The kids were back in club for the afternoon so I had 3 hours to kill. I was adamant that I wasn’t going to repeat the epic heights of Wednesday. So I decided on a single Gilmaston-Monzie-Culcrieff loop with a run up to Loch Turret to spice it up. I wasn’t sure how far that was but reckoned it would be about 10 miles all together.
With some of the kit still in the wash I was in shorts for this run. When the snow started I wondered how wise this little trip was.
The intial loop round Gilmaston was in the reverse direction from Wednesday and it highlighted just how steep some of the hills were, no wonder I was knackered. My mind was wandering big style. Starring roles were given to the Mackay clan in Trinidad and Florida. We spoke yesterday and it sounded like they were all having a great time. I reminisced of Christmas’ past in Port of Spain, where the wine, rum and Carib flow. A Christmas Eve run with the POS Hash House Harriers seems a long time ago.
The turn off to Loch Turret came after 43mins, and 4.8miles. I expected a steady climb for a mile or 2. What I got was a 1000ft climb over 3.2 miles. It was amazing to be in the snow clad hills. I saw a herd of Highland Cattle who gave me a hard stare but decided not to give chase. I then saw a bird of prey, something big but I’m not good at telling the difference. Still it was brilliant to watch.
I reached the summit at mile 8. Stopped, took a gel, dropped a text back to the family to let them know where I was and then a quick video of the amazing scene. There was no wind and a perfect reflection on the waters of the loch.
The run back to the bottom was fast, the quickest mile being a 6.29. From the bottom of Culcrieff it was a climb back up to the Hydro but at only 360ft I’m not sure why I’m mentioning it.
The run was a neat 13.11 miles, completed in 1hr 59min and a total ascent of 2040 ft. This week I’ve completed over 50 miles which is my biggest ever total. Given it was done in 5 days, I’m pretty pleased.
No comments:
Post a Comment