Haven't done it for a while. 
12:55pm, 5th Dec 2014 | West Highland Way race | 4 Comments
Blog by HappyG(rrr)
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Blog, that is.
I've done running. Honest.
Here, have a pic.
Me and sandemon on West Highland Way training run (actually, a Highland Fling organised training weekend, more later). Serious stuff!
Um, might just cut this short or maybe come back to it later. 11:50 and I want to do a lunchtime run at work. Just a 4.5 mile plod. That's my usual, don't you know?!
Front of mind:
Very glad my MrsS(rrr) is back from her 5 days up in Shetland. I did miss her.
. Glad my boy is enjoying his first term, first year Uni. Had dinner and drink with him last Saturday. I love doing this! . Work's a bit poo. But it's me being lazy, not the work actually doing anything to me. My bad. 
.
So, running.
Race(s)
Well, the big hooha, is that my target, goal, A - race for 2015 is over subscribed by at least 30%, so I have only approx 2 in 3 chance of getting in. Admittedly this is better than the 1 in 5 chance that you have in VLM. But it still means that we are having West Highland Way Ballot Watch on Facebook. Including posts on how to deal with the stress, whether bribing the officials is de rigeur (joke, obv not! There *are* posts about it, but it's clearly all tongue in cheek), great offers to marshal/volunteer if one doesn't get in, etc.
I'm enjoying it all, not worried. If I don't get in, I'll just find another event to do. Probably Great Glen Ultra (esp as BAM Racing - mikey_a in here) have a great policy of late entry for WHW pull outs! Though if we're rejected in December, we should get in to GGU through normal entry, actually). I was rather hoping to stop doing these ultra things this year if I got the WHW done and finished (and in an OK time). I like trying new things. Was thinking about giving track running (5K, down through 1500m and poss even down to 800 and 400m?) a go.
Training
All going fine. Lovely training run on WHW on Sat organised by the Highland Fling crew. 30 or 40 folk, some staying over, some just arriving for the day. A whole weekend of events: Fri night dinner and drinks, Sat run, Sat evening films, products and talks (and dinner and drinks!), Sun run, massage all sorts. And it's all free! You pay for your accommodation and food to the host hostel/site (owner of which is also an ultra runner!) and there were nominal charges for massage etc. But all the info and fun and the running was all free. Amazing! I managed 24 miles, covered some of the terrain that I've only done once or twice before, so always a good reminder. Chatted to loads of interesting folk with experience and views that really help, and had a great time. Got back and asked if I could/should pay to use toilets, showers - nope, just go ahead and use. Soup and a sit down and more chat - no charge. Such lovely, lovely people.
I had to leave around 4 to go meet with my son on way home. I left a fiver for a charity pot. I mean, how much more generous could they be?!
Running is generally going fine. I'm trying to do some tempos and intervals. Our club has come up trumps again, with top runners like Keziah (3rd lady at WHW) doing 10K and longer tempos and inviting club folk to join. And then the track intervals sessions have started up again, but with a better endurance focus, I believe. Will try and include a few of these. And 5K treadmill challenge at gym and good ol' parkrun are there to try out too. But all other paces are v. slow and ploddy. But 50+ miles per week, over 20 mile long run and some tempo/intervals - so altogether it is starting to feel like "proper" training again, a bit. And with proper training, comes proper resting - this is a cut back week, so just 6 or 8s at the weekend and only 35 miles this week. Might have a wee go at parkrun and see if I can get under 20. Lol - only 1.5 mins slower than PB then!
Some good events to look forward to -
Signed up for Portobello Promathon - 4 miles along the prom on New Year's Day. Well, as I don't drink, might as well rub it in on NYD for those with a hangover! XC in Jan and Feb, Forfar Multi Terrain half in Feb too. Hoping to do Borders Marathon (Rents's race for the Brathay Trust) in March too, then Glasgow to Edinburgh 55 miler in April. 'Tis all good.
Hope Santa (not the wee blonde, pigtailed santa(baby) - the big beardy one!) gets me a WHW place for Christmas. But if not, plenty of other good stuff to look to do.
Happy Festive stuff peeps. Be happy out there.
G
I've done running. Honest.
Here, have a pic.
Me and sandemon on West Highland Way training run (actually, a Highland Fling organised training weekend, more later). Serious stuff!
Um, might just cut this short or maybe come back to it later. 11:50 and I want to do a lunchtime run at work. Just a 4.5 mile plod. That's my usual, don't you know?!
Front of mind:
Very glad my MrsS(rrr) is back from her 5 days up in Shetland. I did miss her.
. Glad my boy is enjoying his first term, first year Uni. Had dinner and drink with him last Saturday. I love doing this! . Work's a bit poo. But it's me being lazy, not the work actually doing anything to me. My bad. . So, running.
Race(s) Well, the big hooha, is that my target, goal, A - race for 2015 is over subscribed by at least 30%, so I have only approx 2 in 3 chance of getting in. Admittedly this is better than the 1 in 5 chance that you have in VLM. But it still means that we are having West Highland Way Ballot Watch on Facebook. Including posts on how to deal with the stress, whether bribing the officials is de rigeur (joke, obv not! There *are* posts about it, but it's clearly all tongue in cheek), great offers to marshal/volunteer if one doesn't get in, etc.
I'm enjoying it all, not worried. If I don't get in, I'll just find another event to do. Probably Great Glen Ultra (esp as BAM Racing - mikey_a in here) have a great policy of late entry for WHW pull outs! Though if we're rejected in December, we should get in to GGU through normal entry, actually). I was rather hoping to stop doing these ultra things this year if I got the WHW done and finished (and in an OK time). I like trying new things. Was thinking about giving track running (5K, down through 1500m and poss even down to 800 and 400m?) a go.
Training All going fine. Lovely training run on WHW on Sat organised by the Highland Fling crew. 30 or 40 folk, some staying over, some just arriving for the day. A whole weekend of events: Fri night dinner and drinks, Sat run, Sat evening films, products and talks (and dinner and drinks!), Sun run, massage all sorts. And it's all free! You pay for your accommodation and food to the host hostel/site (owner of which is also an ultra runner!) and there were nominal charges for massage etc. But all the info and fun and the running was all free. Amazing! I managed 24 miles, covered some of the terrain that I've only done once or twice before, so always a good reminder. Chatted to loads of interesting folk with experience and views that really help, and had a great time. Got back and asked if I could/should pay to use toilets, showers - nope, just go ahead and use. Soup and a sit down and more chat - no charge. Such lovely, lovely people.
I had to leave around 4 to go meet with my son on way home. I left a fiver for a charity pot. I mean, how much more generous could they be?!
Running is generally going fine. I'm trying to do some tempos and intervals. Our club has come up trumps again, with top runners like Keziah (3rd lady at WHW) doing 10K and longer tempos and inviting club folk to join. And then the track intervals sessions have started up again, but with a better endurance focus, I believe. Will try and include a few of these. And 5K treadmill challenge at gym and good ol' parkrun are there to try out too. But all other paces are v. slow and ploddy. But 50+ miles per week, over 20 mile long run and some tempo/intervals - so altogether it is starting to feel like "proper" training again, a bit. And with proper training, comes proper resting - this is a cut back week, so just 6 or 8s at the weekend and only 35 miles this week. Might have a wee go at parkrun and see if I can get under 20. Lol - only 1.5 mins slower than PB then!
Some good events to look forward to -
Signed up for Portobello Promathon - 4 miles along the prom on New Year's Day. Well, as I don't drink, might as well rub it in on NYD for those with a hangover! XC in Jan and Feb, Forfar Multi Terrain half in Feb too. Hoping to do Borders Marathon (Rents's race for the Brathay Trust) in March too, then Glasgow to Edinburgh 55 miler in April. 'Tis all good.
Hope Santa (not the wee blonde, pigtailed santa(baby) - the big beardy one!) gets me a WHW place for Christmas. But if not, plenty of other good stuff to look to do.
Happy Festive stuff peeps. Be happy out there.
G
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Started running 07 after a nasty mountain bike accident end of 06 (a week in hospital and a spot of plastic surgery) put me off mountain biking. (See fetcheveryone.com/gallery-showphoto.php?id19442 for gruesome detail!) Decided running on 2 feet couldn't be as dangerous! Edinburgh Marathon 08 was the goal. Joined a club, did some training, got injured, got physio'd and fixed. Did it in 3:42. Pleased with the time. Loved the experience. But most of all I love the feeling of running, the camaraderie of the club and the lovely, lovely land of fetch. You are all wonderful! heart Update: Fetch Festive Calendar wanted an update. Errr, I'm not a parsnip. There you go.heart
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