Courtesy of Harrison. “You signed up for a mountain marathon, in November, in the Cairngorms. What did you expect?” I was told these words around the heating element at the mid-way camp of GMC, a two-day orienteering challenge, this year set in the area around White Mounth. A few hours previously Andy, my partner, and
I’d had a decent block of training behind me, but I’d missed two and half weeks to the cold. I was feeling good, but it had been a busy week. I was fit, but I didn’t know how fit. But I wanted to win and thought I might be able to. I started strong, soon
OK, I’ll take my own medicine. I’d spent more time on pedals than in trainers this summer and I wanted to test out the ol’ Chris Hoys in a competitive setting. The Dukes Weekender had been on my radar for a few years, so what better time to try out my local two-day gravelfest. Saturday
The alarm went at 4.50. I rolled out of bed and stood up. Tired, slight sore throat, mild blocked nose, feel like s*it. This is not happening. C’mon, you can sleep on the drive up, bit of breakfast and you’ll be brand new. Gave up trying to sleep at 07.30. Felt worse, still tired
Originally billed as ‘elites-preferred’, there was a strong field assembled at Comrie Croft last Sunday – all the usual fast guys n girls of the Scottish hill-scene and a sprinkling of handy-looking road runners keen for a race. (Apparently this scared wee Sam – he didn’t show up.) It was a beautiful sunny day
National XC 2020 I meant to write a race-report straight after, but never got round to it. I remember thinking that this was the most enjoyable race I’d done all season and that ‘the National’ definitely lived up to the hype. My memory of the race isn’t as fresh now, but I wrote
Stuc a Chroin 2012 was my first Long Classic hill race. In preparation I’d done a few 13 mile runs around the West End on the basis that Stuc was about 13 miles. Coupled with my general diet of hill-walking/climbing at the weekends I figured that this would leave me in prime shape for
When my alarm went off at 11.15 the last thing I wanted to do was get out of my sleeping bag. Leaving work at 5 on Friday and cycling to Dingwall seemed like a good idea at the time. I mean it was, but stopping for pints in Pitlochry, shots at the The Vault in
What happened? Stirling – 4 laps of a golf course in the posh part of town. Kilmarnock – 3 laps of the fields by the Ayrshire Athletics Arena Who was there? Stirling – James C, James B & Niall Kilmarnock – James C, Scott & Niall Where was everyone else? Stirling – Disgracing themselves on
The second year running of this perfectly-formed 10k and the word is clearly out – evidenced by the stacked field in attendance. I’d woken up on Saturday morning in Aberdeen with a bit of a cold which I resolved to ignore and maintain a PMA through a combination of lemsip, purposefully upbeat conversation on the