Film Friday is a weekly recommendation of one video to watch this weekend.
If triathlon is two sports too many for you then check out pentathlon instead. The military version is a an interesting mix of swimming, running and dangerous obstacles.
All posts by twinbikerun
Rugged Run – North Harris Eagle Observatory – Isle Of Harris (Iain)
I’ve seen a golden eagle a few times whilst walking/running in Harris. They are very impressive sight. Ironically the only place I’ve not seen them is the Eagle Observatory!
I’m not alone in not spotting them. The observation book was full of comments saying “no eagles, just midges!”
It doesn’t matter if you don’t spot any. The walk is still worth doing to see the spectacular views.
I decided to climb up the hill next to the observatory. It was very steep and very treacherous on the way back down. I would recommend it if you are comfortable with steep off path climbs.
MAPS
Review
Spectacular Views on a nice day but its not a route for inexperienced runners
Parking
There is a car park at the start of the run.
Facilities
None
Nearest cafe
Nothing nearby but there is a small shop in Tarbert.
Run Surface
50% firetrack road, 50% moor
Dog Friendly
Yes as long as your dog likes steep climbs
Elevation
527m
Rugged Run – The Callanish Stones (Iain)
The callanish stones are a collection of standing stones on the west coast of the Isle Of Lewis.
There are a number of guesses as to there purpose
Some people believe it was men “converted into stone by an ancient enchanter”
Some people believe it was site to worship aliens.
And some people believe it was were Boris Jonson sacrificed his soul for eternal damnation or as its commonly known….leadership of the Tory party.
If you you are any of these people then I have some magic beans I’d like to sell you as you’ll obviously believe anything.
In truth, no-on really knows what the purpose of them is. All you need to know is that they look cool.
If you do visit then get there early. They are best enjoyed in solitude rather than with a crowd of folk taking selfies.
The Broch is an ancient type of croft house. Its very impressive but its currently being repaired. Its looks more like a building site than an ancient home. My dad claims there is a secret tunnel in it but I’ve never found it. He also claims small dwarfs switch on the street lights at night. I’d take anything he says with a pinch of salt.
Outdoor Swim Review – Loch Ard (Iain)
Whenever something bad happens in my town I joke with my wife “I bet whoever did it wasn’t a local!”
I say that because that’s all I ever see when I look at the Facebook page for my town. Load of posts about visitors up to no good. As if we haven’t got any bad ‘uns in our own town..!
Kinlochard is a beautiful wee hamlet but it had been overrun by visitors in the last year. I’ve heard the locals aren’t as welcoming as they once were. I don’t have that much sympathy. If I moved somewhere beautiful and easily accessible by others I’d expect people to turn up all the time. I don’t understand why people move somewhere beautiful and then complain that about other people who also want to come to their beautiful place.
But I do think everyone should respect each other which means Loch Ard is a difficult place to review. Its a beautiful spot for a swim but by going there I’m also contributing to ruining the place for the locals who live there.
My conclusion is to only go when its quieter. Either first thing in the morning or during the week. In the hope that won’t bother others too much.
REVIEW
Ease of Access:
It used to be easy to park in Kinlochard but a combination of too many visitors, covid restrictions and the closure of the village hall means there is much less tolerance and space for visitors. It can be very busy at the weekend so get there early or park further away and then walk/bike to the start.
Water quality:
The water is pretty clear for a loch. The west end is pretty sheltered so there aren’t many waves even on a windy day
Swim Quality:
A good place to swim but it can be very busy so don’t expect to have it to yourself.
Other People:
It can be very busy.
Would I go back:
It is good for beginners and it is a great starting point for people who want to try outdoor swimming
Rugged Run – Dail Mor Beach (Iain)
In 2016 an oil rig collied with the Isle of Lewis. Which I imagine made for an interesting insurance phone call.
Caller – hello, I’d like to report an accident.
Insurance company – how can we help you?
Caller – I’ve been involved in a collision.
Insurance company – with another vehicle?
Caller – An island. I hit an island. A massive 30 x 60 mile island…Yes, I know I should have known it was there….
The oil rig was being towed from Norway to Malta, when it became detached from the tug boat. The resulting crash looked like this.
Thankfully there was no long lasting damage other than to the pride of the man in charge of towing the oil rig.
If you want to check out the site then it’s a short walk from Dail Mor beach to the cliffs.
MAPS
Review
Spectacular Views on a nice day but be careful if its windy.
Parking
There is a car park at the start of the run.
Facilities
None
Nearest cafe
Nothing nearby but there is a small shop in Barvas.
Run Surface
100% trail
Dog Friendly
Yes as long as your dog is safe near cliff edges
Elevation
40m
Outdoor Swim Review – Lochore Meadow (Iain)
I once worked with a man who lived in Lochore. He was a member of a brass band. He was in charge of making sure members of the band came to rehersals. Many a time I would overhear him shouting into his phone “Why can’t you cone to rehersal? If you don’t come tonight, I will make sure that you never play trumpet in Fife ever again!”
It’s fair to say he took the role very seriously.
Lochore meadow is a managed water sports facility which has sessions for swimming, sailing and paddle sports. You can find full details here https://active.fife.scot/locations/lochore-meadows/activity-listing/watersports
I’d recommend it for family’s or people who are starting out wild swimming as its a safe venue that is easy to access. Just watch out for brass bands. You don’t want to get on the wrong side of them or you will never swim in Fife again!
REVIEW
Ease of Access:
Their is plenty of parking
Water quality:
The water is checked and monitored.
Swim Quality:
A good managed option if you don’t wan’t to swim in wilder location.
Other People:
It can be very busy.
Would I go back:
It is good for beginners and it is a great starting point for people who want to move from the pool to outdoor swimming.
Celtman 2021 (Iain)
Andrew and I both entered this year’s Celtman, He has detailed his training on this blog. I prefer to not write about training. That way when I drop out of an event, I don’t have to tell anyone!
I abandoned my place a few months ago but unlike Andrew it was not due to Swimming. I live in a different council area than Andrew. I have been able to swim throughout the pandemic as there is a loch near me.
I abandoned as I’ve struggled for time to train properly. I was training well until March but since then I’ve lost 7 week due to injury and another 4 weekends due to a family bereavement. I only had limited free time so I abandoned bike training and stuck to running as it was easy to fit into my week
I knew I could do the swim and run but I would have hated every second of the bike leg. Every awful second of It would have been mentally draining so I dropped out to save my sanity.
We prebooked accommodation for the Celtman weekender. I didn’t want that to go to waste so Mrs Twinbikerun and I drove up north and enjoyed a race free weekend in Torridon. I had my swim, bike and run gear with me just in case I had a last minute change of heart BUT thankfully the injury fairy visited me the night before we left and gifted me an injured elbow!
I couldn’t bend my arm properly or put weight on it for the whole weekend. Which is very annoying when trying to fall asleep as I struggled to find any position that did not make my elbow sore.
I’ve no idea how the injury happened, My wife suspects it was a new extendable dog lead she purchased. That week I’d walked my dogs with it for the first time. Thankfully I’d made the decision to drop out before getting the injury. Imagine having to drop out because of a dog walk! I’d be gutted.
I’ll enter next year and see what happens. If I do get in, hopefully i have more luck and don’t get injured so often! I’ve had more injuries this year than the last 20 years.
Lochore Sprint Triathlon 2021 (Iain)
A sprint triathlon comprises a 750m swim, a 20k bike ride and a 5k run. It was created so that a professional could complete it in around 60 minutes. Which to a pro is a sprint…
To most normal people even a sprint triathlon is a real challenge.
I have not done a sprint race since 2016. I prefer longer distance races but when I saw this was on I thought it would be a good re-introduction to racing after a year without any events in my schedule.
What I didn’t know was that this year’s race was also the Scottish Triathlon Sprint Championship.
Swim – My aim was sub 15 minutes
The swim was split into waves of 50 people based on age groups. I was in the 40-50 age group. I was a bit nervous as I’d not raced in a while. I was also intimidated by just how fit the other other men looked.
In normal life, if I compare myself to the average 40-50 year old then I consider myself very fit. But in his lineup of lean, fit middle aged men I looked like a beached whale of unhealthiness. I tried to stay positive – I might come last but I’ll still be in top 50 in Scotland.
The course was an easy loop. The water was very warm (17C) so I set off fast but I couldn’t keep up with the really good swimmers. I settled into a nice rhythm and I got round with no issues.
I was pleased to be out in 18th place in 13 min.
It would be my best results of the day.
Transition
My transition was slow as its not something I practice or care about. I’m only interested in the times for each leg of the race. I think that comes from only doing long distance races were transitions are not that important to my overall result.
Bike – My aim was sub 45 minutes
One of my favourite games to play on long car journeys is “nice town, crap town”.
The rules are very simple. Whenever I am about to pass through a town I’ve not been to before, I try to guess, based on just the name of the town, whether it’s a nice town or a crap town.
The bike route passed through three towns I’d not visited before – Cowdenbeath, Lochgelly and Lochore.
My guess was that Cowdenbeath would be crap. Cows are big ugly beasts so a town based on the name ‘cow’ must be ugly too. I thought the other two would be nice as lochs are beautiful places. I was wrong. They were all crap!
Caveat (twinbikelawyer says I shouldn’t slander whole towns) – I should say, the bits the bike route went through were crap. The other parts of each town might be nice!
I knew my bike leg would be slow. I’d forgotten to check my TT bike until the night before the race. It uses hydraulic brakes but the water pressure was low. The brakes didn’t work. I didn’t have time to sort it so I used my normal bike instead. This bike is comfy and reliable but it’s not quick. All the swimmers who were slower than me soon caught up and passed me.
The course was undulating and the road surface was poor in places. It wasn’t a very scenic course but I was happy with my time of 42 minutes. It was as quick as I was likely to go considering the bike I was using.
Transition
I jumped off my bike and then held on to my bike as I mounted a pavement. As I lifted my bike over the pavement the front wheel came flying off. Narrowly missing an official. Is killing an official with a bike wheel a DQ or just a 15 second penalty?
Run – my aim was less than 25 minutes
The run was an out and back course alongside Lochore. I’d only run 200m when I passed by the finish line. My number fell off. I didn’t bother to pick it up as I couldn’t be bothered holding it for the whole race. But a nice man picked it up and handed it back to me when I ran back at the end. Thank you to whoever you were.
It was quite warm on the run. I’d have liked a water stop but I’m guessing COVID regulations don’t allow it as there was none on the course.
I was happy to plod around in 23 minutes.
Overall
I was happy to beat all the times I’d aimed for. It was nice to be at an event and see people out enjoying racing again.
Film Friday – My Midsummer Morning (Iain)
Film Friday is a weekly recommendation of one video to watch this weekend.
What is an adventure? Check out this video to see that an adventure is facing the unknown and doing something that scares you.
Alastair Humphreys demonstrates that this can be something as simple as learning to play a violin.
Rugged Run – The Postman’s Path on the Isle of Harris (Iain)
The postman’s path connects the small town of Tarbert with the even smaller town of Rhenigidale on the south-east edge of the Isle of Harris.
Until 1989, the only way for the outside world to reach Rhenigidale was by boat, or by this path. Goods and post were taken in and out via this route. WHich meant a very long walk for the postman. Thankfully Amazon did not exist back then or he’d never have been able to carry all the post over the hill.
The route can be done as a 13 mile circular path starting in Rhenigidale but I was a bit short for time so I did the spectacular first section as an out and back route.
There is parking in Rhengidale and the path is very obvious. Follow it until you reach the cairn.
VIDEO
MAPS
Review
Spectacular Views on a nice day
Parking
There is a car park at the start of the run.
Facilities
None
Nearest cafe
Nothing nearby but there are a couple of places in Tarbert.
Run Surface
100% trail
Dog Friendly
Yes as long as your dog likes hills!
Elevation
500M of elevation.
Twin brothers swimming, cycling and running in Scotland 