Weekly Workouts

Weekly Workouts

by TartanJogger ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

After two weeks of recovery, I thought I’d better lace up my trainers and get back out there!

I’ve tried to do the opposite of my natural instincts: usually I’d throw myself back into a full week of activity and overdo it, which in the past has probably (in hindsight) led to exacerbating old niggles and injuries, so I was determined to be a little more sensible with my running this time around! I’ve kept my mileage low and my pace slow, while enjoying being back out in the sunshine and the fresh air. Thinking back on our epic walk, not only did we cover a marathon distance, we also climbed the equivalent of a Munro… not bad! Anyway, back to the present 😉

Monday:

My first run for 13 days, so I headed out to the West Loch at lunchtime just to see how my legs and my back were feeling. I’ll admit that I felt quite sluggish and my legs were heavy, but that’s to be expected, I suppose!

Distance: 2.61m

Time: 30m 3s

Elevation: 115ft

Pace: 11.29/m

Tuesday:

I was in the office today, and had a full on diary but I was determined to make time to get a walk at lunchtime. I did want to pull in my trainers and run, but thought the better of it. I popped my earphones in and headed out with my audiobook- I planned to walk long enough to finish my current listen which was an autobiography of Ted Bundy. Fascinating stuff!

Distance: 3.28m

Elevation: 359ft

Wednesday:

I had a triple activity day, Woop Woop! I know I said I was taking it easy….🙈 but I was ready for another run and I had signed up for Jacqui’s classes.

I laced up my trainers at lunchtime and knew I’d be running up the hill at Kilmory. It has been many, many months (maybe even over a year) since I’d last managed to run all the way up the hill and I had no plan to do that today. But I had a brand new audiobook to start- Clanlands by Sam Heughan and Graham McTavish (from Outlander) about their antics when driving around the Highlands in a campervan finding out more about Clan history. I was quite literally laughing out loud from the opening minutes 🤣 and ran to the top of the hill without even noticing!

Distance: 2.44 m

Time: 30m 3s

Elevation: 344ft

Pace: 12.19/m

In the evening I was back at Booty Blast in the marquee. I had gone last week too, and while last week I did the class without the resistance band on, this week I thought I’d try the thick fabric band, even skipping out the rubber ones…. I loved it and let’s just say that as I write this summary on Sunday I STILL have DOMS🤷🏼‍♀️

We then had a Fitness Pilates class which felt amazing after both the run and the resistance class. It’s a really lovely class, but much tougher that you would think from watching it- many of those moves are intense!

Friday:

After taking Thursday as a rest day after my intense day on Wednesday, I wanted to get a run in. I had a really busy day so no time for a lunch run and instead I managed a short evening run around the harbour. It was hard, my legs were tired after my week’s activities as well as after a full on work week but I was very pleased to get it done.

Distance: 3m

Time: 34m 16s

Elevation: 46ft

Pace: 11.25/m

Saturday:

I spent the morning doing housework and also doing more gardening. I even spent a couple of hours scraping the moss that has crept out into the pavement, just to keep the walkway clear and safe. We then went for a walk just to stretch the legs and enjoy the lovely weather, getting in three miles.

Sunday:

I rounded up my week with more gardening, more housework and, as a reward, a dip in the Loch. On such a lovely, sunny day we headed to Ronachan for a wee dook- the water is definitely warming up (after you’ve been in for a few moments) and it was so peaceful, just us, the seals and a couple of jellyfish. Lovely!

All in all, it’s been a pretty solid week and it’s been great to be back out there. I’m now looking forward to another couple of gentle recovery weeks before we go on holiday.

The Great Post Lockdown Walk

The Great Post Lockdown Walk

by TartanJogger ♥ 1 Comment

On Saturday, 22nd May, Tony and I joined business leaders from different industries all over the UK to walk at least 30k. The aim of #TheGreatPostWalkdownWalk was to raise money and awareness and to support emerging leadership talent through the new Ritrovo app (find out more at http://www.myritrivo.com) which will give people the opportunity to hear leadership stories and benefit from mentoring from across many industries.

My plan was to follow the Kintyre Way from Clachan to Tarbert with a couple of short diversions to make up the mileage. We had planned to do 26.2 miles as achieving that marathon distance would be a huge personal achievement- and to help highlight that you can always set audacious goals and achieve them.

Tony and I set off at 5.30am, and we were ready to set off from Clachan at 6am.

Although it was cold and very windy, the sun certainly made a big difference to my motivation! The sun was still low as we set off uphill and through woodland filled with bluebells.

Only a month ago, the underfoot conditions for this initial 10 mile section were good, but after some rain over the past two weeks, that had all changed. The ground was soft which was kind on the joints, but hard going at times as it was muddy, boggy and very wet. My feet were soaked before we reached the first mile marker!

The first milestone was reaching Loch Ciaran, which is stunning. This photo doesn’t do it justice, but it is one of my favourite spots. I thought about all of the Kierans and Kieras out there as we passed it:

Next up, we followed the rough rocky track uphill and down, meandering across country, but keeping an eye out for the sharp left turn that I know is easy to miss. We spotted it easily today however, as the marker was visible, having the heather trimmed back for the Kintyre Way Ultra a fortnight ago.

We continued climbing across heathland until we got to Lochan Fraoich, which is a really special spot, affording a first real glimpse back across to the Paps of Jura to the west, and also over to the Isle of Arran in the East. It shows the beauty of that spot when you can see both, and it was the perfect day for it.

Next up is a long, boggy section across open moorland where the wind was a challenge. The walking is quite hard going with a narrow path and very little dry ground at times, but that’s all part of the challenge. We met a man who was sitting on a hillock, where he’d been since 4.30am to watch the sunrise over Arran. It was also a joy to hear the cuckoos, and to see the sheep, and the deer.

Before we knew it, we’d reached the kissing gate and the small bridge that makes a return to heathland, all uphill for a while, but I knew it was worth the climb, as at the top we were rewarded with absolutely stunning views over to Arran.

The trail dips down along a rough track back to the main road, which took us past Claonaig ferry terminal, where the MV Catriona was just in:

We continued another two miles along the single track road, taking in the beautiful, rugged coastline which later revealed the golden beach as we approached Skipness.

We walked through the village, and passed the start of the next section of the Kintyre Way, to add on some extra mileage. We made our way along the road to Skipness Castle, passing some gorgeous wild garlic, with the scent heavy in the air.

We soon reached the stunning Skipness Castle which is a favourite spot for us. Nearby, there is Skipness smokehouse just behind it which sells amazing smoked salmon and mackerel, and Skipness Seafood Cabin is also there, but unfortunately isn’t yet reopened. If you are ever in Kintyre, it is absolutely worth a visit- I can highly recommend sitting outside in the sun with local scallops and a glass of white wine…

Anyway, we didn’t have time to explore the castle, or to climb up to its parapets to see the views to Arran, and instead we walked down to St Brendan’s Chapel to have a look at some of the ancient gravestones.

After having our sandwiches as we walked, we headed back into Skipness village to pick up the trail back to Tarbert. Be warned, the first mile out of Skipness is a long uphill climb and can be quite a challenge after the flat of the road into Skipness! I had forgotten quite how much of this section is on a rough track, with lots of water by the side of the trail, with tinkling waterfalls – I would loved to have dipped my feet into them after all of the walking!

As we reached the next section which is open fields, we sneaked a peak back to Arran as a reminder of how far we had already come:

The next section is a mix of heathland and open moorland, where the wind remained quite challenging. The underfoot conditions were nowhere near as bad as the first half, but it was very muddy in parts, especially on what should have been a grassy path.

Eventually we reached the forestry road, and I knew we were only about four miles from Tarbert. The good thing about this section is that the views of Loch Fyne get closer, and we could watch the fishing boats and the lochs out there. We could also see one of our favourite places to visit and stay, Portavadie Marina, and I could really do with an overnight stay and a spa day very soon!

Before we knew it, we had reached the cut off for Tarbert, which would take us down to the village. The sight of the Cairn was definitely cheering!

My legs were feeling really tired at this point, which was about 23 miles in and we took the descent down very carefully indeed. Tired legs plus steep sections is not a good combination! Anyway, we kept going, and finally reached our destination: Tarbert Castle. We didn’t stop to take many photos, but it’s a beautiful area to explore, with the castle, the surrounding areas of archeological significance and the amazing woodland walk filled with secret exhibits. To know more, you will have to visit!

As we descended into the village we still had a mile and a half to do, so we took a walk around the harbour just to reach our goal. The tide was out (the harbour always looks bonny with the tide in) and the thought of a sit down kept us going!

Our first stop was to celebrate: we finished our 26.2 miles right outside the Corner House pub! Woo hoo, we did it! And of course, we just had to celebrate with a beer, and it was our first visit to the Corner House since pubs were allowed to reopen a week or so ago. It was just what we needed to celebrate!

Our stats:

Distance: 26.38m

Elevation: 3,268ft

Time: 10h 17m 28s

And here is the route:

This was a wonderful experience, with participants all over the UK connecting and sharing their experiences across the weekend, sharing photos, motivation and celebratory pics when they were done! It formed a really positive group of professionals who truly embody the principles behind the project- working together, offering support and motivation, keeping each other moving forward. It was a pleasure and privilege to be part of the group!

When’s the next one? ☺️

Weekly Workouts

Weekly Workouts

by TartanJogger ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

My workouts this week were (almost) all reigned back in advance of the Great Post Lockdown Walk which we did on Saturday. Rather than takeover this with an outline of how that went, I’ll post separately later today.

This big headline from this past week was getting back to in person classes with Jacqui! Woo hoo!

Monday:

I started off the week with a short harbour run, just to keep the legs moving. I still have my May Accumulator running, and as it’s the final Great Run online event I want to finish strong, before taking a week or so away from running.

We then had Fitness Pilates with hand weights online in the evening, and I was really glad I was able to join live.

Distance: 3m

Time: 31m 16s

Elevation: 115ft

Pace: 10.24/m

Tuesday:

We had a post- work walk out to the West Loch, on what was a lovely evening.

Distance: 3.36m

Wednesday:

I had a triple threat day! 🙌

I had time at lunch to get a run in, and I knew this might be my final run of the week, but I kept it short, with another venture to the West Loch.

Distance: 2.63m

Time: 30m 2s

Elevation: 180ft

Pace: 11.23/m

I was then really excited to get back to in-person classes with Jacqui. She had managed to secure the marquee at the harbour, and had two classes: a half hour Booty Blast class followed by an hour of Fitness Pilates. I had told myself that I’d take it easy and not overdo the class, but I can’t help myself and threw myself into both classes!🤷🏼‍♀️🤣

Friday:

I did a short walk, just to keep the legs moving in advance of the longer walk. I was excited!

Saturday:

The big day…. 26.2 miles, woo hoo! More to follow on a separate post👌🏻

Weekly Workouts

Weekly Workouts

by TartanJogger ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

After the high point last week of the Kintyre Way Ultra, this week has been decidedly more quiet and significantly slower paced! I’m still working my way through the May Accumulator challenge, and everything is still on track for my next event, which is the Leadership Journey 26 mile walk next Saturday.

Monday:

I wanted to get a recovery run done, to shake out my legs after Saturday’s escapade. I headed to the timber route and kept my pace slow, just enjoying the views and the beautiful smell of pine, rain and soil. Gorgeous!

Distance: 4m

Time: 46m 16s

Elevation: 420ft

Pace: 11.33/m

In the evening, I was able to join Jacqui’s Fitness Pilates, this week class was with prickle balls and was exactly what I needed to help with my post-race recovery. Loved it!

Tuesday:

We went for an evening trail walk, to test out the new running poles which were delivered literally 20 minutes before the race on Saturday!🤣 I opted not to take them on Saturday, but wanted to get out to practice some technique. I think they’ll help with the 26 miles which is good news.

Only 2.88 miles, but 728ft of elevation.

Wednesday:

A short evening run, after work. The weekend and a heavy couple of days were definitely taking their toll and I was tired for this one.

Distance: 3m

Time: 33m 24s

Elevation: 92ft

Pace: 11.07/m

Thursday:

A short lunchtime run, feeling a little fresher than I did the day before!

Distance: 3m

Time: 31m 54s

Elevation: 66ft

Pace: 10.36/m

Friday:

I had originally planned another run, however My second covid vaccine was moved forward and so I headed out for a walk as soon as I’d had that taken care of. No photos, but 3.66 miles done, and no adverse effects from the second dose of vaccine thankfully!

This coming week I’ll still be keeping my training light, saving my energy and enthusiasm for next Saturday!🙌

Weekly Workouts

Weekly Workouts

by TartanJogger ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

I’m starting this week with a feeling of satisfaction and of achievement after Saturday’s Kintyre Way Ultra Relay in almost wintery weather: the word I heard over and over again to describe it was ‘brutal’ which is as accurate as you can get!

But before we get to that, here’s how the rest of the week shaped up.

Monday:

The week started off incredibly wet and windy which was not the best for a bank holiday! I think that gave the Kintyre Way a good dose of watering which helped contribute to the underfoot conditions later in the week.

We had some running about to do, including a trip to Inveraray so I didn’t do much meaningful exercise. Just a couple of short walks.

Tuesday:

A day in the office meant I packed my running gear in the off chance I could get out for a lunch run. I headed up the hill in lovely sunshine, though it was cold! I felt that the hill was a little easier than the last time I ran it so I was pleased about that.

Distance: 2.5m

Time: 30m 3s

Elevation: 289ft

Pace: 12.04/m

Wednesday:

Another lunchtime run for me, I was trying to avoid the rain that was forecast for later in the day. In line with my plans, I kept the distance and time short and tried to keep my pace slow. The training is done, so the aim is to keep the legs and body moving without risking injury that comes with overtraining or last minute panicking.

Distance: 2.64m

Time: 30m 3s

Elevation: 325ft

Pace: 11.22/m

Thursday:

No pictures today, I did some active recovery walks across the day both at work and also after work. I managed a step tally of over 13,000 without too much trouble.

Friday:

The day was bright and sunny, which no doubt fooled a lot into thinking we’d be treated to the same on race day! It was lovely to see the village busy up with visitors and there were plenty of runners around. I headed to the harbour just for a short shake out run, which was a pretty decent pace actually!

Distance: 3m

Time: 31m 56s

Elevation: 56ft

Pace: 10.27/m

Saturday:

The day arrived and with it the weather started off calm and dry. But we all knew what was coming! as we were running as a relay team, Alison, Deirdre and I had to meet and register together at Tayinloan from where Alison would get our relay underway. I was up next but not for a couple of hours.

As we arrived at Tayinloan the rain was just starting and the wind had most definitely made an appearance, it looked like we weren’t going to be blessed with the same weather as last year at all. After Deirdre and I saw Alison safely over the start line I headed home to get ready, with buff, gloves, waterproofs, long sleeved top and even my thermal running tights back out. Who would have thought I’d need those in May!

Tony drove me to the handover point in Clachan to meet Alison coming in. I was grateful for my dryrobe while I was waiting! When Alison arrived, describing her section as absolutely brutal, I just thought I’d better get my head down and get this done!

You might remember that we recce’d this part only a couple of weeks ago and the conditions underfoot were good, with only a few boggy spots. Well, that changed from the offset, with the wood trail section muddy right from the start. And that was the theme for the next couple of hours, with driving rain, big muddy or boggy underfoot conditions continuously and strong winds. Boy, was it cold! It made for hard going on the legs and on the mind!

As I emerged along the side of Loch Ciaran, I was struck by the water’s surface which had been glass like last time, but was very different today!

Next up was a trail section which is very well known to me, and is drier underfoot. At this point, at about 4 miles in, I just decided to enjoy every second of this. I met a lady who was dropping out but looked safe on her own as she was on her way to meet the medic.

As I made my way through the lovely heathland and around the lochs, there was no sign of the Isle of Jura behind me or of Arran before me- both were well and truly hidden by cloud cover today!

The next section I knew was going to be tough, as it was open moor across the highest part of this section. It is usually pretty windy and boggy and the day’s conditions just topped anything I’d experienced on this part before. The clouds dropped, visibility was poor and the rain turned to hailstones which were driven by the winds right into my face. The wind also meant that moving forward was pretty difficult! Looking back at my stats, though, I was moving at a pace over difficult terrain – lots of bogs and rocky outcrops with ankle twisting hillocks everywhere but I somehow managed 11 minute miles!

Finally I reached the kissing gate which I knew marked the uphill climb right before the descent to the road towards Claonaig. It was pretty energy sapping, but knowing that the downhill was coming helped boost the mood!

It was disappointing that the cloud cover was so intense that there wasn’t even a glimpse of Arran, but I just recalled the glorious views from a couple of weeks ago instead.

I was fortunate to only pass one vehicle on the road, and when I reached the turn off for Skipness it was with mixed feelings that I headed back off the road and uphill again. In previous years the route was continuous road to Skipness which I know is mentally tough and hard on the legs. So I tried to keep that in mind as I climbed once again up a steep-ish track and along an unfamiliar trail I’ve never run before. I could see a runner ahead and tried to keep her in my sights, which really helped with the motivation!

After another mile or so we were dipping back down and there we were, at the handover point where I wished Deirdre good luck and told her to just enjoy it.

The hills, mud, rain, wind, cold and hail were certainly challenging but I absolutely loved it!

I had parked my car in Skipness the night before, so walked to collect it, and after a pretty muddy shower I felt a bit more human again!

Before I knew it we were heading down to the finish line to cheer Deirdre over and to celebrate our achievement!

And, we managed to take over 12 minutes off our time from last year- woo hoo! In glorious sunshine (but wind) last year we ran it in 7h 40m 18s, this year even in that weather we achieved 7h 28m 2s🙌

Distance: 12.1m

Time: 2h 47m 52s

Elevation: 1,516ft

Pace: 13.53/m

I just loved it!

Weekly Workouts

Weekly Workouts

by TartanJogger ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Over the past week, I’ve wound down my running quite a bit. No, I haven’t exactly been tapering, not for 10 miles, but I have been trying to learn lessons from last experience, not taking small risks of injury and trying to avoid over training. I know only too well the temptation of getting in more- more distance, more speed, more hills. But at this late stage and with the KWU relay less than a week away the work is all done. And the best thing to do is to play safe, relax, trust your training and look forward to the big day!

Monday-

I had already decided to run no further than 5k on any day over the next couple of weeks. So, to start the week, I took an early lunch break and made the most of that decision by doing a regular three miles around the harbour.

Distance: 3m

Time: 32m 35s

Elevation: 49ft

Pace: 10.52/m

Tuesday-

We had time for an evening stroll, again around the harbour. I did consider heading to a trail but we opted instead to just enjoy the views (and to fit in a visit to the shop!)

Distance: 3m

Wednesday:

Mid week brought some wet weather with it, which was a change from the sun we’ve been used to! I did manage to avoid a deluge, and it made for big skies.

Distance: 3m

Time: 32m 46s

Elevation: 46ft

Pace: 10.55/m

Thursday:

I spent the day in the office, and so had the opportunity at lunchtime to go for a trail walk, it was such a perfect day for it.

As I was walking and not running I started to climb up to Dun Mor, but stopped myself and turned back, realising that there was no point in taking a stupid risk with another scramble that I could easily enjoy another day!

Distance: 3.18m

Time: 58m 14s

Elevation: 364ft

Friday-

On the last day of April I finished my April accumulator with run 16/16to the West Loch and back. Slow and steady, trying to keep the heart rate low.

Distance: 2.65m

Time: 30m 5s

Elevation: 95ft

Pace: 11.21/s

Sunday-

Today I started the last of the Great Run Solo Accumulators, and this challenge is to have 15 runs PLUS complete four weekly steps. This week’s step is ‘Back on Track’, to celebrate tracks reopening we were challenged to run a mile as fast as you can.

Now, taking into account that I have the Kintyre Way Ultra Relay this week I was obviously not going to push too hard and risk injury. Neither did I want to leave it until later in the week to complete it, so I headed to the harbour, where the walkway is fast and flat- it’s probably as close to a track as we’d get in the village!

I did a half mile warm up, a mile as fast as I could comfortably hold without being stupid and so I wasn’t pushing myself too much, followed by a half mile cool down.

Turns out that my mile pace was 9.30/m – I’m pretty happy with that!

Distance: 2m

Time: 20m 58s

Elevation: 46ft

Pace: 10.28/m

The plan for the rest of the week is to keep running, but keep the distances short and to keep making smart choices to avoid injury! I’m really looking forward to Saturday. The weather forecast isn’t too encouraging, but it’s a bit too far away to be sure of that.

This training cycle has been a lot of fun, helped along by the Great Run Solo challenges, so I’m not sure why I’m going to do and how I’ll stay on track with no future races booked and no online challenges. At least we have the Leadership Journey 26 mile walk at the end of May. More about that soon!

Have a good week, all.

Weekly Workouts

Weekly Workouts

by TartanJogger ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

What a stunning week we’ve enjoyed with the most glorious sunshine. It’s been far too stunning to stay inside, so I’ve tried to enjoy the evening sun, culminating in an amazing outdoor adventure on Sunday.

It’s now less than two weeks until the Kintyre Way Ultra Relay, and I’m pleased to see that the final part of my section into Skipness will now be off road, woo hoo! Can’t wait to try a new trail!

Here’s how last week turned out.

Monday:

With the light nights it now means I have time to get onto the trails after work, which really makes such a difference. I decided to head onto the Kintarbert Forest route, just to enjoy being off road and to mix up the routes. I’d forgotten how hilly the first mile or so is!

Distance: 2.82m

Time: 37m 16s

Elevation: 509ft

Pace: 13.11/m

Wednesday:

On Wednesday evening we went for a walk around the harbour. My watch decided it wasn’t going to record the whole thing 🤷🏼‍♀️ but we did around 3.5 miles or so.

Thursday:

It was another lovely evening, so tonight I headed out to the timber route, for a 5k run. It’s such a lovely mid week treat!

Distance: 3.15m

Time: 37m 40s

Elevation: 394ft

Pace: 11.58/m

Friday:

My post-work run on Friday was a short run out to the West Loch and back. I was a little pushed for time, and my legs were feeling really heavy and tired after a long week. Glad I got it done, however. The pier was busy, and you can see the hard work underway.

Distance: 2.51m

Time: 30m 4s

Elevation: 79ft

Pace: 11.57/m

Saturday:

My original plan was to have another rest day but it was such a beautiful afternoon that we went for a wee walk along the harbour. Just 2.23 miles, but no pressure and no pace.

Sunday:

On Sunday, I was truly reminded how fortunate I am to live in an area so steeped in natural beauty, in history and in rugged, stunning landscapes. I really love living in this corner of the world!

I started the day with a 10k trail run, and I had most of the open space to myself. It’s so beautiful and quiet in the Sunday morning sunshine. I decided to scramble up to Dùn a’ Choin Duidh, which translates as the Fort of the Black Dog. It’s an Iron Age fort with stunning views over to Jura and, on a clear day, beyond.

Legend has it that the fort is named after a black wolfhound which was half wolf and defended the fort. It is also said to be the fort of Torquil Mor, a great hunter, who reportedly died fighting a wild boar.

When I was making my way back down I did think it wasn’t my best idea, and too it easy in case I took a tumble!🤣

Next on my trail was the Giant’s Grave, which is an amazing Bronze Age burial cairn. It is said to hold the remains on Diarmaid, the founder of Clan Campbell. The light in the glade itself in the late morning is just stunning.

After meeting up at home with Tony we decided to go for another cold water dip, and so we headed to Ronachan Point to see how the water was there. It was absolutely ideal. A little secluded and sheltered, we again had it all to ourselves. The water dips quite quickly meaning we didn’t have to wade out too far for a decent dook.

Ronachan Point is named after the seals that you can see on the rocky outcrops, and they were certainly enjoying the sunshine today, basking in the rocks. I don’t think they were the least impressed with our attempts in the water today, mind you!

The views over Gigha, Jura and Islay were just stunning. It’s such a beautiful spot.

Distance: 6.35m

Time: 1h 22m 46s

Elevation: 833ft

Pace: 13.02/m

It was such a lovely way to round out the weekend, and I really was reminded how fortunate we are to have all of this history and natural beauty on our doorstep. It is stunning!

Weekly Workouts

Weekly Workouts

by TartanJogger ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

The past week has been incredibly busy, and I’ve really struggled to step away from the desk either at lunchtime or in the evenings, and yet again I haven’t managed to get to any of Jacqui’s classes live. But I know that the pace of life varies, so rather than being too worried about it I’ve just stayed focussed and taken the breaks when I’ve been able to, knowing that not every week is like the one just past.

Here’s how my week went.

Monday-

After Sunday’s long run doing the middle section of the Kintyre Way, I needed to shake out my legs to help with recovery. I had a small gap at lunchtime so took advantage and squeezed in a short run around the harbour. It was also Medal Monday, and my March accumulator medal was delivered!

Distance: 3m

Time: 31m 59s

Elevation: 79ft

Pace: 10.38/m

Tuesday:

I had a busy day in the office, but as Shirley was also in we did fit in a very short 15 minute walk, just enough to get away from the desk. In the evening, Tony and I walked to the West Loch and back, it was a lovely evening.

Distance: 3.4m

Time: 1h 4m 53s

Wednesday-

I only had half an hour to spare, so I found myself heading back to the West Loch for another sunny run.

Distance: 2.68m

Time: 30m 7s

Elevation: 148ft

Pace: 11.13/m

Thursday –

I was short of time again, but managed a quick post work run. I was so rushed that I forgot to take a photo, urgh!

Distance: 3m

Time: 33m 28s

Elevation: 89ft

Pace: 11.08/m

Friday-

After a busy morning, we were able to head through to Glasgow to meet up with family for an outdoor walk, I saw my parents last year, but it has been well over a year since I had seen my sisters so it was well worth the 5 hour drive.

A sunny walk around Kelvingrove Park was just what we needed.

Distance: 2.7m

Saturday-

Tony and I were up and out early to get in a long training walk for the Great Post Lockdown Walk on 22 May. We headed to the timber route, to the old quarry to see stunning views over to Jura. It was beautiful!

Distance: 20.16m

Time: 7h 3m 49s

Elevation: 2,113 ft

Time now to rest and recharge for the week ahead!

Weekly Workouts

Weekly Workouts

by TartanJogger ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

That’s better! We’ve had a week of cold but beautiful weather, which just makes it easier to get out and enjoy the great outdoors, so that’s exactly what I’ve done this past week.

Monday-

With it being a bank holiday, we wanted to make the most of the day and so we decided to walk up to Allt Dearg windfarm. We drive past it all the time, but had never walked up to the turbines before. Although we set out in glorious sunshine, the wind was absolutely wild the further up we climbed, and as we neared the top we were able to watch a hail shower come right across the Loch, over us, and past on its journey south. Cold, but amazing!

Distance: 6.7 miles

Elevation: 1,394 ft

Tuesday-

I was back at work after my break and although I had no time to run during the work day, it was so lovely to be able to enjoy a run after work still in daylight. It really is a joy.

Distance: 3m

Time: 32m 9s

Elevation: 135ft

Pace: 10.42/m

Wednesday-

I did have time today for a short lunchtime run, so I opted to do the west Loch and back, to keep it to 30 minutes. I needed the headspace!

Distance: 2.72m

Time: 30m 2s

Elevation: 115ft

Pace: 11.01/m

Friday:

It was another beautiful day, but with a number of afternoon meetings planned I stepped away from my desk slightly earlier than usual, for a wee three miles.

Distance: 3m

Time: 32m 39s

Elevation: 69ft

Pace: 10.51/m

Sunday-

I had arranged to meet up with Alison and Deirdre for our first run this year, to recce the middle section of the Kintyre Way in advance of our relay in May. It was just a perfect day, with lots of talking, lots of walking and lots of fun! The scenery is just spectacular, with views one way over to Jura and the other way over to Arran. Amazing!

We didn’t manage any cold water dips this week, but hopefully we might squeeze one in next week. I’m not pressuring myself- I want to keep enjoying them! I am pleased enough with how much fresh air and vitamin D I managed this week, especially as I was back at work. Let’s see where this week takes us ☺️

Weekly Workouts

Weekly Workouts

by TartanJogger ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Actually, rather than a weekly round up this is a roundup of the last two weeks. We had time off last week and we’re decorating, so I didn’t find time to post! The decorating is done, looking good, and over for another while. Phew!

Monday-

I kick started the week with a short lunchtime run around the harbour, just to shake out the legs after the previous day’s 13.66 mile walk. My legs definitely needed it! I then did Jacqui’s fitness Pilates class in the evening, which was using resistance bands this time. Loved that!

Distance: 3m

Time: 32m 17s

Elevation: 39ft

Pace: 10.45/m

Wednesday-

It was such a lovely, sunny day and the first day of my annual leave (allegedly), and I headed out for a mid morning run to the West Loch. I did Carrick hill, and stopped a few times to chat!

Distance: 3.24m

Time: 37m 24s

Elevation: 223ft

Pace: 11.32/m

Thursday-

It was lovely to be able to head out for a walk at a leisurely pace, with no pressure to be back at the desk, and it was great to see the daffs and the spring flowers in full bloom.

Distance: 4.16m

Time: 1h 9m 7s

Elevation: 187ft

Friday-

It was just lovely to be able to take my time and enjoy the spring sunshine during my morning run.

Distance: 4m

Time: 43m 50s

Elevation: 151ft

Pace: 10.56/m

Saturday-

Today’s run was a special 5k. It rounded off the March Accumulator, but more importantly we completed The Trussell Trust’s Race Against Hunger. No one should be hungry in the UK today and we need to ensure dignified access to food for all, ending reliance on food banks. I ran with Tony and at his pace, it was good to be more reflective.

Distance: 3.1m

Time: 43m 9s

Elevation: 348ft

Pace: 13.56/m

Monday-

After a busy day stripping wallpaper and glassing woodwork, we headed out for a lovely evening stroll to enjoy some fresh air. There was a LOT of stopping and talking tonight!

Distance: 4.55m

Elevation: 167ft

Time: 1h 34m 36s

Tuesday-

Before starting to paper, I pulled on my trainers to make the most of the sunshine. We’ve been so lucky with the weather this week! This was my first run of 2021 wearing a t shirt, woo hoo!

Distance: 4m

Time: 43m 23s

Elevation: 236ft

Pace: 10.50/m

Thursday-

What a stunning day! I had a little more time to enjoy a run so I headed out to the timber route to make the most of the gorgeous day. After the run, we did something I have been thinking about doing for a while- we took the plunge and drove to A’ Chleit beach for a dook! The sun was warm, the sand golden and the water was baltic…. but I loved it!

Distance: 6.5m

Time: 1h 17m 4s

Elevation: 728ft

Pace: 11.51/m

Friday-

With another glorious day in store, we pulled on the trail shoes again and headed to Claonaig to walk a small part of the Kintyre Way. The views over to Arran were just stunning 🤩

Distance: 5m

Time: 1h 57m 8s

Elevation: 712ft

Saturday-

The forecast from tomorrow is for a return to bitter temperatures and perhaps even snow 😳, so we wanted to make the most of the mild weather and sunshine. We had another run around the harbour, then a quick scramble over to Shell Beach for another dook in the water, I think this is our new infatuation!🤣

Distance: 4m

Time: 42m 28s

Elevation: 46ft

Pace: 10.36/m

What a lovely way to spend an Easter Weekend. We always spend it with family so it’s quite a change for us, but the sunshine, water and vitamin D is helping 🌤🐣