best part of the day: 7 Hills Race 2019

A hard week at work. Painting a stair in a tenement which involved using a heavy segmented ladder that could be manipulated into different configurations then carried and placed on stairs. It was like a work out at the gym. Then muscles were a wee bit tense while balancing on said ladder. Anyway I arrived at the 7 Hills a bit knackered and not looking forward to this annual bunfight much at all. I felt undertrained and tired. However the weather was ok and it is a great race: so full of variety and challenges you never stop to think this is a bit boring. Good turn out from Porties as always.

Mary was doing the challenge and set off at 9.45. I then took a few photos and tried to get into character for kick off at 10.15. I hoped the caffeine drink would fire me up enough to get me round. I had noticed Stewart W wasn't taking part this year which left the m50 cat up for debate. I spoke to Rab who suggested while his short game was fine he wasn't really fit for longer stuff. The 7 Hills although only 14-ish miles can feel like 18 due to the climbs and descents.

Great to see ex-coach Gordon
who cycled the route as we ran.

the Jones clan feeling a little nervous (me too!)

I had wondered about setting off at a reasonable pace. But there is something so rebellious and refreshing about running down the steps into Waterloo Place and up the Bridges then up the High Street that it has to be done at full pelt. I could see the lead runners up ahead and wanted to keep in touch with Nick, Rab and Donald. The excitement and caffeine seemed to be working fine and all thoughts of tiredness faded into the background as I cruised down Johnston Terrace ahead of Donald. (How can that be?) (Don't know but Kerry took a photo, so it must have happened.)

photo Kerry

I just missed a gap in the traffic where Bread St. crosses Lothian Rd but spirits were high and so I resorted to Nick's method of looking at the drivers as they approach - making sure they've seen you, then waving a halt-but-also-thank-you hand gesture and running across in front of cursing traffic. It works quite well but should be limited as eventually you will get knocked down.

I usually flag slightly going through Coates / Roseburn but noticed it was Nick this year who seemed to drift just slightly. It was an early indication he was maybe not having a great day. I seemed to be doing fine and anticipated the roadworks at Roseburn, crossing sides then crossing back for the next climb at Murrayfield Road.

As we ascended that harsh track up to Corstorphine Hill, David L appeared. I assumed he would fly past and said he should follow Nick, who had got 35 yards ahead on the ascent. Nick and I had recced the route off the hill based on a line I had taken last year following a Corstorphine - who better to know the hill. However David said he was fine sticking with me. I could see Rab up ahead and Nick following him with maybe a couple of runners between us. We clipped at the tower then headed back turning quickly down by the aerial. Rab went left early and I followed him and a great line through the trees coming out at the top of Kaimes Rd. No sign of Nick and Donald though. David said something about Donald being so far ahead we couldn't see him. I was pretty sure they had gone wrong in the woods and were behind not ahead. This proved right and I didn't see either again till after the finish.

It's always a long haul over to Craiglockhart. We began to overtake challengers. The steep bank of mud up Craiglockhart was littered with runners and I went quite far left to get around them. Trail shoes gripped well.

thank Mari for photo

Going up Craiglockhart
photo Michael Philp

There were plenty runners to pass on the way up to Braids Hill. On the single track path I shouted "coming through on the right" to one of the runners who then moved to the right. "Or the left" I said in as sardonic a way as possible which Nicky F told me later (for it was her) she didn't really appreciate. Similarly across the golf course I got onto the wee trod down to the Lang Linn Path just ahead of 2 girls who were dithering at the top. It is not an easy place to overtake and so I kind of ran through rather than queue behind them for 5 minutes. All done politely enough though, hopefully.

It is a number of years since I have done the slither down the hermitage into the burn. You are asking for an uncontrolled skite and many an arm and thigh have muddy skid marks and friction grazes as a result. Instead I take a left about 60 yards from the junction and head down the zig zag path that takes you to the bridge and a dry footed crossing of the stream before a slithery clamber holding onto rocks and roots with teeth and claws before emerging breathless sticky and grubby but undamaged at that lovely field. I saw David L go left along towards the big house presumably to ascend on easier paths. I got 100 yards ahead of him again.

The climb up the sleepers to Blackford Hill is one of the worst in the race. John Blair standing there saying encouraging things! There was a queue of challengers up the nettley way next to the fence so I went the other way just so I didn't have to stand in line.

I noticed from his strava output that Rab dropped down to the pond at Balckford and through the Grange. I worked this route before and it is shorter in distance but not (for me) in time. I had passed Rab at Chesser and not seen him again.

I wasn't moving very quickly but enjoyed the prospect of seeing Mary soon. Ran down the hill with David. I caught up with Mary just as we dropped into the alotments and tried to tell her how proud I was of her.

my foot behind

ta daa
unusual to be so full of beans at this point

Now there was the horrible prospect of the turnstile at Pollock. I go in the lower entrance at the halls of residence. I knew David was avoiding it and I gained 80 yards on him by doing it. It misses the water station at the higher gate but takes a straighter line through the warren of buildings across to where the nazis have welded the turnstile. There are a couple of dudes ahead and I start up the left hand side but back off when it swings uncontrollably out like a barn door. I follow an HBT up the right side using my long dormant climbing brain to stick my feet on a metal angle iron and some negligible foot holds on the wall before hauling up and jumping down and....

It's Steve Crane offering a gel! An unexpected sight and a cheery one before the slog up Arthur's Seat. I choose the sleepers and over the Haunch. Some folk do the gutted Haddie and scramble but I've tried that and prefer this. I am looking at my watch and trying to remember how long it takes to get from the summit to the finish. (Eoin taking photos.) No idea but it's all going quite well. Have to not spoil it by pushing too hard on the descent and throwing the legs into spasms of cramp. It always appears just before the Parliament Buildings. Something about the proximity of so much ball-ache.

14.24 miles

Sure enough I can feel the cramp snakes worm and wriggle around my calves and hammies. Hold it together! I walk for 5 paces and try to out-smart the cramp. It gives me a moment's respite and I start up again. Kerry cheers me on although I feel I am going at a slow jog. Cross the roundabout and determine to run every step of the climb up to Waterloo Place. And then to the finish. Such a relief to get onto the last 100 yards of grass and hear Alan L on the mic chattering away, reading out numbers.

Ohh that's a bright coaster! Special one for 40th run!

And finally you get to sit or lie in the sunshine. 14.24 miles this year, and a surprisingly brisk 1.55.27. Enough to put my name for the third time on the M50 trophy, wee lump of lava glued back onto it's base by Stewart W after his children tested the strength of the previous glue.

Just checked the results and I have done this race 15 times now. Fastest in 2009, 1.51.36 slowest in 2007, 2.08.13. Five times over the 2hrs, ten times under. No wonder our flat is so full of coasters! (Mary's done it 12 times.)

I was slightly gobsmacked to be ahead of a load of decent runners incl. all other Porties and a few of my Thurs eve interval colleagues. I am usually too race-sick to eat much afterwards but managed to get a piece of quiche down before we headed to the pub to sit outside in the sun and have a relaxing pint or 3. Epic race. Big thanks Alan Lawson for doing this every year and fending off the council faint-hearts who would rather we didn't have this much fun because someone could get hurt and blame them. Superb event.