What a day! This little trek of mine is in no way getting any easier. In place of the extreme rain and wind of days 1 and 2 was a nice little heat wave in the north east of Scotland. There was no hiding from it as there was hardly a cloud in the sky and the course was fairly open today. When there were trees for a bit of shade then served as the signal for an attack of the flies! I soon outran them though!I quite enjoyed the sunshine during the first few miles and it didn't seem too long before I passed through Helmsdale and Portgower. A passing train driver tooted the train horn and
leaned out of his window to wave. Music from Maximo Park and The Killers were playing on the iPod. Life was good during the first 9 miles.
leaned out of his window to wave. Music from Maximo Park and The Killers were playing on the iPod. Life was good during the first 9 miles.From miles 9 - 20 the temperature seemed to rise further and I tried my best to maintain a decent tempo. The elevation during the first 20 miles was the flattest I'd ran on so far so at least I was lucky on that front. I managed to check the pledges on my mobile phone at the 20 mile banana stop and I was gobsmacked to see that the £10,000 barrier had been broken. I was just as amazed when I had a text to sat that Newcastle could be signing Deco from Barcelona. He's a right little worky ticket of a creative midfielder. My kind of player; in the Gartusso m
ould. I was soon underway again, now with the knowledge that my efforts were well worthwhile. All thanks to the Toon Army via nufc.com.
ould. I was soon underway again, now with the knowledge that my efforts were well worthwhile. All thanks to the Toon Army via nufc.com.All was going well around Loch Fleet at the 22 mile point. I even managed an 11 minute mile while Eye of the Tiger was playing away on the iPod. The next 2.5 miles were an absolute killer though as there was an elevation increase of 320 ft. Now do I not like that! The final few miles were mostly downhill and I managed to complete a respectable 27.1 miles before making the short journey to the campsite. I was absolutely shattered at the end and my legs ached really badly.
Spending an hour putting the tent up eased the pain somewhat and it was 21:00 before I managed to get some tea. It didn't take long for the tent to fill up with flies so I ate my spag bol from the comfort(!) of bedroom 1. I must say it was the best meal I'd had so far on this tour. Compliments to the chef (aka Katy).
For the purposes for self preservation I'm going to take a look at the weather in the morning and perhaps run either side of noon. I'll
make my mind up in the morning. One last moan before I sign off. I've got 2 of the most amazing blood filled blisters I've ever seen. I'll have to keep my eye on them. Meanwhile, thanks for all the pledges and kind words. I can't tell you how much of a difference both are making.
make my mind up in the morning. One last moan before I sign off. I've got 2 of the most amazing blood filled blisters I've ever seen. I'll have to keep my eye on them. Meanwhile, thanks for all the pledges and kind words. I can't tell you how much of a difference both are making.This is Mark Allison signing off from the tent of infestation! May tomorrow bring lower temperatures and more exciting transfer news.
