Polaroid Cross Country

Managed to get this race on after last weeks cancellation due to ice, 5 of us made it on a good morning for Cross Country, cool and damp, a few mud and bramble patches on the course, brambles got me on the second lap, set off in third place and stayed there, second lap about 10 seconds slower than the first, made my sub 40 minute target, good to be out.

Glenstriddle

Club cross country race cancelled due to ice on the paths, set off for the Luss hills for a short run, hopefully no ice and the snow not too deep. Some ice at the bottom but easily avoided. Quite a few walkers out avoiding the more arctic conditions of bigger hills. Only a few inches of snow, paths still visible as smooth tracks surrounded by snowy tussocks. Bogs frozen rather than feet made for pleasant progress. Not much visibility on top and footprints disappeared shortly after Beinn Dubh's summit cairn until a couple of walkers passed on the approach to Mid Hill. Stopped on the decent into the Glen, at about 4 miles and turned back, took it easy avoiding any icy patches, passing plenty of walkers on the way back.

Looking towards Glen Finlas

Beinn Dubh summit cairn

Mid Hill summit Cairn

Polaroid and the Fort

Recce of next weeks club cross country round the Polaroid Industrial Estate, route is fine the landscaping work appears to be finished, couple of laps then home via Carman reservoir and the Fort Fine morning for a run.

  

Beinn Ime

First run for a couple of weeks, reasonable forecast and decided to try Beinn Ime, late start, not many spaces left in the car park at Succoth, decided to take the zig zags, first run for a while and they are a bit easier. A lot of work has been done on the path through the trees, wider, flatter and surfaced with type 1. Left the shelter of the trees into a cool breeze, gentle at first then picked up on the approach to Bealach A Mhaim, across the Bealach to the start of a trudge up Ime, into the cloud and it got pretty cold, path icy in places, easy enough to avoid, a few walkers ahead gave me some targets to keep the effort up, didn't quite come out the clouds at the top, a bit of blue above, maybe another 100 or so feet would have done it. Didn't hang about, freezing, glove upgrade for the descent. Easy run down, ran beside the path most of the way to the Bealach, easier underfoot and avoided most of the ice. Wind eased as I ran down, warming up once back into the shelter of the trees, gloves off and a steady jog to finish.

Balloch Park Cross Country

Last Club race of the year, 4 of us set off from in front of Balloch Castle for a 3 lap 4.7 mile Cross Country, stayed in 2nd place all the way, perfect conditions, drizzly, no wind plenty of mud, finished just outside 40 mins, about 30 seconds quicker than last year, good fun.

Glen Finlas loop

 A bike, run, bike day, out and back cycle to the Glen Finlas reservoir with a run round the surroundng hills in between. Abandoned the planned outing to Arrochar and set off for Finlas on the bike, couple of steep climbs on the way up the Glen to warm me up before the hill run. Took the trail alongside the reservoir, more like a river today, then a faint path that leads up to the ridge, an old fence marks the way,  a steep wee climb, about 1000' in less than half a mile, a small herd of deer watched my slow progress from the top. Up on to the ridge, fine views all round, down the Clyde estuary to Arran, over Loch Lomond and towards the white topped Crianlarich and Arrochar munros. Once I reach the ridge there's a better path, good running over Beinn Ruisg, Creag an Leinibh and the 2 Balcnoc tops, all down hill from the second one. Leave the path about a mile and a half after Balcnoc2 for the pathless descent towards the reservoir, doesn't take long to realise I left the path too soon again, should have stayed on another half mile or so, traverse along sheep and deer trods to avoid the worst of the tussocks and ditches. Short run across the dam back to the bike, cold toes on the cycle home.

 

10 mile handicap

2nd last Club race of the season, 6 of us set off on a hilly loop round the Horseshoe, run as a virtual handicap as everyone tends to set off when it suits them rather than the usual reverse order, makes working out the handicap results a bit harder and not as much fun chasing those in front down , or being chased down. Wet and windy to start, running into the wind for the first mile or so, the next 2 or 3 miles undulate up, then 3 undulating miles before 3 miles of downish, strangely the down hills were the worst, last mile or so flat with a wee kick up just before the finish, finished 2nd on time, first on handicap a few minutes quicker than last year.