First post whw race run

In some years I've been running again just a few days after the whw race but this wasn't some years.

I really felt I needed at least 10 days off and last week I didn't even want to think about running. From Monday onwards I was looking forward to getting going again but I'm glad I kept to the 10days.

I ran at lunch time with a colleague Ivonne. She was keen to do a steady easy pace which was great for me.

We did a 6mile loop from Bellahouston Park through Pollok Park and back. I have decided for a while to not worry about pace and time and just have my watch set to distance.

So here is what my garmin is set to ...

We'll see how it goes but I'm keen to get more of a feel to my running and not worry too much about pace for a while.

I also went back to Run-4-it and bought another pair of trail shoes. They had a good deal whereby you get £20 off a second pair if you buy them within 30days of the first purchase.

I went for a pair of Inov-8 Terroc ....

I'm planning to use these for the Devil o' the Highlands Race.

One of things I've decided to do is to change my training a bit. So I'm going to do some cross training rather than running every day. Glasgow council is running a 'cycle to work' scheme which means I can buy a new bike 40-50% off.

I'm looking at getting a decent road bike either a Trek or Giant. My friend Grant is going to have a look with me tomorrow and give me some advice. So I'm planning to do some more cycling.

Thurs 30th June Run Details

6.01miles

One last comment ...

I know I said I was drawing a line under my whw 2011 race but I received an email from Ian Beattie this morning that I felt was worth posting.

Ever since I first met Ian in November 2006 I have really appreciated his friendship and advice.

I must say that the majority of what Ian has written makes a lot of sense and most nearly captures where I am at.

So thanks Ian ....

Hi John,

I know you said you were drawing a line under this year's race, but thought I would put down my thoughts and leave you to absorb or reject them as you see fit!

I've read the comments on your blog, and thought Donald's thoughts were closest to where I am. Sometimes you have periods where, in running terms, things go really well, and other times you don't.

There doesn't seem to be any obvious reason for this, but a lot of it can be caused by factors outside your control and which are not related to running. I ran my best WHW in 2007 and I was in a great frame of mind, having just been offered my current job at Lindsays at 5pm that evening!

I have come to the conclusion that it is very difficult (not impossible, but very difficult) for anyone to perform at their best in this race year after year after year. It probably takes about 3 months to recover properly from it, and then another couple of months to start building back up. It is generally the main focus for the period from the new year onwards.

That means it is taking up most of the year - it is hard to keep that level of focus, no matter how much you enjoy it. Last year I was complaining to Geraldine about my worsening performances in the Fling and in the WHW - she said to me that "it must feel like you are covering the same old ground, only slower. That can't be much fun". I think she was right.

I think the other problem you have is that your 2 sub 20 times were absolutely superb performances, where you achieved very close to your full potential. Relative to times over other distances, it is close to the best 'relative' performance on the WHW I have seen. (Neal also fits into this category).

I'm being brutally honest here (so apologies but I know you'll respect it) but I do not believe you will achieve that level of performance again. In both these years you got everything completely right and achieved the best result you possibly could. It is like someone peaking perfectly for an Olympic final, or Paula Radcliffe peaking for her 2.15 marathon.

If in your heart of hearts you do not believe you can get to that level again, it becomes more difficult to push your body to the level that is needed, and your results get poorer. It's a vicious circle. I'm in the same one at the moment - I'm about half a minute a mile slower than I was at my peak, so am finding it hard to push myself the way I need to if I want to improve. That isn't easy.

Age is also a factor. In your 50s your body deteriorates at a quicker rate than when you are
younger (forget the comments on your blog from the likes of Stuart Mills about this - it is a fact - otherwise we would have 40 year old playing top level football, which we don't in the top leagues). You are bound to get slower and find recovery harder. Again, after 21 years of running I find myself in the same position.

If I were you I would take a year out of the WHW race, and get involved in some other capacity. That would allow your body and mind to have a break, and you would hopefully come back feeling refreshed, and with revised goals. Don't underestimate the mental challenge of doing it year after year, or the impact it has on those around you.

I ran one of my best marathons at Loch Ness in 2002, despite missing 2 months running that spring with a dislocated shoulder. I'm sure the reason I ran so well was that I had had a proper rest, and mentally I was so happy to be back running that I was in a good place, and really enjoyed getting back out there. I don't think most of us take enough rest - my performances would undoubtedly improve if I had a complete break for a few months and then came back to it. It's a lot easier said than done, however; after a few days rest I'm just itching to get back out...

Hopefully there are a few worthwhile thoughts in here. Happy to chat through them in more detail, or for you to put any / all of this on your blog.

Take care,

Ian

Drawing a line ...

Thank again for all the comments/suggestions/ideas of what happened last Saturday.

I received two emails from friends this week ...

Firstly William Sichel took the time to encourage me. Here is part of what he wrote ...

Your under-performance was nothing physical, nor age related. Like Stuart, I am performing now, at aged 57, in a way that I couldn't have done 10 years ago, due to better experience, more wisdom and better conditioning.

So back to the mental issues.

For me the key phrases in your comments were:

"But also in my back of my mind was the thought that things weren't quite right and I wasn't convinced that I was going to be able to keep the pace going right through 95miles.

But mentally I knew things weren't quite the same. In 2009 I was so positive and on top of every run and expected to break 20hrs. I knew I could do it and did.

This year I've spent the year trying to convince myself I could do it. But deep down I knew it wasn't quite there."

I think that these thoughts and feelings are where you need to focus your attention and try and elucidate WHY you had these thoughts. In my opinion that will be the key.

Perhaps it was your performance in certain key training sessions or races? Look back through your training records they can be a gold mine of information. There must have been something, that you felt or experienced in training or normal life, that planted doubts in your mind concerning your performance. Probably you will be the only one to know what these were and to then address them.

Thanks William

The second one was from my friend Donald Petrie. Donald is a fellow member of Kilbarchan AAC and was on my support team for my first three whw races.

Hi John

I read your blog yesterday and thought I'd better add my bit. As you know I'm usually a 'lurker' when it comes to discussions etc.

All runners have bad runs and they don't know why. I wouldn't dwell on it - put it down to experience and carry on doing what you enjoy. If it's the WHW then carry on as before and you'll have some good runs and some bad ones - that's life for a runner.

You said you knew in your heart that you weren't on top form in the lead up to the race. I could tell from reading the blog and knowing you fairly well. I'm going through the same at the moment. I know I'm not in good form at the moment and am not very sure why - exactly the same as you've felt over the past few months. I'm doing the same training as before but I'm not running as well as before. Sure I had a bad chest infection a couple of months ago but I should be over it.

One possibility is stress, but I'm no expert! You've mentioned the uncertainty with your job, the possibility of another job, your kids moving out of the house etc. I've been moved at my work to a new office with new people, both my kids have been sitting exams. I suspect this plays a part and brings you down a bit, but in a race like the WHW it will really find you out.

I'm just back from the Calderglen 10k Trail Race and I ran nearly a minute slower than last year. I knew I wasn't in good form but I did the race anyway and enjoyed it. I didn't set out with any real race plan and just went to get the race under my belt. I found it quite hard and wasn't surprised to be slower. It's just part of running and we just have to accept it.

Perhaps your blog puts you under some pressure as well knowing there are so many people reading your every move and you feel that you have to perform to some level for them?

Perhaps you're also becoming a slave to the Garmin and pace charts etc which put you under pressure at every stage to meet targets? As you know I tend to run as I feel with an idea of the distance involved and get on with it.

I've written a lot more than I intended, but basically don't analyse too much. You had a bad run - you will probably have others, but also good runs. Don't put yourself under even more pressure by thinking too much about it.

See you anon.

Donald (back to being a 'lurker')

Thanks Donald

It's now just over a week after the race and I feel I need to draw a line under the race and move on.

As you could imagine I've spent some time thinking about next year but I'm not making any decisions yet.

So I have a short term plan and a longer term plan ...

Short term

I have two races left this year. The Devil o' the Highlands (42miles) on Saturday 6th August and the River Ayr Way Race on Saturday 24th September.

I'm going to change my approach for these races and have one simple aim - to enjoy the run!

So there will be no times to chase/pace to follow. I will just try and run as I feel and see how it goes. I might even (shock horror) run without a watch??!!??

Longer term

Once I've done these races I will decide on my plans for next year. I've already been asked to support a friend if I don't do the whw race and another friend has suggested we do a different race together.

So it's all good and I hope this race has been a 'wee blip' as Stuart said as I'm not ready to retire from ultra running yet!!

I've pencilled in Thursday for my first run. Feel I need a few more days before I get going again.

Finally congratulations to Jez Bragg who finished 4th in the Western States 100 race in a time of 15hrs 55mins. It was fun following the race on the official web site and twitter.

A response from Stuart Mills

Thank you so much for all those who have responded to my post yesterday on Lessons learnt from the whw race.

When I started this blog over 5 years ago I wanted to share my journey of running ultras putting down all the things I'm learning and experiencing.

Lots of it has been good and that's been easier to share but it doesn't always go to plan and the best lessons are often gained when things don't go right.

I have really appreciated friends taking time to think about my situation and write down their thoughts and ideas. I have read and will reread them all and reflect on what I can learn from them.

I received an email this morning from Stuart Mills and checked that he was happy for me to post his reply. If you've read Stuart's blog you will know that he has very different views to most about how to run ultras.

Stuart's emphasis is on the importance of the mind and the role our minds play in determining our performance. I suspected that Stuart would have some comments about what happened on Saturday and I was not wrong!!

So here is Stuart's take on what happened on Saturday ....

Hi John

I have read your WHW report and Lessons Learnt with much interest. Following your blog updates on the Saturday was really exciting to start with and then interesting. Seeing you get further down on schedule, without having any knowledge of why, was puzzling. Then in your report, a great description of the ‘journey’ and how demanding you found it, but again, I was still left wondering why? Why the slower than expected performance? So tonight I thought, yes lessons learnt, finally John will explain why? But no, it appears you just don’t really know!

Well, as you are more than aware I do tend to have one or two ideas on things related to ultra trail running, so I have been giving it some thought to try to think of possible explanations, based on what you have written within your blog posts. I will try to express my ‘random thoughts’ below. Just before I do this, I guess I am also asking for permission if it is okay to use your WHW nutrition photo from last year in my presentation that I am doing this Saturday night as part of the Lakeland 100 recce weekend. My philosophy of the talk is not to judge what is right or wrong, but to try to get people to question. So your fuel photo is great for people to question, just how much fuel do you actually need?

Attached therefore are a few slides which include your photo, but also a few on pacing, where I have ‘swiped’ some material off Thomas’s blog site. Again not to judge people’s approaches, but more to highlight things, how expectations (of “punishment” in the second half) often lead to reality. If possible could you please forward the attached slides with a brief explanation from above to Thomas (I don’t have his e-mail address) and ask him if he is okay with me using his material. Hopefully he will feel ‘honoured’!

Back to what happened in the WHW. I have left a few other slides from this weekends presentation as they could be relevant here. It was interesting that last week Thomas left a comment on Ultrastu about how all my posts seem to be about the mind! Well that is because it is the mind that determines what happens during ultra trail running, as demonstrated by your 27 hours! As I mentioned to you when at Glasgow, physically you were in superb shape, 85 minutes ish for a half marathon! There is no way you should be running 27 hours. So why did it not happen on the day?

Looking at my slides I emphasise positivity. Now you are one of the most positive guys I have come across, so this isn’t usually a weakness, however, when you get a combination of things all happening at the same time, that seems to have occurred here, then a time of 27 hours results.

I’ll try to explain. One of my slides states. What do you want, Why do you want it. How much do you want it? Did you have deep, deep down, answers to these three questions. Not superficial, but strongly believed deep down answers??? It appears you were a bit vague with the what, maybe sub 21, poss sub 20, or okay maybe sub 22? Which one is it??? But I think the next question is more telling, Why do you want it? Did you ever ask your self why? Yes it would be ‘nice’ to run sub 20 again, but does it really matter if you do or don’t. Why did you want a certain time? It appears that even as positive as you are, there was an underlying belief that because you are two years old than your last sub 20 then it will be harder. Why this negative expectation? I would think that I am two years wiser and more experienced with more miles in my legs, more knowledge, better expectations. I see getting older as a benefit. I am running the best ever now because I am 48! I couldn’t run like I am now when 38 because I didn’t have the wisdom, experience etc. Maybe thing change once people reach the big 50, well with only 18months to go, it isn’t long for me to wait to find out. My expectation is that I will be performing even better. Performance is massively influence by self expectations! Expect to run well you will, expect to struggle you will.

And finally the third question. How much do you want it? You had already gone sub 20 twice, so was there the ‘hunger’? The huge desire to achieve. Was there a positive challenge for you? To try to resist the negativity of being older doesn’t sound like a positive challenge to me.

What really amazes me is that all the evidence from your training should have resulted in increased positivity and heightened self expectations. However, it appears that for some reason you were having doubts. One thing which I never do is mix up training with racing. When I am on the start line, I am 100% racing. Yes I have key races for the year, usually 2, but the other 4 or 5 are still important races. I am still there to race fully, without easing off anything in order to save something for the next race. It appears that due to the WHW being your No 1 race, you were too cautious in the Fling. You then eased off in order to save yourself for the WHW. In one of my slides I mention the countless arguments people may encounter during ultra trail racing. During the Fling, it appears the ‘save yourself’ argument defeated you that day. Which although there was logic to it, deep down possibly you felt that you had underperformed, and hence the start of the negativity, the doubt over the WHW. Hence why I never mix up racing and training, so this slow down save yourself argument can’t defeat me.

Unfortunately once that little bit of doubt starts, if allowed,the mind will search for negative evidence to reinforce the slow down low expectation argument. Was it that your big 2 day training run was a little slower this year compared to 2 years ago? Yes, the argument sees another opportunity to take advantage. The positive doesn’t fight back with, the conditions were different, or ???, or in fact doesn’t fight back with it doesn’t really matter actually how fast you do it in. WHW performance has very little to do with physical fitness! All physical fitness is for is to give you the evidence to convince yourself to have higher expectations. If you realise that this is all physical fitness is needed for, then if you can increase your expectations other ways then there isn’t the same need for the physical fitness, training times are irrelevant.

So! Just taking my breath! SO, so far we have a few possible small issues/problems that on there own wouldn’t be a problem but together ....! Uncertainty and lack of deep conviction on the three questions, getting older and therefore slower, being defeated by the save myself argument in the Fling, reinforced by slower times in the 2 day key training session. Then some more, the shoes. Racing in new shoes, with only one run before the race. Everyone knows you just don’t do that! Just some more uncertainty/negativity to add to our list!

Just had a quick re-read of the Lessons learnt again. Amazing you say you should have been honest with yourself and accepted 23 hours. I would be interested to know what was it that convinced you so deeply that you should expect to go slower just because you are two years older. I signed off one of my posts last year with something like “never follow the norm, always question”. Yes most other people at age 52? are beginning to slow down, but YOU are not most other people! If you want to be normal, don’t run ultras. As an ultra runner you are exceptional, for you the normal just doesn’t apply. Within your writing you know the answers, you know the importance of self expectations, deep down beliefs, but yet it appears that you hadn’t spent the time preparing this part of ultra trail running, the most important preparation. Maybe too much focus on the physical.

Within my slides it states something about knowing what to expect, and developing strategies to positively respond to it. Maybe because you had never really experienced these massive attacks from the slowdown arguments before, that you didn’t have a strategy to counter it. The ‘giving in’ at the Highland Fling possibly should have been further analysed to delve deeper, to learn and to gain experience of how to respond to the slowdown arguments.

Sorry if this e-mail is going on and on, and round in circles and a real jumble. It’s just that I have spent quite a bit of time over the last week or so trying to structure my thoughts for the one hour presentation I am doing this Saturday. The hardest thing is linking all of my ideas together into an order that flows and tells a story. Typing this e-mail, which I really hope will be of some worth to you, as I do believe that my ideas, albeit a bit jumbled, so have quite some merit, is helping me immensely in getting my thoughts structured and expressing them appropriately. To express them in a manner which isn’t critical or attacking. Apologies if the above may be like this at times. I have just typed as quickly as I could. as my thoughts came!

To finish off, I just wish to reinforce what many of your literally thousands of followers have told you. Your blog writings are truly inspirational, and you have a great following. I’m sure most of them will be like me, feeling sad that the great inspirational John Kynaston is having a ‘wee blip’. Everything happens for a reason. Maybe this blip was just the trigger you need to really asking those three key questions, and for you to re-discovery that deep down desire to take you further and beyond for your next five years of Ultra Trail running, as you continue to successfully achieve new challenges. There is so much more to learn and discovery within the ultra trail running performances and community.

Hopefully you make some sense of the above. All the best with reflections and along your journey of discovery. I look forward to your future posts.

From a typed out ultra typer!

Stuart

PS Yes I am back again. I just looked at some of my slides. One of them mentions Accept positive confirmations. Get one positivity, take it on board, boost, then results in another, another, and continues to explode in positivity. Great, The only problem is if lacking experience in receiving negative confirmations, then maybe just one negative confirmation was accepted that is taken on, gives the negative boost, then results in more negative etc. Explodes. How experienced were you with negatives, probably not, as your positivity usually doesn’t allow it to surface!

Wow ... thanks Stuart. I really appreciated this and it has given me a lot to think about.

The debate continues ... any thoughts?

Lessons learnt from the whw race 2011

I always find it helpful to reflect on what I've learnt after an ultra race and I have a feeling I've learnt a lot from this one!

Firstly though I'd like to thank everyone who has left a comment or spoken to me. The whw family is very special and I love the fact that everyone is keen to encourage everyone else.

For the first time ever I had over 1,000 hits in a single day on Monday as people read my race report. It just goes to show how popular this race is and whether you are a runner, marshall, supporter or 'lurker' we can't get enough.

There are a number of race reports being posted now and I'm sure I'm not alone in loving reading each and every one. I wish everyone would write down their story as everyone's race has its own ups and downs and we can all learn from each other.

Anyway on to the subject of this post.

I set off at 1am on Saturday 18th June with a sub 21hr plan. I felt that was a challenging yet reasonable target given my training, experience and commitment. In the back of my mind was the thought that if everything went really well then sub20hr might be possible.

But also in my back of my mind was the thought that things weren't quite right and I wasn't convinced that I was going to be able to keep the pace going right through 95miles. I knew the schedule to run sub21hrs didn't leave much room for any struggles.

I finished in 27hrs 36mins 00secs ... a good 7hrs longer than I'd hoped or planned. I can also honestly say that I didn't really enjoy the race at all.

The first 6-7hrs were okay but once I was past Inversnaid and started to slip behind my sub21 plan it just got harder and harder.

Obviously I'm proud of the fact that I ground it out and finished and have my 5th goblet but this is my hobby and I want to enjoy it!

I know Ultras aren't meant to be easy and I've always enjoyed the challenge of pushing myself and achieving goals I've set myself. Pain is part of the process but this felt very different. For 20hrs I was just keeping it going running (shuffling) when I could and walking the rest.

I've been asked a few times what went wrong. Was it the shoes? food? pace? mental attitude? age? weather? training?

To be honest I'm really not sure. Maybe it was just one of those days. Maybe it was a combination of the above.

So here are some thoughts about what I've learnt .....

# Unrealistic expectations?
In each of my first three whw races I improved. 2007 - 22hrs 45mins 10secs to 2008 - 19hrs 59mins 33secs to 2009 - 19hrs 51mins 59secs.

In 2010 I decided to do things differently to see if that would help me to go faster. It didn't and I finished in 22hrs 15mins 10secs.

I decided this year that I would give it one more go at breaking 20hrs again. I went back to what worked in 2009 and basically repeated the training.

I made the whw race my main focus and trained accordingly. I have hardly missed a single planned session. I've done all my long runs in very similar times to 2009 and if anything felt fitter and faster than 2009.

But mentally I knew things weren't quite the same. In 2009 I was so positive and on top of every run and expected to break 20hrs. I knew I could do it and did.

This year I've spent the year trying to convince myself I could do it. But deep down I knew it wasn't quite there.

I find it hard to put down in words and maybe it's only a slight difference in attitude but it has been different.

Maybe I should have been more honest with myself and set off with a more realistic sub 22hr or sub 23hr plan but it was hard to do that when I felt capable of running faster.

So I set off with a sub 21hr plan and decided to see how long I could keep it going. To Inversnaid was the answer! After that as I slipped further and further off the pace, as more and more people went past me it became a mental challenge to keep going.

It was very similar to the Fling and silmilar to last year's whw race. Maybe I need to accept my days of running sub 20hrs are gone and I need to readjust my expectations.

# Shoes
One of my givens is not to try anything in a race that I've not tried and tested in long training runs.

After the Fling I realised that my inov-8 Rociltes were so badly worn on the heels that they were useless.

So I bought a new pair of shoes knowing I had 7 weeks to run them in and be happy with them. I decided to try a different shoe - Saucony Peregrine. They had a more durable sole and were quite light.

I really enjoyed running in them and ran over 130 miles including the whole of the whw in three runs.

Then 6 days before the race I discovered a one inch hole on the outside of each shoe. I took them back to the shop who kindly gave me a full refund.

But now I had to run in a new pair. I'd lost confidence in the Saucony so decided to go for a pair of Salomon's. They felt a bit heavier but with a nice wide fitting felt comfortable.

I only had one 6mile run in them before the race. Not ideal. It's hard to know how much of a factor they were. I did end up with some blisters but I'll come on to that.

I changed them at Bridge of Orchy for my road shoes but more out of wanting to just try something different.

So I'm not blaming the shoes as that would be too easy! But I think it didn't help my mental attitude knowing that they were untested.

Peter Duggan has told me in no uncertain terms that I should have more than one pair of shoes on the go at one time. That makes perfect sense and I will be putting that into practice.

# Blisters
In my first whw race I really suffered with blisters. The following year I noticed that Hugh Kerr plastered his feet with Sudocrem before a run and said it really helped.

So since then I do the same ... but only around my toes. I've hardly suffered from blisters since and have become a bit blaise about it.

I did my normal practice of sudocrem around the toes, a thin pair of cotton ankle socks next to my skin and a thicker pair of socks on top.

I didn't do anything about my feet until Bridge of Orchy when I changed shoes and put on a dry pair of socks.

Looking back this was a big mistake. I've read others reports and chatted to friends who said they changed socks and shoes regularly making sure they kept their feet as dry as possible.

I didn't do that and suffered as a result. I just didn't take into account how wet the track was and what damage it was doing to my feet.

But I don't think new shoes or blisters were the reason for my struggles. Certainly it made the last 35miles a lot harder but my problems started well before that.

# Food
This year I've worked a lot harder on my food with my friend Cara. I didn't have any stomach problems and ate all I planned to.

I took in enough calories that should have keep me going. The idea of splitting the race into thirds with different food for each third worked well and meant I was always looking forward to something new.

Cara commented afterwards that we never had a plan for 27hrs of running!

I also took a succeed tablet every 1.5hrs and drank enough water. My pee was a light enough to indicate I wasn't dehydrated.

# Support
Once again I realised how important a good support team is.

Katrina and Laura met me at Balmaha. They were willing to go to Rowardennan but I was happy with drop bags at Rowardennan, Inversnaid and Beinglas Farm. It meant that they could head home at 4.30am and get some rest before Katrina headed back up again in the afternoon.

Stevie and David met me at Auchtertyre. This meant that they were fresh for the second half of the race. In the end David had to leave at Glencoe and Katrina took over.

All four were brilliant and helped me get to the end. Stevie ran with me from Glencoe to Kinlochleven and Katrina walked with me from Kinlochleven to Fort William.

Stevie, once he'd pitched the tent, got a lift to Lundavra and ran back to meet us so all three of us walked the last 9miles or so together.

I honestly don't think I would have made it without them. Or if I did I would have been another hour or two!

# Summary
So I'm still uncertain as to what went wrong and why I struggled as much as I did.

Last year I went through a tough patch between Auchtertryre and Bridge of Orchy but was able to get going again from Glencoe onwards. This year even that second wind just didn't come.

So what now? For the first time I've not mentally signed up for next year. I'll come back to this question in a further post.

It's now Thursday and my feet and legs feel a lot better. I'm sure I could run but I've decided to have at least 10days off maybe even a full two weeks!

My friend Chris pointed out that while I might be able to run my whole body needs a rest and I'll be susceptible to any virus going round.

Thanks again for your support. If anyone has any theories as to why it didn't work out feel free to comment!

whw race video - the start

Short video of the start of the race ...

2011 WHW Race report

Saturday 18th June 201 - starting at 1am
95miles from Milngavie to Fort William

This was my 16th ultra race. A few of those races have gone pretty well exactly to plan. For example in the 2009 whw race I set off with a sub 20hr plan and was able to achieve it. An amazing feeling being able to deliver.

Other races I've had to readjust on the go but was still able to finish strongly and was happy I'd done my best and coped with whatever was thrown at me.

But this race was something else. Last year I tried a few things differently and felt they hadn't really worked. So this year I went back to what worked well in 2009 and all my training had gone really well.

All my times were very similar to two years ago and I set off confident of being able to run sub 21hrs and hoping that if things went well I might, just might, be able to go under sub 20hr again.

The only negative thought I had was that my Fling was 30mins slower than 2009 and day 2 of my 2 day run in May was slower but I put both those times down to the weather. It did concern me though that I'd chosen to ease off. Would I be able to switch it on again when needed?

My tapering had been fine. I had a minor problem just a week before the race when I had to replace my shoes because there was a hole in them but I tried to ignore that and trust the new shoes I had would be fine.

So what happened? Well I assume that anyone reading this will know that I finished in 27hrs 36mins 00secs which is a long way off my goal of sub 21!! For those who like splits then you can pore over them to your heart's content.

The times tell their own story but while it's still fresh in my mind I want to write down how I got on and how I felt.

Pre-race
I'd a really good day on Friday. I spent the morning sorting out my food and gear. Then went for a sleep in the afternoon. Nice meal with Katrina at 6pm, relaxed in the evening and then headed to Milngavie at 11am.

Katrina and Laura were my back-up though the night to Balmaha and then Stevie and David, friends from Kilbarchan AAC, would take over from Auchtertyre.

Arrived at the start about 11.30pm, registered, chatted to a few folk then made sure everything was ready for the 12.30am briefing.


At the start with Laura and Katrina

Milngavie to Drymen
I was still deciding whether to carry my camera or not. In the end Katrina said she'd video the start and then I could take it from Balmaha if I wanted. That sounded a good idea.

Passed on my best wishes to lots of friends on the start line. Caroline looked relaxed and ready for the challenge. I could Richie and Jan-Albert ready for the battle that was going to take place at the top end of the field.



Adrian counted us down from 10 and right on 1am we were off to Fort William.

I was keen to run the first section to Drymen comfortably but also at a decent pace so I settled in right behind Sharon and Ross. I was chatting to Robert Soutar who was doing his first whw. I've run with Robert on the Kilpatricks and knew he was going to have a really good race which he did.

The first 5 or 6 miles went fairly comfortably. I tried to make sure I was running at my pace and my first two mini-splits were 30-45secs faster than planned but within reason.

I was chatting to various folks on the way and enjoying the early pace and run. At one point Jamie caught up and we chatted for a bit. She was a bit concerned about whether her ankle would hold up after an injury but she was running very smoothly when she went past me.

When we got on to the track along Dumgoyne I could see Jamie at the front of a line of 8-10 runners with Sharon and Ross just behind. I was near the end of the line and quite happy. I was interested to see whether Sharon would go with Jamie but sensibly she seemed to be holding off and running her own race.

I went through Beech Tree (10miles) in 1hr 6mins. By now I felt I'd settled into the run and everything was fine. There was lots of banter going on as the girls were at the front opening all the gates!

After we arrived at the road at Gartness the group of 15 or runners very quickly broke up. Jamie, Sharon, Robert and others ran off. I was pleased to see Ross held back and was running his own race.

I was running with a guy called Kenny who was doing the race for the first time. We ran into Drymen together.

Milngavie to Drymen (12.16miles)
1hr 56mins 03secs (9.33pace)

Drymen to Balmaha
There was a good crowd at Drymen and lots of clapping and cheering which was great. I'd encouraged Katrina and Laura to drive straight to Balmaha as I knew I had enough food and water until then.

This year I've been helped by my friend Cara, from Kilbarchan, with regard to food. We'd wored out a plan for the race which involved splitting it into three sections with different types of food in each section.

In the first section up to Inversnaid I would try and eat more substantial food. So I had a peanut butter sandwich and a honey sandwich to eat before Balmaha.

It was great to be able to run through the Garadhban Forest without having to climb round lots of fallen trees as we did in the night run a few weeks ago.

Kenny and I caught up with Ross along this point. Again I was really pleased that Ross was running sensibly. Last year he pushed far too hard to Balmaha and ended up having to drop out at Glencoe.

This year I've done all my long runs with Ross and I knew he was in great shape and really wanted him to do well.

Once we came to the climb up Conic Hill Ross did open a gap on us and I didn't see him for a while. It was now fully light and a great feeling starting the new day.

The weather so far had been really good. There was a very light drizzle for a while but even though I carried my coat I didn't wear it.

Kenny & I climbed up and over Conic Hill and made our way down the other side. I was my usual cautious self but thankfully so were Ross & Kenny.

I was looking forward to seeing Katrina & Laura and had planned a 5min stop to eat my mashed potato and cheese.


Balmaha at 4.20am

I changed into a short sleeved top and wore a clean buff. I decided to take my rain jacket. I also decided not to carry my camera. I felt if I had any chance to achieve my goals I couldn't afford any distractions.

Drymen to Balmaha (6.85miles) in 1hr 21mins 32secs (11.54pace)
Overall: 19.01miles in 3hrs 17mins 36secs (10.24pace)

Balmaha to Rowardennan
The car park was crowded and it was great atmosphere running through. Lots of people seem to recognise me, calling me by name which is always a lovely feeling so thanks.

As I felt Balmaha I sent my first tweet update. I'd decided to do this and had set up lots of drafts so all I had to do was put in the final number and send. It didn't take too long and meant friends could follow my progress.

I was on my own for a while and once again tried to settle into a steady rhythm. I'm aware that this section to Rowardennan is probably the time that my body is switching from burning carbohydrates to fat and I can feel a bit sluggish.

I felt okay and concentrated on my next section mini-section. I could see a couple of runners not too far ahead and slowly but surely caught up with them.

One of them was James who I'd met before. In fact was passed each other in Pollok Park last Tuesday when I was doing my final run and he was out cycling with a group of kids.

We ran together right into Rowardennan. My three mini-splits were all right on target and I was feeling quite happy with how things were going. I was keen to try and stay with my sub 21 target for as long as possible.

Just as came down the final hill on to the road before Rowardennan I saw Jamie hugging one of her support team and realised that she must be pulling out. I really felt for her but from what she said it was always going to be a gamble. She'll be back!

I arrived at the check point 5mins ahead of my sub21 plan. I stopped for 4mins to eat my baked beans and refill my water. I saw Mike at the check point. He said he was having some stomach problems but went on to finish in 21.30 so congratulations to him.

Balmaha to Rowardennan (7.82miles) in 1hr 28mins 20secs (11.18pace)
Overall: 26.83miles in 4hrs 51mins 01secs (10.51pace)

Rowardennan to Inversnaid
I set off on my own again. Everyone has different stop plans so it often happens that you play leap frog with people for a while.

I was quite happy on my own and settled into running when I could and walking hard up the hills. I sent off my next tweet on the first hill.

Thinking back I don't remember seeing anyone for the next 3-4 miles until I caught up with James a mile or two before Inversnaid.

During the Fling I had a bit of a struggle over that last mile into the check point and I was keen to try and finish this section well. I ran behind James for a bit but when he said did I was to pass I decided to do so and had a good run over the last mile. Looking back maybe I pushed just a bit too hard.

I arrived at the Inversnaid check point 3mins inside my sub 21hr plan. By now I knew that sub 20hrs was not possible but was very happy that I was feeling okay and that anytime around 21hrs would be excellent.

I sat down to eat my mashed potato. As soon as I had one mouthful I knew I was going to struggle to eat it. Thankfully Cara had suggested having a milk shake here just in case I couldn't eat or it was hot so I drank that instead.

Just as I was about to finish who turns up but Debs. That's two races on the trot that she's caught me sitting down! She looked in great shape and we left the check point together.

Rowardennan to Inversnaid (7.27miles) in 1hr 26mins 22secs (11.53pace)
Overall: 34miles in 6hrs 21mins 33secs (11.11pace)

Inversnaid to Beinglas Farm
Debs said, 'Do you want to hang out together?' I said I'd love to run together but I knew it wouldn't last long as Debs is running so well. But the 5mins we ran together was fun. Debs told me that she'd sent Marco to buy a new pair of trail shoes for the race! I thought I was pushing it buying a new pair 6days before.

I sent off my next tweet and watched Debs glide effortlessly into the distance. I really hoped she'd get under 20hrs and was so pleased to hear that she shattered that with a time of 19hrs 39mins57secs for 3rd Female and 18th overall. Excellent and so well deserved.

I knew this next section to Beinglas Farm would give me a good idea of whether I was able to maintain my sub21 pace. In 2009 I ran this section in 1hr 28mins but I feared I would be at least 10mins slower than that today.

I was starting to pay for pushing it into Inversnaid and it took me a few minutes to regroup and get going again.

I'm not sure what position I was in but I would imagine I was about 25th. I finished in 70th position and so from this point until the end at least 45 people passed me! Plus it may have been more as a good number dropped out.

I probably won't mention everyone but thanks to everyone who passed and encouraged me to keep going. I suppose one of the nice things about keeping a blog and writing so much is that people do recognise me and it really helped keep me going.

I lost 6mins on my first two mini-sections over the tougher technical ground. While I wasn't too worried about that I knew it was going to be very difficult to claw that back and mentally I was already starting to think sub 22hrs sounds good.

I was still running fairly freely but my legs felt like they had been running for 8hrs.

About a mile or so before Beinglas Farm Ross and Bob Steel caught up. I was really surprised to see Ross as I just assumed he was well ahead. It seems that he needed the toilet at Rowardennan and had to wait for 10mins or so.

Ross also told me afterwards that he was at Inversnaid when I arrived but I didn't see him.

They both looked very strong and full of running. If I sound jealous it's because I was!! That was the last I saw of them until the prize giving. Bob went on to finish in 20.21.14 (a new pb) and Ross 20.51.18.

I was so pleased for Ross as I've seen first hand just how much he has put into his training this year. There is more to come as well.

I was concentrating so hard on getting up the final hill that I completely missed Dario's post but I did think about the great man as I pushed on to the checkpoint.

I arrived at Beinglas in 1hr 44mins. Overall I was now 7mins over my sub 21 plan.

It was good to see Mags at the checkpoint. Carolyn waiting for Neil to come in. Neil& Carolyn are from Canada and have run the race together for the last two years. This year Carolyn was supporting Neil.

I asked Carolyn how Neil was doing. She said he'd not too far behind and is using you as a target! So I suspected I would be seeing Neil sometime soon.

I ate a rice pudding my milk jelly here and took a banana to eat on the way. I also took an extra bottle of water as I knew it was a long way to Auchtertyre.

Ian was here and told me that the race at the sharp end was really exciting with the top four only separated by 10mins.

Inversnaid to Beinglas Farm (6.61miles) in 1hr 44mins 55secs (15.52pace)
Overall: 40.71miles in 8hrs 09mins 55secs (12.02pace)

Beinglas Farm to Auchterytre
As I set off for the next section to Auchtertyre I had to have a rethink about my goals. I decided to stop worrying about keeping up with my plan. It wasn't going to happen and my goal became to finish in the best time I could.

When I've ran well I was the one who was passing others and working my way up the field. Now it was the opposite and I was being caught and passed on a regular basis.

I started thinking about who would pass me next. I glanced at my overall pace and saw that it was now 12.15mins per mile. I knew that Peter Duggan had set off with a strategy of trying to run as close to 12mins per mile for the whole race.

It was a bold plan as it involves running a lot slower than everyone else who was aiming for sub 20hrs but I admired him for his commitment and hoped he would be able to break that sub 2ohr barrier he was so keen on.

About a mile before Derrydarouch Peter did catch me. We exchanged a quick greeting and I watched with admiration as he continued to run strongly along the undulating path.

Peter finished in a pb of 20hrs 44mins 26secs. Congratulations Peter on a great run. I know you didn't break that sub 20hr time but your strategy of an even pace worked well for you.

For some reason I had given myself 52mins to get to Derrydarouch. I arrived in 46.43 and for a brief time I thought I might be able to get back on track but alas it was a false hope as the next mini-section I lost the 5mins I gained!

On the undulating path towards the woods above Crianlarich a few more runners caught and went past me. They all said they were finding it hard but were all running stronger than me!

Just as I went past 'poo corner' Gavin McKinlay caught up and we walked /ran together for a while. Gavin's approach to training is very different to mine. Basically I run 5-6 times a week and Gavin doesn't. I average 50miles a week and Gavin does that in a month.

In our training run in February Gavin really struggled yet once more here he was running well and leaving me in his wake.

We arrived at the big gate which marks the half way point of the race together but Gavin pushed on finishing in 21.41.54. Maybe I should sign up for the Gavin McKinlay training method.

There were a few supporters at the gate so thanks for the encouragement as I went past. I knew I had 3.61miles to Auchtertyre. I was looking forward to seeing Stevie & David, my support team, and also Cara and her Dad Peter, who were coming up to see me and watch the race.

By now my feet were starting to hurt a bit. Nothing too bad but I could feel the inside of both heels. I was able to run the down hills but I was feeling quite stiff and not very relaxed.

The next person to catch me was Donnie Campbell. Donnie looked so relaxed and running well within himself and once we'd started chatting I realised why. Not only was he running the whw race but was carrying on and running another 95miles on the roads to Skye.

Donnie was well ahead of his plan but was feeling good. He was taking longer breaks and making sure that he was eating enough. He stayed with me for 15mins or so as he wanted to take it easy and not push too hard.

While I was writing this I checked on Facebook and saw a short video of Donnie finishing in Skye. Donnie finished the 185miles in 44hrs 30mins (whw - 22.35) and he was running really strongly right to the tape. There was a big crowd cheering him home - a very emotional moment.

A few more people passed me before Auchtertyre but at least I still running and while I didn't feel great was pleased to be feeling okay.

At the Auchtertyre checkpoint I was weighed and then I walked down to David's car. It was great to see Stevie & David and have a chat with Cara and her Dad. They were obviously really enjoying seeing the race first hand.

I sat down for 5mins or so and ate my hot chocolate and thick & creamy yoghurt which went down well.

I saw Carolyn again and asked about Neil. I can't see him yet was the replay but he shouldn't be long!

Beinglas Farm to Auchtertyre (9.52miles) in 2hrs 25mins 59secs (15.20pace)
Overall: 50.23miles in 10hrs 41mins 50secs (12.47pace)

Auchtertyre to Bridge of Orchy
As I left the checkpoint I thought back to last year when I went through a really tough time on this section to Bridge of Orchy. I was encouraged that I was feeling stronger than last year and was able to run all the bits I normally do to Tyndrum.

Half way to Tyndrum I saw Neal running the other way. he was trying out his fibram five-fingers and loving them though he did say his calves were sore!! He told me that Caroline was going well so told him to pass on my best wishes.

Ian Rae and Jody Young caught me as we ran along the new path by the river. They were both going well and finished in good times.

At the train station just past the new Fling finish a lady was handing out banana cake which was lovely. She said she reads my blog so thanks!

I ran into Tyndrum where Stevie, David, Cara and Peter were waiting. Cara & Peter wished me all the best as they were heading home.

Carolyn was also there and when I asked the question'Where is Neil?' she answered 'Here he comes now!'

I walked up the hill out of Tyndrum feeling that I'm still going okay. I have another 42miles to go and I know I can do it.

I must say though that from now on it wasn't much fun. It was a real case of getting my head down, running when I could and walking as hard as I could when I couldn't run. My feet were starting to hurt more now and I wondered whether I had a stone in there which is often the feeling you get when there is a blister forming.

Once I'd got to the top of the hill I started running. I ran for 100 breathes, then walked for 20 and ran again. I'm sure anyone looking on would see a very stiff shuffling style of running but I was moving as best I could.

Finally Neil caught me up and we walked together up the hill on the rougher ground. He was going well and was hoping for somewhere around 22hrs. I've not really spoken to Neil before but have enjoyed reading Carolyn's blog about their various races.

As Neil pushed on I said to him I reckon you'll finish in 21.55. I wasn't too far out as he finished in 22.40. A really good effort.

After I went underneath the railway line I did something I've never done in a whw race before. I stopped between checkpoints. I sat on the stile and took off my shoe as it felt as though my sock needed straightening.

I don't think it did. It was the blister forming. When I'm going well I can run from here all the way down to the bridge. But not today. I ran a number of times but could only manage 2-3 mins at a time.

I'd carried my jacket with me from the start until Auchtertyre but as it hadn't rained and I had my support team I left it with them. Now it started to rain and as I wasn't running that hard I was starting to get cold.

It's not good as the body has to work hard at keeping warm which leaves less energy for running. Fortunately Stevie & David realised what could be happening and rang me asking did I want a jacket. So Stevie ran back from Bridge of Orchy with it.

Just then Richard Galbraith caught up. I was really hoping to see Richard at some point. I'd met Richard in February when he joined us for one of our training runs. He ran the Marathon de Sables - 156miles over 6days in the desert.

So it was great to have a chat and it really helped me over the next few miles. Stevie arrived with my jacket and then ran back to Bridge of Orchy to get ready for my arrival. I had decided to change into my road shoes and put on dry socks to see of that would help with my feet.

Just as we came to the railway station Katrina was there waiting for us. She took a video clip of us running in and then we chatted as we headed down the hill.

David's car was at the road junction so I stopped there before the official checkpoint. I changed into a long sleeved top and kept my running jacket on. I also changed into my road shoes. My insoles had split so I had to put them back in, in two parts. I hoped they would be okay.

I had another milk shake and some ice cream and took some licorice all sorts and a banana for the next section.


Not quite the weather for ice cream but it was easy to eat.

Auchtertyre to Bridge of Orchy (9.19miles) in 2hrs 25mins 28secs (15.50pace)
Overall: 59miles in 13hrs 15mins 18secs (13.23pace)

Bridge of Orchy to Glencoe Ski Lift
I set off up the hill with sore feet but a determination to finish as well as I could.

I thought back on last year when I left here really low and how I'd been able to turn things round and finish strongly. I suspected it wasn't going to be as easy this time but you never know!

Half way up the hill I heard the distinctive voice of Keith Hughes. Keith was going well and said he was on target for around 22hrs which would be a pb. Keith finished in 22.40.21 and was very happy when I saw him at the prize giving.

Murdo McEwan was marshalling at the top of the hill with his distinctive saltire. It was really wet and miserable by now and Murdo was going to be there for many more hours.

I really needed a loo stop and so once I was round the corner I stepped off the track, pants down and well you can imagine the rest! Half way through the process a female runner comes along!! I think it was Michelle. She kindly shouted, 'Don't worry I'm not looking!!'

Katrina told me afterwards that she told her support crew ... 'I saw more of John Kynaston that I was supposed to!'

It was a bit of a struggle coming down the hill as each step seemed to aggregate my feet but I ran as much as I could. Stevie and David were waiting for me and Stevie asked me whether I wanted him to run with me over the Rannoch Mor.

I asked whether I was over 4hrs behind the leader. He said that at bridge of Orchy I was 3hrs 50mins but by now I was over 4hrs.

I wasn't sure whether it only worked from the checkpoints so said I'd rather not just in case. I'd hate to get disqualified!

So I set off up the hill. It felt a long walk and gave me time to really think about the task ahead. I still had just over 30miles to go and I was still running a bit I knew it was going to be short bursts rather than anything prolonged.

I reasoned that if I could do 3miles an hour of walking and running it would take me another 11hrs to go. I'd been on the move for 14 and half hours by now. So it was going to take me at least 26hrs.

I can honestly say I never even considered not finishing. I knew I could as long as I kept putting one foot in front of the other. I know it wasn't going to be much fun but I could get there.

So head down, walk up the hill, run for as long as I could, walk again, another run, another walk, greet follow runners as they pass, another shuffle run, walk again. Keep eating and drinking.

One of other things that helps me is to break it all down. If I started thinking about how far it is to go it could get overwhelming. So I focused on my next mini-split. Time was irrelevant. But it's only 1.7miles to the bridge.

You can do that. Get there and it's only 3.36miles to Glencoe. Tick off that section and head for the next one.

I'd taken with me my full waterproofs as I didn't want to get caught on the Rannoch Mor if it cold even colder and wetter. At the bottom of the long hill I stopped to put on my running tights and my thicker jacket.

Just as I did Sandra and her support runner came past. Sandra was running well and was loving the challenge. They even ran half way up the hill which I thought was impressive.

Then I saw Katrina running down the hill. It was great to see her and we chatted as we walked up that final hill. We then ran all the way down the hill catching up with Sandra again.

As we chatted I suggested to Katrina that she takes over from David who had to be back in Paisley for 6am on Sunday for work.

Initially when I was hoping to finish by 11pm at the latest he could have got home. But now it was looking like a 4am finish at best it would be better if headed home from Glencoe and Katrina helped Stevie.

I came into the check point and stopped for 8mins to get some more food on board for the trip to Kinlochleven.

Richard came over and explained that he was stopping. His ankle was getting worse and he didn't want to make it even worse. A wise decision.

I thanked David for his helped before he headed back Paisley.


With David and Stevie at Glencoe

Bridge of Orchy to Glencoe Ski Lodge (10.86miles) in 3hrs 08mins 02secs (17.19pace)
Overall: 70.28miles in 16:34:31 (14.09pace)

Glencoe Ski Lodge to Kinlochleven
Just as we were leaving the check point Andy Cole arrived. 'Not you again!' was his greeting. We met at this point last year. He too was a harder time but was keeping it going.

Stevie was now going to run with me to Kinlochleven while Katrina drove to the check point. Then the plan was for Katrina to run or more likely walk with me to Fort William while Stevie went on ahead to the finish, put up the tent and then head back up the track so we could all finish together.

Stevie I ran down the hill, crossed the A82, ran some more along the road past the Kingshouse Hotel and then climbed up the hill on the rough track. Two runners and their support teams went past us including Tony Thistlewaite who has completed the race 8 times now.

It was good to have Stevie as company. I know Stevie well from Kilbarchan and he has been with me for all five of my whw races. We chat for a bit if needed but he also senses when I need to get my head down and grind it out.

In the two years when I broke 20hrs I was fairly easy to support. I turned up on time, took my stuff and was off again. I didn't need anyone to run with me and it was all very positive.

Last year and this year has been a different story. My support have had to do a lot more in running with me and being to change plans mid race. When we met a couple of weeks ago I was hoping not to need a support runner.

Now I was very grateful for Stevie and then Katrina to run with me and keep me going.

We ran and walked to Altnafeadh where I stopped to take off my thick jacket as I was feeling too warm.

I sensed that the climb up to the top of the Devil's staircase was going to be tough and it was. I didn't have any energy in my legs, my feet were sore and I had to push myself to keep on putting one foot in front of the other.

I tried hard not to look up but just counting 1,2,3,4 over and over until eventually I made it to the top. Another land mark to tick off.

Stevie suggested I eat something I took an energy bar I'd been given at the Dechmont Law race last Sunday - a 9-bar original. I thought I might manage a bit or two but to my surprise I wolfed it all.

Within minutes I felt so much stronger and was able to run down the hill. It was a miracle cure but it did give me some energy to get going again.

So we ran and walked and made our way down to Kinlochleven. It was good to see the Trossachs mountain rescue team. They did such a brilliant job all weekend.

Another couple of runners went by but once again slowly but surely we arrived at Kinlochleven and another section was ticked off.

On the way down I said to Stevie that I was going to ask Dr Chris to have a look at my feet and see if he do anything as they were pretty sore by now.

Stevie also suggested we buy some chips and have something more substantial to fuel me for the final 14miles.

So I knew it was going to be a longer stop but that was fine. Time didn't really matter by now.

Julie was one of the marshals. It was nice to see her having read her blog about supporting ultra runners.

I went and lay down so Dr Chris could sort out my feet. Sandra was lying on the treatment table with two big bags of ice on her ankles. They were swollen and looked very sore but it was obvious that she was finishing this race which is what she did it a very credible 25.57.50.

I'm sure she would have been well under 24hrs if she hadn't had to stop to bring the swelling down.

Dr Chris did a great job on my feet but once I put my shoes back on I knew the next 14miles was going to take a long time!

While I was being treated and eating Andy Cole with daughter Julia came and went. Andy finished in 26.00.05 - not his best but not his worse either. That was Andy's 5th finish.

Glencoe Ski Lodge to Kinlochleven (10.63miles) in 3hrs 13mins 02secs (18.10pace)
Overall: 80.92miles in 19hrs 55mins 46secs (14.47pace)

Kinlochleven to Fort William
I made sure Katrina had enough warm clothes on as I knew this would take a while! I did reflect on the fact that two years ago I'd have finished by now!

I had been recharging my garmin on the go using the portable pack but it ran out again at the checkpoint. I decided not to bother with it for this last section. I didn't really want to see how slowly I was moving anyway and I knew how far it was to each of my mini-sections.

As I started walking my feet were really sore. The tape was helping but I knew it would be a while before the soreness wore off.

In some ways this feels like the last leg and it is. I've run almost 81miles and there is 'just' 14miles to go. But it is 14miles and that is a long way when you're tired and your feet are sore!

But I had no intention of not getting to the end and collecting my 5th goblet. The thought of quitting and having to look friends in the eye and say I bailed out was not worth contemplating.

I wasn't injured so had no excuse. I've done it before and I knew I could do it again.

It was great having Katrina with me to help me along. Katrina has supported me over the past 26years of being married and specifically over the last 5 years of running ultras but this was the first race she has been with me on the route.

Katrina led the way and I duly followed ... a bit like our relationship really!

It was 9pm at this point and we probably had another 2 hours of light so it would be good to get as far as could before switching on the head torches.

Fuelled by the chips I made it to the top and onto the Lairigmor and the old military road. I explained to Katrina that it is a rocky uneven path.

When I'm going well I don't mind too much this section. Yes it's long and had three false horizons but if I'm still running I can get to Lundavra in under 1hr 50mins.

But walking is another story. It took ages. Every step was sore on my feet. Every stone seemed to jar my blister. I kept telling myself that I will get there if I keep putting one front in front of the other.

We chatted about various things and just kept going. There were three sets of Trossachs Mountain Rescue Teams along the way. I took the excuse to stop at each and every one to have a chat and rest.

One gave me some coke, another a bag of crisps and lemonade. Katrina wasn't impressed when I sat down as she knew it would take me a bit of time to get going again!

After what seemed ages and probably was we saw Stevie running towards us. He had pitched the tent at the leisure centre and then Chris, Neal and Caroline had given him a lift to Lundavra.

Sadly Caroline had stopped at Beinglas Farm with a badly swollen knee. She had been going well until Inversnaid but had struggled from there and made the only decision open to her. I had spoken on the phone earlier and she seemed positive and was already planning on coming back next year.

The three of them were going to wait at Lundavra to see me through before heading home. It was a real boost to have their support and friendship and it was really appreciated. Neal & Caroline have been here before when they supported me on the Hardmoors two years ago.

It seemed to take forever for the sheep pen to arrive and then the last mile to Lundavra. I think a few more runners and their support went past.

Eventually we saw the bonfire at the check point and the encouraging smiles and support of Chris, Neal & Caroline. I sat down for a few minutes. It would have been rude not to chat to them!

I could see the concern on their faces but they said all the right things and sent me off with their support and encouragement to finish it off.

As I set off up the hill I tried not to think about how far I still had to go but when you're run the route so many times in training and races it's hard not to.

Even though it was 'only' 7 miles to go I knew it was going to take me another two and half hours at least.

I decided to just get my head down and walk. I had been convincing myself that the path was easier after Lundavra but it didn't feel that way with my feet as sore as they were.

After about 15mins things went even worse. My vision went all blurry. It was as if I was cross eyed and couldn't focus properly. I had to walk most of the rest of the way with one eye closed to try and see the ground.

Stevie and Katrina were superb guiding me over the ground. The closer it got to the end the tougher it was to keep going.

I kept wanting to stop and have a rest. Stevie and Katrina were wanting to keep me moving. We compromised and I was allowed a stop every now and then. But they drew the line when I said I wanted to lie down for a few minutes!

I think they realised I might never get up again!!

With about 5miles to go I hit rock bottom. I stopped in the middle of the path and sat down feeling completely exhausted. After a couple of minutes Katrina and Stevie got me up. I held on to Katrina and was on the verge of tears. I felt so sorry for myself!

I knew I could make it but I also knew it was going to be so hard. I felt so tired and sore. Somehow with their help I got going again and I was determined to finish this off.

We trudged on past all the landmarks I'd remembered in my mind hours earlier. Going down the steep wooden steps was particularly difficult!

Then when I thought it was still a while away the open area where the trees used to be opened out in front of us. It was light by now and the combination of realising we had less than 4miles to go and mostly downhill and the light of a new day gave me enough energy to stride on.

As we hit the wide forest path Ellen and her team arrived. I think Ellen was surprised to see me. She said are you only just finishing? Sadly yes was the answer!

They ran off down the hill for Ellen's 6th finish. I wondered whether she would be the last to pass me but there was still one more to go.

So almost there. I knew it was 2.69 miles to Braveheart Car Park and then another 1.10miles to the finish. If I could increase my pace to 20min miles it would take us another 1hr 15mins.

With Katrina and Stevie leading the way we set off down the hill. My feet are killing me on the steep descent and I'm still having to close one eye so I can focus on the ground! I was aware that I was wandering all over the place. I must have looked like I was drunk!

Down and down we went. The lights of Fort William getting closer by the step. Past the little rise and then the longer downhill until meeting the path at the bottom. In my mind that wasn't far and I suppose when I'm running it isn't but it took ages to get there this time.

I was allowed one stop when I got to the bottom but only because there was a nice tree truck to sit on that they could get me back up.

I walked as fast as I could along the road knowing that the car park can't be too far now. It was further than I would have liked but by putting one foot in front of the other it did eventually come.

I asked whether there was any chance of a rest before the final mile but was told I had no chance.

So off to the finish we went. Again I knew the landmarks to look out for and tick off. The little cut-off through the trees, then the 30 sign, the final little hill, the official sign post and then the leisure centre.

I got my head down and counted 50 paces over and over until each one was reached and passed.

As I went past the roundabout I thanked Katrina and Stevie for their support and help. I couldn't have done it without them and I wanted them to know how much I appreciated all they did for me.

It can't have been easy for Katrina seeing me in such a state but I did remind her that when she married me it was 'for better and for worse.' I don't think she had this in mind though!!

Then joy of joys - there was the leisure centre and the finish. Finally I could sit down and stop!

Ian and Adrian were there to welcome me in. My official time was recorded as 27hrs 36mins 00secs.

There is a lot of reflecting to do but I'll leave that for another time.

If you're read all this then you to deserve a prize!

Katrina & I at the end (taken by Alan Young)

Receiving my 5th goblet from Sean with Ian in the background

Finally the winner of my 'Guess My Time' was Murdo McEwan who even though he was four and a half hours out was the closest!! Well done Murdo. His prize was a whw t-shirt ...

whw race summary

My 2011 whw race didn't go quite to plan to put it mildly!

The short story is I eventually finished in 70th place out of 113 finishers (151 started) in a time of 27hrs 36mins 00secs well over 6hrs slower that my sub21hr plan!!

As you can well imagine there is a long story which I'll attempt to tell tomorrow as I have a day of work.

With Laura and Katrina before the start

With David and Stevie at Glencoe Ski Lodge

Final Preparation & Competition

This morning I was up at 7.30am. I'd woken about 4.30am but drifted off to sleep for a few more hours.

I've spent the morning sorting out my food and gear and following various comments on twitter which has been fun.

Here is what I have to eat ...

... and here is all the gear I have packed and ready ...

My 'Guess My Time' Competition is now closed.

Thank to the 78 people who have entered.

Full list of entries

(plus one last minute entry not on list)

They break down as follows ...

sub 20hrs - 26 guesses

20hrs - 21hrs - 34 guesses

over 21hrs - 18 guesses

Fastest guess - Silke Loehndorf - 19hrs 27mins 42secs

Slowest guess - Murdo McEwan - 23hrs 06mins 35secs

Time for some lunch then I'm off to bed for a few hours sleep ... well trying to sleep. At least I'll be resting.

Finally I'd like to wish everyone who is running a really great race. I hope you enjoy the race as much as I intent to.

Also a massive thank you to all those involved with the race whether supporting and marshalling. I hope you enjoy the weekend and realise how much we appreciate all you do to make it happen.

Following the whw race

I spent the day today at Bellahouston Park involved with the Tesco run. We had almost 3,000 children running a 2k lap and then trying out various sports. Thankfully the weather held up and it all went well.

I had a good chat with Bryan Burnett, radio presenter, who was doing the announcements. Bryan is a sub 3hr marathon runner who I've been encouraging to give ultra running a go whenever I see him ... to no avail so far.

I also had a quick chat with Liz McColgan, who was the official starter and inspiration to the children running. After saying how much I enjoyed watching her race I asked whether she'd ever thought of doing an ultra. She replied that she's a road girl and that the marathon is far enough for her.

I spend the day wearing my new Salomon's and I must say they felt fine. Hopefully I'll be saying the same thing at Balmaha on Saturday.

If you want to follow the whw race this year from the comfort of your home you should be able to. There are two main ways ...

1. Twitter/Facebook

Runners and supporters are being encouraged to tweet the progress of their runners using the hashtag #whwrace.

So if you are on twitter then sign up to follow #whwrace and you'll get all the updates. I think the organisers are planning to tweet regular updates as well.

My plan is to send updates regularly as I pass through checkpoints. To save time I'll have them ready as drafts and so I'll just have to fill in the time.

So they should look like this ....

From jkynaston '#whwrace Balmaha 19miles sub21plan 3.20 actual ??.??'

If you're not on twitter it's dead easy to set up. Just go to www.twitter.com and register.

My tweets also get automatically put on facebook and this blog so if you want to follow my progress through the race you know where to go!!

2. Live feed

The other way to follow the race is by watching live pictures!!

Ross Bland is planning to have a camera which will be live. I'm not sure where he is planning to be but it should be fun to watch the runners as they go past. I wish I could be in two places at once - running the race and watching it!!

I'm going to put it on this blog so either come here to watch or on the whw web site.

I've been debating with myself whether to carry my camera as normal and do a 'video diary' of my run as I've done in the past.

I'm still undecided as, on the one hand, it does take a bit of time to do but, on the other hand, I really enjoy doing it as it gives me something else to think about and is a great record of the event.

I'm now up to 63 guesses in my 'Guess My Time' competition. Less than 2 days left if you want to enter.

Last run before Saturday

Traditionally (well over the past 5 years!!) my last run is always round Brodie Park but I wanted to run at lunch time today so it was my Pollok Park route instead.

I wore my new Salomon shoes for the 6mile run and tried to get off road as much as I could. On the basis of the 6mile run I was very happy with the shoes. There doesn't seem to be any issues with them but I'd have preferred to have at least a 20mile run in them before the race.

But I'm not doing that so I'll have to trust there'll be okay. I spent most of the run thinking about them and imagining all sorts of things so have decided to not give them a second thought and just get on with the rest of my preparation.

I have now have 58 guesses for the 'Guess My Time' competition. You have until 12noon on Friday if you want to take part.

The weather forecast for Saturday from accuweather.com for Crianlarich is ...

That's looks all right to me. It doesn't look like it's going to be very hot which is the key thing for me to avoid.

Tues 14th June Run Details

6.25miles in 52mins 12secs (8.22pace)

New shoes ...

I was in Glasgow this morning for a sports seminar so called in to Run4it at lunchtime.

Conor McNulty, Kilbarchan runner, was working and was able to sort me out. Conor agreed the shoes shouldn't split like that after 132miles and so was happy to give me a full refund. Thanks Run4it.

I had the choice of getting another pair of Saucony Peregrine's but I felt that the same thing would probably happen. Conor noted that I have quite a wide foot and would need a wider fitting.

Initially he suggested the Inov-8 Terroc but they didn't have any in stock and I didn't want to leave without a pair of shoes to run in tomorrow!

So I tried the Salomon XA PRO 3D ULTRA 2 size 10. They felt really good straight away and fine when I tried them out on the treadmill.

Conor suggested trying the 10.5 as they are the same length but a wider fit. They felt even better so I went for them.

So here are my shoes for the whw race ....









I wouldn't recomment buying a new pair of shoes a few days before the biggest (and longest) race of the year but I think it's a better option that running in a pair with holes in the side.

I'm going to run in them tomorrow and then wear them all day on Wednesday during our Tesco run with schools.

I'll also have my road shoes available if I need to change them.

So minor panic over .... just hope I don't get a hole in my favourite running shorts now!!

Dechmont Law 10K Trail Race

Today Katrina & I ran the Dechmont Law 10k Trail Race in Livingston. We ran this race last year together in 54mins 01secs. It is slightly short of 10k but there are plenty of hills.

Here is the route and profile ...

We arrived abut 10am in time for the 11am start. We caught up with Ian and Sandra, John Malcolm and Alan Robertson.

The weather was really good with the sun shining but not too hot. Last year we ran in the rain so this was an improvement.

I knew we'd run quicker this year as Katrina is going really well at the moment despite a sore knee which seems to hurt before and after a run but is generally okay during the run.

Sandra, who was not running, kindly took some photos of us ...

Before the race ....

There were 180 or so running and we set off up the first hill half way down the pack. We quickly settled into our run and enjoyed the first loop of 3k or so. It's a great route through lots of trees.

Here we are running down past the start/finish area after 10mins or so ....

I've not run a race with Katrina since this race last year and I must say I was really impressed with the way she paces herself. Last year we averaged 9.17mins per mile ... this year we were under 8mins per mile until the 5th mile when we slipped back a bit to finish at 8.11pace.

Here we are on the second long climb. Katrina's not smiling quite so much in this one!!

For the first 6k we caught quite a few runners but from 7-8k we held our position with just one person going past us.

Here we are at the end with me milking the applause!! ...



Photo at the end ...

We finished in 97th and 98th positions in a time of 47mins 34secs. My garmin had the distance 5.82miles (the same as last year). Mags said afterwards that they have thought of adding the extra distance on but as this is the 10th running of the race it's good for people for people to be able to compare their times.

It is such a well organised race. Mags Turnbull (whw runner) is the organiser and does an excellent job as do all the marshals and officials.

Plus the goody bag must be one of the best ... and all for £6 ....

I was saying to Ian that I'm really pleased with my Saucony Peregrine Trail shoes so was a bit surprised when I got home and noticed that there is a split on the outside of both shoes ....

I bought them on 1st May after the Fling so I could run them in on my 2 day run. I'm going to take them back to Run 4 it tomorrow and see what they say. I don't really want another pair as I have a feeling the same thing may well happen again.

So I'm left with the prospect of buying a new pair of trail shoes with just one 5mile run to try them out before the whw race! Ah well ... I try and prepare as best I can but sometimes we are set new challenges!

At least I didn't discover the holes on Friday night when I put them on!!

Sun 12th June Race Details

5.82miles in 47mins 34secs (8.11pace)