New Year New Route

Turned up for the New Year run with Andy, Jan and Rob, and JR. met at 10am and waited a few minutes for any late arrivals before setting off on the run round Boturich that has become the standard NYD route. Jan and Rob are thinking of emigrating to New Zealand this year so it's probably their last time and Andy is a new member out on his first NYD run. I've done four or five but of course JR has been doing 'em since 1980.
Soon after setting off it was noted that JR was making the most of his passout from the family, who are home for New Year, and had quickly fallen behind the fairly easy pace. I decided to turn back and run with him,knowing how he suffers in the cold from the effects of his pleurisy of three years ago. Anyway he keeps telling me to slow down so why not?
I'm glad I did. As usual he was full of chat,tales of yesteryear and good advice. Then the real bonus. As we passed a lady with a couple of dogs we stopped to wish her the compliments of the season, and Jim was asking her if she had started running yet! He then pointed out her house was right beside one of his secret trails and then proceeded to take me round a wee loop that was a joy to run!
I'd share it with you but then I'd have to kill you.:-)
Finally following the Whinney Hill trail lower slopes into the park and down to the gates for about 7 miles, suitably slow on a lovely day for a run. A Lucozade Sport each to toast Ne'erday and home for a quick bite of lunch and then a trip to my in-laws for dinner...... another terrific meal!

Boturich and Horseshoe - The Long Way

Met Ali, Geraldine, Jimmy and Steph as arranged, but Steph decided to do a hil run at Luss leaving the WHW/Flingers to do their 15 mile run on the roads. Setting out from the club car park, we ran to Balloch, through the main gate of the park and after leaving via North Gate, we turned round Boturich peninsula before rejoining the A811 for a short run into Gartocharn, opting to take the Duncryne road onto the Horseshoe route. Had a sighting of a runner who looked from the distance like Marco. At the 10 mile mark Stevie turned up to relieve us of Ali, who is beginning her build up and was only wanting to do 10. She had worked hard, the language at times demonstrating just how hard! She also had a family occasion to attend, a meal to celebrate her father Davie's 80th Birthday. I've known Davie for a long time, as he used to run the snack bar at Luss Car Park, where I was the local cop for 4 years in the 80's. He doesn't have a scooby how many freebies I got from the girls who worked for him, but if he did he would be sending me the bill! Happy Birthday David!
Continuing down the Auchencarroch Rd,the pace picked up a bit but will still be described as easy inmy diary. Hard enough after yesterday's race which by the time I had finished today had taken it's toll. Passed Janet McColl of McColl's buses on the lower part of Auchencarroch Rd, being paced by a McColl's mini bus with blacked out windows! She said it was in case she needed a lift, but I think that she has identical triplets who each run a section of every run and race she does! Finishing up at the car park again we had been out for 2hrs 50, slow but the idea of these long runs is to simulate WHW race pace rather than running at what we would run for 1/2 marathon or 10k training.
Measuring the run on G maps I was astounded to find that as we had set out to run 10 miles (Ali) and 15miles (the others) we had in fact run 10.1 and 14.9. Not bad considering the Duncryne bit was added on impulse when we got to Gartocharn. Can't say we waste energy.

URL for this route is: http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=2384761