Pleasant 12 & why you should never make assumptions

Had a lovely run with Robert and Karen this morning.
Ran from the Kirkhouse Inn in Strathblane along the pipeline to Killearn, dropped down to the WHW and returned that way.

Although it was slightly cloudy it was a great day and perfect running conditions. The mud on the way back made navigating the forest trail a little more taxing..each step almost sucking my shoes off!

12m -1:56

A little ditty for your amusement...!

Well worth a wee tweak!

It was a glorious day today. -3 blue skies, snow on the mountains. I was glad that I had decided to break my Friday rest day rule and meet up with Karen for a run. I picked her up, sort of expecting a 6/7 mile run but she had other plans!








As you know I haven't run more than 8 miles since I fell but on the understanding that i was gonna be slow we embarked on an 11.5mile run..this is roughly the route.Karen and I at the base of Dumgoyne.


We did take it slow, enjoying the sound of the crunching ice and the fantastic scenery. We ran past the base of Dumgoyne along the pipeline from Strathblane. We hit the road for a small stretch at Killearn before picking up the west highland way...yes the bit with all the gates) back past the Beech trees pub. We carried on along the railway line back to Strathblane, passing, and getting a sneaky glimpse of the lovely Duntreath Castle on the way. Looking back towards Dumgoyne from the railway line.

It was a great route. Unfortunately despite being careful with the ice I managed to tweak my back in the last mile. The railway being particularly bad for ice and snow. It feels fine now though and I am delighted it stood up to the 11.5m. Helped along with lots of chat naturally.

Unfortunately there was no room in the deli cafe so we had to skip the coffee today. I am sure we could have found more to chat about....next time;-)

Strathblane-Balfron

The kids were taking part in an Aquathon at Balfron today...start time 9:30am.

Fitting a run in meant getting up extra early 7am again. I couldn't face getting up any earlier to enable us to run the whole distance so Robert collected me and we drove down to Strathblane to begin at 7:45!
We ran along the pipeline feeling very wholesome and 'Waltons' like as all the baby lambs skipped out of our way! We saw deer and plenty of pheasants too.

Unfortunately my Garmin battery conked out so I have no stats. To be honest, I wasn't really worried about stats today, sometimes it is good just to run without. It is a route with lots of gates so it is a little bit stop-start ...no bad thing for that time in the morning!

It was a fab day for such a run, even when we hit the road at Killearn the relaxed Sunday morning atmosphere was percolating through the air. People popping out for newspapers ensuing signs of hangovers. It is quite a climb up to Balfron High, which stands at just about the highest possible point in Balfron! I found myself pondering the thought that it would have been a good spot for a castle. We managed it pretty strongly though. A relief after such a lousy running week.

The Aquathon was great too. They all did really well...Cody competing as an 8yr old (he's 7) came second in his group. Smiles all round!

Approx 9miles.