Fling weekend
This weekend was my weekend to meet the guys running the highland fling...well nervous!
The plan is to run from Beinglas Farm, along the 'technical section' to Rowardennan as far as you like, then turn around and run back again. Simple enough, and I can't imagine that the technicality of the trail is too bad, just to be slow going.
I elected to stay in Glasgow the night before the big run to get a night in my own bed, and then go up early doors, Kristan elected to do the same, Lucy bowed out due to an injury I think. It was c-c-c-cold morning, with rain and wind thrown in....one of those runs that will benchmark others in terms of weather, I can hear myself saying ...."if i can put up with this ill put up with anything" ... !!
We set off at like, 9am from the farm, and all was ok, Kristan and me ended up at the back of the pack initially but we got a good canter on, and then I lost him somewhere before Inversnaid, in the first 8k or so I think. I decided during the first bit that I was aiming for 5 hours time on legs, or 11 miles out and back again with a total of 22miles, after the run with Kat last weekend at 20miles. All was well, weather wasn't too bad, ended up rock climbing at Rob Roy's Cave so potentially went the wrong way there ... and was fully expecting to see the leaders going the other way when the group turned, but I didn't see anyone...at all really?! A group in the end after the track splits, said "you're on your own now unless you come with us!" which was weird, as I STILL hadn't seen the front runners? Dunno. But I eventually turned and came back, and missed a junction and ended up almost lost...lol....just decided to head north again and keep the loch on the left....excellent nav there. I was knackered before I even set off back...eventually, caught sight of Inveruglas...realised i was getting there, and was motivated. Then the last miles went on and on and on....then i caught Kristan, who it turned out was miserable, had taken a fall and cut his hand and it was all raining on us by that point and pretty freezing. We bullied each other through the last few and were having serious second thoughts about the whole fling thing! I piped up with "lets not make any decisions whilst tired and cold, go home and think on it"...and we both did, and decided it was just type II fun talking...! In the end I covered 22 miles (11 out and back) and it took bang on 5 hours! Think Kristan also covered a similar amount in the same time...good effort in the sideways rain/sleet!
The rest of the evening was just get to the hostel, and eat, shower, and chat to folks...dinner was awesome, I met Kirsty the owner who was lovely, and lots of other fling nutters too! What a bunch. Got a great talk by Matt Williamson from Bearsden physio about knees and running, won an ultimate direction belt in the Q&A comp (YEY!) and got free socks, free wine, and did 2 yoga sessions while I was there too. Brilliant little boot camp setup they have. The run the next morning was a short one, was expecting like 10 miles but it was more like 5k, headed out with a few others and me, Kirsty and two others extended up to the canonise farm and back to making it like 9km, turns out Kirsty and I got a good pace on the way back.
A cracking weekend. And to top it all off, the organiser John was brilliant, such a nice bloke....DING DING!! (this is what I'm duty-bound to shout at anyone wearing fling stuff now apparently...!)
The plan is to run from Beinglas Farm, along the 'technical section' to Rowardennan as far as you like, then turn around and run back again. Simple enough, and I can't imagine that the technicality of the trail is too bad, just to be slow going.
I elected to stay in Glasgow the night before the big run to get a night in my own bed, and then go up early doors, Kristan elected to do the same, Lucy bowed out due to an injury I think. It was c-c-c-cold morning, with rain and wind thrown in....one of those runs that will benchmark others in terms of weather, I can hear myself saying ...."if i can put up with this ill put up with anything" ... !!
We set off at like, 9am from the farm, and all was ok, Kristan and me ended up at the back of the pack initially but we got a good canter on, and then I lost him somewhere before Inversnaid, in the first 8k or so I think. I decided during the first bit that I was aiming for 5 hours time on legs, or 11 miles out and back again with a total of 22miles, after the run with Kat last weekend at 20miles. All was well, weather wasn't too bad, ended up rock climbing at Rob Roy's Cave so potentially went the wrong way there ... and was fully expecting to see the leaders going the other way when the group turned, but I didn't see anyone...at all really?! A group in the end after the track splits, said "you're on your own now unless you come with us!" which was weird, as I STILL hadn't seen the front runners? Dunno. But I eventually turned and came back, and missed a junction and ended up almost lost...lol....just decided to head north again and keep the loch on the left....excellent nav there. I was knackered before I even set off back...eventually, caught sight of Inveruglas...realised i was getting there, and was motivated. Then the last miles went on and on and on....then i caught Kristan, who it turned out was miserable, had taken a fall and cut his hand and it was all raining on us by that point and pretty freezing. We bullied each other through the last few and were having serious second thoughts about the whole fling thing! I piped up with "lets not make any decisions whilst tired and cold, go home and think on it"...and we both did, and decided it was just type II fun talking...! In the end I covered 22 miles (11 out and back) and it took bang on 5 hours! Think Kristan also covered a similar amount in the same time...good effort in the sideways rain/sleet!
The rest of the evening was just get to the hostel, and eat, shower, and chat to folks...dinner was awesome, I met Kirsty the owner who was lovely, and lots of other fling nutters too! What a bunch. Got a great talk by Matt Williamson from Bearsden physio about knees and running, won an ultimate direction belt in the Q&A comp (YEY!) and got free socks, free wine, and did 2 yoga sessions while I was there too. Brilliant little boot camp setup they have. The run the next morning was a short one, was expecting like 10 miles but it was more like 5k, headed out with a few others and me, Kirsty and two others extended up to the canonise farm and back to making it like 9km, turns out Kirsty and I got a good pace on the way back.
A cracking weekend. And to top it all off, the organiser John was brilliant, such a nice bloke....DING DING!! (this is what I'm duty-bound to shout at anyone wearing fling stuff now apparently...!)
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