Meall Fuar-mhonaidh Walk - 8km - untimed

Although this isn't really a training run or cycle it was hard work and took around 2.5 hours so I'm including it in the Blog.

The walk started near Drumnadrochit and wound up the boggy hills up to the the summit over looking Loch Ness. Most of it was quite steep and slippy but we made it too the top without issues. Thankfully there was no rain and we soon found ourselves at the viewpoint or 602m just shy of a Corbet (610m/2000ft). As with most climbs, the way down was tougher on the knees than the way up which is a shame as I don't think I'll be running tomorrow.

No sign of Nessie today!

Inverness Isles - 5km - 28:38

Told you I could run this faster. I wasn't expecting a PB but bloody hell I'm chuffed. Also glad as I've not done much exercise since the 20th April.

Inverness Isles - 5km - 30:33

I came up to visit Matt and KP in Inverness and there is this convenient loop round the River Ness which, fortunately, they live on the banks off. I decided to run this yesterday and it was incredibly beautiful. Unfortunately, I wasn't really paying any attention to the run as I was too busy looking at the scenery. It was a completely flat route so I'm sure I could have run it faster.

I'll give it a shot later...

Arran (Anti-Clockwise) - 94km - 4 hours 51 mins

This was overall quite horrible yesterday.

It started off with a great tail wind that blew us over Lochranza and then down most of the coast to Blackwaterfoot. However, it was in our face for the entire rest of the cycle. The going was tough and Stuart made the ferry by the skin of his teeth while Natasha and I arrived in time to watch it cast off it's ropes and head to the mainland... without us!

So we went to the pub. Watched the Rangers vs St Johnstone semi-final (which was actually very exciting as it went to penalties - and normally I hate football). Drank about 4 pints of coke. Then got the 1920 ferry back home.

I now have an aching right knee which has got me worried slightly for future training. I think I'll take the next couple of days off!

Short Southside Loop - 4km - 26:17

This was just a short run tonight as Adam had other stuff to do. None-the-less it was a full run at an ok pace with no stops. If my calculations are right then we would have done a 5km run in 32:51 at this pace which is great but more importantly I know that we are now well on our way to running the 10k with no stops in Sept.

Here's hoping we keep it up!!!

Skelmorlie Loop - 5km - 28:49

Whoo Haa!

Look at that! I actually beat my time and by a very significant 40 seconds! There is hope afterall for the next 6 weeks. One thing that was different today was that I didn't run with the iPod which I read actually slows you down as you tune out and start listening to the music and not your feet. Hence you don't "talk to yourself" on the way round and encourage yourself to run faster/longer etc.

Today I was definitely urging myself on and so it made a difference - but man, it's boring without the music!

West End Loop - 5km - 33:11

Spectacular effort today on Adam's behalf.

I was pushing for us to make it all the way to Byres Rd before our first walk but when we got there Adam said he had a bit more in him so we carried on down the street. We were aiming for Uni Ave which then became Church St which then became Dumbarton Rd and before I knew it Adam was saying, "Shall we just run the whole thing?"

So we did. He says he's not being doing any extra running but I'm not so sure!!!

Skelmorlie Loop - 5km - 30:58

First full 5km run in a while without stopping and the time was not bad especially since I did the Arran abomination less than 48 hours ago. The first flat and the hill seemed really slow and my stride was tiny. I tried to open up on the down hill and the home flat and didn't think that it was making much difference but obviously it did.

Still haven't beaten my single sub-30 time yet and a day like today would have been the one to do it on - although it was only 3C the sun was shining and there wasn't a breeze at all. It's not often that the Clyde looks so glassy.

Arran (Anti-Clockwise) - 94km - 4 hours 29 mins

Well, I don't think I'll be doing any exercise tomorrow morning.

This was awful. Actually, perhaps I should quantify that statement. Firstly it was only a trial run for next week's cycle with Natasha. In all honesty, I just wanted to see that I was up to the challenge and before I go any further I have to say this - I cycled the whole way without having to stop (apart from scheduled breaks) and there was no rain and thankfully no wind - bbc weather wrong again!

Which brings be onto my next point - I arrived at 1040 and I was planning to get the 1640 back to Ardrossan. For some reason I had it in my head that that's what we'd done on the previous Arran cycles. So I made my usual stop at the Distillery to pick up a mini of that cold filtered whiskey which always marks the victory of crossing the Lochranza hill (incidently, it's now 10 years old - the whiskey not the hill - so is in a different bottle which provided a great deal of confusion with the girl at the desk but got me a free taste).

After that I headed to Blackwaterfoot which has to be the nicest section of the ride. It's almost completely flat and the scenery was incredible as there was no wind and the water on the west coast was completely still. With snowcapped Goat Fell in the background it was quite serene.

I really wasn't going all that fast as I had planned a more leisurely inspection of the course than next weeks ride. So you can imagine my confusion as I sat outside the pub in Blackwaterfoot drinking a pint of coke and eating a packet of salt and vinegar crisps, looked at the clock and realised I only had 2 hours to catch the 1640 ferry. I couldn't quite work it out - last time we'd stopped there for a full meal - not to mention we had some really slow cyclists with us who were miles behind.

Then it sunk in... Last time we had taken the 1920 back and if I didn't get a move on then I was going to have to wait about 3 hours for the next ferry. With that I powered on and suddenly started having flash backs to the time that Serban and I had to walk a great deal of the next 20 miles.

Thankfully, I didn't miss the ferry and I managed the whole section without stops but it was terrible. Not because I couldn't do it but because time was against me and this part of the Island is particularly hilly. At points I was only doing about 4.5mph and I cursed and swore and screamed at the seemingly endless gradient.

Finally with about 10 minutes to spare, I freewheeled into the ferry terminal and boarded the boat. It was a relief to say the least but I'm glad I did it. Now I have to try and decide if next weeks cycle is going to be a race for the ferry or a meandering sightseeing tour for the first-timers. I'll be voting for the second motion.

IBM and Back - 20km - 45mins

Dismal day this morning. Freezing rain and a whole 3C on the speedo meant that my toes and fingers were numb by the first 10km. I was planning to do the 35km Greenock via Gourock route but it was just too cold. Anyway, I've not done this route since Feb and I was only 3 minutes faster - but faster none-the-less.

I'm really hoping that the 20th isn't like this as 55 miles round Arran in those conditions will be impossible. I'll need to take a back pack full of dry clothes and whiskey.

West End Loop - 5km - 35min 48sec

WOW!

A significant improvement today - not just the time but the fact that I made Adam run as far as possible. We managed only 2 stops and the first one was at least 3km in. Now we have a bench mark for future runs and as long as we keep the pace slow we should make the 5km distance without stopping by the end of the month.

After that I think we will go up to 7km then 8km then 10km. if we do those in monthly increments then we will have the whole of August to try and reduce our 10km time to a sub-1 hour time. Mind you, I did say to Adam today that the most important thing was to be able to run the race without stopping - the time is just icing on the cake.

West End Loop - 5km - 36min 20secs

Did this 2 days ago with Adam. It was our first run together in over 2 weeks and I'm pleased that we were only 12 seconds slower than our fastest time. It was a bit nippy and spat a little but otherwise was good fun. We even had the questionable joy of stopping in at the GUU for a piss which brought back a lot of even more questionable memories.

I see a definite improvement in Adam so I think that the run we are doing tonight I'm going to push him to run non-stop for as long as possible. Hopefully we can crack the 3k mark without a walk! Check back later to find out...

Bullring and Back - 20km Split 49mins, 40km Total 1 hour 29 mins

Felt quite fast today but again it was very windy. It still looks like I'm going to do the 20km cycle section in about 44 - 45 mins depending on the wind at Stirling but hopefully it won't be snowing like it was this morning.

And it was only 4C again!

Bullring and Back - 20km split 47mins, 40km total 1 hour 32 mins + Skelmorlie Steps Run (3km untimed)

Well today was difficult. I really wanted to see if I could actually run after a big cycle so I headed on the 40km round trip to Greenock and back. It was tough on the legs after yesterdays ride but I made it back in average time. Then it was off with the bike shoes and on with the trainer.

Oh dear. It was hard. I felt like my legs had no bones in them as I wobbled along the street at the pace of a crawling neonate. In saying that I still made it up the hill and down the steps and back without stopping so I'm really quite pleased.

I should point out though that I really, REALLY, didn't enjoy running after cycling and it was a crazy sensation. It's going to take a lot more practice and I think I'm going to have to bite the bullet and start running after most of my cycles.

Might give tomorrow a rest even though it's Sunday and a good day to be on the bike - but it's forcast for snow and high winds so perhaps a long lie would do me more good. Besides, I'm running with Adam in Glasgow on Monday so there's no escaping that.

Greenock Via Gourock - 20km Split 38mins, 35km Total 1hour 19mins

It was a very respectable 9C this morning and with the new tyre on the bike but a shady rickety noise coming from the back wheel (which I could attribute to anything appart from perhaps a ball bearing in the axel) I headed out for this 35km round trip.

It's been a while since I've done this one but the 20km split is the same route as the Bull Ring ride so I was really pleased when I crossed the 20km mark at 38mins. Actually, I'm tempted to say 37:59 as I saw the 37 change to 38 at the split. The fact that the seconds are broken is a bummer so I would have to put 37mins down and that would be ages before I broke that.

As you can see from the total - not much changed for the round trip but there was a horrific head wind (32mph gusts) on the way back (at one point I was in my third lowest gear ON THE FLAT). However, I think the time would have been even worse if I'd not put the new tyre on. On hindsight, I remember a massive difference in Sydney when I put that all weather tyre on the back wheel to replace my rear race tyre after it blew up. So it seems that the Schawble has been a good investment.

Skelmorlie Loop - 5km - 31:14

It's about time that I got out on the road again. I think it's over 2 weeks since I ran which it poor show to say the least. The time proves that!

Anyway, it started out at quite a good pace but towards the middle I crumbled again and the last 2km was more of a shuffle than a run. Also my right gleut started giving me gip which it's been threatening to do on the bike for ages. On the final stretch I had nothing and it was incredibly hard work getting to the end. But I did and should use this as incentive to get back to a sub 30min time.

Of note - Adam has been galavanting for the last couple of weeks also but wants to hit the tarmac on Monday evening so that'll be a definite run for both of us.

Incidently, I think the indoor trainer has destroyed my rear tyre. There's a single bald patch which is now warped as the inner tube tries to make a bid for freedom. Having investigated what's going on I think that the turbo-trainer fly-wheel gets so hot during a cycle that if I leave the bike attached afterwards then the metal melts the rubber. Bought a new tyre to replace it but I don't want it to happen again. Perhaps I should just brave the traffic and spend more time on the road with my lovely new Schwalbe tyre - I got the blue one!