Ben Lomond - practice run - 2 weeks and counting

It was time to gauge how I was really doing and just see how bad I was. I arrived at the car park at 0705, changed and checked my watch. Breakfast was porridge and banana - I only had porridge last time so I'd need to see if there was a difference, intrinsic anomalies aside. I set off at 0709 and began the run through the forest, which has been severely decimated since I was last there. I didn't want to check my watch too often but I was really struggling and it was steeper than I imagined it to be. Out of the 'forest' and I was down to a walk and really peching. Eventually the gradient relented and I began jogging along the flat part but not on a constant basis - must rectify next time. The steep slog up to the summit was longer and steeper than I remembered (it always is). As I located the trig point, I was disappointed at my ascent time of 1 hour 17 minutes. I had hoped for something more like 1 hour. I didn't hang about and began the pad down. I felt strong and thought I could get down in 30 minutes. However, about 1 mile out, I really hit the wall and was reduced to a walk. What was going on? I eventually picked up the pace and got back to the car at 0905, with my descent time of 39 minutes. In total, 1 hour 56 minutes, which will get me a placing of 4th or 5th from last. Disappointed but I know I can do better. I have two weeks to eat well, drink nowt (apart from the night!) and do some more fitness work. I am sure I can shave 11 minutes off that time and hit the 105 minute target. If anything, apathy sure won't get the better of me.

Ben Lomond practice - Ben Arthur

I felt the need for speed and to see how I was doing in terms of practice for the Ben Lomond hill run. With only 3.5 weeks to go, I had to try something steepish, longish and toughish. I had never been up the Cobbler before so I thought I'd head up on a weekday early. I left Glasgow at 0650 and was at the Succoth car park for 0755. On the drive up, I had noticed a fair dump of snow on the hills which I had not banked on. I didn't have much gear for the hill - waterproof jacket, new Berghaus waterproof troosers, my trainers and a will to get up and down as quick as possible. I set off up the new path and it wasn't long before I realised it was a steep initial climb. Long enough to realise I wasn't running anymore and just concentrating on the lactic acid burn in my buttocks and calves. I walked up and jogged when I could before I hit the 1100ft mark in 20 minutes. Not bad - could I keep it going? Once past the Narnian boulders, things flattened out a little and I was running nicely, which surprised me - my fitness had obviously improved. However, once I got to the bealach at 640m (2100ft?), I realised I was up to my knees in snow and I couldn't locate the path anymore. It had stopped becoming a running exercise and was now a proper Winter hill-walk for which I was not properly equipped. 40 minutes to this point and thus on for scaling Lomond in an hour? I decided to head back down and began the sprint back. I passed 2 surprised onlookers and nearly cowped head over heels - how embarassing but still kept going. I hit the car park in 22 minutes descent and with 5 minutes fannying about at the bealach, gave myself some hope that I can get up and down BL in 90-100 minutes and not finish last. My last practice run is Lomond next week - judgement time.
Once back home, I got showered and into work for 1200 - and near enough fell asleep! 4 days on and the muscles are totally recovered. Bring it on.

Ricky Pig on Sgiath Chuil

The MWIS forecast was not promising - an Arctic wind, snow and moving South over the course of the day. However, we (me, David and Mark) decided to hit the hills early and beat the poor weather for an attempt on Sgiath Chuil and Meall Glas, if the weather held. We parked beside the private road to Auchessan and the view up to Ben More was splendid. It was a lovely, sunny cold April day and we followed the excellent track up past the farm and on to the open hill-side. We approached a herd of deer and this prompted a story about a deer being fed a bacon roll, up at the van before Rannoch Moor. Forget the issue of climate change, we can't have our venison being tainted with ricky pig! It's jist nae right. Once we had digested this anecdote, we began the steep plod up the South face of Sgiath. The weather was good but as we ascended, the dark clouds were sweeping in over Ben Challum in the distance. After some lung-bursting strides, we made our way up to the craggy summit, revelling in the unseasonably warm temperatures and laughing at the -20C wind chill predictions. Until we actually got on to the summit. As usual, you can't prepare yourself for that icy blast and we didn't hing aboot. A couple of chirpy summit shots and we were on our way back down as the weather had changed. We stopped for lunch in the sheltered area below the summit - I had chilli con carne a la Emma and once again retained the top prize for the lunch du jour as David and Mark tucked into their wheat products. The route back was uneventful though the snow was beginning to pick up and self-congratulation was in evidence in our decision-making. As we supped our wee ales back at the Lade Inn, we revelled in an enjoyable and for once, uncomplicated day on the hill and postulated on how good it would be to take a driver and golf ball and hit a ball from a Munro summit, twice the distance of Tiger Woods. Sun-stroke? Fore!

Ben Lomond Training - Tinto run

On Saturday (6 weeks until race day), I was lucky enough to get a lift to Tinto by Fraser. Because I'd had a couple of beers the night before and wasn't really fit. Not ideal preparation. But a valuable lesson in that I'm officially aff the booze until the 10th May. It was a bleak day and we set off on a slow run. Despite my relative insobriety, I managed the ascent in 40 minutes (460m climb) although I didn't know whether to vomit or shit myself. Fraser was fit enough and right behind me. We touched the summit, while the snow fell and bombed it down to the car park - down in 17 minutes for a combined time of 57 minutes. Ben Lomond is twice as long and high as this route so my time should be about 2 hours, unless I can augment my ascent speed. Have 2 or 3 Munro's planned this Saturday and therafter, I'll be running the Munro's before my practice run up Ben Lomond on the 26th April. Pretty sure I can bomb down BL in 30 minutes but going up will be the problem. Raising a fantastic amount so far for Scottish Motor Neurone's Disease so hope to break the £400 mark soon - www.justgiving.com/kevinpollock