A year gone by since our 2014 Norway holiday/Norseman recce and Marie, Donnie and I were back for Marie’s actual Norseman, which perhaps not surprisingly turned out to be a tougher gig for everyone than last year’s sightseeing fun trip with no ‘touristy’ days at all (the one obvious chance of last Thursday going begging with everyone basically just too frazzled after a 24-hour journey to head out again) despite much stunning scenery etc. still enjoyed over many hours of driving. (more…)
5 August 2015
9 June 2015
Meall Gaineimh misses the mark
It was Noel Williams who alerted me to the proposed remeasurement of Meall Gaineimh on Ben Avon just days before my scheduled 601-top completion with a 6 May email jokingly asking ‘A spanner in the works????’ (more…)
7 June 2015
Yes, I can run!
Five weeks to the day after ankle sprain with avulsion, I managed a wee run (2.9-mile village loop). Still no idea whether I’m likely to prove more of a help or a hindrance to Marie’s Celtman effort, but AFAIK nothing broke, nothing ruptured, and Beinn Eighe is calling! :-)
31 May 2015
6-0-1!
Not sure quite how long ago I decided, but it’s certainly some years (and umpteen Munros) since I moved from thinking ‘how come I’ve never climbed Slioch?’ to ‘I’m saving that for last!’ And what better peak for the job when you’ve already run out of candidates within a couple of hours drive of home and a major ‘singleton’ with one of everything (Munro, Top, Deletion) has to be the perfect finish to an ‘all-time’ round of everything that’s been listed in Munro’s tables? So Slioch it’s been going to be for so long, and now Slioch it was (yesterday) with my 601-top round complete… (more…)
17 May 2015
Balancing act
Something I posted to Facebook a few hours ago that really deserves a more ‘permanent’ place here where anyone can read it. Facebook ‘friends’ can also read some nice responses over there. :-)
A strange tale of work/life balance, life/life balance, running, racing and depression… (more…)
15 May 2015
Braced for Slioch
So another visit to the doc today sets up tonight’s pithy Facebook response to last week’s Fisherfield piece:
Backslab off, brace on… Slioch *on*! :-)
6 May 2015
Fisherfield through-trip and backslab
I was with Noel when I did it, except that I wasn’t with Noel. He’d dropped me off to start along the shorter, northern leg of the Kernsary Circular Path because I’d be continuing east after A’ Mhaighdean while he’d be cycling down the slightly longer, but infinitely more bike-friendly, southern leg because he’d be coming back out west. But here I was, heading into the remotest hill terrain in Scotland on Sunday night, in trainers but carrying boots, axe etc. as ‘insurance’ against conditions on the high tops, not yet two miles off the road on a section of path so straightforward I could have been walking down the street, when my right foot suddenly, inexplicably folded inwards with an ominous grating sound… (more…)
25 April 2015
Last year of running races!
Pretty sure that I’m quitting organised running races (and not just ultras) altogether after this year. A surprise to some, perhaps, but others who’ve read the signs might even be expecting something like this… (more…)
22 April 2015
Two Lairigs plus
Two Lairigs plus (with bonus ascent of Stob Dubh) tonight… oops! ;-)
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19 April 2015
In Pinn revisited
Last time I did the Inaccessible Pinnacle of Sgurr Dearg (with Noel Williams in October 2007) it was wet, windy and absolutely hairy enough to remain temporarily unmoved by the charms of its topping ‘Bolster Stone’ where my feet were never going to follow my hands on the day. But, despite guessing a significant proportion of satisfied recent ‘Munroists’ to have stood (or even sat?) no higher than the top of the pinnacle ‘proper’, I just couldn’t head for Slioch on 30 May without first topping this highest point left since the lightning strike of Spring 2007. (more…)
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