The rest of my Virtual West Highland Way journey

I decided to take part in the virtual West Highland Way race on a bit of a whim ("isn't that what you always do?" I hear you ask). I didn't really know if I had it in me to run that far in such a short period of time, but well we are still in lockdown, no races to enter and loads of running in me as it is the summer! So why not?

Summer weather in Penicuik!

Reaching Balmaha (virtually) cemented my enthusiasm to keep going. This was starting to feel like fun! After several days and miles of running and walking in the rain and mist I was beginning to clock up the miles and getting closer to Fort William.

Running with friends made it so much easier, even if Olly didn't quite get social distancing!

Yvonne was the best support runner, she just knew when to encourage, when to make me laugh and when to just say nothing. 

Tracey and Rhona also joined me on different parts of the route. Tracey and put the world to right several times and Rhona made me walk and run up big hills. She also cycled!

I ran so many different places on my 95 mile journey to Fort William. Running in places I had never explored before. This is one of the best things to come out of this forced lockdown - finding new places to run.

One of the other lovely things I found while I was running was all the fairy woods and beautiful painted stones left by children unable to go to school. A beautiful reminder of a very difficult and sad time for our lovely country.

 This is a beautiful pom pom tree which has grown and grown since the start of lockdown. Lots of colourful pom poms have been added as the weeks go on.

In the woods there are lots of fairy doors to find, decorated and left by children who have been learning at home.








Most importantly Kobi, my faithful wee running buddy chummed me on most of my runs. He was always there to keep me company, make me laugh and drive me daft as he chased squirrels and ran through hedges with me attached.

Running would not be the same without him.

So back onto the route of the Virtual West Highland Way race. I think the section I enjoyed the most was the section which took us up over the Devil's Staircase and down into Kinlochleven. A good few years ago I made it to Kinlochleven before I got timed out on the Glencoe Marathon. This is the only race in my whole running career that I DNF'd so it somehow made it feel better that I had made it this far and then ran back out of Kinlochleven back up onto the hills. 

The Devil's Staircase

the path down into Kinlochleven

By this point on my VWHW journey I knew in my head I would make it to Fort William but my body was starting to say enough. I had 2.5 days left to run 32 miles. That was still quite a lot. But head down, got on with the job.

Several runs and walks took me up to 82 miles.

 With 3 miles left to do on the Saturday night and ten miles to run first thing in the morning of the last day of the race, Rhona talked me into running up Turnhouse on the evening of the summer solstice. The evening could not have been nicer. The sun was on our backs on the way up the hill and we were treated to a beautiful sun set with the sun dipping down the back of the hill. The sky was indeed a big sky that night.

I woke early on the final day. It actually felt like a race day, nerves, getting all my clothes ready, sorting out energy gels, water etc. I was running along to meet Yvonne, who was acting as my support runner for the final leg of the virtual West Highland Way race. We started at 8am which should give me plenty of time to get back well inside the cut off time of 12 noon.

 Ten miles to make it to Fort William. We ran a route Yvonne discovered during lockdown, which has become a favourite. It was a bit muddy to begin with as there had been rain the night before, however the sun came out and gave us a fantastic morning of running.

We passed many of our favourite landmarks. The big poo sculpture (although to be fair I think it is meant to be a seed pod) and the teeny tiny Kelpie. We passed Jo, Alia and Christopher who gave us a big cheer.

 Yvonne had to earn her keep as a support runner because at mile 7 which was in fact mile 92 for me, I hit the dreaded wall. I think it was because I knew exactly how far and how hilly it was back to home and I also took a second to reflect upon just how far I had gone in 9.5 days.

Yvonne had to talk me into reminding myself it was only 5km left and that I had run it loads of times before. Finally, I got myself going again and slowly trotted back. We stopped at Yvonne's house so she could pick up her own glass for a celebratory fizz back at mine (public health guidance is that you have to use your own crockery etc).

Then it was the final mile before Fort William. As my watch ticked over to ten miles, we stopped to have a short celebration. 95 miles in 9.5 days ain't bad for an auld runner like me :)

So there we have it, I ran the virtual West Highland Way race. I can't wait to volunteer next year for the real thing. 

I love the idea of running day after day to reach a final destination. that is why this event appealed to me. I am not fast enough to run a one day event like this, or even to enter a stage race. However, I am stubborn enough and have the stamina to keep making relentless forward progress. This was truly one of the most difficult but exciting events I have taken part in. 

I am looking forward to being able to take part in races again, but this was the next best thing, I never once felt I wasn't taking part in a real event. It was so well organised. Huge thanks and congratulations to the organisers for such a well planned and executed race. 

Final total was 24 hours 12 mins and 15 seconds for 95.5 miles completed! 

Thanks to Yvonne, Norrie, Tracey, Rhona, Olly and last but not least Kobi for chumming me on my West Highland Way adventure.

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Milngavie to Balmaha and beyond...

Day 1 - Milngavie to Drymen (12.11miles) - click link to see route video)

In the spirit of starting early for a long run (couldn't quite manage starting at midnight) I got up at 6am and headed out the door for a run before work. 

While this is not an actual real live race the hype created on social media around the start was actually quite exciting and electric. I couldn't wait to get started. So by 6.30am I was out the door and ready to run. I had just under 2 and a half hours before I had to start work so set off onto quiet streets. 

As with a lot of streets these last few months I was passing beautiful street art (mainly done by school kids) and this one made me smile. 

My route then took me up towards the Bush Estate where there are trails all around Bush House. Lots of lovely wild flowers and a slightly odd artwork (which I believe is a seed pod but me and my pal giggle every time we pass it running and have nicknamed it the 'big poo' ).

Once I passed the seed pod (😀) I headed over to the University of Edinburgh campus. This is the site of the Dick Vet for small animals and the equine centre. The road was closed due to road works so it was lovely and quiet. 

There is a gorgeous sculpture of a horse (like the Kelpies) outside the new campus building. So I had to stop for a selfie, would be rude not to.

The next bit of my run was the boring bit of the run. The long road back into Penicuik. Time was getting on, I was due in a meeting at 9am! This bit of the run started to feel a bit like a commuter run!

Finally, I was back in Penicuik and heading up towards Mauricewood Woods. Quick trip around the fairy path (it would appear that many fairies have moved into these woods over lockdown - it is quite cute!) 

It would appear I am on the road to Narnia and not  Drymen 

Back at my desk just in time for my 9 am meeting. Time for a shower, quick cup of tea and my colleagues had no idea I had almost run to Drymen by the time I was chatting to them! A short walk after work with Kobi (in torrential rain - no photos too wet) and I was up to the 12 miles I needed to get me to Drymen. Happy with that! Day 1 done.

Day one - overall total 12.01 miles - 2:57:50

Day 2 - Drymen to Balmaha (6.84miles) overall 18.95miles

The weather on day 2 was not much better. A proper misty Scottish summer day! The mist hadn't joined up with rain when I started out but it didn't take long before it turned proper driech! An early start to my run again, in the vague hope I could avoid the worst of the weather! I decided to take myself around some of the historical monuments and buildings in Penicuik to give myself something different to look at from my usual runs. First stop was the ruins of an old church. Now for the history lesson.

The ruins in the Churchyard are the remains of the pre Reformation St. Mungo's Parish Church. The Presbytery minutes of 1648 indicate that the Church and Manse were in dire need or repair and over the following 10 years major rebuilding took place.

In 1743, it is recorded Sir John Clerk added an aisle to the Church and had built the Romanesque tower or steeple which still stands to this day. However only portions of the Church walls remain and those have been incorporated in burial enclosures.

The bell tower houses a 5cwt bronze bell gifted in 1680 by John Anderson, an Edinburgh merchant. In 1970 the bell required repairs, but before these took place it was stolen. Luckily it was recovered by the Police and rehung in 1975. In 1887 the vault on the ground floor of the tower was used as a cell to incarcerate rogues and thieves for the night.

Next stop the memorial to French Prisoners of war. 

Penicuik was the site of a prison camp for French prisoners during the Napoleonic Wars (housed in the old range at Valleyfield Mill). The former camp is now the site of a housing development in Valleyfield. 

A monument dated 1830 by the River Esk commemorates "the mortal remains of 309 prisoners of war who died 1811–14". It was erected by Alexander Cowan, owner of the paper mill, whose house overlooked the burial site.

After visiting the memorial I headed for Pomathorn Road. If you have ever taken part in the Penicuik Harriers 10km road race then you will be familiar with the infamous hill that is Pomathorn. It just goes up and up forever! On the road up you pass Uttershill Castle (which I took a wee detour via on the way back down). On the way up I did pass some miserable looking sheep!

Uttershill Castle was originally a late 16th century stone rectangular defensible farmhouse or laird's house, founded by the Penicuik family. This western half of the two storey castle consisted of a barrel vaulted undercroft, with a stair in the thickness of the east wall giving access to the main chamber, with probably a garret above. Defined by steep scarps and the possible remains of a wide north-western barmkin wall, the castle stands on a low platform. 

In the early 17th century, the Preston family founded the first floor hall house when modifying the main chamber and adding an eastern extension of a ground floor kitchen, with a solar and a garret above. Two 17th century outbuildings once abutted against the south wall but after the castle was abandoned in the late 18th or early 19th centuries, both the internal and external structures plus the roof gables, collapsed or were dismantled. Later a substantial portion of the south wall collapsed but a mural chamber in the kitchen was still used as a gunpowder store. Abandoned again in the early 20th century, the castle was then left to slowly crumble

Very wet but still feeling strong I headed back up the hill to home. Via more fairy woods, these have sprung up throughout lockdown. Children and their parents creating these magical walkways whilst at home from school. They are really lovely.

To make sure I made it all the way to Balmaha, Kobi, Rhona and I took ourselves out into the mist again later in the day and walked into Penicuik town centre to visit the local food storehouse. Was glad to get back home and into the dry! But that was another 8 miles in the bag! 

Over all Running total - 20.19 miles - 5:09:69

So that was the end of  day 1 and day 2 and I have run slightly past Balmaha which was at 18.95 miles. Next stop Rowardennan. 

Don't worry, be happy 💖

Virtual West Highland Way Race 12 June - 21 June 2020

                                     

                     Virtual West Highland Way Race

12 June - 21 June 2020

Okay, so much as I would like to think I had the ability to run 95 miles in one go, I know I haven't but the lovely organisers of the West Highland Way race have opened this year's race up to us mere mortals (well virtually anyway). 

So the challenge is 9.5 days to run/walk/crawl 95 miles. I would love to think I have it in me right now to run 10 miles a day for 9.5 days but I don't so I am going to tackle this distance through a mixture of running and walking (with my trusty running buddy Kobes). 

Running and Kobes have been my saviours throughout lockdown and this challenge was too good to miss. It is also a fundraiser for SAMH (who you will know I did my garden ultra and half marathon for) so I was more than happy to take part in this event with entry fees going towards the charity.

I am going to record my mileage (with photos) each day on my blog. 

There are three check points:

Inversnaid -  Leg 1: Total 36 miles that must be completed by midnight Mon 15th June

Victoria Bridge - Leg 2:  27 miles, total 63 miles to be completed by midnight Thurs 18th June

Fort William - Leg 3:  32 miles giving a total of 95 miles to be completed midday Sun 21st June

Each day I will attempt to complete a run and a walk to help me reach the mileage up to each checkpoint. There a number of different sections on the west highland way that I am going to record my mileage as to help visualise the distance I am running.

• Milngavie to Drymen (12.11miles)
• Drymen to Balmaha (6.84miles) overall 18.95miles
• Balmaha to Rowardennan (7.70miles) overall 26.65miles
• Rowardennan to Inversnaid (7.26miles) overall 33.91miles
• Inversnaid to Beinglas Farm (6.63miles) overall 40.54miles
• Beinglas Farm to Auchtertyre (9.54miles) overall 50.08miles
• Auchtertyre to Bridge of Orchy (9.26miles) overall 59.34miles
• Bridge of Orchy to Glencoe Ski Lodge (10.82miles) overall 70.16miles
• Glencoe Ski Lodge to Kinlochleven (10.55miles) overall 80.71miles
• Kinlochleven to Lundavra (7.58miles) overall 88.29miles
• Lundavra to Fort William (6.99miles) overall 95.28miles

This is my own challenge, not a fundraiser, but I thought you might like to amuse yourself in lockdown by following my progress. I have absolutely no idea whether I will achieve this or not! It is a huge challenge.

Wish me luck, it all starts on Friday 12th!