Petestack Blog

So we might have had some sustained sunshine through June but, predictably when you’re a school teacher and don’t get on holiday till July, it’s been raining pretty well ever since and windy enough with it at times to make proper hill running a seriously unpleasant prospect (on which note, kudos to the 60+ runners who turned up for the Half Ben on Sunday when I couldn’t even persuade myself to open the door!). But at least I’ve been getting some things done about the house, spending much of the time between Saturday’s soggy cycle to the Dam and today’s run tidying up the bombsite that’s stayed largely untouched through weeks (nay, months!) of WHW Race training and summer term business…

Now, Sunday was fair enough as a write-off and I pretty well had to wait in Monday for the delivery that didn’t come till today (horrible evening, too!). So, after my (strange but true) ‘buy one get one free’ colour laser printers arrived mid-afternoon today, I was desperate to get out. But a quick scoot at the MWIS forecast (predicting deterioration to widespread rain and 70mph gusts this evening, with worse to come tomorrow) suggested that a big hill run in the Mamores might not be the optimum choice when a quick blast over the Devil’s Staircase to Altnafeadh and back should get me home before the worst of it. So off I set, running (as usual these days) the whole way over the hill and back apart from stopping along Wade’s Road for a quick chat to Chris ‘haven’t you had enough?’ Ellis, to whom I then confessed to planning the Ramsay’s attempt. And it was while I was out today, enjoying this section of the WHW that many runners seem to hate but I love to run more than any other, that I had (thinking on my feet as usual) this interesting idea about said Ramsay’s attempt… which is, why not take the original anti-clockwise direction that’s so aesthetically pleasing if slightly tougher (?), start in the evening (say 8pm) and do the Mamores (the part I know best) by night to leave daylight for the rest? So let’s just look at what that might do for me…

• Get the inevitable night hours out of the way first on the ridge where I’ve done every peak at last five times (including three complete traverses) and most a great deal more.
• Give me a choice of Friday or Saturday night starts.
• Let me run the rest of the round (some bits of which I’ve only done once or twice before) in daylight.
• Leave me a descent (from Ben Nevis) I’ve done many times in the dark if falling behind the qualifying 24 hours but still wanting to ‘finish’.

Of course other factors might yet change things. Like deciding to start midday Saturday and do the eastern sector by night as previously mooted. Or finding out that it’s impossible for anyone to get the train in to Corrour (haven’t checked yet) to meet me if I get there too early, or Friday night’s too soon for any of my pacers. Or whatever. But I’m liking the concept at the moment.

Oh yes, and it rained again this afternoon. And blew. So I was glad I was only out for a couple of hours, with the wind on my tail once I’d turned for home!