Highland Cross 2012: Broken records and 'broken' ankles.....

Well we've done it! Another Highland Cross completed and a fantastic result all around. The provisional results are up on the Highland Cross website and there are plenty of fast times & good results for everyone who took part to be proud of.

 The day started off pretty grey and cloudy in the square at Beauly for the running contingent of the team. The forecast had been quite clear that there would be torrential rain at some point in the day. I received a text from Martin suggesting it was sunnier on route to the start but Friday had seen Glasgow experiencing thunder, lightening and power cuts which were then due to start heading North towards where we'd be competing. 

It was very difficult to stay positive with news like that even if Martin was seeing blue skies. So we boarded the bus and wondered at what point this dreadful weather would hit us, and started to try and mentally prepare for the day ahead. The drive to the start passes through some fantastic scenery, and the air was so still that we started to fear the day may start with 'midges' to add to the torture. However along with the slowly appearing blue skies that Martin had promised us it gave us some wonderful views to keep us distracted until we reached the start line.

The marshals at the start line were as organised as usual and we had registered, picked up our safety wrist bands, and were warming up by jogging around the start line before we knew it. The weather was still dry, the ground was fairly dry underfoot, and Callum, one of the main organisers, announced that the conditions were likely to be fairly similar throughout. Never the less the threat of rain was ever ominous in the grey clouds in the distance and we remained sure of wet weather as we kept long sleeved tops with us for the run and handed in the 'start bag'. Handing in your 'start bag' is one of those defining moments of the start of the Highland Cross, it feels like one of those 'no turning back now' occasions: in the single movement of handing in a bag you've declared you now have everything you need to run, you don't need anything else out of your bag, they can take it back to Beauly and you'll pick it up there. Gulp! 

 

Colin and I had a plan this year in hope of getting in better times, it consisted largely of keeping to the front of the field as much as possible for the few miles until the hill climb at Allt Grannda so that we didn't get stuck behind too many walking up the hill in single track. Our hope was we could do this without tiring ourselves out and give ourselves a bit of a headstart on our times from last year.  Despite the poor forecast we decided we would stick to the plan and lined ourselves up at the start. 


Colin has always been much better at ascents than me and I much prefer to warm up slowly but when the starting gun went off I kept the plan in mind and we kept up a slightly faster pace than usual, trying to keep in with the front runners for the first few miles. As far as plans go it was a tough one to stick to as we did the first 3.5-4 miles to Glen Licht House in under 30 minutes, a much faster pace than either of us were used to

However it did make the hill ascent easier for both of us in that there was a much better pace for the ascent. In fact as far as tactics for the event go, it was definitely a good one. Unfortunately for Colin he wasn't feeling as strong as usual, and possibly because of the fast start, though we will never know, he didn't make quite the advantage on the hill as he would normally do and got a bit of a stitch as he topped out - so he didn't get quite as far in front of me as he would have liked. I would be lying if I said I found the fast pace at the start easy but I was lucky in that I had less expectation of myself on the hill climb. Maybe we need more sprint training next year!


Never the less despite the fast start, I was feeling good and as the ground levelled out I started to pick up some speed again. It was around this point that I went over my ankle. I was leaping down a single track section and landed peculiarly on the slightly slippy ground. There was a short sharp pain and I let out a rather large yelp, resulting in several people checking I was ok. I tenderly tried to walk on it and decided it definitely hurt but it wasn't broken as I could stand on it! I then discovered it was easier to run on it as I didn't step so heavily on it. Having completed the route several times before, I knew I was probably under a mile from Camban Bothy, and I made the decision to keep going until Camban and see how it went. As I turned the corner to Camban there were two of radio team helping out someone with some sun cream (yes I did say sun cream!) and they turned round, saw me and yelled out asking after my ankle. The efficiency of the radio team never ceases to amaze me. Colin told me later that he had found out a girl with long hair had gone over her ankle behind him because the word was coming down the field so it could be passed to the next check point. 


Therefore by the time I got to Camban they were expecting me, I suspect there were not many girls with long hair between them finding out and my arriving so I must have been distinctive! I decided that if I'd managed to run that mile ok I would be fine to keep going so I thanked them, said I would try carrying on and passed on my picking up some water from the kind team at the bothy. Boosted by adrenaline, some sugary gel, and some water I thus kept going and concentrated on trying to maintain a good pace. I was aware of my ankle but was starting to forget about it when I past Colin heading down towards the Youth Hostel. He was still suffering from a stitch so I tried to shout some encouragement and then carried on. You have to run your own race or you tire yourself out running at an uncomfortable pace. I then promptly ran through a puddle and slightly went over my ankle a second time, resulting in another involuntary yelp. At this point I decided that I really needed to stick to the flatter/drier ground where possible and walked through all future puddles. In general the ground was very dry and fast going, however where water had fallen it had pooled in puddles rather than soaking in which made the next few miles quite an obstacle course... Needless to say the river crossing was forded with extreme care!


I had no idea where Colin was but he kept me in his sights until nearly the Athnamulloch bridge and was incredibly close behind me, despite him saying he was having a tough run he was keeping up a cracking pace. I reached the bridge in under 2hrs 20 minutes which is averaging under 10 minute miles so I was very pleased. Up until this point there had been a few drizzly showers but nothing like the rain we had expected and I was really enjoying the run. I ran the yellow brick road leap frogging a guy who had been right behind me when I went over my ankle the first time. He said he'd seen me slip and my ankle go, and couldn't believe I'd managed to keep running. Thus encouraged and with someone to help keep pace we both kept each other motivated to complete the final 6 miles to the change over without slowing. Thanking him I rushed off to pick up my bike. 


I quickly checked my time and realised that if I could get in a time of under 2 hours on the bike I could beat Mum's personal best. I still had no idea how close behind me Colin was but all thoughts of beating him went out of my head with the possibility of beating my Mum's best time a real possibility this year. Helped by an incredibly efficient guy at change over I was out on the bike in no time and spent the duration of the cycle shouting at myself to keep a high average speed and to ignore the impending cramp in my right leg, and the nagging ankle on my left foot! Again we were lucky with the weather and though there was some rain and the roads were clearly very wet and slippery but it seemed we had a tail wind and it wasn't too cold so the cycling was considerably easier than usual..... and that's how I somehow or another completed the bike section in around 1 hour 45 giving a total time of 5 hours 4 minutes 36 seconds, giving myself a new PB and finally beating my Mum's personal best. 



Unfortunately the clock at the finish line had given up, the bad weather had it seemed hit Beauly rather than the rest of the race, and thankfully early enough that the majority of the competitors didn't get caught in it. It had been so bad that Beauly had flash flooded and they had some real safety fears. It had subsided, however we suspect that this is what finished off the overhead clock. So I crossed the line not totally sure how well I'd done, saw Mum and nearly crashed into Callum asking the poor bemused guy: "Have I beaten her this year?" I do hope he forgives me!
I then needed to find someone to help me get off the bike because I had a sinking feeling that my ankle would balloon up just as soon as it realised it didn't need to work any more. (Needless to say this was a fairly accurate assessment!)

Colin crossed the line 6 minutes behind me in 5 hours 10 minutes 25 seconds also beating Mum's personal best, he too had suffered cramp on the bike but I suspect he had it much worse than me as he hadn't managed to catch me despite completing the run in an absolutely fantastic time only 15 minutes or so behind me. If he'd had a better day on the bike he would definitely have caught me! All in all though, we did fantastic times, were much further up the field than last year, and the whole team got Personal Bests which is a great achievement all round. (You can get Martin's story on here too)

I have no doubt that the bad weather forecast and the dread of the weather which never came helped to make the event so enjoyable this year. We had big grins on our faces at the end of the day, and yet again huge thanks are due to the amazing efforts of all the marshals, stewards, volunteers, and organisers who donate their time every year to making the event such a fantastic success.

This year we proudly took the family tradition to the next level but I fear we have created a new challenge and a new milestone. We are now taking the family team forwards and I have a sneaking suspicion our story isn't over yet.....

The finishing team, proud of a great result

Highland Crossing the Finish Line

A bowl of porridge, and a pleasant bus journey from Beauly to Kintail started the day, with poor weather forecast for the whole day making me nervous. As the bus reached Loch Cluanie though I could see blue skies, and texted the rest of the team with encouragement, only to receive a text back saying "Thunderstorms and Lightening forecast for the day!".

We pulled in to the start and I got my safety bands attached, then made a beeline for the bacon rolls!

We started 4 minutes late, due to two people thinking they had the same number, causing much confusion, however I managed to find myself a spot near the front of the crowd.

It was a pleasant walk towards Glenlicht house and the first watering station, and I enjoyed the first real climb of the day shortly afterwards.

I got it wrong at the waterfall watering station, mistaking a bin full of water for a rubbish bin, and put the cup in there, oops! The kind helper said she would get it though so I pressed onwards.

Reaching the summit of the pass I felt great and prepared to pose for the photo, but the photographer who is normally there had been scared away by the poor forecast!

It was an enjoyable stroll now to Camban and the next water station, and I took the chance to ease on the pace enough to catch my breath. I felt I was doing fairly well, and enjoyed a chat with some other walkers.

As we approached Alltbeithe youth hostel, the person I was walking with told me that her best walking time was 6 hours 25 and I was on pace for that, which gave me heart, as I did want to take some time off my previous attempts.

As I was approaching the last slope over towards Athnamulloch and the sandwich station, I was expecting to hear the race marshal motorbike behind me to alert us to the first runners, but I was surprised to make it over the bridge before a glimpse of them.

I decided to put my "Don't Stop!" plan in to action, and grabbed some sandiwches (Thanks ladies, they were well delicious and just what I needed!), and kept going on towards the yellow brick road.

Normally by this point I would be feeling quite stiff and achey from the effort of the climbs and descents, but this year I felt quite fresh, and also encouraged by the fact that no runners had caught up.

The first runner caught me up around half way to Affric Lodge, and I checked my clock, seeing I should be able to get to the change over around half past 1 ... this meant I was on for a cracking walk time of 4 hours 30 mins ... I had been worried about being able to manage it in the 5 hours I needed to beat my old time!

Thus inspired I kept on, and the yellow brick road seemed to just flow past, with the odd shower to keep me cool, making it to the change over at 1333h!

I took care to stretch at the change over, and almost cramped up trying to change my socks, but through will power managed to get ready in just 10 minutes (including a much needed nature break!). I soon got in to a rhythm on the bike and with my computer to guide me on distance, started to real in some of the walkers ahead of me.

Quite a few runners overtook me on the cycle, but I wasn't too bothered, as I could tell from their hi-vis vests that they were runners, so were far fitter than any normal human being should be ;-)

The Braes Of Liath had a lot of surface water, and the sharp corners made me quite nervous so I made sure to get round the corners safely rather than silly speeds, then suddenly I was at the junction where the road was open to traffic. I had more confidence this time that the marshalls were stopping the traffic, so I managed to keep good momentum heading in towards Cannich.

The ride seemed shorter, though that could have been helped by the fact I had my bike computer this time so could judge how far I had gone and how much distance was left. Aigas brae was much further on than I remembered, but knowing that from the mileage on my clock, allowed me to put in the extra effort needed to keep going at a higher average speed afterwards.

As ever, the bridge towards Beauly almost broke me, and two cyclists over took me as I reached that, but once I hit the summit I dug in and headed for the (new) finish line. I took care to not slide off the kerb, and looked up at the clock above the finish line to see "4:27:30" as I went the last few meters.

The clock is for the runners, which meant I had to add 2 hours to the time, and since we started 4 minutes late I could take 4 minutes off too .. my best before had been 6:57:58, which means I took 34 minutes off my old time!

Epic win! Mum and Dad both met me at the finish line which was a nice surprise, and I was overcome with joy about how well I had done.

Sara and Colin came in while I was taking a nice cold shower and changing in to some dry/comfortable clothes, and I discovered that the finish line clock (just the display to give an indication to the contestants) had broken and was now showing "0:_ :  ". I couldn't find them so went to the information board where I saw who beat who between Sara and Colin ... though I didn't find out till today that it was only by 6 minutes!

I don't think I can do much better than my new time, and I've been threatened with Team Abandonment if I don't run it next year, so I have to carefully consider my options! I definitely want to take part ... we'll see how I feel closer to application time!

I'll leave the running blog part for Sara and Colin to update (Both got personal bests!), but overall it's been a great Crossing, and I thoroughly enjoyed myself :-)

Over the hill - and through the forest marsh

Well, my last hill day of the training has been achieved, with a fantastic trip up Ben Venue. The day started late, as my friend (with the essential car!) was late. We made good time on the drive up there though, as the roads were deserted ... I suspect everyone and my sister were heading to Dunblane to see the torch?

We stopped off for a wake-up coffee in Aberfoyle, and then headed over Duke's Pass to Achray hotel, and had a look at the Ben Venue Car Park .. it was £3 for a day's parking. As it hadn't been my planned car park, we went on to the car park at the foot of Loch Katrine (where the Sir Walter Scott steam boat can be boarded), and saw that it was £5 to park there. We headed back down the road to where the path was and found a free parking space to fit one car ... success!


It was a pleasant forest walk through, er, the forest, though as with all forest walks, navigation even with map and compass was a challenge. Lack of visibility of the hills makes taking bearings quite hard!
We made the right choices though, and then were diverted due to major tree felling.

We reached a clearing soon though and I decided that since I could see a great line up the hill from where we were, we would go that way. It made for an enjoyable climb up the slopes, with a sighting of some feral goats near the summit!

We took in the views of pretty much the entire country from what I could tell. Well, I may be exaggerating slightly, but visibility was certainly well in excess of what I normally get on the tops. I suspect if there hadn't been hills in the way, it would be over 40km!

After enjoying some sandwiches and coffee at the top, we headed back down the official path, untill we made it to the other end of the forestry commission diversion.

Things got interesting after this point. While there was a nice set of blue electrical tape marked posts to follow for a while, we made it to an inviting looking fire break area and started along that, completely missing the guide post that would have led us to the left (north). This resulted in a swamp run, where both Marthos and I ended up half way up to our knees in thick mossy mud. Having made it across two of these our only option was to press on and hope we could find the way.

I carefully made sure to keep the hill in sight and used that to make sure we got back to the road (only about 20 meters from where we would have arrived, go me!).

After changing out of our boots at the car, (I had a paddle in the river when we got to a bridge to clear out the worst of the muck), and in to some more comfortable stuff, we went on to Callander where we enjoyed a well earned chippy by the riverside with a nice view of Ben Ledi.

Well ... if I'm not hill fit for the cross by now, I never will be, so I have to consider it done and resist temptation to do another hill next week!

Inspiring Flames and Fearful Sprints - it's all in a day's training?!

Today has been an odd day. It started off with the excitement of watching the Olympic Torch Relay passing through Dunblane, and ended with a rather scary experience with a herd of 'killer coos' up on Dumyat... certainly not a normal day of training!

Now before you accuse me of being melodramatic I was with Colin when I was running up Dumyat and even he will admit the cows were scary, but I'll get to that in a moment. First let me briefly share with you a couple of snaps from the Torch Relay at Dunblane today.

I decided to spend this morning in Dunblane so that I could get to see the Olympic Torch. Colin was hugely jealous and I felt a little bit guilty as he couldn't be there. However this once in a lifetime opportunity to see the Olympic Flame, and be part of the crowds welcoming it in Scotland was too good an opportunity to miss and I set out on a mission to at least capture a photo for him. 

When you read about the amazing stories of the torch bearers, and think about how hard the athletes who are competing in the Olympics have trained it puts our small training plan for Highland Cross into perspective. 

I've enjoyed following the torch via the BBC site and the really good tweets from Citizen Relay who have been tracking the torch through Scotland, and the crowds at Dunblane didn't disappoint - the kids from the local schools giving out huge cheers to everyone including the police escort. It was lovely to see the officers waving and cheering along with the crowd and it just shows what a huge community spirit we have around here and how supportive everyone is.  There was great atmosphere all morning, and the Beech Cafe and all the local stores seemed to be buzzing with people. A great opportunity for the town all round. 

With all that positivity I set off out on this evening's training run up Dumyat determined to get in a good fast time. Colin and I set off at a slightly faster pace than usual, I think it's fair to say there was a degree of competitiveness in the air. I was slightly ahead as we came over the first little hill when .... yup, we were confronted with a small herd of Highland Cows. Those of you who have followed my training blogs for a number of years, or who have ever been walking around cows with me will know that I am not a huge fan of cows, so immediately I hid behind Colin - all thoughts of beating him vanished! There was a number of baby highland cows around which did indeed look very cute and particularly hairy however their mothers did not look so pleased to see us and were even less impressed when Colin tried to shoo them off the path. In fact they started mooing in a most unimpressed manner and one stared at us in a way that can only be described as "Come and Have a Go if You think You're Hard Enuff!" - we weren't. Even Colin admitted these cows had the potential to be killer cows, and we headed rather quickly into the bracken in search of another route. We picked up a path which was a slight detour and sprinted along it hoping to come out the other side before the, now moving, herd of cows got there so we didn't have to meet them again. I can honestly say that I have never ran that fast up a hill before! The incentive of killer coos behind me was certainly far more effective than the inspiration of the olympic torch! We had just about calmed down and were feeling good as we raced each other down the descent, and by all appearances it looked like the cows had gone elsewhere when we came over a small blind summit and came face to face with the herd of cows again.... I screeched to a halt, slipped over on my behind as my feet disappeared down the scree below, and the two of us immediately bolted for the bracken again. With a stop and a detour on the way up, and a fall and a detour on the way down, it was inevitable that despite feeling like we'd run the fastest we could run we had actually run no faster than any of our times last year! All I can say is that my heart rate was certainly pretty fast whatever speed we were running at.

So there you have it, from olympic torches to killer coos - it was certainly quite enough excitement for one day and I'm hoping the last few days of training are slightly less eventful so we can get in some of that much needed rest and recovery ready for the big day. 10 more sleeps!