Scottish Runners

1113211331135113711381140

Comments

  • Anyone here doing Great Scottish run got their number through as yet?

     

  • Where did you encounter the thing you call 'heat' this year TP? 

    I am looking at Hexham for 26.2 early Dec Elspeth. Route sounds boring but I have relatives in the vicinity!

  • 57.5 -  Italy image.

    Enjoy Keswick Helga, let us know how you get on.

     

  • Keswick was stunning, scenery was amazing. The route itself lulled you in to a false sense of security at the start with a nice flat 2 miles then it is all hill for the next 3-4 miles! If someone asks me whether to wear trail or road shoes, I will say try walking boots. I completed the 15k challenge (I am a slow runner) which starts an hour before the 15k race and managed to get finished before the winner of the race. The last Lakeland trail I did the winner of the race passed me. I would recommend the Lakeland Trail series, some lovely runs

  • Well done Helga, nice run. I've done their Helvelyn and Ullswater weekend, and their marathon. Their trail marathon can accurately be described as 'hard and hilly' image!

    10mile run this morning in the rain. Got 3wks until my Cornwall marathons imageimage.

    Waiting in for my plumber now to finish a few things off in the bathroom. Squad of Polish builders spent 3 days here and have done a stunning job on the floor and wall tiles, I'm so glad I chose them and not some of the dodgy people / companies who came to give quotes image. They were here at the crack of dawn every day (cue some rather embarrassing moments with me just out of bed whilst they are ready to work work work!), ate their lunch while working and were away by mid-day, leaving me with peace for the afternoon whilst the various tile stages dried. Would definitely use them again, their attitude was so different to the British workers I've used in the past who act like they couldn't give a damn if they leave you hanging about all day.

    Run tomorrow and then hopefully I can finally have a bath imageimageimage!!!

     

  • Did my first hill race in 2 years yesterday. Which reminded me why I don't do hill races! Stunning but brutal route on Harris at an event that was the total anti-GNR: 22 runners, a couple of mountain rescue guys marshalling, a family giving out drinks from their front garden at the turnaround and one man timing.

    That earns a day of rest I think. Which is a good thing as the weather today is reminiscent of a wild day on Hoy!

  • We'll have just missed you in Keswick, Helga, after having spent last week there. Saw many finishers around Keswick as we arrived. We were fell and lakeside walking mostly but managed a run around Derwentwater and finished with Great Langdale Half. On boat now heading north again ...

    enjoy your awaited bath TP image

  • Anyone done the Pentlands Skyline?

  • Crathes half yesterday - a very warm day for Scotland in late September.image

  • Anyone up for a run in the Pentlands on Sat, just on the off chance as am "doon south" and hoping to have a wee adventure? (Elspeth)

  • Helloo - ooo!

    are there any runners left alive/awake north of the border?;-)

    Heading South to Edinburgh for Pentlands Skyline this weekend. Highly likely that I won't make it beyond the Drove Rd cut off (halfway)

  • I'm here!!!!!!! Good luck with your run An Other Half, I am sure you will be fine.

    I have been contemplating for a couple of days on whether I want to attempt an ultra next year. I have completed 4 very slow marathons so not sure if I am up to it but would love to give it a go. Thinking about the Kintyre Ultra 35, has anyone completed this or any advice for a potential new ultra attempt?

  • Not done the Kintyre Way race (yet) but did my first ultra this year at the Speyside Way Race. Enjoyed it from start to finish despite suffering from leg cramps from about 20 miles on. I prevaricated about entering for 3 years but was glad I took the plunge. If you've done 4 marathons you should be fine. It's been 10 years since I ran my last marathon though I regularly run long hill races.  Three 25 mile long runs in the months before the race and 60mpw got me through. Anyone thinking about ultras should have a look at Andy Mouncey's book on ultras, lots of very good advice. I particularly liked "90% of ultra running is psychological.  The other 10% is all in your head."

  • Thanks Greyhound. I will certainly have a look at the book. I have started doing some Trail running this year and really enjoyed it so may take the plunge. Entries do not open until mid November so I may "chicken" out before then.

  • Only done two 50k ultras and not fast either but enjoyed them. Different mindset. I got 3 weeks notice from Elspeth so no training plan!

  • Hello all image

    Back from running 3 trail marathons in 3 days in Cornwall. Superb weather all week, very tricky technical trail on the third day (like Inversnaid on WHW course only worse, bigger boulders to clamber over that went on forever and ankle breaking gaps and angles!). Only started raining when I got to Lands End (which was the finish).

    Fell over when I was running the week before I left, got a severe muscular contusion to right shoulder, but nothing broken, and lots of blood from hands and knee. Spent the two weeks slowing building strength back, very painful, but the worse part was sitting in the car for two days to get down to Cornwall!!

    Did lots of physio and walking and improved by the time of the first race and could carry back pack again. The third day was very sore clambering and dragging myself over rocks, and at one point hanging off a boulder by my fingertips over the edge of the cliffs! Days one and two are straightforward, some hills and steep lengths of stairs but nothing too major if you have done any of the hilly races or ultras in Scotland, but day 3 was definitely something else entirely!! imageimage

    As if that wasn't enough, developed a bad cough early in the week (accommodation was quite damp) which worsened and has turned into a chest infection. So I'm just back from the docs with a course of anti-biotics and a steroid inhaler image.

    Apart from all that I had a great week and would highly recommend the challenge, great bunch of people, very smooth organisation. You have to grab what you want at the check points as they are not exactly forthcoming giving you stuff and I had to practically wrestle a guy to get my Cornish pasty at the finish, but as long as you are fairly self-sufficient its a great event to do.

    Oh and Sand...don't talk to me about sand....image Beau Gest had nothing on this!

  • Glad to see some life around the forum again!



    TP - sounds like a fun(mainly) event! Well done! Hope you recover quickly from the fall and the chest infection.

    This falling seems to be a bit of a hazard. Fortunately mainly recovered from my fall but front teeth still not in working order unfortunately.



    Off tonight to attempt to dodge the half way time cutoff at Pentland Skyline. Not sure there's much chance of it for me but been talked into the attempt. May be a fun night on the boat with no cabins free as it's school hols.



    Helga, sounds like a good ultra to start with. Sadly I've missed all mine this year, still wanting to gatecrash Glen Ogle! Lots of good comments about Tiree ultra too I hear.



    Where's everyone else?
  • I managed to run across bogs, wet rocks, ridiculously huge boulder fields, sand dunes and cliff edges without falling over.....and yet tripped over a 0.5cm high raise on the pavement in Glasgow imageimage.

    Good luck at the Pentland Skyline Elspeth, hear it is a good one.

  • Ditto TP, managed 23 miles on the coastal paths the weekend before without a slip and then crash down on my face coming along a pavement! Just not concentrating I guess!



    Thanks, I think it may be a never again one!
  • Fling entry in image.

    627 places gone in first 11mins image!

    Almost as bad as trying to get in Lakeland 50....(which has fewer places).

    Hope you got on okay at Pentland Elspeth and OH.

  • Was toying with the idea of entering the Fling but opted for the G2E instead as it's probably more achievable from where I am fitness-wise right now. 

    The Fling looks so much more interesting as an event though. 

     

  • Good example of two very different events, covering the same number of miles.

    G2E - flat, mentally tough, legs get no terrain change, if you run / walk its probably best to do it by time, as there are no undulations to use. Brain liable to fall asleep unless you find someone to talk to or can sing as you run!!! People start too fast and find the second half tough.

    Fling - hilly, rocky, first 12m lulls a false sense of security. Then Conic hill arrives but that is a lot better on the descent since they improved the path a couple of years ago. Wet rocks, tree roots and stair climbs around Loch Lomond test your concentration just at the point when you are starting to tire. Glorious scenery when you can dare to look up! People tend to start more cautiously and finish.

    And it filled up sometime last night....image!!!

    I spotted a couple of familiar names off here on the entrant list image!

  • Elspeth got past the cutoff point and got around in 4h30 something (as did our Orcadian  friend  Ruth). 

    I got hauled in at halfway cut off imageimage

    yes, Els has entered the Flingimageimage

    on to Snowdonia in 2w time for me ...

  • Tigerspaw, the G2E honestly sounds a bit grim but it will do for getting me back into the swing of things after having a pretty crappy year since the D33 in March.

    I remember cycling it in my pre-running days and was struck at just how monotonous a route it was. It must have taken me 10 hours to cycle it that day as I was so unfit and got 2 or 3 punctures.

    Despite this seeming negativity I'm quite looking forward to it. It's a big challenge and although it's 6 months away I need to start getting myself sorted out now if I want it to go well so I now have a good reason to put the running gear on when I get in from work instead of being able to doss in front of the tv all night. image

     

  • Kennyyan, I didn't mind running G2E, it started out quite wet but turned into a nice afternoon which helped. I palled up with an adventure racer from Manchester, he wasn't that hot on the running, but determined to finish, so we shared a few stories and the miles passed quickly. I ended up staying with him through the rough part of Edinburgh as he didn't have a headtorch, and was more nervous of the locals than I was!!

    Definitely good to have a target to get you out in the Winter.

    Well done Elspeth on finishing and OH on getting half way on a tough event. I think the half way cut would probably have got me too!!

  • Pentland Skyline Race - A lot different to anything I've done before and though it's a lovely run on a lovely route which I would happily run again not sure I would take part in the race again. They have a 2.15 cutoff at 8.5 miles, shortly after half way and while they let me through at 2.20 I spent a good part of the first half thinking they wouldn't and Peter got timed out with the " sweeper" telling him he should drop out from about 4 miles in, not the sort of ethos you see in ultras or indeed most road races. Despite being slower than " cut off " pace I finished in 4.30, an hour ahead of the official last and was able to relax a bit in the second half. Thick mist on the first two summits but the day cleared after that with pretty perfect running conditions.



    So signed up to the Fling, now how to manage to train enough without getting injured between then and now!?
  • Elspeth - third time lucky? image Well done on the race.

    I've had sweepers do that to me, really pisses you off, puts you under pressure when actually you are fine at the pace you're going. Good sweepers will chat to you and make sure you are okay but generally hang back a bit, and if you fail you fail of your own accord, bad sweepers run so closely behind you they nearly trip you up like you are just in their way, and constantly put you under pressure so you can't even get a drink and then you end up failing anyway, just another one for them to knock off the course.

    I had two sweepers on a race a few years ago who basically wouldn't talk to me, and yet ran so close the guys foot kept going under mine. I was so hacked off, eventually I started talking to them and forced them to engage me in conversation, like yes I am a human being not someone for you to run over like I'm not here. I basically said to them 'there is 13m left, there is no way off this course due to the terrain, I have to finish and I am going to finish well within the cut!!' (so piss off - was what I wanted to add!!)

  • How good is the weather just for running eh.  Crisp, sunny days are the best.

    I've had a good few weeks running wise.  Completed my first marathon on tarmac up in Inverness.  Those hills (up a& down) are killers.  Then a week later I manged a new personal best during the Half Marathon in Glasgow.

    Last big run of the year will be the Glen Ogle ultra.  Hope the weather doesn't take a bad turn.

  • Well done onLoch Ness Mara and Gt Scottish HM Iksander. Hope you enjoy Glen Ogle - Elspeth will be jealous (she missed the entry due to me being in hospital)
    My next mara will be abroad in 9 days time - Snowdonia!image

  • Out for a run in the freezing fog this morning, feeling very Wintery all wrapped up in loads of clothes.

    Shoulder and neck been very stiff last few days, probably shouldn't have painted the bathroom ceiling so soon after returning from Cornwall! image

    Quite slow running but the legs are moving forward which is the main thing image.

    Southside Six for me in two weeks time - it could be considered a very local race, given I can walk to the start in 5mins, no excuses not to go then image. Given my current post x3 marathon plodding speed I suppose I had better check the cut-off imageimageimage!!

Sign In or Register to comment.