How much trail is on the Loch Leven Half Marathon?
Before the race, I was asked this by two different people. Both were very disappointed when I said “none, its a road race!”
I think people assume its a trail race because there is a nice walking route around the Loch. But it is actually mostly on roads. There is a sneaky little bit of trail right at the end but not much.
The route is an anti-clockwise loop around Loch Leven. I’ve ran the course clock wise and anti clock wise. I did it anti-clockwise the year Andrew I turned up and realized we’d forgotten to enter! We didn’t want to cheat and run with the official runners so went the opposite way instead.
How difficult is it to run a circle in reverse? It turns out it was very difficult. We took a wrong turn and ran 16 miles instead of 13. At one point we ran across a farmers muddy field whilst it was pouring with rain. Considering its a 100% road race I’m not sure how we ended up in a field!
The race race registration and finish line is the local school campus. It was then a near two mile walk to the start line. Some races start in beautiful locations, this one doesn’t. It was side street next to some industrial units.
A woman walked up and down the road shouting at everyone “keep off the road” but it was too little avail. As soon as she passed everyone moved back onto the road.
I was desperate for the loo so I decided to stand in a long queue and see if I could make it to the front before the race started. To succeed at this, , the key is to hold my nerve. As the race gets closer more and more people abandon the queue. I bet that if I held on long enough most people would have left and I’d get a cubicle.
I was correct. Most people left when there was only a couple of minutes left to the start.
The first part of the race is on a partially closed road. Even though it was cloudy it was very warm. I felt good but I was planning on biking for 5 hours the next day so i didn’t push too hard.
The picture does not do justice too how hot and sweaty I was.
The main hill is half way around. Annoyingly this was also the hottest and windiest bit of the course. The wind was against me. Normally i like running up hills but it felt like hard work.
Andrew kicked and left me with about a mile to go. I didn’t have any power so I didn’t even try to keep up. I ended up finishing about 30 seconds behind him.
My aim was sub 1hr 45 min. I did that…just!
Andrew and I at the finish line. I’m 30 seconds behind him.
A couple of week ago I went on vacation to Gran Canaria. It was a trip that was originally booked back in 2019 but the small matter of a global pandemic got in the way.
It was a 4 hour journey from Glasgow to Gran Canaria. All passengers had to wear a face mask on the plane. I thought maybe I could get away with taking it off whilst drinking but the stewardess announced over the radio “If you’re thinking you can order one drink and then nurse it mask-less all the way to GC then forget about it! Keep your masks on!”
You can’t get anything past an air stewardess. They have seen every trick in the book.
Both Glasgow and Gran Canaria airport were very quiet. Which meant we were in and out of both pretty quick.
I could claim the holiday was winter weather training but I’ve never understood why people go somewhere sunny to train. 90% of Scottish races are in the cold and rain.
If I want to train I should go somewhere with weather worse than Scotland. Then, on race day, even if the weather was bad I be relieved that it’s not as bad as the time I trained in hailstones and a gale in the the Arctic circle.
I hired electric mountain bikes from http://www.free-motion.com/en/gran-canaria/ I’ve free-motion bike a few times. They are easy to deal with and the bikes are good quality.
From out hotel in Melonares there was a few good on and off road routes to try. Check out the video below to see an example.
I’ve cycled in Gran Canaria, Tenerife and Lanzarote, Of the three islands. I prefer Gran Canaria. The roads are quieter than Tenerife and it is not as windy as Lanza.
But I didn’t see any professional cyclists training. I have seen professional on both Terneriffe and Lanza so maybe don’t come here if you have any ambitions to win the Tour De France. Just come if you want a lovely place for a spin on your bike.
A selection of routes to try:
Degollada de las Yeguas
Popular lookout point in an expansive nature reserve offering sweeping views of the canyon.
Film Friday is a weekly recommendation of one video to watch this weekend.
I’m not sure if the folk in this video should be applauded for their parkour/climbing skill, or whether they should be locked up for attempting to get out of such a dingy horrible pit.
I swim at Elie beach whenever i visit. The sea can be a little bit choppy if the wind is strong. But Earlsferry beach and Shell bay beach are very close by. When one beach is choppy, one of the others will be calm. Just pick and choose the one that matches the sea conditions you are comfortable with.
It was a beautiful day when I visited. The sea was cold (5C) so I didn’t go in for long but it was nice to have quick dip.
Film Friday is a weekly recommendation of one video to watch this weekend.
GQ has a series of videos called Above Average Joe where they takes on the challenge of trying to perform like a professional sportsman.
Spoiler – It turns out professional sport men and women are actually really good at what they do and an average Joe can’t compete with them. But its fun to watch him try…
Film Friday is a weekly recommendation of one video to watch this weekend.
“Amar Latif was told, aged four, that he would be blind by the time he was 18. However, his lack of sight hasn’t prevented him from experiencing the world. henever Amar travels he relies on someone sighted to guide him. In return he opens their eyes and all their senses to a completely different way of travelling.
Amar is joined by comedian Sara Pascoe as he attempts to open her eyes to the potential of travelling blind and ‘seeing’ the world differently.”
This is a great show in which you can’t help but warm to both of them as they learn about the world through their time together.
Twin brothers swimming, cycling and running in Scotland 