Still on Track

Once again it's been a few weeks since I've blogged, so this one will be a bit of a catch up.

Things, touch wood, seem to still be on track! That doesn't mean it has been easy by any stretch of the imagination, and it's not all rose petals and champagne, but the work is getting done and I think it's paying off.

The Week After Loch Katrine
I managed to roll out another 50 mile week, with 2 rest days and no cross-training.  I was quite happy with that as I was away for a couple of days in St Andrews with work (and there may have been a late night and some whisky consumption...).  I also managed 2 nights of sports massage.  So mid-week, 3 shorter runs (one only 3 miles along West Sands) and then on Friday it was off to Tyndrum for the Fling training weekend, staying at By The Way with a whole heap of other flingers.

I'd opted to stay over this time, and had my favourite room in the hostel (being anti-social and staying on my own), which was great.  I arrived quite late (after going home after work for a massive scoff first), just in time to catch up with Fiona and Rachel, down from Skye, before the foam rolling 'party'.  We opted for the 'observational' option, and enjoyed a wee drop of prosecco, watching the action and chucking at the moaning and groaning going on (especially those (Keith Ainslie) rolling on an empty prosecco bottle!)

Wasn't too late a night, as long runs were planned for the Saturday.  While most went on the happy bus down to Balmaha, I opted to run north, with Fiona, Kirsty and David M, who had joined us for the day.  The weather was, weathery....not great....wet, windy...character building!  We managed to stick it out for 28 miles (Kirsty and Fiona did a few more), and over 3,000ft of ascent, so not too shabby a day out.  Rewarded by some lovely homemade soup (thanks Johnny Fling) and rolls fresh from the oven, followed by a great night of chatting, hilarious quiz (Emma, your talents are wasted), and great scoff of lasagne and sticky toffee pudding heaven (I think I ate enough to feed a starving nation for a month!)

Sunday weather was a bit brighter, and I managed to bully Fiona into doing 8 of my 10 miles with me. Bonus was getting to test out some new Hoka's and injinji socks, so there was much mud splashing an shoe battering going on.  Sad to say that Eoin wasn't entertaining the idea of selling us the shoes after we'd trialled them though.....missed opportunity there methinks!!

The Sickness

Photo by Helen Munro

The next week started rather abruptly with 2 days of vomiting and bathroom 'action'.  Great for weight loss, not great for training, or the work trip to London I was meant to be on!  Not 100% sure what caused it...there's been loads of bugs around work, and I had filled my bottle from a few streams on Saturday, so maybe picked a not so great one...

I managed to get back on my feet on Wednesday and gently picked up the training.  It also got me back onto healthy eating so I had a few days of much better behaviours! 

It was also the start of a mini-streak of training (12 days, no rest), mainly due to Easter happening.

Most memorable that week was a smashing run from Glencoe to Braveheart, mostly with Minty...and a few others in between for various bits (including Spider-Man and meeting Sean Conway who is running the length of Britain in the final stage of his crazy triathlon).  I love this stretch of WHW, especially across Lairig and it was great to spend time with good people, and the added bonus of Helen and John waiting to pick us up and drive us back down the road.  After dropping Minty back at BOO for Colin the VW, we headed, as you do, to the Real Food Café for some well-earned chips...and an unexpected blether with Fiona and Pauline, who'd been out training and were also re-fuelling!
Ended the week with a 12 miler around the Blackford/Frandy loop close to home, in the glorious sunshine, topping off the week at 49 miles and 1 gym session.

Taper Time
And so the realisation that it's almost time for the 'Ding Ding' Hoka Highland Fling, and while it's still a 'training run' on the road to the goblet, it still demands respect.  53 miles are not to be sniffed at, and it's going to have an impact!

So this latest week, I did 'only' 40 miles but 5,700ft of climb...combined with 2 gym sessions, a Pilates class and a cycle home from work (first time on road bike since April 2014!!).  And two nights of massaging, some gardening, 4 days at work, and evening at the hairdressers....  Sometimes I think I try to do too much in a week....

Best run of the week was Saturday at Glen Finglas with (used-to-be-Ultra-now-more-hill-runner)Bob.  A route I've never had a 'nice' day on, but this one banished those demons.  It wasn't fast, and we had every weather condition known to man thrown at us, but felt 'good' at the end (and certainly better than most of the mountain bikers we saw out that day!).  It's a tough wee loop with 3,300ft of climb, which I definitely felt in the legs on Sunday (and hence cut my back-to-back down a bit).  I also had the added bonus of my regular sports massage on Sunday....boy oh boy did I need (and feel) that!!

So, in a abbreviated highlights (believe me, that is), that's us up to date.  A wee rest day yesterday, followed by a sleepless night and a slight bail on this morning's scheduled 11 miler (I did 7...), followed by a day eating rubbish to try and keep the energy levels up.  Tomorrow, if the gales have eased, I'll be pedalling home from work again, aiming to get the cross-training levels up, and burn off tonight's chocolate mint fest.....well, it is my wedding anniversary, the boy is sick.....

10 days til the Fling
66 days until WHW