Steady Run

I had planned to run at lunch time but my motor bike started making a funny noise over the weekend and I decided I needed to get it looked at.  So I booked it in at the garage and ran home.

Door to door it would be 4miles or so but I did a detour to get my planned 7miles in ....

Finally the weather has warmed up!  For the first time this year my t-shirt was proper sweaty!! I could feel my legs after my weekend runs but was quite surprised to see I'd averaged 7.39 for the 7.13miles.

I'm getting ready for my big two day run over the weekend.  The plan is to run from Balmaha to Bridge of Orchy (42miles) on Sunday then Bridge of Orchy to Fort William (35miles) on Monday. Ryan (and maybe Marco) is running with me on Sunday and Katrina on Sunday so it will be good to have some company.

Tonight I was interviewed by Tim Bateson and Alistair Stewart for British Trail Running Podcast.  It's a new podcast that three guys have set up. On each episode they concentrate on one ultra race and the next one is the whw race.  Hopefully it will be out early June.

I really enjoyed it and it was fun to be answering the questions rather than asking them. 

Another longer run on the Braes

This morning John McL joined me for another longer run on the Braes.  The plan was to run the same route as last Sunday.  Two laps of my big loop. We set off at 7am which would give me enough time to run the 18miles, shower and be at church for 11am.

The track was a lot muddier than last week which made the going a bit heavy in places.  We kept a steady pace going and finished 4-5mins slower than last week.  I pushed the hills on the second loop and was feeling good. 

We met a guy out with his dog at one point.  I tried to stop as the dog was jumping around in front of me. Unfortunately it was at a particularly muddy bit and I went down on my backside!  No damage done but felt a bit embarrassed!

Here is a comparison of our runs over the last two Sundays ...

I've really appreciated having company over the last few weekends as it makes these longer run pass so much quicker.  That will be my last longer run on the Braes for a good while. 

My plan for the remaining weeks before the whw race is as follows ...

I really enjoyed interviewing Marco on Friday for the lastest whw podcast.  You can listen to it from the whw web site or on iTunes. 

Finally congratulations to all those who ran the Cateran Trail Ultra Marathon yesterday.  Sounds as though it was a good day despite the weather!

Saturday = Gleniffer Braes Run

Last night Marco came round and we chatted for almost 90mins for the latest whw podcast.  Hopefully I'll get it on the web site by tonight.  It was really interesting to listen to Marco and see what he has learnt from his running.  He is having a great year with the whw race to come.

This morning Steven H from Kilbarchan asked could he join me for my run on the Braes.  Steven has only been running for 2-3 years and lowered his 10k to 42.55 at Helensburgh on Thursday. He's keen to do some off road running so the Braes is a great place to go from Paisley.

We met just before 8am at my house and we ran my regular 11mile loop.  I really enjoy being able to run with friends as the miles and time just flows by.  We chatted all the way round (except for the hills!) and we both had a good time.

We paused at the cairn for a photo ...

You can just about see Ben Lomond in the background.  It was quite clear this morning.  The ground is still very muddy in places though so Steven's new shoes got a good baptism.

We also saw Joe S out running. We had a quick chat. Sadly Joe is not fully fit which is frustrating for him but at least he is able to get out and run a bit.

Tomorrow John McL is joining me for another run on the Braes. This time it will be the same as last week - 18miles. 

Ben Lomond Run

Following on from last Wednesday's Conic Hill run last night we had a run/walk up Ben Lomond and a run down.

Steve couldn't it this week but another friend Bryan joined Katrina, Jonny, Frances and I for the run.  We met at Drymen at 5.15pm with the sun shining and the top of Ben Lomond clearly visible. It was looking good for the run.

We drove to Sallochy where Bryan, Jonny and I got out and started our run from there.  Frances and Katrina drove to Rowardennan to start from there.  But before they left us time for a photo ...

Frances, Jonny, Bryan and Katrina

It was nice starting off from Sallochy as in the Fling or whw races I'd have run 25miles by now.  It was a lovely evening and geat to be out running on the way. 

We reached Rowardennan in 29mins or so and then started climbing up.  Bryan was keen to try and run up as much as he could so Jonny and I let him go!  I was more interested in the downhill run as that is what I need to work on.

On the way to Rowardennan

The views as we climbed were really clear ....

Lovely view of Loch Lomond

We caught Katrina and Frances with about 30mins to go to the top so the four of us finished off together. Not too far from the top we met Bryan on his way down.  He was feeling pretty cold and rightly didn't want to wait around too long.

The cloud covered the top for a bit but cleared enough to see the ground for the summit photos! 

Katrina & I at the cold and windy top

Jonny and I set off down the hill thinking it would take us about 45mins or so.  I was keen to learn from Jonny as he is so relaxed on the downhill running.  I found I could stay with him on the gradual gradient but he would pull ahead on the steeper bits. He kindly waited for me and we ran down together.

It took us about 47mins down so that was a good workout for the quads!  Bryan was waiting at the car and was grateful we had the key to wait for the girls to finish.

They took a bit longer than I expected and when they arrived we realised why.  Frances had taken a nasty tumble and was a bit shaken up.  Thankfully nothing too serious but it makes you realise it's always good to do these types of runs with people.

Frances shows her cut knee

Today I ran an easy 6miles at lunchtime. My legs felt okay but I must admit I felt a bit weary in the afternoon!  Rest day tomorrow then back to back runs at the weekend on the Braes.  

It is the Cateran Trial Unultra Marathon on Saturday. I really enjoyed the race in 2010 so I wish all those taking part a great race and for organiser Karen I hope everything goes smoothly!

Steady run

Last night I had a club committee meeting so I started with the group doing a farltek session but did an out and back on the cycle track.

I ran 5.05miles out in 39mins 47secs and then ran back in 36mins 58secs feeling good.  I did have the wind on the back for the return run!

Over the last 3 days I've run 9,18 and 10 miles.  Today is a day off running and I have a whw committee in Edinburgh tonight. 

Another run on the Braes

This morning I was up and out at 6.30am to fit in an 18miler on teh Braes before church.  Thankfully I have friends who also like to get up early and run.  I really appreciated the company of John McL and Steve.

We did two loops of the Braes going faster on the second one which was the plan.  I have 3 splits around the loop which help me by giving me an idea of how I'm running.  There is also a 1.64mile run to and from the start of the loop.

I was feeling pretty strong today and pushed all the hills especially on the second loop. I also tried to push hard on the downhills to give my quads a good workout.  Once we got onto the road for the last mile John & Steve upped the pace and I was working hard to stay with them!

So another really good run which is encouraging with the whw race less than 6 weeks away.  I had one slip but fortunately I had a soft muddy landing so no damage done!! It was good to see Bill Maxwell up on the Braes walking his friend's dogs.

Here are a few photos of the run.....

Steve & John squeeze through one of the many gates

Traditional photo on the cairn

At the end of the run ... notice my muddy legs!

Along with lots of other whw family and friends I've been following the progress of the IAU 24hr world ultra race from Holland.  Good friends Sharon and Debs have been running so well.  With less than 90mins to go here are the standings of team GB and whw family ...

Sharon has broken the 200k Scottish record and the 24hr record.  Can't wait to see their final distances and positions. At the moment the women are 3rd in the world race and top European team. 

Wet and windy run on the Braes

This morning I was up and out by 7.30am for my 9mile run on the Gleniffer Braes before I taught my swimming lessons.

It was very wet, windy and muddy but not too cold.  I really enjoyed the run and tried to keep it nice and steady as I'm running 18miles tomorrow around the same route.  Friends John McL & Steve are joining me so it will be good to have some company.  It would be nice if the weather was dry!

I have sent off my Suunto Ambit to Finland (through my friend Dougie who I bought the watch from) so I was back to my garmin 205.  It was like being reunited with an old friend. I almost felt guilty using it again!! 

I also wore my Scosche MyTrek heart rate monitor so I could keep an eye on my heart rate.  It recorded my average heart rate as 128 which was 5 beats per min lower than a similar run last Sunday which is encouraging.

I just had time for a second breakfast then I was off to teach swimming for 4hrs. I'm now back home and following the 24hr race from Holland.

The latest news after 5hrs 30mins ...

So a good solid start from team GB.  A long way to go though! I'll be updating the whw facebook page over the next few hours. 

Steady Run

I went out for a run at lunch time today.  I've called it a steady run as it was faster than an easy run but not as hard as a tempo run.  I ran just over 6miles at 7.46pace with a HR of 127.  I think the heart rate is correct but I'm not sure as when I got home my Suunto Ambit's screen was completely blank.

I was hoping it would spring into life when I connected it to my computer but the synchronisation failed. I rang Sunnto and they suggested trying to force an update but that wouldn't work either. So it looks like I'll have to send it off to Finland unless anyone can suggest a solution???

Over the next two days I'll be following 2 long races ...

1. 6 Day ultra Marathon in Balaton, Hungary

William Sichel is running this one and after 1 day and almost 6hrs is in 6th place.  William has a link to the results on his blog if you want (like me) to follow his progress. 

2. 24hr IAU 24 Hour World and European Championship
 

whw family members Matt Moroz, Deb Martin-Consani and Sharon Law are running for GB and Antonia Johnston is running for New Zealand.

The race starts on Saturday 11th May at 12noon.  Hopefully the race web site will have regular updates so we can follow their progress and cheer them on.

Run over Conic Hill

After the Fling I decided I needed to do some more hill runs so I changed my training plan to include a longer hill run on Wednesdays instead of a tempo run.

Katrina and friends Jonny and Steve were keen to join me so we met at Drymen at 6pm and set off to run to Balmaha and back over Conic Hill.

The weather was okay. Overcast but it didn't rain which is always a bonus! The new path was a bit muddier than the Fling race but still good to run on.

Approaching Conic Hill

We ran together chatting and enjoying the run.  Once we got to the hill climb Katrina said she was happy to make her own way up but we didn't really get away from her and we arrived at the top together.

At the highest point

Katrina running strongly at the top

Katrina had decided to turn round at the top after about 5miles while Jonny, Steve and I continued down to the car park at Balmaha.

Jonny has a lot of experience of walking/running up and down as he has bagged over 200 Munros.  It was good to watch his easy relaxed style running style. He soon opened a gap between himself and Steve and I.

We had a few minutes stop at Balmaha to grab a quick bite to eat then we headed back to Drymen.  We climbed up strongly then enjoyed the run back down. This time we stayed together and I tried to concentrate on running relaxed and keeping the weight on the front of my feet rathe than the heels.

The pace picked up over the last couple of miles and we arrived back at Drymen after 1hr 10mins.

It was a really enjoyable run.  Thanks guys! Next week we are running up and down Ben Lomond!

Running in the sunshine!!

Yesterday Katrina & I had a walk up Ben Lomond. A friend in our church was doing a sponsored walk asked us to join her and her Mum.  We don't need asking twice to get out and have a walk.  Th weather forecast until the morning was for a clear day but alas the forecast we saw before leaving was for a low cloud base and some rain and that's waht we got.

We set off from Rowardennnan at 10.20am in clear weather ...

Me, Kayleigh, Katrina and Lorraine

Kayleigh had never climbed a Munro before so was quite excited and a little apprehensice about how hard it might be.  In the end she lead the whole way and was fine.  The cloud base was about 1,000t ft and it was pretty cold and wet for most of the way.

We took about 2hrs 20mins to reach the top ....

So a good day out and hopefully Kayleigh raised some money.  They are certainly keen to do it again when the weather is better so they can see the views I tried to explain to them!

Back at work today and the sun was shining.  At least I was able to go for a run at lunch time.  For the first time this year I was able to walk back to work in shirt sleeves still feeling hot. 

I ran a steady 5miles today making sure my breathing was well under control.  I ended up at 7.48 pace with an average heart rate of 134 which feels good.  Movescount have revamped their web site so here's a look at the new heart rate graph ...

Tomorrow I'm looking forward to running from Drymen to Balmaha and back with Katrina, Jonny and Steve. I hope the weather is as good as today but the forecast is for rain!

Run on the Braes with John McL

My good friend John McL read my post on my training plans for May and got in touch asking whether he could join me for my run on the Braes this morning.

We've not had a run together this year so it was great to catch up and we spent the whole 90mins chatting. away. So much so that the miles sped by and before we knew it we were back at our house. 

John is seriously considering doing the Fling next year so we spent some time discussing training plans.  Always a fun topic for me.

So that's the end of my recovery week after the Fling.  For the next 3 weeks I'm aiming for a final good block of training leading up to the West Highland Way Race.  The emphasis will be on longer slow runs with plenty of hard downhills to condition my quads!!

I did an interview with Ian Beattie and Sandra McDougall for the next whw podcast.  I hope to get it out by tonight.

Ultimate Trails 100k Race

Another easy run this morning.  I'm really pleased with how I've recovered from last Saturday's race.  I'm still being cautious and my heart rate is higher for an easy run than normal but generally it's good to feel injury free and pain free just a week after the race.

At the beginning of the year I entered two ultra races, Hoka Highland Fling in April and West Highland Way Race in June.  I purposely didn't plan anything after the summer because firstly we are going to Indonesia for 3 week for our daughter Emma's wedding to Yonas and secondly I wanted to wait until after the Fling to see how things were going.

I'm keen to do the Hardmoors Grand Slam next year and had thought about doing the Hardmoors 60 in September in preparation for next year.  But last Saturday in our goody bag there was a leaflet about the Ultimate Trails 100k race in the Lake District on Saturday 14th September.

Having really enjoyed running in the Lakes last year for the Lakeland 100 I was immediately interested and even more so when I talked to Gaynor, who is the race director, told me more about it.  Gaynor also said that she has put forward my name to be given a  complimentary place which clinched it!!

Here is a map of the route.  It goes anticlockwise and covers maybe 20% of the ground of the Lakeland 100 but going the opposite direction.

The profile looks like this ....

There is as much ascent and descent as the West Highland Way Race but only 62miles rather than 95miles.  My work colleague Jonny, who ran the Fling last week, has also entered so we can travel down together.

I see from the web site that there are only 27 places left so if you want to join us sign up quick!! 

If you want to read more about it here is the press release about the event ...

100K in a Day? - Lake District's ULTIMATE Trails Challenge

A brand new off road ultra marathon event is being launched by the award winning Lakeland Trails team, taking place on the weekend of 14th/15th September 2013.

The Ultimate Trails Challenge, is a 100km circuit of the central Lake District starts and finishes at Brockhole, Lake District National Park Visitor Centre, and takes in 6 mountain passes, with 14, 000ft of ascent & descent, 5 picturesque lakes and 10 iconic feed stations. The Challenge is to complete the entire circuit within 24 hours. The way marked and marshalled course also has a 50km ultra marathon option covering the final half of the route and starting from Patterdale.

Course Director, Gaynor Prior, one of the UK's top ultra distance runners, is already convinced the stunning Lake District course will quickly become the most popular ultra marathon in the UK and appeal to an International audience. Gaynor says "Having run the entire route, every step is amazing, the scenery stunning, and the start and finish venue at Brockhole is just a perfect venue to stage such an event."

The Ultimate Trails Challenge will be supporting the charity Nurture Lakeland and Fix the Fells, and aims to bring a world class ultra marathon event to the Lake District. Already the event has partnered with the world's biggest ultra marathon -  the Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc (UTMB), and the 100km is worth 3 entry credit points for the UTMB.

Event Director, Graham Patten says "This year we're celebrating our 10th year organising the Lakeland Trails, and we're responding to the growing demand for personal challenges such as ultra marathons. We wanted to create something truly unique here in the Lake District, and to offer a real challenge to everyone - runners and walkers alike, to achieve something remarkable by completing 100km in a day, in a safe, enjoyable and environmentally responsible event. We hope normal everyday people will see completing the Ultimate Trails as their equivalent to experienced fell runners tackling the epic Bob Graham Round"

Early bird entry is available until 30th April and entry numbers are being restricted for this first year on a first come, first served basis. Already the event is over 50% full, so we're advising people to book now to guarantee their place. Entry includes electronic chip timing, food and drinks along the route, event T shirt memento, digital photo memento out on the course, a meal at the finish and coach transfer to the start (50km only).

Review of April and plans for May-June

Another easy run at lunch time. My main aim for this week was to have 4 easy runs at around 8min mile pace and make sure I didn't pick up an injury.  After a race like Saturday's 53miler I'm at my most vunerable injury wise. 

I learnt that the hard way after my first Fling in 2007 when I went along to our club Fartlek session on the Monday and ended doing the half of the session and picking up a shin injury a few days later.

So now I try and make sure I have an easy week before picking things up again.  This is especially important with the whw race only just over 7 weeks away.

April was another solid month of training with the Highland Fling as the highlight at the end. I opted for a 10 day taper which I think worked out about right.

Here are the basics ...

and in a graph (from RunningAhead) ..

I ran just over 200miles which for me is a good solid month.  I'm really enjoying my running at the moment as I've no injury niggles and feel I'm running well.  Long may it last!

Here is my summary of the first four months of 2013 ....

During the race on Saturday I started thinking about my training plans for the next 8 weeks leading up to the West Highland Way Race on Saturday 22nd June.  In particular I started wondering whether I should be doing my Fartlek and Tempo sessions during this time.

When I was running with Andy Cole he mentioned that he doesn't do any speed work frm now on as he concentrates on endurance.  In particular he gets out into the hills once a week to condition his quads.

I did feel on Saturday that my quads were sorer than they have been so I obviously need to get them in better shape for the big race.

Here is my original plan for the 8 weeks between Fling and whw ....

I've changed my Fartlek session ion a Monday to a longer run. This will be after back to back runs at the weekend so I'm aiming to run it on road but very steady working on running smooth.

I'm going to replace my Wednesday Tempo run with a harder hill run.  On 8th May I'm running Drymen to Balmaha and back with my friend Jonny and Katrina. Then 15th May we will run up and down Ben Lomond.  I also hope to do one more Ben Lomond run after my 2 day whw run.

Add in my Braes runs at the weekend and I feel and hope that will be enough to trash my quads a few times so they will come back stronger!  We'll see.

So here is my revised plan ...

The 2 day run on Sunday 26th May (Balmaha to Bridge of Orchy 42miles) and Monday 27th May (Bridge of Orchy to Fort William 35miles) will be the key sessions.  I love doing this 2 day run as it really helps me to prepare for the race 4 weeks later.  Katrina is running with me on the second day.

Once that weekend is over I'll have more of an idea of what time I will be targeting for the whw. At the moment based on my Fling run I'm leaning towards a sub 21hr time as my gold medal goal. That will be at the challenging end of my spectrum.

Lessons learnt from the Hoka Highland Fling

As this was my 7^th Highland Fling and 22^nd ultra overall I would like to think I’m getting most things right by now!  But there are always things to learn and relearn so I like to write things down before I forget.

I went for an easy run at lunch time yesterday and was thinking about what went right on Saturday and what could have been better.  I’ll mix them up under a few different headings.

Mentally

I was really positive throughout the whole race on Saturday. I didn’t go through any real lows at all.  My training had gone well, I’d lost some weight and generally I thought that I was going to have a good day and I did!

Pacing

I set off with an ambitious sub 10hr plan.  I always thought it was going to be a challenge. I could have put 10.15 as my goal and taken the pressure off but I like to set as high a goal as I think is reasonable.  I did think I was in good enough shape to run under 10hrs and in the end I wasn’t too far off.

I was right on my splits until Rowardennan.  I have 11 mini-splits from the start to Rowardennan and I was within a 1min of all them. 7 just under my target and 4 just over. 

From Rowardennan to Inversnaid I lost 7mins and I lost another 4mins to Beinglas Farm,  I’d given myself a slightly more generous 2.41 to Tyndrum and did it in 2.35.  So overall I was very happy that I had accurately estimated my ability on the day.  

Once the official results came out I was able to sort them out into split times and split positions which I always feel helps me to see objectively how I feel my race has gone.

I finished 73^rd out of 417 finishers. I was 106^th at Drymen so I had a nett gain of 33 people.  If you have listened to the podcast I did with Stuart Mills you will know that he reckoned I had a 12 mile warm up and then a 41mile race! 

I’ve always shied away from Stuart’s ‘Run as fast as you can for as long as you can’ philosophy as my best ultras have been when I’ve gone off cautiously and worked my way through the field.

On Friday when I interviewed Stuart it was clear that one of the reasons he likes that approach is he gets a lot of positive energy and buzz from being at the front.  But as I’ve thought about it I definitely get my positive energy from working my way through the field.  I’m never going to be challenging the lead so I don’t get any positive energy from going off too quick.

I thought it would be interesting to compare my splits with four other runners around me. 

Firstly Andy Cole who finished in 9:57:56, time I targeted.  

Secondly Lorna McMillan who finished in 9:54:45. Lorna caught me just after Derrydaroch so was able to finish stronger. 

Thirdly Graeme Gatherer who finished 10:05:30, one place ahead of me but who I didn’t see all day until he caught me at Auchtertyre. 

Fourthly Murdo McEwan who finished in 10:20:49.  I chose Murdo because we ran together for a good part of the day and I wanted to compare someone who finished after me!!!

I'm sure there is a lot to learn from just these 5 runners so here are a few that stood out to me.  Lorna reached Drymen 4th of this group (120th overall) and fastest to Tyndrum.  Her final split of 2:23:11 was 53rd best overall (she finished 65th).  So she had a nett gain of 55 places from Drymen to Tyndrum. She ran a very sensible race.

Andy Cole let me go at about 6miles and was 2mins behind me at Drymen but finished 8mins ahead at the end. He knows his strengths and saves himself for the run from Rowardennan to Beinglas where he was 39th fastest.  Very impressive for a 64yr old!! Andy gained a very impressive 86 places.

As suspected my best sections were Drymen to Rowardennan (62nd) and Rowardennan to Beinglas Farm (68th) but I started to slow on the last leg were I was 107th fastest. Not a disaster but enough to mean I missed out on my sub 10hrs. 

The regret I have with the race was that I couldn't stay with Andy and then Lorna as they went on to run under 10hrs. Or should I have stayed with Andy to Drymen or should I have followed Stuart's advice and been there 10mins faster??

Nutrition

Overall I was happy with my nutrition. I ate and drank most of what I took with me.  Here is a quick summary ...

Milngavie to Balmaha

1 slice Peanut butter & Jam sandwich

1 Brioche with custart and raisins
5 Belgian white chocolate coated strawberries (really tasty!)

Balmaha to Rowardennan
Mashed sweet potato - went down well but forgot spoon so made a bit of a mess eating it!
1 Banana
Few mixed nuts - really struggled to eat many as my mouth was dry 

Rowardennan to Inversnaid
1 pot of rice pudding
1 small soreen bar - only managed a couple of small bites
5 jelly babies

Inversnaid to Beinglas Farm
2-3 spoon fulls of baked beans - couldn't manage any more
500ml of flat coke - excellent and I realy felt it kicking in

Beinglas Farm to Tyndrum
1 Fruit pot
500ml of flat coke - sipped this over the a few miles
1 packed of Clif Shot Bloks - took one every 30mins or so 

I also drank about 2.5litres of water and took a succeed tablet every 90mins.  

Equipment
I'm really happy with what I wear now so a quick summary from head to toe ...

Buff - life saver.  Wore it early on as it was cold and I like to keep my ears warm.  Later on when it was hot I love to dip it in any stream I pass and pour it on my head to keep cool.

T-shirt - I wore a short sleeved t-shirt and long sleeved to start (plus jacket for first hour). Took off long sleveed top and gloves at Drymen. Felt just right all day.

Watches - Really pleased with the Suunto Ambit.  Easy to read while running.  I kept it on the lap screen the whole day. Also wore my ordinary stop watch as a back up. I keep this one on overall time so I can see how I'm doing on the main legs.

Shorts- I wore my skins and favourite shorts with deep pockets for carrying head cam etc.

Socks - Drymax - really impressed with these.  This is the longest run I've done in them and no problems at all.  The track was wet and muddy in places and I did get wet feet but they dried off very quickly and I finished with no blisters. Result.  The only part of my foot that hurt a bit was my little toe on my left foot but that's due to a narly toe nail.  I need to get some industrial strength nail clippers to trim it down!

Rucksack - North Face pack - I didn't carry much in it but it feels more comfortable than a bumbag as it doesn't push against my stomach. 

So lots of things went right which resulted in a decent run.  I have a few things to work on for the whw race in June.  I'm going to rework my training which I'll report on next. 

Hoka Highland Fling Race Video

Here is my video of this year's race.  It lasts 11mins 21secs ...

Hoka Highland Fling Spreadsheets

Those who know me know that I like my spreadsheets!  I love the fact that the Highland Fling uses chip times and publishes the split times so quickly after the race.  So yesterday afternoon after I'd finished my race report I sorted out the columns into split times and split positions. 

I find it really interesting to see how I did in relation to the rest of the field.  I'll do a 'lessons learnt' post from the race in the next day or so but if like me you like to look at the times and positions here is the spreadsheet

I've also tidied up my own personal spreadsheet which gives my sub 10hrs plan and my actual times.  

My video of the race is alomost uploaded to YouTube and should be ready by the time I get home from work. 

Hoka Highland Fling Race Report

Saturday 27th April 2013

This was the 7th time I have run this race and I can honestly say I was looking forward to it as much as the previous 6.  My training had gone well, I've lost some weight which I feel has helped me a lot and I decided to give it a good go.

My aim was to try and run under 10hrs. I knew it was going to be a real challenge with very little room for getting anything wrong. But for me part of the 'fun' of these races is to challenge myself and to aim as high as I can.

The race weekend started on Friday night when I registered at Milngavie at 6pm.  Stuart Mills was staying with us for the weekend so I then drove to Glasgow Airport to pick him up.  I always enjoy chatting to Stuart and I thought others could benefit as well so we did a podcast interview before heading to head. 

I set the alarm for 4am though I didn't actually switch it on!!  I only discovered this at 3.30am when I woke up anyway.  Breakfast of porridge and tea and we left the house at 4.50am.  Easy 30min journey to Milngavie, parked the car and got a lift down the road with Ryan Mackenzie (thanks Ryan!).

Made sure all the drop bags where in the right place, greeted a few friends and soon enough it was 5.45am and John's brief briefing (if you need to stop tell someone) and the start.  It was quite chilly so I decided to wear a short sleeved top, long sleeved top and my jacket.  I also put on my Hardmoors buff at the last minute.

With Dave Troman before the start (photo from Thomas L)

Milngavie to Drymen (12.13miles)
I set off at the back of the sub 10hr group. This year John Duncan, Race Director, had decided to have a mass start but in waves.  I gather in the end though the groups just followed each other and it was fine.  I referred everyone starting together.

I quickly settled into a nice easy run and was glad to be moving and warming up.  At the top of the first little hill I was joined by Andy Cole.  Andy & I started running ultras at the same time and I always enjoy reading Andy blog and chatting.

We ran together for the next 5miles or so. Andy kept saying I'm going to let you go as you are running faster than my plan but we stayed together for a good while.  Andy hasn't broken 10hrs in the race and one of his goals is to do that but he wasn't sure whether today would be the day.

We ran with Donald Sandeman for a while. Donald & I ran quite a bit of the Jedburgh ultra together and Donald finshed ahead of me.  I wondered whether today might be similar when I left him ... would be catch up in the final third of the race as he did in Jedburgh?? 

The new path either side of the Beech tree is a big improvement and makes that section a lot easier to run on.  As I was chatting I didn't really look at the watch much but at each of my mini-splits I was pretty well bang on so quite happy with that.

I ran with Iain Wallace for a bit. Iain was struggling with a sore calf and wasn't sure whether he wanted to risk running the whole way if it was going to get worse. The whw in 8 weeks is the priority.  Iain walked up the hill of the Gartness so I pushed on.

There was a bit group just ahead so I caught them up and chatted to Jeff and a few others as we approached Drymen.  I was happy to see that I was bang on my 1.50 target and feeling good. During this first section I'd eaten a peanut butter & jam sandwich and a brioch bun.

It was good to see Neal & Caroline marshalling at Drymen.  I made sure I got a high 5 from them! Neal made his usual comment about me being too slow!!

Drymen to Balmaha (6.84miles)
This year we had to have a slight detour through Drymen as the forestry commission are doing some work.  It meant that we ran past the 'Kip in the Kirk' B&B which is run by Francis and Jonny.  Jonny is a work colleague of mine in Active Schools and Jonny was running his first ultra.

Francis very kindly had cut up oranges into quarters and was handing them out.  I was also able to leave my long sleeved top and gloves as it was warming up and I didn't think I would need them again.

As I ran walked up the long hill out of Drymen I saw Murdo Ewan ahead.  When I caught him he said he'd gone off a bit quick and was struggling a bit.  I had a feeling it wouldn't be the last I saw of him and that proved true!

Accoding to my splits I reckon the diversion was an extra 0.36mile.  I was continuing to slowly catch folk and have a chat with each as I went past.  I was pleased to see that the new path leading up to Conic Hill was now dry and the top layer of mud has gone. It was a lot easier to run on.

I reached the bridge at the bottom of the hill 1min under my plan. Things were going well! I was still catching folk with 1-2 going past me.  The path up Conic Hill meant that it was a lot easier to run some of the sections and walk a fair bit faster on the way up.

Half way up the hill Murdo caught me and we chatted a bit more.  He looked as though he was going better which was good to see.  I paused for a photo as we reached the top of the climb.

I was had my head cam and was taking short clips of the route so watch out for that appearing in a cinerma near you .... or on this blog!!

The path down was a lot easier and safer to run down as well.  Murdo was a lot quicker on the way down but I seemed to hold my own which was fine with me.  The new steps were also good so, even though I know some will hate the new path, it is a lot better.

I ran into Balmaha right on plan.

Balmaha to Rowardenna (7.78miles)
The super efficient marshalls handed me my drop bag and refilled my water and 24secs later I was off again.  I walked through the car park getting my food sorted.  I realised that I'd forgotten to put a spoon in to eat my mashed potato!

I did try and 'borrow' on from Murdo's wife but she only had one.  So I ate the mashed potato without a spoon so anyone who saw me with mashed potato all over my mouth will know why.

I ate it while walking up the steps just after Balmaha.  Antonia was there making sure people didn't miss the turn. I had a group of 3-4 runners including Melanie from Carnegie just behind me but I realised that I needed a pit stop.

While I took a pee beind a tree 7-8 runners went past.  It me most of the run to Rowardennan to catch them back up.

I was feeling good and went through my splits pretty much on time.  Murdo caught me again, having stopped longer at Balmaha.  We ran together for a good part of the way and then I went ahead and I was on my own.

Neal & Caroline were waiting on one of the road crossings. Neal said I'd better get going as Katrina was only a mile behind!!  I suspected there was not much truth in the statement but I did wonder how Katrina was getting on.

I went past a few more runners who I suspected had gone off too quick and were starting the pay the price. I remember thinking if you are starting to struggle now there is a long way to go.  The weather by now was almost perfect. Warm without being too hot and very little wind.

Just a mile or so before Rowardennan I past Mike Raffan.  I was surprised to see him down the field rather than near the front but it seems he was using it as a training run and was quite happy though he had suffered from some cramps.

I ran into Rowardennan 44 secs slower than my plan!  I was really pleased that not only was I on target but feeling good.  In some years I might have been on target but I'd worked too hard to get there.

I saw Caroline (not sure where Neal was???) who helped get my drop bag. It was also really good to see Fiona Rennie after her recent operation. She took this photo of me ...

Rice pudding ... yum

Rowardennan to Inversnaid (7.25miles)
I ate my rice pudding and took some jelly babies for the journey to Inversnaid.  I suspected that this next section was going to be key as to whether I could manage a sub 10hr time.  I'd given myself 1hr 18mins to run the 7.25miles.  It is a big climb with almost 900 ft of ascent but also a similar amount of descent in the leg.

I ran until the Youth Hostel then adopted a walk/run strategy up the hill.  There were a few others around me and we yoyo'd a fair bit as everyone deals with it differently.

After each section I'd been tweeting my time. I'd set it all up on my iphone so all I had to do was fill in the actual time and copy to a text.  It didn't take too long.  After I'd sent each one there were messages being sent in reply.  I didn't manage to read many of them at the time but it was so encouraging just o know friends were following my progress.

I did read one from Shelley Marsh (Caroline's Mum). Shelly told me she'd seen Katrina at Sallochy. I worked out she was probably about an hour behind me. So if I was on target for 10hrs there was a good chance Katrina was on target for 12hrs.

After about 3miles Murdo caught me again and we ran together.  This is the first Highland Fling he'd been able to do due to injury so it was good to see him running again after various problems.  He pointed out to me that it would be a pb for him as long as he finished!

We arrived at the point where the wider path goes to a single track. That is one of my mini splits and I saw that I was now 3mins 26secs down on my plan.  I knew I'd found that hill quite hard. On my pb year of 2008 I'd ran a good portion of that hill.

Anyway I still felt okay and decided to try and run the final 2.8miles to the hotel as best I could.  Murdo was going well now so I tried to hang on to me. After half a mile or so he moved away and was a good 100 yards ahead.

I was left with a choice of accepting the gap or pushing on and trying to catch him.  I went for the latter and within the next mile I caught back up.  From there to the checkpoint I just concentrated on staying with him.  I thanked him for helping me and he kindly said it was mutual so that was good.

We came in to the hotel in just over 5.52 against my plan of 5.44 so I'd lost 6mins. I suspected it might be difficult to make that up but I was keen to give it a go.

The marshalls were again excellent and refilled my water, found my drop bag and generally helped as much as they could.  I had a pot of beans to eat here. I ate maybe a quarter of them. Better some than nothing. I also had a bottle of flat coke which was just what I needed.

Inversnaid to Beinglas Farm (6.70miles)
Murdo pushed on while I updated twitter!  Just as I was sending it I saw Andy Cole go by.  'Andy' I shouted as he was about to ignore me!  He said he'd had a great lochside and was feeling good.  We ran together and it gave me someone to hang on to.

I'm so impressed with Andy. He is 64 and still running so smoothly and has a great attitude.  He is out for a great day and takes things as they come. If he's having a good day like yesterday he goes with it but if not (which are rare) he gets on with it and does the best he can.

Andy has a very relaxed and economical running side and I can see how he can keep on going at the same pace for so long.  A couple of tmies he pulled away but I was able to catch up again.  On the second time when I caught him he was chatting to Murdo.

They are both in the over 60 category so challenging for the winner's prize.  I joked that they were trying to pysch each other out but Andy explained that Murdo was struggling with cramp.  After a brief chat I went past Murdo and chased after Andy.  It was the last I saw of either of them!

Andy went on to finish in a superb 9.57.56 and Murdo in 10.20.49.  I was so pleased for Andy as this was a pb in 7 attempts !  His challenge is now to carry that on to the whw and crack that sub 23hrs he's after.

I was now on my own and tried to run into Beinglas as hard as I could.  I was hoping to get there in 1.35 which would mean 7.30 overall.  That would leave me 2.30 to make it to Tyndrum.  I knew that gave me an outside chance but not very likely.

I really felt the coke had kicked in and I had a really good run for a mile or two.  I caught up with a runner in white who I thought might be Andy but wasn't! 

I paused at Dario's post for a photo and to remember our friend ....

I was pleased that I was still running okay as one of my aims for the race had been to try and finish strong.  My quads were starting to feel it a bit but I was still moving okay.

I ate some of the jelly babies to give me some help for the last couple of miles into Beinglas.  I'd also been taking a succeed tablet every 90mins or so.  I was so glad I'd brought my buff as it was getting hot now and I love soaking my buff in a stream to keep my head cool.

The relay teams had been going past me fairly regularly over the past few hours. Maybe 6-7 teams.  About a mile before Beinglas I heard a cry of Mr Kynaston and it was Christopher (Caroline's brother) finishing off his leg.  He was going well and was passing over to his wife Susan. 

I arrived at Beinglas Farm in 1.34 for an overall time of 7.29.18.

Peter Marsh was at the checkpoint helping with their relay team. Peter very kindly helped me sort out my drop bag. I had a fruit pot which went down well and I took a bottle of coke and a packet of clif bloks for the final section. Peter asked whether sub 10 was still possible. I replied it was going to take an exceptionable effort but I was going to give it a go.  Realistically I felt if I could run the last 12miles in 2.40 for 10.10. I'd be more than happy.

Beinglas Farm to Tyndrum (11.83miles)
I tweeted my update and I wondered what my friends following me would think.  I'd purposely given myself a very genereous last mini-split from Auchtertyre so all was not lost. It would depend on whether I could pick up the pace and stick to my splits.

I split this final section into four parts.  First one to Derrydarroch (2.50miles), next to the Big Gate before the forest (1.99miles), then Auchtertyre (3.64miles and finally Tyndrum (2.65miles).

So I just concentrated on getting to Derrydarroch in 40mins.  I could see a couple of runners ahead and tried to focus on seeing if I could catch them or at least not fall further behind.  I was running okay but needing regular walking breaks.

My main mantra for times like this is 'Slow and steady, make it last'. If I feel good I try and make it last as long as possible rather than push too hard and find it only lasts a few minutes.

I ran into Derrydarroch in 39.34 which I was pleased with.  As I ran through the forest Lorna caught me. She was going really well and we then ran together for the next 30mins or so.  It really helped me as it was good to have someone to chat to.

Lorna's pb was 10.18 and she was hoping to beat that.  I knew she could do that no problem if she could keep it going. Lorna will be first to admit that she can be quite negative and hard on herself.  So I spent most of our chat telling her that she needs to have a positive attitude!!

Once we got past the muddy farm Lorna pushed on.  Maybe she'd enough of my 'motivational' chat!!!  She turn round and I could see she wasn't sure whether to leave me.  I shouted for her to push on and go for it.  It is a race after all.  She did and I was so pleased to discover she'd finished in 9.51.31.  Superb.

So now I was on my own.  I'd reached the big gate in 36.40 against 39.00 so was still on track for 10.10 which had become my definite goal.  I went past a female runner who was finding things hard but she was keeping going which is what it's all about.

I now had just over 6miles to go.  The end was in sight and I wanted to finish as well as I could.  I walked all the uphills.  There have been Flings when I've been able to run at least half the hills but not today! My quads were sore and even the downhill running hurt.

I tried various running styles and got down as best I could.  Up and down, up and down, up and down and eventually the final whw post and the final up and final down.

When I arrived at the A82 road crossing there was a friendly face ... Helen Legget.  She aplologised that the road was so busy and it did take a minute or so to find a gap to get across.  A young guy caught as I went over the bridge. He asked how far to go and I was able to tell him.

I said sub 10 was beyond me but he could do it if he pushed hard.  At that he left me and I hope he did make it.

As I ran into Auchtertyre Graeme Gatherer caught me and we ran together for a mile or so.  Peter and Shelley were at the car park to give us a cheer and Shelley took the following photo ....

2 miles to go

Graeme is doing the full race in June so we had a brief chat about that.  A relay runner caught up with us.  He was a 65yr old runner who had run London Marathon last Sunday in 3.30!  But his sense of direction was terrible and two times we had to call him back onto the right route!

I could sense that Graeme was running stronger than me so I encouraged him to push on and finish well. I ran the last mile or so on my own realising that I was going to be under my 10.10 target which pleased me no end!

I put my head cam on to record the finish. I came onto the road and expected to see the finish but no-one was there. I was directed into the By The Way Campsite, turned left and saw the finishing tunnel.

It brought a tear to my eye and I absolutely loved the final few yards to the finish. What a great idea from John Duncan!  I crossed the line in 10hrs 05mins 59secs.

Photo thanks to Shelley

Ellen was there at the finish to present me with my 7th Highland Fling medal.

After the race
I went for a massage, then a shower before having some soup and bread and wondered when Katrina would arrive. 

Silke said that they had seen her at Beinglas at 3pm (9hrs into the race). So she had 3hrs to run the final 12miles. I thought that might be possible but Silke also said he was feeling sick and was quite upset.

It was good to look at the results in so far and see that a number of friends had had excellent races.

I starting watching for Katrina from 6pm owards and was so pleased to see her arriving at 10 past.  It looked as though she was working hard ...

Katrina finished in 12hrs 11mins 08secs which was a pb by 15mins.  Considering she was been sick at Balmaha and Beinglas and struggled with nausea for most of the race it was a very gutsy performance.

By the time I walked down to the finish I couldn't see her. Friends pointed to round the corner where I saw her being comforted by Silke as she trying to be sick again!

So not quite the sub 10 and sub 12 we were hoping for but a  great day out and good solid performances.

My Guess My Time competiton was won jointly by Noanie Heffron (who had a superb 11.47 race herself) and John McLaughlin who both predicted 10.05.00.  Katrina's competition was won by Brian Graham who predicted 12:14:30.

Finally a massive thank you to John Duncan and the 80 volunteers who help during the weekend to make sure the race runs smoothly.

The splits are now available so I'll be playing around with them soon!  Plus my video of the run!