Training Log Archive: Kitch

From Flotterstonefolowed the Turnhouse race route out through the woods then across to Fala Knowe. Zig-zagged up the side of Carnethy in the heather. Then dropped off SW and contoured along to the saddle, contoured across the north flank of Scald Law and dropped in to Logan Burn the across Hare Hill and down into Green Clough. Over Black Hill staying off any trods. Descent over Gask Hill and above Logan House. Then crossed the burn and scirted Turnhouse past the biscuit van.
All in fabulous sunshine.
Main feature of this run was inertia. Didn't feel like dong anything hard but once I was doing something hard - mostly climbing in heather, then I was pushing on strongly and comfortably.
Good
4.5k

Walk over Castle Law with the kids
turns out they are genetically programmed to run through heather,
and roll down hill in it.

C • Run through heather 2

loosener, lap of Inverleith park.
a bit surprised, but pleased to be doing this. Could be an addiction.
Yesterday I found myself running on compulsion. A couple of times I would spot a line then choose an easier line but then find my body went straight for the original harder line with me thinking "thats not what I said !"

The Braes of Balquhidder - or a Rob Roy Round.
This was a traverse of the 7 Munros west of Balquhidder starting and finishing at Inverlochlarig, the site of Rob Roy's house.
The 7 Munros are arranged across 4 parallel ridges that run roughly north south. My route took in the ridges from west to east, each reaching greater heights than the last.
The hills are bounded to the south by a deep glen 20km long from its western head to its eastern foot, yet the map gives it no name (Glen Larig doesn't really work, Glen Doine ? Glen Voil ? Balquhidder Glen ?). On the north-west Glen Falloch and Glen Dochart.
I drove up on Wednesday night and parked up in the deep dark glen, as the engine noise died I heard some faint sounds from outside but told myself to stop imagining things and not to get spooked. I hopped out and it was immediately and loudly obvious what the noise was; stags bellowing from every point on the compass - The Rut is well and truly on.
I woke up to the van beig rocked and looked out to see a cow, several cows being moved through the carpark. It was still dark and as I hopped out the farmer apologised and I said I wasn't bothered as I wanted an early start. The night was amazing. Hills and trees in blackest blue and bottle green were outlined by the silver moonlight. Some birds flew over picked out and sparkling in the moonlight, it all looked like a night scene from Avatar. There seemed to be an awful lot of cyclists in the car park getting ready to follow the Rob Roy cycle route, there were cars everywhere and I lost the van. After wandering for a while I found myself down by the main road, a long way from where I was parked. I couldn't understand how I'd got that far and decided this was a stupid dream and it was time to wake up. I didn't wake up so no, not dreaming. I asked if someone could get me back to my van and this woman turned up and started walking me back. We went into her cottage in Balquhidder and she told me about her boutiquey clothing business called Ogilvie (pronounced Og'vie) and showed me the catalogue. I was getting more and more fed up and sat on the sofa I started to fall asleep. As I fell asleep I woke up. Stupid dream.
Alarm at 5:15. Porridge, hot drinks, dress. Off at 6am, darkness, moonlight and bellowing stags. The moon was bright enough not to need a headtorch so I took a couple of minor detours on the track due to not being able to see my map, soon enough though I was heading up the glen on the main/only track. 9km later and with the light rising my timing is just right to leave the track with plenty of light to see the not too rough ground and start the climb of the first hill, Beinn Chabhair (as in - toss the - I reckon).
As I climbed the dawn broke fully behind me and I kept stopping to turn and take photos of the red skies, red crags, red deer all of which broke the climb so that it didn't seem to take long at all.
From the summit my route is NE to the bealach below An Caisteal. Because I'm dropping off the side of the ridge the first section is really precipitous and I slow down to keep control, then it gets a bit craggy and I need to zig-zag between and around. The climb up An Caisteal is a direct slog up the steep side, but again its soon done - normally I'd be leaving the house to take Sam to School.
South now along the ridge the twisty, turny, uppy, downy, slippy, slidey ridge, all tortured rock and crags - Im guessing this turreted, castellated ridge is why it is An Caisteal.
Beinn a Chroin is a short climb, only about 150m onto a long curved ridge of tops, with an Alien shaped rock sitting on the first.
Again the descent off the side of this second ridge is seriously steep and I end up heading SE instead of north in order to bring myself down and safely onto easier ground to reach the bealach. From here a risign traverse eastwards to climb Beinn Tuaichean and then an easy ridge run north and the climb to Cruach Ardrain.
The map and the view (no view) over the edge from the summit suggest sheer crags and I realise that maybe the small side path that I spotted on the way up perhaps has a use. I double back southwards and then spiral round and down the mountain first on the faint foot path, then on a small hoof track, until I reach the bealach below Stob Garbh. Over this and a final pitch off the steep side, more weaving and careful picking of safe lines down through the steep and craggy ground.
These first 3 ridges have all been of twisted, cracked and shattered rock, crags and huge boulders dotting the hillsides and populating the coires. From a distance the hills look soft an bumpy but the drama is up close in and amongst the rock. Looking across to the final ridge of the day its clear that I am crossing to a different geology. Ben More and Stob Binnein are smoother sided more conical hills, less craggy but higher by a good step and with rather more snow sitting.
Ben More is the last big climb and I slog it out, up into the cloud and onto the wet, treacherous snow. Tag, turn and descend, then on up the last hill, Stob Binnein is just 9m lower than the Big Mountain so still a climb of 300m. From here a long, thin ridge descends gently for 2 miles, on fresh legs this would be fast and fun. Finally a steep descent of the end of the ridge brings me straight down to the car park and I'm done, finishing feeling pretty good I think strength is really starting to build.
A grand day out

End of track 51
Beinn a Chabhair 56
An Caisteal 44
Beinn a Chroin 27
Beinn Tulaichean 1:13
Cruach Ardrain 30
(Stob Garbh) 30
(bealach) 29
Ben More 1:08
Stob Binnein 37
Inverlochlarig 46
8k

Oh, oh ! Mhor Pies ! DEEEELICIOUS ! Not actually big, but super moreish. Best pie ever. Got it in the Strathyre village shop. Chicken and leek pie. packed with lean chicken plenty of leek, just enough gravy to keep it all beautifully moist, pastry tasty and not greasy. Fabulous. Worth stopping for, possibly even worth driving up there for. (and going for a run to earn it, in fact 2 runs, so you can have 2, wish I'd bought 2)

C • Mhor pies 1

trotting around the Meadows whilst EUOC did intervals

C • Eureka - how you used to train.... 1

Intervals on the railways.
Warm up down to the Shore, across and back up Hawthornvale.
reps from 5 ways. 4 x 800, 60 seconds recovery
2:48, 2:52, 2:52, 2:49
Warm down lap of Victoria Park and back from there.
Good session, which, as is often the case, I wasn't particularly looking forward to but then it went well and felt ok.
new shoes felt nice and bouncy, 3 pairs of trainers isn't much use when they are all knackered. (I've been in a bit of a shoe wilderness recently).
left calf not niggling whilst doing reps as it was last week
right glut also ok (though has been tight since last weeks session)
both a bit tight after this session so a good bit of stretching to counter.
pleased.