1 hour 12 minutes (what would I give to run at that pace in the race?) and arrived at FW leisure centre after a total of 6 hours 51 mins. I was quite pleased with that, particularly as I felt quite comfortable throughout and didn't ever feel I was pushing too hard. And my legs feel ok today, another positive sign.

We gave Kate a lift back to Tyndrum and had the usual superb fish supper from the Good Food Stop. All in all it was a first class day's running, with a few useful lessons/reminders:

1. It is a lot easier doing these long runs when someone is there to support you. Not only does it save you carrying all your food and spare kit, but it is great to have the company.
2. I need to ditch the Succeed capsules. There is no point in taking something that makes me sick. I'll just need to make sure I get enough salt from my food and drink.
3. Chocolate milk is really good. I'm going to use it in the Fling and the WHW race.
4. Although it can be a pain stopping to put on a jacket or take it off, it is worthwhile taking the time to do it - it means my body temperature stays at the right level, so I don't get too hot or too cold. However I need to take a bit more effort atthe beginning to set off wearing appropriate clothing.
5. Although it is nice to have company, there are definitely benefits to running alone rather than part of a group. When you are running on your own you can do your own thing: if you think the pace is too fast then you slow down; if you think it is too slow then you speed up; if you need to stop to go to the toilet then you just stop.

Well done to all those who did the London Marathon today. Hayley Haining from Kilbarchan had a great run, setting a new PB of 2 hours 29 minutes. Unfortunately she finished about 40 seconds behind Liz Yelling, so will probably miss out on Olympic selection. It would all be different of course if there was a Scottish team in the Olympics. Of the WHW family (or those who aspire to be in the family), I've noticed from the early results that Marco did 2.48, Neal did 3.10 and Debs 3.31. Brilliant performances from all 3, and many congratulations to them all. I almost wish I had been doing it myself...

Heaven & Hell half marathon

Wow!!! What a fantastic race! As the name suggests this one isn't easy - in fact it is probably one of the toughest half marathons I have ever run. But what a brilliant course, particularly the steep climb up to the half way point, from where you can see Dundee and the full Tay estuary, and then the 2 mile long, continuous climb between 8 and 10 miles. Just as I thought I had done the hard bit in getting to the top of the hill (without walking or crying), I had to battle into a strong wind for the last 3 miles down the other side. As Frank Sinatra would no doubt have sung - my kind of course - one where there was absolutely no chance for the fast guys to use their sprinting prowess, but instead were expected to battle away like the rest of us.

So, the stats. I finished 16th in 1 hour 33 minutes and 25 seconds. Quite a bit slower than normal, but times weren't hugely relevant on a course like this. Having said that Paul Arcari from Kilbarchan won in an incredible 1 hour 13 minutes, taking 6 minutes off the previous course record. Second was Alastair Morrison from Garscube in about 1.18 - not a bad performance from someone who had finished 2nd in the Dunbar 10k yesterday, then jumped into his car and headed to Livingston where he ran the last 10k leg for Garscube in the National Road relays. 3 races in 2 days - nutter. He'll be doing the WHW next. And a note to all those who have accused me of being a dour b*gg*r - and there are many - I was having such great fun today that I actually smiled every time someone took a photo of me. I'm just hoping no-one snapped me when I wasn't looking :)

Finally, there has been some interesting banter on John K's blog between my wife allybea and Thomas, who is running the WHW race this year for the first time. I've stayed out of the discussion so far, but just wanted to say that I completely agree with allybea, particularly about the WHW race being a personal challenge for each and every participant. I know John and Thomas will agree with me in hoping everyone performs to the best of their ability on 21 June and achieves their personal goal, whatever that may be: whether it is to finish before the 35 hour cut-off, or to finish in a particular time. John and I have had a great and friendly rivalry over the last year, and I am sure this has helped me record times I did not think possible a few years ago. I hope it has helped John too, and that by sharing our experiences we are helping Thomas, Marco, Debs, Davie, Tim, Neal and everyone else whose company I have enjoyed on the various training runs. If I had a choice of recording a time of 20.59 in this year's race but finishing behind John, or recording 21.15 and being in front of John, I would take the 20.59 every time.

Feeling poor, but hopefully better now

I've not felt great this week. I've been very tired and lethargic, so much so that I set out on Tuesday night for a 6 mile run and abandoned it after 2. Because of that I decided to have a couple of running-free days, and went to see my physio on Thursday for a leg massage. Last night (Friday) I did an easy 5 miles over some forest trails near Crieff with Lucy, my younger dog, and was pleased to feel reasonably good again. So hopefully I'm back to normal, and ready to begin the serious phase of training for the WHW race. To test this out I plan to do the Heaven and Hell half marathon at Perth tomorrow, a race which has been described as "one of Scotland's hardest half marathons". The previous year's results certainly suggest it is tough - I reckon most of the people I know were about 10 minutes slower than they would be on a 'normal' course. Still, I'm looking forward to it, and plan to treat it as a good hard training run.

Last Saturday I did part of the WHW run with the gang. I couldn't do the full 42 miles from Tyndrum to Fort William because I had a dinner in Edinburgh at night - not sure I would have wanted to do 42 miles at this stage of my training, to be honest - so I ran with the group for 12 miles, then turned round and came back on my own the same way. When I reached Bridge of Orchy on the way back and was waiting to cross the road, I was surprised that all the traffic seemed to be slowing down before it reached me - until I realised that my bright yellow luminous jacket probably made me look like a policeman from a distance. It kept me amused for a few miles :)

When I heard how quickly the gang had run the 42 miles, I was even more pleased I had not done the full thing. The times were between 7.20 and 7.35, which is incredibly fast for that section. Around this time last year I ran the Bridge of Orchy to FW section in about 7 and a half hours, and it takes around an hour to run from Tyndrum to Bridge of Orchy. The pace last week would have killed me.

Review of the first quarter - a mixed bag

Today is 31 March, the end of the first quarter of 2008. In the 13 weeks of the year I've run 523 miles, an average of just over 40 miles a week, compared with my 519 miles for the same period last year. I'm sure the purists/pedants would point out that this is a leap year, so there was actually one day less in 2007, but the main point is that I've run very similar mileage. I've completed 7 races: some good (the Inverness half marathon, the Nigel Barge 10k and the national vets cross country), some average (the Lairig Mor and the national cross country) and some not so good (the Dumfries marathon and our club's new year handicap). I dropped out of the Livingston cross country.

So it's been a bit of a mixed bag so far, with my running lacking any real consistency. I suppose that was inevitable: I have been really busy at work since starting a new job at the end of November, and have been even busier since taking on the interim chair of sportscotland role in February. On the positive side, work and the sportscotland role have been great, and I'm hanging on in there with my training for another West Highland Way race - even if I am struggling to keep up with some of the 'young turks' (and some not quite so young turks) who are going to the regular training runs.

As ever, the next couple of months are going to be crucial in the WHW build up. At the end of April there is the Highland Fling, a 53 mile race from Milngavie to Fort William. In May I'm planning on doing a 2 day run from Balmaha to Fort William with a few of the guys, then do the Stornoway marathon the following week. Before that it is the Troon 10k, probably my best chance this year of getting that sub 38 minute time.

I was through in Edinburgh yesterday for the World Cross Country championships. It was a great event, a fantastic showcase of distance running, and quite incredible to see the speed some of these guys (and girls) can run. The conditions - wet, windy and muddy - should have suited athletes from the northern hemisphere, but the African countries dominated all 4 races. The best British finisher, Liz Yelling, was 15th in the Senior Women's race. With the noteable exception of Paula Radcliffe, it is obvious that a huge amount of work is required if British (and European) endurance runners are to compete again successfully at the very top level.

Dumfries marathon

Today I ran the Dumfries marathon in 3 hours 19 minutes and 5 seconds, finishing 19th. I've run faster (not least my 2.59 this time last year at Zurich) but at the end of the day I can't really complain about my time - I've also run slower marathons on more than a few occasions. My legs were really sore after about 10 miles today. Don't know what the problem was, but I couldn't get in to a fluent stride pattern at all - so I was quite pleased at being able to dig in and still get below 3.20, especially as I have been busy at work and with sportscotland stuff over the last couple of months. But that sounds a bit like making excuses, and as I said on an earlier post (and which David Waterman reiterated on his excellent blog http://www.subversive-running.blogspot.com/ ) there is no point in making excuses when it comes to our running. I did the best I could, and felt really strong at the end, passing the first lady with about half a mile to go. Hopefully that augers well for the West Highland Way.

That's me up to 61 marathons and ultras (45 marathons, 16 ultras), although that pales into insignficance compared to Steve Edwards, who passed me today around the 11 mile mark on his way to completing his 450th marathon. He finished today's race in 3.10 and I think his average time for all his marathons is 3.18. An incredible athlete. More details about Steve are here: http://www.ebrington.com/blog/tag/marathon (or else put Steve Edwards into Google and see what comes up).

Finally congratulations to Troon's Charlie Martin (one of my ex clubmates), who passed me today at the 17 mile marker as though he was out for a 2 mile sprint. Charlie took 5 minutes out me in the last 9 miles, and finished in an impressive 3.14. I tried to stay with him, but he was motoring and just pulled away. It's looking good for his Zurich Ironman in July.

My recent medical

Before I start this post, I just wanted to highlight an anonymous comment on my posting of Wednesday 5th March, where I was bemoaning the fact that I never appear in myRace magazine. According to the man (or perhaps woman) who didn't even have the b*lls to leave his (or her) name, "the truest characters of ignorance are vanity, and pride and arrogance.” I'm not 100% sure what this actually means, or how it relates to my posting, but as I am just about to write something that will inevitably sound arrogant I just thought I would mention it upfront. And if I could take this chance to pass on my own words of wisdom to the anonymous poster: "to leave abusive anonymous comments on someone's blog is the act of an ignorant tosser".

Anyway, to my story. I'm trying to take out an insurance policy at the moment, and the insurers insisted that I go for a medical before they were prepared to take me on to their books. After arriving at the hospital I had to have the few hairs on my chest shaved (and it is still itchy - glad I don't need to shave my legs on a regular basis), and various devices stuck to my chest. I then had to walk at what was described as a brisk pace on the treadmill for 9 minutes while my heart rate and various other things were recorded.

It wasn't particularly difficult. After 9 minutes the lady doing the test looked at her readings and asked me if I would mind doing a further 3 minutes at a much higher setting. That was no great problem, although I did sweat a bit more at the higher tempo. I then had to lie still for a few minutes while various other readings were taken.

After about 10 minutes I was called through to see the consultant to discuss the results. My resting pulse had been measured at 40, which he described as 'remarkable'. He also told me that one of their standard tests was to measure the time it took for the heart rate to return to 100 after the initial 9 minutes of walking. In my case my heart rate hadn't ever reached 100 - the maximum it had reached was 92 - which was why I had been asked to do the extra 3 minutes at the higher setting. Even then it returned to 100 within 50 seconds, a result that the consultant described as 'amazing'.

My point here is not to highlight how wonderful I am - which I am sure you all know anyway, including Mr (or Mrs) Anonymous - but to point out what a difference running makes to our level of fitness. We all know this intuitively, but it is very reassuring to have it confirmed by an objective fitness test. So the message is clear. Keep running - it's good for you. And if you take out an insurance policy, ask for a discount in the premium to reflect your considerably higher level of fitness (and consequently lower level of risk to the insurance company) than Mr and Mrs Average. They will almost certainly refuse, but it will give you a great chance to brag to someone else about how fit you are :)

Lairig Mor race

Yesterday was the annual Lairig Mor race, a low key event organised by Lochaber Athletic Club. The route starts at Mamore Lodge above Kinlochleven, joins the West Highland Way path after about a mile, then follows the WHW route all the way into Fort William Leisure Centre. The total distance is 14 miles.

I did this race last year for the first time and really enjoyed it. It's a good chance to have a fast run on the last section of the WHW - by the time I get to this bit during the race I've already run 80 miles or so, and am normally starting to feel a bit tired. To add to the excitement John K was running as well, so it was a 'counter' in our own race series. The pressure was on - although before giving you the result I should point out a few small things. I had run a hard half marathon at Inverness last week. I have a full marathon next week. I was suffering from a stinking cold. I had been away on business for a few nights during the week. I had also been out at a number of dinners. I had eaten a bacon roll just 3 hours before the race. The weather was too sunny and made it hard to see. I didn't do a proper warm up. The path was too stony. I was wearing new shorts which I wasn't used to. I hadn't drunk enough water before the race. Apart from that I felt fine, and wouldn't want anyone to think I was making excuses.

As you may have guessed already, John hammered me. To be honest I was pleased enough with my time of 1 hour 49 minutes and 8 seconds, which was about half a minute faster than last year and included a 2 minute stop in the middle of nowhere to deal with an urgent 'call of nature'. (Incidentally I just hope it rains heavily in the next few days and washes it all away. I wouldn't want any WHW walker to come across it by mistake). I ran with John for the first mile before watching him pull off into the distance. No problem, I thought: plenty of time to pick things up in the middle and later sections of the race. The gap between us got wider and wider, and after 4 miles or so he was completely out of sight, never to be seen again. At the finish I discovered he had finished in the superb time of 1 hour 43 minutes and 7 seconds, a full 6 minutes in front of me. The man is on fire at the moment. Thomas was even quicker, finishing very high up the field in 1 hour 38 minutes. So now it's back to 2-1 in my series with John, with the next event being the Highland Fling on 26th April.

Inverness half marathon

I don't have a lot of time to blog tonight, but just a quick note to say that I ran today's Inverness half marathon in 1 hour 24 minutes and 30 seconds, finishing in 59th place out of 1,053 finishers. I ran very well and was delighted with my time, which was 15 seconds faster than last year. Kim ran 1.25, Simon 1.27, Tim 1.33, Anne 1.45, and Kate 2.01. Full results can be found here at the race website:
www.invernesshalfmarathon.co.uk

Congratulations to a number of friends who had PBs at the Balloch to Clydebank half marathon - Marco (1.16), John M (1.24) and Debbie (1.42). Well done to you all.

Finally well done to Scotland on their superb 15-9 win agaist Engalnd yesterday in the RBS 6 Nations. We were there, and while it may not have been the bet game of rugby ever played, it was hugely exciting and great to see a Scotland win. All in all it's been a good weekend.

A new myRace - will I be in this time?

A new myRace magazine is out - will I be in this time? I very much doubt it. Bookies were offering better odds on Celtic beating Barcelona in the Champions League. Still, I'll trudge up to my local running shop tomorrow to buy the March/April edition, more in hope than expectation. No doubt I'll look through all the pages carefully, only to be disappointed once again and feel I've wasted another £3.50. I've heard that I'll be quoted in Debbie's bugbears article, but it's just not the same as being in a picture. I'll let you know if I'm wrong, but suffice to say I'm not holding my breath.

I had to laugh

I entered 'London Marathon' on Youtube to see what came up. The very first entry was called 'Flora London Marathon 2007' and had been described by the person posting as
"A hopefully inspirational video about the 2007 Flora London Marathon and a recognition of what makes it great".
All very serious and worthy stuff, until someone left the following comment. I've quoted it word for word, so apologies for the poor spelling:
"pease of piss try ultramarathons hard as hell ".
Although I appreciate that it isn't clever to leave comments like that, it did make me laugh :)

Are we obsessed with targets?

Are we, the running community, obsessed with targets? Surely not! But....

My mileage wasn't great in January - new job, rubbish weather, various other excuses - so at the start of February I decided I would like to run 200 miles in the month. The month started off very well: I managed to get quite a lot of running done in the first 3 weeks, including a couple of long WHW runs, so it looked as though 200 miles would be no problem at all. Last week's National XC champs reduced my mileage a bit, but hey, it was a good quality workout and well worth doing, so it shouldn't have given me any problems.

Anyway, by last Sunday I had run 180 miles. There were still 5 days to go. Reaching 200 miles should have been "shootie-in", to use the old Scottish expression. However, there were a few potential pitfalls on the horizon. Wednesday - a board meeting; likely to last all day. I'm always tired after these board meetings and don't particularly feel like going out for a run. Thursday - a dinner at night at Celtic Park, and a lunchtime meeting. Getting a run in might be tricky. Friday - an awards lunch. I would have liked to be able to have a few glasses of wine, wind down towards the weekend, and not have to worry about running at all.

Well, the week started badly and I didn't run at all on Monday. I can't really remember why- think I had a lunchtime meeting and at night I was working until late, so I just ran out of time. 20 more miles were still required. Tuesday was better - despite the 70 mile per hour winds I forced myself out a run after work, up and round Arthur's Seat. At one stage I had to look at the wall to make sure I was actually moving forward, so strong was the wind. Despite that I did 10 miles, so only 10 to go. Wednesday - as predicted, too tired after the board meeting. No run. Mileage - 0; 10 still needed. On Thursday I only had three quarters of an hour to do anything at lunchtime, but forced myself out for a 3 mile blast round the Meadows. Although I would have prefrred to do more, I quite enjoyed it, and felt it was a hard and worthwhile session (miles 2 and 3 around 6.30 pace, if anyone is interested). But still 7 miles to go, and only a day to do it. My plans for the relaxed lunch were not looking good.

And so to Friday. I went to the Finance Director of the Year Awards Lunch, but nursed a single glass of wine for the entire meal. Admirable self control, if I may say so. In case anyone is wondering, I didn't win the FD of the Year award, but in my defence I should point out I am no longer a Finance Director, and haven't been one since November. I wouldn't have wanted the publicity anyway. But I digress. After work, while others were heading out to Edinburgh's pubs, clubs and restaurants, I stuck on my running stuff, headed through Bruntsfield, Morningside, past the Kings Building at Edinburgh Uni, back down through the Grange, round the Meadows, and back to the office. No prizes for guessing the mileage - 7. So I reached my target of 200.

In many ways I think this is quite sad. Would it really have made any difference if I had only done 193, or even 199? When I got home last night I was greatly amused to read Tim's blog and find an article called 'Stupid Bl*&dy Targets'. It's at http://whw08.blogspot.com/ Have a read - it gives details of Tim's attempts to reach his 200 mile target in February. It shows that I'm not alone in setting targets, and there are probably more target obsessed nutters out there than we care to admit.

I should finish by mentioning my run today, as it was superb. I did a 9 mile loop which starts and finishes at the house, but incorporates a good number of the local hills, including a 2 mile climb to the finish. Despite my usual steady start, I did the full run in under 7 minute mile pace, and felt really good. It was the first time this year I have run in shorts, apart from races. Am I coming in to a bit of form, just in time for next week's Inverness half marathon?

2-0

For a bit of fun John K and I are having a wee competition this year over a number of races. Yesterday was the second race in our series, the National Cross Country championship at Falkirk. I had won the first event (the Nigel Barge 10k at the start of January), but John has been training well since then and probably went into yesterday's race as the slight favourite. However favourites don't always win (just ask Chelsea, ha ha), and although I didn't mention it to John beforehand, I was hoping my national cross country experience might work in my favour: yesterday was my 15th National XC, while John had not run one before.

At 12k the National is the longest cross country race of the year. Each 4k lap is a challenge in its own right, but seems to get more difficult as the race goes on. I started well and felt good throughout the first lap, and was not concerned at all to be a few places behind John as the first lap ended. I passed him not long into the 2nd lap, just at the muddiest part of the course, and by the end of that lap I was still feeling good and had opened up a lead of around 20 seconds. Unfortunately the 3rd lap was horrible. I had a bit of a stitch, really struggled on the tough windy section over the golf course, and was passed by quite a few people who I had hoped to beat. I had very little left in my legs as I crossed the finish line in a time of 48.31. Despite my last lap woes John wasn't able to close the gap, and finished about 25 seconds behind. 2-0.

The results came out today and show that I finished 213th from 398 finishers. For the second year in a row I have failed to achieve my goal of a top half finish in the National XC. Disappointing, but no great surprise. It just means I'll have to keep it as one of my targets for 2009.

Training or racing?

Back on my soapbox again. This week's blogs (Marco, pacepusher, Thomas, John) have been full of comments about the 'race' last week from the Drovers Inn to Kingshouse - loads of comments about beating so and so, finishing in x position, and so on. I raised this before in a previous posting, but I'm not sure anyone paid the slightest bit of notice. So I'll raise it again and see if I get a reaction this time:

1. We are still in February.
2. The race does not take place until 21 June, almost 4 months away.
3. IMHO one of the benefits of the long training runs are to get replicate race conditions. I did Saturday's run in 5 hours 36 minutes. In last year's race I was 6 hours 50 minutes for the same section, and finished in 21 hours 11 minutes. So last Saturday I was not replicating race conditions.
4. I've checked back at the 2000 race results (it's the only one I have to hand). Wim Eskamp ran a new record that year of 16 hours 26 minutes. He covered the section from Inverarnan to Kingshouse in 5 hours 15 minutes - slower than quite a few people ran the same section on Saturday.
5. Which means a few people were running faster than 16.26 race pace. Did they appreciate they were running that quickly?
6. Running 95 miles is quite different from running 31 miles. We are training for a 95 mile race, not running a series of WHW races over shorter distances.
7. Over the years I've seen many runners who were in great shape in March but then picked up injuries. Many didn't make it to the start line; others did but underperformed.

Of course, everyone has their own training plans which need to take account of their personal circumstances. There are many different ways to run this race successfully, and I would never presume to tell people that one way was better than another way. There are almost as many training theories as there are runners. Some of the group will have realistic expectations of a 20 hour performances, and will find Saturday's training pace very easy. Others will find the pace comfortable for 30 miles, but may struggle as the distances increase.

So in summary, I'm not trying to tell anyone how to train, but I just think we all need to be quite careful about how we approach these long training runs. I'll certainly be having a good think about it, and suspect I'll give the 29 March long run a miss. I have a marathon the week before, and in any event I feel that March is a bit early in my training programme to be doing 42 miles. I'll also be treating the Highland Fling Race on 26 April with a bit of caution - a 53 mile race is a tough undertaking in its own right, and it only leaves 8 weeks recovery time until the full race.

Having said all that, I'll be giving it everything tomorrow at the National XC. Particularly if I see John K just in front with a lap to go :)

Falling

Anyone remember 'The Bluebells'? They had a few hits, including one called 'I'm Falling', which went like this:

I'm falling down again
I been falling on down again
I been falling on down again
Falling on down
I been falling on down again
I been falling on down again
Falling on down

Why am I telling you this, I hear you ask? Unfortunately it sums up yesterday's run only too well. We ran from Beinglas Farm to Kingshouse, a total of 31 miles. After 19 miles, as we approached Bridge of Orchy station, I hit a stone and as Debbie so eloquently describes on her blog, went "ar*e over elbow". John's description is a bit more pastor-like: "Ian had a nasty fall along this bit". They were both right. It was bl**dy sore. I scraped both elbows, both knees, underneath my eye, and was covered in muck. Fortunately there was no lasting damage, unlike my last serious fall in 2002 when I fractured and dislocated my shoulder. On the negative side I'm going to look some state when I go into work tomorrow with a black eye.

Anyway, I picked myself up, gave myself a bit of a clean, and ran the remaining 12 miles to the finish. It wasn't my best run ever, and I felt the pace was a bit fast for most of it. I did the route in 5 hours 36 minutes - in last year's race it took me about 6 hours 50 minutes, so it shows how hard we were pushing. Maybe that's why I tripped.

Other blogs describe yesterday's run a lot more positively than I have. Lesson to self: you can't run brilliantly every week. I'm just hoping this was my bad week, and it all comes right at next week's National Cross Country.

National Old Gits Cross Country Championship

Yesterday was the National Masters and Mistresses XC championship. To take part you needed to be an old git (over 35) and be a member of scottishathletics. As I am both I thought I would give it a go. No-one else from Strathearn Harriers fancied the long journey to Irvine Moor, so I was the club's sole representative. That took the pressure off a bit, and meant I could just run round and enjoy it.

Of course, it didn't work out like that. I started off at a sensible pace, but half way round the first lap I began to get a bit twitchy about a few of the people who were in front of me. That kept me working, and I'm pleased to say I caught all of them on the 3rd and final lap. To Erwin, Connell, Robert and Hugh: many thanks - you dragged me round. And I loved passing you all, even though I didn't mention it at the time :) My times for each lap were quite consistent, and my strength from some of the recent endurance work meant that I passed a lot of people on Lap 3. I finished in 99th place out of 198 finshers, scraping into the top half of the field by the skin of my teeth, in a time of 39 minutes and 53 seconds. It was a good performance. My only regret was that John K had not entered, as I think that I was running well enough to have beaten him and go further ahead in our series. Never mind - roll on the National XC at Falkirk in 2 weeks time. John, I'm ready for you :)

This afternoon I went out on my own and did the 'Tour of Strathearn'. It's supposed to be a 20 mile run from Crieff, up and along the hills to Comrie on the south side of the main road, then up and over the northern hills back to Loch Turret, and back down the hill to Crieff for the last 5 miles. I got a bit lost early on so added an extra mile, which meant I did 21 miles in total. I could have done without that extra mile with a few to go, I can assure you. Anyway it's a cracking run, and I wonder if we should do it as a WHW training run in a couple of months? Perhaps we could do it twice, making it a tough 40 miler? Guys, you would all be very welcome and I'm sure allybea would provide us all with coffee at the end (as well as a pair of stripy socks for Debbie). Just accept that you might have a bit of a wait for the shower :)

Running with the fast guys

On Friday I bumped into Liam, who told me that a few of the guys from Central were planning on doing a long run on the WHW on Saturday. Perfect, I thought - I had planned to do a 20 mile run on my own, so to do it with a few others would be so much better.

What I hadn't taken into account was the fact that all the Central guys were quite fast, and it would be a sprint for more or less the full 19 miles. We started out at Milngavie at 10am, and 1 hour 42 minutes later arrived at Drymen. Had it been the race we would probably have been in the lead - my previous fastest to Drymen was about 1.52. We continued at a 'challenging' pace all the way through the forest to Conic Hill. As we got near the top of the hill, the drop in temperature meant that the slush had turned into ice, and the mild rain had turned into a snow blizzard. I put my foot in a deep puddle, and both calves cramped. For a few seconds it was agony before it loosened off. After that it was a really struggle making my way down the steep slope into Balmaha car park, trying to avoid the ice, and I was pretty relieved to get down (slowly) without further mishap.

Although I was a bit stiff last night, I felt good this morning and took the dog for an easy 5 mile run. It was then on to Murrayfield for the rugby. Scotland lost 27-6 to France. Despite the result it was an excellent day, and we enjoyed the hospitality to the full.

Lucy is 3 today

Lucy, my younger labrador, is 3 today, so happy birthday Lucy. Before anyone asks we didn't name her after Lucy Colquhoun, the WHW ladies record holder - we didn't know Lucy Colquhoun then and I just liked the name.

After a few days of moaning about sore quads, and trying to work out if walking in high heels really did make them feel better (I'm kidding, honest, but it was a good tip Debs), I managed to get out a couple of runs yesterday and today. Last night was windy, with a capital 'W' (which means it was Windy I suppose, rather than windy :). A few times I thought I was going to get blown over, or hit by an escaped wheelie bin, but I made it back safely having done a 6 mile loop round Edinburgh's south side. Today I did a more gentle 4 mile run along the Union canal. I'm beginning to feel like a runner again.

Tomorrow, weather permitting, it's a 20 mile on the WHW with some of the guys from Central (Milngavie to Balmaha is planned), hopefully followed by a run with the club early on Sunday morning. Then it's off to Murrayfield on Sunday for the Scotland v France match. Should be a good weekend.

More publicity for everyone - except me

I mentioned a couple of weeks ago that I was never in myRace magazine. Well, it's getting worse. I opened my new edition of Runner's World to see a big photo of Debbie in an advert for some adventure race. And then, to add insult to injury, it turns out Tim is featuring on the new Loch Ness Marathon application form. I've done every one of the 6 Loch Ness marathons, but no photo of me. Ridiculous.

My quads are really sore after Saturday's long run and I've been having trouble walking down the stairs. I did a 3 mile jog after work tonight, in an attempt to loosen them off. Not sure it worked, but at least I managed to do it without too much pain - although the downhill sections did hurt a bit. I think it might be time to give Trevor, my physio, a call, and get a decent massage.

30 miles on the WHW

T'was the last Saturday
Of the month of January
That meant it was time to play
Once again on the West Highland Way.
(Anon - but a tribute to Robert Burns, given the date of the run)

Yes, another WHW training run. Another cold, miserable day. At least the rain, which had fallen constantly for the previous 48 hours, finally stopped a few hours before we were due to start running, and stayed away for most of the day. 13 brave WHWers (plus 2 even braver people who were prepared to provide support) set out from Drymen for the 30 mile jaunt over one of the most difficult sections of the route, aiming to reach Beinglas Farm and the Drovers Inn before darkness fell.

To cut a long story short, we made it. I would even suggest that we all enjoyed it. It took us around 6 and a half hours. Highlights included seeing some baby goats, the coffee at Rowardennan (which Mags provided - fantastic - many thanks), seeing an incredibly impressive waterfall at Inversnaid, the soup at the Drovers, but most of all the chance to enjoy some great chat and companionship with a truly superb bunch of people. There were also some lows - I tripped and fell at a section between Rowardennan and Inversnaid (but didn't damage my new top, thank goodness), Neal injured his knee and had to turn back, and we had to wade through some puddles where the water was about a foot deep (although that was quite good fun to be honest). The wonders of modern technology mean that the day is recorded in glorious technicolour on John K's blog http://www.west-highland-way-race07-training.blogspot.com/

I have to admit to one big mistake, however. I thought that I was taking part in a training run, and that the actual race was taking place on 21st June. From the various comments that have appeared subsequently I now appreciate that this was an error. It was actually a race and everyone wanted to beat me. If only I had known :)

I'm getting old

I'm 42 today. I'm getting old. For my birthday I received a pair of angling socks. I've never been angling before, but I plan to go now and will wear my new socks. Thanks allybea x

For the first time in ages, I went out a run and - wait for this - actually enjoyed it!!!! I only did 4 miles round the centre of Edinburgh after work, but felt really good. It was blowing a gale and was a horrible night, but that didn't matter - I felt great and ran at a good pace. Hopefully whatever bug I had in my system has now left, and I can get on with some proper running again.

Back out running again

Just a very quick post for 2 reasons: first to thank everyone for their concern following my rotten run on Saturday, and second to say that I had a couple of rest days on Sunday and Monday, then went out for a gentle 5 mile run at lunchtime today. I just took it easy and felt ok - not brilliant, but ok. The first run back after a few days off is always hard, so I'm not that concerned. I'll try and get out again tomorrow.

The next long WHW training run takes place on Saturday. It's a 29 miler, from Drymen to Benglas Farm at the top of Loch Lomond, with around 20 expected to run. I'm looking forward to it.

A big horrible DNF

Yesterday I had a DNF. For those who don't understand the terminology it stands for 'Did Not Finish' - the runner's equivalent of the 'no return' at golf. It happened in Livingston, at the 3rd and final East District Cross Country meeting. I didn't feel too great in the morning, but did a reasonable warm up and felt ok as I lined up on the start line. After about 45 seconds of running down the hill, I knew something wasn't right. I just had no strength in my legs at all, and felt a bit light headed. I persevered for most of the first lap, watching more and more people come past me and not being able to do anything about it, but as we got to yet another hill I realised it just wasn't going to be my day. I stopped and stepped off the course. A DNF. My first for many years, but a DNF nevertheless. All very disappointing.

I came home and felt completely shattered, falling asleep on the chair as I tried to watch the Newcastle v Bolton match. So what was the problem? Probably a combination of quite a few things: I suspect I'm carrying a bit of a bug; I made a complete hash of my pre-race eating (didn't have enough); and I was tired after a very busy week at work. In hindsight I shouldn't have gone to the race at all, but it is always easy to be wise after the event.

I didn't do any running today, taking the dog for a long walk instead, and I'll probably leave it a couple of days before running again. Better to be cautious now than to risk greater problems further down the line, I think.

Racing with a hangover

Thought I better post more frequently, lest I get other critical comments on my blog about the lack of activity :)

Saturday was the Strathearn Harriers new year handicap race, a 4.5 mile slog up and down some of the biggest hills in Crieff. Unfortunately Friday was a big night out in Edinburgh. I started Friday night with good intentions - "I'll just have a few glasses of wine with my meal and take it easy, cos I'm running tomorrow" - but by the time the malt whisky came out those good intentions had long since disappeared. I made the last train by a whisker - funny that, as I thought I had loads of time - then shared a few more whiskies on the train home with a complete stranger. Not good. By 11 o'clock on Saturday morning, just before the start of the race, my ambitions had lowered from winning the race to simply getting round without being sick.

If you look at the results on the Strathearn Harriers forum, you will see that I came towards the back end of the field, 10th from 13 participants, in a none too clever time of 32.31 (or so it says - my watch time was actually 32.13. Maybe the time recorder was as hungover as I was.). I wasn't sick, although it was close at a couple of points. I also had the pleasure of seeing all the fast guys fly past me, uttering their usual sarcastic comments along the lines of "keep going, you're doing well" and "not far to go". Normally I hate that, but on Saturday I really didn't care. I even held a gate open for the club's fastest man, which probably saved him (and cost me) a couple of seconds.

At least I learned something - lay off the drink the night before if you are racing the following day. And to think I had never realised that before :)

Why am I never in myRace magazine?

There is a Scottish running magazine called myRace. In general it is very good, focusing on the Scottish endurance running scene, with lots of race reports and photos. Debs, one of this year's WHW entrants, writes for it. Despite all this, I have a serious complaint to make about it. Why am I never in it? On Wednesday I bought the latest edition, the 13th. I've never been in any of the previous 12 but surely, I thought, I'll be in it this time? I read it from cover to cover on the way home on the train but guess what? Once again, to my great disappointment, I was nowhere to be seen. It's just not fair. Each year I run in something like 25 to 30 races, a lot of them covered by myRace, but I'm never in the magazine. Almost everyone else I know has been in it. There was a photo of Phil running the Stirling 10k in the last edition. Liz was in an earlier version running some obscure multi-terrain race near Forfar. The other Phil was in it doing the Stuc a Chroin hill race. But where am I? Nowhere. Why is this happening? Has the editor taken a specific policy decision that there will never be a photograph of me in it? Debs, I know you read this blog. I would appreciate if would you have a word with the editor about it and ask him to make sure I am in the next edition. Thank you. Rant over.

First race of the year

It's taken me 5 days, but I finally managed to do my first race of 2008 at the Nigel Barge 10k in the west end of Glasgow. Reasonably pleased with my 38.56 over the hilly course, particularly as I finished 40 seconds in front of arch rival and fellow WHWer John K. That's 1-0 in our year long challenge - I'm looking for revenge for my 3-2 defeat last year..

Fun in the snow

Yesterday morning it started snowing in our area, and it has snowed more or less non stop ever since. This means that the snow on the moor is now up to the top of my wellies, and the dog is at serious risk of getting lost in it when we are out a walk. It also means I've not be able to do much running. Fortunately I took the chance on Wednesday, before the snow arrived, to go up to the West Highland Way and do a 20 miler. I ran from Inveroran Hotel (which I noticed is celebrating its 300th anniversary this year - quite a while for a hotel to be around) to just beyond the Kingshouse Hotel, and then back. It was a great run - not surprisingly there were very few people out on the route - and I ran hard, covering the 20 miles in 3 hours 17 minutes, including an 18 minute coffee stop at Kingshouse. I saw a red deer at Kingshouse as well as a few people who were checking out of the hotel after their New Year break. Kingshouse must be a great place to spend the New Year - Highland hospitality at its best, I would imagine. Maybe we should do it some year.

Anyway, back to the snow and the running. If I can get the car out of the drive tomorrow, I'm planning on going to the Nigel Barge 10k at Garscube in Glasgow. John K is doing it as well, so a hard, competitive run is guaranteed. On his blog John reported that there was snow in Paisley - see if you can spot it his photo: http://www.west-highland-way-race07-training.blogspot.com/ John, I have to be honest and say I laughed when I saw the picture, particularly compared to allybea's pictures of the snow here :) http://www.allybea.blogspot.com/ We lived on the south west coast of Scotland for 13 years, and in all that time I think we had snow twice, melting by lunchtime on both occasions. We're making up for it now...