Saturday 8/5 - Conic Hill-Beech Tree

Time: ~2hrs 30mins
Distance: 15.65miles
Pace: 9.35min/mile

I do realise that this run should have been a bit longer, but my heel has been giving me bother and to be honest I was knackered so was glad to finish when I did!!

Parents were doing another walk on WHW from Balmaha to Rowardennan and back so I hitched a ride with them to Balmaha and I headed the other way. Was really tired walking up Conic Hill but I did manage to keep a good solid walking pace and only stopped to blow my nose at the top before running onwards.

I met a boy pushing his bike up Conic hill and asked him how he was doing. He was doing the whole WHW (over several days I presume, this was 1pm after all!!) and had never done it before...I felt like giving him a tip for cycling it - don't cycle up or down Conic Hill!!! I don;t think it's even possible to cycle down the other side on a Saturday afternoon what with the steepness and all the walkers, but hey. I told him I'd cycled it before and good luck. He was dripping with sweat but still smiling!

A few mins later I saw the rest of his friends standing further down the hill debating continuing to push their bikes up!! I asked which way one was going so I could move to let him past and he replied, refreshingly honestly "either, they're both as hard as each other". Crazy.

I wonder how we'll feel at the end of our 1 day WHW cycle in July... !!

Felt good and stopped just before Drymen to chat to Derek on the phone and assess what exactly we were doing later. He has a chest infection and was going to cycle out to meet me but I advised him against it and he decided to just come and meet me at the Beech Tree.

The rest of the run was uneventful, despite the WHW being jam packed! So busy between Gartness and the Beech Tree, I was moving out the way so often for people I forgot to go into my usual "worst part of WHW" low as I normally do. I ran past the Beech Tree towards the cool part, and then turned left onto the main road and ran back towards the Beech Tree.

Derek drove along the main road and we had a coke/beer in the Inn. Sat outside which was lovely and chatted before driving home.

So, next week's run will be an 11-12miler and then it's the marathon. All in all I'm feeling good. Excited about the marathon but I'm REALLY going to start tapering now as my heel is sore and I want it ok for the 23rd. I am looking forward to lessening the long runs for a wee while too, as I can focus on my exams.

After 2nd June the exams will be done though, and what will I do then?!?! No exams, no Uni, no marathons...only work. It'll be the first time that's happened in AAaaaages!!