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.