What's in the Bag? (Week 3 - 28 to go)

The week didn't get off to the best start as I felt like I had weights attached to my arms and legs and was totally drained of energy;  so much so that I spent Saturday afternoon asleep on the sofa.  However one of my Canicross friends was across on the island on Sunday so I made the effort to get moving and get a short run in. 

One of last weeks runs - so windy it kept blowing the camera over. But good shot of my running partner.

Tuesday was coaching day, why are intervals so bloody hard – even on the flat!  We also added a few squats and various other techniques such as deceleration into the session (not sure I go fast enough to require deceleration, but I live in hope).

Mentally I planned to have Thursday as my long run day, and I’d been psyching myself up to tackle Goatfell all week.  The forecast was good (although I had decided anything other than snow was not going to stop me) and despite heavy rain in the morning I packed my bag ready for the afternoons run/walk.  The plan for this ‘long’ session was to walk up Goatfell and run/walk back down. 

Now, usually when I set off up a mountain I wear full hiking kit  and carry a rucksack with just about everything I could possibly need.  Most of my walking is done solo (except for the dog) so I’m careful to make sure I have plenty of kit in case of emergencies – mine or someone else’s.  So stripping back to reduce weight for a run up a mountain is like removing my comfort blanket.

Contents of my running rucksack

So what do I have in my bag?  Well the bag for a start is a small body hugging one designed for mountain biking, its snug and doesn't slip about so that’s the one I'm using.  The first thing in is water, using a bladder system for easy access.  Then in goes what I consider to be the essentials.  One thing about running on Arran, especially out of the tourist season is that you can walk all day on popular routes and not see anyone, so first in is my survival bag.  No point having a fall sustaining non-fatal injuries and then dying from hypothermia. Then comes some tape and a bandage, useful for  injuries and clothing or shoe failures; and of course my Epipen (allergies are something I live with).  I also take my mobile phone which is registered for 999 texting if the signal is poor. 

After the major essentials come the secondary items.  A couple of chemical hand warmers and a hat and gloves. Concentration goes if you’re cold and trips become more likely – not a major problem for road runners, but out on the rough trails the rocks abound. Then as the nights are drawing in I carry a head torch if I set off after lunch and a backup torch (that just happens to flash SOS if needed).

And then there’s the non-essentials, food for me, food for the dog (and some poo bags) and of course my compact camera – although I could use my phone I tend to leave that safely in its padded pocked where it’s nice and dry if I do need it.

Top of Goatfell

So how did Goatfell go?  Well it went from OMG to WTF was I thinking, back to omg, omg, omg as I struggled over the rocks on the way down, and finally to Yeah!!! as I got back to my start point.  Now I’ve just got to learn how to run the up bits.  Thank goodness I have a few months to go.

Weeks activity 24^{th –}  30^th October:

Saturday – No training (felt rough all day)

Sunday –  Short run still feeling a bit off so slow 5.87km /141mtr height gain.

Monday – No training

Tuesday – Coaching session / intervals on the flat

Wednesday –No training

Thursday – Goatfell (not race route) walk up, run/walk down 11.3 km/height gain 842m

Friday -  Recovery run 30 minutes very very slow.

(Goatfell Race 15.5km / 870m)