February 25th - Lempitlaw

Afternoon torpor set in again, so nicked out for a livener after lunch with a belly full of home-made lentil soup while waiting for the Aussies to arrive for tea. As usual, perked up after a while, although it took longer than usual. Enjoyed a steady hour-long trot around the farmland to the east of the house through Lurdenlaw and Lempitlaw. Took in a strangely non-descript and hard-to-find trig point on The Kip, hidden by bracken and overlooked by a very cute Scots pine beside some kind of water-works. Read Chris' and Dave's entries on the One Pound Challenge calendar and felt like a bit of a lazy git. Must get some long runs in and find a few races...

February 24th - Linton Hill

Sleepy in the afternooon yet again, but perked up when I headed out with Anooshka. Ploughed a straight furrow across the farmland to the east to the top of Linton Hill. Took exactly half an hour to get there, and would have been a bit quicker on the return leg, so detoured to the derelict cottage on the farm to make up the hour.

February 23rd - Bowmont Forest

Pretty tired all day, and loads of work to plough through. Finally headed out early evening for a steady half hour around Bowmont Forest.

February 22nd - track session

Picked Ellie up from school and took her straight to the track, where she ensconced herself in the ladies changing room with a table and got stuck into her homework. Out on the track we got stuck into a session of 3 x 1500 and 1 x 500. All recoveries 3 minutes. Legs a bit jellyish on the first rep, but seemed to get better as the session progressed. Times were 5:03, 5:01, 4:58 and 1:31.
Marathon around Asda afterwards, which Ellie certainly enjoyed more than I did!

February 21st - Road run

Absolutely dog-tired all afternoon, and the sun had given way to grey and drizzle. Didn’t get a chance to run until the kids were tucked up in bed, by which time it was very dark. Brief duty-run on the road turned into a bit of a road-to-Damascus moment. Immediately I set off I discovered that my legs wanted to run hard, and the planned 25-minute jog turned into a 45-minute burn-up via Linton Bankhead and the Yetholm back-road. Pretty hilly. Felt like I was flying, which may have been an illusion encouraged by the dark. I’ve noticed before that it’s easier to run hard on the road when it’s dark, or lashing with rain. The same impression can also be achieved by drinking a few pints before a run, but I don’t think that in such circumstances the impression is totally reliable! Finished with a 10-minute jog / stumble along the potholed farm track back to the house. No bloody hot water for a decent bath. Decided that I really ought to hammer out a few hard road miles each week to try to coax a bit of speed back into the legs, and perhaps even think about a couple of road-races later in the year.

February 20th - Wideopen Hill

Couldn’t bear another flat boring run from the house, so contrived a trip to Morebattle (all of three miles away!) and drove round to the foot of Wideopen Hill. Planned to run straight to the top and down again, but the late afternoon light was so gorgeous that, despite very tired heavy legs, I ran out along the ridge towards Hownam Law and stretched the run to about 45 minutes. Very last vestiges of snow still visible on the Cheviot. Took quite a few pictures, which don’t quite convey how bonny it was up there.

Wideopen Hill. 20_02_07

February 19th - Bowmont Forest

Called through by Oscar at 4 a.m. to deal with some crisis, and was alarmed to find that my right leg wouldn’t support me, with a sharp pain in the ankle and Achilles. Hopped through with the aid of the banister and snuggled down next to him in his single bed. Awoke again at 6:10 – Toby’s chosen breakfast time at present and stepped gingerly to the floor. Pain and weakness miraculously vanished – perhaps I dreamed them!

Too busy with boys (Hamish off school with tonsils) and work all day, so crept out for a run at 5 p.m. in the drizzle and dusk. Poodled round a steady half hour in Bowmont forest. Conifer plantations are so boring to run through. I used to love the Forest of Dean, with its beech and oak, its birdlife and fluffy mammals. I think I even once saw a flamingo on a pond there, although I could probably be persuaded that it was just a gay heron.

Anyway – no photos today because I really couldn’t see the point.

February 18th - Norham Cross Country

No stiffness from yesterday, and a gorgeous clear sunny day. Bundled the kids, including Hamish’s infected and swollen tonsils into the car and drove them to Norham for the last fixture in the Borders cross Country Series. I won this last year, but didn’t fancy my chances this year, especially with Carnethy in my legs (although after my efforts with the pot-scrubber – no longer ON them). When Brian Marshall turned up 10 minutes before the start I know my goose was cooked.

Bit of a mad charge at the start, during which I settled into 4^th spot, with fellow Gala Harrier Rory Methven pushing the pace up front. Reeled him in over the next few hundred metres and took the lead after about ten minutes. Lovely winding course through woods and along a river-valley. Several stream-crossings. Could hear heavy footsteps immediately behind, and confirmed that it was Brian. Held him there for a few minutes until we hit a wide, straight level section where he effortlessly pulled away. Managed to hold 2^nd place, gradually putting distance between myself and a spry young City of Edinburgh runner. Finished in 26 minutes dead, probably 30 or 40 seconds behind Brian. Once again, not tired at the finish. Maybe there’s not enough speed in the legs to tax myself properly. No photos other than this one of Oscar giving chase, as Ellie, the lazy toad, led all the boys back to the car as soon as the race started to eat chocolate and watch a DVD!

February 17th - Carnethy 5

Drove to the Pentlands for the Carnethy 5. This is the curtain-raiser for the hill-running season, and is always a real quality affair. All the best Scottish hill runners turn out, along with a few of the good guys from south of the border. It starts with a 400m flat runs across boggy ground followed by a long steady climb up Scald Law – the highest hill in the range. Avoided the usual cavalry-charge across the bog and started the climb in about 35^th place. Gradually picked off runners on the way up, including Chris Upson, who seemed to have set off more sensibly than usual. Reached the summit in the low 20s and legged it out to South Black Hill and around to East Kip on the heels of an inspired Jamie Thin, who appeared to be running out of his skin. Pushed it a bit hard and had a pretty dismal ascent of East Kip, during which I lost a couple of places, notably to Kenny from Bellahouston, whom I have beaten by a few seconds in this race for the last two years. Rallied a bit on the descent and the climb of West Kip. Summited with Kenny, who then trounced me on the steep tussocky drop into the valley. I tried to haul him and Jamie in on the flat section to the Howe but by the time we reached the foot of Carnethy I was still a good 60m adrift, and sitting in about 22^nd spot. I always seem to have a bit left in the tank for this final climb, and I gradually closed them down. Kenny was passed just before the gully, but Jamie was still running strongly and seemed out of reach. Enjoyed a bit of a ding-dong with Malcolm Patterson, leap-frogging repeatedly until I finally broke him on the last heave to the summit.

By common consent, the route marked for the descent of Carnethy was one of the worst ever, and gratuitously technical through long rough heather. No-one within range ahead – Jamie was well out of reach - and no-one threatening from behind, so after stumbling swearily and falling arse-over-tit a couple of times I coasted to the finish in 55:02 for 19^th place. My stated objectives before the race were top-20 and sub-55 minutes. If I’d remembered to pack a watch I’d have achieved both. As it was, I was left ruefully reflecting on my lazy trundle across the last 400m, during which I could easily have picked up 10 seconds if I’d known I was close to the target. Manny, Nige and Chris all finished within about half a minute of one-another, with Nige leading the charge in a shade over 56 minutes. Rob Jebb won, Jethro Lennox was second and Brian Marshall 7^th. Strange absence of fatigue at the end, and ran the three miles back to Peniculk comfortably with Chris, Nige and Jane. By the way – what’s the special ingredient in Pentland mud? After hanging around in Peniculk eating chicken pie and potato-leatherette and waiting in vain for the prize-giving, then driving home, feeding the troops, flogging through the childrens’ bedtime routine and finally finding time to jump in the shower at 9 p.m. I was startled to discover that the grime from the race had set on my legs like epoxy, and it took a lot of vigorous scrubbing with a pot-scourer to shift it.

February 16th - Local jog

Easy 25-minute jog around the local woods and fields with both dogs. Never taking Henry on the road again. Absolutely no road-sense. Scared the wits out of me twice in 50m.

February 15th - Track session

Coach set a session of 800, 600, 400, 200, 200, 400, 600, 800 with a 100m walk between each. Ran them at 75% with Tony (although he dropped behind a bit on the last few.) Strangely stiff calves, which may well be due as much to the 6-year-old shoes than the speed or the running surface! Finished this lot, then Neil prescribed a mile to finish. Ran this steadily in about six minutes. Couple of laps jog, then the weekly marathon around Asda. No pictures from the track, for fear of being branded a pervert, but a lovely sunrise .

February 14th - Linton

Still without internet connection at home so this is being posted five days late. Headed up to Linton via the hilly fields to the east of the house and dropped in at the house that Mal’s building for Tom Edgar, our recent landlord. Took a few photos to remind myself of some of the details when tackling our own self-build later this year, then trotted back along the road. Dog rolled in a dead sheep, and stank worse than she has ever stank before, which is saying something! 52 minutes running.

February 13th - Bowmont Forest

Back in tatters when I woke, largely because the usual musical-beds pantomime saw me in Oscar's bed (he was in mine) with Toby beside me, obliging me to curl into an unnatural shape and cling to the bedside table half the night! Quickly loosened through the morning, and by the time I plunged into Bowmont Forest in the afternoon it was virtually back to normal. Celebrated with a fairly quick 45 minutes. Amazing how quickly and completely I get disorientated in the woods. It's more-or-less completely flat, and with no view other than the trees on each side of the path, it's impossible (for me at any rate) to keep track of the direction I'm heading.
Bit of a red-letter day on the planning front. Yesterday's snotty letter fired off to the Head of Planning yielded rapid results, when I had a phonecall this morning giving verbal approval. Awaiting the confirming letter, then can buy the plot and get cracking with proper drawings etc.

February 12th - Lurden Law

Back a fair bit better. Ran out to Lurden Law Farm at a brisk pace in 15 minutes, then legged it back in 13. Absolutely plastered in mud, and thought I'd heard the dog getting caught in a deer-trap in the woods. Suspicions grew when she failed to arrive home. Just working out how to tell Anna when the stupid animal turned up knackered and smelling of fox!

February 11th - Bowmont Forest

Lumbar pain, which has been niggling for a week or so, went a bit bananas today and had me hobbling all day. Ran like a brush-shaft in Bowmont Forest for 22 minutes, very slow and very tender.

February 10th - Road Run

Another one in the dark and sleet. Track to the Yetholm road, up to Graden Moor and back along track. Feeling strong again, and ran the road section pretty hard.

February 9th - Road Run

35 minutes in horrible cold sleet in the dark. Followed the road towards Kelso as far as the low shed then turned back. Feeling strong, and very little stiffness from last night's track session.

February 8th - Track session

Cold frosty evening in Galashiels. Lovely session of alternate 600s and 300s. Coach Neil said the squad could all stop when I had completed six sets, which put the pressure on a bit. The lazy buggers were nagging me afer about three reps, asking if I was nearly done. Felt strong, and ran all the 600s between 1:56 and 1:58, and the 300s in 51 - 53 secs. Picture below courtesy of Neil.

February 7th - Wideopen Hill

Up Wideopen hill at sunset again, from Grubbit Farm this time. Smattering of snow on the ground, with the promise of a heavy dump to come in the night. About 40 mintues in total, taking it easy. Pretty cold, but lovely run. First picture shows the whole route. Pictures 2 and 3 look north and east respectively from Wideopen Hill.

February 6th - Wideopen Hill

Steady half hour trot up Wideopen Hill from the Hownam Road, along St. Cuthbert's Way. Lovely to be out of the woods and back on the hill again. Sunset was just starting to look interestng when my camera battery packed up. Chilly, and a brief flurry of snow as I was coming off the hill. Strange sugar-wobble after 20 minutes. Obviously need more cakes at lunchtime!
Anooshka had a bit of a set-to with a big bullock that was blocking the path, but is too nimble to come to any harm. I'm not...

February 5th - Bowmont Forest

Into Bowmont Forest again for half an hour's jog. Seem to be horrendously short of time at the moment, and every run is shoved in with a strict deadline to get home. Feeling knackered and heavy-legged. House is still cluttered with boxes, although we're slowly getting through them. Arranged a make-shift office, with a desk and our old breakfast table as a workbench. Room too small, with nowhere for stock, so I keep having to nip out to the garage for system components. Lack of internet is becoming a serious problem, as I'm running low on all sorts of things, and virtually all my orderng is done online. Writing this from our neighbours', Jean and Claire, who have just moved out of Bargrennan. Despite Jean's protestations to the contrary, I feel a bit cheeky turning up on the doorstep with my laptop asking to use his broadband.

New house, however, is lovely, warm and spacious with heaps of natural light and a cracking view to the hills where I'd like to be running!

February 4th - Bowmont Forest

Decided to have a look around Bowmont Forest, just beside the Main House estate. Only a couple of miles across, and I’d dismissed it as too small to bother with. Pleasantly surprised, therefore, to lose myself (literally!) in it for over half an hour without duplicating any paths. Flat running on well-made tracks, ideal for letting rip and getting some speed back into the old legs. Think this might become a regular feature of my running from Main House, supplemented by longer hill runs at the weekends.

February 3rd - Main House

Still uninspired by the easily available routes from Main House. Headed up the hill immediately behind the house and across towards Linton Hill. Dropped down the road to Frogden and back along a farm track to main House. About 40 minutes all together. Still no camera.

February 2nd - Main House

Sunningly beautiful and completely cloudless day. Very busy trying to catch up with yesterday's missed work, unpacking, assembling furniture and looking for the clothes (including all my jocks and socks!) which Mal shoved in a random box somewhere. Fitted in a brief 22 minute run before going to meet Crispin (Rodwell, not Flower), who's fishing on the Tweed for a couple of days. Still no uinternet access, so posting this from Kelso Library.

February 1st - Main House

Big day. Moved house with a self-drive van and the very able assistance of Mal and nephew Jack. All went smoothly, after my initial cock-up with the keys. Got all the big stuff and essentials shifted in three loads, then dropped Mal back with the dishwasher, which I gave him, as the new house has one buit in. Sneaked out for a quick duty-run at 10:30 to Jack's amazement. Half-an-hour pretty quick on the road back towards Morebattle and back. Camera still in hiding somewhere, so you'll have to take my word for it.