For an end fo March day, it was a cold start and there had been snow above 400 m. I began at the start of the route at Tom-Na-Kessaig (Hill of St Kessog) in Callendar. This is right next to the river, and within 600m my feet were sodden due to the recent rainfall meaning that the river was quite high. I started out in coat and buff. Mistake. Be Bold, Start Cold. After 1.5km, I had to stop to take it off. 500m later, I stopped again, having not checked my kit before I left and therefore had all my food (8x SIS gels and 3 x soreen bars) in only 1 pocket and therefore the weight was not evenly distributed. Mistake.
Determined not to let that get me down, I carried on at a reasonable pace on the very undulating section between Callander and Big o'Turk, parallel to the A821 and Loch Venacher. The weather was fab, with the sun out and running alongside the hill being grand. I didn't see anybody on this section of path and I was enjoying the day, trying to not let the HR creep up too high.
From Big o'Turk, I was on new ground that I had not run before, but thankfully the trail is reasonably well marked. Skirting around the south of Loch Achray, I very much enjoyed the woodland and the shade that it bought. I questioned if I had made another mistake with wearing legins. Probably.
Getting to Loch Katrine, I was in good spirits. I knew that this section was flatter (ish) so could pick the pace up. For the next 13 miles I kept it around 5 min/km, as I question why I was running around this loch, and not just enjoying the lovely boat tour that they offer. Deceptively, when it look like you are near the top of the loch, you go around to the right and bam, there's another 5km to go before you get around. After 36km, I stopped to switch water bottles. I had carried 1200ml with me in 3 bottles to get around.
As the route came off Loch Katrine, my hip flexor started to give me some grief, and I wondered if I had pushed a little too hard on the first 38km. The path then gets a little more complex, and I questioned if this path was really cyclable for everyone. My motivation was high when I passed marathon distance in a time of 3:36. Not too bad considering the pack, trail and elevation.
The path then runs parallel to Loch Arklet, which must be one most remote parts of the Trossachs region. I didn't particularly enjoy this section. 0mm drop shoes with little cushioning were taking a toll on my feet, and my calves were beginning to hurt.
Getting to 47km, I thought the end was in sight and knew it was downhill into Inversnaid. Some person had a cruel idea when they created this route to divert the cyclists from the runners. The route diverges, and the path goes properly cross country after a very steep incline. My feet had probably just dried from the water at 0.3km, but now were soaked for the last kilometre again. The terrain down here is very technical, and with aching legs, and big rocks this certainly was a cruel joke. No sprint finish... but the slowest km of them all to get down to the hotel and onto the pier for an alright view of Loch Lomond.
A quick photo, a bit of cramp and the last piece of soreen, and it was time to question my life choices again, having parked the car 1.5km away at the top of the hill on Thursday. If you are dropping a car off, I definitely recommend leaving it down in the hotel car park rather than up in the top one!