100 Days of Running Day 12

Finished Great Glen Way! Started it Christmas 2013 but had one part of it to finish as Andrew got injured, and today we finished what we started!

14.5 miles from Invermortison to Drumnadrochit. The weather was great and finally got some great views! Worth getting up early so as to fit it in before catching flight in afternoon (and big thanks to Andrew's Mum for getting up too to give us a lift!). Here are some pictures:

 Sunny on the drive there

 Invermoriston                    

Highland Cows!                   

Andrew at top of first hill!  

Loch Ness                           

Blue skies!                          

Violets                              

And daffodils

Met some baby lambs!

And baby cows!        

 Great run!                

Finished! 

Stats

Days: 12

Total miles: 113.99

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100 Days of Running Day 11

 

Day 11 was meant to be finishing off the Great Glen Way, but the weather was bad. So we didn't. Instead we ran around Inverness and along the canal, which was just as good.

 

As it turned out the weather was actually nice, so there you go, apparently the forecast isn't always right. Did 7.5 miles, and finished up (by coincidence) running past a bakery (complete coincidence), where we stocked up on that old Scottish health kick The Buttery (like a croissant, but with more butter) and Truffles (like truffles, but 10 times bigger and filled with cake infused with some kind of alcoholic cherry concoction inside).....

 

....soooo, fingers crossed the weather is nice tomorrow and we can finish the last part of the Great Glen Way, with a very long run, with plenty of hills, to balance out the truffle/ buttery incident.

 

Stats

Days: 11

Total miles: 99.49

 

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100 Days of Running: Day 10

Day 10: 11.05.15.

Trying to finish off Great Glen Way - which goes from Inverness to Fort William. Did most of it a couple of Christmas times ago, but there is 22 miles we didn't finish, in the middle from Fort Augustus to Drumnadrochit. Plan today was to do 8 miles of this, from Fort Augustus (at on end of Loch Ness) to Invermoriston.

Day started warm and sunny as we packed up the car. Lovely! It will be warm and the views of the loch will be beautiful!

 

Takes a while to drive to Fort Augustus and on the way it started to rain. And then it started to pour. And then when it seemed like it couldn't get ay worse, the wind got up. And then it rained a bit more, and the wind got a bit stronger 

 

Still, there was an interval as we got out the car and started running. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad! Then we turned round and saw the rain clouds chasing us down the valley....

 

 

Cripes! Ran as fast as our legs would carry us, and made it almost one mile before it bucketed down again.

 

 

And that carried on pretty much for the rest of the time. I imagine it would have been very pretty hadn't there been any clouds, and could we have opened our eyes against the wind and rain. Andrew and I made a bet that there wouldn't be anyone else out in this weather. I was confident no one else would be that daft! Unfortunately, it seems there are. Lots of people. And I now owe him a pizza.

 

Still, another 8 miles in the bank, and another day run - 10 days today! Got back to Inverness and the sun was out again. Ha!

 

Stats

Days: 10

Total miles: 91.1

100 Days of Running: Day 9

Day 9: 10.05.15

Arrived in Scotland last night (have still been let in, despite election results). Woke from a dream where a Komodo Dragon was trying to eat me. Hid in a tent but it found me and the last thing I remember before waking was the Komodo Dragon's hand unzipping the tent zip and reaching in....

Woke with a cracking headache, from which I deduce that the Komodo Dragon must have got me. Took painkillers but didn't get rid of it, and still felt sick from it (I get migraines, hence the sick feeling). Had to run in the morning as was going to Balmoral Castle later in the day (to see the Queen, of course), so decided to go for the shortest distance today - 5km. Andrew came too and we ran down to the river. Got to the river and a bright light in the shape of an snakes eyeball (or Lord Vodemort's) appeared in my left eye. A bit like if you look at something bright and then look away, apart from I hadn't looked at anything bright, and it didn't fade but got brighter the longer it was there, and moved around in circles around my vision. Have had lights in my eyes before with migraines, but never actual things. Probably that blasted Komodo Dragon from last night.

Hardest run yet!

Stats
Total days: 9
Total miles: 83.1

100 Days of Running: Day 8

First ever Park Run this morning, the Mile End Park Run! Almost didn't go as felt completely exhausted when I woke up, and the weather looked pants. But then I thought about why I was doing this challenge, pulled myself together, and got on with it.

Completely glad I did because it was a great morning! And the sun came out!

Park Runs are free 5km timed runs on Saturday mornings organised all around the country and the world. You register on the website and get a barcode, which you print and take with you. You turn up wherever it is for a 9am start with lots of other people, lots of nice volunteer marshals tell you what to do, someone blows a whistle, and you run 5km around a marked course. At the end you get a token and a marshal scans your barcode and the token and you get your time! When you register you chose your 'home' Park Run, but you can go to any event, anytime and be a 'tourist'. At the start line the race director asked for any Park Run tourists, and there were people from as far away as Australia! Everyone is very friendly, met some really nice people, and it's great fun. I recommend it to anyone. Here is their website: http://www.parkrun.org.uk/ 

So I ran there (2 miles), did the race (3.1 miles) and ran home with a bit of a detour round the park (5 miles).

There: 

Race:  

Home: 

Impressed by how many people were running at 9am on Saturday!

Stats

Days: 8

Total Miles: 80

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100 Days of Running: Day 7

First week complete! Today ran 10 miles, so total miles for first week is 70 miles, which hits the average I need to do to complete 1000 miles in 100 days. It's also the most miles I've ever run in a week, and the most days I've run in a row. And everything still works. Smashing.

And fundraising is going well, which is more important. Thank you everyone! And thank you for all your positive words and wishes you have wished to my Aunty....we are all thinking of her and wishing good thoughts and things her way!

Today's run was beautiful. Am in London now. So ran along the canal to Victoria Park, then realised that all of my runs so far, bar the races, have been on the canal, which is going to start sounding boring, so took a detour and ran around the park 3 times. I was talking yesterday about spring coming, but today it feels like it is here for sure. First day running and feeling warm, like actually really properly warm, not just feeling less cold than usual. The flowers are all out and the blossom is on all the trees, there is so much it looks like the branches will break. 

And it smells like the seasons have switched. Funny how smell can be so evocative, out of all of the senses, to me it is the one that stirs the deepest memories and emotions. Sometimes you don't even know what it is. You just catch a scent on the wind, that sends a glimmer of a memory dancing through your mind, but before you catch it it's gone, leaving only the emotion rippling through your heart. And then there are the old familiar smells from the past, that are easy to remember, like the lilac tree from our old garden, that bring back all those memories, running around in the sunshine and playing hide and seek and hiding on the secret wall behind the lilac tree...

...good memories. Lucky to have them. 

But enough reminiscing! To the task in hand. Week 2 begins tomorrow, and I will attend my first ever Park Run. I have fought with the printer, and won, and now have printed a personal barcode meaning I am part of the Park Run community. Can't wait to join in! 

Stats
Runs: 7
Total miles: 70 

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100 Days of Running: Day 6

Day 6 - 10 miles today, including popping to the polling station to vote on the way.

Feels like spring is considering turning up (hurrah!)....

 

Ducklings!!!!!!!!! Sleeping ducklings!!!!! This made me happy for the rest of the day.

Spring is here, and feels like anything is possible.... 

"If you can dream it, you can do it!" - Walt Disney

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