LAMM

My original partner having accepted that he'd not be fit enough for the LAMM, my club-mate having shown signs of wavering, a couple of approaches at the British having drawn blanks and a possible partner having been snapped up by someone else, I emailed the best fit on the "Partner wanted" page of the LAMM website. At first he seemed not to be in my league, but I overlooked the fact that he was only 30 and clearly getting better. Thus I teamed up with Jeff Roberts who also solved my transport problem with a lift up in the car of one of his Carnethy club-mates.

We all left Edinburgh at 15:10 so had plenty of time for the four-hour trip to Strathcarron, broken by an overpriced pub meal in Inverness, arriving at eight. There we "checked in" and spent a decent night in Jeff's mountain marathon tent before the rousing skirl of the pipes at 06:30.

Day 1: We'd been given an assembly time of 08:30 and told to "Eat a hearty breakfast" which is LAMM-speak for "we're going to take you somewhere else to start!". And indeed, filled with two bacon rolls, at 08:30 we

boarded a bus which, as we'd suspected took us, Elite and A course runners round to Tornapress. There the A and Elite were take up to the Bealach na Ba by minibus, where they got an additional map and some glorious running over Sgurr a'Chaorachain and Beinn Bhan. On a rather warm and sunny morning, we set off uphill and after the first control were in the sort of rough and trackless terrain that the LAMM is all about.I soon overheated and was struggling up, my brain incapable of adjusting to 1:40,000 MM navigation rather than the 1:10,000 orienteering of the previous week. Jeff immediately proved his worth. After about three hours, though, the sky became rather more clouded and we climbed up so it became cooler. I "woke up" as Jeff started to flag and it was his turn to hang on to me as we completed the second half of the course. We felt that we were just about keeping pace with one of the pairs who started with us and a better pair overtook us comfortably on the way to the last control. Taking 5:50:39 for the 27km and 1300m climb, we finished the first day in 7th (of 56), just 15 seconds behind 6th and 23 minutes ahead of 8th. The benefit of the warm day was that we could bathe in the river, cooling our tired legs and washing the sweat from our bodies. The began the pleasurable cycle of relaxing, eating, looking at the updated results and chatting with others we knew as they came in, all with westerly views of Beinn Eighe. Only late in the day did the weather turn wet but, fortunately, my pants, which has got wet when I went into a waist-deep bog at the penultimate control, were dry.

Day 2: The rain in the night was clearing when we were roused by the piper at 05:30. I'd slept well on my
bubble-wrap air-bed, except for half hour around midnight after I'd got up for a pee expecting the pouring rain to mean no problem with midges, only to have the swarming round my bare feet. It took ages for the "fire" to die down enough to think about being able to sleep again. It was too midgy to think of cooking outside the tent so I gave up on chocolate porridge and just ate some hill food. Jeff went off to the loo and the tent came down in no time, leaving us standing around in waterproofs. The sky steadily broke, giving a rainbow to photograph for those with cameras, and by the time we started it was dry. With B6 just 15 seconds ahead, we overtook them marking up their maps, having decided to mark up the map once everything was drier. We jogged round the track to the bottom of the inevitable steep slope up from the mid-camp and were soon slogging up a very soggy hillside. The first control was easy and there was little route choice on leg two: just contouring round above the lower, boggy-looking ground. The two green-clad Swedes and another pair were generally in sight, particularly as we began the slog up Maol Chean-dearg. Too steep for me to move well, Jeff led the way, but the others were no faster. Behind us we could see B6, now 15 mins behind us? After the horribly loose, even dangerous, gully up the Munro, I'd hoped that we'd have a rewarding steady run down the other side, but it was unpleasantly rocky and hard to move at speed. After control 4 there was just one long leg to go and it really dragged. I was tired and "knew" we didn't have to move quickly to keep ahead of B6. Of course there could be a pair from the pack who had overtaken us without our knowing or another pair who had been ahead of us and dropped back without us knowing. By now it was getting sunny and warm and the contour round the ridge took ages. his was unsurprising since it was more than 1km round

the blunt spur. Finally we were dropping down to the last real control and then the descent to the road. The final couple of kilometres I couldn't be bothered to run but Jeff was bouncing. I guess he was excited at the prospect of finishing in a prize-winning position. I roused myself into a run once we got to the event field and once we dibbed for the last time we soon confirmed that we were 6th, having taken 05:44:14 for the 22km and 1300m climb, 13th of 44 for the day. It was unusual for me to pick up a place overall on Day 2. Normally I've trashed my partner on Day 1 and lost a place or two on Day 2. With Jeff I was as well matched as I have ever been on a MM. It was satisfying to know that I could still do it and beat so many people, some of whom were half my age. We chatted with B6 when they came in, and I met one of the Swedes, who was clearly delighted by his experience. Pat and Ben didn't win Score, they were just behind Phil Scarf and partner who were pipped to first by just one point.Alex and partner were soon in, having moved up from A10 to 5th. Kate had jacked after her knee injury flared up and eventually Pete Huzan cam in from his solo run in the hills and Nigel duly finished Elite in 7th, an hour behind 6th. Got a lift back with Kate and Nigel who, with Nigel's partner and another random pair were refuelled for the trip to Durham via the vegan lasagne that Lucie cooked and had ready just as we arrived.

British Orienteering Championship weekend

Coming a week before the LAMM, the weekend of the British Orienteering Championship had looked ideal months ago as a way to "taper off" my training. In the event it saw my first outing in rough terrain and warm weather. I was asked later, where was it, and all I could say was "Northumberland". Orienteering does tend to take place in obscure places that one would not otherwise visit.

For the individual, after getting a train to Berwick-upon-Tweed, I was picked up by another ELO member who drove us to "Thrunton and Callaly", just off the A697 near Rothbury. It was a warm and sunny day so I was pretty sweaty at the end of the 3.9km route to the start. I'm not a good navigator so I had decided to rein in my tendency to run off too fast and get lost. However, the chance of running off too fast was just not there. First in bilberry-thick sweaty woodland, then on heather-clad sunny moorland, I really couldn't move at speed. But I wasn't making any real navigation errors and, after crossing the map to get the final part of the area where there was some decent orienteering to be done, via a few controls where it really wasn't pleasant to orienteer, I did OK over the final half dozen controls and finished in 123:24, a sedate 15.2 mins/km, 37th of 58. Having come with everything to camp, I got a lift to Durham where we were sixteen in the house, all but one of whom had been at the event.

The relays were at Cragg Estate and Chesterhope Common, an excellent area for the purpose, being grassy with a wealth of contour detail from past mining activity. Again it was sunny and warm which limited my speed, but I was happy to make no serious navigational mistakes again, taking 37:01 for 18 controls over 4.7km. Our "M50" relay team first leg runner had been an M55 who took 47 minutes and a W65 who took 62 minutes, so the team was 21 seconds away from being last!

All in all, it was a pleasant weekend away, spending a lot of time with people I know and like, but my legs didn't feel as if they'd done anything and the second joint of my right big toe ended up pretty bruised. And I still didn't have a LAMM partner.

So, what's been happening?

At the end of the run on 24 March I was a bit too enthusiastic coming down the short steep slopes of the fields below Monks's Rig and, looking back, got some meniscus damage below my left knee. It was sore for a few days.

The following weekend I took my younger daughter to my parents in Cheshire [and to Old Trafford to see United beat Aston Villa 4-1]. On the Sunday I went for a generally flat run near my parents and got too hot. Seemed OK descending Congleton Edge, though.

Afternoon of 11 April I went to have a look at Pressmennan Wood and Lothian Edge where I'd suggested that I would plan an ELO event in May [subsequently cancelled, much to my relief!]. It was really windy and I felt very sluggish. Again I came downhill too fast at the end of the run and my knee was sore for several days.

After that we went to Venice/Trieste (11-21 April) and I took running kit more in hope than expectation. I didn't have any confidence that I could go for a run without suffering. I did do quite a bit of walking around. Back home, I didn't do a course at the ELO orienteering event at Vogrie Country Park on 26 April but did help collect controls. Earlier that day I'd been to FASIC where I got some advice on looking after myself and some strapping on my left knee which didn't come off for more than a week.

For a fortnight, all I did was jog round the Bog Road playing fields a couple of times for a few nights and then do the Penicuik Estate 5k circuit a couple of times. By now it was getting uncomfortably close to the LAMM and I felt that I had to take a chance. So, off to the Pentlands for the flattest hill run I could think of, wearing my brand new Inov-8 212's. And I felt great! Kitchen Moss was its mesmeric best and after taking it gently down from the Carnethy-Scald Law col, I felt fresh and fast down through the fields back home for 16km (600m climb).

The following weekend was busy and only late on the Sunday afternoon did I get round to going out to the hills. I knew I needed to do something a bit rougher and with some climb, so settled on the Baddinsgill round of 17km (800m climb). I'd also wanted to try out my pair of green Walshes as an alternative to the Inov-8 212's. This was a bad idea as my heels hurt all the way round and my toes suffered afterwards: I did feel OK on the run, eventually.


With only one spare weekend before the LAMM, I was acutely aware that I still hadn't been up or down anything steep, or been out with a rucksack on. So I lobbed a tent, sleeping bag and thermarest into my bag and trotted off to do the Carnethy 5 with a double ascent of Scald Law for 16km (1000m climb). Coming off Scald Law for the first time I dropped down the grassy NE face at speed, faster than I'd been descending before [touching -60m/min], but running down it braking with my quads rather than my knees. I also came down Carnethy, touching over 80m/min on the screes. For most of the next week my quads were so stiff and sore, but my knees were fine. Conclusion: knee problems due to not coming downhill as I always used to, but dropping down onto my knees.

Back in the Pentlands

Descending Monk's Rig

Another day when the morning run didn't materialise and I had to resort to a late afternoon outing. But I was determined to get in to the hills where, leaving at 16:00, the light was beautiful and the wind starting to die down. Left Ninemileburn and took the more sheltered route up to the Kips Col. Managed to fall flat on my face in the mud when my shoe caught on a staple when jumping off a stile. Felt very sluggish on the way up: Ninemileburn gives quite a brutal start and my stomach was still digesting lunchtime's salmon. Felt better on the last bit of the climb above the col and stretched out on the run down to Gutterford.

Maintained a good pace up Cock Rig and over the rough ground down to the Bore Stane. The run over Kitchen Moss was very wet and I fell once. The studs wearing out on my shoes also doesn't help. By the time I reached the drove road the wind had largely dropped and the silence and late afternoon light were wonderful. Such a privilege to have such a large space all to myself. Started to feel a bit tired on the run up the drove road and Cap Law. Descending Monk's Rig is always a pleasure and, even after all this winter's rain, it is firm, runnable and beautifully green. The gradient is perfect: runnable on the ascent and not so steep that it's hard to go flat out on the descent. All in all, this was a satisfying 14km (540m climb) in 1 hour and 35 minutes. Back home for a quick showe then off into town to watch El Classico with Spanish colleagues. This morning I'm a bit stiff with a slight ache in the right Achilles. Not a problem, I think.

Holy Island

Not the best of training venues, but at least I got out on a beautiful and very windy Sunday morning, and before breakfast! Out with the strong westerly wind, I flew to the castle and then up to the NW point where there is a tall square pyramidal stone navigation beacon. Turned into the wind for a while before heading south again. Eventually had to turn back into the wind and made it to the village for breakfast. All of 7km with 50m climb! The walk on/off the island (5.5km each way) with a light rucksack probably also counts as training. All in a week when my LAMM partner admitted to having had two 2.5 hour runs! The end of the teaching term can't come soon enough.

Still keeping going

After three weeks of almost complete inactivity due to a visitor in the house who needed entertaining at weekends, I got out for a run just before dusk on Sunday. The only real exercise in the interim had been five hours' skiing at Glenshee, which gave my knees a good work-out.

The standard circuit when I only have half an hour to spare goes from the house up and across a field to the edge of the Penicuik Estate, round an undulating woodland path, along the estate drive, round the back of the old house, downhill across grass to the North Esk, along its bank most of the way back to Penicuik then up a steep woodland track to rejoin the field. It's only 5.25km with 140m climb but, taken at a good pace (c26min on Sunday) it requires sufficient effort to keep some semblance of muscle tone. Doesn't do much for stamina, though!

Back in training

It's been a bit of a break since my last decent run. I picked up a cold in the week after "Feel the Burns" so missed out on running the following weekend, then got busy and couldn't shake off its final vestiges. I did manage to get out on 9 Feb for a brief 5km sprint round the Penicuik Estate, and felt quite lively. Unfortunately there was a bit of a reaction in my left tib-fib ligament. 

Despite still coughing a bit, took the opportunity of the first really sunny day in weeks to do a standard "Three Hills" run from home on 16 Feb. I felt really sluggish for a long time and really couldn't run much of the ascent of South Black Hill. The cold wind and patchy snow cover didn't help. After turning towards Scald Law, though, the wind was behind me and I sailed up the few metres to the summit. Coming down was another matter, picking ground where I could be sure of grip was tricky. Down at the col I wondered whether to drop off down to the road, but saw a runner (100m?) ahead of me so gave chase. I overtook him on the final few metres of Carnethy: he was running and I was walking. Just about found enough grip on the drop down and round to the path to to lay-by and was feeling more like a runner on the way home than I had on the way out. Not a great outing but very much the "run that had to be done" if I was to keep up some semblance of the form of last month.

Entered the LAMM

I've now got a partner for the LAMM: someone slightly older than me in East Lothian Orienteers whom I'd asked before Christmas. He was worried about injury so hadn't got back to me. We've entered the A class as (currently) the second-oldest vets at 100 years exactly. The oldest team is 118 though. Not quite sure how the handicapping works: seems to be about one minute off for every two years over 90.

Feel the Burns: Selkirk

Went to Selkirk with three other Penicuik Harriers for the "Feel the Burns" race. As I'd hoped, this was a really good course for me since it didn't have so many steep climbs or descents as most local fell races. This meant that, once I'd got up the first big hill (Peat Law) it was generally very runnable. Knowing that I'd be out for about two hours, I didn't push too hard and felt great, steadily moving up through the field. The weather wasn't as good as forecast yesterday, and it was very muddy in places. On the way off Brown Knowe I got chatting with a guy from Dumfries which was a reasonable distraction, although the long descent down the Minchmoor Road wouldn't have been painful. We started to be overtaken by a few people who might have been more suited to the gentle trail, and after coming through the Broadmeadows Farm  complex, I was slow on the last big climb and overtaken by a handful of fresher runners. From the top of Foulshiels Hill it was pretty much downhill all the way to the finish but the muddy ground and fatigue in my legs made me cautious about just "letting go". So I lost a couple more places before finishing in 2:06:00 for the 21+km and 900m climb. Then it was back to Selkirk Rugby Club for haggis, tatties and neeps, washed down with soup, juice, bread and shortbread. Congratulations to "SelkirkFundRunners" for putting on a really well-run race in a lovely bit of country.

As Tranter training this really wasn't much use since it was run at speed on gentle Border hills, but as confidence-booster it was a real tonic. I believe again that, even in my usual untrained state, I can still run at a reasonable speed in the hills. 

Blackberry in Saltoun

East Lothian Orienteers want to re-map Saltoun Woods so I finally went to have a look at (the eastern half of) Saltoun on Sunday. It's true that some large areas of dark green have been felled but, since foresters don't clear up after themselves, they are pretty unpleasant areas of brashings. I also didn't see any obvious features unearthed as a result. There are quite a few new ditches and a large new track. I came through a couple of pleasant runnable areas, though. In another ten years, once the brashings have rotted down, it might be OK. I know that no-where looks good at this time of year but, all in all, I wasn't impressed. Maybe losing my Blackberry somewhere in Saltoun [due to a the zip failing on my ancient bumbag] put me in a bad mood. I did run a bit, but no more ant a couple of kilometers at any speed.

Why I think I can do Tranter's Round

Although I've been walking and running in the Scottish mountains since 1988, it was only in summer 2013 that I finally got to the summit of all of the Munros on Tranter's Round. So, why do I think I can string them all together within 24 hours? The short answer is that I can't be sure, but I've done enough in recent years to make me think that I can, and a couple of people who have done longer rounds of this type and know me in the hills have said that I should be able to do it.

Ramsay Round: Leg 1

In June 2011 I did the first half of Tranter's Round (and two more Munros) supporting a friend [Jo] on his (successful) Ramsay Round. He's a lot stronger than me, so it meant going faster than I might have wanted at times, particularly on the descent of Ben Nevis. This was the first time that I'd gone all the way up Ben Nevis on the Tourist Path and it was really good to see how easy I found something which is a big challenge for many. I think it took me about 105 minutes, having to hold myself back from going faster. On my leg with Jo I missed out the 20-minute out-and-back to Aonach Mor from the col but I was really shattered by the last big climb [up Stob Coire Easain] and certainly couldn't have completed Tranter's Round that day. However, I'd been moving at Jo's pace, not mine, and it had been my longest ever day in the hills [32.5km and 3800m climb]. When it had been suggested to me, I'd been scared at the prospect. However, in the interim, I'd completed the 2011 Scottish Islands Peaks Race (SIPR) which had been really hard and long so I could get my head round the idea of a 30km+ leg in the mountains.

Mamores May 2012

In preparation for the 2012 SIPR, and with a view to Tranter's Round, I had a day in the Mamores [39km and 3000m climb] going to all the eastern summits between nights at Staoineag bothy. Again this shattered me, and I had to walk most of the flat 8km from Loch Eilde Mor. However, I felt the benefit of it on the SIPR a couple of weeks later, feeling strong on all the climbs.

In the past 18 months, I've not been as active and, in particular, had no major outing in the summer of 2013. I can feel that I'm not moving as fast, as might be expected for someone in his 50th year who is not really training. However, as a result of the running I've been doing in the last couple of months of 2013 I'm in better shape in early January than I've been since 2010. Regular local training, plus a couple of trips to Lochaber (and maybe some winter climbing) should see me in sufficiently good physical shape. If I can find a partner, I'd want to take part in the Lowe Alpine Mountain Marathon, another good opportunity to get some proper mountain training. This is important, because I won't be doing Tranter's Round at fell running pace: I can only think of it as brisk hill-walking with intermittent sections of running.

Why I want to do Tranter's Round clockwise

Tranter's Round starts from the Ben Nevis Youth Hostel and, traditionally, is done anticlockwise, beginning with the Mamores. This means that Ben Nevis, as the highest point in Scotland, is the final summit. Although this has a fine logic to it, the end of the round is then the 1325m rocky horror descent of the Ben. Reversing the direction means that the round starts with a 1325m ascent, but this is less fatiguing on fresh legs than the descent is on tired legs. It also means that more than 20% of the total climb is done in attaining the first summit. Doing the round clockwise also means that the big mountains (and the rockier ones) are in the first half, with each summit requiring an average of 400m climb against less than 300m for the second half. Hopefully the grassier Mamores with shorter climbs will be easier both physically and mentally. The only problem with a clockwise round is that coming off Mullach nan Coirean in the dark is much harder technically than coming down the Ben with a good head torch.

First run of 2014

I had a decision to make: drive to Broughton for the Greenmantle Dash or go for a run in the Pentlands. It was forecast to be sunny so, although I've never done the c.25-minute [for me] Greenmantle Dash (or any hill race of less than an hour), the Pentlands won! I also have to admit that I was disappointed to learn that the Greenmantle Dash is not even to the summit of Trahenna Hill, just to the end of the steep bit.Of course that's the hard bit, but it seems unaesthetic. So I drove for 5 minutes to Nine Mile Burn and warmed up by jogging off to Spittal Farm. I felt sluggish, worse on the steep bit to the col by Patie's Hill, and worse still on the climb up to The Mount. Could be for various reasons: body poisoned by Festive indulgence? [but I've hardly indulged]; legs stiff from the Festive Frolic (orienteering)? [but that was on Dec 28]; unaccustomed to running uphill on soggy grass into the wind? [sounds more reasonable]; in my 50th year and getting slow [even more likely]. Once on The Mount, it was windy and wet underfoot, but largely sunny and a pleasant experience. Stopped to tighten my laces in Deer Hope and overtook two walkers when I set off again: unusual to see anyone in this area. Couldn't see the point of taking in the summit of East Cairn Hill and was keen to enjoy the 4.5km undulating traverse of the Bore Stane and Kitchen Moss. It was wet as expected, and good training since you have to keep an eye on what's underfoot most of the time and inevitably get some bad footfalls which build strength. After that, it was good to stretch out a bit on the drove road down to the Logan Burn and I was pleased to be able to keep going up the other side and to the top of Cap Law. After that the run down the Monk's Rig (past the Font Stone) was a joy, even with a stiff cross-wind. For the record: 15km with 700m climb in 1h50. Feel OK now. As usual, fingers crossed that the left tib-fib ligament doesn't get inflamed. 

Tranter's round: what and why?

Tranter's Round is the original Scottish 24-hour mountain challenge, consisting of Ben Nevis, Carn Mor Dearg, the Aonachs, Grey Corries and the Mamores. This circuit of the river Nevis watershed is about 60km long with about 6000m ascent and was first achieved by Philip Tranter in June 1964. Originally it consisted of 19 Munros, but now has only 18 due to Sgorr an Iubhair losing its status in 1997. The standard Scottish 24-hour mountain challenge has been (Charlie) Ramsay's Round since he completed it first in July 1978. This extension Tranter's Round adds five Munros round Loch Treig. Although this offered the appealing challenge of 24 Munros in 24 hours (until Sgorr an Iubhair' demotion) it doesn't appeal to me because 

• It is too long and hard for me to contemplate, being 96km long with 8500m of ascent
• It is not as aesthetic since the additional mountains are not in a natural sequence and require a long low-level trek between Loch Ossian and the Mamores

So far as the 24-hour Munro record is concerned, Ramsay's Round itself has been extended on two occasions to 26 and 28 (now 25 and 27) but two longer records have been set in the Cluanie/Affric area with (now) 27 and 29 Munros. Interestingly, these records were set 15-30 years ago, although the first 24-hour Tranter's Round in Winter was achieved in 2009 and a 24-hour Ramsay Round in Winter remains an open challenge.

The record for Tranter's round is currently 12h17. I'm aiming for 19 hours, which is only 12% faster than the 21h45 given by Naismith's Rule. When running in the hills I'm normally about 100% faster than Naismith, but that's for a couple of hours in the Pentlands, not 19 hours in Lochaber!

Oh, and why do I want to do it? Because I think I can, but if I wait too long I'll be too old and I think I'll regret not having tried it!