Head vs. Heart

I'd been planning, since entries opened in July, to run the Glen Ogle 33 on 3rd November, the last day of my 'Autumn' holiday, most of which to be spent in Nethy Bridge, my (I wish) home from home!  Training however had not been going according to any long distance plan, and I seemed to be carrying some sort of wintery virus - nothing major, but sniffy, sore throat and feeling a bit run down over a few weeks at work as the date grew increasingly closer :-(.  So after a couple of weeks of head vs. heart debating, I took the decision to withdraw from the race, rather than push myself to destruction.  It took a while to reach the decision, as the event is fairly local to me and I'd been looking forward to it for ages, and I was slightly annoyed with myself for not being able to get the miles done.

However, decision made, and on the positive, I had a week in Nethy to look forward to, and the hope of some good weather, fresh air, and opportunity to get some miles in!  I love Nethy, and we come up here at least twice a year (and usually to the same house/cottage.... http://www.strathnethyholidays.com/).  And with views like this from the front window, it's not hard to understand why!!

View from Bynackbeg Cottage

Clark had always planned to run the Meall a Bhuachaille hill race on the first day of our hols, and my intention was to be official support, clapper and photographer....but with no Glen Ogle to rest up for, somehow I found myself being talked into participating!  I was still a bit undecided on the day, but we arrived in good time, the conditions looked clear, and somehow I found myself signing the disclaimer and handing over my £6 (bargain entry fee)!  It's a hill and route I've walked up many a time (apart from the random deviation to the second summit where in the race you have to detour through the heather, end up right thigh deep in a freezing bog, and then scuttle up a 'goat' path), so I thought I knew what I was in for!

A different, and still unflattering finishing grimmace!

I'm 'glad' I did it, and I wasn't last (closest to last I think I've ever been, with only 6 people behind me!), but the Innov8 Roclites were Rocsh&te in the compact snow on the summit which caused a sense of humor bypass.....lesson learnt there...ooh, do I need another new pair of running shoes?!  But there obviously was still some endurance in me (even if 'only' an 8 mile race) as I overtook 2 folk before the final summit too, and they were nowhere near me at the finish!

So, not a bad day all in all, and one to probably repeat next year, with a bit of targeted training, and some better shoes!  (and maybe less pink!)

On the way to Ben MacDui

Cairngorm plateau

Great rest of the holiday week - mileage c57 (running and walking) with some pretty decent weather (we're always pretty lucky up here), and some new routes found as usual!  And a fantastic day in the snow on Ben MacDui (with no ghost!)

Oh, and the dog has had a ball too!

Cori practicing his favorite stunt dog manouvre

Sad to be going home tomorrow, but in need of a rest!  One final 5 miler around Dell forest in the morning, before a well earned 'All Day Breakfast' in the Mountain Cafe en route home!

 

bru-tal Adjective: Savagely violent. Punishingly hard or uncomfortable

Brutal!  That was the word of the weekend...and my 4th outing to the HandsOn Events Ullapool Beag Sportive. 65.5 miles and 7815ft of ascent.  Not your average day out!

In fairness, it's never been an 'easy' ride - year 1 was bloody windy, year 2 I had to drop out at half-way due to ongoing hip/knee injury (and being a tad overweight), year 3 was a fantastic ride and this year was just brutal!  Not being bike fit was always going to be an issue this year, hoping to 'get by' on all the running miles in my legs, despite a good few weeks recovery still going on....and the lovely Scottish weather always adds that element of the unknown!  Although it was fairly clear that rain and wind were on the cards again this year!

Friday evening across Ullapool Bay

Friday night looked 'promising', with the rain clearing as we arrived at the house we had rented for the weekend (which was lovely - dog friendly, nestled at the foot of Ullapool hill, and plenty room for 6 of us - 3 cycling and 3 lovely support crew (who were very relieved to not be pedaling!!)).

Race day dawned (I assume, behind the cloud and rain!) and after a hearty bowl of porridge, several cups of coffee and a fair amount of faffing about (especially from Stewart, who I eventually left at the house to go and register on my own!), it was a short pedal across the road to the village hall to register, sign my life away again, collect the timing dibber and join the crowd huddling just inside the door praying for the rain to stop and laughing at the guy with the deep rimmed wheels, which caused the race director some concerns that he was going to get blown off!  

It's a great route for a challenge (Garmin Stats apart from the first 12 miles when I forgot to press start!) and there's a good few ups and downs!  As usual, people passed me on the uphills, and I passed them on the downhills!  The field quickly dispersed as we set off into the rain and severe winds, and any hopes of getting to work in a group vanished!  In fact, most of the second half, I hardly saw another cyclist!!  And that made it really tough too! 

On a better day, the scenery is amazing, as you can see from some of the photos I took when Clark and I did some walking and touring on Sunday!

Random sign at Knockan Crag

Awesome view and a great piece of stone
masonry at Knockan Crag!

Cori, eyeing up the tourists

Achmelvich Beach

That aside though, I spent the last 25 or so miles of the event saying "Never Again!" and I think this time I mean it!  I thought about DNF-ing several times, but knew that would just mean I had to come back again!  And, I'm tough, and I know I am, and even though it was hurting, I didn't want, or need, to have to admit defeat...even when some of my miles I've averaged <6 mph!  I can run faster than that FFS!  (and several times I thought that running this course would have been easier than biking it!).  And, all the hills on this route are pretty cyclable - not like Bealach, where often you have no choice but to walk some of the way!  It was more the weather that was an issue - head wind, side wind (never a tail wind!!) and some torrential downpours to boot!

The marshalls, as usual, were on good form, and had some fantastic home baking and banter - even when they could hardly stand upright at Leadmore Junction!  And my support team also kept me going, with "Whoop Whoop"ing and shouts of "Remember this is F U N - FUN" out of the window!  So, I made it to the end, definitely not a PB at 5hrs 16m, but then, everyone's times were down!  And it was a great long weekend away as Clark and I stayed on an extra night to potter about - getting to see the beautiful deserted sands at Achmelvich, and a wee trip to Corrieshalloch Gorge on the way home today...not to mention lunch at the Mountain Cafe, Aviemore on the way back down as a reward (lunch on the way up on Friday was just a bonus!).  I'm not massively sore either...tired, hungry and a bit of back/hamstring pain...but the latter was there before I started, albeit a little less severe!

New cycling event required for next year!  Ullapool is job done!

A Favourite Run - And Reason to be Thankful!

Two days of blue skies and sunshine!  Pretty unheard of in Scotland this year.  But that's what we've had this weekend, and we've made mighty fine use of it!

After a great wee bit of pedaling action yesterday (a 35 mile 'taper'/almost the only training ride in advance of next week's Ullapool Sportive), today had to be the turn of running....and the challenge of one of our favourite local runs, an off road 10.5 miler up at Loch Turret.   (http://connect.garmin.com/activity/225930549)

The first views

 It was a foggy, freezing morning, but the hope was that we would get up above the clouds and get the spectacular views of the inversion, and burn some calories and tire out the dog at the same time!!

It's an awesome view, right from the outset, as you head up the wee slope from the car park and get your first views up the loch.

The early inversion

And we were right about the inversion.  The photos don't do it justice, but it was spectacular.  And made for lots of opportunities for a breather and a photo, which was welcome relief today!

But it did get me thinking about how thankful I am that we were both there, and both able to run, no matter how painful or slow some sections were.  Probably less than 2 years ago, neither of us believed we would ever run this route again....and at that point struggled to even walk round!  At that point, Clark was still struggling with post-op issues from his double slipped disc op, and I was 3+ stone heavier, with a dodgy knee and dodgy hip which even the physio thought meant trail/hill running (or in fact any running) was out of the question for my future!

Cori enjoying a breather (and eyeing up the sheep)

Some day I'll work out how to smile for a photo!

My two boys near the summit

View from the descent

Time and determination (and supportive training partner/buddies) are great healers though....and the lure of the great Scottish countryside kept us both going through many a tough training session or moment of doubt!

Turning point for the last 3 miles along the Loch

So, overall, lots to be thankful for - health, happiness, a great part of the world to live and train in....and that happy Sunday afternoon euphoria/pain of getting to veg out on the sofa/in the garden with a satisfied and smug grin on your face! Doing it, because you can....and thousands out there can't!

Eating...and Running.....

Another challenging week...more mentally than physically....sometimes people just give you a wee shake up and you need to dig deep to adapt and over-come.....

I've been eating...and thinking about running....and eating (a lot of Doritos).....and reading "Eat & Run" by Scott Jurek.  What a great read, and very motivational when you consider some of the pain barriers over-come.  I finally finished it last night, and realised that, there's more important things to me than worrying about what others think and say, that I know who and what is important to me, but also that I needed a wee boost to get my running back on track as running truly is where you can clear your head of all other thoughts, and just be "in the moment"!

So, today has been a turn-around, and I've got my running mojo back.  One of those "wake up a see what the day brings" decisions, with Clark and I in sync as usual agreeing on a lovely "no pressure" 9 miler starting from Kilmahog, out past the holiday cabins, and back via the foothills of Ben Ledi.   (Garmin stats: Ledi Lowlands)

Me trying not to pull my usual grimace!

My perfect kind of running day: a bit dreich, but fairly mild....and the tracks were quiet (no folk, no dogs, so Cori could run free for most of the route!)

Thinking about friends and acquaintances running the Glenmore 24 / 12 today/tomorrow, wishing them all a safe and happy run, and pondering that it might be one for the diary another year!

Life After the Devil

It's been an unusual couple of weeks following the race that everything had been geared towards this year!  Thankfully I wasn't as 'dead' as I thought I might have been in the days afterwards (sore quads and lower back, meaning some interesting manouvres on the stairs) and having the following week off work to rest made it all the more sweet!

So, the 'rest' week....Clark style....

Was a little like this........(my idea for the holiday)

Lovely Hot Tub at the Aviemore Renta-House!

.
And quite a bit more like this....(Clark's idea!)

Cairngorm Summit

Cairngorm Panorama

But all was good and the recovery was aided by a lovely sports massage in Aviemore (Kirsty Wright) and several opportunities for scoff at Mountain Cafe...which always looks as good as this!

So, back to work this week and on with THE TRAINING PLAN....but wait.....there is no training plan anymore!! Arghhhh! The control freak in me is not happy this week....no idea what to do or when to do it....freestyling!!

At work, we've all been enrolled in the Stay Active Challenge, with a little monitor tracking our movement levels each day to score points, so the competitive spirit in me meant I had to do something, a lot, to get the team score up!  So, easing back into things, gently-ish (or not!)....early morning run, spin, run, gym, spin, spin...and the lure of a big run in the Ochils on Saturday, guided by Bob....and there was the killer....maybe a wee bit too hard, too far, too soon....so I slowed them down quite a bit...but had a good, tough 14.3 mile run none-the-less (Garmin details) and burnt off some of the pre and post Devil troughing I had been doing!  And hence, getting back to the plan is also veering me back to Slimming World eating (since I lost over 3 stone doing that last year!)

The Scary Descent!

Bob and I getting away from PT Boy!

Today I did a stop of supporting - photos and cheer squad for the hardy souls out pounding the Sheriffmuir Challenge....and I was mighty glad not to be running it this year!

Wee County Harriers answer to Usain Bolt (Ian!)

Well, tomorrow will be an official rest day, and by then hopefully PT Boy will have written me a couple of weeks of training plan to stop me freaking out...

Next up on the event agenda:
Ullapool Sportive - best I remember how to pedal the bike soon!
GO33 - looks like a great, and fairly local ultra to end the year!

And more on thoughts for next year soon.....especially since entries for Devil 2013 have just opened!!

Happy training all!

Devil O The Highlands 2012

Well, I'm new to this, but have been meaning to get started for a while.....I'll fill in the background details later, but want to get my ramblings about the DOTH down before I forget the details of the adventure...

The story began about 8 years ago, when I was doing a lot of more 'serious' running, marathons and the Chasqui Challenge in Peru with my good friend Caroline:

There were 2 'local' races that were quite high on my to-do list - Cape Wrath Marathon and Devil O The Highlands.  This year, I've finally got around to entering and completing them both!

So, onto the Devil!

I entered....and I waited....for what seemed like ages...for confirmation of my place...and then it arrived!  OMG what have I done, the nagging doubts crept in, and were quickly batted away...I CAN do this....because I WANT to...  So, training plan in place (it helps to have a husband who's a PT!) I embarked on the gruelling schedule, trying not to let the 'day job', the 'part-time job' or life get in the way.  Along the way, completing the Cape Wrath Marathon (4hr 20) followed swiftly by the Strathearn Marathon (4hrs) and the Bealach Beag cycle sportive (finally getting all the way up the hill without stopping, for the first time in about 5 attempts!).

After some last minute panics in training (one being the change of heart about not wanting to run any of the route before race day), race week finally arrived..... Crash course in taperitis...mid-week sickness/flu/lurgy and lots of last minute doubts and panic about the impending thunder and lightening forecast for Saturday in Tyndrum....Friday finally upon us....Clark went off to work (smart idea!), while I seemed to spend most of the day packing and re-packing race kit and support kit, before we set off to the By The Way site in Tyndrum where we were sharing a lovely cabin with John & Katrina Kynaston, Iain Wallace and Ada Stewart.  The pasta plan went out of the window en route and we stopped for fish and chips (dinner of champions) in Callendar.  The rest of the evening was spent watching the Olympics, drinking tea, and chatting with our house mates, and the legendary Debbie and Marco Consani who popped over to share our TV!

4am alarm call, was followed by some forced porridge eating, while John, Clark (both not running) and Ada kept us all calm with their relaxed approach to the day!  And off to registration....eyeing up the other competitors, all shapes and sizes, collecting the race number, and the fear of the weather turning from the thunderstorms earlier forecast to 'it's gonna be a hot one!'

And ready for the off.....

What a view!  Soooo can't complain when you get scenery like this!

I set off at a reasonable pace, buoyed by the cheers of the supporters at the start, and the general camaraderie of the start of races, and soon got into chat with Katy, who we'd met on our training run from Tyndrum (12 miles out, 12 back) 3 weeks earlier, and she mentioned how strong I'd looked bouncing back up the hill from Inveroran ("great" I thought, I CAN DO THIS!)...I soon lost her however on the incline as the path narrows up the hill, before dropping down under the archway.  All the time conscious I must NOT go too quick at the start, 43 miles is a might long way to run, and I've never done anything even close!  Chatted to a guy called Andrew who was also trying to ease the pace (but was too quick for me) and then kept on mostly on my own to Bridge of Orchy (ahead of schedule!), eating and drinking according to plan!

Clark was already there to support, and received his first change of instructions ("I'm not changing my camelbak at Glencoe" I yelled as I ran on past!) - the one I started with has pockets on the waist-band and the 'spare' doesn't!

Through BoO and started walking up the hill, realising I was in tow with Darren Barnes (who I'd been chatting to on Facebook quite a lot before the race).  We talked and walked (along with a guy from Fort William (Ian I think) to the top of the hill, where Darren met his mate Dave and stopped for photos while I kept trotting on down the zig-zags (and then they whizzed past me!) to Inveroran..."home of the midge".  From there right onto Rannoch it was like midge rain!

Past Victoria Bridge, and running, walking and chatting with Darren, and Carol Martin on and off, until Darren shot off, and then I caught up with Carol on the long climb up to the flag-wavers (Helen Munro), which were a welcome site!

And down into Glencoe, to meet my lovely support crew (Clark (husband), Adrienne (sis-in-law) and Jacqui (buddy)) who were enjoying the sunshine!  I was on schedule at this point (c3 hours I think...must check garmin!) and longing for a sweat-free t-shirt, a face wipe (to get rid of the dead midge's) and some diet coke!  Tried to eat some banana cake, got the camelbak refilled and got marching on ASAP!

Struggled a bit on the next section - seemed to be alone with no-one in sight (apart from lovely cheer and point in the right direction from the crews at Kingshouse), until I stumbled upon Iain Beattie heading up the hill behind Kingshouse (and he clearly wasn't having a great day, or in the mood for talking!), so I plodded on, passing someone fixing their blisters, and then caught up with Carol again briefly before Allt Na Feadh, but she was moving better than me at this point.

This part of the route was all new to me, and while I was looking forward to the views at the top of the Devil (which, given the baking heat and blue skies were AMAZING), I was fearful of getting there!  I think it took me the best part of half-hour to get to the top, boosted only by the infamous Fiona and Pauline (in devilish 'disguise') handing me a jelly baby somewhere near the top!  Was clearly suffering from dehydration by this point and desperate for something cold to drink (not the warm SIS from the camelbak!).  Admired the views, walked a bit to recover, drank from some streams and then texted down a request for cold water and ice lollies from the support team who would be at Kinlochleven waiting for me (thankfully they succeeded with my random request!) as eating and drinking by this stage was making me feel sick!  Stuck the headphones in and tootled down the way to KLL....arriving again, in pretty good time, given the conditions and how I was feeling!

I think I was probably pretty uncooperative with the support crew at this point (well, I know I was...SORRY!!), but took some more gels, sports beans...scoffed my ice lolly, and took the other for the trek out of KLL, and was off (Clark chasing me with a dry clean buff at this point!), not looking forward to the next climb and knew this whole section was going to be the toughest and slowest.  Persevered up the hill, hoping to get some running legs onto Lairig Mhor, but to be honest, was still struggling to get the motions.  A bit of ipod listening and concentrating on walking 'fast' and running the downhills/flats (I could hear PT Boy shouting this in my head), until meeting the lovely Jeff from Wilderness Response, who along with taking photos, offered water, Irn Bru, chocolate...and a seat on his rock, along with a pat of his dogs (thanks Jeff!!)!

I knew it wasn't far to Lundavra from here, and the team had agreed to meet me there, with the likelihood that Clark would buddy me on the final section.  The second Wilderness guy also gave me some Irn Bru, the sugar obviously kicked in, and I overtook a couple of runners over the next few miles...the thoughts of a cold Red Bull dragging me on!

Clark was like an over-excited puppy when I arrived, desperate to run...and the girls had started bets on when I would shout at him (in reality this took about 20 seconds!).  So, Red Bull quaffed, and we set off marching up the hill (me with my headphones in to drown out the "encouragement" Clark wanted to offer).  I could feel my left calf and shin starting to cramp up at this point but didn't own up!  I knew the end was near, and there was no chance of failure, so dug in, and started to listen to Clark's support (after all, that's what I wanted him there for!).  And then there it was, that final climb before the fire road - hurrah!  Slightly distracted by the support runner of the guy in front falling into a ditch at this point, but trudged up that hill to the WHW maker that symbolised (a) relief from the uphills and (b) a long way down!

The descent was as long as I remembered from the training recce and I kept fighting the quad burn willing me to walk (it's downhill FFS!!), and I started at this point to remember something JK had mentioned about reflecting on the journey, the race, and what it meant and why I was there (and a bit, a lot about Dario (probably more stories for another day)).

And then the junction sign-posting 'Braveheart' (and did another wee "hurrah" in my head...and stopped for a drink, a gel and a power-march until the feeling of vomit passed!).  Clark met the support girls in the car at Braveheart, and with a final swig of Red Bull and cold water I was off alone along the dreaded tarmac ("run...run...." my head was shouting, whilst my quads were yelling "WALK").  A mixture of both, as the sounds of the finish grew nearer and that final energy to keep going kicked in.....AND I MADE IT!!!  9 hours 22 minutes (and a bit) was better than I'd ever imagined (not really even in my Bronze, Silver, Gold targets I had in my head (having listened to one too many WHW podcasts JK!!)

And, I didn't end up broken, in hospital, or hating it!  I'm ready ultra-running world, BRING IT ON!!