Dumgoyne by summer!

Where else would I have wanted to be this morning. 24 degrees, blue sky and Scotland is the bees knees!

Rory is at a footy tournament all day and so I wasn't sure that I'd fit a run in at all. I managed and Karen and I hauled our butts up Dumgoyne and what a pleasure it was. We ran over the top, down the steep bit and up the next one...whatsitcalled!
We reminisced about doing the same run in the snow...and hail! The views were out of this world and 10 times as good as the pics. I love it when you feel you're on top of the world.
Karen making her descent down the steep side.

1 week 1 post

Wow. It's about the longest I haven't posted since I started this blog.

Partly it's down to time but mainly down to the fact that the computer's never free when I am. Anyway, while I have a few minutes on it I will do a spot of catching up!!

Runs of note were..last Sunday. I decided to run from Mugdock across to Carbeth...ramble style...then try and locate the waterfall I had been to on the Thursday night with Superfit Dave!

3 hours later I had still not found the waterfall but had legs ripped to F and nettle stings up to my pants! Had scrambled over numerous barbed wire fences and made it back to the car. Objective may have failed but it was one hell of a run!! Dave will you show me the way again??!!

On Monday I took the boys for a 3 miler, tesco route, they were great and got all their chat...which is always an achievement!

Tues I went down to coach the kids at the club, they are all great and it was a pleasure to be back. Quite a few new faces as a result of the April intake..all keen...

Thursday was a beautiful evening and so while Rory was at Footy I took myself off to do the Bearsden and Milngavie 10k route. It was a great run, I didn't knock my pan in but I still worked...48 mins.

Friday I jumped over the final hurdle before deemed fit to be let loose on the public...then...get this...I was I.D'd in Asda!!!! WTF! How good is that. I don't care if the woman was needin' glasses, or the lighting's bad in there. So I had to get my beer elsewhere! No thanks to my best pal Val who, upon being told my story, gasped and with much emotion say 'UNBELIEVABLE!!!' Who needs enemies with friends like this hey!:-) The evening turned into a good one with triple measures of the very fine and notable Balmore darkest. Believe me the delicate state I found myself in on Sat am was worth it but a Sat run was out of the question.

Here's some pictures from last Thursdays run when I did get to the waterfall!!

A gentle Hill Run

It's been a while but I decided that, having been promised, a 'gentle hill run' I would head out with the hill runners tonight.
It turned out to be just me and Superfit Dave, the rest were either skiving or doing the Helensburgh 10k I guess.

It was a brand new route to me, and one that i am told you can only do at certain times of year...it becomes impassable as the bracken takes hold in the summer. So this was perfect timing.

We started just before the Carbeth Inn in turning on the left. We followed the track for a while, ran past the christmas tree place, then at some point cut up to the left. I followed Superfit Dave, who lead me faultlessly to an amazing waterfall which you can actually walk under! The name of the waterfall escapes me but it runs down from Kilmannan Reservoir. It was a wonder full sight all the more so cause it's so hidden.

I will post some pics later..when I get them from Dave's camera!

We ran back a different route to the car. All in all a great run..57 mins long!

5

Did easy run with Robert tonight. Felt a bit tired but nothing much to report!
Route-Mosshead rd-Milngavie Rd-Boclair-Rannoch-Maryhill-Drymen.

5m 43mins

Easy 3

Today I ran my usual easy three while the kids were swimming. The achievement being that all three of them remembered their swim stuff....
3m 24 mins

Brig O' Turk

What do you do when you have run all the local routes a million times and just need a change? You head north of course. On the suggestion of a friend, to the Trossacs and complete a mental bit of hillrunning, with no build up or training.
After Rory's footy, which alas was a narrow defeat, that's just what I did.

Parking at the Brig O' Turk I headed off this was the route plan
With the words of Hannah Montana in my head (yes I have just been to see the movie with my 10 yr old daughter) 'It's a tough climb but the views great' I was unperturbed by the constant incline...that's what I came for after all.

As the view of Finglas Reservoir appears life feels great. Till you realise that that hill was the small fry and there's worse to come.

Determined as ever I did continue, although by 5 miles I could happily have turned back, I began to realise what a hellish route this was! But stubborn as ever I ploughed on, the sun was out and 15 miles is not really that far...is it?

There was a noticable lack of walkers, possibly put off by the showery forcasts, but as I ran past the highland cows and freshly made lambs I was still glad to be there.

After what seemed like forever I finally reached the top of the ridge ...but by then the weather had started to turn and the clouds were descending the view was more moody than great. Not to worry, it's all downhill from here surely? It may have taken a while to get up there but surely the trip down will be fast and exillarating...downhills my thing!! (delusional by this point)

The weather worsened and as I rounded the ridge the wind picked up to hurricane levels nearly knocking me off my feet..I am so not exaggerating honestly! The rain turned to hail and was blowing horizontally whipping into my face forcing me to run cupping my hands round it, just to be able to see the path at my feet. I really wanted to sit behind a rock and phone a land rover to get me but I really think I would have died of hypothermia waiting! My lace came undone at one point, I stopped to tie it and realised how cold I was, it was like watching someone elses hands in slow motion!! I just kept going and eventually as I descended the trail the weather started to calm down a bit and I started to regain a bit of body heat.

The last 5 miles seemed to go on forever. Some mischievous pixie had put extra inclines in that I swear I had not come down on the way out??

Knowing the route was 15 miles I was searching for signs of the final stint where the rough trail turns into road and the reservoir appears, then I realised I had started from the tea shop on the road, NOT the Glenfinglass car park as per the instructions. The extra half mile was nothing at the start, but now checking my garmin stats and realising that I had to get a whole extra mile out of my body I was less than happy!

What's more the sun came out mockingly bursting through the clouds, just like a summers day. No hint of the arctic conditions I had just battled through!

As you will have guessed by now I did make it to the car. I felt like I had run a marathon..in fact I think I felt worse. The evidence of this is that of the four marathons I have done I have never been so cold and so knackered that I have stripped to my undies in the middle of the car park too tired to care about the passers by. (Sorry to the two ladies who got a full on arse view on the way back from their stroll.) (It's not easy to get out of skins when they're wet even when you're not tired)I pulled on dry clothes glad I had remembered to bring some.

All I can say is thank god for little tea shops that take debit cards...the Cullen Skink and the Plum pie with custard gave me the strength to drive home!!
All in all it was just the sort of run I love....afterwards!

16 miles-3hours

4 the Log

This week I have made a return to my pre Gullane yoga class! I was concerned that I would not be able to keep up with the rest. In yoga world, and with top teacher Jo, you come a long way in 12 weeks and I had heard that they have been doing the FULL primary series!

Fortunately I managed to keep up- even if I wasn't quite executing all the moves quite right. It was a good work out which I continued to feel for a good couple of days! Thanks to Jo for keeping my spot!


I ran a short 3m on Thursday but more notably met up with Lynn to catch up on chat since leaving Gullane. We went out along the West Highland Way to Carbeth then cut up the ridge and back through Mugdock. Chatting all the way naturally! It was a perfect running day, overcast but dry.

We rounded off with the obligatory tea/coffee and bite to eat in Milngavie.

3m approx 25mins
8.36m 1:20:28

Running Catch up

Did a few wee runs last week in Gullane. The best being a 4 miler along the beach at 5:30am on Wednesday. It is just about the earliest I have ever run but the weather was beautiful..if VERY windy.
ON Sunday I did a longer run with KAren, 10.25m along the whw and back making a familiar route...although we did alter it slightly. Karen noticed a path we hadn't seen before. We headed along it to see where it went and to our delight it bypassed the whole of Stockemuir hill...so a lazy option in the bag!!

Last night I did my ole 3miler round the west end while the kids were in swimming. The last time I did it it was pitch black and I had to run down the middle of the road due to ice! (I know that means nothing in Glasgow) BUT last night was great weather, blue sky and I was feeling great. I did it in 23mins which I was pretty pleased with!

Passed out!

Well that's it. And so I am left with the mixture of the high of success and the low of realising it's all over! I've been pretty much living with my squad for 12 weeks...blood sweat and a tears shared and now that's it!

After a week of celebrations and display prep everything went more or less smoothly, (although there was no throwing of hats in the air like they do on Top gun...possibly cause we don't have hats)

Now I have a week off to catch up with friends and prepare for a bit of Strathclyde conversion before heading to my station on the 1st June! That's when it all really starts. The reason I joined in the first place...there will always be another door just ready to be opened. I can't wait to see where it takes me.

For now I am suffering a bit from the post course blues (can you guess?)...but as I have learnt from running (where do most lessons in life come from after all) the same slightly empty feeling after a marathon....Something that's filled so much time and taken so much commmitment- It won't last long and I will soon be climbing to the peak of the next high!

Who needs drugs?

Two seasons One run

Met Karen for a run this morning. We ran from the clock in Milngavie, out along the WHW as far as the stile. Cut across to Stockiemuir Rd, then back along the WHW again. It was good to do an 'old faithful' route.

It was a beautiful morning although we did hit a small pocked of dark stormy wet wintry weather...not that unusual for Glasgow in April I s'pose but a little freaky all the same, the rest of the time it was blue skies, bluebells and birds singing.

10m-1h32

One more week to go!

Well time for a bit of catching up.
Last week was back to pump and ladder drills, only this time it was a little more creative. Ladders being pitched in more unusual locations. The ladder climb went off without any hitches. Thanks so much to those of you who did sponsor us.

We did a bit of dam building and even a bit of hose running. It was a tiring but enjoyable week. I only made it out for a couple of runs though as evenings flew in with the college quiz night taking up one of the four.

This week was filled with scenarios which was really an excuse for the instructors to test their theatrical side. Another great week and a chance to put into practice everything learnt. Again a few short runs along the beach were the most I managed.

And so I now come to the last week of the course...cant quite believe that week 12 has arrived. Passing out parade is next Friday....then the real stuff begins!