EYW Xmas Pentlands Walk

This weekend was the Edinburgh Young Walkers (EYW) Xmas walk and dinner. The original plan had been to head to Melrose to do the Eildon Hills. However, given the amount of snow which had fallen this week, the roads weren't the safest, so we opted for a jaunt to the Pentlands instead! I was looking forward to seeing how snowy the Pentland were....and I wasn't disappointed. We started at the Flotterstone Inn car park and headed up the first hill of the usual loop. The sun was making the hills look a beautiful orange colour and the snow was indeed thick. The higher we got, the more spectacular the views and the deeper the snow. The final climb to the top of the hill was tough going, with the snow up to our knees!

We had great views from the top and had time for a bit of a coffee stop while looking over the snow covered land around. I started to feel the cold big time at this point and made the decision to cut back down with a few others while the rest of the group pushed on to the next one.
Any thoughts of getting down quickly were dashed as we were faced with some of the deepest snow I've ever know. We couldn't walk across it as we just fell through, and it was too powdery to slide down. We were trying to reach the main path to the resevoir at the bottom, which took us well over an hour of effort. With a mixture of rolling, walking, sliding (both head and feet first) and falling we made it back onto the path! Me and Ellis powered it back along the path to the Flotterstone in an attempt to warm up, while the other two made an EYW snowman. I was glad to get into the warm pub for a hot coffee. I still marvel at the fact only 10 minutes drive from my front door I can have a day in the hills like this...amazing!!

The EYW Xmas dinner at the Spoon Cafe later was a welcome feast...Xmas is officially here :-).

Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Week 22nd - 28th November

This week, 22nd - 28th November is Pancreatic Cancer Awareness week
http://www.pancreaticcancer.org.uk/

As well as this blog being a record of adventures I get up to, I also want it to be a way of raising awareness of this terrible disease and where I can, to raise funds for the charity Pancreatic Cancer UK, for whom myself and Julia ran the Paris marathon for last year, while raising over £3000. Pancreatic cancer is the 5th most common cause of cancer death in the UK. By raising public awareness we can ensure that more research goes into improving early detection & diagnosis of this often missed cancer.

As many of you will already know, my mum has lived with pancreatic cancer and its effects for several years and has continued to impress doctors with her amazing ability to fight back! She recently described her story for the charity website which I will post up on my site once it goes live! This weekend I will be doing my weekend activities in the charity colours of purple and making my own donation to Pancreatic Cancer UK. I'd like to encourage others to visit the website, read about the disease and its symptoms, aswell as the progress which is being made in its treatment, and the stories of those who have been affected by it. If you'd like to make a donation to the charity during the awareness week, or any other time, you can do by following the link on the website. http://www.pancreaticcancer.org.uk/

I plan to do a few events for PCUK in 2011, and am currently deciding on what these might be. I would like to do a few varied events in my PCUK t-shirt while raising money and awareness.

Current ideas include:
A cycling sportive (long distance cycle event)
The Inn Pinn in the Cuillins (a rock climb to the top of Scotland's most difficult Munro, followed by an abseil over the other side)
Two Out Hebrides half marathons in a week (cycling from one to the other in between)

If you have a chance this week, check out the website, pass it on to your family and friends. Spread the word... Thanks!

Meall Ghaordaiah

So this weekend I got back out onto the hills. It feels like ages since I've been hillwalking, and it was nice to be up a Munro - number 52 this time. With my fellow Mountain Adventurer away working in France, I signed up for this walk with EYW, led by Richard. This hill is just a few miles from Killin, so not too long a drive to get to. We could see a few bits of snow higher up on the hills as we approached, though the tops were covered in cloud, so couldn't see too high.

This hike was a chance to try out my new walking poles and super duper mittens which I'd been given for my birthday the week before. They were great!! The walk up was fairly straightforward, with a path to follow up most of the way. This then disappeared nearer to the top and there was more and more snow. Some of the snow was covering rather large holes, so on many occassions I'd find myself up to my knees in snow with my foot in a puddle below. Thank goodness for the waterproof boots and gaiters, haha!

The summit (1039m) was pretty cold, so lunch was a quick affair. The sun did try and break through though and the clouds blew past on occassions to give us some spectacular views. The descent was great fun in the snow and we could look out onto the snowy mountains ahead. A post walk hot chocolate was had in the Killin Hotel to round off a great day. I really enjoyed being back in the hills and am hungry for more this winter!

At the summit of Meall Ghaordaiah (1039m) - check out the snow!

National XC Relay Champs, 2010

This is my third write up of the National XC Relay Champs since starting my blog in 2008. This year, my team was the same as 2009 - myself, Megan and Susan. After 24 hours of non-stop rain before the race, I thought it was going to turn into a bit of a misery fest! However, the sun came out, and although cold and 'slushy' underfoot, it made for perfect XC conditions. I was on first leg, so got to start in the stampede. As usual we headed up the hill and started the ups and downs of this course. It never gets any easier! BC's tactical cheering along the course was very welcome! I felt I kept up fairly well up the pack for the first part of the race, and although the leaders stretched out more, I was pleased to bring the first leg in in 26th place, and I was especially pleased to have run 17:04, taking just under 2 mins off last year's time. Megan took over and ran really well, she managed to take another 2 girls and moved us up to 24th. The anchor leg was taken over by Susan. I'd got up enough energy to run around the course and cheer her on at this point and was pleased to see her taking over even more girls! We finished in 22nd place, in a time of 53:21. That smashed our time of 56:51 from last year!

We could then relax and watch the guys run their race! And what a race it was! Silver medal for the Vets, 5th place for the CAAC A team! And so many great performances by everyone, not to mention all the juniors at the start of the afternoon. This tough course is always so much fun with the CAAC team spirit throughout the day! Will next year manage to be a rain free day too...we shall have to wait and see!

East District XC Relay Champs, Prestonpans

The first XC of the season kicked off at the weekend with the East District XC Relay Champs in Prestonpans last Saturday. We had a record number of CAACers taking part this year with loads of juniors, 2 womens teams and 8 mens teams. I was in a team with Gillian and Megan.

Gillian headed off with the stampede (sporting her new "go-faster" socks) to bring us in well up the field. I was on second - I started off fast in the excitement, and then realised I probably wouldn't be able to maintain the 5:45 min/mile average my Garmin was displaying, so I slowed it down after the first couple hundered metres!?! This was my first run of this course, and although not the most inspiring of routes, I quite liked it for it's flat, ankle friendly nature. I treaded carefully in the ploughed field out towards the far end of the course as to keep both ankles intact, but felt I could push out along the other sections. I managed to overtake a couple of girls, though one Gala girl got past me too. I handed over to Megan for the final leg. She ran a strong race and we finished in 13th position out of 31 teams, so we were pleased with that! Not quite the bronze medal of the senior men or the Vets gold, but we'll work on it for next year ;-).

13th Corstorphine AAC "A"
Gillian Carr 13 15:57 15:57
Jo Kirby 11 31:58 16:01
Megan Smith 13 49:13 17:15

Really enjoy the CAAC team spirit for these types of events, and I'm looking forward to the Nationals in Cumbernauld in a fortnight's time!

5km / 10km Challenge

In January of this year I set out a few aims, one of which was to run sub 19 minutes for the 5km, the other was to run sub 40 1okm. Things have come together and I'm pleased to say that I can cross these two aims off the list with 18:58 at the recent Edinburgh parkrun, and 39:16 at Inverness half! Neil had a great run in Inverness too, chopping another 30 seconds off his time, and is now down to 43:03. Looking at the rest of my 2010 aims, I'm still not as close to the half marathon time I would have liked, so may try and get another half in before the year is out. Now, I've just got to get those extra 24 Munros I'd planned...!?!

I'm looking forward to a few cross countries over the next few months - starting with the East District XC Relays in Prestonpans this weekend. CAAC will be out in force!

Pedal for Scotland 2010

On September 12^th, myself, Neil, Dean and Gillian (aka Springvalley Riders) and fellow CAACer Susan, cycled the 51 miles from Glasgow to Edinburgh – otherwise known as Pedal for Scotland. This would be the second time I had done this event and was looking forward to it! The neighbours of Springvalley got a rude awakening as we got bikes ready and left at 6:30am on the Sunday morning. We pedalled the 5 miles down to Victoria Park to join the queue for our bus to Glasgow. We could already see that there were many more cyclists than in previous years, as we waited for about an hour just to get on. Plenty of time for Dean to cover his new baby in bubble wrap though! Once at the other end, we eagerly waited for our bikes and joined another queue to get across the start line. This one was much quicker and before we knew it we were off!! We started on Glasgow Green and overtook a few people on Penny Farthings in the first few miles – rather them than me! Once out of the hustle of the city we were onto quieter roads. We were disappointed by the fact the first feed station had run out of food, and the home baking station had a queue a mile long! We decided to push on through to Linlithgow Palace for our lunch, were we would be over half way. We were really lucky with the weather which was sunny most of the way. Neil was enjoying his new road tyres which he’d put on his bike the night before and was cruising along. Unfortunately the two of us got separated from the others at one point and missed out on the giant chocolate muffins at Kirklingston! However, we made up for it with a nice drink at the Cramond Brigg pub with only 6 miles to go. As you can tell, speed was not the aim of the game on this occasion! The last push to the finish line was good, and I for one felt the 51 miles as being much easier than two years ago. We all enjoyed receiving our Pedal for Scotland medal and goody bag at the finish. However, the 5 miles cycling back home were still tough!

There is now a 100 mile Sportive running on the same day, dare we enter this one next year….time will tell.

Final Meadows 2 miler

The final Meadows 2 miler took place a couple of weeks ago so I was keen to improve on my time, which had remained unchanged since last year. I was pleased to knock off around 15 seconds to come in second at 12:18. Next year I’ll definitely be aiming for that elusive sub 12 minutes!

Wolverhampton Half Marathon

One of my aims for 2010 has been to get a PB in the half marathon - so while many other CAACers were in Glasgow, I headed south to England, to take part in the Wolverhampton Half Marathon. The reason for me choosing this race is that I have family who live there, and so I combined a visit to see them, with the half marathon, which quite conveniently followed many of the roads I am used to running along while down there.

I was feeling confident after last weekend's 10k in Perth and so decided to aim for around 1hr35 as a good target. The race started nice and early at 9:15am. A 19.5km cycle race went off first, then the marathon relay runners, and then the marathon and half marathon runners. There were no start pens so I decided to get as close to the front as I could. That way I wouldn't get boxed in and I could keep an eye on my position. I felt good over the first few miles and did them in just over 7minutes. I was going at a slightly faster pace than I'd planned, but I felt good. The route was good, fairly flat, on closed roads and some even on cycle paths and pedestrian areas. I had the added bonus of having a family fan club at mile 9, which was the ideal boost at this point. I could see my grandparents, Auntie Jan, and Joyce and Reg on the corner and their cheers were very welcome!! I wasn't sure what position I was in at that point, but I'd overtaken a few girls, so thought I must be quite high up. I overtook another at mile 11. One girl was right on my shouldler with only 1.5 miles to go, so I picked up the pace and lost her on a small hill. Someone shouted to me to say I was in second, but third was just behind, so with 400m to go I just went for it. I crossed the line in second place in a new PB of 1hr34:39. Really pleased!!! Felt good all the way round and feel like I have more in me for a half marathon. A great race, and even better being presented with my prize...by the Mayor of Wolverhampton no less ;-). I can safely say I was the only person in a Scottish club vest, and the guy on the loud speaker gave up trying to pronounce Corstorphine which made me laugh!

A good fast course, nice medal, t-shirt, and a Gregg's goodie bag! What more could I want!

Perth 10k

Last Sunday myself, Neil and two of my friends from Southampton, Nick and Hannah, headed up to do the Perth 10k. It was a nice sunny day but it was blowing a gale! The race starts off on the track at Perth Grammar School, we run a couple of laps and then follow the river before doing a couple of laps of the Inch. Part of the Inch was fairly sheltered, but as soon as we turned back it was like hitting a brick wall. I felt strong from the start and decided to start off steady and try and maintain it, rather than go off too fast like I usually do!

The course was really scenic and the marshals were very encouraging. I had wondered what position I might be in, when one of the marshals told me I was third lady. I could see 2nd just ahead of me (as well as Nick) so I tried my best to close them both down, but they were just out of reach. I came through in a PB of 41min 36 seconds, which was unexpected and I was really pleased with.
Nick came in just ahead in 41:32. Neil also got a huge PB by 3 minutes, coming in at 43:35!! A great run from Hannah too, who is coming back from injury. I think they may well have been the only Southampton AC runners to have run the Perth 10K.
After the race we headed into Perth for a well deserved pub lunch! What a great race! I'm now feeling confident for my attempt at a PB in the Wolverhampton Half Marathon this weekend!

Edinburgh Parkrun #4

On Saturday morning I headed down to Cramond with Neil, and a couple of Neil's friends up from London to have a go at the parkrun. It had been 5 months since the last time we did one, and with a frustrating summer of injury I was interested to see how I would get on.

I started off a bit far back in the pack and was frustratingly boxed in for the first few 100metres, but once I got a gap I managed to get in a good fast couple of first kilometres. They felt pretty easy, perhaps I hadn't lost as much fitness as I thought?! Neil was running just behind me, and I was pretty confident he'd be on for a PB today!

As we approached the corner to head back down the promenade, it became clear why the previous 2.5km had felt easy - it was the strong wind pushing us along which we were now having to run against on the way back. The next couple of km's were just a push to the end. I still felt fairly good, and was pleased to go sub 20, in 19:55 (4th woman). Neil was close with a big PB of 20:30. And Duncan and Sapna also both had PBs, so a successful morning all round!
Off to Falko for a German style breakfast and the morning was complete :-).
Now looking forward to the Perth 10k this coming weekend.

The Rat Race

Last weekend myself, Nick and Susan took part in the Rat Race. A 2-day adventure race around Edinburgh. We were: Team CAAC Attack.

Saturday was the Mean Streets - an orienteering event around the streets of Edinburgh involving various tasks along the way. As well as the 14 miles of running involved getting round the course, we also had to hula hoop, BMX, dress up like a sumo wrestler and roll down a hill, walk a tight rope and various other crazy things!! The big point earner was having your head shaved, which Nick bravely did - a whole 40 points earned there! We finished day 1 in 2nd place in the mixed teams. Very pleased with that!

Day 2 was the Nine to Five. This was a much bigger day, and coupled with the previous day's efforts I think has been one of my toughest challenges to date! After planning our route, the gun went off at 9am and the competition began. We had 8 hours to get round as much of the course as we could. It started with an orienteering event around Princes Streets Gardens. You had to gather information around the gardens, in order to access your bikes in the compound. We got our bikes and headed off. We headed first to Napier University for an orienteering event. Then it was off to the dry ski slope for some tubing down the slope, and then the mountain biking started in earnest across the Pentlands. Up a huge hill, which most people could only push their bikes up! We were rewarded with an awesome downhill on the other side. The cycling was tough all day, lots of hills, and just when you thought you couldn't get up any more hills, they'd throw in a few more. The day had a mixture of via ferrata across a viaduct, abseiling down a bridge, kayaking in the Firth, rolling barrals of beers, rolling ourselves down a hill, more orienteering! We covered 56 miles on the second day, and we pushed ourselves as hard as we could all day.!We only missed the very last check point - in hindsight we maybe should have gone for it and would have paid off despite the time penalty.
We finished 8th overall, and 4th mixed team. We were all really pleased with our placing, and although such a tough event, had an amazing time! I think CAAC Attack may be back for more next year!! With a bit of training maybe we'll be challenging Team Buff ;-)

http://www.ratraceadventure.com/page419.asp

Back to the Meadows for 2 miles

After a fair old rest from running with my sore foot, I seem to have been making progress, and was pleased to have got round the Barrathon the other week. I have since made a comeback to track training at the club, and although still in a bit of pain, I feel I can keep on top of things with ice, massage and stretching. So, without further ado, I headed down to the Meadows for my first 2 mile Self Transendence of the year. Now, it's July, but nevertheless, it was pouring down with rain. Conditions were far from perfect for this first outing, but I thought whatever time I get this week, things can only improve the following week. A small but select crowd turned up for the run, including fellow CAACers Chris and BC, with Neil, Dean and Mike offering much needed cheers. I was a bit dubious as to how I would get on, but all things considered, pleased with my run, hopefully will get closer to my PB of 12:32 at the next attempt.

Distance: 2 miles
Position: 5th
Time: 12min 57s

Now having 2 days rest before this weekend's adventure - the RAT RACE!!!

Barrathon

Last Friday myself, Neil and 6 other CAACers headed off to the Isle of Barra in the Outer Hebrides to take part (amongst other things) in the Barrathon – a half marathon which involves a complete loop of the island. After various close misses (Scott and Kerry had to abandon the bikes in order to get on the ferry) we all made it on board. Now usually it’s a fairly decent sized ferry which heads across the Minch to Barra, but the usual boat was out of action and so we got the much smaller Islay ferry instead! We quickly got seated in the cafeteria and had our pre-race meal. However, things were about to get rough! The waves became bigger and one by one we started to give in to the sea sickness. It was relentless, with the total time to sail to Barra being over 6 hours! We arrived in Barra gone 11pm still feeling ill and dehydrated. Not the best preparation for a half marathon, but at least we made it!

The next morning was sunny and although still feeling a bit fragile, a night's rest and a bowl of porridge and we were good to go! We all ran the half the next morning. Neil managed to get a late entry and the two of us ran round the course together. Having not trained properly in the last month and a half because of my foot troubles we decided to just take it easy round the course and not pay attention to how fast we were going. We had a really enjoyable run (apart from the mammoth hill at the end) and came through in 1:48:25 which I was pleased with given the circumstances. Even better, my foot seemed to have survived and didn't seem to get any worse from the race. The rest of the CAACers all ran really well and brushed aside the previous day’s illness to collect several prizes and good times! The race was followed by a buffet and ceilidh in the evening. A true Hebridean experience!

The following morning was supposed to be a sea kayaking adventure. However, high winds put a stop to that and so we cycled over to Vatersay instead. Another small island beneath Barra connected by a causeway. The winds were very strong (first time I’ve actually had to pedal to get down a hill!), but we also had moments of sunshine. We arrived at what must be one of the most beautiful beaches in Scotland! Some of us went in for a dip, but the sea wasn’t as warm as it looked!! We finished off the cycle with a drink in the most Westerly bar in Europe! We turned up soaked from head to toe, and the bar lady gave us a towel to dry off!

Fortunately the ferry ride home was far calmer and we made it back to Oban with no problems. Really enjoyed my first trip to the Outer Hebrides and hope to return next year to complete some more half marathons in the Hebridean series! Perhaps Stornoway and Benbecula!

The Munro Half Century

Last weekend saw a visit to Glen Coe and completion of Munros 49 and 50. These were Creise and Meall 'a Bhuiridh respectively. Perfect conditions weather wise - could see top of Ben Nevis and surrounding mountains all day long! A longer walk than first anticipated, finished off with a river crossing, but a fantastic day of walking. Hope we get lots more summer days like this!

Foot problems have meant running has taken a back seat at the mo, but I'm hoping a few weeks rest, alongside treatment will mean I'll be back before too long.

Cairngorms Camping – Bynack More (Munro # 48)

The summer seems to have arrived – hurrah!

On Friday night Neil and I loaded up the car and headed up to the Cairngorms for a weekend of camping, hiking and enjoying the great outdoors. We had a good journey and were appreciating the fact it doesn’t get dark till around 10pm now! We arrived at Rothiemurchus at around 11pm, but unfortunately the campsite we had originally hoped for was full when we arrived. So we continued onto the next one, just 5 miles down the road. The gate was closed, so we parked up outside and started taking our tent to a spot. We were stopped in our tracks by a woman in a yellow jacket who said we couldn’t pitch our tent at that time of the night! (Despite the campsite still looking fairly lively!) What were we to do...? All other campsites were full…there was a Hilton down the road?! I popped in to check availability – a room for the night was going to be £160, but she could do us deal and have it at the bargain price of £110!! We declined. Perhaps MacDonalds would be better….they only had the executive suite left at £136. The Cairngorms Hotel was only £60 apparently, but they were fully booked! So it was now midnight and we had nowhere to stay. We couldn’t wild camp as there were no camping signs all over the place. Eventually, Neil’s sister Eilidh (who lives in Inverness) had a surprise visit at 1am!!!

So on Saturday morning (after a lie in!) we headed back down to Rothiemurchus and pitched our tent. A beautiful location with a fantastic view of the Cairngorm Mountains. After a bit of lunch we headed off for our walk. We decided to go for Bynack More – a Munro at 1090m. This one had a relatively long and steady walk in and the amazing weather meant we had fantastic views all around. Lochan Uaine on the way up is a gorgeous bit of green water which makes you feel like you’re in a smaller version of the Canadian Rockies! The ascent is gradual until around 800m and then it is a push to the top, with some quite interesting stone stacks. We spotted a friendly ptarmigan sat on the top of one of them. We reached the top at around 5:30pm and had the summit to ourselves. Munro #48 for me and #80 for Neil. We could see across to Cairn Gorm and surrounding mountains, still covered with a fair bit of snow. The walk down was quicker and we were back at our tent by 8:30pm. Then it was time to light up the stove and have our ‘al fresco’ dinner – perfect!

Sunday was a more relaxed day. We sampled Aviemore’s finest latte in the Mountain Café, had lunch on the riverbank at Rothiemurchus and did a small walk at the Falls of Bruar. Weekends like this just confirm what a beautiful place Scotland is…looking forward to many more Scottish adventures this summer.

Plantar Fascitiis

A trip to the podiatrist on Wednesday confirmed that my foot troubles are indeed plantar fascitiis. Fortunately, I have presented with it early, so with a routine of exercises, stretching, ice and a bit of cross training, the podiatrist seems to think it could be gone in 4 weeks. Not ideal timing with the Dunfermline Half, Edinburgh 7 Hills and Barrathon coming up, but at least I now have a plan of action. I need to get my new shiny bike soon, as apparently cycling is good for it!

Time to Self Transcend

Last Wednesday Neil and I, and a host of CAACers headed down to the Meadows for the first of the Self Transcendence races. The opening night was a 5km. With it's many corners to negotiate, it's not as fast as the Edinburgh parkrun course, but I was hoping to get as close to my time there as possible. I tried to keep with Chris P and Gillian for as long as possible, but couldn't keep with their pace after the first lap - this one hurt!
Time: 20:06
Position: 4th woman
I was disappointed not to get sub 20 on this occassion, but looking back at last year's times, this is my quickest time for that course, so can't complain. Something to work on over the summer. Neil stormed home in a big PB of 21:14 - I'd better watch my back!

Training is now starting in earnest for the Dunfermline Half marathon and Edinburgh 7 hills, only 6 and 7 weeks away respectively. Kicked off with a long run around Holyrood Park on Sunday and a great track session last night. Blackford hill recce on the schedule for tonight. Keeping an eye on foot pain, suspect I might have plantar fasciitis, so podiatry appointment made.

Balmoral 2010

Day 1

Last Saturday I headed up to Balmoral with my fellow CAACers for the 2010 trip away to Balmoral, which takes in the Balmoral 10k, hill walking and perhaps a drink or two! I got into the loaded up Micra with Dean and Gillian and we headed on our way! After a brief stop at the bunkhouse to drop off our things and have a bit of lunch, it was off to the Balmoral Estate for the 10k and its infamous hill. This year I decided to don the preferred racing attire for this event - a kilt! I decided to take a more steady pace for the start of this race. The first 3km's are flat, but the next 1.5km are anything but! Gillian disappeared off into the horizon and left the remainding CAAC ladies battling it out. The hill was tough - my legs were burning. I was relieved to hear the bagpipes signalling the arrival at the top! I then very much enjoyed the downhill sections which followed! I finished in 10th position (female) in a time of 44min dead, so a 4 minute improvement on last year's time! (Though I had run a marathon 2 weeks before that one, so perhaps not a fair comparison!). I felt much stronger on this occasion though. Prizes for Keith (2nd!), Grant (1st Vet) and Susan (3rd Vet). Everyone had a great run! For some fellow CAACers, the 10k race simply wasn't enough and a few crazy ones ran the 10 miles back to the bunkhouse. All back safe and sound we headed to the Fife Arms for some 'top quality' dinner and discoteque action!

Day 2

The day of the hill walk! We headed to Lochnagar for a bit of Munro bagging. There was talk of doing the whole 5 Munro loop, but we would see how the conditions were fairing when we got to the top of the first one. Conditions were fairly wet and windy as we headed up to the top of Cac Carn Beag (Lochnagar) which stands at 1155m. Despite its height the walk up was fairly gradual, with only one really steep section towards the top. On arrival at the top we were looking over the edge for Nick and Susan who had decided to snow climb up the side rather than walk up! They appeared whilst we were having our lunch by the cairn, much to our relief!

The conditions were a white out as we left the summit and so we decided rather than carry on to the next Munro, to dedicate some time to some sledging action!! A mixture of slegdes, sit mats and plastic bags were used to slide down the snow! As we descended some more, the sun came out and the views opened up - stunning scenery. A beautiful waterfall even resulted in Nick going for an early, albeit cold shower!! A tame walk by previous CAAC hill walk standards, but a really enjoyable one! We even made it back to the car before dark!?!

Day 3

Time to go home....but the fun wasn't over yet. We drove to Pitlochry for lunch at the Moulin Inn. But before that, we thought we'd work up an appetite by heading up Ben Vrackie (Corbett, 841m). As we headed up (about 20 minutes in), I realised I'd left my camera perched by a tree near the bottom. I decided to run back down and fetch it, so was playing catch up with the group thereafter. They are fast enough at the best of times!! So I had a fast walk up there and down!! The sun was out and the views spectacular!! Some of the others decided to run back down the hill. We all met up at the pub after for some well deserved food. A great end to a great weekend.

Thanks to you all for such a fun weekend!!!

Spring is in the Air

The clocks have changed and spring is here, though it's felt a bit confusing with snow one weekend, sunshine the next, and cold and rain (and ash!) the weekend after! April has been a great one so far, with a few adventures / events to report. First of all was Rosie's 30th birthday which took place in the Lakes - the challenge being to climb England's highest peak, Scarfell Pike (977m). We all did this on a beautiful day with stunning scenery and had fun sledging down on the way back. Our Lakes trip also included some mountain biking at Whinlatter which was very muddy and snowy but a lot of fun!

Last weekend was the Gala 10k, first 10k of the year. A lovely hot day for this one. -43:01 for me and 46:34 on Neil's 10k debut. PB's for Scott and Corrie too!

Then this weekend was the first event of the CAAC Scratch Attack - the Spring Handicap. Managed to get round the 6 mile course in 42.01, and felt much better than I did on last weekend's run. Was 11th in total, with Nick picking up the victory cup!

Unfortunately next week's skiing lessons at Hillend have been cancelled due to a lack of people. Apparently 2 people isn't enough to run a course!? :-( So we'll have to wait till the snow returns for some downhill action.

Cross Country Skiing, Norway

On March 14th, myself, Alison and Susan headed to Norway for a week of XC skiing. Susan had done a bit of downhill before, but putting on skis was new to me and Alison. We were in for an exciting week!

We landed at Oslo airport and were met by Mary from Exodus and met up with the rest of our group. It was a 3.5 hour coach trip to our final destination of Kvitavatn (in the Telemark region). We could see the scenery for the first part of the journey, but then the night drew in and it was dark as we headed up higher into the mountains to our resort. All the little Norwegian houses looked so cozy in the snow.
On arrival we had dinner (3 course yummy meal) and then a briefing on the week ahead. The accomodation was great. Little bunkrooms which held 4 people in each.

Day 1:
After a nice bowl of porridge (yey!) we were kitted out with our gear, skis, poles and boots and then we waxed them up. There are loads of different waxes depending on the temperature and type of snow. We were split into groups (beginner and intermediate). Me and Alison were in the beginner group with Dutch instructor Ilse. We spent the morning learning various skills in the ski school. The Herring Bone was a tough one for me! After lunch it was back out for more skills, and then Sue (from Edinburgh Walkers) took the 3 of us out for a trip along the Fiolet and Orange XC loops. After another 3 course dinner, we had a talk on ski waxing. Every evening, Exodus put on a different talk or video on which was great.

Day 2:
Got up early and did a run with Susan around the Orange 5. The light on the mountains was so beautiful at that time. We got a funny look from the piste man, but hopefully he wasn't too annoyed with our little footsteps through his newly pisted tracks!?!
Back on the skis we did some more skills. Could feel my technique improving from yesterday. In the afternoon we went round the Fiolet loop as a group. Then a a few of us did the Orange 5. Dinner was pear and celery soup, fish and fruit crumble. All great food after a day of XC skiing! Our talk was on cold weather injuries! Some gruesome photos!

Day 3:
Another early morning run with Susan, this time going anticlockwise around the Orange 5. The running was tough on the snow, but a good way to loosen off all the aches and pains from the previous day's skiing! We had a whole day out on the skis today. Did a mixture of the Green route and some XC today. Ilse took us up a bit higher and we got an amazing view down towards Rjukan, and the valley where the heavy water plant from World War II was. Me and Alison went round the Fiolet route a few times when we got back for a bit of a practice. Heroes of Telemark video in the evening.

Day 4:
We changed instructors today and me and Alison had Mary, the English instructor. We went out for a full day again and had a really great time. Did just over 9 miles in total, and covered lots of different terrains. Over the hills, across the lake, through the trees. Was a really great day. Sue came along with us too. Cross country ski racing DVD for the evening entertainment.

Day 5:
Alison and I joined the intermediate group today for a whole day of adventure (back with Ilse). The best day yet! The weather was fantastic and we headed up into the hills. Some fantastic views and a really great bunch of people to be skiing with. At the highest point Susan donned the CAAC vest for a picture. I waited for a slightly warmer, more sheltered spot at lunch to pose for my picture. We had the Kvitavatn quiz for the evening entertainment, and our team 'Jamie's Angles' came 3rd (out of 4). Did you know that A-ha were the first Norwegian band to get a UK number one :-).

Day 6:
Final day of adventure and we headed our with Ilse for the most challenging day yet. The snow conditions were not the best. Very crunchy on the top and soft underneath, and higher up on the slopes it was very icy, which made for some tricky traverses on the skis. Today required a lot more concentration and leg work, but felt like quite a achievement after a week's tuition from our great instructors to have been able to do it! When we got back to the resort we had to clean our skiis, which involves a fair bit of elbow grease and the use of a hot iron! It was then over to the main house for our final dinner of chilli con carne and pancakes for pudding. The Danish XC Ski championships were taking place the next day, so the place was buzzing with Danes! We then settled down for an evening of Exodus picture slide show, a Norwegian beer and a final chat with our fellow skiers.What a fantastic week! Felt I learnt so much and have got a real taste for XC skiing. I'll definitely be doing some more! Met some great people over in Norway and the scenery is stunning! Can't believe Oslo is only 1.5 hours away on the plane from Edinburgh! Back home now and wish I was still out there, but looking forward to my downhill lessons at Hillend starting next month. I'll be back somewhere snowy next winter for some more adventures!

Edinburgh Parkrun #3

Position: 2nd

Time: 19:08
Last Saturday I took part in my third Edinburgh parkrun, and Neil also made his parkrun debut! I've been lucky with the conditions at these events so far as all three have been fairly sunny, calm days. There was a slight wind in our backs on the way out, so good to get in a couple of fast few kilometres at the start. My aim was just to go out as fast as possible and see how long I could keep it going. My aim is a sub 19 minute this year, so I wanted to get as close to that as I could. I realised in the last kilometre I wouldn't quite make it, but nonetheless was pleased with my PB taking off 14 seconds! Neil really enjoyed his first parkrun and is catching the running bug. A great time of 22min15! After a nice warm down, it was off to Costa for that well deserved coffee and piece of cake. Hope to run another parkrun in the next few weeks.

Next big adventure coming soon....cross country skiing in Norway...watch this space!!

Scottish National XC Championships, Callendar Park, Falkirk

The end of the XC season was marked with the grande finale, the Scottish Cross Country Champs in Callendar Park in Falkirk. This was my first running of the event, and what a great day it was. Great weather, great club atmosphere and a really good course. 2 laps (3 for the boys!) of ups and downs, mud and trail. It made for a varied route, but felt somewhat easier than the recent Borders race! I set off at what I felt was a comfortable pace and was up higher in the field than I expected. Ran some of the way with fellow CAACer Gillian, but she was too strong for me on the 2nd lap. Other CAAC ladies were Megan, Kerry and Jillian, and we managed 8th team which was a great effort! Really helped having the fellow club cheers along the route complete with cow bells! Felt like a Winter Olympics event!

Distance: 8km
Position: 52nd
Time: 32mins 31sec

Winner of the women's event was Freya Murray, clearly in a league of her own!

Edinburgh Parkrun

My second attempt at the Edinburgh parkrun. Love this course! Bit rainy, but not too windy, so good running conditions. Will try to do one of these a month to keep the speed going.
Time: 19:31
Position: 1st woman

Border XC - Berwick upon Tweed

The first month of 2010 has been a good one. Training has been going well, I've enjoyed lots of running in the snow, and I've discovered some nice new training routes in Edinburgh. My favourite being the Dalmeny Estate (thanks Susan!). Starting at Cramond Brigg pub there is a beautiful out and back route to South Queensferry entirely off road. There and back is just under 11 miles, so perfect for a longer Sunday run.

Last Sunday I tried my first ever infamous Borders XC Race. This one was just across the border in England at Berwick upon Tweed. The drive down itself is great on a sunny day (which it was), as you follow the road along the coast. Not to mention the drive past the Cedar Cafe (complete with stop on the way back!).

The race lived up to its expectations. It started on soft sand, then moved to hard sand (and sea, plus wooden hurdles!), then onto slippery rocks, then up some steps, up a hill, up and down muddy hills, over sheets of ice.....then turn round and do it all again! I was going for safety rather than speed on this one, and was just pleased to make it round uninjured. I was pleased with my 6th woman (4th SW) position and a time of 36:47 for the 4.5 miles.

A great day out with all my fellow CAACers who all ran very well. Also enjoyed my huge lasagne on the way home. Though I might opt for the flat concrete of Edinburgh Parkrun this weekend ;-)

Goodbye 2009...Hello 2010

With 2009 officially over and 2010 about to begin, it's time to reflect on the year gone by and look forward to the year ahead.

By far, the highlight of 2009 was the Paris marathon. Months of training resulted in massive PB's for myself and Julia, and more importantly, we raised over £3000 for Pancreatic Cancer UK, a charity I hold close to my heart. The remainder of the year included lots of smaller, more local races, and I continued to improve steadily throughout the summer and winter months, thanks to a great bunch of fellow CAACers to train with.

Over the Xmas holidays I've competed in two further races. The Fullers Charity Pub to Pub race, which raised money for the Rocky Appeal at Queen Alexandra Hospital in Portsmouth. I also ran the Bushy Park parkrun this morning, to bring in the new year. A race report can be found on my club website on: http://caac.org.uk/caac_cms/node/1001967

2009 was a good year running wise and I achieved many of the things I wanted. 2010 has lots of new and exciting events to aim for, places to visit, and PB's to reach. I hope to continue to raise awareness of pancreatic cancer through PCUK and raise more money over the year. As my mum gets ready to embark on yet another course of chemotherapy treatment, I continue drawing from her amazing courage and strength. She continues to inspire me on a daily basis. I'm fortunate to have amazing friends and family, who are all of the opinion that life if for living and every opportunity must be taken to enjoy it!

With this in mind....here are my hopes for 2010, and I can't wait to get started....

Learn to ski (in Hillend)
Learn to cross-country ski (in Norway! 14th-21st March)
Get better at indoor rock climbing
Sub 19 minute 5km
Sub 40minute 10km
1hr30min (or better) half marathon
Reach 75 Munros (I'm currently on 46)

Races I plan / would like to do so far:

Glentress Duathlon (24th January)
Scottish XC Champs (20th February)
Balmoral 10k (24th April)
Barra Half marathon (3rd June)
Kilomathon (3rd October) http://www.kilomathon.com/?scotland

plus various cross countries, Borders series and anything else which comes my way...

I look forward to sharing these experiences with my fellow crazy friends. See you all soon!

Happy 2010!!!
Jo
http://www.pancreaticcancer.org.uk/