On Monday 22nd Feb I went back and ran the route that nearly killed me last year when I sank into the peat bog. This year I reversed the route and took the dog and a marathon running colleague, Graeme, with me.
I’d done a 13 mile training run a couple of weeks before but this was my first longer run in this year’s preparation. The weather was perfect - a crisp, cold, clear day and as we gained height to the north of Loch Ordie we were running on hard packed snow, with a crispy layer on top, which gave excellent grip and made for really easy running. Thankfully the ground was frozen hard so there were no bog encounters this year. The views over to Lawers & Schiehallion were stunning.
The last few miles were a bit of a struggle for both of us and inclines were walked but we did the 22.6 miles in 4 hours 16 mins, which I was happy with for a first run.
So why was 2009 not as good as 2008 ? I’ve decided to look for reasons why in the hope that it will help with preparations in 2010.
2009 – Good Points
I started my training well and was doing good mileage early on in the year.
My knee problem was pretty much fixed by a physio and some surgical tape (it wasn’t tracking properly).
I became more familiar with the route through John Kynaston’s training runs, this helped in particular crossing Rannoch Moor.
2009 – Not so Good Points
Possibly my training peaked too soon ? In 2008 I built up steadily and kept going as the chart below shows. To my shame the chart also highlights how “relaxed” (or possibly undisciplined) my training schedule is.
The chart also shows that I hardly ran at all in May 2009. This is probably due to me having a horrific run at the end of April in the Highland Fling. I’d been running well but it was the first warm run of the year and cramp first hit me going up Conic Hill then hit my legs regularly over the next 36 miles. This run was a major de-motivating factor !
2009’s race was a solo run for the majority of the length.With the exception of someone coming out a few hundred metres to run in to a checkpoint with me I had no pace runner this year. Psychologically this makes a big difference as there's no one to take your mind off the bad bits and get you fired up, but as I was within 4 hours of the leader for most of the race it was against the rules, and when I was eligible for one I had run so far on my own that I wanted to finish having run all the way solo.
I didn’t even really have the company of other runners after Rowerdennan, in 2008 I ran a good chunk of the way with Craig Liddle, in 2009 the last 70 miles were really lonely.
2010 – The Year Ahead
Training this year has suffered a bit of a blow as I was too late applying for the Highland Fling and didn’t get in. For me this 53 mile race over the bottom half of the Way was ideal prep 2 months before the main event as it was a pretty good gauge of form. The theory being doubling your Fling time will give you a rough time for the big race – it’s not too bad a rule of thumb.
So this year’s training is resembling 2008’s and if I’m going to improve on my time, which I’d like to do, then, at the risk of stating the obvious, as the race draws nearer I need to up my miles. Training has started gently but I did a 23 mile run the other day and in 2008 I didn’t run more than 10 miles until the beginning of April when I did a 22 mile run. So lets see how we get on ……..
Does anyone know how to format these types of blogs ? They seem to have a life of their own, looking good on the preview then when you publish it looks nothing like it didbefore ! Drives me mental !!!
Compared to 2008, my run in 2009 was quite disappointing compared to 2008. If my finishing times had been reversed I would have been delighted with the progress between both years, all I wanted to do in 2008 was get near to 24 hours - strange how perceptions change !
Not really going to dwell too much on the 2009 race but suffice to say I felt quite good for most of the race, getting to the head of Loch Lomond feeling particularly fresh, but I just didn’t seem to be running that fast.
Stopping at Rowerdennan
I had a long stop at Tyndrum and found it a bit difficult to get going, but Rannoch Moor was a much more pleasant experience this year compared to last, and I felt good coming in to Kings House, but again stopped too long and struggled to get going from here again, but felt better going over the Staircase.
I made up a few places coming out of Kinlochleven and felt ok going through Lairigmor, but the last leg was really difficult, not like 2008. I could sniff a sub-21 hours time and tried to push it but it just wasn’t there. I basically crawled over the line in 21 hours 1 minute and was absolutely shattered !
Shuffling over the line I must say a big thank you to my support crew, the A Team – Gav, Nat, Tom & Zoe and Team 1 – Gaynor, my Mum and Jamie. They did a great job taking shifts so that they were never far away and I definitely think I have the easy bit. I hope no-one ever asks me to be a support crew member, I think it would be too difficult !
The A-Team !
Team 1 !
Now down to the serious business of preparing for the 2010 race …..
I haven't updated my blog for a looong. It's something I've keep meaning to get round to but I think after a disappointing couple of races last year I kind of lost my enthusiasm a bit, but 2010 is a new year so here goes.
Firstly I must make mention of the passing of Dario Meleragni the driving force behind the WHW race, he seemed to live and breathe the race showing so much enthusiasm it was infectious. I was always amazed at how much he knew about EVERY runner at the prize giving, always able to make some unique comment I'm sure it made everyone feel special.
My first encounter with Dario wasn't how I would have liked - he refused my entry to the 2008 race ! With hindsight he was right, I had never run further than a half-marathon, and he made me qualify stating "if you finish the Highland Fling, you'll get in the race". True to form the day after I finished the race he was on the phone congratulating me and confirming my race number. I first met him the day after I finished the 2008 race. He was very complimentary and seemed to know a lot about me, yet I was grateful he refrained from going in to too much detail at the awards that year, he knew just the right thing to say.
Getting my 2009 goblet from Dario.
I only met him a few times yet I'm glad I was able to tell him just home much the race meant to me through my illness, I don't think people realise that finishing the race was such a powerful motivating factor to get well but I hope I conveyed that to him. He will be sorely missed by everyone involved in Scottish ultras and the 2010 race will be difficult for those who knew him, and particularly so for the organising committee, but I’m sure he will live on in the race.
I was off on Monday 16 February so I decided to try and get a run in now that the snow was shifting. Loch Ordie near Dunkeld is the nearest place for me to get a decent off road run so I planned a route (see below) and headed off there.
The first 3.5 miles were all uphill and as I gained height the paths got icier. It wasn’t cold but there had been a lot of snow last week and it was melting quickly but the snow that had been compressed on the tracks and paths was very slippy, and those that didn’t have ice in them were running with streams of snow melt. My feat got very wet very quickly.
The optimistically entitled "Laird's House with Loch Benachally in the background - I don't think he lives there anymore !
After around 8 miles, following a huge leap over a burn in spate, I found myself on a very narrow path that was full of soft wet snow which went well up my calves. This went on for around 4 miles and my feet got soaked, becoming very cold.
Typical underfoot conditions
As I neared Loch Oisinneach the path became very muddy. I’ve walked in the Scottish hills for 20 years and am pretty adept at picking my way through bogs and assessing if a patch of ground will support me. At a particularly muddy stretch I launched for a tuft of grass thinking it would support me, the next thing I knew I was up to the top of my legs in an ice-cold peat bog. I couldn’t get my legs out as they were being sucked in by the soft peat my hands were just sinking in too.
I was getting cold quickly, couldn’t get my legs out and the nearest thing for me to grab, that wasn’t mud was over 6 feet away. This was the most distant part of my run, my mobile phone didn’t work there as I’d tried a couple of minutes before to make a call, and going by the lack of footprints in the snow there hadn’t been anyone along for a number of days. This was getting potentially serious, I was completely stuck and sinking.
I wriggled out of my new rucksack which was only on it’s second outing and managed to use it to bare my weight which let me kind of swim across the mud until I could grab some heather and pull myself out. The whole episode probably only took no more that 2 minutes but it felt like an eternity…
Lifesaver - My nice new rucksack after my "incident"
Thankfully my shoes stayed on and I got running as quickly as I could to generate some heat. After another couple of miles I came out the snow and the running became much easier, the 5 miles through the snow had slowed me up a lot.
The rest of the run was pretty uneventful, my knee seems to be holding up but the right hamstring gets tight after a while. I arrived back at the car in 4 hours 6 minutes.
I didn’t run during the week since Forfar (but I did get my 1st deep tissue massage – wow) and this weekend I wasn’t going to get any running either as I was going hillwalking with Gav, who was one of my support runners in the Race, but a couple of decent days on the hill would be more than suitable replacements.
Saturday 7 Feb - An Caisteal & Beinn a’ Chroin
We started at a snowy Derrydarroch Farm and despite having been there a few times now I had no idea where to park on the road ! It was a beautiful day with clear blue skies but it was freezing, -6oC. But once we crested the ridge onto the high ground and entered the 50mph wind the windchill dropped the temperature to below -20oC.
Gav heading up Twistin Hill
The summit of An Caisteal
Coping with the windchill
A slippery descent
We were on the hill for 6 and half hours, covered 8.7 miles and 4,250ft of ascent with crampons and ice-axes most of the day. Walking in crampons really stretches the achilles and when you have tendons as short as mine they were pretty tight when we came off the hill.
Derrydarroch at the end of the day
Gav has a VW camper van so it was down to a quiet corner of the Drover’s car park then we went to the pub for many hours. It was a cracking night with live music and the pub was mobbed.
A very busy Drovers
Sunday 8 Feb - Beinn Dorain and Beinn an Dothaidh
The next day wasn’t too bad considering the amount of (what I like to think of as) carb loading we had indulged in the previous evening.
We met my friend Doug in Tyndrum for a spot of breakfast then it was on to Bridge of Orchy where we were climbing Beinn Dorain and Beinn an Dothaidh the 2 mountains that loom over the village.
Beinn Dorain from the road
It appeared that everyone else in Scotland had the same idea because the hill was very busy. It was another cracking day but this time there was hardly any wind.
Beinn Dorain summit photo
As we climbed the second hill of the day the peace was continually interrupted by a big yellow RAF Sea King which was doing helicopter training with the Oban MRT and dropping them off on the hillside.
We made it back down before the weather closed in from the south and had covered 7.6 miles and 4,200 ft of ascent in just under 5 and a half hours.
I’d had 2 good long days on the hill and my legs felt pretty tired after it.
Sunday saw the running of the 4th Forfar multi-terrain half marathon. This is a cracking wee race that follows a route around the Forfar footpath network. I’ve run it the last 2 years and the route takes in some road running, big stretches of unavoidable flooded paths, ploughed fields and a big 1 mile climb up Balmashanner Hill at 9 miles. You also have to stop and have your number punched by marshals at 7 different checkpoints which interrupts the rhythm and can be frustrating if there’s a queue.
Because the conditions underfoot are so varied all along the length of the route, and from year to year, it’s good to run without the pressure trying to beat the clock – just run for the hell of it.
There were 143 runners and this year they called runners up in groups of 4 for a kit check, we required waterproof top, hat & gloves – just to run around the perimeter of Forfar ! There were plenty of runners getting their kit checked then passing it back to their buddies, but I didn’t see anyone get refused permission to start.
In 2007 it was my first half-marathon and I ran 1hr 36min. In 2008 it was my first decent run back from ill health and I managed a 1 hr 40min. This year I planned to try and run around 7.30min/mile for the race which I felt I could maybe hold for 13 miles, this would get me in close to the 2007 time and if I could get under it I’d be delighted.
In the first mile I felt I was moving quickly backwards through the pack but got to the 1 mile marker in 6.40min. I was running well within myself but it was faster that I felt comfortable with. I quickly fell in with a chap, who I think was Alan Smith from Deeside Runners, and the 2 of us would end up running pretty much the entire race together.
Mile 4 – 5 was a farm track which was pretty much 1 long puddle interrupted by the odd bit of dry land. We reached 5 miles in 34.30, one of the fastest 5 miles I think I’ve run, but I still felt comfortable and I was moving up the field now.
I got to the foot of the climb at 9 miles in 62.40 – amazingly still under 7 min/mile, but the next mile took 8.30mins. From the top it was pretty much all downhill and I was feeling really good now, until I hit the deep mud in the field at 12 miles.
A dash through an industrial estate to the finish where the clock stopped at 1hr 31min 27s. Crazily – a half-marathon pb and 24th place. I’ve never managed to get under the hour and a half, but if the course had been on road and flatter I probably would have managed it comfortably today. I kept myself relaxed throughout the race and didn’t get too carried away at the start, in fact no-one went past after 1.5 miles.
This was the 3rd training run organised by John K and the 2nd one I’d made. The original intention had been to run from Drymen to Beinglas, however sadly a couple of days before the run John’s dad passed away whilst on holiday in the US. Understandably John had other priorities so it was decided in order to ease the transport difficulties & in light of the weather forecast the route would be changed to Balmaha – Inversnaid and back, about 30 miles.
I met up with Ian and Phil but almost didn’t make it, the A9 was treacherous with snow between Perth & Stirling. Phil almost didn’t make it out his driveway.
The weather slowed our progress so we arrived a bit later than planned, quickly threw on our gear then headed off, 15 happy runners in total. Immediately on leaving the car park we were running through puddles and saturating the feet – a taste of things to come.
The group near the start.
Balmaha to Rowardenan is my favourite section of the route and even in the dreary conditions I still enjoyed the run through the trees. I quickly fell into step with John Malcolm, who recognised me from the Devil’s Burdens the previous day, he had been running the same leg as me. John got a last minute entry in 2008 and managed a 25 hour run, so with a bit of advance notice and better training he could be one to watch this year.
We were also joined by Jamie Aarons who is attempting the Fling this year. I got the impression she’s not too confident about finishing it, but from the way she ran she will not only finish it but put in a good time too.
Phil Tipping caught us near Rowardennan and we all ran together for a while. After Ptarmigan Cottage I had planned to run all the way up the hill using the opportunity to run a big hill with a decent amount of miles already in my legs. I normally walk most of this hill in the race and figured, especially for the Fling, if I could run some of it I could make up some time here.
It was a fair trackle but Phil and I pressed on and whilst he managed it easily I struggled slightly, but made it. Coming down the other side the heavens opened and it began pouring, it would not stop for another couple of hours.
Phil stopped to put a waterproof jacket on where the track changes to path, I waited for Phil, there’s not point in going out with others then running on your own, whilst we were stopped Jamie caught us up again.
We arrived at Inversnaid Hotel in around 2 hrs 39 mins, and stopped for a quick bite to eat. We had a few funny looks from the bus party which was waiting in the foyer.
Jamie & me at a rainy Inversnaid
Phil waiting for a bus ? (look at the woman in the middle window smiling for the photo!)
On the way back the rain chucked it down until well after Rowardennan, but the route was still surprisingly busy with walkers and there were even another couple of groups of runners, but I didn’t recognise anyone.
I decided that even if it killed me I was going to run again over the hill on the way back. Phil breezed up and dropped me as I struggled on, I made it but by the top Phil was a dot in the distance.
We went through Rowardennan in 4 hours but by this time I was cold, wet and hungry so quickly threw a jacket on and took onboard some food as I could feel my energy reserves were getting low.
Running back to Balmaha in a north – south direction is quite disorientating, I didn’t have a clue where I was a lot of the time, but it is still a pleasant route. As I ran through a large group of walkers near Arrochymore Point the ones at the back shouted a warning “runner coming through” which I thought quite flattering ‘cause I certainly didn’t feel like I was running by this stage !
I arrived back in the car park after 5hrs 36 min and felt quite fresh but my hamstrings were v v v tight. I’m going to get a massage …..
A very icy morning on Saturday 24 January saw Dundee Road Runners enter 2 teams into the Devil’s Burdens relay race around the Lomond Hills in Fife.
The residents of Falkland must really love this annual event as their picturesque village is reduced to gridlock as over 600 runners descend on the village hall. After registering we went through the yearly ritual of working out the highly complex travel arrangements required to get the runners to & from their start/end points. Because we were heading to the beginning of our leg we missed the start, but this photo shows just some of the runners cresting East Lomond.
Legs 1 & 3 require the runners to be paired up and I was running leg 3 with Andy. The start of the leg has 5 yards of level ground then it’s straight up Bishop Hill for about 20 minutes of quads feeling like they are on fire. The next 6 ½ miles have very little flat bits until the end.
Unflattering photo of me with Andy just behind
The weather was fine with good visibility, but that didn’t stop us missing a checkpoint coming off West Lomond which we had to go back for – doh ! Someone has also tarred the last mile of forestry track which because I was wearing fell shoes, my shins really loved. We finished in 1 hr 20 mi, 3 mins slower than the last time, but the lost checkpoint probably accounted for that.
My mixed team finished 66th out of 111 teams, the men’s team which was full of strong runners finished 17 minutes infront in 41st – just shows how many good runners there are out there.
A special well done to Gill Hanlon who ran leg 4 for us, whilst doing a recce run for the 2008 race she went over her ankle which required surgery & pins, she’s had an astonishing recovery.
Am running the WHW training run tomorrow (sunday), which should be around 30 miles, hopefully I won’t suffer any detrimental effects – quads could be sore though.
This blog was originally established to record my training over the 9 months leading up to the West Highland Way Race 2008 which I entered in August 2007 and started training for soon after.
Unfortunately in October 2007 I was diagnosed with cancer and had surgery to remove the tumour, which meant no running for 6 weeks, then I endured chemotherapy until January 2008, whch meant I was unable to run more than a couple of miles before I was exhausted.
I am now well on the mend and just like Lance Armstrong am fitter post-cancer than I was before it. This is entirely down to the WHW race looming and motivating my efforts to get fit.
On 21 June 2008 I completed the race in 19 hours 54 mins...
