It was another day and another case of having to pack up a base camp. Base camp 5 I think. I'm beginning to lose count with this gypsy like existence I'm leading. Burnley Keith did most of the packing. He's so much easier to boss about than Katy and Jack, on the previous support crew (aka my missus and 4 year old boy). Although I'm sure Katy will find that hard to believe.It was raining at the start in Bridge of Earn and I was already beginning to regret the previous night's Chicken Madras.
The first few miles were up a steep hill and my spirits were about as damp as the persistent rain falling down around the Perth area. There must have been a lot of rain fall overnight as quite a few sections of the road were flooded and I had to run around the sides of the puddles to avoid getting even more soaked.
Even as early as 5 miles in I realised that this was going to be one hard slog all the way today. The split times to the right more or less back this up and it was just a case of trying to dig in all day. Every time I hit a new low point during the day I checked the justgiving site on my mobile phone and more often than not a new pledge had been made. This ensured that my spirits were kept as high as possible on this most miserable of miserable days.
Burnley Keith had been sponsored by colleagues for £150 in order to get a photo on the website of himself running 100 yards in a pair of shorts. I made him run that distance in 3 takes before up
loading the photo showing the knobbliest knees. That's the easiest £150 this fund has seen.
It was time for a banana stop at 9 miles and Burnley Keith and I discussed a revised route that would give me a chance of at least seeing the Forth Road Bridge that day. The route was more direct but a little more hilly than the previous one. It was a trade off I was willing to make as I don't mind running up hills.
I soon found myself running past the Indian restaurant that we ate at the night before. "Never again" I thought to myself. Well never again on this tour anyway!
The road from Kinross to Kelty was full of speeding cars and had a few blind corners. I had to
have my wits about me at all times, just like I had on the A9 for a few hundred miles previously.
I was absolutely shattered at the 17 mile banana stop but I knew that in 8 miles time I would be able to see that major landmark that is the Forth Road Bridge.
The following 5 miles were as tough as any I've experienced so far. I had now run over 250 miles in 10 days and it was beginning to show.
Just as the really negative thoughts were starting to brew in my mind, a familiar face appeared at the side of the road. Mark Fleming (pictured), one of my colleagues from Northern Rock, had been playing golf in the area and was on his way to the Open at Carnoustie. He had a copy of my route and found me with ease.
After such a tough day on the road, it was great to see a familiar face. After a bit of crack with him and his mate Jan I was on my way again. His kind and encouraging words helped me to do a quick finish and I did the last 2 miles a good 4 or 5 minutes quicker per mile. I stopped just at the outskirts of Inverkeithing with the Forth Bridges in sight. I count these bridges as being the 2nd major landmark on this run. The first being the bridge at Inverness.
Having learned my lesson from the previous night, it was a jacket potato and beans for me at tea time. The next madras I have will be in the Bigg Market in August, hopefully after beating Aston Villa!
Even as early as 5 miles in I realised that this was going to be one hard slog all the way today. The split times to the right more or less back this up and it was just a case of trying to dig in all day. Every time I hit a new low point during the day I checked the justgiving site on my mobile phone and more often than not a new pledge had been made. This ensured that my spirits were kept as high as possible on this most miserable of miserable days.
Burnley Keith had been sponsored by colleagues for £150 in order to get a photo on the website of himself running 100 yards in a pair of shorts. I made him run that distance in 3 takes before up
loading the photo showing the knobbliest knees. That's the easiest £150 this fund has seen.It was time for a banana stop at 9 miles and Burnley Keith and I discussed a revised route that would give me a chance of at least seeing the Forth Road Bridge that day. The route was more direct but a little more hilly than the previous one. It was a trade off I was willing to make as I don't mind running up hills.
I soon found myself running past the Indian restaurant that we ate at the night before. "Never again" I thought to myself. Well never again on this tour anyway!
The road from Kinross to Kelty was full of speeding cars and had a few blind corners. I had to
have my wits about me at all times, just like I had on the A9 for a few hundred miles previously.I was absolutely shattered at the 17 mile banana stop but I knew that in 8 miles time I would be able to see that major landmark that is the Forth Road Bridge.
The following 5 miles were as tough as any I've experienced so far. I had now run over 250 miles in 10 days and it was beginning to show.
Just as the really negative thoughts were starting to brew in my mind, a familiar face appeared at the side of the road. Mark Fleming (pictured), one of my colleagues from Northern Rock, had been playing golf in the area and was on his way to the Open at Carnoustie. He had a copy of my route and found me with ease.
After such a tough day on the road, it was great to see a familiar face. After a bit of crack with him and his mate Jan I was on my way again. His kind and encouraging words helped me to do a quick finish and I did the last 2 miles a good 4 or 5 minutes quicker per mile. I stopped just at the outskirts of Inverkeithing with the Forth Bridges in sight. I count these bridges as being the 2nd major landmark on this run. The first being the bridge at Inverness.
Having learned my lesson from the previous night, it was a jacket potato and beans for me at tea time. The next madras I have will be in the Bigg Market in August, hopefully after beating Aston Villa!
