Petestack Blog

This weekend I was marshalling on the West Highland Way Race. Six hours last night assisting Duncan Watson at the Lundavra checkpoint (where I helped to set/maintain the bonfire and saw all the leaders go through) followed by an even longer stint from 5.00am this morning sweeping the course from Kinlochleven to the Fort to bring the tail-enders home. (more…)

Haven’t done much running since pulling out of the big race three weeks ago, so not much to say here except that it was a timely decision. Have managed approximately weekly (rather than daily) runs since, with back-to-back outings yesterday and Sunday, but definitely still carrying some kind of niggle to my right hamstring and surely would have been struggling to cover the necessary May mileage even without my current climbing commitments. Also met the cavalry (or maybe just about half a dozen horses with riders) on Sunday where the top end of the ‘white’ trail meets the Mamore track at NN 190632, and think that’s a first for my runs out of the village!

Having done the West Highland Way Race in 2007 and wanting to give it another go sometime but not immediately, I’d found myself drawn back for 2009 after assisting at the Kinlochleven checkpoint and through the Lairig Mor in 2008. But, despite taking a somewhat reluctant decision to leave the boat ashore again this year to give me some chance of notching up the necessary training mileage, things still had to run (no pun intended!) to a pretty tight schedule to get there with other competing interests like climbing back on the agenda. (more…)

Having spent quite a few days of the past fortnight rock climbing but kept myself running on every day I wasn’t out on the rock, I’d hoped to manage a run on absolutely every day this week including something short before tomorrow evening’s proposed first Polldubh Club outdoor meet. (more…)

After taking a few days off to go climbing with Jamie H and Angus, I’ve been running again since Monday and feeling stronger for the break. So this afternoon I ran over the Devil’s Staircase to Altnafeadh and back in good conditions (sunshine and light showers), and came home with my first ‘sub-2’ in a while (not in my top four or five at 1:58 or 59, but still my fastest since 2006). Also pleased to report that I ran absolutely every step of the way (not always the quickest thing on hill runs, but satisfying self-discipline for training) and turned straight round without stopping when I hit the roadside in Glen Coe.

There’s fresh snow on the hills, but not quite down to the top of the Devil’s, so I’d put the snowline at about 650 to 700m. And the walkers are starting to return in force, along with a few mountain bikers.

Quite recently (a week or two back?) I suddenly found myself wondering why, in all my many, many trips to the Dam, I’d never taken the obvious through route from Altnafeadh when it’s broad, characterised by gentle gradients and quite clearly the shortest approach from any road. So I decided pretty well there and then to try it out (as part of a loop taking in both Devil’s Staircase and Dam) at the first reasonable opportunity, and took that chance today. (more…)

I should be running! Or something like that. (Just can’t afford to pass up the chance of a good workout with the big race in June.) (more…)

Another wet and windy weekend day that just didn’t say ‘let’s go climbing’, so I had to get out for a decent run, and found it in a route to the Blackwater Dam that I’ve unaccountably never taken before! (more…)

It’s raining cats and dogs today. Can’t say that stopped me trying to run to the Blackwater Dam by the Ciaran Path, but it was ‘upstream’ (think about it!) all the way and I had to turn back at the bad ford at the Allt Coire na Duibhe (NN 226606), which was absolutely raging and a long way beyond justifiable. Think that’s only the second or third time ever I’ve turned there for that reason, but I’d likely be floating down the River Leven right now if I hadn’t!

Finished by a clockwise ‘big lap’ of the village to make up the lost mileage, and found that quite strange because I’ve always run it anticlockwise before. Also pleased to report that today’s my fifth in a row of decent off-road running, so the March masterplan seems to be working so far. :-)

So I managed to kick myself out of the house for a run this evening (6.3 mile hill/road combo up past Mamore Lodge and the mast and then round the village)… (more…)