Great Glen Way FKT
Official time 11h 28min 36s
Unsupported.
Left Mallaig where I live at 5am and started from Inverness GGW stone at 7:15(ish). MY brother-in-law Ryan took me there. I am so gratefull!
Forecast was wet and snowy so I got ready for it carrying all my safety equipment and extra layers with my gloves and overmittens. But nothing like that happened. After 5 light snow showers it all cleared up and the sky was blue! What a day to do the route!
Lots of sun and blue skies!
Felt super strong from the start! I carried all my food and gear which was weighing a tone.. I was eating through my Mountain Fuel Gels regularly even when I didn't feel hungry. Better to prevent it than later pay the price.
First leg to Drumnadrochit went really well and I was 5min up the schedule from my February finish. That gave me a boost.
When I got to Invermoriston i cramped a little bit but after few salts it went away. I was still up 5min. I got surprised as I felt really strong and didn't make much time progress. So the next section had to be very good!
When I landed in Fort Augustus I was 19min up my schedule! I was feeling really good and going really well. I dropped a stone out of my shoe put my earphones in and the 'Canal Hell started'. I just call it that way... as there is not much happening here. Beautiful views but constant rhytmic pounding on the ground.
All went well and I kept going really good to my surprise.
At Laggan Locks I was still 19min up. My legs started really hurt. It's only pain.. and it's temporary.. it will go away.
When I got to Gairlochy I was 21min up my schedule!
16km to go from here. Game on. I pushed on. With so much daylight it felt really nice. The sun was charging my batteries and I kept pushing drinking and fuelling regularly.
Getting closer to places I know I started to speed up. And to my surprise I was running 5:00/km on average when I got the swing in my legs right!
Finish! My wife and girls came to see me with Helen and Davy. So good to see them all.
I finished 25min faster than my supported run from February! Super chuffed with this!
I think I'm ready for some real food now!
I am well and truly broken.
Story behind odd socks..
I put them on this morning realising I have 2x left ones.. not a chance I am not running with 2 lefties! The only one I found in a mad rush was a blue right one. Sorted! I like the odd socks!