Finally my motivation is returning! After a month of not feeling positive at all about running, now or even in the next year, I am getting back into it all.
Over the past couple of weekends I have been getting out quite a bit, despite the weather and the lack of daylight. It s very depressing when it gets light at 8am and dark again by 3.30pm. That's why I suppose head torches were invented.
At the moment I have been sticking to short-ish runs (2 to 2.5hs) but have tried running all the hills. Absolutely knackering for a plodder like myself. A couple of weekends ago I had a Marylin bagging session on great trails in the Pentland Hills near Edinburgh (as an escape from christmas shopping). Got all my Christmas presents too! To escape the crowds I wandered into a running shop and got some new trail shoes. I had some gait analysis done and, apart from the staff all coming to have a look at my horrendous style 'he is very bow-legged..... how do you run like that?!!!', it seemed useful. I am currently trying some Superfeet and some more supportive shoes (only on road and trail). To get in the mileage for the races / challenges I have planned next year I reckon I will do a good deal of trail running as up here snow can seriously curtail hill running over the winter months. Last time I ran high mileages (for me at least) on trails I got injured. Fingers crossed that it wont happen this season.
The weekend just gone I had my first snowy hill runs. Saturday was good despite the grim forecast but getting over to Braemar for the running club meet was horrendous. A 2h drive took 4hs after we had to do a massive detour to avoid the high roads. Sunday was just dreich but again I felt strong on the hills and managed to hold my own on the club run.
I went out in the hills above Loch Quoich on Tuesday to find some sun and got some of that but more snow than bargained for. So what should have been about 1.5hs turned into a 3.5h snow plod. The ridge was quite complex and a bit itimidating in the mist on my own. Coming off the summit I had superb views over to Knoydart and the South Glen Shiel Ridge.
The short section along the road back to the car was enlivend by a number of stags feeding on silage that had been left for them on the verges. It was probably the closest I have ever got to deer in the 'wild' and must make the stalking in these parts easier!
This weekend is looking like it will be a warm one with high winds so it looks like some low level runs are on the cards.
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