Cateran Trail Race in doubt !!??

Only joking !! but below is a picture I took today of the Cateran Trail Race start line when I was up opening the snow gates in Glen Shee -

If the winter keeps going this way I don't think it will have thawed by 21 May !

On a separate note I went for a 16 mile run to try and kick start my training last week in the Loch Ordie area near Dunkeld. It went well, with no aches or pains, but I did develop a mad craving for sausage rolls during the last couple of miles, so had to stop off via the bakers in Dunkeld on my way home. 

Training has now been halted due to all the snow, but I have purchased a turbo trainer so hope to get some miles in on my bike. A turbo trainer is a much safer option than bike rollers, and for those that missed Marco's attempts on rollers that was recently posted on Deb's blog, then click here to see it - absolutely fantastic (Debs - I hope it's not copy writed, but I figured the more people see it the better !).

A Slow Start

I decided to get off my backside on a recent trip to Aviemore and did my first run since August  ln Tuesday - wahay !! It was only a little over 4 miles, and rather embarrasingly I found it a bit harder than I thought I would, but it was a circuit around Loch an Eilein, so the scenery was fantastic -

Loch an Eilein, castle in the foreground, snow covered Braeriach in the back

The next day was a snowy ascent of Cairngorm, the snow was right down to the car park and we passed a few hopeful people carrying snowboards up the hill. It was a cold, crisp, clear, beautiful day and the summit cleared of cloud just as we approached, giving awesome views. The descent was a blast running straight down, through the snow, it only took about half an hour. The following day, after a stormy night, it looked like most of the snow had been scoured off the mountain by the wind - the ski centre may have to wait a bit longer.....

On the summit of Cairngorm

WHW 2011 - Here I come !

Not had much to write about recently, mainly because I haven't run a single step since August - Ooops !! But I usually have a big chunk of the year off in the autumn, so not really been missing it.

Bought a new bike on the cycle to work scheme so been getting out on that quite a bit -

For those interested it's a Van Nicholas Mistral frame & fork with mainly Ultegra components with a few FSA bits. It's made of titanium, which is pretty much indestructable,  so in theory this should be the last bike I ever buy.

Received an e-mail today from Stan Bland of the WHW organising committee confirming that I have a place in next years race. I don't normally really start training for the race until the New Year, but I'd really like to give 2011 my absolutely best shot, so I guess I should get off my backside and start gently pretty soon. The thought of getting back into race shape is not one I'm particulalry relishing !!

Club Hill Race

Tonight saw the running of the Dundee Road Runners annual hill race. As we are primarily a road running club the hill race is not too demanding, basically a lap of Auchterhouse Hill, a few miles to the north of Dundee,

The route

It was a beautiful night with some cracking views from the top and turn out was pretty good - maybe about a dozen of us - we're not a big club ! I'm pretty unfit just now so the initial climb hurt quite a lot but I got to the summit in 3rd place and that's where I stayed till the end. It felt a lot more that the 2.2 miles with 530ft ascent, I think wy finishing time was around about 18mins 10s and I got a Bounty bar at the end which made it all worthwhile :-)

The "Duggan Machine" does it !

During this years WHW race Peter Duggan ran past me on hills a couple of times and I called him a 'machine', well this weekend he pretty much confirmed that when it comes to hills - he is. Pete ran the Ramsay Round a 56 mile (poss longer) loop which takes in 23 Munros and 28,500ft of ascent over Saturday and Sunday.

The Ramsay Round Route

A few weeks ago I offered to help Pete by running as a pacer during his attempt. He had 2 others pacing, a friend of his Jon Gay and Richie Cunningham the winner of this years WHW race. After various permutations on how best to tackle the route a midday start on Saturday was decided upon. I met Richie and we travelled up to Pete's friend Noel's place at Torlundy for the final preparations then it was down to Glen Nevis for the start. Traffic was abysmal so instead of the midday start we had planned, it ended up being a 12.10pm start. The midday start had been preferable as that's when Charlie Ramsay started his initial 23:58 run and Pete had his splits so it would have been easy to compare, as it stood we would just have to subtract 10 off everything.

Jon, Pete, Richie & me

I took the 17:50 train from Spean Bridge then had  leisurely walk in to Craiguaineach Lodge and waited. I wasn't alone though, I had a billion midgies to keep me company ! Pete and Jon almost took me by surprise, arriving at 20:20, well in advance of when I expected them, they were both looking strong and were in good spirits.

From there we headed up the long shoulder of Beinn na Lap into the mist. I was quite surprised by the speed of the ascent, the pace was unrelenting with Pete and Jon certainly not acting like they had been going for 9 hours.

Approaching the summit of Beinn na Lap

As we descended Beinn na Lap it got dark so time for headtorches then a big haul back up Chno Dearg, during which Jon announced the sole was coming off his shoe. Thankfully I had some duct tape with me so at the summit we had a brief stop and Jon was able to make some running repairs (pardon the pun!)

Summit of Chno Dearg

Pete and Jon were about an hour up on Charlie's time by this stage, but the next few miles were to be frustrating and tough. It was dark and misty up there and we had to really concentrate with the navigation to get to the top of Stob Coire Sgriordain, which we did eventually but probably lost 30 mins. The descent down to the dam at the north end of Loch Treig was torturously slow as it was steep rough ground, but we got there eventually. I know Pete found this loss of time annoying, but on the plus side if they hadn't got it already in hand then the leg would have been much worse.

We met Noel and Richie at the dam and had a refueling stop, Pete and Jon seemed in good spirits and the addition of Richie to the team would probably inject a bit of pace. I toyed with the idea of leaving with Noel here but I felt pretty good so decided to go over the next 2 tops then leave.

About 10 minutes into the climb up Stob a Choire Mheadhoin I was ruing my decision to continue. The pace of ascent was phenominal considering how long they had been going and I was struggling just to keep up. We climbed the 850 metres and 5km in 90 minutes and by the top I was beginning to flake. I had been concentrating on bringing food for Pete and Jon that I had overlooked my own requirements, a few sweets from Richie at the top gave me a wee boost which took me over to Stob Coire Easain and from there it was a treacherous descent into the Lairig Leacach.

Everyone knew that this was my bail out point, my job was done, so they went on ahead , the glow of their headtorches disappearing in the mist. I'd put trail shoes on and they were not the best on this terrain so I just took my time doing down the slope. It was such a relief to hit the track, especially when I looked up at Stob Ban which I knew the other 3 were now climbing, there's no way I could've gone up there.

By the time I was on the track it was day light and I now had a very pleasant, early morning, 6 mile run back to my car. As I came down the hill towards Spean Bridge I could see a blonde lady with a dark coat on standing looking out at the view. A bit strange I thought at 5:30 in the morning, but there was a tent not too far away so maybe she was from there. As I got closer she didn't move even though she must hear my feet scuffing on the track. This is what the 'lady' turned out to be -

I think if it had been dark when I had come across I would have wet myself, he was quite spooky in that still morning.

On getting a bit further down the track I looked back and saw that the Grey Corries were now clear and basked in sunlight. I knew the runners would not be far away from getting there and hoped they could make the most of the clear tops.

Early morning sun on the grey Corries

All the way down the track I'd been longing for a can of Irn Bru so when I got back to my car I headed in to Ft William and bought 2 cans which were downed immediately. Then it was back to Noel's where I had a shower then sat down to look at the paper, the next thing I knew it was 9:30am and I was waking up on the sofa.

I'd received a text at 8:30 from Richie saying that Jon had gone on ahead as he was flying, but Pete was on the summit of Aonach Beag and it would be a bit tight. All we could do now was wait, so Noel and I headed down to the finish at the Youth Hostel. Within half an hour of getting there we could see the black clad figure of Jon racing down the mountain, past the throngs of walkers. He crossed the finish in 23hrs 7 mins. I could tell it was bitter sweet for him as he was delighted with his time, but felt guilty at leaving Pete, even although it had been done at Pete's insistance.

Jon had given it his all

Now the time ticked by, would Pete make it ? It was agonisingly close. Through the binoculars Noel spotted someone with white shorts descending, but it wasn't Pete. Where was he, time was running out it would be awful to go through all this and not make it. The he hoved into view. We reckoned that from the point we could see him was about 20 minutes running time to the finish, but there was only 20 minutes to go. The Jon pointed out that they'd actually started at 12:10 so there was really 30 minutes to go ! From that point it was in the bag and Pete made it home in 23:50.

The happiest man on the planet !

Pete and Richie had become separated in the mist on the ascent of Carn Mor Dearg and Richie came home about 10 minutes later looking like he'd been out for a wee Sunday morning 3 miler.

Having had time to reflect on the weekend I am at a loss to know how these guys managed to do what they did. They were so strong for the whole Round, obviously there were lows, as anyone who does endurance events is only too familiar with, but they just kept marching on. I only ran 24 miles and climbed 8,500 ft, they ran over twice that distance and climbed 20,000ft more that me and pretty much dropped me 16 hours in to their run ! I hope in some part it was down in some part to me not having run a single yard since the WHW race - but I doubt it. One thing I can comfortably say is that I will never attempt a Ramsay Round. WELL DONE !!


PS - It has just dawned on me that there are no pictures of Noel on either my blog or Pete's. He played crucial role and his hospitality was exceedingly generous the way he opened up his house to us all. So here he is (2nd from the right in case you're wondering!) -

Post Race Musings

Now that I've had time to reflect on this years race there are a few things that I learned that I want to record so that next year I can read this post as part of my race prep, there's no point going through something like this and nor remembering any of the many things learned along the Way !! So I'm going to bullet point them - 

- Stay positive, you've done the training and the race probably won't be as bad as you expect. This year I had no real lows and felt good most of the day. Staying relaxed helps this which bring me on to ...

- Take it easy. Don't get caught up in the mass rush at the start. I was deliberately last over the line then stopped in Mugdock park for the loo, meaning I was on my own in the dark for this bit. I was 31st at Rowerdennan and 20th at Auchtertyre, you need to save something for the 2nd half, and I normally make up a lot of positions in the section.

- CRAMP. There are a few things I can do to tackle this ever present menace, so I'm just going to have to assume it will hit me at some point and develop a plan to deal with it.

   1. Drink enough. Despite it being pretty hot, my weight stayed constant from Auchtertyre to the end. I was drinking a lot but drinking on thirst, so it was pretty safe and not excessive.

   2. Try salt tablets. Marc gave me a couple and they seemed to work.

   3. Bananas. I was force fed these, but in managaeble quantities. A 3rd of a banana every stop is easier that forcing down a whole one twice during the race.

   4. Compression shorts. They might help with hammies and quads. I now have a pair of Skins so will try them out, nothing to loose (except £35 !)

   5. Massages and stretching in the months leading up to the race. This year I only had one deep tissue massage, but last year I had several and felt they really helped. Also Gaynor kept telling my to stretch, I must confess I was telling her that I was, but wasn't really !

- I need to find a food that I can palate later on in the race. I had wee boiled potatoes which I enjoyed early on, but they got difficult later - maybe mashed next year ? From the Ski Centre I was struggling for any sort of apatite. Ironically there were energy bars that my mum had brought in the car, but because they were a last minute thing their presence hadn't really sunk in so my brain, so I'd forgotten about them, just like the energy drinks she had brought, which would have been a refreshing change from Lucozade.

- Don't stop - walk with my support wherever possible. Jamie Aarons did this and it was pretty effective. She wouldn't really stop, just keep walking and eating / drinking. And since I didn't need to sit down this year I could have done the same. It was quite incredible to see how much distance she could put on you when you stopped and she kept walking - 18 seconds maybe ?

- Walk in to Kinlochleven. The slope is so bad that walking the steep bits will not make much of a difference and might just safe the quads for the last 13 miles.

- Remember the sign that says Braveheart Car Park 3.2km is ABSOLUTE NONSENSE,  what idiot put that up ! Every year I look at it and it drains any enthusiasm I have at that point. The car park is only about 4 mins away.

- Music. I had my ipod with me this year, but it was in the car. I don't like trail running with earphones in as i like to soak in everything around me but the right track can give me a really big boost in training. If I was near the 20 hour mark again it might spur me on, so have music not just for the end, but as it takes up so little space and weight it would be handy to help endure lows at any point.

- First Aid Kit. Don't let the half of your support team that are leaving immediately after the race take the first aid kit ! The Sunday can be a very long day if you don't have access to the various strappings, tape and lotions that you so desperately long for.

- Post race massage. If having one (and I believe these help recovery a lot) then make sure the towel is out from under your knee before you roll over !

- Monthly mileage. For 2011, following a lot of comments on the subject of my low training miles, I plan to try and increase my monthly mileage. Don't know how I'll get on with it, because if I'm honest I'm pretty lazy and whilst I really enjoy the big long training runs, I really struggle with motivation for the smaller 10milers after work.

So there we have it, points learned from this years race. Who knows how next year will go, but I won't be able to blame forgetting about how I did this year. 

There are of course variables outwith my control i.e. the weather. People said this year was tough with the sun and strong northerly wind, but if I'm honest I didn't really find them a factor on the day. I don't think was running fast enough for the wind to adversely effect pace in the way it would on a 10k, and I didn't find to too hot, in fact some places were chilly, borne out by the fact I didn't change out of my Helly Hansen thermal top all day !! But it would be a different kettle of fish if we have the sun without the wind, or rain like we did yesterday. The joys of running in Scotland ...

Knee Shakedown

Today I gave my knee its first test since the race and spent the day hillwalking. I was a bit concerned about how it would stand up so we did a circular route from Glen Doll that had bail out options. We did 4 Munros covering 17 miles in about 5.5 hrs. I was wearing big clumpy Scarpa Manta boots so there was only the odd wee jog downhill as I didn't want to push it, but I can report that apart from the odd wee twinge the knee gave me no problems. It seems that the 3 weeks of relative rest has worked. Hopefully I'll get back out running on it again in the next day or two.














The route

It was a beautiful day and the route we took passed just to the south of Lochnagar on the 1 year & 1 day anniversary of Dario's passing. I was working frantically at T in the Park yesterday so didn't mark the occasion like others with a whisky but did so tonight with a dram from a bottle I was given on my 21st (yeah, I know, only a couple of years ago) which I save for special occasions.

It was a relief to find that my knee was much better than I thought it was going to be as I have volunteered to be a pacer for Peter "The Machine" Duggan's attempt of the Ramsay Round on the weekend of the 24th / 25th July. Pete has 3 pacers lined up, the first Jon Gay, I don't know, but he appears to have a not too shabby 1hr 52min Ben Nevis time. The third is a chap called Richie Cunningham, then there's little old me - gulp ! Hope I don't hold him back.

The goal for the (insane) 24 summits, 56 miles and 28,500 feet of climbing is to break 24 hours, which I'm sure Pete will manage. I'm really looking forward to helping him on the way and getting a good day out on the hill with it. Fingers crossed for the weather.

2010 Race Report

My preparation for WHW '10 had gone a lot better than the previous year, my training mileage had increased, I was injury free and I was feeling pretty good all in all.

My memory of the 2009 race is clouded by the last couple of miles when I felt dreadful, so to remain in a positive frame of mind for this year I had to keep telling myself that the other 93 had been pretty good, plus I had done an appalling amount of training and that year had not really run with a single person from Rowerdennan almost 70 miles yet still managed 21 hours 1 minute, so 2010 should definately be better.

I tapered well - quite easy to do when you're lazy, and only had a couple of easy runs the 2 weeks before the race. I didn't really waste any nervous energy getting worked up about the race and found it quite easy not to think too much about it. That had the benefit of keeping me calm, but on the downside it did mean that even by the Thursday before the race I'd not done any preparation. So a frantic trip was made to Tesco to buy goods on my way to work, then I did a late shift at which I was delayed and didn't get to my bed until 0400 hours, but slept till lunchtime on the Friday, meaning that my body was slightly better acclimatised for the ordeal ahead.

I had a race plan of going out really slowly and trying to maintain a constant pace. I had learned my lesson on the Fling where I went out far too fast and paid for it. I remember reaching the finish line in that race and thinking there's no way I could run another mile, let alone another 42, and my Fling time this year hadn't been far off my Tyndrum split the year I went under 20 hours so that was a bit of a worry. 2009 had taught me that you can have a bad Fling but still bounce back for mid-June. Looking back I feel the "not thinking about the race" tactic definately reigned me in and kept me calm at the start.


Prologue

This year my support plan was for my sister Gaynor to support me on the first half of the race to Auchtertyre then my friend Jamie and his wife Elaine take over. As it turned out Gaynor showed up at my house with my mum in tow. Mum had decided that she was going to do the support role from the start this year. Each year she does a little more, in 2008 she appeared at Lundavra, 2009 at Auchtertyre so I think in 2011 she might actually run it herself - go Moira !!

We arrived at Milngavie train station about 2300 hrs and parking was already at a premium. I registered, got my goodie bag, was weighed (83.5kg) then it was time to hang about until the 0030 hrs briefing. I took time to speak to a few people in the car park, had a lood catch up with Phil Tipping who wasn't running but supporting Ian Beattie. He was telling me about Ian's intriguing plan to only take water and Complan during the race ! I 've not seen Ian since so don't know how he got on.

Also saw Karen D who looked relieved to be running a race and not organising one. She was with George Reid who unbelievably had run the day before to the start from Ft William - madness ! And of course had a quick chat with John K who was looking very relaxed and feeling pretty good about the race.

As always time in that car park went pretty quickly and before I knew it the briefing was over and we formed up at the underpass. Instead of a minutes silence for Dario, we had a minutes applause, which I felt was a much more fitting gesture, especially at the start of 'his' race.

This year we had a countdown which we'd never had before, in fact on previous years I've never even head the gun / whistle / hooter or whatever's been used to start the race. I was right at the back with Mum and Gaynor and as last year was the last person over the line - did it take me 18 seconds to cross it ?!


















The Start (photo © Flip)

Spectators lined the whole length on the pedestrianised area then bang, we were in the dark of Mugdock Park.


Milngavie - Rowardennan

As soon as I was in the park a reasonable distance I needed a toilet stop. As I was already near the back of the field I watched in frustration as everyone elses head torches disappeared into the distance and suddenly felt very lonely. Once I was running again I kept telling myself to take it easy and keep it slow. I know from previous experience that too many people go off far too fast so seeing head torches away in the far distance at this stage didn't phase me at all, I was pretty confident of catching them in another 50 miles or so !

The danger of being at the back is that you start to pass slower runners and I think this can probably subconsciously confuse & increase your pace as you pass. So again I had to hold myself back and run my own race.

It always surprises me how quickly the field spreads out and by Carbeth I was on my own. Running down to the old railway line that passes Glengoyne Distillery I heard an unmistakable scouse tone say hello, it was John K. I ran with him for the next wee while and we discussed how we both planned to run the race. The conversation we had still makes me chuckle as we both planned to take the first 50 miles easy then hoped to be strong in the second half. Only aft ultra runners would have this sort of surreal conversation, normal people just don't talk like that !

I always feel a bit guilty about Beach Tree Inn, Mum and Gaynor, like all previous support crews had made the effort to get there, find a parking space, get bits and pieces out the car , and as usual I run through without stopping - I do appreciate it honest !

About a mile after Beach Tree John stopped to meet his support crew and I carried on, I was sure I'd see him again at some point. I then fell in with a group through the really annoying bit with all the gates. As we approached the road at Gartness I found myself running next to a short stocky bloke who was puffing away heavily as if he was belting out a 10k. I wanted to tell him my rule of thumb, that if your running so fast you can't hold a conversation then your running too fast, but how do you tell a complete stranger how to run. He was never going to make it at that pace, I've no idea who he was or how he got on.

My head torch was off about 2 miles from Drymen, which was a relief as I'm not that keen on running with it. I had planned to be at Drymen in 2 hours and not the 1hr 39min I'd done in the Fling ! In both my previous races I'd been there in 1hr 58 min, this year it was 2hrs 3min, but I wasn't worried.

I slowly inched nearer a group over Conic Hill then passed them. I was finding that as I passed people I felt that I was going too quickly, but I had to keep telling myself to run my own race and that I had no idea who these people were and what type of race they were running. It was a beautiful sunny morning by now as I walked off the hill as per usual and was joined by an older chap, who made the mistake of running off in the Fling so joined me in the walk.

Into the chaos of Balmaha car park, I had half a banana, some malt loaf and a change of water bottle. I didn't stop, Gaynor just walked through the car park with me. Then it was off again onto my favourite leg along Loch Lomondside.















Sunrise at Balmaha © Fiona R - shows just how good the weather was

As the road at Milarrochy came in to view I could see a couple of people in front, one was the long blonde pony tail of Debs MC, the other chap I was to later learn was Dave Troman. Again I caught them up at a glacial closing pace and ran with them through Sallochy. Debs cheekily pointed out that by this point (about 20 miles in) I'd doubled my monthly mileage !!

I think I went past Rosie Bell at the wee bunkhouse beside the bridge then plodded on towards Rowerdennan. It was about half a mile out from the checkpoint that Pete Duggan went past me, running up a hill, I remember thinking to myself "that guy won't last if he keeps running up hills" - how wrong I was !

I had a very quick stop at Rowerdennan arriving there in 4hrs 52min, 10 mins down on my 2008 sub-20hr time. I remembered to take my head torch off this time as I'd been running with it on but not using it since before Drymen - muppet ! But I felt really comfortable and was confident with my pace. Another half banana forced down my throat by my support, a muller rice and more malt loaf, it was a very quick stop, which I was happy with, then it was off again on to the never ending stage along the lochside. Ben Glas Farm, and my next rendezvous with my support seemed a long way away....


Rowerdennan to Auchtertyre

Debs must've just looked at her food, if she had any at her checkpoint, because as I set out from Rowardennan she was miles in front of me again. On the long incline after Ptarmigan Lodge Pete Duggan went past me again. I don't know how I'd describe his gait, I'm sure many have tried, it's not a walk and it's not a run, a plodding shuffle ? Anyway it's effective and he ran past me up the hill in the company of another who was running the hills that I think was Dirk Verbiest.

I arrived at Inversnaid at 07:20 am, I normally faff about there, but this year was much slicker, top up water bottle remove packaging from food and off, eating on the hoof. Went past a few people there who had stopped including one chap that was being patched up by the MRT.

I had come out of Inversnaid behind a group of 4 runners but soon found them a bit too fast so left them to get on with it. Although by the time I'd got to Doune Bothy I'd caught and passed them. I arrived at Ben Glas Farm and met Gaynor & Mum who force fed me another banana in an effort to stem any cramp, a change of water bottle then off again.

I felt great in contrast to how I'd felt there at the Fling, I can sometimes toil up Glen Falloch but this time it presented no problems at all. The last 2 years this stretch has been broken up by meeting my team at Derrydarroch or the old A82, but this year those points were banned so it was another long stage to Auchtertyre. As I walked up an incline Pete Duggan ran past me again showing no signs of flagging, it was quite impressive and I passed the comment that he was "just a machine on the hills"

Just after Derrydarroch I encountered 3 calves, 3 cows and a bull walking up the path in front of me. The bull wasn't bothered but the cows seemed a bit edgy if I got near the calves they held me up a good bit as it took me quite a while to get past them.

I ran easily along the track above the A82 remebering how I had been unable to even run the flat bits during the Fling a couple of months before. This gave me the confidence that the slow start meant I was getting my pace right this time.

I don't like Ewich Forest, it seems never ending and all looks the same to me so it was a relief to get out of it. As I headed towards St Fillans Priory I was Jamie & Elaine in their car. I thought they'd come to see me but were lost so Elaine got an awful fleg when I wrapped on the window ! I cruised into Auchtertyre feeling good in 9hrs 56min, and was now 11 mins up on my 2008 time.


Auchtertyre to Glen Coe

I was looking forward to my baked tattie at Auchtertyre, but this year there was none ! So I made do with my own salted boiled potatoes. My weight had gone down to 80kgs, but was well within the limits. Jamie and Elaine had arrived to take over the support role and in previous years I'd changed to my road shoes here but this year I kept my trail shoes on.

I'd planned to have a decent stop here, in 2009 I'd stopped for an age, but in the end I didn't need it so after no more that 5 minutes I was off again.

As I approached Tyndrum Debs was in front of me again - how had she done that ! ? Turns out she didn't stop at Auchtertyre and was stopping in Tyndrum. It was at this point that I was first aware of Marc Casey who was running just behind me. I ran over the Fling finish line 5 minutes faster that my finishing time in April, back then I couldn't have taken another step, yet here I was quicker to this point, and feeling good. Isn't the human body a strange thing ?














53 miles in and my support finally take a photo ! Jamie leading Marc & I across the road at Tyndrum

I climbed out of Tyndrum alongside Marc Casey, but we were both concentrating on the climb, and didn't converse. At the top the full force of the northerly wind hit and suddenly Bridge of Orchy seemed a lot further away. Marc was slightly infront then suddenly turned round and suggested we work together to reach Bridge of Orchy. Given the exposure to the wind and the sight of the track winding in to the distance I was in full agreement. Neither of us would be aware at this stage just how long this partnership was going to last.

Just before the path passed under the railway I felt my first twinge of cramp in my hammies. Marc reached into his bumbag and pulled out 2 salt tablets which he willingly gave me and I gratefully accepted. The cramp didn't come back till much later.

We kept each other going which made the miles to BoO much more bearable. Even though it's a stupidly long race if there's someone just infront of you or just behind you can end up racing them and put yourself off your race plan, so it was a welcome relief to work with someone instead.

A quick stop in BoO, the obligatory half banana, change of water bottle then off again. Marc was right behind me and we climbed together. On this leg we were passed by a runner (sorry I don't know who) who had been joined by his wife and 2 young sons for the short haul over to Inveroran, it wasn't rally pacing, but I bet it gave him a real boost.

A final stop at Victoria Bridge and a refuel of the water bottle, we gave Marc some water, then it was on to Rannoch Moor. I'd had no lows by this point and really enjoyed the race thus far, so was kind of expecting to be hit by one soon and was sure if it was going to be anywhere Rannoch was it.














Here comes Rannoch ...

It's along haul on to the Moor, the climb is gentle but lengthy so Marc and I would pick a target then run to it, then walk a bit then run, etc. We crested on to the Moor and could see a handful of runners that we started to reel in. The first was Jamie Aarons who was running really well but going through a bit of a lull, so we forced he in to running with us and she kept going.

On the climb up from Ba Cottage we caught Dave Troman (I don't know where he'd got past us) then we caught "The Machine" who was also experiencing a bit of a low. The run into the ski centre is pretty rocky and unstable underfoot so maximum concentration was required. I arrived there in 14hrs 17 mins. I always feel that once Rannoch Moor is out the way I'm almost finished, daft I know 'cause there's still 25 miles to go, but it's a massive relief.














Who says men can't multi-task. Jamie doing support AND eating a cornetto - what skill !

Last year I stopped for around 25 minutes at King House, this year I still felt really positive so took my half banana, but was now starting to lose my appetite and couldn't really manage much else. My right knee had been hurting a little to I strapped it up at this stop and it didn't bother me again. After no more than 5 mins I was off with Marc again. Jamie Aarons hadn't stopped at all, eating on the hoof and was now a dot in the distance.


Glen Coe - Finish

The last 2 years I have struggled between Kings House and Altnafeadh, but this year it was no bother at all. As we ran through the Kings House I was surprised to see Jamie's mum and dad there, they were spending a couple of days in Ft Bill so had travelled down to watch. Support Jamie ran out to meet us & took requests I asked for some diorolyte to stem cramps as I could feel them brewing. A change of water bottle then off up the Devils Staircase. The name's a bit of a misnomer, it's not actually that bad and if you just keep walking it's over surprisingly quickly in about 25 mins.














Posing for the camera and "pretending" to run up the DSC.

It's a surprisingly long descent into KLL and Marc was struggling a bit here so told me just to go on. I felt a bit bad leaving him, but he'd been running well and was sure he'd catch me up. I caught Jamie A just after the path hits the track, it must be one of the steepest tracks in Scotland and it quite difficult to run down. With hindsight I should maybe have walked the steeper bits to save my quads.

On arriving at KLL, in 16hrs 41min I was weighed - still 80kgs, so must've been drinking enough. Another half banana, then off towards the desolate Lairigmor. It's quite a climb up from KLL but I just kept plugging away, passing Jamie A again then just kept putting one foot infront of the other. I was starting to feel a bit weary here, but nothing too bad. I heard footsteps behind me and expected to see Jamie, but it was Marc. So we found ourselves running together again in to Lundavra.

About a mile shy of the checkpoint we caught Sharon Law, or the "Gibbering Midget" as Debs MC so affectionately calls her ! She was struggling but as ever incredibly cheery and was still going to finish in a good time.

Lundavra was only a quick stop, then we were off. As Marc and I entered the Nevis Forest I knew I was in trouble and was hit with cramp. I think I was paying for the descent into KLL, whereas Marc who had taken a bit longer was still going strong. I was conscious that I was holding Marc back but despite my protests he insisted on sticking with me.

As we neared the exit to the forest Jamie A appeared behind us. I told Marc to crack on and thankfully he did - with ease, Jamie also glided past me. Despite it being all downhill to the finish I really toiled as my quads were just shot to bits. I'd been at Lundavra in 18hrs 33 mins and knew that in 2009 I had a bad last leg but ran it in 1hr 25min, so I knew getting under 20 hours would be close.

Unfortunately my quads were shot and as much as the rest of my body was willing I just could not push it any harder. As I got to the Braveheart Car Park I knew that I was not going to get under 20 hours, I'd started my stop watch at the begining of the race, but just couldn't bring myself to look at it, because I knew I'd be agonisingly close. With hindsight I wish I had it might've spurred me on.

Anyway Gaynor came out a couple of hundred yards to meet me and told me how close I was closer to breaking 20 hours than I thought, so I sprinted the last bit down the road and across the Leisure Centre car park.














The End is in sight

My time ? 20 hrs 17s .... I was GUTTED, to run for such a long time and miss out by such a small amount. I think I would have been inconsolable if I didn't already have a sub-20 under my belt. It was sooo frustrating !

I'd finished in a credible 13th place, out of an eventual 109 finishers, an improvement on last year anyway. Marc had left me for dead, finishing strongly in 11th place and a time of 19hrs 51mins.
















The Team


Post Race

After the race Mum & Gaynor, who had stayed the entire day, headed back to Dundee and I had my massage (see the entry on my recovery for the story there). In 2009 I had a Steven Redgrave moment when I said, no video, that I was never doing the race again. Whilst getting my massage this year Jamie asked the same question and this time I felt a lot more positive.

The last couple of years I had camped and wasn't doing that again so this year we had booked in to a hotel. Jamie's mum & dad came back to the hotel and the 5 of us had an Indian carry out in my room, which Jamie managed to spill most of over my bed. I managed a couple of drinks in the bar then it was bed. The hotel had kindly given me a room on the second floor, and there was no lift, so it took a while to get there !

The next day we went for a swim in the hotel pool which eased the legs somewhat then it was prizegiving. It's absolutely right that everyone who finishes should be recognised by going up individually to collect their goblet, and it was a nice touch to have the winner present the last placed runner with their goblet. I was surprised by the number of 'no shows', but maybe some people have long journeys home.

Looking back I really enjoyed this years race, I felt positive & happy throughout and amazingly had no real lows at all. I don't know if it was because I felt I was running well that kept me positive or if being positive made me run well - chicken and egg I guess. I definately think running with Marc for the majority of the second half helped, I'm sure he'd agree, it's just a pity we couldn'tve crossed the line together.

Definitely planning on running 2011 and hope yet to run the Speyside Way and River Ayr Way races later in the year to qualify me for the SUMS. I learned quite a bit during this years race and will post a 'Learning Points' entry in the near future.

Recovery Update

Firstly I'm still writing my race report and hope to have it on here in a few days, but I've already been saying that for a few days, so we'll see what happens. It's usually published around November time !!

This year my post race recovery's not been great and I still can't run. As expected the day after the race I had very stiff legs and between my toes was tender, although this hadn't bothered me during the race. I have previously used vaseline between the toes but that usually requires a couple of applications during the race. This year on the recommendation of John Kynaston I used Sudocrem, lashing it on at the start and did not require to reapply at all during the day. Top tip - thanks John.

All the above was expected and I knew would disappear after a couple of days, however I also had an incredibly painful right knee after the race. It hadn't really bothered me during the race, it's usually my left knee that gives me jip, and the pain was quite significant that if it had occurred during the day I'm sure it would have caused some discomfort during my run.

I've always accepted the offer of a massage at the Leisure Centre and believe this markedly reduces recovery time, however this year whilst lying on my back I had a rolled up towel under my knees then when I rolled over on to my front it was directly under my knee cap. My legs by this point were completely spent meaning that I did not have the strength to lift them at all. This resulted in my lower leg cantilevering out, unsupported and I think I may have hyperextended my knee slightly.

I've been managing to do a bit of cycling as that does not involve straightening my leg, but running is a no-no. It causes a sharp pain in my knee cap which I hoped would've gone away by now, although it is getting slowly better. It's really frustrating as I'd like to do the Speyside Way race in 5 weeks and the River Ayr Way Challenge in September, fingers crossed.

By the way, I've considered my running future and am 99% certain I'll be running the Big Race again next year - got the 20 hour demon to beat again !

A quick update

Ok, just a quick update if I can stay awake long enough, because now I'm home I'm pretty shattered. There were 163 starters according to the latest list and 109 people finished, slightly down from last years 122.

I ran well with no bad patches until the end when my quads went. I finished in 13th place, in an incredibly frustrating 20 hours 00 min 17s !!!!

I am now off to ponder my running future ......

Here we go ....

k, I'm about to leave the house in about an hour and head for the start, think I've got everything packed. Don't really seem to have much food this year, maybe I'm just being paranoid.

Despite the disappointing performance in the Fling I think I've learned from it and am feeling pretty good about the race. I plan to take it easy at the start, Drymen in 2 hours and not the 1hr 38min of the Fling - so I'll be keeping away from Marco !

The forecast is for clear skies tomorrow, with temps not too bad, about 8deg at 0700 hours, rising to 16 deg at 1600 hours. The wind could be a problem as it going to be northerly all day so we'll be running into the wind all the time. Gusts of 27 mph expected at the northern half of the route (nothing like the overnight conditions 2 years ago tho !). Here's what the Beaufort Scale says about a 27mph wind - "Large branches in motion. Whistling heard in overhead wires. Umbrella use becomes difficult. Empty plastic garbage cans tip over." On the positive side it will be quite cooling.

Don't know what to expect this year, training's been going better and even though last year was an hour slower that the previous year it could pretty much be put down to a leg at the top of Loch Lomond and an excessively long stop at Kingshouse, the rest of the legs were fairly comparable. So I guess I'd like to go under 20 hours again, but aiming for last years time is probably more realistic.

Good luck everyone !!

Well, that's it .....

My taper's been going well (i.e. I've been doing very little !!) On Friday I did my normal Ballo Hill run, taking 79mins but cut a couple of the hairpins, then yesterday I did 20 miles on the bike and tonight I ran a very, very gentle 7 miles in 58 mins.

My last couple of runs have been at a very easy pace as I have been trying to get myself in a relaxed running mode to prevent me going out too fast, my first year I went very easy and made up loads of places in the last quarter and that's the way I want to run on Saturday.

I may do a wee 2-3 miler in a couple of days but unlikely so here is my monthly mileage for the year. May looks a bit low, but my last big run just crept in to June. Either way I've run almost 3 times the miles for May & June compared to last year,that's because last year I only did 3 runs between the Fling and the Big Race (2 x 7.5ml & 1 x 43 mile) - what was I thinking !!

I haven't done ANY preparation for Saturday so the next couple of days I anticipate will be frantic, but I'm sure I'll find time to record some random ponderings and musings.

If not Good Luck to everyone taking part and to the support crews, your help is so much appreciated !

Revisiting an Old Friend

Today was my last big run before the WHW which isn't far away now. I planned to run an old Duke of Edinburgh Silver Assessment route that my school used to do, basically Killin to Aberfeldy. I've walked it many, many times as a pupil and supervisor and I remember my assessor reckoning the route could be done in a day. As a 15 year old taking 3 days to do it, it seemed absolutely impossible. Last year I ran it and took about 10 hrs 15 mins to cover the 45.5 miles.

Here's the route :-

As last year I planned to get the bus from Aberfeldy to drop me off in Killin. The bus left Aberfeldy at 6:50am and I just made it. The driver was Dave the same driver as last year, who remembered me from last year. The bus comes back to Aberfeldy picking up school kids so dreadlocked Dave is kinda like Aberfeldy's version of Otto the Busman from The Simpsons, i.e. a pretty chilled out, cool dude. We had a good chat and the journey was nothing like a bus trip, more like being given a lift from a mate. He even went out his way to drop me off at the start of the run - Cheers.

It was raining lightly when I started, but the big climb up to Loch Breaclaich kept me warm. It's part of a hydro scheme and the pipe between Breaclaich and Loch Lednock emerges above the ground for about a km, when we used to do DoE hikes up here it was a test of manhood to walk the length of it, which was alright until the last 100m when the ground drops away leaving the pipe about 50ft above the ground, with no handrails it was a test of nerve to cross it. We never lost any pupils though ...

It don't look much but the pipe's 6ft in diameter !

I arrived at Invergeldie, usually the end of the first day in a little under 3 hours. Then it was the big climb up Ben Chonzie. With it being a Munro this was the only place I saw people all day. The summit, where I stopped for lunch was bitterly cold so I was soon moving again ,down for the long slog along Glen Almond.

The glen was heavily populated with sheep but it seems that I finally got Cody trained, he did not need to be put on the lead once and showed no interest in the sheep at all, even when they were "danger close". What a releif, 'cause it is a major pain to run any distance with him on the lead.

A quick skip through Glen Lochan to Croftmill and the end of the 2nd day, which had taken me 3hrs 30 mins, and I was 32 miles in to my run. If you look at the map the next bit seems a bit daft, going round Loch Freuchie then coming back over the hill, but that's the way the old route went so I stuck to it.

I was going pretty well and it was good to get the climbing out of the way but I knew that the most awkward bit was still to come. I got lost after Loch Hoil last year and, despite a path showing on the map, its not there. So I took a few detours down firebreaks and accross tussocky fields which really slowed me up, it was so frustrating being so close to the end and not being able to make good time, but once I was at the Birks it was a simple run back to the car.

I covered the 45.5 miles in 9hrs 52 mins, by no means fast, but I was quite happy given the ups and downs involved plus the difficult terrain which was freqently encountered. Also felt pretty good at the end, the new shoes were just like the old ones, and so much better than my other Salomons and even more encouraging I had no cramp !!

Cody definately enjoyed it, but you'd never know from the look on his face ! -

Monthly Mileage

Well it's hard to believe that May's over already - less than 3 weeks to the big event - scary ! My miles for May are not as good as I had hoped, probably because I changed job in the middle of May, (those that were at the start of the Cateran Trail ultra would've seen me on my first day in my new job) which messed my days off a bit, meaning I had a barren couple of weeks in the middle of the month.

To push the mileage over 100 miles I'm just in from a 14.2 mile run which incorporated the 2 mile, 750 feet climb from the Perth Heaven & Hell half marathon, in case your wondering the climb is the "Hell" bit.

I started out really easy and finished strong, running it in 1:45:50 which worked out at about a 1:38:20 half marathon. My pb for a flat half marathon is 1:31:00 so this was quite encouraging, given that I found it easy and it incorporated that hill.

As can be seen from the milage table I usually reduce my miles from the start of June. Again due to the way my rest days have fallen my last long run is scheduled for Wednesday, just creeping in to June, it should really sit with Mays mileage to give an accurate comparison, so I might revise the table in a couple of days.

Footwear Problem Resolved

Isn't the interweb a wonderful thing. These are what I found lurking in a dark corner -

They arrived today, are identical to my last pair and because they are a couple of seasons old, they cost pennies. No more stressing about what shoes to wear, I won't even need to break them in as I know they'll fit straight from the box.

What Shoes to Wear ??

Since the start of this years training I have had an issue with my trail shoes. Previously I have always run in Salomon XA Comps but whilst I find them comfortable, grippy and most importantly very cushioned, they do not last very long -

Shoes : 2008

: 2009

This year its appeared that Salomon had stopped making the XA Comp so I bought a pair of XA Pro's however, as I hinted at a few posts back, after a couple of runs it soon became apparent that they had no where near as much cushioning, exacerbating my shin splints and during the Fling the balls of my feet were really feeling the pain, especially along Loch Lomondside and the sole of my right foot blistered quite badly. I think this was probably a contributary factor in my poor performance during the race.

Despite my 2009 pair of Comps having large holes in them I wore them for my Cairngorm run and despite their high milage the difference was like night and day. The XA Pros have now been ditched and the search is on for a suitably grippy and cushioned alternative. Ideally I wouldn't be changing shoes this close to the race but if I get another pair of Salomon's in a 10.5 I'll know that they will fit and not require to be broken in - hopefully ....

South Cairngorm Run

I've not managed out for many runs recently so a combination of days off and a good forecast meant that I headed for the Southern Cairngorms for a longer run on Monday. I'd run the route before, 2 years ago in April, it was about 30 miles, but then 11 of those miles had been in deep snow - it had been torture, taking 7 hrs 30 mins !

My route was from Inverey, east along the Dee, north through the Slugain, across the Clais Fhearnaig to Derry lodge up to Corrour, down to White Bridge and back.

The route

The first few miles up to the Sluggan used to be part of a Bronze Duke of Edinburgh route that I tooks kids out on a few years back. It would invariably take a day of grumbling to walk it, but too me a leisurely hour and 20 mins.

There must have been a lot of rain fall in the Cairgorms the previous day cause the river levels were clearly much higher than normal. There appears to be a new path on the north side of the Quoich Water but I couldn't get accross to it, the river was far too fast and deep. Eventually I found a spot which although not idea (especially on your own) got me and the dog accross. The water was up to my thighs and ice cold and the poor, wee hound came out the water a good bit further downstream than where he started!














Looking back down to Derry Lodge, Lochnagar in the distance

I then crossed over to Derry Lodge and up to Luibeg Ford where another deep, fast river crossing was necessary. I didn't go up to Corrour Bothy, but cut over to the White Bridge Path. Last time I had done this run it started to snow heavily at this point and the lacing system on my Salomon shoes broke so I had to seek refuge in the bothy to fix them.

Devil's Point & Cairn Toul from just south of Corrour

The path between Corrour and White Bridge has been greatly improved from the muddy swamp it had previously been and after 24 miles I passed my first person of the day. From White Bridge it was a simply case of back to the Linn 'o Dee and along the road back to the car. I felt pretty good over the last 3 - 4 miles which were all comfortably under 9 min/mile pace and would have liked to continue the run.

All in all it was 29.5 miles and took me a comfortable 5hrs 45 min, but there was a lot of very rough ground covered so I was happy with my 5.1mph average. I plan one last long run before the race and that will hopefully be a 43 mile jaunt next Tuesday.

A F*$@ng Distaster !

Okay, the title really means A Fling Disaster, 'cause that's what I had during the race !

Going in to the race I felt pretty confident with my level of fitness and if I'm honest I harboured hopes of maybe even dipping under 9hrs 30m. As I said in my previous post I was working the night before but managed to get away early however still had bits and pieces to do at home in preparation before bed. Gaynor came over the night before and helped get me ready like a good wee sis should. For some reason I struggled to drop off and was still awake at 2.00am, so really appreciated the alarm going off at 4.30am.

The drive to the start was through mist and rain, so I was hopeful that it wouldn't be too warm. On arriving the staggared start certainly seemed to have worked, cause there were plenty of spaces in the car park. I collected my timing chip said a few hellos in the car park and before I knew it we were lining up at the start.

Start to Drymen


















Muppet !

The start as always is a relief, no more hanging about and the run through Mugdock Park is always quite pleasant. I quickly found myself running alongside Andy Murray (no, not that one) who I always seem to run with at some point on these races. Andy ran in a kilt 2 years ago and it almost killed him. He disappeared off pretty quickly and ran a 9:41:35 race.

I was then running alongside Marco for a good wee while, we were chatting away and I felt pretty comfortable, but I had a suspicion that if I was running with him I was running too fast. He pulled away just after Carbeth Loch and I didn't see him again either. Marco eventually finished 3rd ! (told you I was going too fast) in a time of 8:22:19.

I grabbed a wee Mars bar cake at Beechtree Inn but didn't stop. And on the next section, the one with all the gates, I fell in with a Kiwi chap who I think was called Rob Westaway. He'd flown up from London for the race, I think he was drawn by the UTMB points, but he said that he planned to run in 6 alpine races this year - mad ! He'd got his start time wrong and instead of starting with the male vets he started with the regular males, but his chip was synced to a 7am start - so everyone that finished from 26th place down, you're actually one place lower !

Rob left me as we came in to Drymen, but I was feeling pretty good and arrive in about 1hr 39min. Scanned my chip, swapped a water bottle then off again

Drymen to Rowardennan

As I was running I was concious of my right hamstring but it wasn't feeling giving me any problems. It was a relief to get over Conic Hill without cramp this year as that is where my troubles had started in 2009. I was making a concious effort to drink more in the first quarter this year. I followed my usual mantra of walking off Conic which is really frustrating but I know my quads would explode if I ran, then it was into the car park at Balmaha for another water bottle and more cake.













Arriving in Balmaha (photo © Davie Hall - ta!)

The next section along Loch Lomondside is my favourite, it's a bit up and down, but the views are good and I like running through the trees, although it always seems longer than I remember. I ran well on this part and as I began catching the back markers from the vets race went past a lot of runners, which always gives you a bit of a boost.

I arrived at Rowerdennan feeling pretty good and was met by Gaynor & Cody. I took a reasonable stop and despite not really feeling hungry I had a tin of beans and a Muller rice before stting off again.

Rowardennan to Ben Glas

I had passed Rob Westaway just after Balmaha but he had run straight through Rowardennan so I caught him up again on the track. As we climbed from Ptarmigan Lodge I bagan to feel the first pangs of fatigue which I put down to my body digesting the food it had just taken on. Then, as the track turned to path, the cramp arrived again on the inside of my right leg from my groin to my knee, slowing my down to a hobble. I'm not sure why it hit me again, I'd been drinking plenty, but obviously not enough.

Unusually Inversnaid seemed to appear sooner than I expected - it's usually the other way round. I didn't stop long, took on some fluid and pushed on. The trudge along Loch Lomondside was pretty much a walk for me, the lack of cushioning in my Salomon Pro 3D ultras shoes meant that the balls of my feet were starting to get tender, in fact the right foot was blistering badly - oh to have been wearing my trusty XA Comps.

As I neared Doune bothy I tripped and both my calves went into rock solid cramp, it was excrutiating trying to get on my feet again so I could stretch them. A couple of miles further on I passed Ian Beattie he, like me, was struggling badly with cramp and didn't look like he was enjoying himself either !

I shuffled in to Ben Glas Farm to meet Gaynor who had been joined by TJ - who I heard long before I saw her. I took on sone food and pressed on - I just wanted to get finished.

Ben Glas to Finish

The next stretch up Glen Falloch was agonisingly frustrating. I knew there was still 10 miles to go and I couldn't really run any more, even on the flats I just felt like walking.... I was gubbed. A lot of people went past me and I seemed to get slower and slower. It didn't help knowing that I was not going to see Gaynor again until Auchtertyre Farm, which seemed miles away, and just to make it even more fun the cramp kept coming back periodically.

The last stretch from the A82 to the finish seemed to be never ending, that bit's pretty flat so I felt obliged to run it but couldn't really be bothered. As I got the finish line in sight I was aware of runnner catching me so I was able to up my pace, I didn't fancy losing another place, but they were far too fast, then some kind soul shouted that the person closing in was a relay runner - phew.

I scanned my chip at the line then was awarded my medal from John Kynaston, who looked pretty fresh, I think he'd been finished for a long time. I was such a relief to get to the end, I couldn't have gone on which was a worry for the big race in June, because in 2008 my split at Tyndrum wasn't far off this Fling's finishing time !


















Now I know how it feels to be knighted !!!

Post-Race Analysis

I genuinely believed that I had a 9:30 in me, so where did it go wrong ? It was probably a combination of issues butJohn Kynaston had an entry on his blog about taking positives and learning from a race, even if you were disappointed with your run. So here are my learning points / excuses !

1. I think I may have gone out a bit too fast, Drymen in under 1:40 is a bit nippy for me. I felt really confident of a good time beforehand and thought I probably needed to push it a bit from the start. In hindsight I should have kept it steady for the first half.

2. The evening after the race I was suffering from a heavy chest cold and cough which lasted for a good few days. I would have been running with this developing inside me which is bound to blunt the lungs' efficiency and performance somewhat.

3. Bad shoes. The balls of my feet were badly blistered by the time I'd finished making each step unpleasant, I need better cushioned trail shoes.

4. Cramp AGAIN ! - lack of fluid intake ? Stretching ? Who knows but it seems to hit me regularly at about the 25 mile mark.

And finally ......

A big thanks to my wee sis, Gaynor














With Gaynor at the finish - I may be smiling on the outside ...