Dumyat 9/05/13

Popular hillrace spelled dum-yat, pronounced d'my-aht. Don't let the midweek ruse fool you, this is a big enough hill for a weekend. But on a Wednesday.

Johnny had suggested cake over cash to cover transport costs which chimed with an idea I'd had in a kitchen drawer for a couple of weeks: the ingredients for “energy bars” as featured in the US Runner's World website  (a much better thing than the UK version altogether.) I swapped out coconut for other stuff as suggested by the eternally perky Joanna and the contents list was roughly: cashews, almonds, pumkin seeds, sesame seeds, raisins, chopped dates, pine nuts, dried cranberries, and rolled oats (with wheatgerm). Microwave a jar of peanut butter and a jar of honey then stir everything together (with vanilla essence or maybe lemon juice?) Bake for 20 mins on a medium/low heat and voila: you have an upgraded Cliff Bar for a fraction of the price per unit though you will have to provide your own wrapper. I was doing this far too close to e.t.d. so they were still warm and starting to separate into original ingredients as I ran for the bus.

I missed it but since I was in running mode raced it to the next stop and jumped on. The last 24 hrs has been a strange whirl. I feel a bit jet lagged. It started at work which this week is coming towards the end of the major project I have been complaining about if given half a chance. The last part of a warehouse size redecoration project features an office in a large room. I have played football in smaller rooms. Around 10 or 12 staff work at desks with multi screen computers and lots of technical stuff. I had to paint the ceiling above them (and walls and windows) and so have to do it outwith office hours. All the tables are plugged into floor sockets and can't be moved to the side easily. There are hanging lights making things more difficult. I went in at 6pm to start a night shift. The office emptied and with only music for company I worked until after 3am with a packed lunch halfway through the business. It was tiring. Although I slept longer earlier in the day, my body was asking why I wasn't in bed. And did I just paint that bit or not? Its white on white and 20 minutes after I apply it, I can't tell if I painted that bit. I put the most paint I've ever put in one go on the ceiling and am not sure if I can see much difference. Except where the yellow stripe was. That is now white. (3 coats).

At the end I tidied up, and left the premises with aching back and shoulders. It is not usually my job to set the alarm system so I very much hoped as I left the building that it didn't start shrieking BURGLARY at 3.15am. It worked fine and all the lights were out. As are mine. It was 5.30 before I got to bed, stupidly tired, doing food and drink (what do you call a light lunch in the middle of the night?) and a bit of facebook before falling into bed sound asleep.

I woke up late morning and got up to get on with a potential project application that I can't write about here for fear that it will jinx the held breath, spoil the outcome and I may never get to visit.... I'll spill the beans around the 15^th. Fingers are crossed.

Dumyat in the background, in the forground the Flintstones TV

Then the traybake. Tip if trying this: use your hands to compress on tray (to about an inch thick) then bake and leave till cold before cutting into bars. Only one problem, I am going to have to run miles to burn off the excess. I currently have it strapped round my middle and have been avoiding the scales. I know it didn't help having a spare tyre running up Dumyat tonight. And I felt it shoogle on the way down. Simple physics says it takes more energy to carry a fat bastard up a hill that a slim one.

I think everyone in this photo beat me - maybe not the purple vest far right but who knows?

On the top part of the hill I had passed Ian (Tartan shorts) McManus. (Irvine AC oap dept.) He had obviously started earlier in the day and was coming back down the hill (not wearing a number) with the leaders. On the way up I pretended he was in the race and told him he was going well and to keep up the good work. He was going over some tricky ground as I approached on my descent a bit later. I could see he was a bit wobbly and in danger of moving into my line at the wrong moment. I shouted (rather aggressively in hindsight) to STAND STILL so that he didn't make any rash movements as I zoomed round him. He stood stock still and I bombed past shouting thanks and trying to be more friendly than my first shout had sounded. It was a good call though – I would have hated to bash hard into Ian at that speed and both of us could have come a cropper.

Tips for painting: when you take the lid off a new big tub of paint take a wipe (you can get nice orange smelling eco solvent painters' wipes) and wipe round the lid. Or you can use the roller or brush with which you are about to apply the paint. If you don't, the excess paint will dry and crack off as you open and close the lid subsequently, dropping dried paint chips into the container which you will eventually transfer onto the clients (once smooth) walls. (You can have that one for free.) If the art project doesn't come about, I could be doing this for the rest of my life.

Feeling peckish.

On Thursday I will be doing another night shift. Maybe Friday too. I would like to say it's the reason I ran like a fat person tonight but I think it isn't as good an excuse as having run Stuc at the weekend. And 2 of those (at least) beat me tonight. Shortly after the off, Graham Nash (who funnily enough was the point of contact for the office painting project) ran beside me for the first bit out the university grounds. He claimed he was feeling Stuc in his legs but his actions told a different story as he pulled away continually on the climb. Then Jim H came past; same story. Then Harry G. I was at full puff and knew if I was to regain any ground it wouldn't be by killing myself on the ascent.

Someone just ahead made a poor attempt at clapping and I expected to see a marshal but it was the first runner returning. As we use the same path out and back you have to watch out for being mown down. It was not long after 20 minutes and he'd be nearly finished by the time I'd reached the top. At 25mins Graham N flew past (2 minutes ahead) and I realised I would not be catching him. Jim H was just a bit ahead – maybe 20 secs and a more likely target. I turned behind Sula and overtook her at the stile back into the woods. Harry and Jim were in my sights but continued to stay a bit ahead. I was feeling very glad there was negligible up hill left and pretty confident over the slippy rock. I must get out and buy an nice new pair of the yellow and black Inov8s as my A pair now have the same wear off the nubbins as the B pair. Shoes, alas, were not the problem. I have been doing plenty long slow stuff but not enough fast hill stuff and weekly mileage. Most of my hill reps are on ladders and up and down stairwells. Graham does the majority of his training in the nearby Pentlands and it shows. He was ahead at C5 and again today. Same with Jim. I was within a stones throw of Jim at one point (none handy) until the tricky ground in the woods. I was 2 places behind and the guy in between us was a bit timid going over the sloping wet rock. I couldn't get past until the next bit of wide path. Jim went over the difficult ground super quick and was away; off jostling with a guy out front and 2 just behind him, across the stream and down the wee tarmac bit.

I gave up the battle around here and wondered how to get rid of the traybake without eating it. I like hillraces but I do have trouble going up a sustained ascent. And sometimes down too. However I am not alone and saw there were plenty who had a slower race than myself! I know Johnny's excellent race to the top was tempered by dropping what he felt was a considerable number of places on the return. (I only saw him briefly, at the start of the hilly bit, heading off as if it were flat.) There's nothing like a hard race and a strong field to remind you of what needs work.

The other Nash had the decency to come in behind me. Thanks Paul!

To keep my backpack small and light I had packed a small towel (for wiping off muddy legs). I hadn't remembered showers before but of course its a university and there were hot showers aplenty. I did what I could with the tiny beer towel. Big thanks to Johnny for the lift there and back, and to all the good folk who marshalled and cheered on. Well marked route. Good race and there was probably nice scenery!

Results here