23/5/09 - Inverness

Distance: 12.25km/ 7.61miles
Altitude: 20m/ 66ft
Temp: 17°C/ 63°F
Weather: Spitting rain

A showery but warmish day and I set out when a series of heavy showers finally relent, expecting to get a dousing at some point. We biked 42.3km (26.3 miles) around the Beauly Firth earlier so I don't push the run and stick to flat ground around the River Ness. I head first for the paths over the islands, then run around the edge of Bught Park and all the way past playing fields down to the point where the River and Canal diverge (using so pretty muddy paths on the riverside).

I use the canal towpath to return as far as the A82, then cut back past Queens Park athletics stadium, across Bught Park again and north along the river. Next I plan to run over to the canal but my dodgy sense of direction fails me and I wend my way in residential streets (and past a host of B and Bs) until I find myself back at the river where I cross and take the route home along the river.

I still have 15 minutes to kill so I run along the pedestianised High Street and climb up to Crown Circus before meandering on the streets near our house to complete the hour. And amazingly the real rain never arrived!

21/5/09 - Inverness

Distance: 12.51km/ 7.77miles
Altitude: 20m/ 66ft
Temp: 15°C/ 59°F
Weather: Pleasant evening

I have given up on my training regime for the final tapering to the marathon as it seems a little intense, and instead I'm taking the advice from several sources to ease up on mileage, mix in some race pace and do some cross training. The 70 minute run on Tuesday went well so I decide to repeat the one hour dose by taking a similar route but shortening it by not running south to start and varying the directions to and from the bridge.

This time I head west to start, over the river and then north on the river bank until I pick up the A82 to the A9. Once again I run north on the east side of the bridge (passing the Inverness Caley Thistle stadium, the only Premier League venue I've mixed into a run - for 2 days at least; and until such time as Partick Thistle get promotion) to get the daytime views and back on the west side.

Now I follow the bike path into the city (approximately), following the shore road, then cutting through the city centre and up the steep final section to the house we're staying in in the Crown area of town.

19/5/09 - Inverness

Distance: 13.08km/ 8.13miles
Altitude: 20m/ 66ft
Temp: 12°C/ 54°F
Weather: Cool evening

I haven't yet quite sorted out the logistics of running and working so after a lateish dinner I finally feel like hitting the road about 11pm, after dark even here. Tracy isn't due in from Glasgow till after midnight so I won't bother her and so off I set. At least it will be quiet at this time, which prompts me to head south and east on residential streets, past Raigmore Hospital and out onto the A9 highway.

The plan is to run for about an hour, mixing in periods at marathon race pace with easier stretches and this plan goes pretty well. The legs are sore to start with, they took a beating climbing Ben Nevis and even with two days off the knees are complaining. Things loosen up after a while and I find a track on the grass verge by the highway to follow before picking up the bike path heading for Kessock Bridge and the Black Isle.

There are footpaths both sides of the road over the bridge but it is easiest to follow the bike path so I cross onto the east side for the run north. It is a fine time to run across the bridge with night views of the Moray Firth looking east, and views of the lights of Inverness and the Beauly Firth as I return on the west side of the bridge after crossing the highway. After this I follow the A82 into town before working my way onto the River walkway, into the centre of the city and up the hill home... arriving just as Tracy gets in. A 70 minute run in the end with the legs feeling better for the exercise.

15/5/09 - Fort Augustus

Distance: 11.63km/ 7.23miles
Altitude: ?m/ ?ft
Temp: 10°C/ 50°F
Weather: Dull, drizzle

The weather has returned to normal Scottish conditions, cool and damp, but I want a look at Fort Augustus (scene of a few fine sporting and drinking memories from the early eighties, our cricket club toured their annually) and drag myself out. The marathon plan suggests 5 x 5 minute reps with 2 minute breaks so I use the Caledonian Canal towpath for some reps at marathon race pace.

I jog to the canal and up the “staircase”, a linked set of locks as the canal rises from Loch Ness (the water on the right of the picture) for a warmup before running southwest on the canal for two reps, crossing at the next lock and running on sheep paths on the west side for one rep and returning to town for the last two. I then add a gentle jog to look at the hotel we used to frequent and the old cricket pitch (still set up for play despite the derelict state of the old and rather fine pavillion) before returning to our hostel. Glad to see the old town still looks as pleasant as I remember it.

13/5/09 - Inverness

Distance: 17.23km/ 10.71miles
Altitude: 0m/ 0ft
Temp: 11°C/ 52°F
Weather: Cool but gorgeous

The first chance to run after our move north and the weather couldn't be more perfect, clear, cool and still. I set off at 9pm which might seem a little late to get out when most of my trail is off road... but this is northern Scotland (~58° latitude) so I have plenty more daylight. I want to check out the options for running and crossing the Caledonian Canal and River Ness, both of which run through the town.

I begin by running from the house we are staying at (just above the middle of town) down the Market Brae steps, through the centre and across the river into the old dock area of South Kessock. Following the mouth of the river I get out onto the Beauly or Moray Firths (one become the other somewhere here!) with great views north to Ben Wyvis and east to the Kessock Bridge. Then I follow the coastal path around to the Canal and follow the towpath up a set of lock and long to the next bridge crossing, returning back to the locks on the east side.

Next I cut over to the River and follow it south on the west bank as I have a map that indicates that you can get over the river on footbridges before you get too far out of town (even though the bridges are not indicated on the map! Sure enough there is a park created from a number of islands in the river, and these are linked to the east bank by three bridges (two of which are small suspension bridges that bounce impressively with the weight of one runner). This brings me out near home for a short uphill finish.

11/5/09 - East Kilbride

Distance: 4.91km/ 3.05miles
Altitude: ?m/ ?ft
Temp: 16°C/ 61°F
Weather: Beautiful evening

The perfect easy run to begin my marathon taper.

More soon.

10/5/09 - Two runs

Bishopbriggs
Distance: 12.81km/ 7.96miles
Altitude: 76m/ 250ft
Temp: 12°C/ 54°F
Weather: Pleasant, wet underfoot

Blackness
Distance: 9.8km/ 6.1miles
Altitude: 0m/ 0ft
Temp: 14°C/ 57°F
Weather: Blustery and sunny

9/5/09 – Two runs

Glasgow (Pollok Park)
Distance: 5km/ 3.11miles
Altitude: 30m/ 98ft
Temp: 11°C/ 52°F
Weather: Wet underfoot, spitting rain

Not a good day for this week's Parkrun, although the worst of the rain holds off until after I finish the course is very wet after days of poor weather. The start is very smooth this week (or I get a good position) but the initial road section is covered in puddles and the feet are soon wet. I have several runners with me for once and this encourages me to keep a fastish pace on the first lap, though I have to contend with a dog running right in front of me and the wet patch at the low point of the course is a morass of mud and water.

I am still with two other runners well into the second lap and continue to feel good, though one guy gets ahead of me on the flat. I get ahead of the other two and drop them on the final tough climb before a quick finish on the downhill. Good thing I finished quickly too, as my time is 18.39, just 2 seconds inside my race PB.



Bishopbriggs
Distance: 9.25km/ 8.85miles
Altitude: 76m/ 250ft
Temp: 10°C/ 50°F
Weather: Bright sun closely followed by heavy rain

Today's plan is to kind of replicate an interval session I missed somewhere in the week, 8 x 5 minute reps. I reckon the race covers half the effort so later in the afternoon I jog myself down to the canal bank for the remaining 4 reps. Clearly I've been living abroad too long as I forget what several days of rain is likely to do to the towpath surface and sure enough though the mud is tolerable the puddles across the whole path are an obstacle.

Undaunted I run 5 minutes at between 5 and 10km pace, jog 5 minutes as the rain starts and pick up the pace for another 5 minutes which neatly brings me to the Lambhill Bridge at Balmore road. By now the rain is coming down hard and I'm tempted to stay under the bridge but I'll likely seize up and jog back towards Bishopbriggs, once again breaking out a couple of 5 minute pacy stretches with some hopping and leaping to avoid the deepest water.

7/5/09 – Bishopbriggs

Distance: 19.07km/ 11.85miles
Altitude: 76m/ 250ft
Temp: 12°C/ 54°F
Weather: Dull, dry

Another steady 90 minute run called for today, so after diverting to the newsagents for a paper I head for the canal bank, but with the intention of checking out some new terrain. I take the towpath to Cadder and the path across Cawder golf course to the Kelvin River, but today I head east on the path atop the River levee. This brings me close to Torrance where I pick up the road back to Balmore and the path across the fields to complete a loop at the Kelvin Bridge. Returning to Cadder I cross the canal and run east on the south bank, I've never been here but see walkers regularly from the towpath. The path is pretty good and leads to a large area set up with fences for horse riders to test their mounts on. This makes the track pretty muddy but I can continue on paths to the back side of the Marley Tiles factory and skirt a field back to Kirkintilloch Road.

I stay on the road past the front of the factory and decide to cut back across wasteland to the equine jumps. I fall at the first hurdle though, as I hop over a low fence I slip on mud and pitch onto my right elbow and thigh in a stinky muddy puddle. Bleugh, ouch! Not too much damage done other than a skinned elbow (though I must look a sight with my mud stains!) so I get going again, back onto the canal, crossing at Cadder and running back to the Leisuredrome on the north bank towpath.

From here I divert onto more new running territory/ old haunts by turning north up the hill and west again on the dirt track that runs south of the Wilderness Woods and past the old mining village of Mavis Valley (I'm sure there are still signs of the foundations somewhere, there were 30 years ago). I continue to the waste transfer station where I turn down the hill over a capped rubbish dump and pick my way over boggy ground back down to the canal, startling a deer on the way. Once on the canal I return to Bishopbriggs and complete the 90 minutes with a tour of nearby residential streets.

6/5/09 – Troon

Distance: 10km/ 6.21miles
Altitude: 0m/ 0ft
Temp: 10°C/ 50°F
Weather: Wet and very windy

I haven't run a 10k in over 18 months so take the opportunity to enter a largish (1000 entries) event in this small seaside town on the west coast of Scotland. I can also catch up with a friend there afterwards, who I haven't seen in years.

With my recent Parkrun times I have hopes of getting under 38 minutes for the first time since 1992, but the weather is wet and windy in Bishopbriggs and with its exposed position Troon is worse. I'll be glad to get under 39 minutes in this.

The setup for the run appears minimal as we arrive in town, just a small warning sign on the road we'll be on, but there are plenty of runners milling around the Walker Hall where we pick up timing chips. The start is on the promenade outside which would be pleasant on a good night, today the only advantage is ample toilets and some much needed shelters. With 5 minutes to go to the gun the start is nearly deserted, other than a bedraggled timing mat, a few of us under a nearby shelter and some brave marshals clinging to timing signs to tell us where to line up, but then the runners who've been sheltering in the hall appear and I get in position just behind the fast looking folk. The marshals spread out fast too, by the time we get on the roads they are everywhere with police stopping traffic and the course is very well organised.

The first section on the promenade is quite exposed to the wind blowing off the sea but we soon get into the welcome lea of a wall and some dunes, then turn east for a stretch beside the world famous Royal Troon golf course with the wind at our backs. From km 3 to 4 we are sheltered by trees on a pleasant park road while the section back west into the wind between 4.5 and 6.5 km is not too bad with houses blocking the worst of the storm, though it is still a head down slog (and more excellent practice for the last part of the Edinburgh Marathon). A section close to the Troon Municipal golf course (where some golfers nearly as crazy as us are playing) brings us to km 8 and the turn back into the worst of the wind.

The capricious weather gods decide that this is the time to teach the fastish runners a lesson as the rain increases and forward progress becomes extremely tough, seeing where you are going tougher still. I'm pretty much on my own and glad to be as a group would be more of a hindrance as I'm buffeted and keeping my head down with only occasional glances ahead. At last near km 9 comes the turn onto the Esplanade and welcome shelter... and I feel strong so up the pace despite the long distance to those ahead. My speedy finish doesn't improve my position but does drop anyone close behind and I sight the finishing clock with the disappointing thought that it already reads 38.14, just outside my best in the last few years of 38.12. My final time is 38.20 (good for 51st place out of 795 and 16th 40-49 male), which would probably equate to sub-38 on a good day and I'm happy with it. I feel good after the run, it is my fastest 10k in the UK and I have dry clothes. So it's time to change and head for a couple of restorative pints of Guinness.

4/5/09 – Glasgow (Thornliebank)

Distance: 8.0km/ 5.0miles
Altitude: ?m/ 16ft
Temp: 11°C/ 52°F
Weather: Windy, threatening clouds

The legs are pretty stiff today but after a slow start I soon get into the groove and maintain a steady pace all day. We begin the hash run at a bar on Thornliebank Road (the map is missing the first 1.2km (.75 miles), thinking that it'll be a cold wet run, but the rain stays away and the route is pretty well sheltered from the howling wind.

The route mixes residential streets with paths, tracks and some very wet and muddy playing fields, managing to fit in quite a few hills on the way. All in all more fun than anticipated looking at the weather!

3/5/09 – Wick

Distance: 36.87km/ 22.91miles
Altitude: 5m/ 16ft
Temp: 13°C/ 55°F
Weather: Windy, bright, occasional showers

I'm staying with friends near the northern tip of Scotland, where the countryside is fairly flat, the traffic is light but the wind howls over Caithness with little to get in it's way. The training plan calls for a 20 mile race or "pace practice" so I decide to do a 3 hour run with spells at race pace. Our hosts suggests a run west from Wick, ending at a loch deep in "Flow Country", which should be testing against the northwest wind but will provide ample practice for the last 6 miles of the Edinburgh marathon which will likely have the same headwind.

I begin by running a mile or so along the sea coast into Wick, then turn onto the Thurso road for an 8 mile stretch into the wind as the fairly straight road crosses farmland to Watten. In Watten I get some energy food and a drink at the little shop, before a respite from the wind heading south for a while. Turning back north of west I again get to "enjoy" a now stengthening headwind despite hedgerows lining the road for a while.

Finally the road turns south of west and the wind is less of a problem. The farmland begins to recede and I see more of the combination of peatbog and forestry that dominate the scenery around here, especially after crossing the A9. I'm feeling pretty good (despite a few minutes of driving rain) and note the passage of miles by my relationship to several areas of forest, while some distant hills gradually come more into view and I pass a wind farm on my left.

By the time I cross the River Thurso at Westerdale after nearly 30km (18 miles) I'm starting to get pretty tired but I try to push the pace on for the last stretch, and even after Tracy catches me up in the car near Stathmore Lodge I opt to complete the three hours with a final few km to Loch More. I'm tired by the end but the legs are not too bad and I feel fairly well prepared for the race in 4 weeks.

Totals

I realize I've never added up my monthly efforts so here is a summary:

January 101.8km (63.3miles)

February 145.4km (90.4miles)

March 296.7km (184.3miles)

April 269.6km (167.6miles)

30/4/09 – Rogart

Distance: 11.4km/ 7.29miles
Altitude: 18m/ 59ft
Temp: 13°C/ 55°F
Weather: Occasional drizzle, overcast

Tonight we are staying on an old train in Rogart station that's been converted into an excellent hostel. The village boasts a sign indicating a number of tracks in the area and I opt to use the most substantial looking, labeled “Hill Road”. For a warm up I jog along the (none too busy) road linking Rogart to Lairg, having decided to use the “road” to do 7 five minute reps with 3 minute recoveries.

The track features considerable climbs and drops but is actually reasonable underfoot, though I have to be nimble on my feet to both keep up a fast pace for each rep and avoid twisted ankles. A few muddy sections also require care and some cows at one end of the track take a while to move despite a swift moving man in orange approaching.

I run the full length of the track, timing 5 minutes fast and 3 minutes easy and turning back at each end. This will allow me to accurately estimate distance while giving me about the same amount of up and down over the 7 reps. The steep climb on the last rep is tough but I survive and jog back to the train before the rain gets too hard.

29/4/09 – A Castle and a Battlefield: Carbisdale Castle

Distance: 15km/ 9.3miles (estimate)
Altitude: 22m/ 72ft
Temp: 15°C/ 59°F
Weather: Mild, occasional sun

We are on a northern trip looking at jobs and it's always worth staying at one of the worlds' great Youth Hostels when traveling this way. Not only are you accommodated in a castle complete with some beautifully decorated rooms and plenty of artwork, but there are trails nearby to run and bike on. The knee seems fine after a day of rest and I have decided to rearrange this week's training to try and make the most of whatever conditions I find, opting for a longish run today.

The long loop trail goes generally upwards on forest road, track and recently constructed dirt bike paths until you hit a small lochan, then continues flat through woods to a view over the Dornoch Firth on the site of the Battle of Carbisdale (where the Royalists were soundly beaten by the Parliamentarians in our civil war). Now forest paths carry you on a long gentle descent.

I did about three of these loops and mixed in some variation including an attempt to take small paths to circumnavigate the lochan (which ended in retreat from a bog). Then I ran down to the valley floor and over the railway bridge (a footbridge was added in 2000 which makes this less of a lottery than it once was) to check out the pub opening time... which turned out to be June! A final run up a forest road takes my run to 90 minutes and a bit of navigational trouble while trying to shortcut take it to 95. A very pleasant hilly run.

27/4/09 – Lenzie

Distance: 7.83km/ 4.87miles
Altitude: 67m/ 220ft
Temp: 12°C/ 54°F
Weather: Dry

A dull drizzly day finally clears up late afternoon and we get reasonable running conditions. The trail is from Carriages bar at Lenzie Station and begins by wandering around Lenzie Moss, a wetland area north of the rail line, before we skirt the houses on the west side of town. After zig-zagging on some residential streets we end up in Kirkintilloch at the new Sports Centre where we repeat our trail from a few months ago by basically following the bike path back to Lenzie. We run under the railway again and spend a little more time in the residential streets south of the line before making our way back to the bar.

I have taken the run very gently today and again the knee is OK during but stiff afterwards. Tomorrow we head north and will have a busy day so I'll take a rest day and see how things go.

26/4/09 – Denny

Distance: 11.86km/ 7.37miles
Altitude: 67m/ 220ft
Temp: 12°C/ 54°F
Weather: Cool, windy, occasional sun

An Edinburgh hash run relatively close to Bishopbriggs (19 miles) so we decide to bike there which can mostly be accomplished on the Forth and Clyde canal with only a steep final climb up to Denny. Conditions are good for biking despite some black clouds around and we make good time to the Denny Centre where the run begins.

We begin on playing fields to the east of town before cutting back west past the new high school and south to Head of Muir where we run east again into an area of woodland where we head basically east to the M876 utilizing a maze of paths and trails. Turning north at the motorway we pick up a path on an old railway line which brings us back west and north, then turn north to run in another small wood before crossing a graveyard and getting back on a bike path back to the start.

The ride back is cold with the headwind getting up but the threatened rain stays at bay and we make the journey without any great problem. The canal towpath is busy on a Sunday afternoon though! The knee is now better after today but no worse.

25/4/09 – Two runs

Parkrun
Distance: 5km/ 3.11miles
Altitude: 76m/ 250ft
Temp: 14°C/ 57°F
Weather: Mild, pleasant

Saturday again and time for Parkrun. The weather is fine (other than the odd cold gust of wind) and the turnout huge (238, over 50 more than the previous best). The start is better today and I'm soon in stride pacing beside a girl who obviously knows what she is doing. She gets away on a couple of downhills while I pull back on the ups and just after half way I get ahead for good. A man ahead gives me something to aim for and I gradually reel him in until the last climb, where he has clearly saved a little more energy and gets away from me. Another runner just ahead of both of us has stopped to walk on the last steep up though and I get past him and stay just ahead although he finishes hard. He was on his first run here and had misjudged the tough section just before the finish, I assured him I was 30 seconds quicker second time around this run for the same reason.

In the end I get another Parkrun PB and 18.41 is getting near my actual PB of 18.30 from last year. My age graded performance is at 74.75% on their system... the big 75 is only a few seconds away! The only downside, my right knee is a bit stiff although I don't remember anything traumatic.

Bishopbriggs
Distance: 10.52km/ 6.53miles
Altitude: 76m/ 250ft
Temp: 16°C/ 61°F
Weather: Warm, hazy

Today the plan calls for a one hour hard hilly run. I reckon that the Parkrun is certainly hard with some hills so that counts 19 minutes leaving 41 minutes to go. While we live in a mountainous country and can see plenty of hills around, but Bishopbriggs is actually a rather flat place to run. I try and work out a route using what hills I can find and it makes for a good course. Beginning by warming up on the jog to Huntershill I start by climbing that hill I usually use for hill reps from a different direction (from Kirkintilloch Road. Then I run down to St Mungo's Ave and up the usual way, down the other side then on a short flat to the bottom of Balgrayhill Road in Springburn. This is a longer climb and usually boasts good views but today the atmosphere is unusually hazy.

At the top of Balgrayhill lies Spingburn Park and this gives me some up and down paths before I run down the hill though Stobhill hospital and repeat the climb of Blagrayhill Road. A slightly different run in the park brings me back to the road where I backtrack down Balgrayhill Road, over Crowhill Road and up and over Hunterhill back to Kirkintilloch road for the warmdown home.

The knee loosens up on the run but stiffens later, which is a little concerning. I'll see how tomorrow's gentler pace affects it.

24/4/09 – Bishopbriggs

Distance: 10.79km/ 6.7miles
Altitude: 76m/ 250ft
Temp: 12°C/ 54°F
Weather: Mild, still

22/4/09 – Bishopbriggs

Distance: 16.5km/ 10.25miles
Altitude: 76m/ 250ft
Temp: 10°C/ 50°F
Weather: Cool, dry

An 80 minute steady run.