10 Mile Handicap

Club Handicap race round the Horseshoe, late night so didn't expect much of a performance and I was not disappointed with a 92 minute plus trundle round the undulating 10.4 mile route, damp and breezy, into the wind on the way back just increased the pleasure no end.

5 Mile Handicap

Club 5 miler, only 4 3/4 really but a good test of fitness, set off in reverse order, the aim of the handicapper is to give the timekeeper a problem, everyone finishing together. Worked out quite well, everyone finishing within a couple of minutes of each other and their handicap times.

5k

2nd Club race in a few days, starting  in groups, never easy, 20 or so minutes of tempo running, about 15 seconds outside my target.

Club Duathlon

Next race in Club GP, the Duathlon, 4 mile run, 8 hilly mile cycle. Staggered start and staggery run for me. Fared slightly better on the cycle, 31 minute run, 33 minute cycle, good fun.

Dumyat and a 10k

Another 300 plus runners set out on this nice midweek blast up and down from the grounds of Stirling Uni. The first and last couple of hundred yards on road, in between, a twisty forest path and an undulating hill path, runnable apart from a few rocky parts and the odd bog. Good night for running dry overhead, damp underfoot, Mudclaw's with better grip than my Swoops but a bit harder on my feet. Reached the top just over 32 mins, and ran to finish just under 51 minutes. Thursday night and the next club GP race, our road 10k, 21 runners, ran as a recovery run to stretch the legs after Dumyat, finished in 55 mins.

Stoneymollan

Club Hill race, about 4 or 5 miles with 1000' of climb. 17 club members and 2 guests set off in reverse order spread over 26 minutes, aim is we all finish together, as usual one beat the handicapper, the rest finishing within 5 minutes of each other. The route takes us just over 1 1/2 miles up the road and stoney path to the second gate, a lumpy mile to the trig point, mainly down hill from there means a couple of short climbs on the way to Mount Malow, began to overtake a few here, a few more on the run down beside the radio mast and back on to the tarmac past the cemetery. Finished just inside 46 minutes.

Whinney Hill and Glen Loin

Club Cross Country, round and out the back of Balloch Park. Woke up to a cool calm morning, perfect for running, pity the wind and rain blew in by the time 14 of us set off round a muddy park and onto the Whinney Hill trail. We marked the top part of the course Fri PM and had an idea it was muddy, marked the park on Sat before the race, it was worse not a lot of traction for my trainers with an inch or two of slipperiness on top. Its about a mile round the park before you get onto the WH trail which undulates up through a couple of muddy forests. The run back, mostly downhill, brought three of us together by the time we reached Balloch Park, good fun as we finished within a couple of seconds of each other. Post race tea, coffee and sugar sheltering from the elements in the castle rest rooms. Sunday's forecast poor, managed to get up reasonably early, went to Arrochar for a run round Glen Loin, anticlockwise then the out and back to Ardgarten, similar to last week but too wintery to chance a detour over the Beallach. Thought about sitting in the car until the monsoon eased, just got on with it and no respite for the first half hour. Cleared up for 20 minutes or so until I was lured into the upper reaches of the glen where it was not so pleasant for a mile or so each side of the ford, slushy snow underfoot with howling sleety rain.

Good test for my gear, and with a change of gloves the only problem was cold toes. Met a few mountain bikers sliding uphill as I ran back towards Succoth and slush free trails. Toes gradually warming up as I ran the out and back to Ardgarten, out on the lower trial, back on the upper trail from Honeymoon Bridge, about 17 miles, 3000' in 3 hours 10. No camera today, only a few phone pictures here.

Local runs

First club race of the year, Polaroid Cross Country, 17 starters and 16 finished. 2 Laps, just over 2  miles per lap. Started out in third place, gradually dropped back to fifth and stayed there till the end, slowed in the second lap. Sunday, another lazy late start, a run round Whinney Hill, our next club race in a couple of weeks. Plenty of mud and a few fallen trees look set to make it an interesting run. Low cloud so no views of the Luss Hills from the Seat.