Whisky River - The Speyside Way Ultra

A couple of years ago, Nic needed a long run while we were up north, and decided to run a section of the Speyside Way.  Her opinion was that, aside from a couple of long drags, it was a pretty flat and enjoyable route.  Fast forward to a few months ago, and we decided to return and join in the annual race from Ballindalloch to Buckie (36.5ish miles).  I duly visited the Speyside Way Ultra website, put a load of details onto the entry system, and started to plan my race.

Gear Review: Event Clips

Every so often, someone contacts me out of the blue to review a product.  I like the randomness of it, and enjoy trying new stuff.  Rarely, though, has something come through the post with such perfect timing for a properly hard trial.  When Mike from EventClips sent me a set through, it was just before my return to the North Devon/Somerset coast for the Seaview 17.  Ordinarily, I'd have attached my number to my race belt, but with some fancy new clips to try, I clipped the number to my shorts and set out to see how well they would hold up to some tough race conditions.

Night Running in Circles

Mostly, I enjoy trail running at night.  When it's dark, you don't get all those scenic views that distract from the pain.  Sometimes, you see green eyes glowing out at you, and have a little frisson of excitement wondering if the cattle are bored or scared enough to chase you.  But mostly, you find yourself in a little tunnel of light, and have to put all your effort into staying upright and moving forward.  When you can get into that focused world where every part of your mind and body is geared towards your run, it's one of running's great joys.

The Moray Coastal Trail - Attempt 1 of ???: How not to prepare for a long run.

I've enjoyed a reasonable amount of time on parts of the Moray Coastal Trail over the past few years.  The sections around Lossiemouth are some of Nic's favourite beach runs in the country.  On our last visit to the area, I discovered that it's a temptingly short/long 45ish miles, and hatched a plan to find a way to get out and run the whole thing.

Plans, as one often hears, have a way of going awry.