Whinney Hill as a recovery run!

Day off yesterday whilst Mrs Hall and I went to Gretna for some retail therapy, needing some stuf for holiday, not to mention looking at some gear in the outdoor shoppies! How nice it was to see all the newly weds walking back from the blacksmiths, but as for the couple in the horse and trap........
all traffic comes to a halt for the strangest things.

Today I broke in a new pair of street shoes with a few miles walk in Carntyne and Shotts, so my feet were feeling it a bit. I needed to run though, and as I had a letter to drop off at the Vale Hospital went suitably attired for a trail run in Balloch Park. Paying heed to the fact I'm racing at Irvine on Wednesday I decided it would be an easy run and I'd walk a few bits, especially those going up the hills...... so 4 and a bit miles logged in pretty muddy conditions, but only one near fall and I felt a lot more confident coming downhill although I didn't get carried away. Still engaging brain before engaging legs but one of these days........
Met an old colleague at the bottom of the hill and spent ten minutes catching up before running up the hill and back to the car.

It is now sinking in that I'm an entrant in The Race. I emailed my mate Glen Stewart who is joining the police next month, enquiring as to his start date and telling him I was in The Race. He reckons I'm mad, but I still asked him if he fancied running up the Devil's Staircase by moonlight as a support runner. Funnily enough I think he'll be on a double shift that night.
Glen and I used to coach together at West Dunbartonshire A.C. and I remember doing a warmup with his dad, Lachie, who had brought down a young girl to train and stayed with her until she got over her shyness. we were discussing my running and the JogScotland groups and he told me never to allow my group to go much further than the half marathon. He was of the opinion that the marathon was too much for the recreational runner. Until this year I stuck to that advice, but I wonder what he'll think now!!!

John Kynaston has posted some dates for training runs on the WHW over the winter. They were very popular last year and I anticipate joining the groups, perhaps not the fastest groups though!!
I'll be on the Way with my regular training group in between times and I also intend hill walking and trail running at least once midweek, perhaps in Arrochar.