There Will Be Blood

Well, that was quite a weekend.

It seems like there are a lot of wee stories to tell:
the solo drive to Tyndrum with Nirvana and Spacemen 3 blaring on the stereo;
meeting up with mrs s (briefly) and Julia and Christina before setting off towards Auchtertyre in the wonderful left hand drive camper van with no power steering;
the joy of seeing Ian heading up the trail looking really strong;
meeting the bundle of excitement that was HappyG back at Tyndrum;
the prescient words of Alan No Mates;
the shock of finding no midges at Bridge of Orchy;
Minty taking a power nap before setting off up "Murdo's Mount";
my relief that my leg felt fine on the descent to Inverarnan;
the weird colours on Minty's leg;
seeing new ground on the stretch from Forest Lodge to Ba Bridge and finally covering every part of the Way;
burger and chips and hugs from mrs s at Glencoe;
the beautiful rainbow seen from Altnafeadh;
the drive to Kinlochleven to get ready to support Minty to Lundavra;
and possibly more.
But all of that would just be a prelude to the events that happened on the Lairig Mor at some time shortly after midnight. The Lairig Mor doesn't often appear in anyone's "my favourite bits of the West Highland Way Race" list. It's an uneven, stony path with a number of small streams and a few puddles; fairly hard going at the best of times, difficult when tired, treacherous in the dark. Nevertheless, Minty and I were making decent progress despite wet feet and me almost walking off the path once. We had reached the corner and turned northwards, we could see Lochan Lunn Da Bhra in the pale moonlight, and knew we were about two miles from the bonfire at Lundavra where we would meet up with the rest of the team again. And then there was a small thump and I heard Minty say something along the lines of "ow! I've tripped and hit my head". And there he was, face down on the path with a grazed cheek and a bit of blood above his eye. OK, not a problem, let's get him back on his feet and take a proper look. Except that he was a bit wobbly on his feet so we sat down again and I decided to give him my buff to wrap around the cut which thankfully wasn't flowing much. And then, he took a turn for the worse and slumped a bit. Thankfully, some other runners had arrived up the trail and we got his feet elevated and tried to keep him talking to check how he was. Which wasn't great - he wasn't making much sense and at one point fainted briefly and was slightly annoyed to come round a few seconds later as we having such a good dream apparently. Of course, there was no decent phone signal there but one of the other support runners ran on ahead to get help, and I sent out an emergency text after we got Ian wrapped in a couple of foil blankets in an approximation of the recovery position. At which point he said (quite clearly) "I'm going to be sick" and retched a few times. His condition generally seemed to be improving so it seemed like a good idea to try and head up the trail, towards warmth and safety so we got him back on his feet (on the second attempt) and we resumed our journey, more slowly than before, with Minty holding on to me, shivering, and realising that he'd also bumped his leg. Oh well, I was thinking, another mile or so of this and he can get warmed up and taken off to the hospital to get checked over.
Next thing I know, my phone goes off - it's the police, following up on my emergency text, and happy enough to stand down when I explained that the injured runner was back on his feet and close to getting extra help. And shortly after that, George called to try and find out more information - I explained what was happening and as he conferred with Dr Chris at race control, the battery went dead so we just had to keep going and hopefully, we'd be able to better find out what was happening when we met up with the crew at Lundavra. By this time, Minty's head torch was blinking occasionally to indicate that the batteries were getting a bit low, and I was worried we'd have to stop and wait in the dark which would have been bad news as we were now moving at a better walking pace, talking a bit and starting to warm up again. So it was a great relief to see a head torch heading towards us and to have Neal Gibson join us, especially as he was able to donate a very warm jacket to Minty's cause, and to further raise our spirits with more chat. And very quickly, the certainty that this race was over dissolved and it became clear that Minty would want to keep going, depending on how things looked when we met up with Julia and Christina at the meeting point. And almost before we knew it, we arrived at the bonfire, and sat down to warm ourselves and come up with a plan. Communications with race control weren't very clear so it came down to the support crew to decide on the best course of action. Our runner obviously wanted to continue (and I'm not sure we could have stopped him if we'd tried), bleeding had stopped, he had been moving well, talking coherently, he was taking on food and drink, and he was just 7 miles from the finish. Christina was due to take over buddy runner duties but very sensibly said she wanted another runner as well. Julia wasn't keen to accompany them on that section in the dim light, so I agreed (in less than a heartbeat) that I would continue on foot with them. And so, we set off, looking forward to seeing the sunrise over Ben Nevis. The sunrise was less spectacular than hoped for, but we covered the miles in good time and in good spirits and we were soon on the final climb and getting our first glimpse of Fort William. Thankfully, there were no tears for me this year. And when Minty suggested we run down the hill, I was happy to break into a jog all the way down to the bottom. Even the road to Braveheart Car Park seemed shorter than usual and it was great to see Mike there and be able to congratulate him on his brilliant finish in 6th place. He then scooted off in the car to let Julia and everyone else at the finish that we were on our way. Julia came out to meet us at the edge of Fort William and we all ran to the finish together feeling relieved and elated. He'd done it! Minty would be collecting his crystal goblet after all. At least, he would be as long as he was out of the hospital which was where Silke told him he was going to get properly checked out.
I was exhausted, but decided to get a shower at the Leisure Centre so I could wait with mrs s for our friend, Wee Rhino to complete the race. It was brilliant to see her finish but then it really was time to get to the hotel for some sleep - we'd heard by then that Minty had got a couple of stitches and they were keeping an eye on him but he was doing well so we slept fairly soundly for a few hours before heading up to the Nevis Centre for the prize giving. Minty had been released from the hospital so it was fantastic so see him get his goblet along with the other finishers, all of whom will no doubt have their own stories to tell.
I want to say a massive thank you to everyone who helped us out - the runners who stopped and assisted, the guys that ran on ahead to get help, all the folk at the bonfire. You were all brilliant and your help was greatly appreciated by everyone in Team Minty. I also want to say that I was very pleased to be a part of the team; we all got on really well, had some fun, and got the job done. And finally, I want to say well done to one of the most determined, meticulous, kind-hearted, wonderful, and mental runners I know. Ian Minty, you are a legend.

WHW Race - a supporters tale

(note: in the time it's taken me to write this, both Vikki and Rhona have written blogs, so there won't be many surprises in here. This is my personal account. After all, it's all about me, isn't it?)


Well, what a weekend that was. One with many ups and downs, both literally and figuratively, with tears and laughter, lots of hugs, with tea and cake and chips and beer, with winding paths that stretched and distorted both time and space. And rain. Lots of rain.

To be fair, the rain was expected - all the forecasts had been indicating a wet weekend - but what had been unexpected was the pain in my leg (somewhere on the outside about an inch or so below the knee) which appeared on Thursday morning, throwing my role as support runner into some doubt. Nevertheless, I achieved goal 1 (get Vikki to the start line in plenty time via registration and short kip in the car) despite the sore leg and my general desire to wander around the car park chatting to all the fabulous people who were there to run or crew or whatever.

And they're off

  

Vikki and Dave at the start

1am arrived and the race started, the runners disappearing off through the underpass, the supporters more slowly heading back for their cars, and I felt a few pangs of worry as I felt the rain fall and thought of the long long trail Vikki was setting off to follow. A chatted to a few more folk, and then headed back to the car and got the stove on to make some hot chocolate for myself, Rhona and Graeme (the other members of our team). They were going to head directly to Tyndrum and try and get some sleep - meanwhile I was going to meet Vikki at Drymen so there was no hurry, at least until I realised I was needing the toilet so I decided to make a stop at the Beech Tree Inn where I was able to stand under a brolly and watch the runners go through, chat to some of the other support crews and to Neil and Conor from the sweeping team, and get a bacon roll. What I wasn't able to do was go to the toilet but I found a wee side road on the way to Drymen which did nicely.
Drymen was wet - again, lots of support crew huddling under umbrellas waiting to see their runners through safely and see if they were going to need anything for the section over Conic Hill. All V needed was a quick kiss and off she went, leaving me to drive through the rain up to Balmaha where I had plenty of time to enjoy a cup of coffee with George, Karen, Joopsy and Siouxsie in the Oak Tree Inn (who had specially opened the pub and the shop for the race) before heading out to the car park in time to get a phone call from the top of the hill requesting dry clothes to be laid out and a cup of tea. There was a bit of a faff getting V into new clothes, but the tea seemed to keep her happy and she was soon off again in pursuit of Dave_K and Johnny Fling who had both left soon before her. Dave H and his crew were right next to us so I had a quick chat with them and then headed off to Tyndrum. The rain was belting down, there were huge puddles over the road, and I was a bit tired so it wasn't the greatest driving experience - still, I was probably a little more comfortable than the runners making their way up the other side of the loch.

MTFU about that knee, shanksi

Heading for BoO

I got some sleep (probably not as much as I'd have liked) in the car at Tyndrum and woke up to see the lovely Lorna walking past the car so I wound down the window and had a chat with her while also checking text messages to try and catch up on all the race news. Rhona and Graeme came over to say good morning and we decided to head over to the Green Welly for breakfast and to chat about how the race was going and what the plan would be. I'd heard from Vikki and she was doing ok but her ITB was hurting a wee bit so it was likely to be a march to the finish from now on. My leg was throbbing a bit (and there was a new pain at the front of the knee) so I said I'd probably just walk with her from Auchtertyre to Tyndrum to see how it felt and would hopefully continue to Bridge of Orchy but it would depend how sore it was. We killed a bit more time, chatted to Carolyn and her parents for a bit, then jumped in the car via The Real Food Cafe for some take away tea which would hopefully still be warm when Vikki reached the check point (it was).
It was great to see Vikki again and she seemed happy and full of beans - ready for the long trek ahead, although not before a change of clothes and a Pot Noodle.
It turned out that my knee was quite comfortable with the pace we set to Tyndrum so I was able to keep going and we had a nice walk, chatting about the scenery, other runners, how the race was going, and how all our friends were getting on elsewhere on the course.

A bit of a grump

Inveroran 

At "Midge of Orchy", Graeme and Rhona took over buddy duties and I took the car round to Inverornan and headed back up the hill to meet them so I could give Vikki her gloves and to take in the view. Back at the car, Vikki said a hot cup of tea would be nice, so I whizzed round to the car park at Victoria Bridge and got the stove going. Unfortunately they were past me before I could get a decent boil going in the windy weather so no tea. I was annoyed at myself for forgetting to bring a flask as we had planned, and got more annoyed when I  found that the entrance to the car park was partially blocked by a parked car - the same parked car that had partially blocked the entrance on the way in, but who had reversed further in when they saw me coming but had obviously then rolled forward again (presumably so they could talk to the people in the van next to them through the window) before exiting the car. I had to bump over a couple of wee stones to get back on the road - I wanted to have one last chat to the team before they set off towards Rannoch Moor but just missed them at the wee lodge so I was in a fairly grumpy mood on the drive up to Glencoe. My mood lifted a bit after I parked up and had a wee chat to George, and could see the cloud drifting away from over the Devil's Staircase. I even glimpsed a strange blue colour in the sky - perhaps we'd be lucky enough to get a dry night which I was sure the runners would appreciate after their soaking on Saturday morning. I realised I was hungry so headed up to the cafe for some lovely chips, checked the schedule to see how long I had to wait and decided to head back up the path to meet the team coming the other way. My knee was still a little sore so I jogged/limped/walked up the path. Great to see Dave K and Colin Knox and quite a few folk I didn't know still going and looking forward to reaching the checkpoint. I met Vikki, Rhona and Graeme at about two miles and we were soon joined by Jonathan and M1nty - spirits were high, and why not? After all, Glencoe had a proper toilet and the cafe was serving hot food.

On a high

Jonathan and M1nty

Vikki asked me to get some take-away chips and some coffee for her and I decided that a bottle of cold beer would be just what I needed - spirits were even higher as we headed towards Kingshouse and we picked up the pace again, which unfortunately meant pulling away from J and M as we approached Altnafeadh. Rhona had taken a wee break to get some food but met us there. Graeme had taken over driving duties. As we started the climb up the staircase we passed Ada who was having some trouble with her back - to her great credit she showed amazing courage and finished the race but needed a wheelchair to get to the award ceremony. We also passed some time with Silke and Thomas who were having a nice romantic stroll in the dusk, Silke on the way to get her first goblet, supported by Thomas who already has a small collection. It's not often I'll get the chance to beat him to the top of a hill (probably never again) so it was fun to set a good pace up to the top (yes, I know I'm a bit sad!). Night was falling as we made our way over the top and head torches were coming on - little pairs of light ahead and behind, reassuring to know we weren't alone.

Down in the dumps

The descent to Kinlochleven took a lot longer than expected, partly because we were a bit slow and partly because I'd completely forgotten about a large chunk of path. I had also started to notice a rubbing around my ankles. Moods were darkening like the night around us and (I'm disappointed to admit) there were a couple of tetchy exchanges. It was a great relief when we finally reached the town and headed for the warmth and comfort of the community centre where Graeme was waiting to get us whatever we needed. But first, Vikki needed to be weighed and she'd gained 2kg since the start of the race. This is a bad sign and Julie asked her to go to the loo and report back on her pee colour before any decisions were made, but it looked very possible that she'd be advised not to continue. So near (well, 15 miles to go but you know what I mean) but so far - all that to go home without a crystal goblet, I felt awful and I'm sure V was worse.....until she reappeared with the news that her pee was quite normal and that she had just realised that her previous weigh-ins had been without her hoody or waterproof trews. Big, big relief but I still needed to sit down for a few minutes and take the weight off my feet. I looked over and Vikki had lain down on a sofa after feeling a wee bit faint - more panic in my head but a few biscuits later, more sips of tea, and we were good to go again. We left KLL along with SueW, her infectious good mood gave us another wee boost and we made pretty good time up the steep hill to the Lairig Mor where we spotted some flickering orange lights. They turned out to be torches set out by the Trossachs Search and Rescue guys who were up in the hill keeping everyone safe and providing good cheer and encouragement (and doggy hugs if you like that sort of thing). We'd spotted the torches from the hill on the other side of KLL, from where they'd been a vague orange glow and it was a good moment to look back and pick out a few white spots from the head torches of some other runners. The Lairig Mor is a long and rocky path through the hills and it drained our spirits again but it was good to share some time with others: SueW gave us some caffeine tablets which, washed down with irn-bru, got Vikki going again for a bit;  Lesley Halstead hobbled along, obviously in a lot of pain but determined just to keep going. The sky was lightening as we turned the corner but the path to Lundavra still stretched ahead and V was getting sore feet, tired, needing the toilet, generally just needing to get to the end. A stone in her shoe, normally a minor inconvenience, became a major problem and the air would have turned blue if it wasn't so bloody grey. A clump of trees made an acceptable toilet but was also home to a huge herd of midges which were busy swarming around me and trying to get some breakfast when Jonathan and M1nty went past again to my great surprise - I thought they were ahead of us as they'd been in and out of the KLL check point very quickly but had loitered in their camper van for a while.

The last push

All downhill from here!

When we finally reached the "roaring fire" at Lundavra, Rhona decided she wanted to drive to the finish with Graeme, so the last stretch would just be another romantic walk in the woods for the married couple. Well, it might have been romantic if we weren't both sleep-deprived, sore, and taking uncomfortable alfresco toilet stops. The ups and especially the downs through the woods were hard going and both of us found it tough. V was practically asleep on her feet - some more caffeine helped a bit but I was getting genuinely worried that she was just going to lie down and simply go to sleep. I knew J and M weren't far behind us (M1nty was delighting in waving his bright green hat whenever I turned round and caught sight of them) and I was picturing the situation where I would need their help to keep going until Rhona or Graeme could get back up the trail from Ft Bill to meet us. It was therefore with an amazing sense of relief that we reached the top of the hill at the finger post with views to Ft Bill in one direction and Ben Nevis in the other. Just three miles to go. We were going to make it. I took a photo. Another runner took a photo of us both. Vikki had a short cry. I cried. Actually, I couldn't stop crying and we had to set off down the hill with me trying to keep my feeling under control and stop the tears streaming down my cheeks. It was just as well that Vikki had picked herself up because I was in a bit of a mess. I felt like all the stress of the last few hours that I'd been holding back had just burst forth and I was stumbling along, tears flowing, feeling a little bit cold and feeling like an idiot. J and M passed us, looking good and happy to be on the final push to the finish. And then they passed us again, having taken a wrong turn and let us get ahead of them. The path to Braveheart car park seemed much much longer than I remembered but we got there eventually and were really chuffed to see Siouxsie and Joopsy who were happy to dish out some big hugs. By this stage, Vikki could easily have gone on quicker without me but sacrificed a few minutes (and probably a sub-31hr finish) to stick with me. Seeing Rhona and Graeme in Fort William was brilliant and we covered the last short section to the leisure centre together to applause and hugs.

A bit vague

Everything seems a bit vague but I remember getting some hot sweet tea and sitting down to chat to M1nty for a bit before Sean (race medic and really nice bloke) came over and told me I was looking a bit pale (I've seen the photos - I looked a mess frankly!). We had a chat about how I was feeling and he suggested I might be best lying down under a foil blanket and getting some rest. The invitation to lie down was too good to pass up so I let Sean lead me round to the casualty area, lay down and spent the next 40 minutes or so feeling variously hot, cold, sleepy, tearful, faint, hungry, nauseous, thirsty and generally wiped out. The medical diagnosis was that my body temperature had dropped through the night, and I was suffering from a mild hypothermic shock sort of thing that my brain had somehow decided not to notice for as long as possible but had then all hit me back at the top of the hill. It was all very strange, something I'd never felt in the same way before, although with some similarities to the coldness I felt at the LAMM this year. I was disappointed that I wasn't awake to see Dave K finish but pleased to hear that he'd made it to the leisure centre - news I heard from Carolyn who very kindly was checking on how I was doing. Eventually, I was able to sit up without feeling faint, but then it was time to face the next issue - the smelliest, evil socks and shoes were still on my feet and I was scared what might be underneath. My ankles felt like they'd been rubbed raw by the cuffs of my shoes, and my toes felt like they'd been flayed. Of course, I'd woken up thinking I wasn't going to do any running because of my sore leg but had ended up walking about 40 miles (I think) without taking any care of my feet - no lubrication, no taping, no blister prevention, nothing. I peeled off my socks dreading what I was going to see, but to be honest, they weren't as bad as feared. Some of the skin was rubbed away and sore and they looked a bit raw but there wasn't much actual blood and the soles were surprisingly intact. Yes, they stung in the shower, but really I was relieved that they weren't much worse. The pain in my knee was back, but I could walk. Things were looking up.

Ordinary people doing an extraordinary thing? 

Vikki getting her goblet from John K

We made our way to the awards ceremony where I applauded and cheered for every finisher because they are all amazing, except when I was nodding off (in the front row, just a little embarrassing). It was wonderful to see everyone collect their crystal goblets and, several times, it almost set me off crying again. I felt so proud of Vikki as her name was called out and up she went - 95 miles completed in some horrible weather, 31 hours non-stop including 2 nights, it's a remarkable achievement however you look at it. After all the awards were presented, we mingled for a while and caught up with other finishers and support crew as well as some friends who didn't finish this year but had the good grace to come and show their respect for those who completed the course. I know that many of them will be back next year, some lessons learned maybe, hoping for better weather and no injury problems, but determined to complete the course, whatever nature can throw at them. Will I be among them? It's a question that was asked more than once over the weekend, and Colin would seem to think that I should be considering it (I'm flattered).  Originally, when Vikki first said she was going to enter I said I'd support her this year, and she could support me next. However, I'm not sure I've got the desire for it at the moment, and I think that unless you are completely dedicated, you're just not going to reach the finish line. It's an arduous race and anything less than 100% determination is not going to be enough. Furthermore, a good friend (who was also a support runner this year and is mentioned above) has said that he intends to run the race and I may just have blurted out an offer to support him - it would be a pleasure to do so and I'll be there for him if he wants me. The year after that could be the year of the Red Wine Runner, and I may well volunteer to be part of that crew (although she might have other plans and it's a long way away). So, basically, it looks unlikely that I'll be running this race in the next couple of years and I've currently not got a burning desire to do it. That said, it's one of those things that gets under your skin and I've got a feeling I'll give it a go. Probably. Maybe. Some day.

"Team mrs shanksi" - job done!

No Sleep Til Fort William*

* Sung to the tune of No Sleep til Brooklyn by the Beastie Boys
Warning: this blog contains content that some readers may find TMI, but as Mike Raffan said "We're ultrarunners, the poop is all part of it" (or something like that, I can't remember exactly). In fact there may be factual errors in this due to sleep deprivation! And it's a bit long. But then, it was a long race!

Milngavie 01:00 Sat 23rd June

Me and Dave K at the start

I was very pleased to make it to the start of this race after my ITB issues earlier in the year. I think I made the right decision to defer the Cateran Trail Ultra and instead I took it really easy and only ran 47 miles in the whole of May. I had two wonderful sports massages and did lots of foam-rolling and stretching so I was feeling good and was raring to go. My crew were ready: husband Iain (although he woke up on Thu morning with a sore knee :-(), Rhona Mitchell, and her boyfriend Graeme McKinnon. I got registered at 21:30 and then I went back to the car to try and sleep til 00:00. I managed to get some sleep despite the racket of the torrential rain on the car roof. The alarm went off and I quickly got changed and we all stood and listened to Sean (race medic) give the pre race briefing. He said I think there might be rain. At 00:30 it was warm and had stopped raining so I decided to run in shorts and pack the waterproof trews. I met up with Dave Kiddell as we had made a pre-race pact to run together at least until dawn. That turned out to be one of the best ideas I've ever had as not long in to our run the heavens opened and the deluge began. Visibility was very poor and it was a struggle to see much with the headtorch. I ran at Dave's pace and basically kept looking at the back of his legs! He really kept me going as I already felt a bit worried at times because I got drenched. We passed the Beech Tree Inn where I hadn't thought I'd see anyone but Iain had decided to go and he said hi.

Drymen 03:15 ish Sat 23rd June 12 miles

Dave's fiancee Carolyn wasn't meeting him at Drymen and I had taken enough food to last til Balmaha so it was a quick hello to shanksi and on to Conic Hill. By this time I was really desperate for the daylight to come as it was quite a struggle to run to the light of the headtorch with the weather so bad. The rain started to ease and the daylight came on the way up Conic and this lifted my spirits, although the path was like a river running downhill. I was looking forward to meeting Iain at Balmaha (Rhona and Graeme had gone straight to Tyndrum to try and get some sleep). I phoned him from the top of Conic Hill to tell him I needed a full change of clothes ready and a cup of tea. Dave said he was taking it easy coming down Conic but I couldn't keep up with him! I was being v cautious as I didn't want to fall.

Balmaha 05:03 Sat 23rd June 19 miles

At Balmaha

Got a change of clothes and a cuppa here. Saw a few familiar faces including Dave Heatherington and Darren Barnes. I took quite a long time getting changed by I'd already decided that comfort came before speed and my mission was to finish in time for a crystal goblet so it didn't bother me to take a wee while. I think I was here for 25 mins. I put on my long tights and waterproof trews and felt a lot better. Dave K was ready quicker than me so I set off on my own. Iain then drove to Tyndrum where he would try and sleep and I was now running on my own most of the time until Bein Glas.

Rowardennan 07:30 Sat 23rd June 27 miles

The rain was much lighter now but that meant the midgies were out in force. And where was my midgie net? In the car at Tyndrum... I walked the many hilly bits of this section but ran the flats and downs and I felt great. I met up with a few folk including Dave Heatherington and Louise Jones who was not too happy unfortunatley. I gave her my pep talk, told her to imagine the award ceremony and all that. She got in to Rowardennan just when I was leaving and I followed her but Loon Dod told my I was going the wrong way. I said but Louise is going that way, you're winding me up. He said no, she's pulled out :-(. Totally gutted for her. I remember speaking to Minty at Rowardennan and he said Jonathan was doing well.

Inversnaid 09:16 Sat 23rd June 34 miles

John is quite happy to be at Inversnaid!

Got my drop bag and stocked up my rucksack with the new food. I enjoyed my Irn Bru. This next section at the lochside is quite technical and not that runnable for me so I just tried to enjoy the journey. Met up with John Duncan and had a chat with him. Also chatted to a few other random folk. I could see Dave in the distance a few times and I shouted on him but he went on ahead. The Inversnaid Hotel seemed to appear quicker than expected which was nice and I got my drop bag and took it inside the hotel as it was raining. Went to the loo and saw myself in the mirror :-o shocking hair!! I definitely had the worst hair of everyone in the race!!

Bein Glas 11:22 Sat 23rd June 40.5 miles

The section between Inversnaid and BG is even more technical and it was the trickiest conditions I'd experienced (apart from when icy) as all the waterfalls coming off the hill were torrents. I had to hold on to the rocks quite a few times to stop myself falling in the loch.

Auchtertyre 14:20 Sat 23rd June 50 miles

Finally caught up with Dave again at the BG checkpoint and asked him if he was trying to run away from me?! He said he thought I was ahead of him so that's why he didn't think it was me calling his name! We then ran together almost as far as Auchtertyre. My ITB pain came back but it wasn't as bad as during the Fling although I didn't run that much more after BG. I could fast walk with no pain so that's what I did. I phoned Iain when I got to the main road crossing so he could get a cuppa sorted for me and some more clean, dry clothes. Was brilliant to finally see all my crew again :-). I got weighed and I ate a pot noodle and got changed including putting on sealskin socks and my hiking boots since I figured they might be best for walking in. Iain walked the next section with me to Bridge of Orchy and it was a lovely part of the race, I made good progress, although quickly decided I'd prefer to wear my roclites. Met Rhona and Graeme at Tyndrum and I changed back in to my roclites.

Bridge of Orchy 17:40 Sat 23rd June 59 miles

Was great to see The Lord of The Bridge (Sean Stone, race medic) at Bridge of Orchy. It also signified the furthest I'd ever run :-). Went to the loo at the hotel and saw that my period had started :-o. Blimmin' awful timing. I was feeling a bit bleugh about that but nothing I could do about it. Rhona and Graeme were by now wanting to stretch their legs so they walked the next section with me to Glencoe.

Glencoe 21:03 Sat 23rd June 70 miles

On the way to Glencoe we met Murdo McEwan sitting under a Scotland flag, handing out jelly babies :-). He asked me my number and I said 9, he said I must've been keen to do the race to have such a low number! I said yes, I entered on the first day entries opened. I reminded him that he'd told me to enter the race when he met me at the end of last year's when I was crewing for Mike. The sun actually came out while we were on this section. And it was a lovely surprise to see Iain. He had run up the way from the Glencoe car park and met us with about 2 miles to go. By now I was fantasising about the chips (with vinegar) that he was going to buy me :-)

Kinlochleven 01:14 Sun 24th June 81 miles

Me, Iain, Graeme, and Rhona at Kinlochleven

Glencoe was my favourite checkpoint, the chips were awesome and I had a coffee too. Minty and Jonathan were there and we walked with them to Altnafeidh. They shared my chips and we had a good laugh, took some photos which led to singing Paul Simon songs since someone mentioned a photo opportunity - "You Can Call Me Al". Things were stating to get weirder. I remember shaking the takeaway box full of chips at a few folk including Jonathan to spur him on! He told us about his tummy troubles :-(. Good to see him still in the race though. We'd heard of a few friends DNFing including Fiona MacDonald and Sandra McDougall :-(. Graeme had taken over the driving at Glencoe, Rhona had a rest with him and they met us at Altnafeidh. Saw Ada Stewart at the start of the staircase and she was in agony with her back. We offered her painkillers but she had them already. The three of us went over the Devil's Staircase and met Silke and Thomas Loehndorf so we had a chat. I also enjoyed listening to them chatting to each other in German, it was soothing for some reason. I was definitely getting more and more tired by the time we were coming over the other side of the mountain. The lights of Kinlochleven appeared and disappeared and I was hating the pointy stones on the road down. Legs were aching, and my mood was darkening and I was sure we'd gone the wrong way. Of course my sense of direction sucks on a good day so not surprisingly I was annoying Iain and Rhona at this point. It was dark again and this did not help me. Finally after what felt like 1000 miles KLL appeared and we walked in to the community centre. I got weighed by Julie and she looked all serious and said I'd gained weight :-(!! She said I should go to the toilet and see what colour my pee was. So I did and it was ok I thought. Then I remembered that I was wearing my thick hoodie and waterproof and had my phone in my pocket and I bet that added at least a couple of pounds. I went to tell Julie and she asked me the dates of birth of my children. I told her them and I think I got them right as she said I would be ok. I felt a bit dizzy though and decided to lie down on the sofa. Carolyn was there and she is a nurse and so knew what to do and got me to elevate my feet. I lay there for a while but I thought I am not sleeping! I have to finish this damn race! Part of what spurred me on was that nearly everyone in Stoney knew I was doing it and I'd had so many lovely messages of support that I didn't want to let folk down. After about 45 mins we were ready for the final push!

Lundavra God Knows What Time Sun 24th June 88 ish miles

Now the climb out of KLL was hellish. I remember saying it was like a mountain of rubble. It was still dark and it was very wet and midgie infested. Was better when we got to the Lairig Mor section. Although I was getting so hacked off by then it wasn't pretty. One low point was coming to a gate with a stile that must've been 2 foot off the ground, it was agony to climb over. Then Sue Walker strolled up to the gate and opened it... I was fuming with Iain, why didn't he open the gate for me? Was quite pissed off but tired as well. Sue came to everyone's rescue with pro plus caffeine tablets. Iain forced them down my gob and I perked up :-). Sue meanwhile waltzed passed looking great and smiling away! Where the hell was Lundavra? Where was the lovely bonfire and the blokes from the Wilderness Support Team? I could see orange lights in the distance and it turned out to be some of those nice guys but not Lundavra yet. I was desperate for the loo again which was also making me miserable, and it makes it hard to walk fast, don't know if you've ever tried it? Of course they've only gone and cut the trees down just to annoy me ;-). I waited ages for one and eventually did it outside (which I absolutely hate) and I couldn't even do it right as I peed on my trousers and the poop did not come :-( :-(. Cue lots of crying and shouting, asking for it all to END NOW!!! Rhona looked upset. Thankfully Lundavra came and she saw Graeme and made a swift exit ;-). Bonfire was a bit puny when I got there but I couldn't see very well for the tears. Sniff sniff ;-)

Fort William 08:06 Sun 24th June 95 miles - 31 hours 6 mins 55 secs later

Finally at the finish in FW Leisure Centre

Final, final push just me and Iain now, him almost dragging me at times. I didn't want him to let go of my hand. I was hallucinating that the stones had writing on them. It wasn't saying anything, just a mixture of letters and numbers. Finally managed to poop but there were no trees and I saw folk in the disance but I had to go :-(. Felt better after that :-). The folk in the distance were Minty and Jonathan and I asked later if they saw me and they said no but they might just be being kind! I remember telling Iain I was just going to lie down in the woods and have a sleep. He didn't let me and he also remembered he had more pro plus tabs so he gave me some and I perked up again. Turned a corner and saw Fort William and burst in to tears! Then Iain burst in to tears and he wouldn't stop crying! Now I had switched back to being in control and took his arm and we slowly walked the last three miles down the hill to Fort William. Minty and Jonathan overtook us along the way. The about fifteen minutes later they overtook us again?! Turned out they'd taken a wrong turn off. Saw Nick Dunk and Susan Gallagher near the finish :-). I felt like a sprint finish but Iain was not feeling up to it, he said his feet were sore and he was still all emotional. After what seemed like an age we saw Rhona and Graeme and held hands and made our way to the Leisure Centre door to be met by Ian Beattie. Huge smile from me, I did it!!!!!!! Thank goodness that it was over!!!!

Aftermath

Rhona, Graeme, Me, and Iain with the goblet

The folk at the Leisure Centre were stars and brought us tea and toast and cake. Sean the medic thought Iain was looking a bit pale and thought he should have a lie down so he ended up under a foil blanket for 45 mins :-(. It turns out he had let his body temp drop and he was going in to shock and that's why he was crying. I felt really guilty as he hadn't meant to walk over 40 miles with me but I really needed him. After getting his pulse taken a lot and having tea and toast he felt better. We all got showers and changed and saw a few more folk coming in. Then it was time for the awards ceremony at the Nevis Centre. There were many hugs and much clapping :-)

The crystal goblet and the race garment

It was all very emotional. I loved seeing everyone get their goblets, everyone did so well, especially with the terrible weather conditions. I couldn't believe that the course record had been broken too! Mike came 8th with a huge PB and so many friends finished for the first time :-). I have been saying it was my first and last time and I am taking a break from ultramarathons. At least til next year anyway! The after-effects were not too bad, my feet and ankles have been swollen but I can walk fine and the ITB is not too sore now. I'm looking forward to another massage then I will take it easy for a wee while. This race was the toughest thing I've done in my life, it was more painful than childbirth and lasted longer than all three labours added together! But I'm glad I did it.
Thanks to Rhona, Carolyn, and Karin McKendrick for the photos

"You're Better Than You Think You Are"

That was Lintie's pre-race pep talk to me - words that came back to me several times over the following 13 and a bit hours as I made my way up the first half of the West Highland Way from Milngavie to Tyndrum in the 2012 Hoka Highland Fling. Inspirational words from someone who I think has always had more faith in my ability as a runner than I have myself (and I don't think she's the only one). Strangely enough, my other inspiration came from a book I haven't even read, but just the title of "Relentless Forward Progress" popped into my head a few times and kept me putting one foot in front of the other until I was across the finish line.
Overall, the race was a pretty good one. I started comfortably, running for short periods with Joopsy, mamemeister and Tommy, jonmackintosh, and for a lot of the time with Dave K. I love the views in the first section where you can see all the way up towards Conic and Ben Lomond and it's like the hills are inviting you Northwards. We reached Drymen in 2hr07 - possibly expecting to see my friends Jackie and Jane but they were still having breakfast I think - which was perhaps a little fast, but I'm not convinced that me taking it any slower to that point would have made a difference later on.

As I was enjoying the lovely views from the path through (the heavily de-forested) Garabhan forest, the leading runners (Ludo and Terry I think) went past at what seemed like an incredible speed. They were soon followed by Scott Bradley and so started a trend I was to get used to and had to be careful not to get disheartened by - quicker runners appearing from nowhere and overtaking me. The views from the top of Conic were as stunning as ever and I was careful to take my time on the descent rather than do my thighs in or risk falling with a quick descent. It was nice to arrive at Balmaha and know I was feeling so much better than last year, and to see a few familiar faces including Donna and Carolyn. Also spoke to Lapsed Athlete (who we'd had a very enjoyable dinner with on Friday) here and soon after passed Centu-Ray McCurdy, on his way to complete his 100th ultra. I also got hailed by the Top Dogs relay team as they passed in a car - thankfully I was jogging at that point and so avoided a ribbing for taking it easy. My next encounter with the relay team was a bit further on where the trail runs along the road (after Cashel I think?). This time it was 2nd leg runner, Rob, who ran past me almost as if I was standing still - good to see our lads in the lead, a position they would hold to the end. A little further on, I was making my way slowly up one of the steep climbs before Rowardennan and I was overtaken by the Under Dogs' Kyle who bounded up the hill like it was nothing. We exchanged greetings before he sped off, cheerily informing me that he possibly needed to visit the lavatory. As far as I can tell, he actually set the fastest time over that leg in Fling history - despite taking a short stop to study the flora just off the trail somewhere!
Shortly after, I trotted past two guys who told me to watch out as there was a fallen runner ahead. I expected to maybe see someone sitting at the side of the trail, so it was a shock to see a runner under a silver blanket with shoes sticking out - and the same type of shoes that mrs s wears - and with santababy and a couple of medics looking after her. Of course my first thought was that it was mrs s, so then relief when it wasn't, and then I felt awful for Ellen, and then even worse because of feeling relieved - it's probably what everyone goes through if they think something's happened to a close loved one, but it just felt so selfish. There was nothing I could do to help so just plodded on feeling somewhat selfish and helpless as I approached Rowardennan. I'm pleased to have since heard that Ellen is recovering well despite breaking her shoulder.
As I ran through Rowardennan car park, I was well aware that that's where last year's adventure had finally ended for me, so it was good to look at my watch, know that I was making good time, and that I was feeling pretty good, considering. IanS and LorraineS were there waiting for JammyLu to hand over the relay baton so I stopped for a few minutes to chat, try and find out how other runners were doing, and to make sure some food went down. As I was preparing to set off, Dave K came in and I considered waiting for him, but guessed (correctly) that he'd catch me up on the climb and set off with my crisps in hand. In fact, Dave K was far from the only person to catch me up on the next section. It seemed like a lot of the 8am starters, and a large number of runners from the mixed and female relay teams overtook us which had certain benefits - I mean of course the chance to say hi to a few different people. Unfortunately for me, as we descended back down to loch side, Dave was running much more strongly than I was, and I dropped off his pace - I didn't see him again until the finish so I was mainly running on my own, although there were still runners passing me at various intervals to break up the run. As expected, the technical section before and after Inversnaid was very slow going - even slower as my legs started to feel a bit sore and I couldn't descend easily because my toes were hurting. It took me at least half an hour to realise that the sore toes were at least partly because my feet were sliding forward and maybe I should tighten my laces a bit. Duh! I'd also forgotten just how tricky the terrain North of Inversnaid is, not having been on that section for at least a couple of years, but didn't get frustrated - I knew it would be slow going but also that I had time and just had to keep going and I'd get there in the end. That said, I was pleased to get out to the grassier bits, and even more pleased to see Dario's post (the first time for me since it had been put there) and a number of supporters who had come up from Bein Glas to see their runners which meant it wasn't far to go to the next checkpoint. Ju1ia and Alison were there so I stopped and had a quick chat to them before heading off again, briefly stopping to say hello to Robin and Ann on the way. I checked my watch here and knew I had over 4 hours to get to the finish which was just as well, as there wasn't much more running going on. My legs were getting sore and heavy but I knew that I just had to keep going - walk if needed and try and run a few steps every so often when I felt up to it.
I really get the feeling that farmers round this bit don't like having the WHW going past their farms and have even less desire to see runners using the way. Why else would they put feeders right on the trail so that you have to warily pass huge beasts whilst stepping through what cows are well known for. There's a section of the path marked by a plaque noting that it was renovated thanks to money raised by the Caledonian Challenge (or something) - what it doesn't say is that after that, the farmer fed and watered all his cattle rounded them up in this narrow stretch and scared them senseless so that they would empty their bowels to maximum effect. It's generally known as Cow Shit Alley to many of the runners.
Anyone, relentless forward progress and all that - up past Bogle Glen to Hendo's bench where I finally decided to do something about the small stones that had been rubbing inside my shoe for the last couple of miles (note to self - sort things out straight away before they get worse) and then on into Ewich Forest with fantastic views to the snow capped Ben More and it's less easily remembered neighbours. Much as I was, I'm sure you'll be relieved to know we're getting near the end now, and just as well as the clouds are threatening rain so I put on my windshirt for extra protection just as I'm passed by a guy with no shirt on. I recognised him from a previous race as he has form for this sort of exhibitionism. And after just a bit more trudging, I'm past the old lead mine, and soon after within earshot of the piper. I decided to make a bit of an effort to run in the last wee bit and it was great to see first Jackie, then the crowds at the finish who were all cheering and applauding and one or two even calling out my name as I stumbled across the line to get my medal and several hugs from so many very special friends - Dave K and Carolyn, jonathon, the relay guys (Steve, Rob, Neil and Kevin), santababy, Lapsed Athlete and others who I will no doubt remember about later and feel awful for not mentioning now. Huge hugs from mrs s of course, and Liliaicha and from Lintie (thanks for all the encouragement) and from Dod who was handing out the beer - seemed like a particularly appropriate job for him. It was also great to see Angus - his race hadn't gone well thanks to a sore foot, but he was still there cheering people on and handing out crisps.
It was already pretty late by the time we got to the pub, and although it was good to have a wee blether with Wee Rhino and Jo and dave_m and Al and Tommy as well as many of the aforementioned people, I was shattered and needed to get to bed after just a couple of beers.
It was a really good day, and I was pleased to finish - my time was 13:22ish which wasn't particularly important except that it was under the 14 hour cut off - and to have had a good day on the trails in the company of many lovely people. I'll be looking forward to some more of those in the future, hopefully at races and maybe just on training runs or mini-adventures if schedules allow.
I know most of the people who will read this blog, and so I know that Lintie's words apply to most of you guys as well. With a little training and the right attitude, YOU can run further, faster, more fluidly than you probably realise.

We are all better than we think we are!

:-)

A Devilishly Good Day Out

With Vikki running the Fling and the Devil O The Highlands next year and me also giving the Fling a go as a solo runner, it was high time to get some West Highland Way training under our belts - well, any excuse for a day away from the kids amongst some great scenery!

We decided to run from Kings House up the Devil's Staircase and over to Kinlochleven, then back by the same route to Kings House but keep on going to Ba Bridge, then back to Kings House again. Vikki, Annie, Laurie, Jonathan, Matt "Tutters" Tutt and I set off in the car with the plan to meet Minty (if his tent hadn't been washed away by the rain) and Mike at KH. After the usual faffing around - arguing with hotel staff who were a bit reluctant to let us use the toilet (even when we promised we would be back for food and beer) and taking the mick out of Tutters for his matching clothes and very white shoes - we set off in the sunshine towards the magnificent sight of Glencoe.

The run to Kinlochleven was great fun, nice and easy paced to take in the scenery and chat to everyone, with a quicker charge down the track near the water pipes. We passed a few walkers including an elderly German who was becoming angry because he couldn't find the right path to Loch Eilde Mor - I hope he found his way although I don't think we were much use! I think it took us 2 hours overall which seemed fairly reasonable. We stopped for a while to get a cup of tea at Ice Factor and checked out their shop for lots of nice jackets I can't afford, before we set off again on the return - a long steady climb back up into the hills. Mike suggested a race down the Devil's Staircase but nobody took him up on the offer - as it happened he flew down with Vikki close behind him, I jogged down on tired legs but got overtaken by Minty and Tutters; J had a wee fall but we all made it safely to the bottom. Back along the track towards the hotel, I felt a wee pain in my hip again (getting slightly worried about this now) and despite some Ibuprofen, the last couple of miles were pretty slow and I decided at that point not to keep going, so waved off the other runners and went to the bar with Tutters to meet Annette (who had been out taking photos) and Annie and Laurie (who had had a nice gentle walk while we'd been running) and drink some beer while waiting for the others to return. Matt had actually been thinking about continuing the run, but considering that he'd never run more than about 7 miles or been on any trails before, he probably made the right decision.

By the time the other runners got back to the hotel, it was time to pile back in the car and head for home so we said our good-byes to Minty and to Mike and Annette, took some photos of deer grazing near the hotel (not sure if they were the same ones we saw on the ridge earlier but they might have been), and headed off into the sunset (actually the sunset was in the other direction, but let's not let reality get in the way of a decent cliché).

Overall, it was a lovely day out in some great scenery with near perfect weather (despite a week of unpromising forecasts) and great company - a lot of nice blethering with many a laugh...

Click on the picture above to see more pictures.

On the March

There are some pictures on facebook here.


The views from the ski centre were amazing with Rannoch Moor in one direction and Glencoe in the other, and we met up again with team Lintie and team Remoh. Remoh had been tiring so was sleeping in the car to recharge the batteries, and Lintie arrived in need of cold drink and a sandwich. Llama called on the mobile to see how things were going and when he told Dod that Lintie was there, he wanted to speak to her so I trotted across the car park with my phone, leaving V at the food counter with no money!

After food and an attempt at sleep, we got ready for George and the guys to appear as the midges began to swarm. Slight panic when we decided that it would be best for V to go in support for the next bit instead of starting at Kinlochleven, but George and Keith were taking a wee break so she had plenty of time to get back into running mode, not that much running was going to be required. So, as the sun went down, they were off again towards Kings House with the plan to rendezvous with the cars at the bottom of the Devil's Staircase - where Llama told me that he'd broken his windscreen trying to get the rear view mirror back on because it had fallen off when they tried to adjust it. He was a bit worried about getting picked up by the police so we decided that the best plan was for me to drive Andy back to Bridge of Orchy. Strangley enough, we did see a police car on that drive, as well as a deer at the side of the road which we complimented for not jumping out in front of the car. Of course, that meant that on the way back, a couple of deer ran right across in front of me, forcing me to brake. I couldn't help but laugh to myself when I saw this about a minute later:

I got back to the Devil's Staircase and Steve was still there - the guys were taking a bit longer than we expected for this section, but it gave us time to admire the moon and the way that Buachaille Etive Mòr was somehow catching the very last of the light, and to chat to some of the other racers and supporters. After a while, our wee posse appeared, trooped off up into the gloom, and we were back in the cars heading for Kinlochleven. The absurdity of following a guy driving a mirror-less car around the Scottish highlands after midnight while our friends were running/and walking somewhere in the hills around us really struck me at this point. Thankfully I had Mark E Smith to keep me sane: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lxcr8kSGbcs

Tried to get some sleep at Kinlochleven and dozed on a couch for a bit but felt my gout flaring up and started really hoping that the current team of Mike and Vikki were good to see George all the way to the finish. Walking around helped a bit so when Llama woke up we went out to see if we could spot any lights on the hillside. It didn't seem long before we spotted them coming, and then realised that Mike had come down quicker with instructions about food and drink and the information that V would be very happy if I could take over for a bit. My foot still felt a wee bit sore, but it would be OK, so I changed into my cushioned running shoes and started sorting out my pack while George sat down and had a can of Guinness!

But soon we were off, and walking up the hill out of the village in the dark, looking forward to the sun rise as we headed through the Lairig Mor, with me thinking there was no way out at the far end until we finally rounded the corner and the landscape opened up a bit again. George and Keith were obviously very tired by now, and George's feet were hurting badly, but we were still moving at a decent pace and I knew these guys would see it through. I'd thought Mike was going to make it to the finish, but he hadn't had enough sleep or food (too busy worrying about George to think of his own needs) and said he'd want to stop at Lundavra. I tried to call ahead to get V ready to be on the move again but there was no reception, so it came as a bit of a shock when we arrived at the check-point and we said we could do with a swap. To make things worse, George decided to head straight through without stopping. Llama soon caught us up - fittingly he was going to be with us to the finish now, after being there with George and Keith at the start of their adventure.

As we made our way through Nevis Forest, a glint seemed to return to Keith's eye, George perked up a bit, and we all picked up the pace a wee bit as we admired the views of the Ben. Before we knew it, we were out of the woods (literally, and we hoped figuratively) and descending towards Braveheart car park where Merv was waiting to say hello. Not far to go now and we walked in formation into Fort William. There was a touching moment when K and G shook hands before breaking into a trot across the car park and up the steps of the Leisure Centre. 163 miles in 56 hours (or something like that). Pretty bloody amazing, and I'm pleased to have played a small part in that.

The next few hours were all about catching up with everyone else and getting breakfast before the prize giving where every finisher was cheered as they collected their crystal goblet. A huge well done to every one of them - I hope to perhaps join that illustrious band. Maybe. Some time. Perhaps.

Tyndrum to Glencoe

So, to Tyndrum, the village in the middle of nowhere (or in the middle of everywhere as they like to call it) and a pleasant surprise in meeting Dave K and Carolyn who were out for a wee walk, a pick-nick, and to watch the runners on their merry way. They were able to give us a quick run-down so we knew the other Fetchies were doing well and pushing on ahead of us up the trail (being near the back is something I'm well used to, but it must have seemed a bit strange to Dod at times, I think). The guys came through with a quick stop for a chat, then off to Bridge of Orchy where Mike was going to take a break and Llama and his imaginary friend Andy were going to run for a bit. We also decided that V was going to run for a bit as well.
While waiting at BoO, we also met JammyLu and HappyG(rrr), got our first sight of Soph's "sunshine bus", and saw Lintie come through with RFSQL and Jules - all looking strong and running well despite the crazy heat. Not for the last time, it felt like one big alcohol-free (almost) party, slowly moving up the country with already familiar faces, and getting familiar faces appearing at each stop. The scenery around BoO was great (don't think I've ever been there in the sunshine before) but it seemed even nicer at our next stop, Victoria Bridge. There must have been a dozen tents around there and quite a few people milling about, but it still felt extremely tranquil and isolated. Just fab, really. Mike and I had some time to burst blisters and take photos of a totally unperturbed stag before we spotted our runners on the zig-zag slope down the hill and I went out to chat to them all and see if they needed anything while Mike got ready at the car to dole out the supplies. For two guys that had now covered well over a hundred miles, George and Keith were still going strong, keeping to a good steady walking pace. V decided to take a break in order to be fresh for later on, so we picked her up at the Forest Lodge (where the "No Stopping" sign seemed just right for race day) and headed for Glen Coe and the prospect of some cooked food at the ski centre, despite the best efforts of an idiot driver who couldn't make up his mind which side of the road he should have been on. Eejit!

(TBC)

It's All George's Fault...

...although it's also Keith's fault, and Balmedie Beach's fault, and a bottle of wine's fault, and facebook's fault, and Mike's, and Llama's, and V's, and I suppose I have to take some of the blame for the rather bizarre weekend we've just had.
In case anyone doesn't know, George and Keith had decided to warm up for the gruelling 95 mile West Highland Way Race by running a gruelling 95 miles in the opposite direction in less than 24 hours giving themselves roughly an hour to freshen up between (generally, the word "nutters" should be springing to mind at this point). To assist them in this, Keith had Merv and Gary and Kirsten (apologies if any names are wrong but the old memory's not what it used to be) and George had Mike and Llama.
Meanwhile, I was looking forward to a nice quiet weekend with the kids, right up to Thursday night when the lovely mrs s got back from the Balmedie Beach Bash and decided she needed some wine to get over the horrors of running on sand. At this point, Mike seized his opportunity, and using the power of facebook, he pointed out that he and Llama felt that it would be nice to have another runner around on Saturday evening and night, just in case. Of course, the idea that Vikki could be that runner was ridiculous - she didn't want to go on her own, we have children to look after, and the idea of taking the children with us was unthinkable. So, obviously by Saturday lunchtime George and Keith (and a hundred and sixty or so other runners) were making their way Northwards (having not quite done the whole 95 miles Southwards but not too bothered), the children were with their grandparents and Vikki and I were driving Westwards with a pile of clothes, sleeping bags, food, and drink in the back of the car. So much for my nice quiet weekend!
After almost running Mike over as he came out of Ewich forest, we rolled up to Auchtertyre Farm
to see everyone and generally find out what was going on. George decided to strip off - if only I had that effect on women - and wanted to show Llama his chafed bits as he chomped his way through a pot noodle. Thankfully he got into some fresh clothes before he and Keith set off towards Tyndrum with Kirsten and Mike in support while we piled back into the car and almost ran Mike over for the second time that day.

(TBC)

Highland Fling 3 - finishing up

I quite fancied a beer and stovies but the signs made it clear they were for the ultra runners only (and even they didn't all get stovies) so I settled for coke and crisps from the shop and waited to see who would appear. I was delighted to see santababy finishing in a fantastic time, crying with the emotion of it all, then finding her composure, discovering her son had come to see her, and losing it all again. Great to see Robbo come home and a smiling supernormal and bouncytime.

The finish area was starting to get busy and I can't really remember who I saw when, but there was a really good feeling in the air. I got a text from Ann to say mrs s had been spotted crossing the road, then a text from mrs s reading "Wigwams " so I knew she was just about there and then she called to see if I would keep her company for a bit, so I jogged back down the track against the trickle of tired runners heading the other way. I passed a confused Dod and Lintie, Sophster (missed her flare at the finish unfortunately) and GraemeC, then met mrs s and headed back to the finish where she helped herself to a well-deserved sit down and gave me her free beer (thanks ). I remember seeing MikeR, _andy, Rob MacSunday all finish (I like the flag Rob - nice touch) and pestomum completing her team's race before I went back down the route again to see who else was on the way. Really pleased to see M1nty heading towards the finish and looking strong and determined - I hope the high-five made up for not seeing him cross the line. I met Andrinne soon after so turned and headed for the finish line again where we could finally collect our team goody bag. We stayed to see flip and Dave K finish, then mrs s was going white so we decided to get some food from the Real Food Cafe which was excellent as usual.

We ate, we showered, then off to Paddy's for drinks followed by a stroll up to the ceilidh where we drank and chatted (I seem to remember laughing a lot) and danced a bit until it was time to hobble back to the hotel.

Strangely enough, enthusiasm for Devil reps with Dod and Lintie had waned over night (I think I'd have been up for it but we needed to get home ) but everyone enjoyed a hearty breakfast as more chat was chatted before multiple good-byes were said, and everyone went their separate ways.

It was a splendid weekend spent in the company of a very special group of friends. I'll be looking forward to the next time we all get together, whenever that might be. A few people have asked if I'll run the whole Fling next year. I have other ideas about what I really want to do next year, but they don't preclude running in the Fling and I'm pretty sure I'll be involved one way or another. I'm still concerned about the cut-off time so feel that waiting another year (and getting another hour if the current system continues) might be the best option, so I may well be looking for a relay team again next year (there was a drunken discussion about a 4 Ia(i)ns team) but who knows?

So, I'm off to sign up for a "how to write less and say more" course. Well done to everybody involved - the ultra runners, the relay runners, the marshalls, the supporters, the organisers - you're all brilliant.

Highland Fling 2 - the actual running bit

Yes, there was running involved, lots of it, although more by some than by others.

There was a good atmosphere at Milngavie as 6am approached with everyone arriving and getting ready to set off. mrs s managed to miss the Fetch photo call and Murdo's briefing while in the loo, but other than that, everything was fine and we headed towards the tunnel. Almost before I knew what was going on, the whistle went and all the runners streamed up the steps and away.

I was planning to go back to the hotel to finish packing but ended up blethering to M1nty and Mrs Minty, Llamadance, flip, and Dave K so before I knew it, it was approaching 7, Murdo was giving another briefing and we were heading for the underpass again. I went up the steps to get a couple of photos and then saw MikeR and _andy so said hello to them as the whistle went and the next lot of runners set off. I was determined to get back to the hotel this time, but stopped to wish Simon good luck and then met Dogtanian before I got away. It was great to see everyone, but I really wanted to get the hotel sorted out and get up to Drymen to see how things were going up there.

At Drymen, we found the first problem with the new chip timing system. Basically, you can't look over the marshalls' shoulders to figure out who has been and gone and who is still coming, but I was fairly sure nobody I knew would have been there before me, so I took a stroll down across the field, and saw Robbo7777 (joking about his best side as usual) and then santababy who gave me a great big hug. It was great to see Sophster, supernormal, and bouncytime all looking happy and running well. I got all the way across the field and then spotted Dod and Lintie coming down the road which got me slightly worried as I expected mrs s to be with them. But she wasn't far behind and had made two new friends (what are the chances?), so I ran back over the field with mrs s, Anna, and Denise, stepped right in the muddy bit, then waved them off at the checkpoint and jumped back in the car, so I could get down to Milngavie for the 9am relay start. Yes, my morning was all a bit mad and involved far too much rushing around.

Thankfully, Ann had registered for the team and was ready with timing chip and sash, and as a bonus I was able to hang out with the Twa Drams & A Piece of Cake team after our first leg runners set off. We went to Costa No-Coffee-For-Another-Ten-Minutes, drank tea, ate croissants, and had a nice wee blether. A little bit of me was starting to worry because their whole team was there and mine wasn't, but I knew I could rely on Andrinne to get run2thehills from Stonehaven to Rowardennan in time. So then back to Drymen, parked in the car park (without sliding around like a mad thing this time), changed into running gear, and up to the check point. Ann arrived just after 11 as expected, and I finally had to do some running. Yep, a page and a half of nonsense bloggage, and I've finally started to run.

As I ran along the road and turned onto the trail, I could just make out a couple of runners up ahead, but no sign of anyone behind. I wondered if I might catch up, but was well prepared for a steady solo run with just nature and my own thoughts for company. As it happened, there were quite a few walkers on the route who were friendly and wished me luck. The last time I'd been on that path, it was covered in snow - not as scenic this time, but much easier going and I was able to follow the proper path so no dodgy river crossings this time. As I reached the bridge that marks the start of Conic Hill, I heard my phone and smiled, knowing that would be mrs s at Rowardennan. I checked while I walked and sure enough, Rowardennan and a smiley face. I sent a quick text to my team to let them know I was on the hill, then got down to the serious business of marching up the hill and enjoying the views When I reached the top of the path, I could see that I'd gained on the runners in front (still no sign of anyone behind) and that they were very tentatively making their way down and I decided to go for a fairly quick descent. The spirit of Dod reminded me that the grassy surface to the right of the path would be my friend here, and so it was, up to the point where my foot slid in the mud and I had to put my hand down to avert disaster. I passed the two other runners (and a dozen or so walkers) with a cheery smile - I was really enjoying myself and in what felt like no time at all, I was passing another runner and heading in to the car park at Balmaha to see Ann with her camera and the Donoghues having a picnic.

At this point, I was feeling pretty good and felt my pace had been OK so I was happy just to keep on plodding away on my own, past the beach etc. Then when I reached Cashel, a woman in a Harmeny vest passed me - I've no idea how long she'd been tailing me, but it was the first sign that my pace was probably slipping. Just before I hit the next hill, my phone went again and I thought "that'll be mrs s at Inversnaid. Good stuff" but then it went again which confused me. Turned out the first one was a message of support from josieT which was nice to receive. I looked back along the path, I noticed that the two ladies I'd passed on Conic Hill were not far behind. I had slowed down a fair bit, so tried to push on a bit for a couple of miles. The two women caught me up and spoke for a wee bit and then IanS joined us and we exchanged a few words before he moved on ahead. My legs were hurting by this point so it was with relief that I saw the 2km to Rowardennan sign. It felt like a long 2km but it wasn't too long before I was past the hotel (the beer and food being consumed in the beer garden looked great) and heading towards the changeover at the entrance to the car park (and realising I was a little outside my hoped for 3 hours). Except it wasn't there. It was at the far end of the car park this year, but run2thehills was there and ready to go. I passed over the sash and the chip and wished him luck.
"2 hours 15? 2 and a half?" he said.
"I had you down for about 3", I replied.
"Seriously?"
"Seriously. But go prove me wrong!"
I'd warned him about how difficult that section gets, but at that point, I don't think he'd fully appreciated what he was facing.

Andrinne drove me back to Drymen to pick up my car (I felt like being sick but managed to keep it together), then we headed in convoy up the other side of the Loch. I was really pleased that I saw Johnny "Sticky" Budden (Link (roll over me to see where I go)), but I'm not sure if he appreciated a strange bloke yelling encouragement out of a car, and I think Andrinne must have wondered what the hell was going on. It was decided that Andrinne was going to go to Bein Glas and see halfpint and get ready for her final leg while I went on to the finish to see what was happening there. Meanwhile Ann was getting mobile on her bike and checking out where people were on the course.

There's more drama and high emotion to come, but I'll leave that for another post because I've rambled on longer than intended again. Succinctness is not my forte, it would seem. Running's not really my forte either, but I'm reasonably pleased with my efforts on Saturday and I enjoyed it, especially the descent of Conic Hill (even though I probably should have taken it a bit easier).

Highland Fling 1 - not the ideal preparation

(Another copy of a Fetch blog post)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


I often get nervous before races - not about the running, but more about getting to the start, finding a car park, somehwere to stay, etc, etc. So, captaining a relay team for a race on the other side of the country while my mrs was to be running a 53 mile ultra might not have seemed like the best plan. Nevertheless, the organisation went pretty well, and despite having to make a late substitution because of halfpint's injury, we were all ready, everyone knew where they had to be at roughly what time, and had organised transport, accommodation, and (where necessary) child minding.

And then a volcano erupted in Iceland. And our babysitters are stuck in Malta. So I go back to full scale worry mode - plans B, D, E are formulated, evaluated and rejected. Substitute runners, babysitters, and accommodation are tentatively sounded out before plan F is decided on which involved a switch to leg 4 for me, Ian and Andrinne having to get up early, and halfpint having to tie our kids to a tree in Tyndrum while waiting for mrs s to finish. Not ideal, but a plan that would work, and an end to the panic and the worry and the not knowing.

So there we are on Friday morning, getting packed, dividing food into drop-bags for mrs s and generally getting ready for a weekend of running and listening to moaning kids when the call comes in. The in-laws are flying back in the middle of the night. Suddenly, alternatives are available, reality shifts again, and new plans are formed. We take the kids to Milngavie, the in-laws meet us there at stupid o'clock am, after they land in Glasgow, they take the kids away, and everything else reverts to plan A. My brain just about explodes but we have a plan, the school bell is ringing and it's time to rock and roll. Or something like that.

The car journey was great - we had a few phone calls to let us know that the flight would be earlier, then later, then roughly the same time again. Littlest shanksi took a dislike to the fair city of Perth and showed his feelings through the medium of vomit. But, before you could say "are we there yet" 32 times, we were in Milngavie and at the restaurant, and everyone was there and there were hugs and kisses and "Happy St George's Day" wishes and "Shut the Englander up" requests and beer and pasta and olives and the kids were actually quite well behaved and we were having a good time.

We left the party a bit early because we expected to be awakened early and headed to the hotel where the staff were being as friendly and helpful as they were last year and assured us we'd be able to make our breakfasts in the morning etc. And so to bed, not entirely sure if we'd be woken by an alarm clock or a phone call, but knowing it would be early in either case. It turned out to be the alarm - no call from the in-laws, maybe they'd been delayed a wee bit, but sure they'd be in touch soon. In any case, time for mrs s to get up and get her breakfast and any last minute preparations. Still no call, I'm getting a little bit worried again, as I was expecting a text from the airport. And then "We're in the car park". Except they're not. Eek. What's gone wrong. They've ended up at the wrong hotel, but it's OK because it's only 5 minutes away, and the reason they didn't call earlier is that they've been sitting there for an hour and a half so we could get a decent amount of sleep. How brilliant are they?

And finally, the kids are being bundled half-asleep into the in-laws car and they're setting off up the road, mrs s has porridge inside her, her drop bags are looking good, flip and santababy have been spotted getting ready, Dod and Lintie have texted to say they're on their way and did mrs s need a lift (not needed, but thank you), and we've picked up a hitch-hiker in the shape of JenJ and are off to the station. The hotel room still needs to be cleared, but I've plenty of time to do that later. The important thing is that it's race day, mrs s is in plenty time for the 6 o'clock start, the kids are in safe (but other) hands, and I can relax for a bit and enjoy the day.

Sorry, but as ever I've rambled on in my usual way, and haven't even got to the running bit yet. And there are tales of meeting Fetchies and drinking and dancing to come as well, so stay tuned - but don't hold your breath, it takes me ages to get going on these things.

And then I have trouble stopping, obviously!

Thanks for listening.

Assuming you have been.

Half the West Highland Way in a Oner!

2010-04-24 Highland Fling

Last weekend, Vikki and I took part in the Highland Fling 53 mile ultra race. The following is Vikki's blog as previously posted on Fetch (so you don't need to read it if you've seen it there :).

My 3 blogs will follow here soon....

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This race has been a long time coming. A wee bit of background: shanksi found out about this race last year and suggested we form a relay team to run it in 2009. I said yes, as long as I could do the easiest bit (ie first leg). We did the race and really enjoyed it, although shanksi had a bit of a mare on leg 3. We went to the ceilidh early and left as the ultra runners were arriving. Stayed in the Wigwams.

This time I thought I would go for the whole thing . The training runs we did were superb and I kept up my miles and felt ready for it. The D33 was a great training run. I was actually following a training schedule for Edinburgh marathon in May and adding more miles in and doing some back-to-back long runs on Loon Dod's advice.
As the day approached we had a slight hiccup in the plans cos my folks got stuck in Malta due to the volcano. If you want the details on that read shanksi's blog. We had to take the kids to Milngavie with us on the Friday which was alright and they enjoyed the meal at the Italian restaurant. I felt we couldn't get in with the Fetchie chat as we were dealing with them which was a shame. We all went to bed at 10pm and set the alarm for 4:30am
My folks arrived and took the kids home for us and I am so grateful, they are stars!
Met up with all the fetchies at the start and soon we were off. My plan had been to stay in sight of LD and Lintie for at least the 1st leg so I wouldn't get lost but they went too quick for me! I ended up running with lizogical and two non fetch ladies called Anna and Denise. I was telling them both about Fetch and hopefully they will join. The first leg seemed to fly by and we didn't get lost . Met shanksi at Drymen which was nice and then my sister rang me on my mobile; I actually had to say "I'm in the middle of a race!" while running past a marshal laughing at me. So on to Conic Hill. It seemed further away than on our training run. Not sure if that was because I was running slower? It all looked a bit different without the snow. Climbing the hill was so much easier and I caught up with LD and Lintie there. I absolutely loved bombing down the other side and it was just so much better than our dreaded icy training run. Next stop Balmaha. Met bouncytime looking strong and she left not long after I arrived. The marshals were great with the drop bags, I liked that they asked for your number then had them ready to had to you. I stopped for the toilet (so civilised using a proper flushing toilet rather than a bush!). Then on to Rowardennan. I remembered it was still hilly and just walked quickly up the hills. Saw Soph, can't remember exactly where, (my brain has gone). Rowardennan came and I stopped for toilet again and my running mates pushed on instead so I did the next bit on my own. It was much harder on my own and I was very pleased to catch Anna and Denise up. Next stop was Inversnaid. Everything was going well and Anna and I stopped for the loo again (sorry for this!) but Denise was feeling really strong and pushed on without us. Anna and I stuck together and helped each other through the next lochside section which has all the rocks and ladders and bits where you think you might fall in. Some of the fast guys were passing us here and even they were chatting and saying well done. It was such a friendly race
I felt Bein Glas was a long time coming but I was still feeling good. Anna and I got chatting about all sorts, even politics . We were so pleased to see Bein Glas and I was happy to see halfpint with my cuppa tea Also saw Soph again fiddling with her feet. I had a tin of gin n tonic in my drop bag but didn't feel the need so I gave it to halfpint to look after and she was a mate and didn't drink it! I had it on Sunday night.
Last section was in sight, only 12ish miles to Tyndrum but v hilly. I'd done this section a few times in training but never after 40 miles. The hills felt longer than I remembered and I walked quite slowly up them. I was still managing to run the flat bits and downhill. Anna was getting a wee bit weary and said I should go on without her which I relunctantly did. For the first 6 miles of the last leg I was still ok but then starting feeling sick and I ran out of water . One of the worst parts of the course was the bit with the coos. They were totally blocking the path and they had their calves too so I walked very slowly past them on a ledge. How very dare they! Now in to the final 6 miles in the forest bit I couldn't believe how steep both the ups and downs were. I had sore thighs and in the end was only managing to run the downs. Sophster and GraemeC1983 caught me up and were great to chat to for a while til they got ahead. I loved hearing Soph's crazy singing and shouting echoing round the woods. Anna's Mum (who'd been a star supporting her daughter everywhere) appeared and offered me some water which saved me so big thanks to Anna's Mum Eve. I got to the wigwams hurrah! Texted shanksi. Then phoned shanksi cos I thought it would be nice to have him run me in. Spotted him with a mile to go and we jog-walked the rest together. I managed to sprint the very last bit to the line and it was wonderful to hear everyone calling my name and clapping. Finished in 12 hours 45 mins which I am very very pleased with as I had been telling everyone who asked 13 hours. Big hugs from Loon Dod, Lintie, santababy, halfpint, Sophster and loads more

Saw more folk come in, MikeR, DaveK, M1nty, Hendo, flip, Andrinne from shanksi's relay team. Rob MacSunday, Pestomum, Bonsim007, and _andy not in that order! Was lovely to see Robbo7777 waited to give me a hug before dashing off.

Didn't get any stovies as they'd run out . So we went to the Real Food cafe for lovely fish n chips and free tea with Ribenaface, Julesy, Run2theHills, halfpint, LorraineS, IanS and loads more sorry if I miss anyone's name out. Then back to Tyndrum Lodge to finally get a shower and change in to my party dress. Met up with everyone in Paddy's Bar. Had to get a lift out of my seat by shanksi and R2H as my legs had seized up. Went to the ceilidh and immediatley had a second tea of chicken curry . Actually got up to dance at the end and sing along with Flower of Scotland etc which made me lose my voice the next day. Was a great day and fun night and I finally crawled in to bed at 2am Can't wait for next year! Everyone did so well and you should all be proud. What a wonderful race with the friendliest people and the most beautiful scenery And Denise has joined Fetch as UltraDenise