fox trot (or not)

I was swithering. When the rain belted down at 6pm I looked gloomily out the window and swithered even more. The dark grey clouds seemed unrelenting and the wind was whipping the rain into a mild frenzy in such a way as to put off the keenest of 5k-ers. And I am not the keenest of 5k-ers.

I have been feeling the benefit from 5 or 6 weeks training with PRC and Alan's sessions in Inverleith Park. The park of my childhood, 2 miles warm up from home, seems to offset the gruelling interval sessions Alan sets up most weeks. While it is not a pleasure to run at that pace, it is good to train hard so that when races resume it is less of a shock to the system.

Tonight's session was a 5k round the Cramond parkrun course. PRC is currently running a 5k sweepstake at either of the Edinburgh parkrun courses, and since I had been training I felt a time trial was overdue. To take part we had to estimate our 5k time and make a donation to a worthy cause which I'll come to in a second.

and they're off!

About 6.15 the rain eased and I could spy from our tenement window a distant patch of blue in the West. Which was very much where all the weather was coming from. Ah, what the hell. I jumped on my bike and cycled out the cycle path, parallel to Ferry Rd then headed North West at Crewe Toll towards the dreadful esplanade. On the esplanade I had to really stomp on the pedals to produce any forward motion into the horrendous wind. What a dimwitted idea! The good thing about Cramond parkrun is a weekly free test of 5k fitness on a flat course. The bad thing is the prevailing wind helps in the first half when you don't need it then slams into you on the return leg with nothing (other than other runners) to shelter behind. 

I had intended to get down plenty early for a decent warm up. To get my old and tired legs moving snappily for the 20 minute sprint. 3.1 miles as fast as possible. What a terrible idea. Being later than planned to arrive there meant less time to warm up. I padlocked my bike stripped down to vest and shorts and ran a few strides. I don't know if my legs were still wobbly from the bike ride or I just needed more time to get going, but I felt shit. The guys had arrived and were making their way to the start line. Nobody thought this was a good idea. (I think we had all arrived from the windy side and there was no mistaking the headwind of the second half.)

I made a decision. I was not prepared to beast myself over this course in such awful wind just to do a rubbish time. (Actually I was, and I did a few days later.) But there was also another reason that was foremost in my mind. In a moment of madness I had volunteered to be a support runner for Nicola D (an ex-Porty) who was doing a charity run. 

Charity run sounds a bit limp compared to the actual challenge. Nicola had come up with a strategy to do a HUGE run to raise money for specialist equipment for her friend Kat who has been left in a wheelchair after a mountain bike accident. Kat is an outdoor person who can no longer easily get out and a Bowhead (motorised) Bike would help to give her the freedom to bike again, off-road and in the hills. 

So Nicola gave herself the challenge of doing a Fastest Known Time over the entire Fife Coastal Path. Crucially this is 117miles. The furthest Nicola had run in one go up till recently was 53 miles. (Exactly the same as me and anyone else who has done the Highland Fling.) Now she was going to start at 11pm on Friday (the day after this 5k) and run 117miles through the night and through the next day, hopefully finishing just before night-fall Saturday evening. (Up until that point I don't think anyone had had the idea to run the whole thing in one go so as long as she finished quicker than 3 days she would hold the record.)

Willie Rennie (yes THAT Willie Rennie!) back in 2018 ran the whole thing for charity SAMH and to mark his 50th. Which was really admirable. However he stopped at the end of each day and went home to his bed. He took 3 days. Which is still impressive for 117miles. How many of us could run 39 miles and get up the next day and run that again? And again? To put that in perspective Nicola planned to do the whole flipping thing in less than 24 hrs. And with just a few pals as support runners.

And since I am a fan of the Fife Coastal Path and anyone who would put their neck on the line for a pal whose life has, of late, been challenging to say the least, well I had to get involved. I volunteered to meet Nicola near Leuchars Station and run through Tentsmuir with her. I know this section and it is lovely. Also it wasn't in the night but solidly in the middle of the day. I also saw it was only 30 miles to the end of the route and that perhaps I was overdue a 30miler. Hadn't done one of those since the punishingly dreadful Thieves Road. 

So my thinking on Thursday - 2 days before a 30+miler - was 'don't be an arse'. It would be easy to pull a hamstring or just really crock my legs which I would likely need. Even if I was joining Nicola after she had run 80 miles, I'd be more use if I wasn't limping.

So I put my PRC hoody back on and cycled the course taking photos with the waterproof B camera I had taken along in case the rain began again. Actually the evening was spectacularly sunny although the hurricane winds were unrelenting. It was perhaps the least painful tour of the parkrun course at Cramond I have ever done and I highly recommend it!

The guys really gave it maximum effort. Alan and Matt ran off at the front. Although Matt had to be favourite, Alan was pushing the pace like a maniac and was ahead at the halfway turn and until near the cafe when he perhaps experienced a touch of crash and burn. He didn't appear to slow by much, but I did see Matt cruise into a substantial lead for the first time. 

Alan out front with a good lead - can he hold it?

er... no!

not far to go now

Matt first home, Alan not far behind.

Watching the guys really running themselves ragged in such adverse weather made me wish I'd done it. However it was probably the right thing to do to postpone my own personal 5k hell and save my legs for the long run 40hrs later.

And how did the run go with Nicola? Interesting! I'll tell you next blog!

On the way home a fox sauntered out in front of my bike. I pulled over, got my camera back out and called the fox over. I held my hand out and it came over for a sniff, its nose just millimetres from my hand and calm as you like. I think it must be used to eating sausages from the hands of Trinity housewives, a treat for any night-time visitor! It showed no fear and was only mildly disappointed I didn't have any hand outs. 

It had a singe mark on its back - perhaps of a hot exhaust pipe from a recently parked car, still too hot to brush fur against? But was otherwise healthy and really well-fed looking. The delightful meeting made me consider trying to infiltrate the urban fox gangs of the cycle paths, since they are already remarkably tame and un-shy of humans. Something to occupy me during the long winter months in the absence of butterflies? Watch this space.