Injured - AGAIN!!

Well it happened like I knew it would. Over training, cramming mileage always ends in injury and teers/tears! 

With Mourne Skyline 3 weeks off  I was hurrying through a last minute training plan to get some speed back after a year of injuries! I missed Mourne last year so I was really keen to tick it off this year. 

It's a 35k/3370mtr mountain route taking in 10 peaks in the heart of the Mourne Mountains in Northern Ireland. I've been to Ireland a few times working but never ran here so I was really excited to get into these Irish Beinns!

Race profile

Mourne Mountains

I had one more long-ish run to do before cutting back mileage. I was after 20+ miles with at least 7k feet and I couldn't go far because of other commitments so there's only one place to get the climb that's close to home.. good old Beinn Chiochan or Lochnagar as it's better known.

The mighty Gar

Being my local (good) Munro I've done this hill too many times to count but it never gets boring if you're willing to mix it up a little.. I'd recently done the White Mounth route twice and I couldn't be bothered doing my other training route LSD (Lochnagar, Stuic, Dubh Loch) so I opted to stay closer to the carpark and rep a different route.

The corrie

The route is from Glen Muick carpark and first takes in the Corbett Connachcraig, then Meikle Pap summit and onto Lochnagar summit via the (dangerous in clag) corrie rim path. This was only half the route. 

I then dropped down the Glas Allt/waterfall path to Loch Muick then U-turned back up to Lochnagar, over to Meikle Pap and finally back over to Connachcraig for 2 reps of each peak giving me 35k/2300mtrs. A bit short on climb but it would do.

Lochnagar in the background from Connachraig last winter

So that was the route and I was fired up for it. Training had been going well. I'd been hammering in hill reps and loads of speed work but I knew I was over doing it trying to push the mileage too quickly. I'd started proper training too late because of my lingering ankle issue from last year and COVID related bullshit! 

No races, no motivation to train. I was running plenty but only for enjoyment and I wasn't pushing it. I had built back up my speed in recent weeks and I was happy with my short speed game.. I just needed mileage. 

Glas Allt Sheil path 

So in the first 2 miles of this, my last long run before Mourne, as I pushed off my right calf crossing a burn I felt that un-mistakable PING of a muscle strain/tear!!! Nooooooo.... I've been here so many times, I knew the outcome but I was clinging to Mourne, it was the only race still on after all my others were cancelled so I kept going. When I warmed up it didn't feel too bad and I stupidly completed the route. Obviously I should've walked back to the van!

There's no way I was going to recover in 2 weeks so made the decision not to go over to Ireland. I was gutted! However in a twist of fate they cancelled the race 2 days before race day anyway because of the new COVID restrictions! Yaldie! Result for me, I was the only happy runner that day! 

I've rescheduled the flights for May next year to go over and do the race route and that week coincides with the NW200 Superbike road race up in Portrush to make more of a holiday our of it.

I was relieved Mourne was cancelled and I could just chill and slowly recoup and work on getting fit again with no races coming up. I threw myself into biking. mostly MTB and while on the Pitfichie downhill course a couple weeks back in the pouring rain, banked over in a corner, the rear tyre let go on a tree route and I low sided slamming into the deck with my chest and heed taking the brunt! Booom!! 

Big slam, couldn't breath, seeing stars and I was on my own! Convinced I had a collapsed lung or similar and after 10 mins on my knees gasping for air and trying to think straight I managed to crawl off the course onto the main track and gingerly peddle single handed back to van and straight to hospital!

Clumsy

                 

Usual pish from the doc, "cracked or bruised ribs, rest and take these mental painkillers"!!

I've also been here before many times and am no stranger to chest injury.. I know the drill.. It takes me back to a memorable trip to Balfour hospital in Fort Bill years back after a bad landing kayaking on Eas a Chathaidh, a rapid on the river Orchy and had to be carried out. 

I landed the drop on my left edge up against the wall and I was bent over to the left with my rib cage taking the blow on the rim of the cockpit! It was absolute agony! The diagnosis was actually dislocated cartilage between 2 ribs and I was given crazy strong painkillers that incidentally the doctor who treated me was also taking for back pain! I could tell, she didn't have a clue what was going on and kept fumbling around dropping her stethoscope! Then she tells me not to drive or operate any machinery! Thankfully I don't think she was doing any major surgery  that day!

Myself on Eas a Chathaidh, river Orchy (this wasn't the fateful landing)

So anyway, I can't run and now I can't bike or anything else for that matter because it hurts to even breath.. SAKE! 

I've been to the pool a couple of times and just floated about kicking my legs and it's hard to not just get pissed and eat shite! I had hoped to be training for a winter come back but I'm weeks away now! I honestly don't know why I bother sometimes! Well apart from because - I FUCKING LOVE IT BRUV!!!!!!

Here's a pic of the big 4 to remind us what's coming soon! 

Pure running on 432Hz! xxxx

Torridon

 

I first came here in the late 90's to do did Ben Eighe which at that time for me was a huge day out and felt hard going but it was also very exciting getting hands on rock and scrambling about. Here, An Teallach and the Cullin are all in a similar category. Their terrain is like nothing else in Scotland. Most of my mountain days at that time were in the rolling Gorms so coming here was like a gold mine!

Savage start to Liatach in sweltering heat

Moving forward to 2 weeks ago.. We chose Torridon last minute as the forecast for the 2nd weekend in a row was full sun! We were really lucky to have similar weather on Aonach Eagach last week.

We left early Saturday morning and were climbing by lunch time.

Big Heart

The target for our first day here was Liatach. An incredible ridge with a killer steep climb up onto the ridge then some good on/off running broken up by some scrambling.

I was dying on the first climb! I'd finally got round to doing my Ben Avon swim/run (see blog) and did it the day before this so my legs and lungs were screaming! Once I was onto the ridge and warmed up I felt a bit more lively and was moving with a bit more energy..

Loch Torridon, I couldn't wait to get into that water!!

There's some good scrambling which can all be by passed but it's easy and great fun and adds to the whole situation.

Heaven

 

The scenery here is just out of this world, especially on a fine day. I wouldn't like to be up here in the wet and clag! 

As soon as we got off the ridge we didn't waste any time looking for the best place to get into Loch Torridon for a swim! We'd planned to do more swimming but we had to be back Sunday and still had another run to do.

The swim was brilliant and what a back drop with Ben Alligin towering behind..

After the swim we just needed a place to park up and get dinner on. The area was mobbed just like Glencoe last week with camper vans everywhere and all the good spots already taken so we drove round the coast to Sheildaig where it was a bit quieter and we found a layby and parked up for the night.

Great night with the most amazing views out the van windows! 

Sheildaig and the view from the van

We decided on Ben Alligin on the Sunday after a boozy Saturday night and slow start. I did Ben Alligin last year as part of a weekend training for Tromso so it was all still familiar to me. It's another amazing ridge line, not as much hands on as Liatach but just as beautiful!

Another brilliant weekend chasing the sun in the hills and in the most scenic part of the world! Summer's coming to an end now and these blazing hot days are probably numbered so the tan will fade but there's still loads more amazing hill days to come and hopefully some racing! 

 

Glencoe and Aviemore

What a weekend! Absolute scorcher! Great for the tan, nae so good for hard running!! 

We headed over to Aviemore on Thursday night at parked up at loch Morlich which was great and a fine spot. Friday we did Meall a Bhuachaille via the Green Loch. I've done the hill race here a couple of times but never ascended this way before which was great and very scenic with the Green Loch. No idea why I didn't take a photo of the Loch, probably the hoards of people there which was the only down side. It was more like the Med than Aviemore!

No pics of MAB either, it was just a quick up and down and then hit the road over to Glencoe..

Sat morning sunrise

Waking up to Loch Achtriochtan underneath AE on one side and Aonach Dubh on the other in blazing sunshine is surely the perfect start to a mountain goers dream day! I'd been waiting for a west coast hit for months and this was the perfect forecast although slightly hotter than I'd like but this wasn't a race just training and mountain loving!

We were here for Aonach Eagach ridge, A ridge I've done several times in both directions since the late 90's. Every time has been an experience. It's exposed, it's loose, it can be very dangerous and must be respected and great care must be taken traversing it. 

I have also raced over the ridge during the Glencoe Skyline. I don't remember saying to myself though that it is exposed, loose, dangerous and care must be taken! Nope, instead I ran across it as fast as I could while feeling hungry, thirsty and extremely fatigued! Looking back it's a crazy thing to do. It's not until you take your time over it and realise actually how dodgy it is. One slip and you're off!

This is what I was thinking this time that the more I concentrated on foot placements on some of the bits the clumsier I got and did have a couple of trips. 

I was unlucky enough to witness a serious accident here in 2004 when a woman fell down a gully near the start going East to West. We watched the rescue as we couldn't get past the bottleneck of people that had gathered.

Back in 2004

We decided to go West to East this time which is the same direction as the race and the faint path up to Sgorr nam Fiannaidh is right across the road from where I was parked so straight into an 800mtr climb! Ouch! 

Once onto the ridge we ran as much as possible and just took our time on the scrambles. Most folk were going East to West so it actually worked out better than having to overtake folk going the same way apart from when we got to the Pinnacles. A group of 4 or 5 guys were very slow and we had to wait for them to come across before we could cross. We were in no rush so it was fine and they were clearly shaky so we didn't want to hurry them. 

Like any other scramble I've done it never seems long enough and you just want more and more and for the climbing not to stop. It's great fun pulling up on the climbs with hands and feet. It's much better than running!

It was a great run and the views were unreal in every direction. 

We dropped back down to the road and ran back a long the trail that follows the road back to Loch Achtriochtan. 

After any Glencoe adventure it's always capped off with a night in the Clachaig Inn which we did of course and had a few drinks.

Back to Aviemore on the Sunday and up to Fiacaill Ridge for my back to back run. Another scorcher in very very hot conditions. We looped back down via Cairn Lochan to the Ski center. 

I love Fiacaill, easily accessible, a great short scramble but with amazing views and positions.

Loch Morlich and Meal a Bhuachaille at the back

Cairn Lochan

Awesome weekend with 3 days running, good food, good company and good laughs!  

 

Ben Avon swim/run

I've been wanting to swim Loch Builg for a while with it's remoteness and special position right under Ben Avon. It was an obvious sim/run route taking in Ben Avon first then the Loch on the way back.

With at least 18 degrees forecast and sun I decided to go for it last minute.

The Loch is short at only just over 1km but it's a quality swim. There are myths of a gigantic Pike in there somewhere but thankfully it didn't get a bite!

Corndavon Lodge

There's no easy way in to Ben Avon. It's remote but does have several ways in but these are at least 10km just to the foot of the hill. I went in from the Gairn Sheil road NW of Ballater as I think it's the best way in and the track is mostly flat unlike Corgarff or Keiloch. Also this way takes you straight to Loch Builg which is where I based myself for the transitions.

I took the bike in to cut down mileage on foot. The route is approx 20kms bike, 20kms/1200mtrs run and 1.2kms swim.

Loch Builg

What's left of Builg Lodge

I managed to padlock the new bike to an iron bar cemented into the wall of Builg Lodge. I'm pretty sure nobody would mess with the bike this far into the hills but you just never know. I've dumped plenty bikes at the foot of hills before and never even thought of anyone actually taking it as you'd hope hill goers are decent folk but when you've spent more money on a bike than a small car then you can't take any chances! 

I stashed my wetsuit and other bits and pieces at the head of the Loch ready for the swim on the way back then I was off on the run.

The route follows the Gairn upstream SW for a few Kms and then peels off  NW following the Allt an Eas Mhoir burn until you get onto the vast plateau of Ben Avon. 

The views looking back SE towards Lochnagar are incredible.

From the top of the burn it's onto the true top Leabaidh an Daimh Bhuidhe (1150mtrs). It's a massive and impressive area up here and unlike most munros with weird Tors strewn all over the place. There's a very easy short scramble to the summit.  

Typically the cloud and a bit of rain came just as I got to the top so I hung around for 30 mins or so hoping it would clear but it did not. Then once I started heading down it cleared! I wasn't going back..

The path from the plateau down towards Inchrory is superb with very good fast running. 

Once down it was back to a big landy track following the Builg Burn down to the Loch and into my wetsuit for the last stretch. 

The swim was brilliant and the reason I was here! A welcome relief to get off my feet and float around for a bit before a wee speed session down the length of the Loch and back to the Lodge and bike.  

I didn't see a soul all day and didn't expect to tbh as it's so remote and not a popular munro to scale and even then most folk go in from keiloch. However, while I was stripped bare arse etc drying myself after the swim I heard a voice shouting "Oi I really don't want to see that!" from behind me! Bloody typical that a bike packer just happened to be passing the Loch just as my arse was out!! Hahaha

The route