Lakeland Trails Pentlands 10km

 This has been a funny old year. It feels like there has been no races at all but yet when you glance over at my race portfolio for 2020 I have actually been quite busy! Then there was the injury that kept me out of action for a few months after the Scurry to the Sea. But now after several trips to the physio and a lot of you and physio exercises I am finally getting back out onto the trails.

I'm still very slow but my leg hurts less and less with every run. Monday 2 November saw the start of my 26 week training plan for my 5 in 5 challenge next May. It felt good to be able to start on it, albeit slowly. Onwards and upwards!

Yesterday, Yvonne and I were all signed up to go and run in Glenridding and up Helvellyn for the Lakeland Trails 10km. But as with all other events this year, it was postponed until next year. But we decided that we have our own hills to run up so planned our very own Lakeland Trails Pentland 10km. Yvonne had never run up Carnethy before so it felt like a real adventure! I must admit when we stood in the park (at our start line tree) I looked up at the top of Carnethy and thought that I wasn't altogether sure I would make it that far and back but put my brave pants on and we set off!

We toddled off up towards Coates Farm. It was a beautiful sunny morning. After a fairly flat start the hills kicked in and suddenly it felt like a proper Lakeland Trails 10km! We reached the main road with the hills resplendent in front of us. 

My leg has still been quite sore running on the pavements but the minute I got off the road and onto the trail I felt great. We immediately came across some mud and streams! This is the life. Yvonne was in her element. It is so lovely to see someone else fall in love with trail running. It is so good for the soul!

We trotted our way up to Charlie's Loup, the first point before the proper climb up Carnethy. Beautiful views from here back over Midlothian.

The trail from this point cuts through the heather slopes towards the steep hill heading up to the saddle between Scaldlaw and Carnethy. This is a really steep bit of the climb and there is a perfect resting spot where you can take in the most beautiful view. So that was what we did! Not because we needed a rest at all...

After our short rest we finally reached the saddle and got a bit of a rest as the hill levels off a bit. Although the peat bog was very boggy after all the rain we have had. We had a right laugh when Yvonne pointed to the top of the hill and said "is that a cow?". I replied "no it is a sheep!". She laughed saying it was a big sheep. Yvonne is building a bit of reputation for muddling up farm animals :)

Edinburgh shrouded in cloud

To reach the summit of Carnethy you need to climb up the steep slope which takes you to the huge stone cairn at the top. There wasn't much running at that point, but that is what I love about running in the hills, you don't have to run up the hills, it is the downhill that is the fun bit! There is no pressure to run the whole way - running the ultra taught me that!

So finally, we reached the top. Garmins were paused for a short time to allow us to take in the stunning views and of course pose for our summit photos! 

I took my lakeland trails buff up the hill with me so we posed with that as a flag at the summit. I love these photos as you can see the mist in the background floating into the valley. It looks like water creeping into a bay at the coast!

It was amazing. We took some more stunning shots of the views before we began the fun bit - the run down the hill!

Yvonne is fairly new to hill running and understandably running down a scree slope can be quite scary but she was brilliant. She even managed to lift her arms above penguin pose! 

I couldn't believe how great my leg was feeling (and as I write this the day after, it still feels great - I reckon the effort of hill running really eased things out). I was properly in my happy place, I felt free again. Running down the hill with no pain, and complete abandon was brilliant. It is the best I have felt in months. I reckon I was grinning the whole way down. Yvonne managed to capture my delight!

Running in the hills is just wonderful. It is hard work and rewarding all at once. It is different from walking in the hills. You have less clothes on for a start and no big clumpy hiking boots. You can throw yourself down the hill or carefully pick your way down through heather. Whatever you feel like. There is mud, bogs, rivers and streams to pick your way though. No matter whether the sun is shining or the snow is falling, running in the hills is always so much fun. 

Finally, we made it down the hill again. The fun wasn't over though. Yvonne decided that she was going to embrace the mud and streams and went straight though the first boggy bit she could find. There was a family picking their way around the boggy bit, with the parents lifting their children over the worst bits only to hear two mad women screeching with delight as they got muddier and muddier running through the mud. Then we got to the stream we had carefully picked our way over on the way up the hill, Yvonne shouted "it has to be done" and through she went! Trail running really is the best fun!

On our way back to Coates Farm we had a quick stop to see Dionne and her horses! Then we headed back to Cornbank. The trail looked beautiful in the sunlight. It might not be the run we planned in the Lake District but it was a beautiful run. 

Our finish line was back at the tree in the park, where had started. What a brilliant run! I am so glad we decided to do it and that I was fit enough to do it. It wasn't the fastest but I think you can see from the grin on my face it was so much fun and I am back in my happy place. 

Last word, running has been the thing that has gotten me through the pandemic and all that the restrictions on our lives has brought and to not be able to run for the last two months has been the worst for me. 

But today I have sore legs, not because of my injury but because I ran up a big hill yesterday with my running buddy 😊

Namaste

Don't worry, be happy 

x

 

Get out there and dream big...

Since finishing the Virtual West Highland Way Race I went on two weeks later to complete the Virtual Great Glen Way Race.

These races were born out of necessity because runners need a race to train for and the racing calendar came to screaming halt with the covid-19 pandemic lockdown! We are a community of crazy people who like to spend all of our time running around training to come together for a common goal - to get to the end in one piece!

You all know that I love a running challenge, and these two events were very real challenges despite them being virtual. The cut off points really added an incentive to get on with it and finish the event. 

These event really confirmed that I wanted to set in motion an idea which has been brewing in my head for a long lot of years, and with the experience we have all had this year I have decided to take the plunge and start planning my challenge.

For many years I have been inspired by the 10 in 10 runners in Windermere, but absolutely know my limitations - I could not do 10 marathons in 10 days, however, having just completed 2 virtual ultra marathons of 95 miles in 9.5 days and 73 in 7 days I am absolutely hooked on this long distance sort of a challenge.

To help explain why I am hooked I can share this passage written by Krissy Moehl (http://krissymoehl.com/) in Relentless Forward Progress: A guide to Running Ultramarathons which explains exactly where I am coming from:

"How often in life do we have the opportunity to inspire ourselves? Often we look outward, to other individuals and teams, to fill that need for inspiration, whether it be in our work, sport or daily living. Pushing your physical limits, putting yourself to an unknown challenge is personally inspiring.

It inspires you to get out of bed in the morning and train no matter the weather. It inspires you to learn more about nutrition, training, and equipment to help you accomplish the task. To make it to the starting line is personal inspiration and to pull off the feat is an accomplishment hard to match. You know the time you have dedicated to that end goal, to the finish line. You know the experiences you've gained through the process as well as the rough times you endured to make it happen. It is a very personal goal and one that will fulfil a soul.

The energy gained in having a goal, in training for that goal, and reaching that achievement not only grounds your daily life, but also adds meaning and purpose. It creates memories both personal and shared. It brings you into a community no matter where you travel, because runners like you exist all over the world."

People often say to me that I inspire them, but in all honesty I hate to say I don't set out to inspire people, I'm not sure that is how 'inspiring' people works. But I do set out to inspire myself. There is so much life to be had out there. I'm not super fit, I'm reasonably fit, I am definitely not a fast runner, but I am strong and incredibly stubborn. Given training you can just wind me up and point me in the direction you want me to run and I will keep going until someone tells me to stop. 

That stubbornness is my strength. I like to see just how far I can push myself. I also know my limits, no matter how much I would love to be able to run 50 mile ultra marathons in one go, I know from my experience in Kielder that even 50km was pushing me to the edge of my limits. However, multi day long distance running is something I am falling in love with. I have it in me to get up day after day and trot round a set distance to achieve a goal!  

So my plan next April and May is to run/walk the Keswick Half Marathon five days in a row (culminating in the final day as the actual race - date subject to confirmation). For anyone who knows this route, it isn't easy but I know I can do it!

Some of you are already in on my plan as I have taken advice from Chris "10 in10" Renton

and talked Yvonne, Mark and Tracey into supporting me at different points in the challenge.

It is a wee while away and my training will not officially start until around October this year but I wanted to put it out there to make sure that I actually crack on with this challenge and get myself fit enough to at least give running most of the 65.5 miles a good shot.

As a last thought Meghan Hicks (https://twitter.com/meghanhicks?lang=en) poses the question:

"If you haven't figured out the root of this ultrarunning business quite yet, I'm about to let you in on the sport's secret. Happiness. Simple. Isn't it?

Many ultrarunners are driven, in part by competition, by setting and achieving goals, or by spending time in attractive natural settings. But each of those motivations can be traced back to that secret: doing stuff that makes you happy.

So get out there and dream big..."

 

Life is for living after all, the adventure is out there, you just have to go find it! 

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.

slàinte