Moraghan Training - Stevie G

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  • Good reports SG. Don’t forget to add the winning time of the Murder Mile if you know them..

    Great report MH, does sound a lovely course, but my days of half marathons in the summer are well over. 
  • alehousealehouse ✭✭✭
    Great reporting as always, SG! Once you know which United fixtures you are coming up for message me!

    As SC says, MattH, not the time of year for HMs!

    Not seen MattL or Dean for a good while: hope all is well.
    Progress is rarely a straight line. There are always bumps in the road, but you can make the choice to keep looking ahead.
  • The BusThe Bus ✭✭✭
    Sorry Matt, forgot - congrats on the half, and thirded about how tough it would be in current humidity levels.

    Nice family bike ride on a creaky hire bike yesterday alongside Loch Katrine. Must admit to a bit of round number wankery after by jogging the mile or so back to our apartment as I was on 39 for the week.......
  • Stevie  GStevie G ✭✭✭✭
    The guy who ran it with some sort of go pro has got his footage up

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_FQnxwUzpo

    I'm briefly in the "Loitering around" at the start bit...but this guy goes off 2nd, and probably comes 5th/6th.

    Just a relentless grind up. Notable that even guys as high as 4th or so walk at the harshest bit.
    The chaps who run the whole way really have some strength!
  • Nice work in the half Matt. Pleasing result as it sounds like you definitely weren't flat out.

    SG - thoroughly enjoyed that report. Poor effort on the Saturday morning though. Should've gone sub-17 at a minimum. Friday night saw Katie and I googling previous years results after we saw your strava upload and had a look at the segment to see the profile. Does look pretty brutal.

    Simon - that sounds like my kind of breakfast. I have no restraint so it'd be carnage. I genuinely try and avoid situations like that, otherwise I just put on a stone in a week.

    **Apologies for the cycling related post**

    Ride London for me yesterday. Took a very casual approach in the build up, with a few beers and not too much training in the last few weeks. Number 1 objective was to have a laugh and a good burn up at the same time.

    Was put in the 2nd wave, 4 minutes behind the big guns. It means everything in a cycle event, as once a group is gone up the road, with the amount of fire power in it, there's no chance of getting anywhere near them. 

    We had loads of strong guys in our group though, and the first 10 miles were just silly, everyone trying to break each other. I just sat in and held on. After this, there was a big lull, with everyone waiting for the hills to sort the men from the boys. 

    Lost the water bottle with all my fluid at mile 40, which was also my calories, which wasn't ideal, so I was without a drink from here and it was already warming up. 

    Most stayed in tact up Newlands Corner, but Leith hill was where the screw really tightened, and rather pleasingly, I manage to hang on to the front guys by the skin of my teeth, sprinting down the other side to stay in touch.

    Box Hill was a similar story, and then it's a flat/downhill sprint all the way back to London. By this point, my legs were in absolute pieces, and I got detached going up the 'lump' into Wimbledon Village at mile 90.

    From here, survival mode engaged, groveling home, holding on to any wheels I could. People were sprinting down the Mall, bugger that, I'm seeing stars here. 4:09 for the 100 miles was a solid turnout, and much quicker than I thought I'd go.
  • PeteMPeteM ✭✭✭
    Bit more than a "solid turnout" Joe; would venture that time put you in the top 1% easily! The pace of you guys at that speed for 100 miles is quite incredible; most mere mortals couldn't get neat that speed in a 10 mile TT. Yes benefits of drafting and all that, but guess the hills and no TT bike  aero-bars for this one makes things tougher overall for you than most Iron Man courses.  

    Can you get the results by time anywhere; just seem to be indiv results or by club etc. on line. I did Ride London 100 the first 2 years, both well over 5 hours (and the 2nd was only 87 miles due to torrential thunderstorms and course shortening losing Leith and Box). Found Newlands much harder than Box and the hub there a complete nightmare being on the right and having to emerge from it right into the path of endless fast riders.   

    Interesting weekend for you SG; well done on all bar the navigation ;) Please don't take up orienteering!

    Well done on that half Matt in non ideal conditions. You're coming along nicely. 

    Not much progress for me sadly; only running was jogged a parkrun with my daughter which was hopeless as my leg was playing up and her shoulder causing her lots of grief. We ended up over 30 mins! In theory I have the last of my 2 midweek series Wed and Thur. Will prob withdraw from  the 1st later today or tomorrow and try to get a number swap. Don't know about the 2nd; only 5k and well placed to win v50 for the series; but don't want to go back to square one again.    
  • Stevie  GStevie G ✭✭✭✭
    edited August 2019

    Pete

    The pot would be nice, but it's probs not worth risking anything if you have doubts.

    On the other hand, if this is the last planned summer turnout, maybe you could risk it and still be back nicely for the autumn.

    I know you're a trophy hunting animal though, so it'll be a tough decision.

    Joe

    4hours of an activity sounds a tough gig to me. Let alone roaring around the streets for 98.8miles at that speed on a hot day, with a ludicrously early 3.45am wake up?!

    Even a half marathon say sub 1hr 20 to allow for a bit of space seems an easy shift in comparison!

    I wouldn't dream of intentionally trying to tempo a parkrun - my ego wouldn't like it! So i'm still logging Saturday as a race - but with a disclaimer :)

    Aley

    Up there this Sunday! Not entirely sure if it's a drive up on the day job, or hanging about mid country somewhere overnight, as by sod's law Wycombe got Bristol Rovers away the day before. Any home game, or pretty much 16/23 of the teams would have worked way better!!

    Simon/ Joe

     - Winner did 8.38, and if you watch my link on my last post , he TORE off.

    A pretty tidy runner anyway, with 4.40 mile,  15.32 5k, 32.58 10k, and obviously throw in being a local to some of these mad hill races, he's obviously a bit of an animal of a runner in the making, still in the U17 category.

    https://www.thepowerof10.info/athletes/profile.aspx?athleteid=710309


    James Thie did 8.24 in 2017, and he's an ex commonwealth games geezer, who even pushing 40 that year was doing 1.56 for 800 and 4.31 for a mile.

    I think that's the best context you can put around that kid's time.

    So while it sounds ridiculous to be comfy with being 1min 24 off the winner in a mile race, I was 1min 20 off James Thie in 2017!

    I'm pretty sure they used to bill the record as something like 7.40, but I'm certain they made the new course harder. As if James Thie is doing 8.24 it's going to take someone current international class to take 44 seconds off that!


    Would have been nice to break 10 though, but obvs didn't quite go hard enough / have enough on the day.

    151 in the men's race this year - in contrast to 169 in the whole thing last. I wonder how big this race could get. Probably one of those races that's better as a small cult status job to be honest.
    Ealing Mile - while not anywhere near the same mystique - definitely suffers these days from too big a field - they'll have to cut in 2 races soon I reckon.


    This year's strava recorded it as 644 feet, but in 2018 it recorded 690 feet, and I think officially is billed as 680.

    Looking at the gradient, it's around 300 feet over the first half, and then around 400 the second half!

    To put that in context, you certainly notice 100 feet of a climb in a mile, so imagine a first half mile of almost 300 feet which you know is the "fast half".


    I think you have to dig in when you get to 0.5miles as long as you can, and then allow a walk when it gets very severe. Probably eased off too early, and left too much to do time wise.

    Easier said than done though, I'm coming from a position where I didn't even stop that time at the Wyc half when I basically had some sort of "episode" and didn't even think of walking at the steep hill in Endure even on the way to racking up 30 miles. So I'm probably being a little harsh thinking I gave in a bit too easy - it is severe beyond words :D

  • SG- thanks for that. Thie won the Shapwick Mile in 2016, as he was camping nearby! This one is a great flat course and he did 4.19, I did 4.31. It’s on again next year. 

    Joe- that’s a brilliant ride, roughly 25 mph over that terrain. Can empathise with that hill up to Wimbledon village, walked up there to xc a few times over the years!! Watched the big boys finish last night on TV

    PeteM- go careful, hope it sorts out soon. 
  • Stevie  GStevie G ✭✭✭✭
    That's a really strong performance there Simon , but I guess it shows the true class of Thie.
    12 seconds over a mile is quite a distance - except up a whopping hill when that feels close ;)

    I wonder what you'd do at the Murder Mile - impossible to say. Clearly you'd be in ahead of my sort of times, but like I said in the report - all bets are off - you can lose to people you wouldn't on the flat.
  • Reg WandReg Wand ✭✭✭
    Nice ride Joe, I've entered the ballot a few times but never got a place. I have entered the Tour of Cambridge next year though which looks like fun and will no doubt be similar with lots of early attacks. 

    It's when I see an SG Murder Mile report that I realise how quickly a year passes, nice collection of outings by you.

    Normal service from the others with Si on the track and Bus on holiday. 

    Decent half there Matt.

    Sorry to hear you're having trouble Pete, I know that feeling. I've not run for a few weeks now but there's slow progress and I may go for a short one tonight.

    Not doing much else bar cycling to work but did 50 miles on the TT bike Sunday and chucked a 25 mile effort in, weirdly I seem to be quite strong on the bike at the moment. Not looking forward to running, think I am carrying a good half a stone extra.
  • Stevie  GStevie G ✭✭✭✭
    What's going on Reggie - feels like you've had a string of separate (?) problems since even spring time?
    Doesn't seem to hurt the biking though, so maybe a good chance just to monster that for a while.
  • DachsDachs ✭✭✭

    It must be time for my bi-annual post, as I think the thread may be in danger of forgetting who I am. 

    Did try a bit of a read back, but to be honest, the last couple of pages were so visually challenging, with Ric’s blank post mental breakdown, microbe-level detail close-ups of Bus and Simon, and SG’s 1,800 consecutive posts, that it became quite difficult.  Incidentally, I think I’ve discovered why I don’t come here that often any more – the font is so ridiculously small that my eyesight, already devastated by decades of onanism, is simply unable to cope.  Nevertheless, kudos to those of you who deserve it, and none to those who don’t.

    I will try to read it properly, honest.  And I did read and enjoy SG’s posts, as something of a connoisseur of unnecessary detail.

    Last time I posted, I think I’d just had the unexpected appendix operation.  That was towards the end of March.  Doctors told me 4-6 weeks before I could run again, which of course meant that I waited 3 weeks and 6 days, as I figured that I was just that 2-3% more remarkable than the ordinary human.

    My first run back was a parkrun, which I planned to take easy but nonetheless got carried away and ran quite hard for … er … 18:55.  Well, that gave me a basis to work from I suppose.  What a terrible shame I forgot my barcode.

    From there, it was a case of ditching any serious race plans and just working my way gradually back, with the long-term target being Frankfurt marathon in October.  Another ‘off the books’ parkrun four weeks later gave me a much more comfortable feeling 17:25, and a low-key club track 5K time trial the following week saw me smash myself for 16:44.  It was nice to see the improvements, but still quite some way to go.

    In early June, a group of us had a road trip to Dulwich parkrun, arranged before my op with the aim of a fast blast round.  I went along more for the social occasion than any residual hopes of a fast time, but was nonetheless pleased with progress with a decent 16:24 for 7th, whilst a couple of my clubmates mopped up the first two places.

    The following weekend was a leg of the Ridgeway Relay, amounting to something like 10.5 miles over very hilly off-road terrain.  Leg 9 of the race, and our club comes in about a minute and a half behind the leaders, Vale of Aylesbury.  Fortunately for my still fragile condition, my leg ends up being something of a mismatch, and I go past after a mile or two, and, despite being reduced to some walking in the last couple of miles, end up with a lead of ten minutes, which we hold on leg 10 to win it for the second year running, albeit some time behind last year’s course record.

  • DachsDachs ✭✭✭

    A month of training follows, where I still feel like I am some way off where I had hoped to be in my comeback.  This is confirmed at the low-key vets league fixture in mid July, where I am a non-scorer in the 800 and run a hilariously slow 2:22.  Fortunately, as a non-scorer, I am in with the over 50s and 60s, so my two laps at basically 3K pace looks almost god-like in comparison.  The 3000 an hour later is slightly better, at 9:22, but is still hardly encouraging, being unable to make the gap up to the winner who ran 9:15.  Still, you keep plugging away at the training in the hope that it’ll come back at some point.

    The aim was to try to get into reasonable shape for the Bristol and West Fast 5000s at the end of July, and use that as a springboard for marathon training.  The last stepping stone before the 5000 was an attempt at a genuine fast parkrun, and I decided to go to Rickmansworth, which has the advantage of being a fast course that doesn’t involve driving through most of South London to get to.

    In the spirit of painstaking travel details, the Satnav did send me on the narrowest lane I’ve ever seen to an isolated farm south of Rickmansworth.  This surprised me for two reasons: (a) this is not where the Satnav had told me it was trying to get to when I set it and (b) I didn’t realise there was such a thing as isolated farms inside the M25.   Anywhere, got there eventually, and crushed a mighty 16:12 despite some lapping hold-ups to make me feel a bit more like I may not have lost the ability to run fast after all.

  • DachsDachs ✭✭✭
    edited August 2019

    All of the above was all very low-key non-serious stuff.  I hadn’t tested myself in a proper race with a good field since March, and so it was with some trepidation that last weekend I lined up in the B race at the Bristol and West Fast 5000s at Yate, with a declared target time of 15:30, but a more realistic expectation of 15:40-15:45.  A pacer is in the race, due to run at 74s, which is annoyingly exactly my PB (15:25), but PB pace sounds a distinctly bad idea.  Plan is to do 75s until the wheels fall off and hope to sneak a 15:39:99.

    As the gun goes, I make a conscious decision to keep a sensible distance from the pacer and not get suckered in.  I’m back in about 10th, and roughly on my 75s.  1600m is reached in about 5 dead, and I am feeling like it’s going to be really hard to maintain.
    Then something weird happens.  I suddenly start to feel comfortable.  I’m staying on the planned pace, but I’m not falling any further back behind the pacer, who is 10-15m or so ahead.  Just stick in, I tell myself, it’ll get harder soon so don’t overcook it.  Through 3000 in 9:19, but I’m not falling off.  I’m actually fucking enjoying this!  Well, it’s 5 laps to go, so let’s just see what’s in the tank.  Pacer is out, the group that was following is fragmenting, and I’m up to 5th or 6th, and clawing places back all the time.  Some mental calculations with two laps to go are that it’ll be comfortably 15:3x.  I’m up to 3rd.  One lap to go, and I just go for it.  I pass 2nd with 150m to go and I’m flying and closing in on the leader, but unfortunately this is already my top speed, and a little kick sees him back into 2nd again, and he holds me off by a fraction of a second, but I don’t care cos I think I’ve somehow pulled a sub 15:30 out of the bag.  An anxious wait for the results to go up, but sure enough it’s 15:29:74.  Crikey, didn’t expect that!
    Splits:  38 (200), 76, 74, 73, 73, 74, 74, 74, 75, 74, 74, 74, 70.  Yes, that is a 70 second last lap.  That’s faster than the average pace of my 800m two weeks previously.

    Feeling very pleased with myself, I jog a warm down, whereupon an old chap tells me that he’d really enjoyed my run and that I have a really lovely style to watch.  Taking this as an innocent compliment rather than a pick-up line, I thank him and beat a hasty retreat back to Reading, tired, happy and un-buggered.

  • DachsDachs ✭✭✭

    Buzzing from this, I make a decision to line up for the Battersea Park 5K two days later.  Make hay whilst the sun shines and whatnot.  Unfortunately, my train reaches Longcross station whereupon it is blocked by what is described as a tree across the line.  A closer inspection of this ‘tree’ reveals that one normal human being or two distance runners would be able to pick it up.  However, we are not allowed to risk our lives on the line to do so (despite the fact that, precisely because of this ‘tree’, all trains in both directions have been stationary for 30 minutes), so time ebbs away and making the start line is no longer possible.

    This leaves me with a difficulty.  Longross isn’t a proper place, it is a station serving a car plant in the middle of a heath.  There won’t be any taxi rank, and no trains in either direction.  A quick check of Google maps reveals that it’s 18 miles on foot home.  Oh well, fuck it, I’m wearing running stuff anyway, and as it happens I was going to do a long run the next day.  So I run home.  Shame to miss the race, but I expect Saturday’s race would’ve been in the legs anyway.

    Few days in Vienna followed (a great city for running, so actually managed to run every day, which is rare for a holiday for me), and I now feel like I’m in a good place in building up for Frankfurt.   


  • Stevie  GStevie G ✭✭✭✭
    What a comeback post (or tonneload ;) ) - stay around oldest son - don't get too big time to keep posting :)

    Shame to miss the BP - but although you're more of a running hero than the likes of me at back to backs, it may well have blunted your balls.
  • Stevie  GStevie G ✭✭✭✭
    edited August 2019
    Appalling sesh tonight with the club.
    Vaguely a pairs 400m job for 3x10mins.
    Actually a bit further and grassy slight incline. We were a three, so 2 on 1 leg, and obvs the other on his own, but my desire to chase a fast youngun was zero so i ended up just popping in and out doing moderate paces and realising i need to get back to my individual tailored sessions in mornings if i want to perform

    Slight concerns about beinga joint mens cap when not suiting me to go to many sessions either.

    Hopefully the legs and Desire come back for thurs proper pair relay!
    It was only a couple of weeks ago for that 4.55 mile and 1715 5k
  • The BusThe Bus ✭✭✭
    Dachs, those posts are what make you the thread's prodigal son!  And what a comeback!!!

    Loved the casual 18 miler "sod it" run too!

    Reg - why do you never get the straight run of luck you need? Just as well you can transition from bike fitness to running well.

    Joe - wowzers, that is an amazing time for 100 miles! Chapeau!

    Another holiday mini-epic today. After 8 pacy road miles along Lock Katrine yesterday, racing the boat my wife and daughter were on and with a big run planned for Thursday,  today was meant to be easyish. As it happens, I misjudged both the distance of the run in and back to our lodge and the sheer gnarliness of the mountain I picked for today. "The Cobbler". At a smidge under 3000ft, it's not quite a Munro, but it's a gnarly little bugger for all that, with some very airy and exposed bits of climbing/scranbling involved to get to the actual tops. Great fun, with a good sense of accomplishment slightly undermined by a desperate final 2M ralongside a main road in fell shoes to get back to a drink and some food! 11.3M and 3000ft spread over about 2 hours 15 was a bit more than a standard Tuesday!

    Oh, and almost killed myself by touching some exposed mains cables sticking out of the wall of our "luxury" lodge afterwards, but that's a story for another day :-)
  • Reg WandReg Wand ✭✭✭
    Welcome back Dachs, thanks for the kudos. Font my arse, you were just waiting until you had something worthy to report on.

    SG, my current predicament is purely down to falling off my bike. I am almost certain I have bad bone bruising, without buying my own magnetic imagining machine and studying for a medical degree I am unlikely to be sure. I suppose I could go to the doctor but every time I think it's time to go, it starts to feel better enough to not bother. I ran actually ran 4 miles last night and it felt foreign, like my legs were working but offering no feedback.

    My medical studies have revealed that bone bruising can take up to 2 years to heal. My own judgement is that at current rate it could take 4-6 months to clear completely. I am unsure about what damage running could do at this stage, I'll use pain as a guide. Last night has angered it slightly but not too much.

    Sounds like another great holiday run camp Bus. I think the reason I get injured is because I take risks. I cycle home like a lunatic a lot of the time!

    I have entered a triathlon in about 4 weeks so I will start swimming too this week, not been in the pool all year. Coming close to signing up for an Ironman in 2020, just need to decide which one.
  • Stevie  GStevie G ✭✭✭✭
    2 years! Let's hope not eh! None of us are getting younger to soak up a 2 year recovery!

    Maybe take a few less risks going forward, albeit don't get too "safe", as I dare say you need a little bit of push in a race, or you're not racing! I dare say my last couple of turnouts were certainly that sort of fare.

    Bit knacked today, not sure if it's the usual lot of a reasonably decent mileage runner, or a bit more of a post weekend/summer malaise.

    Couple of 4mile easys today, hoping a nice sleep gets me up for tomorrow's 1km pairs relays!
    We won last year but are already facing a glass ceiling of 2nd, as Bracknell's top boys are in! 
  • Dachs - Good to see you back, although I did see the 5000 time on facebook - looked like my race in reverse! (I'll post a HILARIOUS picture later..)

    Bus - More drama. Sounded like a great run, just missing a couple of dogs. Reg - Hope the recovery goes well -I know you love your cycling, so won't go on about 'why people risk it' etc etc.;) SG - One of those sessions eh.

    So Rugby club last night session was 8 x 1k off 80 secs. Went ok - although as I was off work and got there early I had tine to warm up properly...so set off better, first 4 was 3.08,3.09,3.07,3.06...then suffered a little from that pace, the 2nd 4 were 3.09,3.10,3.12, 3.09. To be honest, quite relieved as it's the only decent session since the 5,000 and went ok.

    Quite wheezy overnight though, better now in London. It might be the heavy showers? Had this before with the pollen. Nothing now until the 1500m masters on Saturday. Obviously there's a yellow weather warning for wind in Brum. Cosmic.

  • Quick bit of cross-thread pollination ahead of the BMAFs this weekend.

    Simon - I'm notionally in your 1500 heat on Saturday, though will be in a very different race as you'll have a cigar on by the time I cross the line - will be doing well to be heading into my last 200 as you finish! A few other more leisurely paced gents for me to have a meaningful race against though, and I should be a bit more in touch with the bulk of the field in Sunday's 800 which is a stronger event for me anyway. Had also clocked the weather forecast. As I've noted over on the Overdone It thread, the frequency with which these Champs coincide with unseasonably cack weather is uncanny.

    No Dean this year I see, and looks like he's having a quiet one generally. Anyone closely enough in touch to know what the story is there? Just having a fallow year, or has he got a problem?
  • Hi BBB, let me know your surname or bung it on a PM!

    Yes I mean the forecast is ridiculous isn’t it. I mean there’s breezy, but weather warnings!!

    Dean is focussed on 5k & 10k for a while, well that was the plan anyway. I’ve not even looked at the entry lists for this, I’ll just see who’s there when we get going.  Just hope it’s not windy down the back straight as that will be 400m of struggle!!
  • Pete - was definitely tough going on the hills, that was where the 'race' really kicked off, and it was a case of sprinting up as fast as possible. You can't get results listed by time, which is annoying, as I'd like to know where I'd 'placed'. Really hope you're not on the injury bench for too long.

    Sorry to hear you're still struggling Reg. At least you're still able to be out on the bike. What ironman are you thinking of?

    Dachs - nice to hear from you, sounds like an eventful few months, and top class running in Bristol, very impressive. I'll also be out in Frankfurt for the marathon, but probably as a pacing gig, as the better half most likely has a good crack at sub 3 (we'll see how the next couple of months go). 

    Sounds like a decent adventure that, Bus. I need to do more stuff like that.

    Taking it easy after Ride London, couple more weeks of relative R&R, enjoying beer and food. Got some deep underlying fatigue that's been around for ages, so attempting to shake it, but too addicted to training. 
  • Reg WandReg Wand ✭✭✭
    edited August 2019
    Not sure Joe, Copenhagen and Lanza are on the list though.
  • Simon - ta for the update on Dean. Has been awful up that back straight at the Alexander every time I've run there, and looks like this weekend will be no different! Have dropped you a PM, including a scan of the start list. See you there.
  • StevieWhStevieWh ✭✭✭
    A lot to catch up on in here! External audit at work has been busting my balls for the last 3 weeks!

    SG - A couple of great runs and reports, I think you need to upgrade your watch to one with navigation though!

    Joe - Great ride at Ride London, that time is insane! I deferred my place so I'm really looking forward to it next year, happens to be on my birthday as well! Stumbled upon your Berlin blog yesterday while googling Berlin marathon info. Great read as always

    Reg - Sorry to hear you are still suffering, do you not think its worth getting checked out? A physio/doctor could recommend something to help speed the healing up.

    Dachs - Great to see you back and that is a rapid 5000m!

    Good luck to Simon & Bob at the weekend.

    Had a blow up on Friday whilst attempting a 10m tempo. First 5 miles were fine all between 6.10-6.15 but then suddenly I crashed and couldn't even hold 7min pace, forced myself to finish the mile and do the 2 mile cooldown. Took the weekend off as I was away anyway. This weeks been a lot better so far, 17m on Tuesday with some pick ups at 6.40-6.50 and 6.20 pace. 6.20s actually felt easier then 6.40s did! Swim tonight then a session of 10 x 3min on 1min easy on Friday. Got 4 big weeks on the plan now before Kenilworth Half on 01/09 
  • The BusThe Bus ✭✭✭
    Cracking session that Simon.

    Reg - 4 weeks to get some running training for a triathlon? For anyone else, that would be a no-no, but for you, more than enough time :smiley:

    Intended a double Munro on the last day of the hols today. The first one (Beinn Narnain) was a lot tougher than I expected, so I was relieved that there were some major path work going on along the ascent route to the second, involving a helicopter dumping big bags of rocks. Whilst passable, it would have meant a lot of off-path hacking through heather, so gave me the excuse I needed to not add on another 3M out and back with around 1200 ft of slog! 

    On the downside, just after this decision and before a 4 mile descent, I turned to look over my shoulder as the helicopter made a really loud noise. This caused me to stumble, pulling my left hamstring as I fell forward. ironically on the flattest, smoothest part of the whole route! I feared the worst, but it was OK to run on (just about) so I managed to descend back to the car. Not ideal, but didn't have much choice!

    Its a bit sore now, so no doubt will be worse tomorrow (fun for a 400M drive!). Hey ho - hopefully a very minor tear that will heal quickly.

    Here's a photo (please don't view of such images cause offence!!!)





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